Another Download Festival has come and gone. Download 2016 was very wet, very muddy, but above all, an absolute blast. This year saw an eclectic collection of bands, mixing the classic metal of Download with some pop punk, which managed to keep everyone happy. While the three headliners (Rammstein, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden) were, again, classic Download, they also kept up the good work with showcasing new bands, who all seemed to have great turnouts. Overall, Download 2016 was wildly busy, maybe a little more so than the previous couple of years, because despite the horrendous weather, pretty much every band welcomed a throng of fans and interested parties. Even bands with early slots had big audiences, and the tents were packed constantly (even when it wasn't raining).

As we arrive at Download, the heavens open, but we can hear Babymetal wowing the crowds straight away. Despite a slightly delayed start due to the weather they’re one of the favourites of the weekend, down to their utterly bizarre and brilliant nature. Next, we see Killswitch Engage utterly smashing the main stage. It’s a very crowd-friendly set, with bangers like ‘My Last Serenade’ and ‘Rose Of Sharyn’ thrown into the mix.

Counting Days own their set brilliantly, and are 100% ones to watch right now. We also catch Glassjaw on the second stage, who play hits like ‘Ape Dos Mil’ towards the beginning of the set and several new songs towards the end. Sound-wise they’re great, but in typical style, the setlist is probably not as crowd pleasing as some would’ve expected from a festival set.

From Ashes To New pack out their tent. The sound quality is not the best, with some of the vocals sounding a little dodgy, but it’s a fun show and they go down extremely well. Single ‘Through It All’ goes down a storm with its nu metal vibes, and if From Ashes To New carry on this way, they can expect to do pretty damn well. We go from new nu metal to the classic nu metal of KoRn on the main stage, who know exactly how to please their audience. They open with ‘Right Now’ and ‘Here To Stay’ and end on ‘Freak On A Leash’, and the crowd are delighted.

All Time Low are not a classic Download band, but there’s no way they would let that stop them. They have a huge crowd there to watch them, and they have a fantastic display of pyrotechnics which really adds to their set. They open with ‘Kids In The Dark’ and go on to play a mixture of newer tracks and slightly older hits like ‘Damned If I Do Ya (Damned If I Don’t)’, along with a cover of Green Day’s ‘American Idiot’. If anybody knows how to get a crowd pumped up, it’s All Time Low.

Rammstein are arguably the best festival headliners in the world. In the build up to their entrance, they flash up an announcement asking people to enjoy the show and not be preoccupied with recording it, before a countdown starts and some fireworks go off, leaving pink smoke over the whole of Download. Rammstein’s set up is wildly impressive as always, with some incredible lights and great stage costumes, but the first few songs are almost stripped back by their standards. Once they play ‘Feuer Frei!’, that all changes, and the pyrotechnics and fireworks begin properly as the sun starts going down.

The highlight of tonight’s set is probably their biggest hit ‘Du Hast’, but ‘Ich Will’ and ‘Sonne’ (during their encore) are particularly special too. There are too many spectacles to mention, but the fireworks that travel up and down a zipline are a particular highlight, and the band in general are so ridiculously entertaining that you can’t turn away for a second without missing something great. Whether you speak German or know any Rammstein songs at all, there’s pretty much no way of not being entertained when you watch them. They are complete lunatics, but in the very best way possible, and the world needs more completely original bands like them.

Beartooth smash the main stage. Despite the fact it’s only midday, they manage to draw a great crowd, and songs like ‘In Between’ go down an absolute storm. From here, we catch Black Peaks, who put on a great performance, and from our interview with them, we know that they were extremely happy with it, as they should be.

On the main stage, Atreyu are very possibly our favourite band of the day. They sound fantastic and their setlist is crammed full of bangers. Opening with ‘Doomsday’, they crack out hits like ‘Right Side Of The Bed’ along with their cover of Bon Jovi’s ‘You Give Love A Bad Name’. It is an absolutely glorious set, the band are completely on form and full of energy and the crowd react incredibly to them. Fantastic.

With songs like ‘This Is Gonna Hurt’, Sixx:AM on the main stage is extremely entertaining. Nikki Sixx played his last Download Festival with Motley Crue last year, so it’s nice to see him back with Sixx:AM. Later on we head over to the second stage to catch Bury Tomorrow, who absolutely smash it, and it’s a nice touch when they dedicate their last song to Architects (who had to pull out of the festival at short notice). They make a point of how much they hate VIP meet and greet packages, and after their set there’s absolute chaos when the band members head down to meet their fans.

Escape The Fate have packed out their tent, so it’s hard to get anywhere near. Sometimes they can be a little hit or miss live, but today they sound particularly good. The show’s highlights are ‘Gorgeous Nightmare’ and ‘One For The Money’, which are both ridiculously catchy. After that, we head back to the second stage to catch Juliette and the Licks, and she most certainly does not disappoint. Her voice is hugely powerful and she has fantastic onstage charisma, which makes it hard to take your eyes off her for a second. Wonderful.

Neck Deep are another band you wouldn’t necessarily expect to play Download, but they definitely pull it off. They have a full tent watching them, and despite the fact that it’s raining, they inject some sunshine with their upbeat pop punk anthems. Over on the main stage, Deftones are serenading the masses. People absolutely love this band, and their set lives up to the high expectations they come with. They play ‘My Own Summer (Shove It’)’ early in the set, which goes down a storm, and the crowd definitely come away happy.

One band who absolutely excel at playing live are Skindred. Benji Webbe has to be one of the best frontmen in the world, and their crowd is one of the biggest at the second stage all weekend. The absolute highlight is when they play ‘Warning’ and people start doing the Newport Helicopter (taking their tops off and swinging them around their heads, just in case you didn’t know) before they even ask them. It’s a hell of a spectacle, and Skindred are just a ridiculously entertaining band.

Despite the fact that it’s raining and they’re not your usual Download band, Don Broco are absolutely as brilliant as ever. Bangers like ‘Priorities’, ‘You Wanna Know’ and ‘Money Power Fame’ go down a storm, and they’re just so much fun it’s impossible to not have a good time while you watch them, especially when they whip out ‘Thug Workout’, which they credit for being heavy enough that they’re allowed to play Download. An absolute hoot.

On the main stage, Disturbed draw an insanely big crowd. It’s safe to say they’re a Download favourite, and when they play ‘Down With The Sickness’, the whole place goes mental. Jane’s Addiction over on the second stage have a huge turnout. With burlesque dancers, the legendary Dave Navarro and some massive tunes, they get a huge reaction from the crowd, and it’s fantastic to see.

Overall, Download 2016 was an absolute blast. The weather was the worst it’s been for a long time, but despite that, good music overrides all and the atmosphere was fantastic, as it always is. Long live Download.