DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL 2025 - SUNDAY // DONINGTON PARK, LEICESTERSHIRE
KORN HEADLINE AND CLOSE SUNDAY AT DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL 2025 SUMMING UP
A GREAT WEEKEND AT DONINGTON PARK ONCE AGAIN
★★★★★ (5/5)
KORN CLOSE DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL 2025 AT DONINGTON PARK
PHOTOCREDIT: CHARIS LYDIA BAGIOKI
The final day of Download Festival is the most difficult – people are tired, sunburnt, dehydrated, hungover and want to go home, but does that stop them from bring the party to Donington? Absolutely not. The energy was once again higher than ever, with a different energy brought into the mix across all stages. Korn – the final headliner of the festival who have waited thirty years to be in this position – had brought another packed-out crowd to their set, but more on this after covering some highlights of the final day.
Amira Elfeky has been making headlines lately, with sold-out shows, venue upgrades and a surprise feature in Architect’s newest album. With high-energy theatrics and dynamic stage presence, Amira gathered a large crowd early on in the Avalanche tent, showcasing her compelling voice and punk energy. Urging people to put their hands up and engage with her music, the set was the perfect opener to an action-packed day.
A hardcore early afternoon is always a good idea, as The Ghost Inside took over the second stage and lifted spirits. Despite the band being involved in a very serious accident earlier in their career, they resumed activities and released new music that brought them back to the spotlight. Their cancelled tour in 2024 did not seem to stop their energy from peaking during their Download set, a testament to the loyal fanbase they have built over their career and their resilience as a band that still knows how to deliver.
Female energy was high on the final day of Download, as Jinjer took the main stage in the sun, delivering a jaw-dropping performance. Jinjer’s vocalist Tatiana Shmayluk has all eyes on her anywhere she goes – she in commanding the audience, showcasing incredible vocals backed by technical music, and a dramatic stage presence. Even though some people found the performance underwhelming in comparison to prior shows, it was still one that made waves, including this year’s best Download moment, a dad becoming a human surfboard for his daughter earning him the ‘Download Approved Dad’ (aka D.A.D.) title on father’s day.
This year’s most talked about female-fronted band took the main stage with ethereal vocals, djent and metalcore riffs and incredible on-stage energy. Courtney LaPlante’s energy is a masterclass in showmanship and command on stage, and her vocals echoed through the field as people headbanged and crowdsurfed through their set. Playing both fan favourite songs and songs off of their latest extremely successful album, the band not only know how to keep the crowd’s eyes peeled, but also how to make their set a highlight of any festival they attend. Spiritbox are definitely a future Download headliner – and it only remains to be seen which year they will finally claim their crowd as multiple festival headliners.
Watching the greatest djent band in the daylight feels wrong, but adds a different level of atmosphere to their performance. Swedish metal titans turned the Apex stage into a dust inferno, as circle moshpits brought a hurricane of dust into the signature riff-heavy set. Despite taking the stage at the same time as President, another mysterious masked band that had been the talk of town lately, they still kept the crowd engaged and the people admitting how much they enjoyed Meshuggah’s main stage performance. Saying that, I did not make it to President’s set. The tent was so packed with people intrigued by the new band that seemed to jump out of nowhere ahead of their ‘inaugural’ concert, the whole stage was barricaded by the time I got there. Fans reported that they enjoyed President’s set, but Meshuggah definitely left much more of an impression.
This year’s crowned ‘greatest metal concert’ band came on stage with vengeance, as Bullet For My Valentine took the stage. Teasing how much a ‘headline set’ was their dream, the band delivered a great set filled with fan-favourite hits that had people singing along to every lyric. Just for the nostalgia, Bullet For My Valentine are a band that delivers incredible sets to people who have been through their journey all along – and the video on the screens of the band’s journey was quite a heartfelt moment at the start of the set. Sadly, there was no perfectly timed rain for Bullet for My Valentine, whilst the clash of the set with Lorna Shore definitely made a lot of people try to pull running stints to catch both sets at the same time. Are Bullet For My Valentine a future Download headliner? Quite possibly so.
The Dogtooth stage hosted some of the greatest deathcore bands of the era, with Fit For An Autopsy filling the tent despite the imminent headliner set of Korn. Brutal, political and full of thunderous energy, the band reminded everyone why they are a major player in the deathcore scene. Their set was a fresh breath to a day filled with cheesy heavy metal and glam action as Airbourne and Steel Panther playing in Opus entertained a much less heavy audience, with people releasing the last of their weekend energy full on during FFAA’s set. They were definitely one of my favourites of the whole weekend.
Brining on their deathcore powerhouse to Dogtooth straight after Fit For An Autopsy, Whitechapel’s extremity cannot be overstated. Known for punishing breakdowns, pushing deathcore boundaries and very brutal vocals, Whitechapel had people moshing their hearts out at the end of the night before the final acts. The lights, smoke and stage presence were incredible during the set, with a lot of theatrics and heavy mosh pits leading the night. As they were one of the last sets of the day, Whitechapel definitely left a mark on me as the weekend was ending.
Capping Download with a monumental set, the talk of town this year were definitely Korn. Opening their set and igniting mosh-pits and crowdsurfing, there was chaos right from the start. Korn proved their festival headliner status in 2024 when they sold out Gunnersbury Park, but their set in Download was not only a step up, but also a new standard. Their setlist contained anthems like ‘Got The Life’ and ‘Freak On a Leash’, having the crowd shout out ‘Fuck that’ during ‘Y’All Want a Single’, and a stage presence that definitely made history – bagpipes, I am looking at you – Korn used kaleidoscopic lighting and raw energy to deliver their set. The crowd surfers were ‘never-ending’, whilst the bend claimed that they would be ‘shutting down Download Festival with more than just a bang’ – and they definitely did.
Sunday epitomised Download’s ethos: intensity, energy, inclusivity, good vibes and great headliners. The festival never fails to put smiles in people’s faces and make the experience unique. No matter who next year’s headliners will be, the event has once again made history this year – it is raw, emotional, thundering and unforgettable.
