Bloodstock Festival 2023 – Friday. Gaerea: Their name is indescribable. The Portuguese band, whose extreme music has sent shock waves across the Metal world, are, as always, hidden by dark cloaks of secrecy and desolation. Tonight we witness something special.
Gaerea
You either get their brand of Black Metal, or you don’t.
If you, like me, enjoy their ballistic onslaught of pile-driving riffage, then this was a potent moment. Masked, mysterious, mystical, Gaerea simply does not stop.
They blasted through their set with a sinister vitriol that saw the packed tent embrace the darkness. On a day of fiery Metal, this was a show to rival all other extremities.
Gaerea are at Alcatraz Metal Festival 2023 today.
Bossk
Bathed in blue and pink lights, Kent outfit Bossk have been building their following for over a decade. Ideally suited to the Sophie tent as dusk begins to form, their introspective Post Metal isn’t for everyone.
They open hard, slowing midset to their more melodic and sweeping movements. They lose nothing with their atmospheric work, and whilst there is no crowd interaction as such, the band build their sound and songs in challenging segments.
It’s bone-shakingly heavy at times, the audience nodding along as if in a trance.
It’s vicious but managed at the same time. Vocalist Sam Marsh spends as much time head-banging as he does roaring, but his presence is enough to encourage the audience to participate.
They work hard and are rewarded appropriately. Not for everyone, but there are few bands can do what Bossk do so very well.
Bloodstock Festival 2023 is held over the weekend of 10-13 August 2023. MetalTalk’s Paul Hutchings and Adrian Stonley report from Catton Park.
All Photography: John Inglis and Paul Hutchings
All MetalTalk Bloodstock Festival 2023 coverage can be found at MetalTalk.net/tag/bloodstock-2023.
Weekend early bird tickets for Bloodstock 2024 will be available to purchase at the box office on-site for £165. This is the cheapest way to buy a 2024 ticket, minus any online booking or admin fees.
Bloodstock 2022 can be relived at MetalTalk.net/tag/bloodstock-2022.
