Despite turning into the type of mudbath usually reserved for Glastonbury, Download 2019 saw tens of thousands of rock and metal fans brave the elements to enjoy an eclectic lineup headlined by classic rock heroes Def Leppard, contemporary metal titans Slipknot and Tool – back at the festival for the first time in 13 years.
While Friday night’s main stage sets from Whitesnake, Slash and Def Leppard almost felt like an ode to Castle Donington’s Monsters Of Rock heritage, Slipknot’s ferocious display on Saturday proved that metal is safe in the hands of its masked standard-bearers.
Day three arguably proved that alternative artists from the 1990s can rock as hard as any metal band. The Smashing Pumpkins brought colossal riffs and a mixture of hits and deep cuts that just about kept the rain at bay, before Tool closed out the festival with a spine-tingling and utterly immersive masterclass in uncompromising musicianship.
Tickets for Download 2020 are already on sale, but with Download 2019 still ringing in our ears, take a moment to check out our guitar highlights from the festival in the gallery below:
Tool’s Maynard James Keenan. Image: Eleanor Jane
Tool’s Maynard James Keenan
Tool’s Justin Chancellor
Whitesnake’s David Coverdale
Whitesnake guitarists Joel Hoekstra (left) and Reb Beach (right)
The Smashing Pumpkins’ Jeff Schroeder
The Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan
The Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan
The Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan. Image: Eleanor Jane
The Smashing Pumpkins’ James Iha
Slipknot’s Mick Thomson
Slipknot’s Mick Thomson
Slipknot’s Jim Root
Slipknot’s Jim Root
Slipknot’s Jim Root
Slipknot’s Alessandro Venturella
Slipknot’s Corey Taylor
Slipknot’s Corey Taylor
Slipknot’s Corey Taylor
Slipknot’s fans
Slipknot’s fans
Slash
Slash
Myles Kennedy (left) and Slash (right)
Frank Sidoris backing up Slash on guitar
Starset’s Brock Richards (left) and Mariko Muranaka (right)
The Brothers Osborne’s T.J. Osborne
The Brothers Osborne’s John Osborne
Trivium’s Matt Heafy
Trivium’s Corey Beaulieu
Trivium’s fans
Skindred’s Mikey Demus
Skindred’s Benji Webbe
Skid Row’s Dave Sabo (left) and Todd Kerns (right)
Japanese heavy metal band Lovebites
Last In Line’s Vivian Campbell
Last In Line’s Vivian Campbell (left), Phil Soussan (centre) and Andrew Freeman (right)
Lamb Of God’s Randy Blythe
Lamb Of God’s Randy Blythe (left) and Willie Adler (right)
Rob Zombie (left) with John 5
John 5
John 5
John 5
Halestorm’s Joe Hottinger (left) and Lzzy Hale (right)
Halestorm’s Joe Hottinger
Halestorm’s Lzzy Hale
Godsmack’s Sully Erna
Eagles Of Death Metal’s Eden Galindo
Eagles Of Death Metal’s Jennie Vee
Eagles Of Death Metal’s Dave Catching
Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott
Def Leppard’s Vivian Campbell
Def Leppard’s Rick Savage
Def Leppard’s Phil Collen
Deadland Ritual’s Steve Stevens
Deadland Ritual’s Geezer Butler
Clutch’s Tim Sult (left) and Neil Fallon (right)
Blackberry Smoke’s Charlie Starr
Behemoth’s Patryk Dominik Sztyber
Behemoth’s Adam Darski
Behemoth’s Adam Darski
Tosin Abasi of Animals As Leaders
Amon Amarth’s Johan Söderberg (left) and Ted Lundström (right)
