The inaugural Winter Gathering by Bloodstock, the UK’s premier Metal festival, arrives. It certainly feels like winter as we arrive at the KK’s Steel Mill, especially for yours truly, who has arrived back in the UK the day before after a short break in balmy 18-degree Portugal. It’s cold and rainy, but there is a buzz of anticipation in the Steel Mill as Candlemass and King Kraken go through their soundchecks.
Bloodstock Winter Gathering 2025
KK’s Steel Mill, Wolverhampton – 6 December 2025
Words And Photography: Paul Hutchings
Nine bands await, three crammed into a tiny 200 capacity room, and who I am sorry to say I never got near, whilst the main room has been capped at 1500-ish, as Bloodstock booker Simon Hall admitted recently, to ensure the event runs smoothly.
King Kraken
It has been their year in many ways, and South Wales’ King Kraken are in no mood to let the year fizzle out. They have grabbed the opportunity to replace Asomvel on selected dates as support to Crobot on their current UK tour, and this gives the band time to focus on this show.
Now down to a four-piece, there is pressure on Adam Healey, Karl Meyer and vocalist Mark Donoghue to fill what is a big stage. Anchored by drummer Richard Lee Mears, the band bring it loud and heavy to a crowd who may not be as familiar with the band as those who frequent the lighter Classic Rock festivals and Planet Rock playlists.
King Kraken have enough heft to ensure that those viewing for the first time are soon nodding along, whilst those who have seen the band before are happy to sing along to songs predominantly drawn from this year’s March Of The Gods.
We also get a new song, I Am The Apocalypse, which has substantial melody whilst losing none of the band’s heavy sound. With the boys back in the studio in 2026, next year is full of promise, but for today, it is a fine way for the band to just about close out their annus mirabilis in style.
Tortured Demon
I will admit that Mancunian thrashers Tortured Demon have slipped off my radar slightly in recent times. However, the quartet are now maturing into a decent Thrash outfit.
Despite a list of past members which is extensive for a band seven years into their journey, they appear settled with brothers Joe and Jacob Parkinson continuing to drive their band forward.
New bassist Joel Bayley is the latest recruit, and he fits in neatly to the quartet. Tortured Demon are in the mood to remind those present that they are still around, especially after a sparse gig list in 2025.
Tortured Demon are not in any mood to mess around, ripping through their set with high energy. Conflict Of Interest restarts the pits that Kraken had fired up, whilst vocalist Jacob snarls and spits the vocals.
We forget that the two Parkinsons have only been eligible to buy a beer for a couple of years, such is their confidence. It is a shame that we lose the lead guitar for part of the set, but that does not stop the Mancunians, with A Knee To The Face Of Oppression particularly feisty.
It is a disjointed finish, though, the band appearing surprised and a little annoyed at the way the set is curtailed.
Devastator
Overnight Hellripper have fallen due to “logistical issues.” A morning of phone calls by Simon Hall has no doubt caused him a bit of stress, but the man has done well, as he pulls the perfect replacement out of the Christmas stocking with Devastator, who scythe (sorry!) their way through a 45-minute Blackened Thrash set that maintains the intensity in the packed room.
I have seen these guys several times over the years, from a sparsely populated room at Fuel in Cardiff to a recent packed-out stage at Damnation. They never let you down, and tonight they jump to the rescue with a savage set that races by at breakneck speed.
Conjurers Of Cruelty segues into their classic Worship The Goat, and the urge to dive into the pit is strong. They blow parts of the backline at one point, but there is no panic, just a bit of humour from vocalist/bassist Tom Collins whilst matters are sorted.
Death Slut sees the crowd surfers increase in volume, much to the band’s delight and the pit crew’s dread. We then get a true highlight at Venom Inc’s Tony ‘Demolition Man’ Dolan joins them in a punishing cover of Motörhead’s Iron Fist.
Brandishing a bottle of Jack Daniels, Dolan does not miss a note and the band power over the line slightly drunker than they started. An excellent performance at the 11th hour.
The bands are also running in the smaller Bloodstock room, but I am sorry that I did not have a chance to get there. By all accounts, the trio of Hellbearer, Thuum and Red Method brought everything, and for future events, we will work a bit harder to get them covered as well.
Raised By Owls
All eyes turn to the main stage, though, for the arrival of Raised By Owls. Their set at Bloodstock in 2024 pulled a huge crowd and marked the live debut of singer Sam Strachan’s mum.
Today the word is that she is back on stage, and after the band get the crowd pumped up with their opener, the boos that greet Sam as he announces his mum is not joining us are deafening.
He promises a guest to make up for it, before launching into Strictly Come Danzig, which also sees Mr Blobby appear before going for a crowd surf and a slightly alarming deflation.
It is never a chore to watch this band, simply because their humour is infectious. After Ainsley Harriot Advises To Give Your Meat A Good Ol’ Rub gets the laughter gauge bouncing, we launch into a three-round quiz which is “what you get when you give a Grindcore band 45-minutes”.
We get Death Metal vocals, the best headbanger of the day wins a prize, 36-year-old Matthew from Kidderminster gets to perform You Suffer on stage with the band, and there is a full Barney Greenway dance off in the pit.
The band ease through towards the end of the set, before Sam introduced Fred Durst as special guest. It’s Sam’s mum, dressed in full red cap outfit, and the noise is deafening. “Alright, Bloodcockers,” she laughs, before questioning how we are all still listening to “this shit”.
It’s inevitable that it is Break Stuff closing out the funniest set of the day. An inspired booking, it works beautifully.
Venom Inc.
There’s little laughter but a ton of fire as Venom Inc. take the stage. Flanked by two fire-breathers who spin, eat and spit fire alongside Dolan, drummer Marc Jackson and guitarist Curran Murphy as the band ease into Avé, the title track from the band’s 2017 release, which we get treated to in full tonight
It is a master class, though, and an hour absolutely races by as Venom Inc. pummel and batter with their ferocity.
Muscular and tightly knitted together, the trio rarely stop. It is a high-intensity savaging, but one that is compelling to watch and listen to. I had forgotten how powerful the band’s songs are, and live, they simply bludgeon.
It is over far too quickly, with the ladies back on-stage during closing song Black & Roll to bring more fire and sparks from an angle grinder that prompts more sparks than the current Liverpool FC dressing room.
Candlemass
The evening moves to the main event. Celebrating their 40th anniversary in 2025, it is an honour to be able to watch Candlemass bring a massive set of classics drawn primarily from the seminal first few albums.
Epicus Doomicus Metallicus weighs in heavily with five, including an immense Solitude that closes the evening out in grand style.
There may not be much movement on-stage, but when your riffs can shake buildings, you do not need to start running around. That is not to say that vocalist Johan Längqvist is static. He is animated and back and forth on the stage, whilst the godfather of Doom himself, the legendary Leif Edling, is clearly enjoying himself as he moves around.
It is a massive set, with only Sweet Evil Sun not from the first four albums, but it fits neatly into the set, crammed with classics. Mirror Mirror gets the necks stretching, Dark Reflections sounds huge, and the main set closer, A Sorcerer’s Pledge, has voices raised to the sky.
Between songs, we have words from Edling and Längqvist, and it is clear that the band are having great fun. With a mere 35 shows in the UK since their inception, it feels a bit special and in keeping with the festival vibe.
As they roll into a triple whammy of The Well Of Souls, Demon’s Gate and the aforementioned Solitude, I glance around the still full venue and see many people are also fully entranced in what is on stage.
It is a fine end to a great Bloodstock day, and one that we can only hope may also become a regular date in the Heavy Metal diary.
