Backed by a band that consists of two of metal's elite in Chris Caffery of Savatage fame and ex-Megadeth bassist Dave Ellefson, Owen's set is primarily filled with songs from his new album Play My Game as well as two Priest covers 'The Ripper' and set-closer 'The Green Manalishi' though unfortunately no selections from his time in Iced Earth. 

It's early and his set does get a few fists in the air but by and large the crowd seem a bit indifferent but this is no doubt due to a general unfamiliarity with his material than the quality of his set this morning. Next up are Five Finger Death Punch who are greeted with far more enthusiasm and they absolutely kill it today. 

The band are clearly having the time of their lives on stage and it flows into the crowd and right back to them. Though perhaps they would have been a lot bigger in nu-metal's heyday around a decade ago, there's no arguing with the sheer quality of songs like 'The Bleeding' and 'White Knuckles' (the latter sparking a huge circle pit and wall of death in the same song) - there's no genre pigeon-holing needed here. Awesome. 

Speaking of huge circle pits, Devil Driver are up next and there's already several on the go by the time they take the stage and launch into a ferocious 'Clouds Over California' with mountains of dust rising high in the air all the way through their set. 

Although their new album doesn't come out for a month, the power of the internet means that most hear have already heard the new single if not more and new song 'Pray For Villains' goes down as well as old favourites like 'I Could Care Less' and 'Hold Back The Day'. 

We choose to skip the end of the set however, to troop over to the third stage for the other band from Iowa on show today, Facecage . 

The tent is far from rammed but those who do make the trip over the hill are treated to a decent, if not fantastic, set that leaves no surprises as to what attracted fellow Iowa native and their eventual producer, Corey Taylor to the band. They blend influences from their masked heroes with the down-tuned crunch of Korn and to some will sound a bit too much like a nu-metal throwback but they do have the songs, and in them the hooks, to carry them through any potential criticism of this type.

As we're heading back over to the mainstage, Hatebreed are whipping the crowd into a frenzy with their vicious blend of hardcore metal taking the already high level of audience participation started by Five Finger Death Punch and Devil Driver and taking it up several notches with possibly the most brutal pits of the weekend. Although the band's stage show and music seem to include a bit too much macho posturing for me, the large (mostly male) crowd lap up every minute and it seems for many that Jamey Jasta and co. can't come back soon enough. One of the most anticipated sets of the day comes from southern groove monsters Down.

 The tent is far from rammed but those who do make the trip over the hill are treated to a decent, if not fantastic, set that leaves no surprises as to what attracted fellow Iowa native and their eventual producer, Corey Taylor to the band. 

They blend influences from their masked heroes with the down-tuned crunch of Korn and to some will sound a bit too much like a nu-metal throwback but they do have the songs, and in them the hooks, to carry them through any potential criticism of this type. As we're heading back over to the mainstage, Hatebreed are whipping the crowd into a frenzy with their vicious blend of hardcore metal taking the already high level of audience participation started by

Five Finger Death Punch and Devil Driver and taking it up several notches with possibly the most brutal pits of the weekend. Although the band's stage show and music seem to include a bit too much macho posturing for me, the large (mostly male) crowd lap up every minute and it seems for many that Jamey Jasta and co. can't come back soon enough. One of the most anticipated sets of the day comes from southern groove monsters Down.

From the moment they walk on stage and launch into a belting version of 'Lifer' they play an absolute stormer, songs like 'New Orleans Is A Dying Whore' and particularly set-closer 'Bury Me In Smoke' sound even heavier than on record and get heads banging as far back as the merchandise stands. The band are tight and Phil Anselmo is an even more commanding frontman than the last time the band were over here - everything goes right for Down today. This was the perfect set to drink some whiskey and chill out on an afternoon to - top performance guys. 

A band who can sometimes be a bit hit and miss on a big festival stage are Dragonforce. Depending on the conditions on the day, the sound can sometimes be swept away and make the whole experience a bit lack lustre but luckily this isn't the case today and the band fair better than two years ago when they last played this festival. All the usual Dragonforce boxes are ticked and the band belt out their now infamous power-metal anthems with more cheese than a dairy farm and run around the stage like the camp loons that they are and receive mass applause for their efforts.

For those seeing Dragonforce for the first time today then those people will not leave disappointed and there's no doubting that the band have some great songs (the addition to the set of 'Strike of the Ninja' is a particularly welcome surprise), perfect for getting fists in the air at festivals, but for those of us who have watched Dragonforce since the first album tour around six years ago, the whole experience is left somewhat wanting. It's not that they play a bad set - they don't by any means - it's just that one is sometimes left wondering how long the band can continue riding their current level of fame when there seems to be such little variety in their material. After a short rest, we take a trip over to the third stage to see the rare occurrence that is Lawnmower Deth in 2009.