Bloodstock’s inaugural Winter Gathering felt less like a new venture and more like a family reunion, drawing devoted festival regulars into the industrial confines of KK’s Steel Mill for one final metal fix before the year’s end. Long before the first riff echoed inside, this Wolverhampton iconic venue was a buzzing with that unmistakable sense of anticipation that only a Bloodstock crowd can generate. It was clear this wasn’t just another gig—it was a communal send-off to the year, fueled by beer, camaraderie, and sense of belonging for this sold out one-day event.
King Kraken – set the tone from the moment they stepped on stage, opening the day on the main stage with a slab of groove metal with a powerful low end dominating the room immediately, thick riffs pushing through KK’s Steel Mill and pulling the growing crowd into a unified sway. Dressed in a black kit and leather waistcoat, singer Mark Donahue’s voice was on top form- belting out tracks such as Scream, Magnum Opus and ending with a powerful Chainsaw Saviour. It may be cold and wet outside, but these guys have just a fire at KK’s and its only gonna get hotter….Tortured Demon followed, stepping onto the stage with A Conflict of Interest off their Rise
of the Lifeless album, the Manchester three-piece has been gathering serious momentum. This metal thrash band were here to do business.They tore into the set with precision and intent, every note delivered with purpose. as crowd surfers began to spill forward, carried aloft by a room already convinced it was witnessing the rise of something formidable.
of the Lifeless album, the Manchester three-piece has been gathering serious momentum. This metal thrash band were here to do business.They tore into the set with precision and intent, every note delivered with purpose. as crowd surfers began to spill forward, carried aloft by a room already convinced it was witnessing the rise of something formidable.Popping briefly into the second stage where Adam Gregory, Vicky Hungerford and Simon Hall were in a Q & A session giving us an insight of the work that goes into arranging and putting on the UK’s premier metal festival- it was an eye opener as to how long in advance bands had to be booked …
If metalcore were a carnival ride, Raised By Owls would be the one that spins so fast you forget what day it is—and then drops you straight into a pit of laughing, headbanging chaos. Their latest set was a masterclass in controlled anarchy.
Frontman Sam Fowler’s stage presence is part ringmaster, part instigator, guiding the audience through unpredictable twists that feel both dangerous and hilarious.
Being a great metal band but with their antics on stage, how the f*ck are you supposed to take them seriously? I mean, the singer comes on stage and Mr.Blobby storms on stage too…
One second, a dizzying flurry of riffs had the floor spinning like a PE class gone rogue; the next, Mr. Blobby has gone crowd surfing… collective, There’s a surreal energy to their performances, a sense that the band is daring you to survive and enjoy. It’s hard to overstate how infectious their combination of heaviness and humor is. Raised By Owls doesn’t just play thrash metal; they throw it at you from every angle, and somehow, amid all the chaos, Fowler’s claim holds true: yes, it really is great for your mental health. Because if there’s anything better than laughing through the agony of a face-melting breakdown, it’s doing it while surrounded by dozens of equally deranged metal heads.Theres tee shirt on the merch stand which they held aloft “Circumcision Survivor”-
oh yeah, as a surprise appearance, Sam’s mom makes an appearance (as she always does..)
Replacing Hellripper, short notice. Devastator tore through a ferocious set of energetic and chaotic blackened speed metal, shifting effortlessly through to heavy metal keeping true to their raw and unpolished sound – metal perfection.
Venom Inc arrived like a declaration of war preceeded by fire performers (ooh i do like fire)- dragging decades of extreme metal history onto the stage and weaponising it in real time. There was nothing polished or restrained about their performance—just venomous intent, snarling delivery, and a sound engineered to dominate. The atmosphere turned feral almost instantly as the band tore into their set, each track sharpening the tension rather than releasing it. Venom Inc weren’t there to ease anyone in or win people over gradually. They came to incinerate the space, and by the end, there was nothing left untouched by fire.At the helm stand Swedish legends Candlemass. Forty years into their reign, their
influence remains colossal, their presence unavoidable. As the architects of epic doom and one of metal’s most enduring institutions, their shadow does not merely linger—it smothers the genre beneath it. The set unfolded as if it were a procession of their greatest hits- each one heavier than the last, crushing hope, light, and any lingering sense of seasonal cheer. Monumental, merciless, and immaculately executed; this was doom metal in its purest, most overwhelming form.
influence remains colossal, their presence unavoidable. As the architects of epic doom and one of metal’s most enduring institutions, their shadow does not merely linger—it smothers the genre beneath it. The set unfolded as if it were a procession of their greatest hits- each one heavier than the last, crushing hope, light, and any lingering sense of seasonal cheer. Monumental, merciless, and immaculately executed; this was doom metal in its purest, most overwhelming form.Candlemas played a killer set featuring their classics, one after the other…
BAND GALLERY
FIRE PERFORMERS
FANS…
