The Softer Side Of Download
Out of the whole weekend Friday always seemed to have the potential to be the day to split festival goers with metal versus bands deemed emo being the order of the day. With t-shirts and signs claiming "emo sucks" cropping up throughout the festival ground there's the suggestion that anyone peddling music lacking in metal clout could find they're in for a rough ride.
With this in mind you have to feel for From Autumn To Ashes as they take to the Dimebag Darrell Stage mid afternoon. Delivering the first glimpses of what passes as emo according to the Download rulebook, FATA proceed to deliver an energetic set that even manages to get some metal heads nodding along unashamedly as the Long Island band reel off hits such as 'Sugar Wolf' and the epically charged 'Pioneers', pausing only to get everyone to shout Happy Birthday at guitarist Josh. That's shout, NOT sing, this is Download after all!
Having recently hung up his drum sticks for the mike stand following the sudden departure of former frontman Ben Perri, Fran Mark shows the Dimebag Darrell crowd that he is every inch the dynamic, confident showman FATA crowds crave and deserve as he frantically charges around the stage before bravely diving into the crowd to belt out the remainder of 'Deth Kult Social Club', giving everyone a supercharged, enthusiastic glimpse into the softer side of Download.