As temperatures soared, and the crowds gathered, red could possibly have been mistaken for the new black at this year's Download festival, judging from people's faces. Over 50,000 are descending on Donington Park from June 9-11, making it the most successful in the events history.
Deftones began with early cuts from "Adrenaline", before launching into a greatest hits set, proving why they're considered the godfathers of today's EMO/hard rock scene. During "7 Words", frontman Chino Moreno dived into the crowd, receiving a cowboy hat from one of his adoring fans.
Soulfly's Max Cavalera recreated vocals from the band's genre-busting second album "Around The Fur". They messed up the intro for "Minerva" first time around, but the monolithic swathes of guitars
Earlier saw Coheed and Cambria's EMO-driven rock, with extended prog wigouts. Much to the delight of the kids, they came through technical problems to show EMO and rock are not necessarily mutually exclusive.
But it was the headliners that the 55,000-string crowd were here to see, L.A's alternative metal act Tool.
The band delivered a mind-blowing set as the sun set behind the main stage this Friday evening. The crowd roared as "Rosetta Stone" kicked in, and Maynard James Keenan stalked the stage with a megaphone strapped to his back muttering a stream of consciousness - his lyrics as enigmatic as the title suggests. Keenan, dressed in stonewashed jeans and a Stetson hat, refused to take centre stage, much as his voice refused to dominate the music.
Trippy visuals interspersed clips of the band's disturbing videos, depicting everything from strange characters to broken bodies, made the crowd stand back in awe. Meanwhile, Tool's mighty basslines shook the very foundations of download, just one of the elements from the band's only British member, Justin Chancellor, sporting an England shirt on the eve of the world cup.
Despite little direct interaction with the fans, Keenan held court at all times, pausing briefly to execute a dirty cowboy dance during "Jambi". The band closed with a thunderous rendition of "Aenima", raising the bar for the following headliner.
As we prepare for the straight up rock sound of Metallica and Guns N' Roses, its good to know metal still has a prominent creative force, and a huge visual impact.
