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BLOODSTOCK announce 9 more bands & ticket deposit scheme

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As the days shorten and we inch ever closer to 2022, BLOODSTOCK is ready to announce yet another clutch of bands who’ll grace the stages at Catton Park next August.
 
The legendary KILLING JOKE are Sunday’s Ronnie James Dio main stage special guests. Cited as an influence by myriad bands from Slipknot to Napalm Death, Lamb Of God to the Foo Fighters, this band of creative visionaries led by the inimitable Jaz Coleman have been preaching wisdom and bringing the fire for over four decades. Jaz tells us, “Can’t wait to play, always loved BLOODSTOCK festival, looking forward to it!” Check out the trailer for their ‘The Death & Resurrection Show’ music documentary and wrap your head around the prophetic lyrics of 2015’s ‘I Am The Virus’. 
 
Also grabbing a main stage slot on Friday are California sludge squad, ALL HAIL THE YETI. Having opened the main stage back in 2019, we’re thrilled to see them return in the wake of their latest EP, ‘Within The Hollow Earth’. Check out the tripped-out video for ‘Headless Valley’ taken from that same 7-track collection. 


Moving across to the Sophie Lancaster stage, we see deathgrind legends CATTLE DECAPITATION and Swedish melodeath squad ORBIT CULTURE land a Sunday billing. Hotly tipped nu-metal upstarts TALLAH, Swiss extreme metallers SAMAEL and Swedish metal supergroup CYHRA are added to Saturday’s roster, plus Spanish black metal collective NOCTEM join Friday’s list. To round out the announcement, NANOWAR OF STEEL will be bringing their power metal parody skills to Thursday’s ‘opening party night’ line-up.  


In other news, BLOODSTOCK’s phenomenally popular ticket Deposit Scheme is ready for sign ups! This year, payments are spread across 6 months instead of 5, making it even more manageable to pay for your ticket in instalments. An initial payment of £31.50 is due upon sign up (which you can do at any point before 26th Feb), then five additional payments of £24.16 will debit your bank account on 25 Mar, 29 Apr, 27 May, 24 Jun, with a final instalment on 29 Jul, which will include any applicable postage and booking fees. Sign up to the scheme here.


The Metal 2 The Masses scheme for 2022 has also begun, with its modus operandi to find the best unsigned and grass roots bands and give them the opportunity to play a slot on BLOODSTOCK’s ‘New Blood’ stage. Bands should get their applications into their nearest regional promoter ASAP, as heats kick off in the coming weeks. Local promoters in regions not yet represented can email Simon Hall ([email protected]) for info, if they wish to host the scheme in their local area. Regions announced so far are: SCOTLAND (Edinburgh), NORTHERN IRELAND (Belfast), IRELAND (Dublin), LEEDS, NORWICH, MANCHESTER, NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, SHEFFIELD, MERSEYSIDE (Liverpool), LONDON, KENT (Gravesend), STOKE ON TRENT, CHESTERFIELD, LEICESTER, HITCHIN, ESSEX (Colchester), BRIGHTON, NORTH WALES (Wrexham), SOUTH WALES (Cardiff), DEVON & CORNWALL (Saltash), NOTTINGHAM, SOMERSET (Bridgewater) & NORWAY (Oslo). Full details of venues and who to contact to enter in each region, can be found here.
  
BLOODSTOCK’s 2022 Ronnie James Dio main stage headliners are BEHEMOTH, LAMB OF GOD, and MERCYFUL FATE. Also appearing across the weekend are DIMMU BORGIR, PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS playing their Pantera set, TESTAMENT, EXODUS, BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, GWAR (in a UK festival exclusive), BURY TOMORROW, SACRED REICH, LIFE OF AGONY, SPIRITWORLD, BELPHEGOR, BUTCHER BABIES, VIO-LENCE, BLOODYWOOD, JINJER, LORNA SHORE, DOYLE, LOST SOCIETY, HATEBREED, SLEEP TOKEN, DARK FUNERAL, EYEHATEGOD, DISCHARGE, STATIC-X, THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA, ENFORCED, PARTY CANNON, SOEN, HERIOT, BLOOD YOUTH, BLACK TONGUE, HEART OF A COWARD, FEROCIOUS DOG, HEATHEN, and NEKROGOBLIKON as well as many more yet to come. Stay tuned for more band announcements soon.

With tickets selling faster than ever, all VIP packages, early birds, and campervan tickets are already sold out. Weekend camping tickets & child tickets are on sale now at the ticket store.  


BLOODSTOCK will take place at Catton Park, Derbyshire on 11th-14th August 2022.

For more info, click to www.bloodstock.uk.com. 

BLOODSTOCK ANNOUNCES FINAL MAIN STAGE HEADLINER & MORE!

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After 2021’s most successful event to date and in celebration of Halloween, BLOODSTOCK is excited to announce a swath of bands for 2022’s Catton Park heavy metal party, including their final main stage headliner! 

The mighty BEHEMOTH will bring their spectacular production to close out the Ronnie James Dio main stage on Friday. Nergal tells us, “BLOODSTOCK has a very special place in BEHEMOTH’s heart. They are one of the first major European metal festivals who took risks to position BEHEMOTH as a festival headliner; a game changer for us in the UK! I can’t wait to get back onto the legendary grounds of Catton Park and raise some monumental hell with our legions! Until August!” The Polish heretics spent lockdown writing new music and putting on the best livestream we’ve ever seen, so we’re excited to see what they have in store for us next summer. In the meantime, remind yourself of their incredible production with this live clip of ‘Evoe’, taken from their ‘In Absentia Dei’ stream, which sees a live release on 17th December via Nuclear Blast.   

Las Vegas ‘death western’ crew, SPIRITWORLD earn a Saturday main stage slot in a UK festival exclusive! The band drop their debut ‘Pagan Rhythms’ album via Century Media on 5th November and we urge you to check it out! Get a taste of their ‘death western’ sound and aesthetic via the awesome video for ‘The Bringer Of Light’, taken from that debut.  

We also welcome Sweden’s black metal kings, DARK FUNERAL to Sunday’s main stage in yet another UK festival exclusive. It’s been five long years since their last album, but the icons recently confirmed they have finished recording their latest, seventh opus with producer Daniel Bergstrand, with a prospective release date of March 2022. While we wait, check out a video from their archives, 1996’s ‘The Secrets Of The Black Arts’.  

Moving over to the Sophie Lancaster stage, Austrian diabolics, BELPHEGOR grab a slot on the bill. With a new album arriving in 2022, we can look forward to seeing some new tracks live. Frontman Helmuth comments, “Hail! We are proud to announce that BELPHEGOR was again invited to the ingenious BLOODSTOCK Open Air in Derbyshire, England in August 2022 and we will shred the Sophie Lancaster stage. Be prepared!”  In the meantime, watch their devilish video for 2017’s ‘Baphomet’.  Grabbing a Sophie stage spot on Friday are British metal squad, HEART OF A COWARD. The band are working hard on album #5, so we hope to see new music in ‘22, but in the interim, why not pick yourself up a bargain in their 50% off sale on selected merchandise over on their official website. 

Swelling Saturday’s Sophie roster are Celtic folk punks, FEROCIOUS DOG, currently half-way through an extensive UK headline tour to promote their latest record ‘The Hope’, released just 2 weeks ago. The six-piece shared an emotional official video for the title track on World Mental Health Day, made in collaboration with NHS advisors. Also added to the Sophie stage on Saturday are Harrogate’s BLOOD YOUTH, who released their acclaimed third album at the start of October, titled ‘Visions Of Another Hell’. Watch the video for latest single ‘Colony3’ and read a recent Kerrang! interview with them here to learn a bit more.  

In addition, joining Saturday’s Sophie line-up are much lauded Hull crew, BLACK TONGUE bringing their fresh take on down tempo deathcore & doom. The group just wrapped up their first UK headline tour in 2 years and are now prepping to perform at Cvltfest in November before heading out on the road with Decapitated in 2022 for the latter’s 25th anniversary – not a bad warm-up for BLOODSTOCK! Last but not least, up-and-coming British noiseniks, HERIOT land a slot on Sunday’s Sophie stage. With US magazine Revolver recently declaring them “one of the most promising young bands in modern metalcore”, check out what the fuss is about when they support Svalbard across the UK in November and listen to their recent cover of the Machine Head classic, ‘Ten Ton Hammer’.
Joining BEHEMOTH as 2022’s Ronnie James Dio main stage headliners are LAMB OF GOD and MERCYFUL FATE. Also landing main stage slots across the weekend are DIMMU BORGIR, PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS playing their Pantera set, TESTAMENT, EXODUS, BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, GWAR (in a UK festival exclusive), BURY TOMORROW, SACRED REICH, LIFE OF AGONY, BUTCHER BABIES, VIO-LENCE, BLOODYWOOD, JINJER, LORNA SHORE, DOYLE, & LOST SOCIETY. Over on the Sophie Lancaster stage expect to see HATEBREED, SLEEP TOKEN, EYEHATEGOD, DISCHARGE, STATIC-X, THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA, ENFORCED, PARTY CANNON, SOEN, HEATHEN, and NEKROGOBLIKON as well as tons more yet to be announced. Stay tuned for more band announcements soon and check out the first 2022 trailer here. With tickets selling faster than ever, all VIP packages, early birds, and campervan tickets are already sold out. Weekend camping tickets & child tickets are on sale now at the ticket store.  

BLOODSTOCK will take place at Catton Park, Derbyshire on 11th-14th August 2022.
For more info, click to www.bloodstock.uk.com. 

BLOODSTOCK ADDS 12, INCLUDING 2 SOPHIE LANCASTER STAGE HEADLINERS

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After the biggest and most successful BLOODSTOCK to date this year, a certified triumph in the face of adversity, BLOODSTOCK’s 2022 event is off to a flying start with all VIP, discounted early bird tickets and campervan passes sold out in record time! Standard tickets are in the ticket store now ready to find their homes, so don’t snooze on ‘22’s epic line up, as at this rate, it’s sure to sell out in advance. Without further ado, here’s another splash of bands who’ll be gracing Catton Park’s hallowed turf in August 2022.

Grabbing a Ronnie James Dio main stage slot on Saturday are JINJER! After being foiled at the last moment this year with visa and travel issues, BLOODSTOCKers will be thrilled to see them finally join us for ‘22. As one of our most requested bands, we’re looking forward to seeing tracks from their epic ‘Wallflowers’ album released only last month. If you’re not yet familiar, check out the video for ‘Vortex’, taken from that same release. 
We also welcome 
LORNA SHORE to Saturday’s main stage bill. The New Jersey deathcore squad have been generating a huge buzz, so BLOODSTOCK is excited to welcome them to Catton Park! Check out the video for ‘To The Hellfire’ from their ‘…And I Return To Nothingness’ EP that came out last month via Century Media.  

Also snatching a main stage spot on Saturday, are Finnish metal squad LOST SOCIETY who recently re-signed to Nuclear Blast with the promise of new music on the way! While you wait, check out their 2019 video for ‘No Absolution’. 

Consider yourself a Misfits fan? Then you won’t want to miss Friday’s main stage addition of Misfits OG, DOYLE. Every fest needs some spooktacular entertainment and DOYLE’s our man in ‘22. Not familiar with his solo project? Have a peep at the video for ‘Run For Your Life’ and warm up your necks!

Landing the Sophie Lancaster stage headline slot on Saturday are circle pit kings and BLOODSTOCK favourites, HATEBREED! Will the big top tent still be standing once they’ve played their ferocious set? Come along and find out! The band recently released their ‘Weight Of The False Self’ album and just wrapped up a US tour with our ‘22 headliners LAMB OF GOD!  

Friday’s Sophie Lancaster stage headliner are the phenomenal, anonymous collective SLEEP TOKEN. What’s all the fuss about? Head over to YouTube for the playlist of their brand new album, ‘This Place Will Become Your Tomb’, released last Friday by Spinefarm.

Snagging a Friday slot on the Sophie stage are New Orleans sludge kings, EYEHATEGOD. Their long awaited new album, ‘A History of Nomadic Behavior’ came out in March this year and we’re looking forward to welcoming Mike IX Williams and his cohorts at Catton Park next year. Check out ‘High Risk Trigger’ taken from that album and remind yourself of their NOLA groove. 

BLOODSTOCK’s thrilled to announce that legendary punk squad DISCHARGE join Friday’s Sophie stage affray. The band dropped their ‘End of Days’ album via Nuclear Blast a few years back, so maybe a new album is on the cards?! In the interim, watch the video for ‘The Broken Law’ and start a pit in your living room!
Hailing from Richmond, VA (just like LAMB OF GOD and GWAR), Century Media’s ENFORCED bring their brand of crossover death/thrash to Friday’s Sophie tent. Check out their hefty, latest album ‘Kill Grid’, via their single ‘Malignance’. One for the crowd-surfers, perhaps?

For those sad that PARTY CANNON couldn’t join us this summer, you’ll no doubt be delighted that the ‘party slam defenders’ are reconfirmed for 2022, as part of Sunday’s Sophie stage fun. Grab your Cannon merch here, we all love that logo!

Swedish prog metal supergroup SOEN are added to the Sophie line-up on Sunday. Their fifth album, ‘Imperial’, was released in January. If they haven’t made it on your radar yet, watch the official video for lead single ‘Illusion’, perhaps they’ll be your perfect Sunday band. Helping get the party going at the Sophie stage on Thursday night, are everyone’s favourite goblin-fronted band, NEKROGOBLIKON. Rumours the goblin eats naughty mini-moshers are unconfirmed, but we’ve faith in their hint of a new song coming on Halloween… Just don’t tell the Hobgoblin Beer goblin, he’s not the only goblin at BLOODSTOCK!
2022’s confirmed Ronnie James Dio main stage headliners to date are LAMB OF GOD and MERCYFUL FATE, with the third headliner yet to come!! Also landing main stage slots across the weekend are DIMMU BORGIR, PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS playing their Pantera set, TESTAMENT, EXODUS, BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, GWAR (in a UK festival exclusive), BURY TOMORROW, SACRED REICH, LIFE OF AGONY, BUTCHER BABIES, VIO-LENCE, and BLOODYWOOD. Over on the Sophie Lancaster stage expect to see STATIC X, THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA and HEATHEN, as well as tons more yet to be revealed. Stay tuned for more band announcements soon and check out the first 2022 trailer here. With tickets selling faster than ever, all VIP packages, early birds, and campervan tickets are already sold out. Weekend camping tickets & child tickets are on sale now at the ticket store.  
BLOODSTOCK will take place at Catton Park, Derbyshire on 11th-14th August 2022.

BLOODSTOCK weekend tickets sell out; more details revealed

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BLOODSTOCK is excited to announce that weekend tickets to this Summer’s festival are now SOLD OUT!  A limited number of one day tickets are still available for Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with the latter day’s availability now very limited, so move fast if you wanna see Judas Priest!  Anyone missing the boat or wanting to sell their ticket due to changing circumstances, can check here for official re-sales.  So with BLOODSTOCK full steam ahead for 2021, the last of the bands are locked in, all ready for the festival’s 5-day run in just 3 weeks time.  

Saturday’s opener on the Sophie Lancaster Stage will be Midlands alt metal four-piece, NETHERHALL.  The band won their slot through Planet Rock Radio’s band competition and were picked from many, many submissions to win their slot.  NETHERHALL also recently performed at an event at Aston Villa FC for Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler to honour Butler’s induction into the Birmingham Walk of Stars.  Get yourself appraised by checking out the band’s video for ‘Ruminate’ here.  

The second phase of Metal 2 The Masses bands are also finalised, with 11 more grass roots outfits winning themselves a New Blood stage slot.  The South Wales winners are rock squad PEARLER, Kent’s chosen ones are the groove/doom metal outfit STRUCK/DOWN, Leeds’ top dogs are fuzzed-out sludgesters SOUND OF ORIGIN, Birmingham’s victors are rock four piece INSURGENT and Northern Ireland’s winners are doom/sludge 6-piece, ELDER DRUID, all of whom land themselves a Friday spot.  

Snagging their space on Saturday’s New Blood stage are Brighton victors KINZOKU who blend thrash, prog, death and metalcore, Chesterfield’s winners, the Hull thrash/groove outfit IRONTOOTH, Satanic Blackened Deathcore band BLOOD CHURCH take the Wolverhampton crown, coming out on top in Nottingham are rock 4-piece, COTTON MOUTH, Stoke’s winners are dread-soaked dropouts THE GHOULES and finally, Scotland’s Lovecraftian monsters NASSAU take the medal north of the border.  

Each year, the RAM GALLERY showcases a wealth of fabulous and fantastic heavy metal related art, curated by festival founder and globally renowned fantasy artist, Paul Gregory.  This year’s exhibits will include work from longtime Judas Priest artistic collaborator, Mark Wilkinson, who is also showing his latest creation in the shape of Fish’s latest ‘Weltschmerz’ album artwork.

There’s also a very special piece of art from previous BLOODSTOCK headliners, Trivium!  For the first time anywhere in the world, you’ll be able to see the actual painting from their recent ‘In The Court Of The Dragon’ video… and the first 100 fans to check it out can snag a 12×12 print to take home.  Be warned though, the painting is powerful and may be cursed – if you’ve watched the video you’ve seen the two ladies drooling a mysterious black liquid…!  Also exhibiting for the first time in the RAM Gallery is longtime Metal Hammer snapper and Iron Maiden official photographer John McMurtrie, who’ll have seven of his fabulous images on display. 

The ever-popular luthier, CYNOSURE returns once again with his astonishing handcrafted guitars, including both 2020’s and 2021’s creations.  2020’s two guitars are a Jimi Hendrix inspired axe (to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of his passing) and a Ronnie James Dio guitar (marking a similar 10 years).  2021’s themes are a Devin Townsend-inspired piece and a piece that is an homage to Van Halen.  There will be even more than just these works on display, so don’t miss this amazing and unique aspect of BLOODSTOCK, certainly something you won’t see anywhere else!  BLOODSTOCK is also proud to announce this year’s charity partners. 

Our previous partners, the mental health-angled MIND, roll over from 2020, together with the related PATCH AMNESTY.  Sharing the funds this year are DERBYSHIRE BLOOD BIKES, who offer a free medical courier service to the local NHS hospitals, moving blood, human milk for premature & ill babies, biological & diagnostic samples, medication and other urgent medical equipment wherever they need to go in the UK.  Their 65 volunteers and fleet of 13 bikes and 3 cars travel over 200,000 miles every year and are funded purely by donations, needing over £35,000 a year just to operate, so every single pound helps and we’re hoping BLOODSTOCK can give their coffers a big boost in 2021.  If you’ve still not found your tent after 2019’s fest, fear not, Fat Frank’s Camping Store can help!  You can pre-order all your gear, or just that one missing item and collect it on-site. You can have them blow up your air bed while you wait, or even ‘rent-a-tent’ from them for the weekend.  Not only that, they can also solve the problem of towing it all home on the train with their ‘festival bag’ service, where they’ll deliver all your kit back to your home address within 3-5 days post-event, or if you don’t want your tent anymore, you can drop it off at their donation point in the Midgard campsite. 

If you’d rather not wrestle with your own, you can rent one of Tangerine Fields’ pre-pitched tents, ready for your arrival at Catton Park.  No hassle putting it up and then taking it down on Monday morning!  Check out all the size options and book online here.  
BLOODSTOCK’s 2021 main stage headliners are DEVIN TOWNSEND (Friday), KREATOR (Saturday), and JUDAS PRIEST (Sunday).  The festival will also feature sets from SKINDRED, PARADISE LOST, DIAMOND HEAD, THERAPY?, VENOM PRISON, JINJER, VIO-LENCE, SAXON, THE WILDHEARTS, GLORYHAMMER, BLEED FROM WITHIN, NAPALM DEATH, PHIL CAMPBELL & THE BASTARD SONS, MEMORIAM, RAMAGE INC., GREEN LUNG, CONJURER, ORANGE GOBLIN, RAGING SPEEDHORN, LAWNMOWER DETH, CONAN, SYLOSIS, WINTERFYLLETH, HACKTIVIST, THE CRAWLING, EVIL SCARECROW, ACID REIGN, SVALBARD, BORSTAL, SEIDRBLOT, MOTHER VULTURE, BLOODSHOT DAWN, and EVILE, with plenty more besides and a wealth of new and breaking bands on our New Blood Stage.  One day tickets are still available in the ticket store along with child tickets and parking tickets. VIP and campervan tickets for 2021, along with weekend tickets are now sold out.  BLOODSTOCK 2021 takes place at Catton Park, Derbyshire from 11th-15th August 2021. For more info, go to www.bloodstock.uk.com.

LAST CALL FOR BLOODSTOCK TICKETS!

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There’s just 29 days left to BLOODSTOCK and the remaining tickets are flying, so don’t wait if you want to join the fun this year, as it’s looking very likely the event will sell out in advance. Don’t miss tonight’s BLOODSTOCK Facebook Live at 6:30pm with festival directors Vicky & Adam, for all the very latest info including safety measures for this year’s event.

With international issues continuing for some artists, DARK TRANQUILLITY have had to cancel, but we’re thrilled that the very epic LOATHE are able to join us in their place on Friday’s Ronnie James Dio main stage. Frontman Erik Bickerstaff tells us, “We are thrilled to be performing at this year’s BLOODSTOCK Festival for the first time, and to be sharing the Main Stage on August 13th alongside an incredible and eclectic lineup of heavy artists.” Not familiar with LOATHE’s atmospheric heaviness yet? Get with the programme via their video for ‘Two Way Mirror’ taken from the amazing ‘I Let It In And It Took Everything’ album. 

Similarly, BURY TOMORROW have had to pull out, but we welcome WHILE SHE SLEEPS in their place. BURY TOMORROW explain, “Due to the band’s current line up situation and despite best efforts we are unfortunately unable to play BLOODSTOCK this year, we are truly gutted! We support the festival and hope everyone enjoys every minute of the weekend! We are however over the moon to confirm BLOODSTOCK have invited us back next year so we will see you all at BLOODSTOCK 2022!!” We are more than sure that WHILE SHE SLEEPS are up to the task of filling their shoes – check out ‘Sleep Society’ from their blistering set at the Download Pilot.

UNLEASH THE ARCHERS have also unfortunately dropped out and they will be replaced on the Sophie Lancaster stage by British rock squad BLACK SPIDERS, in their first ever BLOODSTOCK appearance. To whet your appetite, they just released a lyric video for the aptly-named new song ‘Give ‘Em What They Want’ from next week’s new album. We want to be back head-bangin’ in a field with all our mates! Look out for the album’s special diablo red vinyl on July 17th’s Record Store Day. 

Due to LOTUS EATER splitting up, death metal bruisers FOETAL JUICE will now step into their spot, declaring, “We are absolutely delighted to be playing Bloodstock this year! It’s an incredible festival that we attend every year. The last time we played back in 2016 has still been the biggest show we have ever played. The year will absolutely kick that in the bollocks. We literally cannot wait to play this festival again!!” Get familiar with them via their latest album’s title track ‘Gluttony.’

This year’s Metal 2 The Masses scheme played out in a rather different landscape to the norm, but we applaud the efforts of the local promoters who’ve made a success of their heats despite an array of logistical issues. As such, we’re thrilled to announce 10 more winners from various areas across the country, who’ll each win a slot on the New Blood stage on Friday or Saturday. 

Landing slots on the Friday are extreme metal 5-piece, TERMINAL SUN who win the Sheffield competition, the Essex victors are death metal squad BEYOND EXTINCTION, Somerset’s champs are melodic alt metallers, SAIL, Manchester’s top dogs are tech thrashers BEYOND SALVATION, and SEVERENTH bring home the prize for North Wales. 
Snagging slots on Saturday’s New Blood stage are Hitchin’s stoner/grunge winners, BLACK ATLAS, Norwich sludgers A HORSE CALLED WAR, blackened death trio ASCARIS take the Bristol area prize, Newcastle’s goes to groove metal squad DESOLATION, while London’s victors HAWXX are also the winners of PRS’s Women Make Music award! Congrats to them!

There’s lots happening over on BLOODSTOCK’s Twitch channel and at 7:30pm this evening (13th July) the inaugural ‘BloodThirsty’ video interview podcast sees DEVILDRIVER frontman, Dez Fafara and JUDAS PRIEST’s Rob Halford talking all things metal! Tune in to watch the two legends discuss BLOODSTOCK and much more.

Brand new to BLOODSTOCK this year is our exciting gaming arena! Brought to you by our friends at Nordic Spirit, the Game Zone brings that little bit extra to an already packed, 5-day bonanza of metal. Feeling competitive? There’s a very wide array of games to play, on Xbox, Playstation, PC, retro consoles (from Atari to Sega to Nintendo), arcade machines, and more! The arena runs from 11am-8pm daily from Thursday, play at your leisure! While there’s plenty of space, do note it’s limited numbers at any one time.  If you’ve got your ticket but are yet to figure out your camping situation, let Tangerine Fields take the stress out of the weekend. If you’d rather not transport and wrestle with your own, you can rent one of their pre-pitched tents, all set to go and ready for your arrival at Catton Park. No hassle with putting it up and then taking it down on Monday morning! Check out all the size options and book online here.   

Our friends at PLANET ROCK RADIO have launched a BLOODSTOCK pop-up radio station, showcasing music from many of this year’s acts like Judas Priest, Kreator, and The Wildhearts, as well as others from BLOODSTOCK’s past such as Slayer, Nightwish, Machine Head, Gojira, etc to celebrate BLOODSTOCK’s 20th Anniversary. The channel will run for 3 months and is available on Planet Rock’s premium app, the Planet Rock Radio website and via smart speakers. Fans can get a month’s free subscription to Planet Rock Premium (in addition to a 7-day free trial period) using the code ‘Bloodstock’. Start your BLOODSTOCK party early by tuning in! More info here.
BLOODSTOCK’s 2021 main stage headliners are DEVIN TOWNSEND (Friday), KREATOR (Saturday), and JUDAS PRIEST (Sunday). The festival will also feature sets from SKINDRED, PARADISE LOST, DIAMOND HEAD, THERAPY?, VENOM PRISON, JINJER, VIO-LENCE, SAXON, THE WILDHEARTS, GLORYHAMMER, BLEED FROM WITHIN, NAPALM DEATH, PHIL CAMPBELL & THE BASTARD SONS, MEMORIAM, RAMAGE INC., GREEN LUNG, CONJURER, ORANGE GOBLIN, RAGING SPEEDHORN, LAWNMOWER DETH, CONAN, SYLOSIS, WINTERFYLLETH, HACKTIVIST, THE CRAWLING, EVIL SCARECROW, ACID REIGN, SVALBARD, BORSTAL, SEIDRBLOT, MOTHER VULTURE, BLOODSHOT DAWN, EVILE, and more, with plenty still being announced. For further line-up details, visit the official website. 

COUNTDOWN TO BLOODSTOCK!

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There’s just 41 days to BLOODSTOCK 2021! We’re counting down the hours before Catton Park opens the gates to the biggest – and longest, at 5 days – metal party of the year!   First we have some bad, but also, good news! 

A few more international bands are experiencing issues with travel and logistics and have had to cancel, but we’ve secured some fantastic replacements from UK shores.  Unfortunately, Thursday’s Sophie Lancaster stage headliner, The Night Flight Orchestra now cannot make it, but Brit metal legends, LAWNMOWER DETH step in to save the day. They tell us; “We are truly sorry you’re not going to get Night Flight Orchestra. They’re terrific and awfully melodic. Naturally as the B-TEC replacement for them, we sound exactly the same, so your disappointment should be somewhat abated. Just think melodic Swedish hard rock, with balloons. However, the chance to get in a field, well a tent, with you lovely lot and some beer, did we mention beer, is the bar open yet? BLOODSTOCK, we’re coming! At our age, slightly slower, but we’ll be there. Bring beer. And dancing shoes. And beer. Love LMD. x” 

Stepping into Soen’s slot on Friday’s Sophie stage are sonic heavyweights, CONAN. The British three-piece tell us “We return to Bloodstock, dead eyes ablaze, breath like frost in our lungs as we arise from our slumber. From a lake of frozen souls, all hail CONAN!”  Check out the doomtastic video for ‘Volt Thrower’, taken from their 2018 album, ‘Existential Void Guardian’ and prep for maximum heaviosity at Catton Park next month from this unholy trinity.  

Replacing Lost Society on Friday’s Ronnie James Dio main stage, are BLOODSTOCK New Blood stage alumni, DIVINE CHAOS. BLOODSTOCK loves helping New Blood bands level up, so are thrilled to offer DIVINE CHAOS the opening main stage slot on Friday! The band tell us; “BLOODSTOCK is woven into the very fabric of DIVINE CHAOS. Having had the pleasure of playing both the Sophie Lancaster and New Blood Stages, not to mention countless messy weekends as attendees, we are beyond delighted to have the opportunity to play on the Ronnie James Dio stage, long considered the holy grail of UK underground metal. We’re eternally grateful for the faith that the BLOODSTOCK crew has put into this band over the years, and can’t wait to showcase ‘The Way to Oblivion’ on the greatest of stages.” 

Also replacing Savage Master in Friday’s RJD Stage opening slot are British metal collective, LOTUS EATER. The band’s debut album, ‘Where The Body Goes’ is set for release later this month via Hopeless Records and features their ferocious new single, ‘Obliterate’, featuring a guest slot by Oli Sykes of Bring Me The Horizon.  

Thrash beasts SHRAPNEL replace Noctem on Friday’s Sophie stage. The band inform us, “It’s been a long, crazy year, but we can’t think of a better way of getting back to business than playing at BLOODSTOCK! It’s the 20th Anniversary, and our first time at BLOODSTOCK with our new line up, so it’s going to be a special one. We can’t wait to finally blast some of ‘Palace For The Insane’ for you, and we’ll see you in the pit!”. In the meantime, warm up your necks with some ‘Winds of Slaughter,’ taken from that same album.  

While Blasphemer also had to cancel, NECRONAUTICAL bring their British black metal wares into their spot on Sunday’s Sophie Stage. Frontman/guitarist Naut tells us, “We are thrilled to be granted the opportunity to perform at this year’s BLOODSTOCK. After over a year in wait, it will be an incredible experience to meet with the fans for our return, and right before the release of our new album “Slain in the Spirit”! In spite of the short time to prepare, we guarantee the audience at this year’s BLOODSTOCK an epic and immersive Black/Death metal experience they will not soon forget! See you at the Sophie stage on Sunday night!”.  Also check out the video for ‘Hypnogogia’, taken from their upcoming album, ‘Slain In The Spirit’, set for release in late August.  

Last but not least, dark metal squad, SPECTRAL DARKWAVE join Sunday’s Jager stage line up. Describing themselves as “a hi-definition musical tour of human horror in sonic technicolour”, you know you’re in for something unique! If you’re as yet unfamiliar with the band, check out their 2019 video for ‘A Toll Is Due’ and make your own mind up.  

In after hours entertainment news, the legendary VIP Area ‘Silent Disco’ is returning in an expanded format! VIP-ers will still get their Silent Disco on Friday and Sunday in the Serpents Lair tent, but on Thursday and Saturday, the Silent Disco will kick in from 11pm until 2am over in the New Blood tent. Headsets are at limited capacity, so availability is on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. There’ll be two channels, DJ Rich Harris (Total Rock, Desertfest) will be manning the metal/rock channel and DJ Lloyd Rust (Bearded Theory, Truck Festival) will be spinning the cheese on the pop/disco/dance channel. Expect Vader to Vengaboys, Machine Head to Madonna; one channel permanently playing metal & alternative and the other playing all your guilty pleasures from the 1950’s to present day. 

On 9th July, our friends at PLANET ROCK RADIO are launching a BLOODSTOCK radio pop-up station showcasing music from many of this year’s acts like Judas Priest, Kreator and The Wildhearts, as well as others from BLOODSTOCK’s past such as Slayer, Nightwish, Machine Head, Gojira, etc to celebrate BLOODSTOCK’s 20th Anniversary. The channel will run for 3 months and is available on Planet Rock’s premium app, the Planet Rock Radio website and via smart speakers. Fans can get a month’s free subscription to Planet Rock Premium (in addition to a 7-day free trial period) using the code ‘Bloodstock’. Start your BLOODSTOCK party early by tuning in from next Friday! More info here.
BLOODSTOCK’s 2021 main stage headliners are DEVIN TOWNSEND (Friday), KREATOR (Saturday), and JUDAS PRIEST (Sunday). The festival will also feature sets from SKINDRED, PARADISE LOST, BURY TOMORROW, DIAMOND HEAD, THERAPY?, VENOM PRISON, JINJER, VIO-LENCE, SAXON, THE WILDHEARTS, GLORYHAMMER, DARK TRANQUILLITY, BLEED FROM WITHIN, NAPALM DEATH, PHIL CAMPBELL & THE BASTARD SONS, MEMORIAM, RAMAGE INC., GREEN LUNG, CONJURER, ORANGE GOBLIN, RAGING SPEEDHORN, UNLEASH THE ARCHERS, SYLOSIS, WINTERFYLLETH, HACKTIVIST, THE CRAWLING, EVIL SCARECROW, ACID REIGN, SVALBARD, BORSTAL, PIST, SHARKS IN YOUR MOUTH, SEIDRBLOT, MOTHER VULTURE, BLOODSHOT DAWN, and EVILE, with more still to be announced.

Standard weekend tickets for the extended, now 5-day event in 2021 remain under a temporary price freeze at £145 (+ booking fees). In addition, child tickets and parking tickets for 2021’s event are available now at the ticket store, as well as a limited number of day tickets for Thurs, Fri, Sat & Sun. Wednesday’s fun remains exclusively for weekend ticket holders. VIP and campervan tickets for 2021 are sold out. 

BLOODSTOCK SHARES MORE JAGERMEISTER STAGE ADDITIONS!

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While we all wait patiently for the final lockdown restrictions to be eased, BLOODSTOCK HQ remains busier than ever finalising details for this year’s event. We know everyone is more than ready for a hellaciously good time with their friends in the sunshine and tickets are moving fast now, don’t miss your chance to grab yours before you can’t!
So while you’re making your long-anticipated summer plans, here are 14 more reasons not to miss the fun at Catton Park in August, BLOODSTOCK’s 5-day 20th birthday party. Who’s bringing the cake?! Definitely bringing heavy and/or metal to the Jagermeister Stage on Friday are sludge instrumentalists Wall (feat. twins Ryan & Elliot Cole of Desert Storm & The Grand Mall), Reading trio Black Emerald, slap bass/drum duo Ale of Adam, doom/stoner crew Godless Suns, and Häxan, devotees of modern classic rock.  

Joining them on Saturday’s Jager line-up are: alt metalheads Zookeeper, The New Sun (a solo project from Garganjua’s Scott Taylor), Middle Eastern doomsters Lowen, instrumental heavy prog three-piece Mountain Caller, and playing an additional stripped down set, power metal squad Primitai (who play their full electric set over on the Sophie Stage on Friday). Save a bit of head-bangin’ energy to go with your Jager shot though, because come Sunday, you won’t want to miss: bluesy hard rockers The Howling Tides, 100% prog beasts Trilobite, grindcore punkers Boycott The Baptist, and Gemma Fox, the vocalist from Collibus, not the grime singer!  

First timer at BLOODSTOCK? Welcome! Check out the vibe in store via this new trailer. If you’re on Facebook, make new friends before you even arrive and get chatting to your BLOODSTOCK brethren in these unofficial groups – BMF666 and Bloodstock Camp Loners & Newbies. Don’t be surprised to see the festival directors joining in the conversation.

If you need a new tent this year, Fat Frank’s Camping Store have got you! You can pre-order anything and everything you need and collect it all on-site. Have them blow up your air bed while you wait, or even ‘rent-a-tent’ from them for the weekend. Not only that, if you’re not driving to the festival, they also solve the problem of towing it all home on the train with their ‘festival bag’ service, where they’ll deliver all your kit back to your home address within 3-5 days post-event. 
BLOODSTOCK’s 2021 main stage headliners are DEVIN TOWNSEND (Friday), KREATOR (Saturday), and JUDAS PRIEST (Sunday). The festival will also feature sets from SKINDRED, CRADLE OF FILTH, PARADISE LOST, BURY TOMORROW, DIAMOND HEAD, THERAPY?, VENOM PRISON, JINJER, VIO-LENCE, SAXON, THE WILDHEARTS, GLORYHAMMER, DARK TRANQUILLITY, BLEED FROM WITHIN, NAPALM DEATH, ONSLAUGHT, PHIL CAMPBELL & THE BASTARD SONS, MEMORIAM, BEHOLDER, RAMAGE INC., GREEN LUNG, CONJURER, ORANGE GOBLIN, RAGING SPEEDHORN, UNLEASH THE ARCHERS, SYLOSIS, WINTERFYLLETH, HACKTIVIST, THE CRAWLING, EVIL SCARECROW, ACID REIGN, SVALBARD, BORSTAL, SEIDRBLOT, NOCTEM, MOTHER VULTURE, BLOODSHOT DAWN, & EVILE and many more. And there’s still even more bands yet to be announced.

Standard weekend tickets for the extended, now 5-day event in 2021 remain under a temporary price freeze at £145 (+ booking fees). In addition, child tickets and parking tickets for 2021’s event are available now at the ticket store, as well as a limited number of day tickets for Thurs, Fri, Sat & Sun. Wednesday’s fun remains exclusively for weekend ticket holders. VIP and campervan tickets for 2021 are sold out. Don’t delay though, because when they’re gone, they’re gone!

THE COUNTDOWN IS ON! 85 DAYS TO BLOODSTOCK 2021!!

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Regrettably, due to the ongoing Covid-19 situation, DIMMU BORGIR have been forced to postpone to 2022, but fear not, we welcome CRADLE OF FILTH onto the bill in their wake. Dimmu’s management tell us, “Due to restrictions and uncertainties regarding international travel and logistics, we have to postpone DIMMU BORGIR´s performance at Bloodstock until next year. The band is absolutely gutted about this, having to cancel BLOODSTOCK again, but we have already confirmed with Vicky and the BLOODSTOCK team that the band will be back in the UK for the 2022 edition. Stay safe!”. We look forward to welcoming DIMMU back next year. Besides this killer livestream, CRADLE OF FILTH meanwhile recently collaborated with California merch brand, BlackCraft Cult on an exclusive t-shirt design – get your orders in here, so you can wear yours at Catton Park!
 
BLOODSTOCK is also excited to bring you details for Wednesday, the extra day this year exclusively for weekend ticket holders. Once you’ve arrived and set up your camping area, over in the Sophie stage tent, there’s a fun-packed evening lined up. British thrash legends, ONSLAUGHT are set to headline, with the bill rounded out by underground metal standard bearers, BEHOLDER, who will be playing their farewell show and epic-soundscape painters and M2TM alumni, WARD XVI. In a reshuffle, the ever-entertaining RAISED BY OWLS and progressive death metallers ANAKIM both move across to a Wednesday slot, from their previously announced Thursday.  
 
BLOODSTOCK’s party goblins have also been busy locking in a full range of after-hours fun at Catton Park. Once the bands are done each day, the entertainment in the big top Sophie tent borders on legendary, so be sure to rock up to Catton Park early on Wednesday, pitch your tent and get your beer on in time for the evening’s proceedings. DJs ChunkRock & Miss Abraxas will be hitting the decks, welcoming everyone back ‘home’ for the Metal party of the summer! On Thursday night, there’s a ‘Wrestling’ theme with the whole evening set to be livestreamed on the official BOA Twitch channel. BLOODSTOCK’s ‘Bear Pit’ Twitch host and DJ, Ryan ‘Bear’ Mills will be slamming a wrestling-themed evening where capes, lycra, and war paint are encouraged. Will you be rocking the full Ultimate Warrior or Hulkamaniac look, or prefer the more subdued Road Warriors approach? Either way, prepare to win prizes and power pose to some kick ass tunes. On Friday (13th), naturally it’s Horror Night, so BLOODSTOCK welcomes South coast rock/metal club titans, Apocalypse. Dust off the Elvira, Freddy, and Pinhead costumes and bang, whilst trying not to lose, your head. Saturday celebrates music through the decades, so join DJSoundwave as he celebrates the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s and Naughties with a full-on mix of tunes from Abba to Anthrax and Disco to Deathcore. Closing out the 5-day weekend, the Apocalypse crew return with a Pirates Vs Vikings Party, so raise your horns to Odin or for Rum, with Crabulons and Robototrons also welcome. 


If you’ve still not found your tent after 2019’s fest, fear not, Fat Frank’s Camping Store can help! You can pre-order all your gear, or just that one missing item and collect it on-site. You can have them blow up your air bed while you wait, or even ‘rent-a-tent’ from them for the weekend. Not only that, they also solve the problem of towing it all home on the train with their ‘festival bag’ service, where they’ll deliver all your kit back to your home address within 3-5 days post-event. 

NOT 1, NOT 2, BUT 19 BANDS ADDED TO BLOODSTOCK 2021!

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With the weather slowly warming up, we’re counting down the days to BLOODSTOCK.  There’s a veritable feast of new bands to get your ears around before August – some you may know, some you may not (yet), but one thing is for sure – they’re all determined to help make this year’s BLOODSTOCK the absolute best fun you’ve had in over a year. 


Landing the Sunday night Sophie stage headline slot are festival favourites, EVIL SCARECROW.  With some of our overseas bands having to cancel, many of our UK friends are heroically saving the day.  We asked SCARECROW to come join the fun and they said, “So, we haven’t played as a band for a year. Not even a practice! We closed and abandoned our rehearsal room. Our van is gathering moss on a driveway. We have 2 new members who we have never played with. One of them was our main stagehand and we have not replaced that position. Basically, EVIL SCARECROW are, in reality, unconscious in stasis, floating through the void of space until we clear the disease-ridden Van Allen radiation belt.  Along came the good ship BLOODSTOCK, who nudged us awake to see if we will come and play with them. “No”, we mumble, “No band yet.  More sleep”. They return with a cup of tea and a bacon sandwich. “It’s headlining the Sophie Stage” they whisper.  Shit.  So, we’ve sprung back into life!  We are dusting off our props and may even have a band practice or two. So, if you want to see the most shambolic, unpracticed, unprepared EVIL SCARECROW show ever, then join us!  We can’t promise our usual super-polished -ahem- performance. But we promise to bring the biggest, messiest, stupidest party yet.”  We believe them and we’re all about it!  Remind yourself of their skills via their one-take video for ‘Hurricanado’ and get ready to close out the festival with a Scarecrow party! 

With the Metal 2 The Masses events happening soon, as well as the winners from that initiative, the New Blood bill is rounded out with a number of bands selected from online applications and we’re happy to give these additional bands the opportunity to showcase their wares at BLOODSTOCK.  We had over 600 applications and these lucky acts get a slot on the New Blood stage.  Grabbing a Friday slot are Gloucester metal squad BROKEN JAW and Liverpool death metallers COLPOCLEISIS.  Saturday’s bill will feature Brummie rockers DEVILFIRE, Irish sludgemeisters GREY STAG and purveyors of ‘true metal’, HANOWAR (yes, they are what you think they are)! 

Sunday’s bill features a swathe of fresh blood, including mask-wearing, theatrical noiseniks THE INJESTER, classic rockers SOUTH OF SALEM, stoner/doom squad SON OF BOAR, Midlands thrashers WIRED, THIS IS ENDLESS (featuring members of Onslaught/Ted Maul), power metallers FELLOWSHIP and SORCERESS OF SIN, melodic death metal outfit FROZEN IN SHADOWS, southwest metal 5-piece HYBRIDIZE, psychological death metallers STRANGLE WIRE, Irish modern metal outfit WORDS THAT BURN, black metal sonic terrorists DEITUS, and GHOSTS OF ATLANTIS (featuring members of Devilment). The remaining New Blood bands will be announced after the M2TM events in July, so stay tuned for more additions then.

SIXTEEN WEEKENDS ‘TIL BLOODSTOCK…

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Hot on the heels of JUDAS PRIEST confirming that their Sunday headline slot at BLOODSTOCK this summer will now be their only European performance this year, let the excitement for the metal party of the year continue to rev up with another 7 bands joining them on the bill… 

 VENOM PRISON are set to crush a Friday slot on the Ronnie James Dio main stage.  The band tell us, “Venom Prison are honoured to be invited to play at the legendary Bloodstock Festival again, having first appeared at the 2017 edition. This will be our first show in nearly two years since the world was shut down by the pandemic. We can’t wait to step out on stage again and cause utter destruction. See you in the pit.” The group are hard at work on their next studio album, the first for new label Century Media. For a hint of what’s to come, watch ‘Slayer Of Holofernes’, from their recent ‘Primeval’ release. 

New UK hardcore squad, BORSTAL, featuring Nick Barker (ex-Cradle of Filth, Brujeria) on drums, promise a punishing opening to proceedings on Saturday’s main stage.  Just the thing to sort out your Friday night bangover! The band released their debut EP, ‘At Her Majesty’s Pleasure’ just two weeks ago via 4Family Records.  Check out the video for ‘Vicious Circles’, taken from that EP, here.  

On the Sophie Lancaster stage front, BLOODYWOOD have unfortunately had to postpone their appearance at BLOODSTOCK, but we look forward to welcoming them in 2022!  As such, their Friday night headline slot will be filled by the mighty NAPALM DEATH!  Having recently renewed their record deal with Century Media, the grindcore legends are set to see some of their ample catalogue re-released on vinyl.  Check out their social media for details and warm your necks up with some classic Napalm noise via the video for ‘Time Waits For No Slave’.  

Snagging Friday spots on the Sophie stage are Cornish rockers KING CREATURE and melodic/power metal beasts, PRIMITAI.  Adding to the Saturday Sophie affray are Southampton crew TERRA IV and steamrolling in to Sunday’s lineup are Leicester metal five piece, INTERNAL CONFLICT.

BLOODSTOCK’s 2021 main stage headliners are DEVIN TOWNSEND (Friday), KREATOR (Saturday), and JUDAS PRIEST (Sunday).  The festival will also feature sets from DIMMU BORGIR, SKINDRED, PARADISE LOST, BURY TOMORROW, DIAMOND HEAD, THERAPY?, JINJER, VIO-LENCE, SAXON, THE WILDHEARTS, GLORYHAMMER, DARK TRANQUILLITY, BLEED FROM WITHIN, PHIL CAMPBELL & THE BASTARD SONS, MEMORIAM, RAMAGE INC., GREEN LUNG, CONJURER, ORANGE GOBLIN, THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA, RAGING SPEEDHORN, UNLEASH THE ARCHERS, SYLOSIS, WINTERFYLLETH, HACKTIVIST, THE CRAWLING, RAISED BY OWLS, ACID REIGN, SVALBARD, SOEN, BLASPHEMER, PIST, SHARKS IN YOUR MOUTH, SEIDRBLOT, NOCTEM, MOTHER VULTURE, BLOODSHOT DAWN, & EVILE and many more.  Even more bands performing across the long weekend are still to be announced.