The only metal band of their generation to seem even vaguely capable of making the step up to festival headliner status, Avenged Sevenfold could hardly play their cards better at Download. The crowds making a pilgrimage to the hallowed turf at Castle Donington know time is running out for many rock icons, so the Californian quintet seem hellbent on making the most of their first shot at festival glory. Bolstered by a wonderfully preposterous set and vast amounts of fire, they thunder through their shrewdly selected greatest hits with slick precision, exuding a mischievously imperious air. Only the most curmudgeonly cynic could deny this is a watershed moment for Avenged and the festival.
Plenty of other young firebrands peddled their deafening wares here. Download has always prided itself on its diversity, and this year it caters to most tastes, with the scything deathcore intensity of Suicide Silence, the futuristic tech-metal grooves of Monuments, the classic rock swagger of Rival Sons or, somewhat incongruously, the fiery ska-punk of the Magnus Puto.
The biggest division here is between those who thrill to Linkin Park's ultra-polished but sterile alt-rock chunterings and a comparably huge throng that assembles to witness the glorious return of Status Quo on the second stage. Perhaps spurred on by the challenge of following the irresistible bluster of Twisted Sister (fronted by unstoppable and unnervingly lithe showman Dee Snider), Status Quo's Francis Rossi and Rick Parfitt dismantle their reputation as daft codgers with a fast and furious charge through 40 years of unpretentious rock'n'roll anthems. Even the leaden throb of In the Army Now seems somehow rejuvenated, and as Saturday comes to a close, the night air fills with exasperated cries of "How fucking good was that?"
Sunday belongs to headliners Aerosmith, and frontman Steven Tyler in particular. Sporting costumes that no man in his mid-60s should even contemplate, let alone get away with, the rake-thin legend brings showbiz and unhinged abandon to the fields of Leicestershire. It's also good to be reminded exactly how many ageless anthems the band have, from the turbo-Stones clatter of Toys in the Attic to platinum power ballad I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing.
Elsewhere, the talk is all about ex-Pantera frontman Philip Anselmo. He's here with his solo band, the Illegals, gleefully stoking speculation that his former band might be tempted to re-form (with Zakk Wylde replacing the late, great Dimebag Darrell) and headline next year's festival by playing four Pantera songs (including one with Pantera's bassist Rex Brown). Anselmo generally acts like he owns the place. This is where heavy-metal dreams come true, so maybe the stars are aligning over Donington once more.
• Download festival 2014 – in pictures
