10 Hard Rock & Heavy Metal Bands That WILL Headline Download Festival

1. Trivium

Talk about your storied careers. Trivium went from initial nobodies to household names overnight after Ascendancy, only to - like Bullet alongside them - ape Metallica a little too heavily on The Crusade, then spend the following years playing catch up in the eyes of many metal fans.

The thing is, Trivium never lost their passion and ability to deliver scorchingly intense heavy metal - not to mention they're some of the best musicians around. Album Shogun is a bonafide masterpiece, In Waves' title track sees them channel djent influences and Silence in the Snow was the first album where Matt Heafy really made a point of expanding his vocal capabilities. Even the David Draiman-produced Vengeance Falls has plenty to like, including the furious bonus track, As I Am Exploding.

New album The Sin & the Sentence, though? It is possibly their best work yet. Phenomenal compositions comprise everything the band have learned over the years. Matt Heafy's most impressive vocals yet, newcomer Alex Bent rewriting the book on what we thought the human body could do with a drum kit, all as both Corey Beaulieu and Paulo Gregoletto lock step with blistering solos and tight basswork respectively.

This is an energised Trivium primed and ready to capitalise on the buzz around not only their newest album, but the fact that each member is at the peak of their abilities. They've been a household name for over a decade, and besides, Trivium and Download have always had a unique bond ever since that pioneering 2005 gig.

It is high time they made a return.