Date: Thursday 3rd July
Location: Blackweir Live, Cardiff
Line-up: Slayer, Amon Amarth, Anthrax, Mastodon, Hatebreed
Theme of the Day: Viking raids, mosh pits, and absolute carnage.
๐งจ HATEBREED โ OPENING THE PIT OF DOOM
First up, Hatebreed came swinging like a dragon with a hangover. Jamey Jasta stormed the stage with a mission: ignite the crowd. And mun, did he deliver. ๐ฅ
From โDestroy Everythingโ to โLive for Thisโ, this was the sonic equivalent of being punched in the face by a brick made of pure motivation. Their brand of hardcore chaos got the circle pits spinning by 5:30pm โ tea time for most, but clearly war cry oโclock for Cardiff. โ๐ฅ
Highlight: A lad in a sheep onesie crowdsurfing to โI Will Be Heardโ. Only in Wales.
๐ฆ MASTODON โ RIFFY, TRIPPY, AND FULL OF WIZARD VIBES
Next came Mastodon, turning Blackweir into Prog-metal Hogwarts. ๐ธ๐งโโ๏ธ With wild lighting, spacey visuals and that thunderous groove, they transported the crowd straight into another dimension.
โBlood and Thunderโ still hits like a runaway freight train, while โOblivionโ had folks swaying like druids in a storm. Proper mystical stuff. We even saw someone crying with joy while holding a flag that said โCARDIFF LOVES PROG.โ
Highlight: Brent Hinds playing a solo with his tongue. Why? Because Mastodon, thatโs why.
โ๏ธ AMON AMARTH โ VIKINGS RAID THE TAFF
If you thought Cardiff Castle was safe, think again. Amon Amarth invaded with their longboats, axes, and enough Norse energy to summon Thor himself. โก๐ช
โThe Pursuit of Vikingsโ was a battle cry, and โTwilight of the Thunder Godโ turned the pit into a shield wall of limbs, beer and Viking horns. There were blow-up axes flying through the air. A bloke next to us was dressed as Odin. Another was chanting โWaes Haelโ into a cider can.
Highlight: Crowd-rowing during โRaise Your Hornsโ. Hundreds of metalheads rowing in unison? Tidy doesnโt cover it.
๐คข ANTHRAX โ MOSH ROYALTY, STILL KINGS
Then came the legends. ANTHRAX. Pure thrash royalty. Scott Ianโs beard arrived five minutes before he did, and Frank Bello looked like he could still bench press a tour bus. ๐ช๐ธ
From โCaught in a Moshโ to โIndiansโ, it was all killer, no filler. And when โGot the Timeโ kicked in? Time stood still, baby. A sea of fists, necks being snapped in rhythm โ the entire field became a punk-fuelled explosion.
Highlight: Joey Belladonna sprinting across the stage screaming โLETโS GO, CARDIFF!โ like he was still 25. Hero.
โ ๏ธ SLAYER โ THE GODS OF METAL RETURN
At last, the heavens cracked, and SLAYER emerged like four horsemen of the apocalypse. There were rumours this might be their last UK showโฆ and if it is, they went out like absolute warlords. ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฅ
โSouth of Heavenโ opened the gates. Then โWar Ensembleโ, โDead Skin Maskโ, โHell Awaitsโ โ each riff hitting like an iron-clad sledgehammer to the chest. Tom Araya stood there like a battle priest, preaching the gospel of thrash. Kerry Kingโs bald head practically glowing under the lights, soloing like he was summoning the end times. โฐ๏ธ๐ค
And when โRaining Bloodโ hitโฆ mate, I was tamping with joy. Pyro, strobe lights, total carnage. It was like watching the world endโฆ with a smile on your face and ringing in your ears. ๐
Final Song: Angel of Death. Cardiff lost its collective mind. Some were crying. Some were moshing. Some were trying to film but gave up ’cause they were too busy getting elbowed by Odin cosplay guy. ๐ค๐
๐ THE CROWD โ A METAL ZOO
Letโs talk about the people. Because the crowd was an absolute zoo of beautiful weirdos:
- A lad in corpse paint feeding his missus chips during Mastodon.
- At least 10 inflatable goats.
- More denim patches than an Iron Maiden merch truck.
- Two blokes proposing during โSeasons in the Abyss.โ Romance is alive in metal, butt. โค๏ธ
๐ป FOOD, DRINK & CHAOS
Food vans were overwhelmed. Pints were flowing faster than Tom Arayaโs screams. You either ate chips, drank beer, or got crushed in the merch queue trying to grab a Slayer farewell shirt.
Best seller: Viking horn tankards filled with cider. Lush.
๐ธ OVERHEARD IN THE PIT
โI told my boss I was at my nanโs funeral. Hope heโs not in the pit.โ
โ Metalhead called Gav, covered in fake blood, during Disciple
โThis is better than my wedding.โ
โ Bloke in a Mastodon hoodie, crying tears of joy into his pasty
โSlayer just baptised me in riffs.โ
โ Me. Probably.
๐ FINAL VERDICT โ BLACKWEIR LIVE DAY 3
11/10 โ A METAL MASTERCLASS IN MOSH.
From Viking raids to thrash royalty to Slayerโs skull-splitting set, this was one for the history books. Loud, chaotic, and soaked in sweat and beer โ just how we like it.
Cardiff, you did us proud. Diolch yn fawr. ๐ค๐ดโโ ๏ธ๐ฅ
