Live Review : Bloodstock Metal 2 the Masses Merseyside Final 2026 @ Box:Park, Liverpool on July 4th 2026

Bloodstock’s Metal 2 the Masses Merseyside Final represents the annual pressure cooker where the region’s metal scene proves its worth in choosing it’s lesser known champion to send to the New Blood Stage at Bloodstock. This is where the lifers who’ve kept Merseyside heavy through droughts and downpours stand shoulder‑to‑shoulder with the hungry newcomers desperate to claw their way into Bloodstock’s hallowed fields. It’s grassroots in the truest sense - sweat‑stained, stubborn, and fiercely communal. It’s true to say that these finals across the country, and in fact beyond, are fast becoming the backbone of the metal scene.  

The day starts early with the already identified runners-up playing the main stage throughout the afternoon. A short interlude for a motorcycle entry of our host and official opening of the finals soon gives way to our first finalist. Head Creep walk on stage and the moment they hit their first chord, any aesthetic confusion dissolves into a surprisingly unified sonic punch. The Alice In Chains influence is unmistakable, that grunge‑soaked vocal drawl and brooding melancholy, but they lace it with Avenged Sevenfold flash and Velvet Revolver swagger. It’s a Frankenstein’s monster of influences, stitched together with more confidence than it has any right to possess.

Lead guitarist Bobby Fontafuego is the standout, peeling off lead lines with a level of finesse that feels almost out of place this early in the night. Proper shredding, clean and articulate, the kind that makes you wonder why he isn’t fronting a band built entirely around his fretboard acrobatics. The keys, tragically, are a non‑entity in the mix, swallowed whole by the guitars, and visually, they’re a mish‑mash - but the band’s overall sound is cohesive, muscular, and surprisingly polished. They’re a band who know exactly what they want to sound like and they deliver it in their own dynamic way.

False Monarch hit hard from the off with stylised sharp looks, low stances, and that unmistakable modern djenty deathcore menace. They’ve clearly studied the Monasteries/Northlane playbook and decided to rewrite it with more spite. The gutturals are obscene, proper subterranean growls that feel like they’re being dredged up from the Mersey. The guitar tone is immaculate too - glassy, futuristic, and devastating, the kind of tone that makes other bands quietly sneak a peek at their rig.

Their stop‑start precision is vicious, but the grooves equally snap into place with military discipline before collapsing into jagged, syncopated chaos. It’s heavy in that modern, djenty, deathcore way - not just loud, but engineered to crush with all its weight. The whole set feels like a band who know exactly who they are and exactly what they’re here to do. They’ve nailed the look, nailed the vibe, and nailed the execution. If Bloodstock wants a band that embodies the current wave of ultra‑modern heaviness, False Monarch are already halfway through the door.

Archaea appear onstage with a unified aesthetic that screams confidence - bold looks, sharp silhouettes, the kind of visual cohesion that tells you they’ve actually thought about how they want to present themselves. And then the vocals hit, and everything elevates. There’s real character in Dave Morgan’s voice, emotive punch wrapped in swaggering bravado. It’s the kind of vocal presence that doesn’t just front a band, it defines it.

Their set is pure bombast - high‑tempo, high‑octane melodic metal, the sort of thing you could drop straight into a WWE pay‑per‑view without changing a note. Big rhythms, big choruses, big energy. There’s a hint of Mötley Crüe in the attitude, though without the gratuitous shredding, instead, Archaea focus on cohesion, on driving the whole machine forward as one unstoppable unit. The rhythm section keeps everything tight and propulsive, while the guitars carve out hooks rather than indulgent solos.

They look like a band. They sound like a band. And crucially, they feel like a band who could walk onto a much bigger stage tomorrow and not flinch. In a competition where identity matters as much as ability, Archaea arrive fully formed.

Carnal Rot bring the night’s purest dose of death metal - guttural, abrasive, and proudly filthy. They’re the band on the bill who seem to care least about polish and most about impact, and there’s something refreshing about that. The vocal range is solid, shifting between deep growls and harsher screams, but the guitars are fighting a losing battle. Too much treble, not enough bite, leaving riffs feeling like a blurry smear rather than a serrated weapon. It’s death metal, but without that satisfying bite.

Stage presence is still in its bedroom‑project phase - heads down, minimal movement, the kind of performance that feels more like a rehearsal than a final and the groove to their sound is limited. The drumming, however, is exceptional. Fast, technical, and relentlessly tight, it’s easily the standout element of their set. Carnal Rot are technically impressive, but they haven’t yet figured out how to translate that into a compelling live assault. The potential is undoubtedly there, but it’s buried under the treble.

It's worth mentioning that throughout the day we’ve also had bands playing next door at Arc:Hive while the main stage sets up. It’s been a variety of local talent in the same Bloodstock vein and special mention should go to an act called Mad Spanner. He lurches about the stage like a deranged cartoon character who’s somehow escaped into the real world, armed with nothing but a bass, a backing track, and an absolutely unhinged sense of humour. It’s tongue‑in‑cheek death metal delivered with the manic glee of someone who knows full well they’re breaking every rule and is having the time of their life doing it. The backing track thunders behind him, giving the whole thing a strangely convincing weight, while he slaps and stomps his way through riffs with a grin that borders on feral. It’s ridiculous, it’s chaotic, and it’s impossible not to enjoy.

As special guests for the Finals we have last year’s winners OGUN and the North West’s answer to fun irreverent death metal in Foetal Juice. OGUN step up like a band who know thrash inside out but refuse to be boxed in by it. The genre is clearly their backbone, yet they stretch it until it starts to fray, pulling in richer tones and unexpected colours that make their set feel far more expansive than the usual retro‑thrash revivalism. Andy Evans is the first sign they’re playing a different game. Instead of the familiar rasping bark, he delivers a voice that’s full, warm, and commanding. It’s a proper vocal presence, the kind that lifts the songs rather than simply riding them. His tone gives OGUN’s material a weight and maturity that most thrash outfits never get near. The guitars are tight and intricate, all the expected gallops and sharp turns, but there’s a richness to their phrasing that hints at something deeper. The solos land clean, the riffs groove hard, and the band move with a stage presence that feels earned rather than performed. OGUN have the technical chops, the songwriting brains, and the charisma to stand out in a crowded genre. They’re rooted in thrash, absolutely, but they’re growing far beyond it and that’s what makes them compelling.

Headliners Foetal Juice tear into their set with all the subtlety of a brick through a window. It’s filthy chaos and absolute commitment from the first blast beat, the kind of death‑grind assault that they’ve come to be known for. The vocals are a grotesque delight, a swampy churn of gutturals and deranged snarls. The guitars hack and churn, riffs frantically, while the rhythm section holds everything together with terrifying precision. It’s ugly, it’s relentless, and it’s performed with such gleeful abandon that the room can’t help but crack a smile and nod along.

And so to our winners announcement…drum roll please…the winners of M2tM Merseyside 2026 are…Archaea! They will take their place on the New Blood Stage at Bloodstock in August. Well deserving winners on a strong showing of local talent. Metal 2 the Masses Merseyside thrives on nights like this - where different corners of the scene collide, where new voices push forward, and where long‑timers remind everyone why they matter. Four bands, four distinct identities, all feeding into the same vital ecosystem. It’s a final that proves Merseyside metal isn’t just alive, it’s sharpening its teeth for the next chapter.

Check the “In The Flesh” page for more photos!
Foetal Juice + Ogun + Carnal Rot + Archaea + Mad Spanner + False Monarch + Head Creep