Judas Priest

BLOODSTOCK reveal Lorna Shore Full Set YouTube Premiere & New Plush Toy

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While you’re waiting patiently for this year’s BLOODSTOCK to roll around, HQ are putting together a few tasty treats to help pass the time. 

Have you explored BLOODSTOCK’s official YouTube channel yet? Chock-full of exclusive footage from previous year’s events, it’s about to get even better, with a brand new premiere on the way from none other than LORNA SHORE, with their whole set from 2022 hitting the channel from 7pm GMT on February 24th in all its ferocious glory. You’ll be able to watch it in full here. Click here for a quick 30-second sneak peek of what’s in store.

With 2022 marking their very first performance on BLOODSTOCK’s hallowed stage, LORNA SHORE said, “We dreamed about playing Bloodstock for years and years. The reality was beyond the dream. We thank the entire Bloodstock team and the fans for a life changing experience.”

Overwhelmed at the vast array of videos to choose from? BLOODSTOCK’s YouTube chief & webmaster has highlighted several of his favourites and why!  In no particular order then… 
THE ENERGY
ARCH ENEMY – You Will Know My Name – Bloodstock 2017 I absolutely love Arch Enemy, this video is such a great track with lots of energy. I would love to see them back at Bloodstock in 2024.
THE CLASSIC
JUDAS PRIEST – Metal Gods – Bloodstock 2021 A very iconic moment when Glen Tipton came on stage for 3 tracks at Bloodstock 2021, Metal Gods is simply a classic. 
THE MIND CHANGER
DEVIN TOWNSEND – Full Set Performance – Bloodstock 2021 I confess I’ve never been a true Devin fan, but the 2021 performance was simply out of this world and has to be one of my favourite premieres on our channel to date.
THE TASTER
KREATOR – Terrible Certainty – Bloodstock 2021 I helped convince our band booker to have Kreator as a headliner in 2021 and what a great performance it was! To date a couple of the tracks have been shared, but I’m excited to reveal that their full set will be coming as a premiere in April! It’s a killer set, really looking forward to sharing this for everyone to enjoy!
THE UNMISSABLE
GOJIRA – Full Set Performance – Bloodstock 2016 What can I say… you gotta watch some Gojira, simply a band that creates masses of energy and gets the crowd moving. Their 2016 and 2018 performances at Bloodstock were amazing. 
THE EPIC
LAMB OF GOD – Full Set Performance – Bloodstock 2022 This Lamb Of God set just had to go online! I have watched it many times; it took a long time to get this approved – so thank you to the band and management for working with us to get this online, it’s a simply epic set.
THE SURPRISE
ORBIT CULTURE – Strangler – Bloodstock 2022 Because we’re busy working, I don’t get to watch all the bands live at the festival – but I do go through all the footage to choose which bands to put online. Orbit Culture were a band that simply blew me away, their sound and energy is just on another level –  they played the Sophie Lancaster stage, but I would love to see them on the main stage in the next few years.
BLOODSTOCK want to know which are your favourites from the channel! Send in your video playlists and perhaps the festival will highlight a few or give out some spot prizes! What other sets do you want to see? Tell BLOODSTOCK via your social media platform of choice!

In BLOODSTOCK merch news, you asked… and BLOODSTOCK has delivered! The festival’s very first plush S’tan toy is on the way, horns n’ all You can pre-order from the merch store on Friday 24th February here for dispatch by April 10th. For those quick off the mark, the first 200 S’tans ordered can be snapped up at a special intro price of £19.99, saving you a fiver on the normal retail. Here he is larking around with his new pal the Download Dog. Wonder what other adventures he’ll get up to and where he’ll be spotted next…?
Unfortunately, since BLOODSTOCK’s previous band announcement, ska-punkers RUSSKAJA have split up, and will therefore no longer be performing. Take heart, there are still lots of bands to be revealed in the coming weeks!

Last call! Time is running out to sign up for the very popular weekend ticket Deposit Scheme. If you’re keen, you must sign up before 28th Feb. With payments spread across 6 monthly instalments, it makes it much more manageable to pay for your standard weekend ticket. An initial payment of £34.50 is due upon sign up, then five additional payments of £27.50 will debit your bank account on 28 Mar, 28 Apr, 29 May, 28 Jun, with a final instalment on 28 Jul. Join the scheme or see all ticket options here.

Never been to BLOODSTOCK before and just want to come for a day to check things out? Can’t do the whole weekend this summer but don’t want to miss all the fun? A limited number of day tickets are on sale now in the ticket store. Adult day tickets are £75 and if you’d like to make it a family day out, child day tickets are £25 (mini moshers under 4 can come for free), plus booking fees. Want to come for the full weekend experience? VIP and campervan tickets are already sold out, but you can still get standard weekend tickets in the ticket store! If you’d like to stay onsite so you don’t miss a single minute of the action, camping is included! There’s also a  dedicated quiet campsite, sometimes preferred by those with junior headbangers and fans of a proper sleep. 

Watch BLOODSTOCK’s new trailer at: https://youtu.be/y4cL0i4vFSU or by clicking below.
BLOODSTOCK’s 2023 Ronnie James Dio main stage headliners are KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, MESHUGGAH, and MEGADETH. Also appearing are HELLOWEEN, IN FLAMES, DEVILDRIVER, BIOHAZARD, EMPLOYED TO SERVE, ROYAL REPUBLIC, SACRED REICH, HEAVEN SHALL BURN, SEPULTURA, FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY, CROWBAR, CANDLEMASS, TRIBULATION, SEETHING AKIRA, UGLY KID JOE, DECAPITATED, GATECREEPER, ZEAL & ARDOR, KING 810, UNTO OTHERS, URNE, ALL HAIL THE YETI, DEAD LABEL, NONPOINT, CHURCH OF THE COSMIC SKULL, BROTHERS OF METAL, GUTALAX, UUHAI, INVISIONS, COBRA THE IMPALER, TROLLFEST, SKYND, WARKINGS, FROZEN SOUL, THE VIOLENT INZIDENT, TRIBE OF GHOSTS, DAKESIS, THE ENIGMA DIVISION, THE GREY, EYES, TUSKAR, STENGAH, OVERTHRONE, TORTURED DEMON, CASKET FEEDER, GAEREA, BLOODYARD, WOLFBASTARD, SKIN FAILURE, WITCHSORROW, WYTCH HAZEL, HATE, BLACK COAST, STRIKER, and ZETRA. Many more are yet to be announced. 

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.

Bloodstock announce new charity partner & reveal six more acts for 2020

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BLOODSTOCK has another six bands to announce for this summer’s best metal weekender. Not only that, the festival has a brand new charity partner this year. Read on for the latest news…
First of all, BLOODSTOCK is pleased to reveal that Louisville, Kentucky’s SAVAGE MASTER will be opening the Ronnie James Dio main stage on Saturday, waking you up with a concrete slab of traditional heavy metal! The group released their latest record ‘Myth, Magic & Steel’ in October. Check out the title track here.
Jetting in from Italy, blackened-death metal demons BLASPHEMER stride onto Sunday’s Sophie Lancaster stage to unleash unholy hell, no doubt including a few new tunes from their latest opus, ‘The Sixth Hour’, released last month via Candlelight Records. A concept album, themed around ‘The Way of the Cross’, explore ‘The Deposition’ here.
Joining them on Sunday’s Sophie stage, are modern hard rock crew, LIBERTY LIES. Citing influences such as Biffy Clyro, QOTSA, and Coheed & Cambria, this West Midlands squad finally dropped new album ‘It’s The Hope That Kills You’ last November. Have a listen to their latest, chilled-out single ‘Letters’, released on Valentine’s Day, here.
Also performing on the Sophie stage on Sunday, are BLACK TONGUE. Hailing from Hull, and bringing some down-tempo doom, the five-piece have added their most recent album ‘Nadir’ to their YouTube channel in its entirety, so you have until August to make sure you know it back to front, if you don’t already. Get started here.
In addition, Bury based riff juggernaut PIST are added to the Sophie Sunday bill. The band released their latest album ‘Hailz’ last November through APF Records. It’s a record that will grab the attention of fans of Orange Goblin, Kvelertak, Motörhead, Entombed, Uada and Black Breath, elevating PIST to one of the standout bands in the current UK underground heavy scene. Have a listen to ‘Mind Rotter’ here.
If that’s shaping up your Sunday viewing nicely, why not add SHARKS IN YOUR MOUTH to your must-see Sophie list on Saturday. Offering up their take on post-hardcore and djent, the Italian outfit released their second full-length ‘Sacrilegious’ in 2019 and you can watch the video for their newly released single ‘Gone’ here.
BLOODSTOCK is very pleased to share that this year’s charity partner will be the mental health charity Mind. Mind provide advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem, and campaign to improve services and raise awareness. 1 in 4 of us will experience a mental health problem every year and Mind won’t give up until everyone experiencing a mental health problem gets both support and respect. In addition to guestlist donations, raising funds on behalf of Mind on site at BLOODSTOCK will be festival attendee Michael Lacy, with his PATCH AMNESTY initiative. Bring your old, spare, or new patches to donate, browse patches to buy, or even just stop by for a chat. All proceeds go to Mind. Please look out for PATCH AMNESTY / Mind signage and stop by his stand in the main arena to give your support.
Maria Khosla, Community Fundraising Manager for Mind, says : “We are grateful to the organisers of Bloodstock Festival and to Michael Lacy from Patch Amnesty for choosing to support Mind at this year’s event. One in four of us will experience a mental health problem every year so their support in raising funds and awareness means we can continue to make sure that no one has to face a mental health problem alone.”
BLOODSTOCK’s 2020 main stage headliners are DEVIN TOWNSEND (Friday), BEHEMOTH (Saturday), and JUDAS PRIEST (Sunday). The festival also welcomes HATEBREED, PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS, SKINDRED, PARADISE LOST, LIFE OF AGONY, BURY TOMORROW, BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, DIAMOND HEAD, JINJER, VIO-LENCE, SACRED REICH, GLORYHAMMER, DARK TRANQUILLITY, BUTCHER BABIES, CATTLE DECAPITATION, BLOODYWOOD, MEMORIAM, RAMAGE INC, GREEN LUNG, BOSSK, CONJURER, ORANGE GOBLIN, THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA, UNLEASH THE ARCHERS, SAXON, SYLOSIS, TOXIC HOLOCAUST, NECTOR, WINTERFYLLETH, EXHUMED, NEKROGOBLIKON, THE CRAWLING, RAISED BY OWLS, ANAKIM, ACID REIGN, SVALBARD, IDLE HANDS, SOEN, VISCERA, DOG TIRED, & BAILER so far. Many more bands performing over the weekend are still to be announced! Unsure what to expect? Watch a trailer all about BLOODSTOCK here.
BLOODSTOCK 2020 takes place at Catton Park, Derbyshire from 6th-9th August 2020. For more info, click to www.bloodstock.uk.com.

BLOODSTOCK CONFIRM SEVEN MORE BANDS; ANNOUNCE ON SITE GAMING ARENA & CELEBRATE 100K YOUTUBE SUBSCRIBERS

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As the number of months left to BLOODSTOCK 2020 reaches the half-way point, festival HQ shows no signs of slowing down with booking bands and making plans to make BLOODSTOCK’s 20th anniversary year the biggest and boldest yet! With a YouTube 100k subscriber milestone achieved this month too, there’s a brand new competition you can win weekend tickets in, as well as news about the exciting gaming arena debuting at BLOODSTOCK this year, and go on then, seven more bands to announce as well…
Brit thrash luminaries, ACID REIGN are set for a Friday slot on the Ronnie James Dio main stage!  Having rebooted the band in 2015 after a 24 year hiatus, frontman H tells us, “Anyone who witnessed our 2016 show on the Sophie stage knows exactly how much we love playing BLOODSTOCK.  There is a lot of excitement in the AR camp right now, we finally got a new album out after all these years (29 to be exact) and now we get to put a BLOODSTOCK sized cherry on the top of that cake. Can’t wait to see you all there!”  The band released that long-awaited album, ‘The Age Of Entitlement’ in August last year. Check out the video for ‘The New Low’ from that release here.
Also appearing on Friday’s main stage, are Bristol’s hardcore punk crew SVALBARD. Signed to Holy Roar Records, their topical and furious last album ‘It’s Hard To Have Hope’ surfaced in 2018, and was described by Kerrang! as “a grand declaration of war, on everything wrong with the modern world, set to a truly brilliant, visceral soundtrack.” See if you agree; watch the video for ‘For The Sake Of The Breed’ from that album here.
Goth-soaked metal newcomers, IDLE HANDS will open the main stage on Sunday!  The Portland-based band are hot off their recent US support slot to the mighty King Diamond and the release of debut album, ‘Mana’ via Eisenwald Records.  View the retrotastic video for ‘Give Me To The Night’, taken from that release here.
Swedish progressive rock collective, SOEN crash straight into Friday’s special guest slot on the Sophie Lancaster stage. Reformed by frontman Joel Ekelöf and former Opeth drummer, Martin Lopez back in 2010, SOEN are four albums deep into their career, having released current album, ‘Lotus’ in early 2019.  Investigate the sublime title track from that opus and its accompanying video here.
VISCERA earn themselves a Sophie stage slot on Saturday.  The band, featuring former members of Heart of a Coward, Abhorrent Decimation, Martyr Defiled, Nervecell, and Surfaces, blend their influences (Pantera, Meshuggah, At The Gates, The Black Dahlia Murder and Killswitch Engage) with modern tech/death and deathcore flavours.  They release their debut album, ‘Obsidian’ this Spring via Unique Leader Records, but in the meantime, take a look at the video to ‘Lamb To The Slaughter’ taken from that release here.
Edinburgh’s riff squad and former BLOODSTOCK ‘Metal 2 The Masses’ alumni, DOG TIRED also land a slot on Friday’s Sophie stage. Since landing a slot in the New Blood tent in 2014, the band have been honing their stagecraft, playing with the likes of Skindred and Raging Speedhorn.  We’re happy to welcome them back with step up to the Sophie Stage in 2020. Get a taste for their sound with the video of ‘Dagoth’s Nine’ here.
BAILER join Saturday’s Sophie stage line up.  Metal Hammer inform that “Sometimes you hear a new band that make you want to drive a motorbike through a wall. BAILER are that band.”  Discover something new and make up your own mind by checking out ‘Long Gone’, featuring guest vocals from Adam Carroll here, and catch ‘em at Catton Park in August.
Consider yourself a bit of a gamer, or always fancied a go?  This year, BLOODSTOCK is pleased to introduce the Nordic Spirit Game Arena, where you can try to beat your mates on a range of games on XBox and PS4 consoles. Prefer your games on your PC?  Don’t worry, there’ll be a couple of gaming PCs as well, plus a few arcade machines from Jagermeister and Redbull, for starters. Best of all, play is absolutely free!
There’s just two weeks left to sign up to BLOODSTOCK’s very popular ticket deposit scheme, which allows you to spread your standard weekend ticket purchase over 5 instalments.  Be sure to make your first payment of £29 + booking fees before 28th February, then after that, your instalments break down as follows: Payment 2 – £29 (debits your bank account on 27/03/20), Payment 3 – £29 (debits 27/04/20), Payment 4 – £29 (debits 26/05/20), and then your Final Payment – £29 + postage (debits 26/06/20).  Please note VIP and child tickets are not eligible for the deposit scheme. Sign up at the ticket store.
BLOODSTOCK is also delighted to welcome the 100,000th subscriber to its official YouTube channel! To celebrate the milestone, BLOODSTOCK will randomly select two winners from channel subscribers to receive a pair of weekend tickets to 2020’s event. If you’re already subscribed, you’re already entered to win! If not, head over to the YouTube channel here and sign up! All new subscribers registered before the end of February 16th will also be entered. The lucky winners will be announced on BLOODSTOCK’s Facebook page in due course.
Not visited BLOODSTOCK’s YouTube channel before? You’ll find a host of cool and exclusive content from BLOODSTOCK, including interviews and live songs (or even whole sets) of a wide range of bands throughout the years. Didn’t get to watch Parkway Drive headline the main stage in 2019? Watch it on YouTube! How about Gojira the year before?  Also on BLOODSTOCK’s YouTube! New content is added regularly; make sure you stay subscribed so you don’t miss out and be the first to see brand new, thrilling live clips from classic, explosive, and downright headbangin’ sets at BLOODSTOCK!
BLOODSTOCK’s 2020 main stage headliners are DEVIN TOWNSEND (Friday), BEHEMOTH (Saturday), and JUDAS PRIEST (Sunday). The festival also welcomes HATEBREED, PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS, SKINDRED, PARADISE LOST, LIFE OF AGONY, BURY TOMORROW, BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, DIAMOND HEAD, JINJER, VIO-LENCE, SACRED REICH, GLORYHAMMER, DARK TRANQUILLITY, BUTCHER BABIES, CATTLE DECAPITATION, BLOODYWOOD, MEMORIAM, RAMAGE INC, GREEN LUNG, BOSSK, CONJURER, ORANGE GOBLIN, THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA, UNLEASH THE ARCHERS, SAXON, SYLOSIS, TOXIC HOLOCAUST, NECTOR, WINTERFYLLETH, EXHUMED, NEKROGOBLIKON, THE CRAWLING, RAISED BY OWLS, & ANAKIM so far.  Many more bands performing over the weekend are still to be announced! Unsure what to expect? Watch a trailer all about BLOODSTOCK here.

BLOODSTOCK REVEALS MORE THURSDAY ACTS, EXCLUSIVE TO WEEKEND TICKET HOLDERS

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Are you a BLOODSTOCK regular? Perhaps you’re thinking of coming for the first time, or you’ve tested the waters before with a day ticket just to see what you think? BLOODSTOCK weekend ticket holders don’t just get three days of heavy metal glory, they get four!  While day tickets can be purchased closer to the event for Friday, Saturday, and/or Sunday, BLOODSTOCK starts the party on Thursday, exclusively for weekend ticket holders!  Get your tent pitched, grab your mates, and head over to the Planet Rock presents…Sophie Lancaster stage for a jam-packed evening of heavy metal fun.
Back in December, BLOODSTOCK revealed that Swedish hard rockers THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA are set to headline Thursday’s opening night party.  The Nuclear Blast-signed band, who feature members of Soilwork and Arch Enemy in their ranks, are promising new songs in 2020, but meanwhile, check out ‘This Time’ from current release, ‘Sometimes The World Ain’t Enough’ here.
BLOODSTOCK is thrilled to announce that they’ll be joined on the bill by these four bands…
Firstly, the irrepressible goblin kings, NEKROGOBLIKON. Hailing from California, the group released latest album ‘Welcome To Bonkers’ in 2018, featuring the track ‘Dressed As Goblins’ – watch the video for it here. If that’s not enough goblin for you, browse the rest of their Nekrogoblitude, and if you want to dress up especially for their set, who are we to stop you?!  Be sure to get your photo snapped by our roving official photographers if you do!
Northern Irish death/doom merchants THE CRAWLING are also added to Thursday’s line-up. Citing influences such as Paradise Lost, Marduk, Katatonia, and Bolt Thrower, this stripped back, dark three piece will bring all the heavy. Get familiar via the video for ‘Still No Sun’ here, taken from their album ‘Wolves And The Hideous White’.
Derby-based grind squad RAISED BY OWLS are looking forward to adding their brand of extreme metal to Thursday’s headbangin’ shenanigans, promising a no-holds-barred aural assault with a hefty dose of sardonic humour.  You only have to check out the video for their Christmas charity single ‘The Santanist’ here (proceeds going to the Sophie Lancaster Foundation), to get a flavour of what’s in store.
Also joining the fray, are last year’s Bournemouth Metal 2 The Masses victors ANAKIM, offering up a choice blend of progressive black/death metal to get your weekend started. Check out that live set, including the single ‘Born Of The Serpents Tongue’, filmed at BLOODSTOCK, here.  Their album, ‘Monuments To Departed Worlds’, is out now.
And that’s just the bands! There’s a host of other entertainment planned too, sure to kick off your weekend in glorious style. Don’t miss out!
Unsure what to expect? Watch a trailer all about BLOODSTOCK here.
BLOODSTOCK’s 2020 main stage headliners are DEVIN TOWNSEND (Friday), BEHEMOTH (Saturday), and JUDAS PRIEST (Sunday). The festival also welcomes HATEBREED, PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS, SKINDRED, PARADISE LOST, LIFE OF AGONY, BURY TOMORROW, BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, DIAMOND HEAD, JINJER, VIO-LENCE, SACRED REICH, GLORYHAMMER, DARK TRANQUILLITY, BUTCHER BABIES, CATTLE DECAPITATION, BLOODYWOOD, MEMORIAM, RAMAGE INC, GREEN LUNG, BOSSK, CONJURER, ORANGE GOBLIN, THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA, UNLEASH THE ARCHERS, SAXON, SYLOSIS, TOXIC HOLOCAUST, NECTOR, WINTERFYLLETH, & EXHUMED so far. Many more bands performing over the weekend are still to be announced!

BOA 2018 – Judas Priest: Reviewed!

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It’s Friday night at Bloodstock and we’re gearing up for the mighty Judas Priest, the stage is set with giant ‘Devils tuning fork’ backdrops and standing props and smoke is billowing in from the sides. Entering to Sabbath’s ‘War Pigs’ and a barrage of stage lights, Rob Halford is still rocking the signature fringed leather and sunglasses look, despite the now dark skies. Kicking off with brand spanking new track ‘Firepower’ – a polished but ultimately traditional Priest sound, it’s clear we’re in for a treat.

Halford shouts out “C’mon Bloodstock the priest is back! Are you ready for some heavy metal?” to a roar of approval in reply and a sea of horns are raised across the arena. Busting through hits like ‘The Ripper’ and ‘Turbo Lover’, we’re getting nothing but pure old-school heavy metal – which is especially poignant since Halford is almost dressed in heavy metal himself, sporting what look to be silver chaps, a la Tinman from Oz.

A pride flag waves in the middle of the crowd, presumably as a tribute to Halford himself who publicly revealed his homosexuality during an MTV interview, and became an early advocate for LGBT presence in the metal community. Indeed, metal for everyone; inclusion and diversity, is always a line that Bloodstock has kept at the forefront of their festival ethos.

The stage screen backdrops change to scrolling newspapers and an image of Big Ben for ‘The Ripper’ and there’s a distinct possibility of permanent retinal damage with the insane amount of strobe light use during ‘Saints In Hell’. Yelling “Thank you so much! Heavy metal is forever right?” the metal certainly does just keep on coming. Now dressed in an extraordinarily sparkly trench coat reminiscent of a giant disco ball, and wielding a blue lightsabre for no clear reason at all, we get right into the good stuff. ‘You’ve got another thing coming’ has everyone headbanging along with the band as a Black Country flag flutters on the screens – particularly relevant here in the Midlands. As is traditional, Halford rides his motorcycle on stage wearing yet another fringed jacket and leather baker-boy cap for ‘Hellbent for Leather’, which frankly is something to aspire to. If you ever get the chance to include a motorcycle as part of your essential stage kit – well you’ve definitely made it.

The encore sees guitarist Glenn Tipton join the band on stage, who has recently revealed that Parkinson’s disease would require him to step down from performing. Despite this, Tipton absolutely smashes Priest super-hit ‘Breaking The Law’ to crowd-wide chants for him, it’s a really powerful moment. Halford calls out “Thank you so much. Thank you for having us back home, this is where we’re from, the home of metal” and indeed this sort of homecoming for the band, with almost 50 years under their belts, must feel all the more special. Closing out with new record ‘No Surrender’ and finally ‘Living After Midnight’, this really has been one of the best Judas Priest gigs we’ve had the pleasure of attending, and we’re sincerely hoping it’s not the last. As Halford crows; “We'll be back, we are Judas fucking Priest!”.

© Photograph courtesy of Bloodstock Festival

NEW YEAR, NEW BANDS FOR BLOODSTOCK 2018

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BLOODSTOCK are excited to make their first band announcement of 2018!

Tickets for 2018 are flying out the door, with less than 50 VIP tickets remaining. Do not delay if you’re planning on joining us in the Serpent’s Lair! Standard tickets, as well as the very popular Deposit Scheme and the last few camper van pitches are all currently available in the ticket store. So, about those band announcements…

JASTA & FRIENDS are set for a Ronnie James Dio main stage slot on Sunday! As a great friend of BLOODSTOCK, we’re thrilled to welcome Jamey Jasta, frontman of Hatebreed, Kingdom of Sorrow and Icepick, back to the festival with his solo band, JASTA. However, this is not just JASTA, this is JASTA & FRIENDS, so expect some special guests to jump on stage for various songs, just for the BOA faithful at BLOODSTOCK 2018! Guests will be revealed in due course, but we can tell you that the mighty Kirk Windstein (Crowbar, Down, Kingdom of Sorrow) will be one of them! Jamey says, “I’m beyond excited and honoured to have my first UK show with JASTA be at the mighty Bloodstock Festival! So many legends have graced the Bloodstock stages, we will channel their energy and give the fans a killer set with some special surprise guests!” Check out JASTA’s recent video for ‘The Same Flame’ here – https://youtu.be/P7PnbooaTOE.

VENOM INC also join Saturday’s main stage bill! With new album, ‘Avé’ released via Nuclear Blast last year, the seminal British metal icons will be bringing both classic tracks and new to BLOODSTOCK next August. Check out the lyric video for ‘Avé Satanas’, taken from that album here – https://youtu.be/Xt_yGt0ET0U and get ready to welcome The Demolition Man, Mantas and Abaddon to Catton Park!

Our Saturday night Sophie Lancaster stage headliner will be ORPHANED LAND! The ground-breaking band’s new album, ‘Unsung Prophets And Dead Messiahs’ is set for release later this month via Century Media and features guest appearances from Blind Guardian’s Hansi Kürsch, Tomas Lindberg from At The Gates and Steve Hackett. Check out the epic album teaser here – https://youtu.be/GNm20DFCO7Y.

Also joining the bill are the hotly tipped Danish prog metal outfit VOLA, who join the Sophie stage bill on Saturday. The band are hard at work on their new studio album, set for release through Mascot Records this year. Get a taster of their sound via the video for ‘Stray The Skies’ taken from 2016’s debut album, ‘InMazes’ – https://youtu.be/EipdyUZfrG0.

If you haven’t grabbed your ticket yet and are a bit stretched post-Christmas, BLOODSTOCK’s payment plan helps ease the ‘lump sum’ shock of paying for your ticket by breaking it into five smaller, more manageable amounts. Sign up in the ticket store any time before 28th Feb for an initial deposit of £36.00. Thereafter, four additional instalments of £29.00 will debit your bank account on 3rd April, 1st May, 1st June and 2nd July respectively. Find out full details and sign up over at https://bloodstock.seetickets.com.

If you already know you can only attend for one day, sign up for a day ticket reminder email as day tickets will not go on sale until next summer. Register your day ticket interest here – https://www.seetickets.com/register/bloodstock.

With Friday night headliners, JUDAS PRIEST, Saturday headliners, GOJIRA and Sunday’s bil toppers, NIGHTWISH already announced, as well as EMPEROR, DEVILDRIVER, WATAIN, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, WEDNESDAY 13, FOZZY, COMBICHRIST, BLOODBATH, MR BIG, KAMELOT, DORO, ORDEN OGAN, SEPTICFLESH and MEMORIAM so far, 2018 is shaping up to be another stellar year for BLOODSTOCK.

 

BLOODSTOCK add four more for Halloween

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BLOODSTOCK is excited to announce four more spooktacular bands and add the 2018 Rock Society tickets to the ticket store. 

We’re excited to announce that WATAIN will bring their black metal ritual to headline Sunday’s Sophie Lancaster stage in a UK festival exclusive.  Frontman Erik Danielsson tells us, "Our last performance at BLOODSTOCK in 2012 was also the final date on the ‘Lawless Darkness’ tour.  The sun was setting while we played and the crowd was getting louder and wilder the darker it became.  A very charged atmosphere.  Eager now to return and see what the eventful years that have passed and the force accumulated since then has done to both us and the BLOODSTOCK crowd.  Furthermore, England is of course sacred ground when it comes to Metal in general, so when performing there, the stakes are always high.  May all those that doubt be impaled upon them."  Look out for the band’s long awaited sixth studio album arriving on 5th January 2018!

German power metallers, ORDEN OGAN also land a Ronnie James Dio main stage slot on Saturday.  The band released ‘Gunmen’, their fifth studio album, this summer via AFM Records.  Check out the video for ‘Gunman’ here and get a taster of what’s in store for their set in 2018 – https://youtu.be/JPm46Qgyn24.

Atlanta aggrotech outfit, COMBICHRIST also join the main stage bill for an early slot on Friday.  The band have been working on new music after the release of their eighth studio album, ‘This Is Where Death Begins’ which landed in 2016.  Check out the new track, ‘Broken:United’ at the following link – https://Combichrist.lnk.to/BrokenUnited.

Also landing an early main stage slot on Friday are British death/grind four-piece, MEMORIAM.  Combining ex-members of Bolt Thrower and Benediction, MEMORIAM’s pedigree is high.  The band of scene veterans are hard at work on the follow up to their debut, ‘For The Fallen’ released via Nuclear Blast earlier this year.  Check out ‘Reduced To Zero’ taken from that opus here – https://youtu.be/Nmucoieg2Lc.

BLOODSTOCK’s Rock Society tickets become available in the store on Halloween morning, 31st October at 9.00am!  The ‘Rock Society’ is effectively the festival’s ‘Members Club’, offering not only a 10% discount on your weekend ticket (on top of the early bird discount if you purchase the Rock Society membership + ticket bundle option), but all sorts of other cool benefits like priority signing tent access, a Rock Society laminate, access to the VIP Serpents Lair bar, a tour of the backstage & production areas to see ‘behind the scenes’, the chance to meet with the festival organisers, a dedicated hangout area in the Rock Society tent on site, a Rock Society Facebook community where you can make friends and get to know your fellow RockSoc members and plenty more besides.  Full details can be found at http://www.bloodstock.uk.com/pages/rock-society.  Memberships are priced at £75, limited to 300 and sell out almost immediately, so don’t delay if you want to pick one up.

Also now in the store are tickets for our new VANAHEIM campervan field.  Due to increasing demand each year, we've made some site adjustments to allow for more pitches.  As such, the new VANAHEIM site is located across the road, directly adjacent to Serpents Lair VIP parking, allowing an increase in size to accommodate 240 campervans, as opposed to just 130.  Campervan pitches always sold through very rapidly, so this allows for more of our metal brethren to join the campervan club.  Tickets for campervan pitches will remain at this year's price of £60. 

With Friday night headliners, JUDAS PRIEST, Saturday night headliners, GOJIRA and Sunday headliners, NIGHTWISH already announced, along with EMPEROR, DEVILDRIVER and NAILS, 2018 is shaping up to be another stellar year for BLOODSTOCK.  

BLOODSTOCK add EMPEROR, DEVILDRIVER, and NAILS to 2018!

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As we creep through October, BLOODSTOCK is very excited to announce three more bands for 2018! 

Joining Friday’s bill in the Ronnie James Dio main stage special guest slot are black metal legends, EMPEROR in a UK exclusive appearance.  Frontman Ihsahn tells us that they’ll be performing a special set based around one of their classic albums.  “We're finally bringing the 20th Anniversary show for ‘Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk’ to the UK!  We’ll be performing the album in its entirety and look forward to celebrating with everyone at BLOODSTOCK!”  Check out a stream of the atmospheric opus here and get excited for next August – https://youtu.be/Jmlhq5rtFXw

Also stepping into a main stage slot on Sunday are Californian circle pit kings, DEVILDRIVER.  Frontman Dez Fafara tells us “DEVILDRIVER is playing BLOODSTOCK in 2018 and we couldn’t be more fucking ready to bring the heavy and get the whole festival moving!  We are thankful for the opportunity and can’t wait to see everyone there!  Get ready to get the fuck in the pit!”  Check out the band doing what they do best in the video for the title track of their current studio album, ‘Trust No One’ – https://youtu.be/XuVibnWHoLA

Hotly-tipped, super brutal three-piece, NAILS land a Ronnie James Dio main stage slot on Sunday in a UK exclusive show.  Frontman Todd Jones informs us, “I've been following BLOODSTOCK and looking at their advertisements online for the past few years, admiring how great a job the festival does having a great mix of underground bands and some of metal's biggest and finest.  We're proud to finally say we're part of what BLOODSTOCK is doing to fight the good fight!  We'll see all you motherfuckers at BLOODSTOCK!!!”  Not familiar with NAILS?  Melt your face with 91 seconds of hardcore intensity via the video for ‘You Will Never Be One Of Us’ – https://youtu.be/hGGGh03jN4w

With Friday night headliners, JUDAS PRIEST, Saturday night headliners, GOJIRA and Sunday headliners, NIGHTWISH already announced for next year's event, 2018 is shaping up to be another stellar year for BLOODSTOCK.  

BLOODSTOCK ANNOUNCES JUDAS PRIEST AS THIRD HEADLINER FOR 2018!

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BLOODSTOCK is excited to announce their third and final headliner for 2018 will be JUDAS PRIEST!  The metal icons are one of the most-requested bands by the festival’s loyal fan base and finally make their BLOODSTOCK debut at Catton Park in 2018 on Friday night, 10th August.

The legendary band tell us, “JUDAS PRIEST are thrilled, honoured and primed, ready to unleash Priest-style metal fury into the headbanging heart and home of heavy metal at BLOODSTOCK 2018!”

With Saturday night headliners, GOJIRA and Sunday headliners, NIGHTWISH already announced for next year's event, 2018 is shaping up to be another stellar year for BLOODSTOCK.

Before we focus more on 2018, we’re very proud to reveal that BLOODSTOCK raised £11,686.88 in 2017 for the very worthy TEENAGE CANCER TRUST, bringing the total to over £60,000 since our partnership began.  A giant thanks to everyone who has contributed over the years for their generous donations!

Get tickets now for 2018!  The first wave of Serpents Lair VIP tickets (priced at £290) and Deluxe VIP packages (Luxpads, Bellepads, Podpads, etc) are available now for those who want their VIP spot guaranteed.  A smaller second wave and a limited amount of VIP upgrades will then become available on 16th December at 9am.  Don't delay if you want to join us in the VIP Serpents Lair, as they’re moving faster than ever before!

Standard weekend tickets are currently available at ‘early bird’ prices (just £125 for four days of metal fun) so grab yours now at the ticket store if you want to save £20!  In order to keep up with inflation and extra costs in 2018, standard weekend tickets with camping will increase from last year's £139 to £145 once the ‘early bird’ allocation is gone.  The limited allocation of VIP upgrades (for those who've bought early bird tickets) will cost £145.

BLOODSTOCK will take place at Catton Park, Derbyshire on 9th-12th August 2018.  Get further information over at www.bloodstock.uk.com.