It wouldn’t be festival season if it didn’t come with regular griping that [insert festival name here] hasn’t catered to each individual commentator’s specific tastes. As one of the largest rock festivals in the UK, Download comes in for more flak than most, usually from people who haven’t set foot on Donnington’s hallowed soil since Monsters of Rock hung up its banners, which is a shame because the Andy Copping and his organisers continue to promote diverse line ups that bring together old standards, up and coming artists, and leftfield gems.
The line up for Download 2025 is no exception, offering a fantastic range of artists over three days, and here are our top twelve artists to check out over the course of the weekend.
It always feels a little safe to select a headliner as a band to watch, but with Download boasting three first-time headliners this year, there’s a certain excitement in the selection. At any event, while it’s kind of hard to believe that with Green Day haven’t yet headed up the festival, given their popularity and longevity, it’s great to see them finally take their place – especially as they’re riding high on the back of the excellent Saviours. A brilliantly paced album with any number of massive singalong moments, it’s one of their strongest offerings in years and that, combined with a catalogue that encompasses 14 albums (including the era-defining Dookieand the epic American Idiot), lays the groundwork for a classic headline performance. Expect high octane anthems, lacerating comments on the current state of things, and a whole lot of fun.
As with Green Day, it’s really hard to believe that Korn are making their Download headline debut some thirty years and fourteen albums into their career. For a long time, it seemed like the band were destined to play second fiddle, always drawing huge crowds, but never topping the bill, despite having influenced any number of bands that have achieved greater commercial success in their wake. However, 2025 is Korn’s year at last and, with the band closing the festival, it feels like a vindication. With Donnington hallowed ground for Korn and their fans, expect them to pull out all the stops for this show, digging into their excellent Requiem album and exploring big hitters and deep cuts from across their catalogue.
The legendary Sex Pistols (now fronted by Frank Carter), have been blitzing stages at the same time as erstwhile singer John Lydon has been blitzing the airwaves. Ignore the hyperbole. While it’s unfortunate that the band fractured, Steve Jones, Glen Matlock, and Paul Cook have wisely left the music to do the talking and the praise, both for their performance and for Frank Carter’s potentially unenviable position fronting the band, has been near ubiquitous. The Pistols may only have that album from which to draw, but that’s frankly enough. Expect to see punks in tears and the uninitiated staggering away at the sheer explosive power of these timeless anthems of rebellion.
A blueprint for the djent movement, Meshuggah have amassed a stunning catalogue over the course of nearly forty years and their influence can be felt everywhere from Spiritbox to Porcupine Tree. With time having failed to slow these Swedish masters of extremity, expect an intense, mesmerising set that pairs splenetic grooves and polyrhythmic shifts with moments of eerie calm – drawing you into a unique world with a population of one. Always leaders, never followers, you can firmly expect Meshuggah to be a festival highlight.
A band that has continually evolved over the course of fourteen albums, Opeth may have reasserted certain metallic aspects on new album The Last Will And Testament, but their deft mixing of classic rock, progressive rock, and death metal defies easy categorisation. Fronted by the mercurial Mikael Akerfeldt, Opeth are a creative force who continue to amaze with their sumptuously arranged works. Expect a set that runs the gamut of the band’s career, punctuated by Mikael’s intensely dry sense of humour.
Last year, Alice in Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell calmly dropped one of the albums of the year in I Want Blood. A wiry, dark-hearted album that combined Alice in Chains grind with post-punk, it had all the core elements we have come to expect from this talented musician, as well as a few surprises along the way. With four solo albums now to his name, not to mention Alice in Chains’ exemplary catalogue at his fingertips, Jerry’s presence at Donnington 2025 is cause to be more than a little excited.
Glorious prog-metallers Vola continue to surprise and delight, with recent album Friend Of A Phantom offering another sonic evolution for the band. Metallic but with an irresistible gift for melody, the band now have a catalogue of riches from which to draw and, having honed their skills during last year’s tour, you can expect them to take Donnington by storm. With likely highlights including Cannibal, Break My Lying Tongue, and the stunning These Black Claws, Vola are an unstoppable force. Expect to leave with their melodies firmly lodged in your brain.
Repeat after me: “Municipal Waste are gonna fuck you up!” You need more? How about one of the most dizzyingly joyful thrash bands you’re ever likely to see. Like the sleeve photo from Reign In Blood come to life, Municipal Waste embody the devil-may-care attitude of thrash, flinging out catchy anthems by the bucketful. Expect the weekend’s busiest pit as Municipal Waste lay the smack down on anyone foolish enough to get near.
With cracking new album The Screaming Of The Valkyries showing that Cradle Of Filth have little intention of slowing down, the band’s return to Donnington is always cause to celebrate. Forget about the fact that the band once conjured a storm during the middle of their set and focus on the excellent catalogue of heavy metal anthems the band have amassed over the course of their career. Led by the irrepressable (and some would say irredeemable) Dani Filth, Cradle will provide a suitably devilish alternative for those who find Sleep Token’s lines just a little too clean.
An unexpected addition to the bill, Anaal Nathrakh are the sound of the apocalypse slowly unfolding before you. Led by irascible duo Dave Hunt and Mick Kenny, Anaal Nathrakh take the wall-eyed despair of Godflesh and ramp up the volume, evoking squalid industrial cityscapes in the process. Expect a truly unique performance from a truly unique band.
At the other end of the spectrum, Airbourne return to Donnington to bring their AC/DC-esque party anthems to vivid life for an eager crowd. An adrenaline-fuelled rock ‘n’ roll machine, Airbourne have some cracking anthems to their name and you can expect them to set the pit off from the very front to the very back. Always an intensely enjoyable live act, it may have been five years since the band last dropped an album, but you can bet your bottom dollar they’ll hit Donnington like a hurricane.
Another band that has consistently evolved over the course of their career, Cattle Decapitation never fail to impress but, even so, 2023’s Terrasite upped the band’s game considerably. Devastatingly technical, beautifully produced, and perfectly performed, it marks an impressive new chapter for the band, and there’s no doubting the intensity they’re liable to bring to Donnington. Miss them at your peril.
With just a few weeks to go, who do you want to see at Download? Let us know in the comments!
