The end is in sight. After two days of beaming hot sun, an abundance of sing-alongs, riffs, and breakdowns, the third and final day of Download Festival 2025 starts off slightly later than planned as Orbit Culture‘s Apex (main) stage set gets pushed back. Nevertheless, the Swedish metallers soon make up for lost time with a ferocious outing. Vocalist Niklas Karlsson is determined to shake off festival-goers’ weary, hungover heads, commanding the dust-swirling circle pits to open up. The title track from their upcoming album, ‘Death Above Life,’ is given its live debut, hitting particularly hard. Much like Orbit Culture‘s overall set, its thunderous chugs prove they’re not here to play it safe. It might be an all-too-brief outing, but it’s clear the Swedish quartet are part of a bright pack of rising metal bands.
A year after dominating the Opus stage, Bleed From Within bring Scottish fire to the Apex Stage. Armed with flames and a giant video wall, the Glasgow crew ooze confidence as they rip through a set packed with bangers. ‘Levitate’ lifts the energy sky-high, before ‘The End of All We Know’ and ‘In Place Of Your Halo’ deliver a frenzied one-two punch to round out their impressive outing. Riff-filled chaos with bodies all over the place, and bagpipes blaring, giving a nod to home and a statement of how far they’ve come.
Today will see a handful of notable names appear on the Dogtooth stage. While there’s a certain masked band appearing later on, Vower are also on hand to represent UK’s underground/independent scene. While they consist of former members of Black Peaks, Toska and Palm Reader, the quintet quickly shows they’re capable of standing out on their own. The opening pairing of ‘Satellites’ and ‘Shroud’ sees Josh McKeown’s soaring vocals cut through the early afternoon haze. Meanwhile, ‘In the Wake of Failure’ sees drummer Liam Kearley erupt with euphoric chaos.
Over in the Avalanche stage, one of the weekend’s worst-kept secrets is pulling in a big crowd. Even before Malevolence take to the stage, “Yorkshire!” chants ring out. The Sheffield mob don’t disappoint with a pummelling six-song set with new songs, ‘If It’s All The Same To You’ and ‘Trenches’ instantly being given a thunderous approval. If anything, this half-hour outing is a celebration of Malevolence‘s perseverance, from grinding it out in hardcore DIY spaces to becoming one of the UK’s most beloved metal bands. It’s brief yet brilliant.
Although House of Protection aren’t as big a pull as Malevolence before them, that doesn’t stop Aric Improta and Stephen Harrison from giving it their all. Thriving with raw energy, Harrison instantly commands to crowdsurfers to join the duo on stage. ‘Learn To Forgot’ sees him become the nucleus of a circle pit, while Improta leaps from his drum stool mid-set, feeding off the frantic atmosphere. Here’s hard to drag ourselves away from, but there’s an inauguration happening over on the Dogtooth stage.
The hype around President is real, and so is the queue. While Meshuggah pummel the Apex stage in the distance, those lucky enough to get inside the Dogtooth stage witness a special moment. For the rest of us, being part of the overflowed crowd means we can only hear what UK metal’s latest masked sensations have to offer. Nevertheless, ‘Fearless” slick on-record production is replaced by raw urgency. A trio of unreleased material are showcased, demonstrating the breadth of genres President has already touched upon. Piercing screams, alt-pop, bubbling electronic, and dense metallic blasts prove the quartet’s dynamism. Meanwhile, ‘ In The Name Of The Father’ ends this debut performance on a high. Its chorus of “Oh father, I can’t hear you yet…” has already become anthemic, yet as a voiceover that precedes it, President are here to build. Whether or not the hype will continue past this much-talked-about debut remains to be seen. However, they’ve backed it up so far.
In recent years, Spiritbox have elevated themselves as one of metalcore’s premier acts. Jumping from the Avalanche stage to the Apex stage in three years feels organic for the Canadian quartet. With a set that heavily dips into this year’s ‘Tsunami Sea,’ old favourites ‘Secret Garden,’ ‘Circle With Me’ and ‘Holy Roller’ are still feverous. Zev Rosenberg’s bass drum is chest-shaking throughout, while Courtney LaPlante has a magnetic presence as ever. Pulling in one of the biggest crowds of the weekend, it’s clear Spiritbox‘s ascension to future festival headliners has been solidified.
As Download Festival 2025 reaches its final stretch, the Dogtooth stage plays host to French outfit Novelists. With Bullet For My Valentine‘s celebration of ‘The Poison’ is given one last outing on these shores in the distance, Novelists pull in a small but dedicated crowd, showing appreciation for their brand of progressive metalcore. Led by the dual guitarwork of Florestan Durand and Pierre Danel, Camille Contreras leads with acrobatic vocals. By the time Fit For An Autopsy hit the Dogtooth stage, there was a lengthy changeover on the main stage, meaning there was plenty to witness the devastation the New Jersey deathcore group produced. Frontman Joe Badolato revels in being able to play the hollow ground of Donington Park, citing Lamb of God’s 2007 set as inspiration. Collectively, FFAA duly ignite an abundance of crushing energy.
Although some may have thought KoRn’s chance to headline Download had come and gone, tonight proves otherwise. Despite having the shortest headline set of the weekend, the nu-metal icons waste no time. ‘Blind,’ ‘Twist,’ ‘Here To Stay’ and ‘Got The Life’ are rapidly delivered, getting the Donnington masses bouncing. Jonathan Davis leads the charge with intensity and presence, while drummer Ray Luzier is a thunderous highlight throughout.
Aided by a spellbinding light show, the Bakersville-based band rips through a greatest hits set. ‘Shoots and Ladders’ sees Davis bring out the bagpipes before his bandmates throw in a snippet of Metallica’s ‘One’ for good measure. ‘Twisted Transistor’ grooves before the tongue-in-cheek ‘A.D.I.D.A.S.’ slaps. While ‘Y’all Want A Single’ provides an expletive sing-along, before a four-song encore ends with ‘Freak on a Leash’. In the process, ending the weekend on a thrilling high, serving as a celebration for KoRn‘s legacy.
Despite not having as long as the weekend’s other main stage closers, KoRn managed to exceed expectations. It may be wrong to doubt a band who have played all over Donington for the best part of 30 years. Nevertheless, KoRn grabbed the long overdue opportunity by the horns and thoroughly delivered. This certainly won’t be the last time they’ll close the main stage.
Conclusion
Download Festival 2025 marked my first full weekend at Donington in six years. It’s clear the festival has evolved, welcoming new headliners, giving the likes of Sleep Token and KoRn an opportunity. Proving to be bold choices that deliver in spades. At the same time, bands like Spiritbox, Malevolence, Orbit Culture, and Bleed From Within, hint that metal’s future is in good hands. Likewise, homegrown talent such as Boston Manor, Unpeople, and Vower made their mark, showing that the next generation is already rising to the occasion.
Outside the music, the improvements in accessibility, a wealth of food options, and the expanded offerings in District X made this year’s experience more inclusive, comfortable, and enjoyable than ever before. Although, the weather certainly played a part in that.
Nonethelessm If Download Festival 2025 proved anything, it’s that Donington is still a special place, and its future is in very exciting hands.
4.5/5
Read our review of Day 1 (Friday) of Download Festival 2025 here.
Read our review of Day 2 (Saturday) of Download Festival 2025 here.
All photographs supplied by Download Festival.
Download Festival 2026 takes place at Donington Park, Leicestershire from Wednesday, June 10th to Sunday, June 14th, 2026
Tickets are available here.
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