Rumours about BMTH’s level of production had been circulating all day, but few could have predicted this spectacle. Speaking to Kerrang! recently, keyboardist Jordan Fish said the band would try to “tell a story” with their headline set and “make it more immersive,” and they did not disappoint, with animations on vast screens creating a narrative through-line involving a sentient A.I. going rogue and a sinister cult known as Genxsis, brilliantly kicked off with drummer Mat Nichols’ almost-Terminator impression.
With a goat skeleton mic stand (reminiscent of Jonathan Davis’ HR Giger sculpture) planted in front of the ramp, and church-like stage design, Oli Sykes’ mere presence sends the devoted Donington crowd into a frenzy, before ripping into brutalising new track AmEN!, silencing anyone at Download who assumed Horizon weren’t heavy anymore. Doubling down on that notion, Dear Diary provides the most metal thing we’ll see all weekend – Oli screaming into a chrome decapitated goat in blood-red lighting, surrounded by a literal ring of fire.
In a weekend where it’s easy to get lost in the platitudes of touring bands declaring their love for the UK, as Oli declares “I will never forget this moment” at the end of the set, you can tell he means it. For band and fans, this is a huge win, and hopefully a sign of things to come for Download in future years. Horizon will be back and so will we.
Read the full review: What happened when Bring Me The Horizon headlined Download 2023