Wednesday is a born front man and knows how to pop punk anthems that are as catchy as they are dumb.
Day 1:
On the first day I headed over to the main stage to see Queen Adreena for my girlfriends. Now I am not a big fan of theirs, so I can't really tell you how well they played. But they were better than I could imagine them being, but my girlfriend and other people I spoke to said they were very disappointed as they played nearly all new songs from latest album, and just one song 'Pretty Like Drugs' from their most popular album 'Taxidermy'. 5/10
Next up on the main stage was Murder Dolls front man Wednesday 13. A lot of people don't like Murderdolls B movie horror music, but Wednesday is a born front man and knows how to pop punk anthems that are as catchy as they are dumb. Playing a set of songs mostly taken from recently released solo album, 'Transylvania 90210' Wednesday finally has enough material to keep Murderdolls and his solo career separate. The new songs could have easily been on the next Murderdoll album, and a couple of old songs do appear in the set, it is clear that Wednesday doesn't need his band to put on a great show. Wednesday is hardly doing anything revolutionary but he certainly puts on a fun show, and if all his haters would give him the chance he could show them a good time too (in a musical way). 8/10
Next I headed over to the small stage to see Lordi, talk about being on the wrong stage! They should have been on the main stage; the tent was jam-packed to see the real Monsters of rock. If you are not aware Lordi, they are a Finnish band that dress up like scary monsters and play 80's hair metal, with the most hilarious lyrics ever ('the devil is a loser he's my bitch'). They are fantastically silly but still know how to rock and put on a great spectacle. We will definitely be hearing more from them in the future. 8/10
Staying on the small stage I saw Underoath, they are like a more screaming version of Hidden in Plain View or the better known Taking Back Sunday. Not bad at all, but nothing special either. 6/10
After that I saw Apocalptica, a Finnish band who made their name playing Metallica covers on cello's and double bass's. The whole place sings along to their epic rendition of Master of Puppets and Seek and Destroy, it's a totally unique experience. Although their lack of a vocalist sometimes hinders them when playing original material (the crowd play that role during Metallica covers), the music speaks for itself and offers a welcomed variety to the Download line up. 7/10
Back to the main stage for Megadeth, who sound like they are trying far too loud, the result is that Dave Mustane's vocals are barely audible over the bass; you can tell they are playing a blinder up there but it's hard to fully appreciate a set that is ultimately spoiled by sound problems. 6/10
Disappointing last ever UK appearance for Megadeth.
On the second stage InMe return from a very long absence with a set to promote their new album, they still play all the old favourites but the problem is they have been gone so long that I barely remember the songs. An ok performance for a returning band but people will need time to back into them properly. 6/10
Followed by one of the bands of the moment, My Chemical Romance, who again are surely more worthy of a main stage slot as opposed to the likes of JJ72 or The Others (who?!?). The volume on singer Gerard Ways mic is too low, and it does affect the songs impact although not to the same extent it affected Megadeth. The sing along choruses can still be heard and even if you couldn't hear them the excited crowd will sing them for you. Lead man Gerard Way was clearly totally wired to be there and if he wasn't a recovering alcoholic I would say maybe he had one to many back stage! Although sound problems tainted the set, it is clear to see why they have built such a rapid fan base so quickly. 7/10
Then headed back to the main stage for Garbage, on the last album 'Beautiful Garbage' the band moved away from the dark, techno tinged rock that won them so many fans in the mid nineties, and it didn't really work. They are back with new album 'Beautiful Garbage' that maybe doesn't quite recapture the glory days; it is still a return to their roots. Clearly thrilled to be at Donnington, Garbage played an hour long set made up of mostly songs from their first 2 albums with one or two new songs thrown in. It is pretty much a greatest hits set that satisfies all their hardcore fans and reminds any fans strayed why they loved them in the first place. With crystal clear sound and front woman Shirley Manson showing what a true star she is... . 9/10
they turn in the performance of the day
Closing the first day on the main stage was Feeder. Feeder's accent to rocks premier league was accelerated with 2 brilliant albums in 'Echo Park' and 'Comfort in Sound' but latest album (Pushing the Senses) and recent live shows seemed to suggest that Feeder have forgotten how to rock, and have stepped into the Coldplay and Keane territory or dull piano ballads. So they seemed a odd choice to headline a hard rock and metal festival, but in a 90 minute set Feeder thankfully only played 5 new songs and stuck mostly to the classics and crowd favourites that got them this far. They certainly weren't the right type of band to headline this festival, but they are still a very good band and put on a good show, closing with 'Buck Rogers' and 'Just A Day' sends their fans back to the campsite happy and maybe convincing the cynics that they haven't totally forgotten how to rock. 8/10
Day 2
Considering Trivium have not been around for more than a year and their album is less than 6 months old, the fuss surrounding this band is phenomenal. They have already been promoted from the tiny third stage to the main stage by popular demand, and were the name on everyone lips on the eve of day 2 of Download. For an opening act to come out to a crowd bigger than some of the events headliners is totally amazing. Trivium's Metallica like solo's, brutal heaviness and soaring melodic choruses whipped the crowd into frenzy. Sadly they come on five minutes late and are forced to cut set short and omit signature single 'Lights to Flies' much to the fans disappointment. Only 2 bands on this weekend received the 'we want more' chant one was event headliners System of a Down the other was Trivium, that speaks volumes. Trivium are truly the next big thing and will be back to headline this event in the future. What a way to start the day! 9/10 (would have been 10 if they got longer)
They didn't get long enough but what we did get was sensational stuff.
I had a wonder round the site at this point and only caught parts of The Dwarves, Mad Capsule Markets and American Head Charge set's so it would be unfair to rate them on the little I saw.
Next band I saw on the main stage was A. A have gained a reputation as something of a novelty band, but last album HiFi Serious started to change peoples pre conception of them, and the yet to be released follow up (set to be their most serious and heavy yet) looks to convince people that they are proper rock band, and a damn fine one at that. Opening with a double whammy of new single 'Rush Song' and biggest hit 'Nothing' could be seen as a band blowing its load too soon, but it starts the show with a bang and shows the confidence the band has in its new material and back catalogue. The new songs unveiled are the hardest and probably the best A have ever written, also A's much heavier live performances benefits the old crowd favourites that are somewhat lightweight on CD. A very entertaining and welcome return from A. 8/10
Following A was the ever-amusing Bowling For Soup. A lot of people don't like BFS, but like Wednesday 13 yesterday, if the critics give them a fair chance they will have a good time and laugh their ass off. BFS's on stage banter and crowd interaction is amongst the best in the music business and even the most straight faced of music fans would struggle not to crack a smile at nonsense coming from their mouths. In the past I felt that they had some quality songs but just not enough of them, and some songs felt like they were getting in the way of the stand up comedy. But now with 3 albums under their belt BFS have enough good songs to ensure that the fun levels never drop and virtually ever song in their 30 minute set is a sing a long for the crowd. Any haters watching their set will probably go away with a much different opinion, pure fun from start to finish. 9/10
When (arguably) the most hated man in rock Scott Stapp broke up Creed, the rest of the band went onto form Alter Bridge with unknown singer Miles Kennedy, and with an ever growing fan base and critical acclaim they are finally stepping out of the shadow of past glories. A lot of people hear the Creed link and are very sceptical but after 5 minutes of the set people realise the band is nothing like Creed and really start to appreciate the old school rock of Alter Bridge. They play a decent if not an amazing set, with Kennedy showing off how good his voices is on epic anthem 'Open your eyes' before they finish with a Led Zeplin cover, not my thing but they send a lot of people away happy. 7/10
Next up is the return of the original Anthrax line up to the UK in years, the crowd goes insane for the classics such as their ode to Judge Dredd 'I Am The Law' and 'Indians'. Not really heard much Anthrax but I definitely want to hear more after their performance. 8/10
HIM are up next and they restrain from giving live debuts to new songs from their yet to be released 5th album, with only one new song played in what is a greatest hits set. The set suffers greatly from much too low volume on Ville Valo's mic. The also front man seems somewhat lack lustre as the band have to put up with a lot of bottle throwing and abuse from sections of the crowd. Certainly not the best show HIM have ever played in their careers. 6/10
Heading over to the small stage to finish the day with the brutal Chimera and In Flames, I am not really fans of either and only went for my girlfriend, so probably not fair to judge a band I am not really a fan of. In Flames finished early so that everyone could head over to the main stage to see Black Sabbath, I love Ozzy's solo stuff, but as influential as Sabbath have been to rock music they have never really done anything for me. Again it is unfair for me to pass judgement on a band that I am not interested in, but I will say that Ozzy does amble round stage like the he does on 'The Osbourne's he is either playing up to his reality TV show fame or he is genuinely quite a damaged mentally/physically individual. His vocals on songs were also a little slurred, but I'm sure that this didn't spoil it for the hardcore Sabbath fans.
However, judging from what I saw I think that Ozzy should probably think about calling it a day in the not to distant future.
Day 3
First thing on Sunday, the third and final day of download we headed over to the third stage to see Henry Rollins spoken word performance. Henry is such a charming, intelligent, witty and charismatic storyteller and speaks about his political views, experiences as a globe-trotting rock star and many other things. He totally captures the audience's imagination for the 40 minutes he is on stage and his sharp anecdotes often caused roars of laughter from the tiny tent. I'm not a fan of his music, but if you ever get a chance to see him, he is well worth your time. 9/10
Next band I saw was Mudvayne, now they have abandoned their crazy costume and make up gimmick they have started to receive the respect and critical acclaim they have been looking for. But now they lack the visual appeal they once had, they are slightly heavier live and they don't really sing the melodic parts of songs, more scream them, which damages the balance songs have on record, and turn in an OK performance, but nothing more. 6/10
Papa Roach are up next they turn in a brilliant performance that sees them mix in their new songs from their latest and best album 'Getting Away With Murder' with all the old favourites from 'Infest'. They finish with their 3 biggest hits, 'Broken Homes', 'Between Angles and Insects' and 'Last Resort' resulting in a massive crowd sing along. They definitely lost the plot on their second album, but they have come back stronger than ever, and judging on this performance they are still on the way to the top. 8/10
Papa Roach show that that reports of their demise have been greatly exaggerated
Staying at the main stage Killswitch Engage are up next, like a few bands this weekend they suffer from the singers mic volume being on too low and drowned out by the instruments. Killswitch play an odd set made up of half of their latest album 'End of Heartache' and half of their break through album 'Alive or Just Breathing' and although they play their hits like 'Last Serenade' the other songs are not the strongest songs from the respective albums. Guitarist Adam seems to be in the wrong band, he runs round pulling funny faces while playing, after his screaming back vocals he shouts 'wooo!' and in between songs when he speaks to the crowd he says some truly random and stupid things while the rest of the band look on in confusion (at one point lead singer Howard jokingly tries to take mic off him to no success). His foolish antics somewhat undermines the serious nature of Killswitch's music and he looks like he belongs in Bowling For Soup rather than a metal band. Also lead singer Howard, who recently spoke of his dislike of continually being away from home and his family while on tour, seemed a little half hearted. Killswitch have been touring their current album for over a year and Howard in particular looks like he has lost his enthusiasm for the songs. 6/10
I think Killswitch need to go home and then come back with some
new material,because they certainly weren't at their best.
After a long delay Nightiwsh finally hit the stage and only get 20 minutes to avoid affecting the line up any more than their lateness already has done. They play 4 songs all taken from their latest and best 'Once' album, they are a brilliant live act and give a glimpse of what could have been a truly brilliant 50 minute set if some idiot in Vienna airport wouldn't have left his bag at the airport and caused a bomb scare! 7/10 (would have certainly been more if we got the full set)
Next headed over to the second stage to see a rare UK performance by Italian female fronted metal band Lacuna Coil. They put on a good show, despite having 4 albums under their belt, one brand new song is the only song to puncture a set entirely made up of material from their best and most recent album 'Comalies'. Considering how high up the bill they were, they strangely only got 35 minutes, but their short stage time meant that they only had time to play their very best material, so the quality was top notch from start to finish. They have been around for a long time but Evanescence's recent success has really opened the door for female fronted rock/metal bands, so expect to hear a lot more from them once the new album is finally released. 8/10
Back to the main stage for the last time to first see Slipknot. A lot of people give Slipknot stick for being a kid's band, the kids have truly embraced the mask gimmick, but their music is hardly comical or child friendly, and its doubtful if half the children you see running round town with Slipknot hoodies on even listen to their music! I'm not the biggest Slipknot fan in the world, but their intensity and enthusiasm in their performance is something to admire. Their stage show that includes a lot of pyro, a rotating drum kit straight out of Motley Crue and a percussion set that spins and raises 20 feet in the air while mental DJ Sid swings from it means that even if the music isn't your thing they are still relatively entertaining. Their set was very well paced, their hit singles nicely spaced out across the hour and 15 minutes they were on stage. They brutally heavy without totally losing a sense of melody, and Corey Taylors is a tremendous front man who really involves the crowd and is the sign of a band that are very good and confident at what they do. The bit where they get everyone in the crowd to duck down to the ground them "Jump the Fuck up" during 'Spit It Out' is truly brilliant and to see a field full of 60 000 or so people ducking down them jumping up in unison is a fantastic thing to be a part of. I saw them at Download last year and they were infinitely better this year. 10/10
I thought they were absolutely outstanding and I'm not a big Slipknot fan,
so for the hardcore fans it must have been like a religious experience
To finally close the Festival was System of A Down, they were about half an hour late on stage and while we were waiting and nothing seemed to be happening for so long, it was hard not to start feeling de ja vu from last year with Metallica, but eventually System turned up and played a blinder. The set was mostly composed off Toxicity and new album Mezmories, they oddly played their crowd biggest hits and crowd favourites BYOB, Chop Suey and Toxicity very early and certainly should have at least saved one of those songs to close the show with a bang. They didn't really speak or interact with the crowd at all, which meant that they seemed to race through their set, they played everything they had and probably the last few songs were the slower ones semi acoustic ones that probably proved that System ran out of good songs. After an hour and 20 minutes on stage things seemed to come to an abrupt end, they just played their last song and walked off stage without any thank you or good bye or even letting us know that it was their last song. The crowd chanted for an encore only for the cheers to turn into a chorus of boo's when they never returned. In fairness I am not sure what they could have come back and played really, since they already played all the best songs. It was a brilliant show while it lasted, but it's hard not to think that the way System left the stage made themselves look like arrogant arse holes. But apparently that is the way they end their own shows, but still they were headlining one of the biggest rock festivals in Europe, and thank you and good would have been nice. 9/10 (would have been 10 if they said goodbye properly!)
So to sum it up it was a good festival with lots of really good performances, Bowling for Soup and Papa Roach deserve a mention, but the band of the weekend was definitely Slipknot, with System running them a close second and coming in third is probably Garbage.
But in all honesty if Trivium had played their full 45 minutes instead of the mere
25 they got given they would of easily wiped the floor with the lot of them.
Give them a couple of years and Trivium will be back to headline!
