BOA gets shredded by Firewind

Bloodstock Open Air 2013

Thursday 8th to Sunday 11th August 2013
Catton Hall, Walton-on-Trent, Derbyshire, DE12 8LN, England MAP
£125 weekend incl camping

Daily capacity: 12,000

Last updated: Thu 1st Aug 2013

Talk about a mood change..having just watched the gutturally brilliant Dark Funeral on the same stage, Greek band Firewind brought light and shredding to the proceedings. Regretfully unfamiliar with this band, I found myself totally drawn in by the piercing vocals, heavy melodic riffs and soaring solos.

It was power metal of a distinctly heavy persuasion, delivered with high octane effort and energy.

A shame then, that the set was plagued by some kind of technical issue that caused loud and frequent popping from the speakers. Not that the band appeared to notice...I've seen loads of gigs where something went wrong and the bands reactions ranged from anger to defience to nonchalance. Firewind however, kept metal and carried on. They played their asses off and looked like they were having the most fun doing it. Particularly keyboardist/guitarist Bob Katsionis who, as if playing two instruments wasn't enough, decided to turn cameraman and film the crowd!

Gus G's supersonic solo's are a class act, but the band isn't just about him. All elements of the band come together in a cacophony of harmony and they delivered a tight and well constructed set that even a virgin listener like myself could really get into. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for future tours.

review by: Laura Sanders

photos by: Robert McGlade