Written by:	Baz Anderson
Published:	September 01, 2008
Event:	Bloodstock Open Air 2008 (Website)
Location:	Catton Park, Catton Hall, United Kingdom
Galleries:	Bloodstock Open Air - Catton Hall, England, 15th-17th August 2008 by Baz Anderson (183)

The weather even though being forecast heavy rain for the full duration of the festival had held up the day before and was actually a very nice day. It was therefore once again a delightful pleasure to wake up dry, and with the sun once again beaming it's little face at us.



Grabbing quite an early slot in the day, Eluveitie were back after their Paganfest tour was on these shores. This time with a new line-up though as the brothers left the band earlier in the year. Maybe the band didn't look quite the force on stage as they did before, but they still sounded great. After being somewhat of a critic of this band, the set surprised for good reasons, but was still nothing worth remembering as this tarted-up Gothenburg band bounced in, entertained and bounced out again.

Setlist:
Inis Mona / Grey Sublime Archon / Bloodstained Ground / Of Fire Wind & Wisdom / The Somber Lay / Your Gaulish War / Tergernako



High things were hoped for Norwegians Communic, they have just released their new album successfully and seem to be in good position. Unfortunately CD and live performances are two separate things. This Nevermore-sound-alike did not have the power of bands such as, well as Nevermore did last year here, and with just three members in the band the whole performance is rather static and uninspiring. Communic seriously need more power and oomph live, because going on this performance, they did not deliver the goods.

Setlist:
On Ancient Ground / Payment of Existence / Waves Of Visual Decay / Unpredictables Of Life / Ravens Cry



The same can not be said however for these Finnish titans of the epic folk metal scene. Moonsorrow are a band of epic proportions coming out on stage covered with blood and delivering these monsters of songs. My first encounter with Moonsorrow and they just blew me away, simply one of the best sets of the entire festival. Recognising songs is not my thing with Moonsorrow so they could have been playing anything as far as I was aware, but this didn't take anything away from the set at all. Moonsorrow are a force live, and incredible force. Go see them.

Setlist:
Tulimyrsky (chapters 1-4) / Ukkosenjumalan Poika / Kylän Päässä / Unohduksen Lapsi / Pakanajuhla / Tulimyrsky (chapters 6-9)



English bands were actually something or a rare breed at this year's Bloodstock, but if you are going to get a British band to play for you, you may as well go the whole way and get death/grind legends Napalm Death. Headspinning was the name of the game, Napalm Death put on a set of real extreme metal with the double bass drums and snare blasting away at every opportunity. This was by far not my first encounter with these guys live, but this performance was the best I have seen them as they blew through both new and old songs pleasing everyone in the audience. Great great set, still can't get enough of Barney's crazy dancing.

Setlist:
Weltschmerz (Intro) / Sink Fast, Let Go / Instinct Of Survival / Unchallenged Hate / Suffer The Children / Silence Is Deafening / Fatalist / Continuing War On Stupidity / When All Is Said And Done / It's a M.A.N.s World! / From Enslavement To Obliteration / Scum / You Suffer / Life? / The Kill / Deceiver / Dead / Nazi Punks Fuck Off / Siege Of Power



So Soilwork are actually really popular over here these days and had pulled a large audience. Truth be told, remembering anything of this set is a hopeless task, so lets just assume it was a bland, mediocre, grey set that probably wasn't really worth standing for.

Setlist:
Sworn To A Great Divide / As We Speak / Exile / Bastard Chain / One With The Flies / 20 More Miles / Rejection Role / Stabbing The Drama / As The Sleeper Awakes / Overload / The Pittsburgh Syndrome / Nerve



Quite possibly because these guys were on the mind as they were about to start as special guests on the Scuzz stage, the stage for unsigned bands. The Berzerker had packed the tent the small stage was in full, people were not able to get in as the demand to see this band was so high. You know the Berzerker, right, so imagine what they have laid on their CDs a thousand times louder, faster and more extreme. That is a live Berzerker show. We might as well have been travelling through a time warp or into some kind of black hole, watching the Berzerker live violates your senses in ways they shouldn't be. Insanely fast drums, key words there being "insane" and "fast". A live Berzerker show should seriously come with a health warning. Awesome stuff.



Due to The Berzerker running over, a large chunk of Iced Earth was missed, although this wouldn't have been my first time seeing this band, or the band with Matt back, so no great loss although "Violate" would have been nice to tap the foot along to again. Still, the band put on a great show and owned both the stage and audience while up there. Iced Earth were one of the most looked forward to bands of the festival and their set just showed why. "Ten Thousand Strong" sounded great next to the older, original Matt songs and the audience loved every minute of the set of a reunited Iced Earth.

Setlist:
Dark Saga / Vengeance is Mine / Burning Times / Declaration Day / Violate / Pure Evil / Ten Thousand Strong / The Coming Curse / Melancholy (Holy Martyr) / My Own Saviour / Iced Earth



Last band of the day, Dimmu Borgir were to be the first band to ever use pyrotechnics at a Bloodstock Open Air. So with a great band and lick of flame it was a green light for Dimmu Borgir to get on stage and do what they do best. Having been a Dimmu Borgir critic, expectations were not high as sitting through one of their sets was slightly hard work earlier in the year, let alone as it was getting cold in the middle of the night. Still, hold your horses, truth be told, this Dimmu Borgir set was actually mightily impressive and by far the best time I have seen them. Bloodstock seems to have a gift for doing that to bands. Indeed, the set was comprised of songs from all albums apart from the first two, and so hearing eerie anthems such as "A Succubus In Rapture" or "The Insight And The Catharsis" as the sun was long gone and we were in the dead of night was somewhat of a delightfully haunting experience, not like anything Dimmu Borgir have ever been able to transfer over to the audience before. And so finishing the set, leaving on a high note was a good ending for the second day of the festival.

Setlist:
Intro / Spellbound (By the Devil) / In Death's Embrace / The Serpentine Offering / The Chosen Legacy / The Sinister Awakening / The Maelstrom Mephisto / The Fundamental Alienation / A Succubus In Rapture / The Insight And The Catharsis / Progenies of the Great Apocalypse / Mourning Palace / Perfection or Vanity / Outro

Friday, 15/08/08 / Saturday, 16/08/08 / Sunday, 17/08/08