Written by Tom Donno, Editor, and Marta Tavares, Writer.
Heads were heavy, sunburn was kicking in, legs were aching, but nothing was going to hamper the excitement come Sunday morning and the prospect of another STACKED day across the Donington turf. Our day kicked off with the almighty Behemoth (12/13) who, despite being on in the middle of the day under glaring sunshine, didn't hold back on the theatrics one bit. We had the lot - pyro, fire, raised platforms, costume changes and plenty of madness. Musically this is possibly the strongest festival set we've ever seen them deliver - it's a band so confidently in their stride at the moment, they're able to match their menace and element of danger with a level of groove and power so many of their peers can only dream of emulating.
Opening their set with Ora Pro Nobis Lucifer from their landmark record The Satanist set the tone for a dizzying hour of pure extreme metal. The singalong for Bartzabel later in the set brought on a smile even Nergal couldn't hide before a Chant For Eschaton 2000 climax which sent the pits in to a flurry of chaos. An excellent set from a brilliant band.
A little later in the day and sticking with the main stage came another contender for set of the weekend. The commanding Parkway Drive (12/13) arrived at Download with only one thing in mind - smash the shit out of their set and make sure that next time they're called it is for a headline spot. Job done as far as we're concerned. Elevating your music when playing live is a unique skill - to do it at the level Parkway Drive do it is on a different planet altogether. For over an hour they simply pummelled the life out of every track they played - the opening threesome of Glitch, Prey and The Void set the tone and there was no looking back.
The addition of a small set of string players midway through the show enabled a more grandiose tone to take hold - enhancing the overall performance rather than hampering it in any way. As that drop hit at the conclusion of Bottom Feeder it was simply impossible not to look across the gigantic crowd and not feel a sense of triumph. They did exactly what we thought they might do and superseded the headline act on the day.
Looping back round and up the field, up next were the imperious Ghost (12/13). As we noted in our preview, on any other given year Ghost would probably headline the main stage at Download these days but given the bumper line up for the 20th anniversary, they got the next best thing in headlining and closing out the Opus. Having this slot allowed Ghost to be at their dazzling, bombastic best. Opener Kaisarion did have some sing-along but as they launched in to Rats straight after the place went OFF. With a set including Cirice, Kiss The Go-Goat, Dance Macabre and of course Square Hammer it didn't even slightly threaten dipping below being euphoric.
This stage struggled for most of the weekend when a particularly popular act came on (you've possibly seen the images which circulated on social media for Evanescence) and it was no different for Ghost. From right to left, all the way to the stalls at the back of the arena, the place was absolutely stacked. It made moving in and out an arduous task for sure - possibly accentuating even more that the likes of Ghost have heavily outgrown this part of the field and will almost certainly be on main stage next time round.
To check out our review of Sunday night headliners Slipknot, click here.
Somebody Feed Room Thirteen
In a new addition to our review coverage this year we wanted to give a shout out to the two best food vendors we experienced on site all weekend! Phil Rosenthal faces at the ready, here were our two big picks:
Jerk Chicken Stand – Between Main Stage & Guest Area (13/13)
Portion Size - *****
Price *****
Taste *****
Quality *****
These guys weren't messing around! Spicy jerk chicken served with continuous enthusiasm from Thursday right through to Sunday. There were wraps, salad bowls, rice and peas - everything you want or need to supplement delicious jerk glazed food. If needed a reprieve from the headbanging madness on the main stages, these guys were having a party all on their own. Please come back next year!
Bunnymans Bunnychow – Between Main Stage & Second Stage(12/13)
Portion Size *****
Price *****
Taste ****
Quality *****
A recommendation which came direct from you lovely people when we sent out a call to arms regarding food vendors on Twitter, this was an absolutely glorious Sunday evening escapade between Parkway Drive and Ghost. Portion wise you're in for a treat if you catch them at other festivals across the Summer - we perhaps opted for the wrong choice given our taste (a spicier version was available) but all the same this lot will fill you up, lay down a perfect festival food base and want you to head back for more. We certainly regret that it was our final meal on site! Until next time Bunnymans.