Download 2014

Smashing

I, Melachi ibn Amillar, being of unsound mind and body, did attend the Download festival, at Donington Park, June 2014. Lacking obvious headliners and with an endlessly uninspiring line-up of unpromising hard-rock acts, the car parks were not too full though the weather not too bad. Skid Row I thought seemed tired, Twisted Sister not at all tired, charismatic but lacking enough tunes, Pretty Reckless were indeed pretty but not musically terribly reckless. Steel Panther had a big billing but didn't add much to their previous appearance, and will doubtless do the same until sharia. Strangely even some women were wearing their T-shirts, though generally the uglier ones. Status Quo showed biting but pointless groove, and Aerosmith were doubtless jolly good but I only caught a ballad after which I left for home, due to the shortness of life.

Not the hunted

More armour

Huntress was I think the only true soprano and Sharon of Within Temptation could gain some of that aggression and lose a few pounds. Trivium's stage formula was routine and they did not seem quite sure where they were. Anathema looked confused, perhaps with sound problems, but got a few tracks together. On the plus side, there was some smashing full-contact medieval fighting, and I was impressed by Collibus, and will have to look into them some more. A surprise stand-out was Sabaton, the only representative of German bierkeller metal, who had great fun with unprepossessing tunes. Best band I had not heard before was Suicide Silence, with an extraordinarily powerful attack in the main tent providing a focus difficult for the daylight shows on the bigger stages to match, and bringing on at least one serious injury, though, so far as I could tell, no actual suicides. 

Pensive Swedish Master

Opeth began the recovery from the despond of their previous tour, though struggling with the sound coming from the main stage. Oh, what sad times are these when One Direction can drown out even the Swedish Masters. Yet, there is nothing quite like their palpability, having ascended to a breakdown in the flesh, which is never matched on their recordings, though here the lead guitar could have been clearer. 

I shot the devil

The only band with what I would describe as a show and my favourite of the weekend were Behemoth, sounding like Opeth without the quieter bits, transitions, and funny tempo changes. These Polish Blackened Death Metal Titans were so achingly cool I was frightened to take a photo of them. So, I took one of someone else taking a photo of them, and it shall not be Melachi who is damned!