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.
🧨 HATEBREED – 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. 💥
From “Destroy Everything” to “Live for This”, 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 – tea time for most, but clearly war cry o’clock for Cardiff. ☕🔥
Highlight: A lad in a sheep onesie crowdsurfing to “I Will Be Heard”. Only in Wales.
🦖 MASTODON – RIFFY, TRIPPY, AND FULL OF WIZARD VIBES
Next came Mastodon, turning Blackweir into Prog-metal Hogwarts. 🎸🧙♂️ With wild lighting, spacey visuals and that thunderous groove, they transported the crowd straight into another dimension.
“Blood and Thunder” still hits like a runaway freight train, while “Oblivion” had folks swaying like druids in a storm. Proper mystical stuff. We even saw someone crying with joy while holding a flag that said “CARDIFF LOVES PROG.”
Highlight: Brent Hinds playing a solo with his tongue. Why? Because Mastodon, that’s why.
⚔️ AMON AMARTH – 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. ⚡🪓
“The Pursuit of Vikings” was a battle cry, and “Twilight of the Thunder God” 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 “Waes Hael” into a cider can.
Highlight: Crowd-rowing during “Raise Your Horns”. Hundreds of metalheads rowing in unison? Tidy doesn’t cover it.
🤢 ANTHRAX – MOSH ROYALTY, STILL KINGS
Then came the legends. ANTHRAX. Pure thrash royalty. Scott Ian’s beard arrived five minutes before he did, and Frank Bello looked like he could still bench press a tour bus. 💪🎸
From “Caught in a Mosh” to “Indians”, it was all killer, no filler. And when “Got the Time” kicked in? Time stood still, baby. A sea of fists, necks being snapped in rhythm – the entire field became a punk-fuelled explosion.
Highlight: Joey Belladonna sprinting across the stage screaming “LET’S GO, CARDIFF!” like he was still 25. Hero.
☠️ SLAYER – 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 show… and if it is, they went out like absolute warlords. 🔥🔥🔥
“South of Heaven” opened the gates. Then “War Ensemble”, “Dead Skin Mask”, “Hell Awaits” – 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 King’s bald head practically glowing under the lights, soloing like he was summoning the end times. ⚰️🎤
And when “Raining Blood” hit… mate, I was tamping with joy. Pyro, strobe lights, total carnage. It was like watching the world end… with a smile on your face and ringing in your ears. 😈
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. 🤘💀
💀 THE CROWD – A METAL ZOO
Let’s 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 “Seasons in the Abyss.” Romance is alive in metal, butt. ❤️
🍻 FOOD, DRINK & CHAOS
Food vans were overwhelmed. Pints were flowing faster than Tom Araya’s 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.
🎸 OVERHEARD IN THE PIT
“I told my boss I was at my nan’s funeral. Hope he’s not in the pit.”
– Metalhead called Gav, covered in fake blood, during Disciple
“This is better than my wedding.”
– Bloke in a Mastodon hoodie, crying tears of joy into his pasty
“Slayer just baptised me in riffs.”
– Me. Probably.
🏁 FINAL VERDICT – BLACKWEIR LIVE DAY 3
11/10 – A METAL MASTERCLASS IN MOSH.
From Viking raids to thrash royalty to Slayer’s skull-splitting set, this was one for the history books. Loud, chaotic, and soaked in sweat and beer – just how we like it.
Cardiff, you did us proud. Diolch yn fawr. 🖤🏴☠️🔥
