METAL THRASHING MAD

Given the somewhat dubious honour of closing the Saturn stage before Slipknot make their return on the Apollo (in past years the majority of the crowd have flocked to the front of the larger stage well before the subheadliners have finished), Mr. Bailey will nonetheless be making his music festival headline debut, pulling out all the stops to impress. Blending spoken word with his own unique musical brand, he’s sure to raise a few giggles and a sertainty to help the crowd begin to wind down after a hectic weekend.

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Well into their 15th Anniversary tour, Orange Goblin have impressed throughout the earlier part of this year with a spate of bludgeoning celebratory performances. They don’t do things complex, they don’t do things fancy but anyone who’s had the pleasure of  listening to the records or catching them live at any point of their storied career will tell you that they do things right. They’ll have a mission getting a crowd before The Knot obliterate the main stage but anyone who makes it down will surely be in for a treat.

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Max and Igor, back together…again. Sure, some of the initial sheen will have worn off for Cavalera Conspiracy but anyone who’s ever called themselves a fan of Sepultura or Soulfly knows that Brazilian metal sounds best a little scuffed-up. The latter of those smashed the Saturn stage to bits last year and the step up to Apollo will be sure to herald even more widespread chaos this time round.

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Limp Bizkit were once, about a decade ago, the biggest band in the world. Understandably, their 2009 comeback shows – chock full of dancefloor matured hits – were cause for a hell of a celebration but this time round they’re back to truly prove themselves. New album Gold Cobra lies just around the corner and while the tried classics will undoubtedly roll out, the newer tunes will be judged in the harsh light of day. Can they keep the bounce in the mosh pit?

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Following a brutal UK tour earlier this year, no one’s really got a fucking clue what Watain will roll out for Sonisphere but it’s sure not gonna be pretty. Spring’s club shows saw blood, blades and dismembered animal carcasses kicking around the country’s smaller venues; it’ll be fascinating to see if they’ve got the balls to bring something really horrible to disgust the more mainstream masses.

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To refer to Niclas Engelin as the ‘new’ guitarist for In Flames may be somewhat misleading – he’s been in and out of the band on no less than five seperate occasions – but it’ll be fascinating to see whether the current lineup lives up to the promised cohesion. New album Sounds Of A Playground Fading may not have the outright bombast of Whoracle or Clayman but when the Swedes’ guitars let rip over Knebworth, there’ll be few to match their might…

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Metallica may be nominal headliners of the Big 4 but there’s little question that Slayer are the spiritual masters of the group. Unflinching in their pursuit of serrated, bloodthirsty musical perfection for almost 30 years now, Araya and King proved last year that they’ve still got the teeth to do damage on the grandest stages and even a man down (Hanneman remains absent with fucking Necrotising Fascitis! Gary Holt will more than capably fill in!), the challenge of their closest contemporaries can only bring out their best.

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Biffy have been building quickly towards superstardom since the release of Only Revolutions and though the chorus of naysayers would happily deny them headline status just yet (“They’re not ready!” “They sold out to X Factor!”), the Sonisphere promoters have decided to have a punt. Whether their stadia-baiting potential will be fulfilled has to be seen – and standing beside subheadliners Weezer will be a true test of their mettle – but there’s sure to be a touch of triumph about this performance regardless.

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Following last year’s chaotic, festival-owning show Gallows are back, bumped out of the marquee and threatening real chaos. Last time we had circle tents in and out of the tent, crowdsurfing wheelchairs and Frank Carter doing the front crawl over the audience. This time there won’t be a roof to blow off but – easily Britain’s best live band -  you wouldn’t bet against them bringing the sky down anyway.

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Brothers reunited, last week’s show in Greece featured original boiler suits and masks. The setlist for their headline performance in Germany was rock-solid brilliance. Emotions are sure to be running high as they celebrate and mourn Paul Gray. No-one’s sure what, if anything, the future holds for Slipknot but, as a moment, this festival-closing set promises to be one for the ages.

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