Download Festival 2013 Day Two Review: Iron Maiden Take Better Care of their Fans Than Any Other Band

Another year, another summer and another chapter closes at metal's most revered festival. The Mecca of heavy music played host to another 150 bands - some new, some old and all united under the banner of downtuned guitars and multiple bass drums.

Saturday began somewhere in 1980, and stayed there for the majority of the day. UFO kicked off proceedings at the ungodly hour of 11am, and played a retro set full of classics, featuring the excellent "Doctor Doctor" and the cockney musings of lead singer Phil Mogg. (4/5)

Young Guns followed, but seemed dwarfed by the stage, the band's pseudo-rock songs not translating well on-stage, nor to the crowd. They sounded under-mixed, under-manned and under-prepared. Aside from hit "Bones", Young Guns were out of their depth. (2/5)

Despite their change of name, Black Star Riders are still essentially Thin Lizzy with a guilt trip, and despite playing a couple of tunes from their new album, there was an air of inevitability when "Whisky In The Jar" and "The Boys Are Back In Town" finished the set. Still, all good fun. (3/5)

Among all the wailing guitar solos, I fond time to head to the Red Bull tent to catch Astroid Boys on the recommendation of a friend. Despite my original caution at the metal-dubstep hybrid that I had been warned about, the Welsh rappers were super; mixing energy and street cred with metalcore breakdowns. A musical epiphany that was thoroughly fun, Highly recommended. (4/5).

Alice In Chains followed, opening with "Them Bones" and despite Jerry Cantrell's newly short hair, AIC were no less brutal, whizzing through a typically downtuned and dirty set culminating in the fantastic "Man In A Box". There may have been a tribute to Layne Staley on Sean Kinney's kick drum, but thanks William DuVall donning the microphone, his memory hasn't been tarnished. (4/5).

Next up were Motorhead, who were exactly what you expected from Motorhead. Classics like "Damage Case", "The Chase Is Better Than The Catch" and "The One To Sing The Blues" all got aired before the usual Ace Of Spades/Overkill duopoly ended proceedings in typical style. To paraphrase from Lemmy himself, they were Motorhead, and they played Rock N' Roll. (4/5).

Queens Of The Stone Age were the last band to hit the main stage before Iron Maiden entered, and treated Donnington with a no-frills set, opening with stacatto rocker "Feel Good Hit Of The Summer" and turning Download into a party atmosphere with "No One Knows" 5th song in. "Go With The Flow" and "A Song For The Dead" completed a show that went a long way to explaining why QOTSA are so popular. New drummer Jon Theodore filled the giant shoes of Dave Grohl with ease, slotting in subtly alongside Josh Homme's abrasive guitar play. (4/5).

Iron Maiden entered what is widely regarded as their stage, and their opening gambit suggested no different - hiring a Battle Of Britain Spitfire to fly over the onlooking masses to opener "Moonchild". Maiden played a tweaked version of the Maiden England set, with numerous cuts from the Seventh Son of A Seventh Son record, reminding everyone that Maiden knows how to treat it's fans - playing rarities like "Phantom Of The Opera" and "The Prisoner".

That said, as far as a festival set-list went, it would probably have been more advantageous for Maiden if they had stuck to a less fan-specific set-list, especially in the face of so many younger fans. I personally am a huge Iron Maiden fan, and despite appreciating the progressive-musings, I was a bit disappointed that the novelty meant that "Hallowed Be Thy Name" wasn't part of the set-list.

That said, Iron Maiden are Iron Maiden, and small qualms aside they were typically excellent - Bruce Dickinson in a jovial mood as the band reeled off song after song to a (largely) appreciative crowd. They promised a return to England at the end of summer, revealing a date for an O2 show in August. Based on this evidence, they'll be worth a watch. (4/5).

Download Festival 2013 Day One Review: Slipknot Are the New Kings of Metal, Like It Or Not

Another year, another summer and another chapter closes at metal's most revered festival. The Mecca of heavy music played host to another 150 bands - some new, some old and all united under the banner of downtuned guitars and multiple bass drums.

Friday began with Rise To Remain, who despite their enthusiasm and competence will forever be known as "Bruce Dickinson's son's band". The British metallers delivered an appropriately energetic and enjoyable set that appropriately set the trend for a day that was full of screaming guitars and vocalists alike. (4/5)

Asking Alexandria, led by newly sober and stubbly Danny Worsnop brought their Yorkshire metalcore to the main stage later in the day, with the highlight being the brutal "The Final Episode" - Worsnop's ashtray vocals gave the band's sound a more organic feel than the one's heard on the record. With a new album in the pipe line, a noticeable change in style may be on the cards. (4/5)

The winner of "pleasant surprise of the festival" award goes to Papa Roach, narrowly beating the moderately sanitized toilets and edible food to collect the prize. Jacoby Shaddix and his band pulled no punches, playing a set filled with hits including the excellent "Between Angels and Insects" and club favourite "Last Resort". Shaddix's announcement that the band had been going for 20 years was a shock to many, but the experience was telling from a group that clearly knew how to approach a music festival. (5/5)

After Papa Roach came a trip to 1986 to see Europe, who delivered a set that I can only say was 'A few tunes then Final Countdown'. Although 'Final Countdown' was brilliant. (3/5).

Re-visiting the Main Stage were Korn, who opened with classic "Blind" and immediately following into the outrageously manical "Twist" and the huge "Coming Undone". The Godfathers of Nu Metal re-affirmed their status as one of metal's big draws and confirmed that with excellent renditions of their newer stuff too - "Narcissitic Cannibal" not sounding out of place despite it's sonic uniqueness. (4/5)

Bullet For My Valentine followed with another set of precision and power - Matt Tuck's newly shorn locks almost emphasizing the bands comfort with their transition into a "big" band. Songs like "Tears Don't Fall" and "The Last Fight" were comfortable with the huge billing that was implied by their position on the line -up and once again - BFMV fail to disappoint. (5/5)

The stage was set for Slipknot to deliver a couple of hours of the brutality they've become famous for and they did just that - the curtain falling to Iowa hit "Disasterpiece" before launching into a set packed with chart toppers and under-the-radar gems (if a Slipknot song can be called that) like "Get This". There was a moment of genuine emotion when a giant "2" was unfurled to pay homage to fallen bassist Paul Gray but the sadness didn't distract from what was a truly enthralling performance.

The manic response from the entire crowd to the band was telling and was not replicated by any other during the festival. Slipknot, like Metallica in the 90's after 'The Black Album' was released have reached the top of the heavy metal mountain and are leering down at the competition with scorn. The 9 controversially dressed men from a small town in America are now part of this generations most universal metal band - and only after four albums. They may not have the history and the record sales of a Metallica or an Iron Maiden - those will come in time - but ask any 20 year old metal fan to name 5 Slipknot songs and they can. Ask them to replicate the trick with Maiden or Metallica it becomes a bit of a struggle. Like it not, Slipknot are the Kings of metal's 21st Century and Download 2013 was just another crowning moment. (5/5)

Slayer Will Never Be The Same again - and They Should Acknowledge That

First it was Jeff Hanneman, who died on May 2nd with liver failure, and then it was Dave Lombardo, who was fired weeks after Hanneman's death. In less than a month, Slayer lost two of it's founding members. Suddenly, the man who wrote the riff in 'Raining Blood' and the drummer that reinvented the art of metal percussion with 5 seconds near the end of 'Angel Of Death' aren't in the band that those songs are credited to.

Slayer have changed. They are different, and will never be the same again.

Hanneman is an obvious loss, even more tragic when the circumstances are considered. With Lombardo, there is personal differences - Hanneman cannot be apologized to and brought back. No longer will the blonde headbanger be seen standing in his familiar stage-left position, duelling with Kerry King with the consistent brutality that was always underappreciated next to King's more - obvious -  style.

Dave Lombardo is the best metal drummer in the world. That's it. Forget those who drool over Joey Jordison's Tommy Lee impersonations for Slipknot and Mark Portonoy's progressive chops. Those guys are impressive, but no-one so emphatically surmises all that is metal drumming better than Dave Lombardo. Lightning fast, brutally consistent and with exceptional stamina and technique - nothing evokes the relentless power of thrash metal more than DL's 32nd notes on the kick drum, his one handed 16th notes on the hi-hat in a metal world where most drummers avoid it as a technique, his almost scientific attention to percussive detail. His drumming is key to the Slayer sound, their appeal and their cult status.

Hanneman is the same. Slayer aficionados will wax lyrical about Hanneman's contribution to the greatest of the Slayer songs, and a little bit of research will inform of his huge contribution to their, and arguably metal's greatest and purest album - Reign In Blood.

Now, Slayer will move on with Paul Bostaph on drums and one of Pat O'Brien or Gary Holt as guitarist. All three are great musicians, but quite simply not to the extent that Jeff and Dave were.

Even if the songs are replicated perfectly - there is something intangibly brilliant about the chemistry that original members of bands have with each other that can't be quantified by how accurate the notes are. That magic is gone with Slayer forever, assuming that this is Lombardo's last stint with the band. Bands can recapture and continue that aura if one person leaves - AC/DC managed it without Bon Scott, Guns N' Roses did it in the early 90's without Izzy Stradlin - but more than that and the band, however successful, always has a certain karaoke feel to it. Without Hanneman Slayer has no lungs, without Lombardo it has no guts.

If anything they should acknowledge it - are they really Slayer now? With two out of the four gone, metal's most evil band are now a sinister version of the White Stripes. You could make an argument that they should stop being called 'Slayer' - as long as Lombardo is gone too.

They won't - as long as Tom Araya is still screaming and Kerry King and his tattoos are still adorning metal posters everywhere most of Slayer's obvious traits are still intact, but for the rest of us it won't feel right, and never will again.

So, if you get the chance - listen to Reign In Blood, or Christ Illusion or watch the Big Four show in 2010 where the world's most relentless thrash band showed why they were impervious to criticism, nu metal and metal-fearing Christians. Without Hanneman and Lombardo, they just seem much more mortal. Without Hanneman and Lombardo, Slayer will never be the same again.

Return Of The King: 3 Issues Jose' Mourinho Must Address at Chelsea

Mourinho is back.

The 'Special One' finally has returned to the country that turned him from coaching prodigy into bona fide celebrity, confirming one of the worst kept secrets in the history of sport. However, far from the glittering reunion that most English pundits had in mind when the Portugese coach first expressed his wish to come back to the rainy island, a more accurate description would be 'exile from Madrid'. Due to the manner of his Spanish tenure Mourinho has lost some of the spark, some of the mystique that made him such an attractive option for Florentino Perez and his Champions League craving cohort. The chaos that the press-happy coach brought with him from club to club was acceptable as long as the players were happy and the trophies kept coming but when one - or as the case was in Madrid - both dry up, the futility of the inherent tension the former Inter tactician creates becomes more apparent.

However, he should have no problem at Chelsea. A club that in recent history has had more bitter spats and shady politics than several episodes of Game Of Thrones, Mou should quickly find his feet again in a country that not only accepts off-the field madness, but encourages them. Add in the fact he has bunch of players that are used to more staff inconsistencies than most others, and it's a match made in tabloid heaven.

That said, there are a few issues that Jose' is going to have to address if he is to turn the Stamford Bridge outfit into the stingy, relentless, winning machines that they were when he left in 2007.

1) Sort out the defence

Far from the backline that leaked just 15 goals on it's way to a Premier League title - the Londoners shipped 39 in domestic competition thanks to a rolling back line that was often fraught with errors. David Luiz, while fantastic with the ball at his feet tends to have the positional sense of a a drunken moth, and the John Terry/Gary Cahill/Bratislav Ivanovic combination doesn't quite have the same bulletproof sheen that 2004 era Terry-Carvalho had. Jose' knows more than most that a winning team is built from the back, and he'd do well to address that immediately upon his arrival in London.

2) Finally (for real this time) phase out the veterans

If Jose' Mourinho is going to have the "happy and successful time" at Chelsea he must do what no manager has done yet; finally move on from the old heads. John Terry, Frank Lampard and to a lesser extent, Ashley Cole - are almost part of the furniture at Stamford Bridge and between them have conspired to make several manager's lives difficult in attempting to rebuild and move on from them. Mourinho must summon all of his personal skills to slowly edge away from the players he once used as a title winning foundation nearly ten years go. If he can't - Chelsea will continue to suffer from a stagnant flux that comes with relying on players whose legs can't do what their egos demand of them. If anyone can do it, it's Mourinho.

3) Fernando Torres

Hanging over Chelsea like a cloud - Fernando Torres is the Spanish Elephant in the room at Stamford Bridge. The £50m man was heralded as the replacement for Didier Drogba - but form, confidence and pressure have combined to ensure that the latter half of Il Nino's Premier League career will be remembered as a montage of frustrating nearly moments. There have been times when Torres has been "back" but in truth, the 'real' Torres is confined to Youtube. Chelsea, it seems, are deciding to bring another striker as their #1 guy and Torres will once again play second fiddle unless Mourinho decides otherwise. Jose' will have to make a decision whether to gamble on the confidence of the once dominating Spaniard or place his trust elsewhere.