Bloodstock Festival 2025 - Review
As the gates to Catton Park creaked open, the horde of metalheads descended onto the grounds of Bloodstock Open Air.
Hosting 5 stages of emotional tributes to the late Ozzy Osbourne, to seismic headliners, it’s exciting to see this inclusive supporting community gather again.
FRIDAY 8TH AUGUST
Katja Odgin
Paleface Swiss handled their first UK festival with a set that was nothing short of feral. With songs Hatred, Please End Me and Love Burns, it’s no surprise the crowd almost immediately began a violent relentless pit. With drums like a battering ram and ridiculously dirty breakdowns, this was a brutal set early in the day, turning gravity into a myth.
If It Bleeds in the New Blood tent bringing Northern Irish hardcore, we only saw one or two songs, but it still clear why they won their area’s M2TM.
Abbi Draper-Scott
The Italian gothic metal powerhouse Lacuna Coil although late, made up for it with a stunning and commanding set, catapulting into Layers Of Time. Setting off a row of confetti cannons with the Italian flag colours, adding a jubilant flair to the show, before launching into the rest of the rest of their dark and dynamic set, including recent songs Gravity and I Wish You Were Dead, and wonderful throwbacks to the 2006 album Karmacode with Enjoy The Silence (which Cristina preceded with a heartfelt tribute to Ozzy) and Our Truth. Three decades on, and Lacuna Coil aren’t just surviving—they’re shapeshifting.
Katja Odgin
Friday night headliner Trivium was a spectacular highlight, with the American metal band delivered an unforgettable set filled with fan favourites and captivating collaborations. Bringing on special guests like Robert Flynn, Sleep Token’s III, and Malevolence’s Josh Baines, adding a unique flair to an already dynamite performance. The show was a visual feast with pyrotechnics, inflatable mascots, and the thrilling live debut of Bury Me With My Screams. It’s clear that they belong on the Bloodstock stage. The anticipation for new music from Trivium is palpable, and we can hardly wait to see what they bring next!
Katja Odgin
SATURDAY 9TH AUGUST
“Dirtbags from the North” Waterlines returned to the Sophie Lancaster Stage with electricity and sonic firepower. Fusing nu-metal riffs with EDM sections and metal core screams, the crowd was electrified, not a still body in sight. With tracks like BRACE and Trigger Warning, Waterlines made Bloodstock their bitch, with us moshers happily obeying, bodies colliding and collective shouts and approval.
Neve Saltmarsh
Following after these were Phoenix Lake, melodic metal group from Nottingham. With fire and powerful notes, synth flourishes and harmonising guitars, I honestly believe that they delivered one of Bloodstock’s most unexpectedly soaring performances. Debuting new song The Abyss, and performing well loved tracks Fractured Wings and Come Alive, the set was dramatic, and finished leaving the crowd buzzing.
We took this time in the afternoon to visit the Rock and Metal Gallery in the arena. This consisted of multiple walls of amazing pieces from Paul Gregory, Cynosure Guitars and Danny Edwards. The sight of Lemmy Kilmister’s specially commissioned bust retuned to the Bloodstock grounds was incredibly emotional. To quote Phil Campbell on the stage last year when it was first revealed “Motörhead is not past tense; Motörhead is present tense, the music is still alive. The lifestyle is still alive.”
Machine Head brought the night to a close with a brilliant aptitude. Kicking off the set with killer track Imperium, Rob Flynn’s vocals are intense and precise, but he’s also happy to have fun with the crowd, calling out “Beer-Box Jesus” and throwing a drink to “Banana man”. The set moves along without a hitch, with plenty of pyro and unremitting tunage. Halfway in the set, the lights dimmed and atmosphere turned beyond emotional when Robb dedicated Darkness Within to Michelle Kerr, close friend and longtime publicist. He asked the crowd to light up the field with phone torches, saying “there’s enough darkness in the world already” — a moment that turned the massive crowd of moshers into something intimate and unified. Machine Head owned the night, blending ferocity, fun, and genuine emotion into a set that will not be easily forgotten.
Abbi Draper-Scott
SUNDAY 10TH AUGUST
August Burns Red’s Sunday slot was a masterclass in precision metalcore — a thunderous mix of technical riffs, breakneck drumming, and moments of melodic lift that had the crowd in constant motion. Opening up with SOAD’s classic Chop Suey, then smacking into fan favourites such as White Washed and Mariana’s Trench. Frontman Jake Luhrs held the stage with equal parts raw intensity and genuine warmth, engaging the audience between tracks and transforming each breakdown into a collective outpouring of adrenaline. As Ghosts reached its final refrain, the audience’s chorus rose to meet it, a tide of collective roars meeting the group.
Abbi Draper-Scott
Feuerschwanz! This was their first time in the UK, and boy was it exuberant. Bringing a storm of pounding folk-metal riffs, hurdy-gurdy melodies, and ribald booming choruses that transformed the main stage into a rowdy medieval carnival. Clad in full armour, their comedic timing as tight as their musicianship, this German group got the crowd circle dancing and jumping non-stop. Definitely, DEFINITELY come back to the UK Feuerschwanz, we welcome your tunics and helmets with open arms!
Thrown absolutely assaulted the Sophie Lancaster Stage and (nearly) blew the damn tent away. The Swedish metalcore band with hints of nu-metal certainly made their mark at Bloodstock, opening with thumping track backfire. Their set was a relentless barrage — tracks like guilt and on the verge (fan favourites from their recent EP) hit with surgical precision, each one a tightly wound burst of aggression. Frontman Marcus Lundqvist prowling the stage, spitting every line with a violent animosity, making sure to lock eyes with the front row, daring them to push harder. The crowd obliged — bodies surged, circle pits getting faster and sharper, and every pause met with a wall of tension before the next drop.
As daylight fades on the last day, we head on down towards the front for the final headliner.
Abbi Draper-Scott
Gojira. Jesus Christ what to say? This was the way to close out Bloodstock! The screen flashing with animation while the group silently walked on, building suspense until bursting into Only Pain with a wall of fire and flashing lights. Joe Duplantier’s haunting roars alongside a soundscape like no other. Mario Duplantier’s prodigious double kicks rumbling through the fields as we get through songs like Backbone and Stranded, streamers and fireworks flying in the sky, not a still body in the mass. Flying Whales echoed through the acres of land, eerie and evocative. When the guitar notes came in, the crowd calling the melody back inn unison. A rumbling vocal resonated as Joe held his arms up high, ready to kick in to Silvera. A quick few words from the usually quiet frontman before getting into the Olympic famous Mea culpa (Ah! Ça ira!). Amazonia hitting with seismic levels, before gunning into the last few songs of the night. This set wasn’t just a mini concert; it was an unreal experience. Gojira’s performance was simply transcending, and in my opinion, I think perhaps the best headliner Bloodstock Festival have had.
Abbi Draper-Scott
This year has without a doubt set some new standards, which I am interested to see if next year can reach.
Overall, fucking brilliant.
Words by Neve Saltmarsh
Photos - Abbi Draper-Scott (@abbidraperphoto), Katja Odgin