Bloodstock Festival Countdown : 24 Bands Not To Miss

You hear that sound? It’s the blast of guitars and beats of drums as Bloodstock is just around the corner and the enormity of its sound is echoing towards us. This is the big one. The 25th Anniversary. And they have pulled out all the stops. It will be immense. They have even opened up the mainstage to give us four days of widescreen mayhem. The bill is so very varied this year and stretches across a kaleidoscope of metal’s many bi-ways. As today’s entry into our illustrious countdown lets stop off at one of the most interesting and intellectual stimulating additions.

13. Leprous – Sophie Stage – Straight after Slaughter to Prevail finish.

Leprous make beautiful heart wrenching music. For over two decades they have artfully challenged perceptions of what is metal and crafted lush, melodic progressive numbers full of pathos and passion. Their metal pedigree is undeniable having started life as the backing band for metal’s very own renaissance man Ihsahn but they have been unafraid to turn our music inside out and explore its fragile side. Einar Solberg (Ihsahn’s brother-in-law) has an extraordinary voice and his vocal dexterity plays a major role in the opulent but simultaneously intricate nature of their music. It is backed up by textured enormity, a labyrinth of fragile sounds that bound together in sheer perfection. Leprous sound like no other band, slight but also full of emotional weight. This will be a show that we can already predict will go down in Bloodstock folklore.