Bloodstock Festival 2025! The Friday Review!

Written by Louise Phillips on August 25, 2025

Friday night saw Trivium seize the Ronnie James Dio Stage with the confidence of a band built for the top slot!

Trivium

Friday night saw Trivium seize the Ronnie James Dio Stage with the confidence of a band built for the top slot. Launching into “Rain”, they delivered a set that spanned their career, balancing early favourites with newer anthems, each one igniting the crowd in a surge of energy.

The night was peppered with unforgettable moments. Matt Heafy introducing Robb Flynn for a thunderous rendition of “Symptom of the Universe” in tribute to Ozzy Osbourne, and surprise appearances from Sleep Token’s III, Emperor’s Ihsahn, and Malevolence’s Josh Baines, each adding their own spark to the chaos.

Heafy’s charisma was magnetic, commanding the field like a general while keeping things warm, human, and fiercely engaging. By the time the final chords rang out, it was clear: this wasn’t just a headlining set, it was a victory lap for one of modern metal’s most enduring forces.

Konvent

Konvent’s Friday slot on the Ronnie James Dio Stage felt less like a set and more like an initiation into a cult of slow, suffocating heaviness. The Danish death-doom four-piece draped Catton Park in an oppressive atmosphere from the first note, their riffs rumbling like distant thunder while Rikke Emilie List’s vocals tore through the gloom, deep, cavernous growls one moment, piercing shrieks the next.

Songs like “Puritan Masochism” and “Pipe Dreams” built slowly, dragging the crowd into their bleak, hypnotic world. By the end, Konvent left the field in silence, the weight of their sound still pressing down, as if the sermon wasn’t over, just paused until the next reckoning.

Orange Goblin

When Orange Goblin took the Ronnie James Dio Stage on Friday afternoon, there was a sense that this was more than just another festival set, it was a closing chapter. Marking what could be their last UK festival appearance, the London stoner-metal veterans delivered their swansong with grit, groove, and a grin.

Kicking off with the cosmic swagger of “Solarisphere,” they wasted no time diving into a set stacked with fan favourites and heavy hitters. “Scorpionica” and “The Filthy & the Few” hit with bar-brawl energy, while newer tracks from Science, Not Fiction, like “(Not) Rocket Science,” proved the band was still writing riffs to flatten stages.

As “Red Tide Rising” and “Quincy the Pigboy” rolled out, the pit churned harder, but the mood was more celebratory than chaotic with fans soaking up each moment, knowing this could be the last time they’d hear these songs live at a festival.

Orange Goblin didn’t fade out, they went out swinging, leaving Bloodstock with one final reminder of why they’ve been a cornerstone of the UK heavy scene for over 30 years.

Emperor

When Emperor strode onto the Ronnie James Dio Stage, the air shifted, anticipation turning into something almost ceremonial. Opening with the icy blast of “I Am the Black Wizards”, the Norwegian legends unleashed a torrent of symphonic black metal grandeur, each riff sharpened to a blade and each scream echoing like a call from the mountains.

Their set drew heavily from In the Nightside Eclipse, the songs still sounding as commanding and otherworldly as when they first rewrote the genre’s rulebook. Ihsahn’s presence was magnetic, part conductor, part prophet, steering the band through waves of relentless speed, eerie melodies, and orchestral darkness.

It was a masterclass in controlled chaos. Epic in scope, yet precise in execution. By the time the final notes faded, the crowd knew they hadn’t just seen a performance, they’d witnessed black metal history being reaffirmed in real time.

Paleface Swiss

Paleface Swiss hit the Ronnie James Dio Stage on Friday like a wrecking ball, turning their first UK festival appearance into an all out siege. From the opening hit of “Hatred,” the energy in the pit was feral, circle pits whipped up instantly, and the crowd seemed locked in a shared mission to outdo the chaos from the song before.

Frontman Marc “Zelli” Zellweger prowled the stage like a man possessed, swinging from guttural bellows to searing highs with effortless command. New material from Cursed meshed seamlessly with fan favourites like “My Blood on Your Hands” and “Love Burns,” each breakdown detonating like a well-timed charge.

A rare breather came with the brooding “River of Sorrows,” its dark melody pulling the crowd in close before the band slammed them straight back into carnage with “Please End Me.” By the end, the audience looked less like they’d watched a set and more like they’d survived an assault—in the best possible way.

Paleface Swiss didn’t just win over Bloodstock, they carved their name into it with steel.

Nailbomb

When Nailbomb stormed the Sophie Lancaster Stage on Friday, it felt less like a gig and more like a riot breaking out. Nearly three decades after they last unleashed their industrial thrash fury, Max and Igor Cavalera returned to breathe fire back into Point Blank and the results were seismic.

The tent was already heaving before the first note, and when the opening riff hit, the place erupted. Nailbomb’s sound was as savage as ever sounding chainsaw guitars, pummelling rhythms, and that unrelenting, punk soaked rage that made them infamous. Each track landed like a strike from a sledgehammer, shaking the crowd into a frenzy.

There was no polish, no frills, no soft edges, just raw aggression channelled into pure noise warfare. By the time they finished, the Sophie tent felt like it had been scorched to the ground, and the crowd looked like survivors of a glorious musical ambush.

Three decades away hasn’t dulled Nailbomb’s bite in fact, it’s only made the detonation louder.

As the sky deepened into violet over the New Blood Stage, LN stepped into the glow like figures from another age. Clad in battle ready stage gear, they launched into a storm of riffs that felt equal parts war march and midnight ritual.

Their sound was a thunderous death-metal grooves laced with eerie, ethereal vocals that seemed to drift in from some other realm. Songs swelled and crashed like waves, with “Summon” standing out as a rallying cry that had fists pumping and heads rolling in unison.

This wasn’t just a performance; it was an incantation. LN commanded the stage with a mix of raw force and mystic presence, transforming the crowd from mere onlookers into willing participants in their rite. By the final note, the audience wasn’t cheering—they were roaring back like they’d been enlisted.

LN didn’t just play Bloodstock. They claimed it.

Lacuna Coil

It’s been over ten years since Lacuna Coil last graced Bloodstock, and from the moment they finally hit the stage fifteen minutes behind schedule, the air crackled with “about time” energy. Any grumbles vanished the second Layers of Time detonated through the speakers.

Cristina Scabbia was a force of nature. One minute her voice soared with cinematic beauty, the next it cut through the air like a blade. Andrea Ferro matched her intensity with snarling precision, and once the early sound gremlins were chased away, the band hit full stride.

The setlist was a fan’s dream: Reckless, Heaven’s a Lie, and their always epic Depeche Mode cover Enjoy the Silence, all met with thousands of voices singing them right back. Confetti in the colours of the Italian flag burst over the crowd near the finale, sealing the moment in festival legend.

New cuts from Sleepless Empire landed with serious weight, their nu-metal groove and gothic bite sliding seamlessly in alongside the classics. This wasn’t a nostalgia trip. It was proof Lacuna Coil are sharper, heavier, and hungrier than ever.

Bloodstock 2025 got a masterclass in festival domination, and Lacuna Coil reminded everyone why they’re still one of the most magnetic bands in metal. Let’s not wait another decade for round two.

Review by Mike at GlitchedMetal

Photos are owned by Louise Phillips Music Photography

Photos of Trivium