It’s the grand final of the Oxford Metal 2 The Masses competition. There are nine bands playing throughout the day, but only five are in with a chance of winning a much coveted place at Bloodstock, and only one of them will win. It promises to be a good one as the show is sold out. The first two bands on are honourable mentions, they’ve played already during the runup heats but failed to secure one of the five finalist places. Then it’s the five finalists with their last chance to impress, before the night is closed out by two headliners.
Force Of Mortality open up the day and it’s all going well until the singer forgets the opening chords to one of their own songs. He soon gets them right again and on they go. It’s already too hot and it’s only going to get hotter.
Halfway Home put on a great show, it’s hard to believe they aren’t finalists. Their Nu metal roots show when they do a cover of Linkin Park’s Bleed It Out. Near the end of their set they get Shoot To Kill’s singer up onstage to guest vocal. The set finishes with the first mosh pit of the night.
Theorist are the first of the finalists vying for a place at Bloodstock. It’s a brutal show with the singer getting into the middle of floor to make space before getting back onstage and calling for the mosh pit.
Along The Pines are next up, and they don’t want to be outdone. Singer and guitarist are soon in the crowd. It’s all about the crowd participation with this band.
Talassum bring the folk metal to the show with a violinist. It’s dark and spooky and going down well with the crowd, despite issues with the wireless for the guitar. It’s swapped out for a cable and they carry on. A few songs later and the guitar is put to one side, it’s just the violinist, bass player, and drummer as the guitar gives up.
The Blade Itself bring some fun to the crowd and it’s a sea of inflatable swords. Usually it’s not a good idea to run with bladed weapons but these won’t do anyone harm as the mosh pit turns into a gladiator pit.
Ocean Planet are last up for a chance at Bloodstock. It’s heavy technical metal with plenty of movement in the mosh pit. Right now it’s anyone’s guess who will win, but Ocean Planet appears to be to be the cleanest set of the finalists so should be in with a good chance.
Eschalon start off the end of the night with a frankly brutal onslaught. They’re determined not to leave any energy left in the crowd for the headliners. It’s a good thing they aren’t in the competition, it would be totally unfair to the other bands.
Exist Immortal close out the night. It’s hot and sweaty, and they put on a blistering set. The crowd still has plenty of energy and the mosh pit shows it. It’s a great end to the night and all that’s left is to find out who has the coveted place on Bloodstock’s lineup.
It’s a well deserved win for Ocean Planet. They put on a great show with none of the technical issues seen by some of the other bands. They’re in total shock, unable to believe that they’ve won, and have to be helped back onto the stage for the announcement. It’s a result that could have gone to any of the bands, but a combination of sheer stage presence, technical skill, and some luck that they managed to play without any issues swung it in their favour. Catch them at Bloodstock August 7 – 10 and you can see for yourself why they won.
Review and Photos Mark Bestford / Alienation Photography
Force Of Mortality
Halfway Home
Theorist
Along The Pines
Talassum
The Blade Itself
Ocean Planet
Eschalon
Exist Immortal
