Download Festival: Sunday Dimebag Darrell Stage

United Kingdom | | 15 June 2007

The no-frills rock'n'roll of Londoners Eyelash greets the early risers who've bravely shaken off their hangovers and made their way out of their tents and over to the Dimebag Darrell for the last day of Download 2007, but it's the dramatic opera-tinged metal of After Forever - complete with OTT smoke and wind machines - that delights the first substantial audience of the day.

The venomous metal-laced hardcore of Cancer Bats hits the crowd like a one-two sucker punch to the kidneys and manages to belie the early hours by getting the blood pumping and inciting the first of the day's pits with a brilliantly high-energy display, before the tent fills to absolute bursting point for Unearth's hotly anticipated appearance. Never one's to disappoint their loyal followers; the Massachusetts metalcore masters produce one of the most brutal displays of the entire weekend with their not-so subtle nods to the worlds of death and thrash metal.

Having proclaimed to the world that they were here to create history, Devil Driver crown a triumphant set by generating one of, if not, the biggest circle pits ever seen at Download. With half of those gathered in the packed tent spinning around simultaneously, Dez Fafara's men provide one of the abiding memories of this year's festival.

The first of two British acts in a row, Paradise Lost manage to overcome some initial sounds problems to delight the crowd with their gloomy rock masterpieces, before Brummie legends Napalm Death go about bludgeoning their fans to within an inch of their lives, with old favourite 'Scum' and Dead Kennedys classic 'Nazi Punks Fuck Off' sounding particularly menacing.

Unfortunately the technical gremlins return shortly afterwards meaning Within Temptation take to the stage 20 minutes late and subsequently can only find time to fit in four songs to a condensed set. However, never downhearted, the Dutch six-piece make the most of their cruelly curtailed timeslot, and you're left with the distinct impression that this is an act destined to grace the main stage in the not too distant future.

Announcing from the very off that they're here to give the stage a "lesson in violence", Norwegian black metal overlords Dimmu Borgir succeed in their wicked plans by providing a perfect marriage of dark atmospheric keys, pummelling drums and rampaging guitars, prior to an extended audio and visual montage heralding the arrival of prog-rock magicians Dream Theater. Keeping fans in the packed out tent utterly engrossed for the entire duration of their 50 minute set, their drawn out tracks contort and twist into all manner of remarkable shapes until the band eventually leave the stage to a deafening reception from an enraptured faithful.

With thousands of older festival goers making their way across to the main stage to see Iron Maiden close the festival, Billy Talent reward all those who wisely decided to stay for them, with a breathtaking display of punk-rock spirit and pop songwriting-nous. 'Devil in a Midnight Mass' gets the heaving throng bouncing along and encore numbers 'Fallen Leaves' and 'Red Flag' are also stunning, but it's their pop-rock masterpiece 'Try Honesty' that steels the show with the memory of the house lights going up and the crowd singing the entire last verse for the band, providing a fittingly unforgettable end to a triumphant weekend.