Download Festival 2014 has come and gone in a dizzying blast of metal riffage, moshpits frenzies and surprisingly kind weather. The weekend was packed with memorable moments and stand-out performances but we decided to pick our ten favourite moments that truly epitomised the spirit of rock 'n' roll and getting dirty in that legendary Donington field.

Download 2014 Atmosphere Crowd CR: Gobinder Jhitta
Download Festival 2014: Awash With Rock, Not Mud.

1) Black Stone Cherry's Secret Set

If you had thought that the mysterious "???" slot on the Saturday afternoon was the name of an unknown, obscure and slightly pretentious new band, you would have been sadly mistaken and probably missed out on one of the most exciting, intimate and unmissable sets of the Download weekend. Thousands of fans spilled out of the far beyond capacity Pepsi Max tent to catch even a fleeting glimpse of the Kentucky southern rockers who rattled through a lamentably short set with gusto. Crossing heavy metal with blues, the band, which is fronted by the gravelly voiced Chris Robertson, gave a performance to remember with singalong hits old and new.

Dying Fetus Download 2014 CR: Gobinder Jhitta
The Fans Asked; Download Answered. Dying Fetus Tore Up Their Morning Slot.

2) #WhyNotDyingFetus?

Why not? Indeed: ask and you shall receive. The backlash against the perceived softening of Download's line-up as well as a lack of the heavier metal subcultures at the festival culminated in the half-joking hashtag "#WhyNotDyingFetus?" being created and used to badger the festival organisers every time a new act was announced. The DL team eventually caved, resulting in the Maryland death metallers being booked and appointed as the main stage openers at the very un-rock 'n' roll time of 11am on the Saturday. They came, they riffed, they growled, and they managed to summon the most sizeable crowd we've ever seen at the challenging morning slot. "Thanks for helping put death metal on the map," roared lead John Gallagher, who surely helped convert a few to the dark side with the brisk but brash half hour show.

Next Page: Steel Panther call for boobs, headliners A7X explode, and a washboard solo steals the show.