Bloodstock Open Air - Day Two - Saturday 16th August 2008.

If day one was all about ligging and drunken metal revelry, then day two was all about the bands. Cloudy skies greeted a very hungover Chop on his first sortee to the facilities. Bumped into an equally hungover Oli from Mantra and wished him all the best for later on. Repairs to a damaged section of the barrier delayed the start, although the running order was quickly back on track.

Evil Scarecrow had the honour of opening on the main stage. Tongue in cheek black/symphonic metal which seemed to divide the crowd (either brilliant or shite). My initial reaction tended towards the latter, but as the day and weekend wore on the jury was out. Costumes and make up were suitably over the top. Let's face it a band playing a tune called "Vampire Trousers" must have a sense of humour. At the time their set seemed to last for several weeks, maybe I need to see them again sober (or would that be even more surreal?). Cute keyboard player.

Cloudscape hadn't overly impressed me at Progpower last year sounding like a poor man's Dream Theater. Start of the set didn't inspire much confidence either; the vocalist's mic didn't work and the wireless kit for the guitars was more than slightly problematic. They are confident enough on stage and clearly competent musicians, regrettably the end result didn't do anything for me.

Witchsorrow were the first band, of several, viewed on the Scuzz stage. They are a three piece band playing a mix of monolithic and Sabbath-inspired doom. Very tight as a band, thought they needed a second guitarist to beef up their sound, especially when their guitarist was soloing. Enjoyed their set and will be keeping an eye on their gig schedule, would go and see them without hesitation if they play around the Midlands.

Empyreal Destroyer lurk in the twilight world between death and black metal mixing furious blastbeating sections with brutal slower passages. Tempo changes were precise and the band were very tight. Standout track for me was Your Suffering Will Be Legendary which apparently appeared on a recent Terrorizer magazine CD (guess I should dig it out). Quality set.

Mantra are a three piece band from York who blew me away with a blistering set at Scruffy Murphy's in Birmingham recently. Not surprisingly they unleashed the set of the day so far. Keep an eye on this band - their new album is out in October, with a bit of luck they could be the next big thing. They play classic rock in the mould of Wolfmother and Year Long Disaster. Full setlist was Wash Away, Judas, Blackened Cross, Broken Glass, Wounded, Somewhere I Belong and Choke. Stunning performance.

Swallow The Sun had been recommended by many trusted sources. Sound issues aside (vocals were too quiet and the guitar sound just wasn't right) they struck me as generic keyboard-bolstered power metal. Can't fault the musicianship, didn't excite me at all I'm afraid.

Blood Island Raiders were recommended by Mantra and I'm very glad I checked them out. They play classic/power metal laden with accessible riffs and great hooks. Very powerful display and another band to keep an eye on.

Communic were on my "essential - do not miss list" prior to the festival and they didn't disappoint. They impressed me immensely at Progpower last year despite getting an ordinary sound. They very graciously corrected the announcer who introduced them as "Communic from Denmark" when they are actually Norwegian. For a three piece band they generate immense power all wrapped up in incredible technicality. Payment Of Existence and Waves Of Visual Decay were the standouts, although the glaring omission of Under A Luminous Sky was slightly disappointing.

Moonsorrow unleashed a furious assault and were hugely entertaining. Their epic/symphonic tunes contained more subdued sections which all exhibited an underlying groove. Keyboards seemed slightly pointless, otherwise can't find fault with their performance.

Napalm Death played a no holds barred set of mindblowing savagery. Saw them years ago supporting Obituary, wow have they tightened up as a band! Blended the usual mix of short and long songs and it was clear why they've been around for 27 years. Punishing set which sent the pit and crowd surfers into a frenzy. Suffer The Children, Fatalistic Joy and Scum were the highlights for me.

Soilwork were well received by the crowd but to me they played a set of derivative Swedish extreme metal. Clinically delivered, just nothing exceptional.

RSJ were another band being hotly tipped and again I'm glad I saw them. Effectively they play ferocious hardcore interspersed with more melodic, yet still heavy, spells. Brutal!!

Sondura were recommended by Red and it would have been churlish not to have checked them out. They fuse classic rock with funk metal sections effortlessly well. Bass player was superb and contributed a groove-laden platform for the drummer and guitarist to embellish. Vocals are a mix of extreme and clean sections. Enjoyed them, but feel they need to add another guitarist.

Scurrying over, it was time to get a good spot and wait for the two main acts of the day. First up were Iced Earth with a recently returned Matt Barlow in their ranks. Stunning performance. Matt possesses an incredible set of pipes and is a magnetic frontman. Sound overall wasn't brilliant, bass boomed horrifically and drowned out much of the guitar work. That said it was still a set of jaw-dropping power. The Coming Curse and Ten Thousand Strong were staggering, then came the killer blow in the form of the track Iced Earth. I've always loved this song, it was a worthy set-closer and rounded off a majestic display.

Dimmu Borgir's pyros started being loaded at the end of Napalm Death's set and the buzz was suggesting that this was going to be a spectacular display. Along with Cradle of Filth, Dimmu Borgir have been instrumental in bringing black metal to the masses. Staging in general was superb, lighting excellent and the constantly changing projections at the back of the stage always worth watching. Musically solid, the new album In Sorte Diaboli featured prominently, although they aired material from a cross-section of their back catalogue. Pyros were regrettably a damp squib, but then again I have seen both Rammstein and Kiss unleash their full stageshows.

Great day's entertainment with Iced Earth winning band of the day for me, mainly due to them exceeding my pre-set expectations. Can't wait for a full European tour!! Dimmu Borgir were very slick and there were several excellent performances on the Scuzz and Lava stages. And the weather held except for the occasional spot during the day. Although overnight was to be a completely different story....