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:
