Sunday 10/06/07 Day Three @ Download Festival, Donington Park

The birds are singing, the sun is shining(ish) and Gigwise is all set for the final act of what is proving to be a most excellent experience at Download Festival 2007.

So many bands, so little time; today we have the likes of Mastodon, Lamb of God and of course the main event – Iron Maiden. After a chicken sandwich (we like to mix it up a little), Gigwise cruises through the VIP bar once more and spies the usual suspects, looking a little worse for wear after what we can only assume was a pretty huge after-party the night before. We head straight for the main stage to see a criminally underrated band in the form of UK rockers Reuben.

As they take to the stage their (surprisingly large) fanbase roars with anticipation for Reuben’s famously incendiary live show; and these Surrey-based boys do not disappoint. They play with passion and ardour, with frontman Jamie Lenman’s raw and powerful vocals souring above the arena. They whip out truly awesome renditions of some of their best known songs, including ‘Blamethrower’ and their new single ‘Blood, Bunny, Larkhall’. It comes to our attention, based on crowd reaction and musical merit that these guys should have been billed somewhat higher but despite their early slot they do an admirable job and will certainly be a band to keep an eye out for this year.

After that little treat, Gigwise heads on down to the Dimebag Darrell stage to take in the audio delights of Canadian hardcore/punk quartet Cancer Bats. As always on this stage, the sound is rich and full, with the pounding bass drum carrying these guys throughout their short but sweet set. The ‘shouty’ vocal work by lead singer Liam Cormier invigorates the audience and Gigwise alike, although we resist the impulse to chant along (as to maintain an air of professionalism, of course). The band play through several songs and those in the audience that know them, know them well; fan favourite ‘French Immersion’ goes down particularly well.

Next up on our whistle-stop tour is the main stage and a look at grammy-nominated heavy metal heroes Mastodon. With such a distinguished reputation, it’s slightly disappointing to find that they aren’t all that impressive. Don’t get us wrong, they put on an energetic show and the die hard fans absolutely love it, it just seems to us that it’s missing that special something that makes a live show so kick ass. Even with their lack of the ‘X factor’ they manage to entertain and play an extensive selection from their back catalogue. It’s just a shame it couldn’t have that extra ‘oomph’.

To make up for this slight dip in quality, Gigwise indulges in a 99 Flake; which obviously brings the smile right back to our faces and prepares us for a band that have been generating buzz all day long: Lamb of God; and do they let us down? Not a chance. By the time they take to the stage the crowd in the arena has swelled to form yet another mass of black, particularly concentrated around the mosh pit, which is about to see a lot of action. Shredding guitars lead to circle pits lead to lyrical tennis lead to pounding fists lead to… well, you get the idea. Crowd favourites include ‘Redneck’ and the powerful ‘Now You’ve Got Something To Die For’. It’s not too difficult to understand why these guys have sold over a million albums in the U.S alone, their live show is a real experience and is something we’d recommend to even the most ardent of anti-metallers.