DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL, DONNINGTON PARK, UK.
9, 10, 11 JUNE 2006.

On the 3 hottest days of the year so far, the worlds perhaps best loved metal festival visited British shores once more...........and bludgeons every single person here yet again! With temperatures rising into the 30's and precious little cloud cover, and even less ground cover, merely turning up brought punishment enough. But armed with a bottle of water and a handful of beer tokens I, along with 85,000 other dedicated metal-heads, tried my best not to collapse from heat stroke in the name of rock n roll..............

FRIDAY 9th

Amplifier (Main Stage) - At times a bit like a heavier Nirvana, at other times more akin to a heavier Coldplay. Not too aggressive, but not made of cotton wool either, this was perhaps the perfect band for kicking off the festival. Ideal warming music for a sunny afternoon (5/7).

Throwdown (Snickers Tent) - Throwdown are loud, heavy and also rather good. Even sat at the very back I could hear and enjoy their vicious cacophony. The only thing ruining it was yet another Dimebag Darrel tribute. I don't mean to sound disrespectful but GET OVER IT!!! It's been 18 months since his murder and I'm sick of hearing every band under the sun milking his name because it's the cool thing to do. Despite this irritation, a damn good show. 6/7

Gojira (Snickers Tent) - What the fuck? This is just weird! Slipping from supersonic Deicide-esque death metal to dead) - There is a point where blistering speed and relentless brutality become a blur and make snail sludginess, often within the space of only a few bars, and filling the middle bits with intricate dynamic changes that are just bizarre....there is just no name for music like this and it has to be experienced to be believed. Gojira are headed for great things, if only out of curiosity for their obscure catchiness. The drummer's a bit good too. 7/7

Bleeding Through (Snickers Tent) There is a point where blistering speed and relentless brutality become a blur and the music becomes a bit pointless. Unfortunately BT are creeping dangerously close to this line. But the tent is so jam-packed, who's to complain? Marta is looking slightly out of place wearing what appears to be a wedding dress. 4/7

Soulfly (Main Stage) - Max Cavalera is a god! Taking the best elements of early Sepultura and honing them to a fine and formidable edge, Soulfly rock harder and are more exciting than all the other bands this afternoon, put together! Jagged belched vocals betray their unmistakeable roots (heheheh, yes that pun was intended) but greater musical ability and precision make them far more accessible. Rock the fuck out! 7/7

Coheed and Cambria (Main Stage) - This is the perfect band to listen to if you're building model airplanes or reading fantasy comics, but not for an early evening slot at a metal concert. Awesome musicians undoubtedly, great tunes, and fantastically tight, but not exactly horn-throwingly inspiring. And besides, Claudio Sanchez looks like a poodle. 5/7

InMe (Snickers Tent) - The singer can't sing very well. Musically they're not bad, but unfortunately a song is quite a lot about the vocals. Perhaps it's because they haven't played a show in 6 months. Perhaps it's because his voice hasn't broken yet - he must be about 12. Who knows? Quite possibly the flop of the day. 2/7

Atreyu (Snickers Tent) - Explosive! Fast and brutal (without getting carried away and completely overdoing it!!) and with plenty of Maiden-style riffing, Atreyu play awesomely heavy music that is thoroughly enjoyable and exceedingly moshable. 6/7

Tool (Main Stage) - Wow! Perfect sound, even from the back - which considering the size of the crowd is pretty damn far. Are they only playing here? It looks like they live on that stage! With no visible effort at all, Maynard Keenan commands both stage and crowd, giving the impression he doesn't even realise anyone's watching. The band are wonderfully tight, the dynamics of the music constantly changing, alternating between light and dark, soft and heavy, fast and slow. Combined with a stunning psychadelic video backdrop it's almost impossible to tear your eyes or ears away for even a second. Very good show indeed. Rock on! 6/7

SATURDAY 10th

Down (Main Stage) - The first bass note reverberates around the arena, wobbling beer bellies and unsettling fragile stomachs throughout the crowd. Heavy as a blue whale and with Phil Anselmo's deep throated roar (not to mention his remarkable vocabularily-challeneged eloquence), this makes perfect beer-chugging metal. And for once a Dimebag Darrell tribute that isn't just a pointless ego trip! 6/7 -- QUOTE OF THE FESTIVAL -- "Stop staring at me n' shit" Phil Anselmo, Down

Satyricon (Main Stage) - A sunny Saturday lunchtime is not the optimal time for the forces of darkness to infiltrate mankind and walk upon the face of the earth. But Satyricon don't really seem to care about tradition, their raw and spiteful satanic black metal thunder making it well worth risking skin cancer for. If they are this powerful at midday, what are they like at night? Scary scary thought! 7/7

Sikth (Snickers Tent) - Talk about punishing! I seriously didn't expect this! Even from the bar at the back of this huge tent this was clearly a brilliant performance......ignoring the obscure ramble about Watford, that is. I expected some kind of weird hippyish indie-metal, not this heavy-as-shit blistering racket! Nice one guys! 6/7

Arch Enemy (Main Stage) - It is a well known and accepted fact that Arch Enemy fucking slay, without an ounce of compromise or compassion. Well this afternoon the gusty winds ruined the sound a bit and Daniel Erlandsson was a bit over-excited on the drums, so today they merely bludgeoned enthusiastically. 6/7

Secret Machines (Snickers Tent) - A pleasant crunchy stonery sort of feeling emits from the stage, with a sadly sparse crowd. It's a shame because this is ideal music to sit and sip a cold beer to - a wonderfully deserved respite from heatwave outside. 5/7

Within Temptation (Snickers Tent) - It's astonishing how so few props can be so stunningly effective - with just a couple of foam pillars and some ivy draped over the drumkit, WT somehow manage to convincingly transform the entire tent into a secluded woodland grove. As a frontwoman Sharon den Adel is simply mesmerising. Her voice is just beautiful, and she has a stage presence that is impossible to ignore. The music, too, is incredible. Their ethereal goth airyness, which may at times sound fragile on CD, proves to be some of the most powerful and moving music played all weekend. 7/7

Opeth (Snickers Tent) - You really can't fault Opeth on their music. It has an intricate depth and complexity that is not only bewildering, but also technically perfect. Combined with a quiet confidence that is truly awe-inspiring, they are a band that you have to watch as well as listen to. Unfortunately, the thing about epic voyages of discovery is that they drag on a bit, and it can get a weeny bit tiring for everyone else. 6/7

Killing Joke (Myspace/Gibson Tent) - After a seemingly endless wait - one which almost make me give up completely to go and watch Metallica after all - the Joke wander on stage amid smoke, thundering drums and throbbing guitars. What follows is easily worth the wait. Jaz Coleman flirts briefly with the crowd before clicking into character, and for the next hour and a half stumbles, lucrhes and jolts his way through the performance like a rabid zombie. The atmosphere is so solid you could chew on it. Even from my vantage point, sat on the floor at the farthest reaches of the tent, KJ are nothing less than fantastic. You have to see them to know what I'm talking about. 6/7

SUNDAY 11th

Hatebreed (Main Stage) - I only caught the last half of this short show, but the first half couldn't possibly have been as punishing for the simple reason that there were still people alive in the crowd at the end. Nobody could survive that much brutality! And there is no reason whatsoever for a band this fierce and coherent to be so low on the bill. 6/7 -- STUPID QUOTE OF THE FESTIVAL -- "What is the time? The time is now!" Jamey Jasta, Hatebreed.

Dragonforce (Main Stage) - Okay so Dragonforce play as fast as the say they do, and they are just as energetic on stage as they like to brag. But that whole speed-over-clarity thing is evident again. A football striker doesn't spend his time booting balls aimlessly into the crowd. Sometimes it's better to show some control and direction, and try to aim for goal. Dragonforce are good, but it's difficult to tell how good because I can't bloody hear them! It becomes very tiring trying to listen to song after song of supersonic power-gallop. So much more could be gained from just slowing down a bit. 4/7

From First To Last (Snickers Tent) - Okay yes so I saw FFTL and I'm truly sorry, it won't happen again. But I didn't really have much choice - it was that or sit outside and die from heatstroke. As it happens they're not all that bad, but My Chemical Romance should be checking their copyright, because the only real difference between the two is the make-up . FFTL are another sceny clone and and it's getting really tedious now. Although they're not awful, they're not nearly as good either. Go away please, and stop copying. 3/7

Fightstar (Snickers Tent) - After a slightly worrying start due mainly to sound levels, this set finally explodes into an incredible and completely unexpected storm of jaw-dropping metal. They've been in the news a lot over the past year and a bit, for one reason or another, but from this show two conclusions can be made: 1) Charlie Simpson's eyebrows may be big but they're certainly not ugly. 2) Fightstar kick serious letal arse! A very pleasant surprise........the music I mean, not the eyebrows. 6/7

Aiden (Snickers Tent) - Yet another MCR-alike. But it has to be said they're certainly not the worst of the bunch. In fact they're pretty good. That is probably because rather than just relying on a slight variation in makee-up, they actually have their own unique and morbidly-cheerful style. It's a little bit infectious really. 5/7

Lacuna Coil (Main Stage) - I only caught the last two songs of this set but it sounded pretty damn awesome to me. Mediterranean goth metal may sound a bit of a contradiction in terms, but Cristina Scabbia and chums demonstrate that it does work, and on a spectacularly sunny summer's day such as this, they shine very very brightly indeed. 6/7

Cradle Of Filth (Main Stage) - CoF are, of course, completely brilliant live performers. You wouldn't expect anything less from such an iconic theatrical band. Ironically the hottest and brightest sun of the day emerges at the very moment Dani Filth walks on stage and remains for the entire set, but Cradle shrug this off effortlessly and let rip with a barrage of truly ferocious tunes. The majority of the crowd are here out of mere curiosity and Dani cheerfully slags them off for being boring and for throwing - of all things - apples. The rest of us are happily pummelled into submission and walk away wearing stupid grins and sunburnt noses. 6/7

Guns 'n' Roses (Main Stage) - This is the big one. The one I've been waiting not only the whole weekend for, but the last 15 years besides. And I am not disappointed. This was incredible, simply fucking incredible! Yes there were a few small hiccups, yes Axl stormed off stage in a huff for 10 minutes, and no the guitarist was not Slash - but ignore these minor (and to be fair, not entirely unexpected) glitches and what remains is a show that will go down in history as one of the greatest and most memorable ever, if only in my own mind. Axl is showing his age a bit now but he's got so much charisma it really doesn't matter. He seems chilled out and even happy, and it completely shows in the music. They open the show with a stonking 'Welcome to the Jungle' and play just about every classic G'n'R song worth mentioning including a breathtakingly beautiful 'November Rain', a completely headbang-worthy 'You Could Be Mine', as well as a fair selection of new stuff - showing that there could well be an album out this year after all!!! This show has met and completely annihalated all expectations. Guest appearances from ex-band member Izzy Stradlin as well as Sabastian Bach (of Skid Row) may appear slightly gimmicky to the cynical, but to the G'n'R devotees it adds icing to an already unforgetable experience. Absolutely, tear jerkingly, incredible. And to all those who turned up just to provoke and criticize? Get in the ring, motherfucker. 7/7