Marilyn Manson & Bullet for Download 2018

A FRESH barrage of acts have been announced for Download Festival 2018 with Marilyn Manson, Bullet For My Valentine and Parkway Drive among them.

Matt Tuck from Bullet says the band a delighted to be returning to Donington Park after a five-year break. He added: “We’re more than ready to get back on that legendary stage and do what we do best.”

Other acts in the new swathe include Rise Against, Babymetal, Alexisonfire, Black Veil Brides, Asking Alexandria, Neck Deep, Meshuggah, In This Moment, The Hives and Body Count with Ice T.

Mayday Parade, Dream State, Wstr and The Pink Slips make up the announcement.

Ben Bruce of Asking Alexandria said: “Download Festival is hands down one of the most exciting festivals in the world to play and so we have decided to bring our biggest show to date with us.”

And if that doesn’t sound exciting, I’ll remind you that the headliners for that weekend in June are Guns N’ Roses, Avenged Sevenfold and Ozzy Osbourne.

Tickets are on sale already and for more information visit downloadfestival.co.uk

Download Festival Day One Review

ANOTHER year, another torrential deluge of rain at Download Festival. But it takes more than constant downpours and lakes of mud to stop the metalheads from enjoying their weekend - and so it proved.

My weekend started with a trip down memory lane with Alien Ant Farm on the Lemmy Stage. I only have one of their albums in my collection - 2001's ANThology - and the Californians' set was almost entirely from that. A good start.

As the rain began to fall, I took in a bit of Zoax under the cover of the Maverick Stage tent and they did more than enough to hold my attention. 

Jesse Leach on the Lemmy Stage
Photo credit:

Matt Eachus

But then the rain took centre stage and stayed there for much of the weekend.

So heavy were the downpours that they delayed the start of Babymetal - but everyone knows by now that you can't hold that force of nature back.

I first saw Babymetal at Sonisphere in 2014 and didn't know what to think, and I still don't think I get it. It's OK. It's bat-shit crazy. It's a novelty act. It sounds bad, but also quite good. One thing is for certain, there is nothing else like it and that made it a refreshing addition to the bill.

I had hoped to see the highly-rated Heck, but a dash back to the tent for some dryer and more waterproof clothes was needed in time for Killswitch Engage. 

One of my big "ones to watch" for the weekend, the metalcore heroes did not disappoint. Their 11-song set carried a few of the best songs from most of their albums and a couple from new LP Incarnate. And Jesse Leach's vocals were superb.

As well as renaming the main stage after Motorhead frontman Lemmy, the slot the band were to fill before his untimely death instead carried a video montage with some past performances included. 

It's a shame, however, that with the huge assortment of talent hanging around backstage that no live performance was arranged that the fans could really get into.

Over on the Zippo Encore Stage, Long Islanders Glassjaw pull in a threadbare crowd considering they are third on the bill on the second stage and up against the end of the Lemmy tribute at the start of their set.

They look dwarfed by the stage and other than frontman Daryl Palumbo are static. Guitarist Justin Beck seems as if his shoes were superglued to the floor.

That said, Glassjaw's angular, uncompromising hardcore still sounds good and if the band were disappointed by the turn-out, they didn't show it. The performance was excellent and Palumbo's energy (and dodgy attire) made up for the rest of the band.

On a weekend where some top-billed performances underwhelmed, Korn delivered a triumphant set full of power and vigour.

They're meant to be washed-up, bloated nu-metallers who have had their day, right? Uh-urrrr! Think again.

Jonathan Davies looked in rich health as the band stormed through a collection of greatest hits. His voice and energy were superb. Everything I could have hoped for and more.

Heck in the Maverick tent
Photo credit:

 Ross Silcocks

Here To Stay, Falling Away From Me and Coming Undone were in the early part of the set and an excellent drop in Shoots And Ladders into Metallica's One.

The set powered on and finished with Got The Life and Freak On A Leash. Mind-blowing stuff. 

I'd heard so much about Rammstein's live show. 'You don't have to like the music', they said. 'You don't have to understand the language', they also said. Well, I'm sorry to say that I think you probably do.

Yes there were costumes and fireworks and fire and silliness, but I found it so underwhelming. Maybe it was lost in translation or that I just didn't get it but I really didn't see what all the fuss was about.

So much so that I took a stroll up the hill to the Dogtooth Stage and poked my head in to watch Essex boys InMe. That I did enjoy.

I still had time after to go back to Rammstein for the tail-end of their set - including the encore - but like the weather, the day ended on a bit of a damp note.

Sonisphere - Day Two review

Deftones' Chino says 'hi' to the crowd

SO day two quickly arrives and from first thing in the morning one thing is very evident - Maiden are definitely playing tonight.

At least every second person is wearing an Iron Maiden T-shirt. I feel out of place. I knew they were big, but this is more - this is a cult.

But Tesseract are the opening band of the day on Apollo and with founding vocalist Daniel Tompkins back after a three-year break they tentatively build into good little set. They are then followed on the Saturn stage opposite by Scottish pirate metallers Alestorm - and by then the hangovers are blown away.

Babymetal win some new fans

Then comes the bizarre back on the Apollo - Japanese outfit Babymetal. Three dancing frontwomen with very high-pitched voices backed by chugging guitars. Nuts. Batshit crazy. The festival-goers I spoke to were split. Some thought it was awesome, others not so keen. Pokemon metal is the term I settled on.

But as the heavens opened I took my leave to the Bohemia tent to take in Calling All Cars and Voodoo Six - sorry Chas n Dave, but it was dry in there. 

Both bands did plenty to keep my interest though and it was a successful if previously unplanned diversion. That's what festivals are all about, right? Finding new bands too.

Anyway, the crazy continued on the Apollo as next up were costumed, Swedish doom merchants Ghost. They really don't float my boat so I quickly decided it was time for  lunch and drinks before a bit of Anthrax and next up after that for me was Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls.

Ghost - not a musical of the Patrick Swayze film

Frank was a weird fit to the weekend - which he admitted himself - with his acoustic country/folk/rock jangles out of place against many of the other chugging guitars and screaming vocals of many others on the bill.

He even jokingly introduced the crowd to an acoustic guitar.

He mentioned in the build-up to the festival and during his set that he is a massive Iron Maiden fan and grew up listening to metal and rock music - maybe he offered to do the gig for free in return for playing alongside his heroes. In any case, his set did come as a break from what had gone before and was coming later. Namely, mayhem.

Taking things back up a notch first were Hundred Reasons - back on the line-up two years after their cancelled appearance for the 10th anniversary of their Ideas Above Our Station album. They did the album in full and after a shaky start they found their groove.

In a day with a few oddities, another was soon upon us. Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson and his Great War Display Team re-enacted a World War One dogfight in the skies above Knebworth for a full 15 minutes, complete with commentary. Maiden mascot Eddie was supposedly one of the rear gunners, but my eyesight wasn't up to the job of confirming that.

Frank Turner and his acoustic

The display was ended by the Band and Bugles of The Rifles playing the Last Post - and just a minute or so later Deftones were on the same stage blaring into their track Diamond Eyes.

They may have been a bit bemused, but Chino Moreno didn't let it show and put in a ferocious performance as he stalked the stage rasping out his vocals. It was a great set, but I was disappointed that my personal favourites Back To School and You've Seen The Butcher didn't feature. No matter.

Now we're into the business end of the evening and as Slayer played the Saturn stage, I stayed nearer the Apollo to get a good viewing spot for the big one - Iron Maiden.

Now. I'll be honest, I'm not a massive Maiden fan. I don't own any albums and don't really have the inclination to go buy any. But I appreciate their status as one of the iconic bands of rock and metal music. And from the vastly swollen crowd from the previous day, it was evident this was going to be one to remember.

Soon, a grounded Bruce was out on the stage as they opened with Moonchild, swiftly followed by Can I Play With Madness. The crowd was madness personified and Dickinson seemed to cover every inch of the stage as The Prisoner and 2 Minutes To Midnight followed.

Maiden ended up playing for around two hours - including three-song encore ending in Sanctuary. It was awesome.

My plan had been to follow this by attending the Kerrang disco starting at 1am. But after two days of booze, sun, seemingly infinite walking and loads of good music, I needed a rest. Plus there was another full day of music to come. But today would take some beating.

Click here to read my review of Day One if you missed it, or carry on to Day Three.