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home » festivals » Download » Download Festival 2008
Saturday music reviewDownload 2008Thursday 19th June 2008 On the only day of the entire weekend to feature a drop of rain (and only ten minutes of it at that), Malefice open up an awesome (and, for the first time, open air) second stage lineup with a heavy thrash-driven set that blows away the cobwebs in true British style. Their Berkshire roots are belied by their Americanised, Bay Area sound, and burly frontman Dale Butler does a fine job of whipping up a slightly groggy crowd into a frenzied mob by the time the Reading quintet finally take their leave. Not long after, Welsh 'ragga-metallers' Skindred take to the main stage to deliver one of the most entertaining performances of the weekend. Their groove-riddled dancehall mania is infectious, and it isn’t long at all before their entire audience is seduced into a jumping, dancing, mosh-happy party of elated festival-goers.  Vocalist Benji Webbe is the perfect ringleader for the unruly rabble, and his refusal to allow a moment of rest from crowd and band alike results in a memorable set for him and the rest of his group. Nicely done, lads. A quick jog over to the third stage allows for an enjoyable (if far less energetic) set from upcoming trio Mexicolas, whose middle-of-the-road indie rock is a pleasant enough excuse to dodge the few minutes of rain that breakout just prior to the start of their short performance. It is certainly a far cry from the bowel-shatteringly heavy death metal onslaught of Trigger The Bloodshed, who fly the flag for British extreme music with frighteningly confident aplomb. Some of the most manic circle-pitting of the entire weekend quickly ensues, and with such an impressive and loyal fanbase already present to soak up every second of the group's grindcore-influenced brutality, it is no brave step to suggest that these boys will be back here again in a much higher slot. They certainly overshadow the likes of Big Linda who, whilst providing a reasonably enjoyable romp through a Jane's Addiction-influenced performance, are no match for the death metal upstarts. Meanwhile, over on the second stage, Orange County metalcore heroes Bleeding Through arrive to stake their claim as future big shots in a genre which has become increasingly overcrowded over the past few years. The young Californians have amassed an impressive following in their relatively short time in the limelight, and whilst their teenage-friendly sound is not in the same league as scene-leaders Killswitch Engage, their set is an impressive one all the same, and climaxes with a mad circle pit opening up around the sound desk. It's an awesome and slightly ridiculous sight, and one can only feel sorry for the petrified ice cream van owner who is stuck in the middle of it. None of this however can come even close to Viking metal heavyweights Amon Amarth in terms of horn-raising awesomeness, as the melodeath veterans pulverise their (admittedly smaller) audience into submission. Whilst their sound is heavier than an elephant's erection and their music is very much war-based, there is a wholly positive atmosphere running through both the band and the crowd in front of them, and the set is not without its humorous moments. "If you know the words, sing along," bellows imposing frontman Johan Hegg. "And if you don’t know the words, do it anyway, it's death metal, no one will know the difference!" The guy may sound like the Cookie Monster, but he knows how to entertain a crowd. After some serious guitar heroics from a certain former KISS guitarist, it is the turn of drum 'n' bass party crashers Pendulum to attempt to prove their rock credentials in a billing which has received as much criticism from the metal community as it has praise. However, it seems that they don't need to prove anything to anyone, as what is surely one of the second stage's biggest crowds of the weekend turns up to dance, mosh, headbang, crowd surf and whatever the hell else they fancy. Launching into new album opener 'Showdown', the boys from Down Under rip it up and in turn produce what will surely go down as one of the greatest festival performances of the last decade. Whipping out hit after hit from both of their highly-acclaimed studio releases, their audience is one of the most manic, energetic and happy groups of people that have ever graced a festival ground, and the whole forty five minutes of their set is a complete riot from start to finish.  Anyone who is yet to experience one of these lads' show in person need to carry themselves to the Pendulum show as soon as possible, because there are few hotter live acts this summer and, needless to say, Irish rockers Ash and 'love metal' Goths HIM have no chance of matching this. In all fairness though, both do give it a shot, and Ash provide a fun enough hour or so of teenie rock that is little more than an entertaining nostalgia act for those who actually once rated them. Finnish icons HIM are a far more relevant proposition in today’s ever-expanding metal climate, and although they are greeted with the kind of hysteria that is now expected of Ville Valo and co's rabid fanbase, they are surprisingly docile during the opening trio of songs, which includes newest anthem 'Passion's Killing Floor'. This slight hesitance in their performance is perhaps explained by Valo's admission that he was expecting at least a couple of bottles of urine thrown his way, but to be truthful, the days of HIM being the metal community's number one enemy are long gone. Things soon pick up, and by the time the final notes of cover 'Rebel Yell' have echoed around the second stage area, what threatened to be an utterly uninteresting experience has at least become a decent enough performance from one of Finland’s most celebrated exports.  review by Merlin Alderslade photos by Luke Seagrave / Chris Perowne 
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