Top 5 Bloodstock Sets Of 2014

This summer has been brilliant in the way of music festivals. While Download's 2014 was slightly shaky (due to the fact the past couple of years have been pretty much perfect) Sonisphere and Bloodstock put on hugely enjoyable events. Today, I'm going to be talking about my 5 favourite festival sets of this particular summer.

DISCLAIMER : All of them happened at Bloodstock.
Enjoy!

5. GRAVEYARD at Bloodstock 2014: Sophie Lancaster Stage
Taking into account the Swedish rock act had issues getting on site and setting up, it's all the more triumphant seeing them put on one of the most brilliant shows I've ever seen. Their brand of psychedelic/bluesy rock music shook the Sophie Lancaster stage down to it's very foundations, hypnotizing every member of the audience in the process. Competing with Amon Amarth's stage show is no mean feat, but Graveyard brought Bloodstock to a close in spectacular fashion.

4. DECAPITATED at Bloodstock 2014: Ronnie James Dio Stage
Not only are Decapitated one of the most ground-breaking outfits in death metal, they are quite simply one of the best. Both Winds Of Creation and Nihility stand up as two of the strongest records in the history of death metal, and hearing those songs performed live in front of 10,000 people in the most crushing manner possibly was quite the experience. With a new record on the way next month, this is a band to keep on your radar.

3. DOWN at Bloodstock 2014: Head-lining the Ronnie James Dio Stage Friday
Supergroups often suffer from the same issue: lack of chemistry. The members don't adapt to the other member's capabilities, thus making the music muddled and confused. Down, quite simply, don't. Since they all formed in the same scene, they share similar backgrounds, both musically and in lifestyle. They have written some of the strongest albums in the history of metal, and the crowd knew that. Hearing 12,000 people scream the lyrics to Lifer back at the machine that is Phil Anselmo is worth the price of admission alone.

2. Carcass at Bloodstock 2014: Ronnie James Dio Stage
Extreme metal rarely creates bands as dynamic as Carcass. They have evolved more throughout their career than pretty much any other band in their world. The death metal stylings of Necroticism and Heartwork provided refreshing variety to the Bloodstock bill, not only did the kick start some of the biggest mosh-pits of the festival but also some of the most powerful sing-a-longs. The Surgical Steel tracks fit in perfectly with the set (Unfit For Human Consumption being a personal high-light). With a potential new album in the works, catch these guys while you can.

1. Emperor at Bloodstock 2014: Ronnie James Dio Stage
Few albums are as influential and as important as Emperor's 1994 album In The Nightside Eclipse. It changed metal in as many ways as can be imagined. It summoned the Norwegian metal scene to unforeseen levels of critical acclaim. Hearing this band reform to perform the album in it's entirety at Bloodstock Festival among 12,000 black metal fans is an experience that I doubt I will ever forget. Having pretty much the original line-up on stage (bar some replacements) just added to the experience. While some may not have wanted Faust (the drummer who was convicted for a murder in the mid-90s), for me personally it didn't take away from the experience. It's difficult to put into words the experience, so I'll just leave it here. Utterly perfect.

Aphex Twin - "Selected Ambient Works 85-92" | ALBUM REVIEW

Every now and then an album will come along to change music forever. I think it happens every decade or so. In the 1960s: King Crimson's In The Court Of The Crimson King provided the world with a sound previously unheard. In the 1970s: Black Sabbath created one of the most vibrant genres in the world today - heavy metal. In the 1980s: Napalm Death released Scum and altered pop culture forever.

In the 1990s: A young musician from the UK gifted the world with one of (in my opinion) the greatest albums in history.

Richard D. James' (who tends to go under the pseudonym Aphex Twin) influence on music can't be understated. Not just in dance music, but across the musical spectrum. The way he approaches his music has had a profound effect on artists from Radiohead to Burial. Sometimes the influences are more obvious (Radiohead's 4th studio effort Kid A is awash with SAW-esque synth lines) and occasionally you'll have to dig a little deeper. Never-the-less, there's a little Aphex Twin in every single genre of the last couple of decades.

Recording of this album (some consider it a mixtape, but the majority of music fans will consider it an album) began when Richard was only 14 years old. Amazing to see how prodigious he is as an artist. Some tracks were recorded 7 years later, but oddly the entire album remains cohesive - not an easy accomplishment considering some tracks were written and produced when he was a teenager and some were written at the age of 21.
As soon as you begin listening to this album, it's clear how ahead of his time Richard was. Xtal is a fantastic opener which has washes of synthesizers that still echo on outputs by more recent artists.
Following track Tha is a 9-minute epic which provides a snap-shot in to the style of music he would explore on his next LP SAW Vol II, which would have more ambient soundscapes.
But for me, the final 3 tracks are the highlights of the record, I can't think of a single record (besides perhaps Deftones' White Pony) that has such a monstrous finale.
Other highlights include Ptolemy (which has a superb understanding of time changes) and Ageispolis (a track that really symbolizes what AT does best). But then again, this is an album that has to be listened to all the way through. Sure, you'll find it enjoyable if you listen to a few tracks here and there, but it's true power is only revealed when listened to in it's entirety.

The production on this album couldn't be more suited to the sound. It's incredibly pristine and clear, benefiting the listening experience, making it as chill and relaxing as possible. AT knew how to produce these songs, his vision wouldn't be tampered with.

 Don't be fooled by the label "dance", SAW 85-92 can be analyzed for it's fiercely intelligent nature but also placed as back ground music. While moments of this album can feel "very 80s" for lack of a better term, the album as whole is a total trail-blazer. Aphex has always been ahead of the curb, never one to follow a set trend. I can only hope SYRO is nearly as good as this.

10/10