Bloodstock Open Air

Decide confirmed for Bloodstock Open Air 2012

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Always at the forefront of the death metal movement, DEICIDE was an original pioneer of the brutal sound and imagery associated with the Florida death metal scene. In 1987, Glen Benton and Steve Asheim teamed to launch one of the most talked about, controversial and venomous crusades in metal history and have since risen to

International notoriety, releasing two of the highest selling death metal albums of all time.

DEICIDE quickly became known for their technical yet brutal sound as much as the rumors that surrounded them. After famously marching into the office of Monte Conner (Roadrunner Records) and demanding “Sign us, you fucking asshole!” the band went on to create the definitive sound of 90s death metal thanks to their ability to play technical solos at blazing speeds with overlapping riffs. DEICIDE also created an astounding ten studio albums that have changed the face of the extreme metal scene.

Now they bring their blasphemous brutality to BLOODSTOCK for the first time, offering the only chance to catch them live in the UK this year.

BLOODSTOCK OPEN AIR have also revealed details of a deposit scheme, having teamed up with online ticket agentSEETICKETS to offer fans an easy way to pay for their BLOODSTOCK festival tickets for 2012. Sign up by no later than 1stMarch to pay for your weekend camping ticket in 3 easy instalments, starting from £36.25 + booking fee.

With a line up including headline sets from ALICE COOPER and BEHEMOTH, Norwegian Black Metal superstars DIMMU BORGIR's  only UK show of 2012, as well as over 100 bands including ANVIL, PARADISE LOST, WATAIN, ORANGE GOBLIN, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER and Swedish metal merchants GRAND MAGUS, there is no more metal place in the UK thanBLOODSTOCK OPEN AIR.

Behemoth to headline Friday at Bloodstock Open Air 2012

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Originally scheduled to perform at the 2010 event, the band were forced to cancel after frontman NERGAL was diagnosed with Leukemia. After undergoing treatment including a bone-marrow transplant, the enigmatic frontman is fighting fit and ready to bring BEHEMOTH’s brutality back to the UK:

“We couldn’t do the show for obvious reasons last time, I was in a deep shithole with my sickness, but I really felt obliged to come back and doBLOODSTOCK as soon as possible. We are really fortunate that they invited us back, we couldn’t turn it down, and this is the perfect opportunity to make this up to the people that missed us last time. For us it’s a great pleasure to come back to the UK after two years, and I can promise we will bring full production – lights, pyro – it’s gonna be awesome and we can’t wait. This is not only the first time we headline a festival, but also our first open air appearance in the UK, so it’s gonna be special!”

"Bringing Behemoth back to Bloodstock in 2012 was our mission, they have been one of the MOST requested bands we have ever been asked for”states festival booker Vicky Gregory. “We know the fans will give them one hell of a reception. The show is their full production and what better place for them to return than as headliners for the Friday night”

Their ninth studio album, 2009’s “Evangelion” saw BEHEMOTH make a giant leap from a cult black metal act to internationally acclaimed metal act, gracing magazine covers and even newspapers across the globe, truly breaking out of the underground despite the uncompromising and fiercely brutal ten tracks it contains. Having the honour of being opening band at the first ever performance of Metal’s Big Four – Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax – at Sonisphere Poland in 2009, BEHEMOTH are no strangers to the big stage and this exclusive headline appearance – their first outdoor show in the UK, and only festival performance in this country in 2012 – will be a triumphant return, and one that will no doubt be talked about for years to come.
 
BLOODSTOCK OPEN AIR 2012 takes place at Catton Hall August 9th – 12th. With four day camping tickets on sale for just £90 (plus booking fee) until December 16th – a MASSIVE saving of £25 – there is no reason to wait. 

Alice Cooper to headline Bloodstock 2012

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Unless you’ve had your head buried in the sand for the last five decades, the godfather of theatrical rock needs no introduction, and needless to say, organisers are delighted to have such a prolific and legendary artist join the BLOODSTOCK line up. Festival booker Vicky Gregory comments:

Alice Cooper"As Bloodstock organisers but more importantly Huge fans of Alice Cooper, we are thrilled to have such an iconic artist close proceedings on the Sunday night! We have been after Alice for a number of years and are extremely excited to see him grace the Ronnie James Dio stage and guarantee this will be a performance not to be missed"

An ALICE COOPER concert is always a memorable event, and there are few artists out there capable of putting on such a thrillingly entertaining show. BLOODSTOCK attendees are in for quite a treat if the recent shows are anything to go by. From the moment he takes to the stage as a giant spider your senses are assaulted with fireworks, mock executions, simulated sex (with the dead of course), snakes, monsters and zombies, asALICE delivers hit after hit from his decades long career. 
 
With a back catalogue that includes timeless classic such as “Schools’s Out”, “No More Mr Nice Guy”, “Welcome To My Nightmare”, “Hey Stoopid”, “Feed My Frankenstein” and recent single “I’ll Bite Your Face Off”, ALICE’s set at BLOODSTOCK will be impossible to not enjoy, and will undoubtedly be one of the highlights of the festival’s history for many years to come.
 
With a world class headliner already in place and two more to be announced – as well as over 100 bands from across the world of hard rock and metal – there is no festival offering better value, with four day weekend camping tickets available at just £90 if booked before 15th December.

BLOODSTOCK OPEN AIR 2012 takes place at Catton Hall August 9th – 12th. Four day camping tickets for next year’s event are available now at bloodstock.uk.com  for just £90 (plus booking fee) until 15th December. 

Dimmu Borgir and more for Bloodstock 2012

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BLOODSTOCK has got off to an incredible start with ANVIL, PARADISE LOST, WATAIN and ORANGE GOBLIN already confirmed, and this latest announcement only serves to reinforce what the organisers have proven since it’s inception – that each year will be bigger and better than the previous one.
 
On the RONNIE JAME DIO main stage, Norwegian Black Metal superstars DIMMU BORGIR return toBLOODSTOCK for their only UK show of 2012, taking next year’s first Special Guest slot. Undoubtedly Norway’s biggest Black Metal export, DIMMU BORGIR are one of the scene’s leaders, seamlessly blending ferocious metal with epic classical orchestration to create one of extreme music’s most instantly identifiable sounds. Gearing up for a very special UK tour next month, the band took time out from rehearsals to tell us:
 
"We are extremely excited to be a part of next year´s Bloodstock festival. It will be great to reconnect with our UK based friends and fans and party up a storm!"

Joining them are hardcore metal heroes HATEBREED. Ultra-aggressive and punishingly heavy, aHATEBREED show will demand – and command – your undivided attention with their brutal, boot-to-the-teeth heaviness. This Connecticut hardcore/metal institution has been demolishing its way around the globe since 1994. Not many bands can enjoy that kind of longevity, but HATEBREED have made being a “career band” look easy, gracing countless magazine covers, performing at some of the biggest metal festivals around the world and even receiving a Grammy nomination. Says band leader/vocalist Jamey Jasta of their only UK show of 2012:
 
"We're all very excited to play Bloodstock. It's fast becoming one of the best festivals for extreme music and this year's line up is going to crush. We are honoured to share the stage with such awesome bands and happy that we can come and play for our UK die hards!" 

Another band who’s only UK performance of 2012 will be on BLOODSTOCK’s RONNIE JAMES DIO stage are none other than CORROSION OF CONFORMITY – or C.O.C for the initiated – who bring their original line up to CATTON HALL for a very special set. Together again after 25 years, Reed Mullin, Woody Weatherman and Mike Dean reunite to bring the spirit of 1985 to Derbyshire, with tracks from their hugely influential crossover classic “Animosity”.  Says bassist Mike Dean:

"How can you go wrong playing at a festival with the main stage named for Ronnie James Dio?!!!"

Over on the SOPHIE LANCASTER stage, British Black metal BruisersANAAL NATHRAKH make their only UK festival performance of 2012. Created for one purpose – to be the soundtrack for armageddon, the audial essence of evil, hatred and violence, the true spirit of necro taken to its musical extremes – ANNAL NATHRAKH have released four albums to rapturous acclaim, and boast collaborations with such legendary figures as Attila Csihar (Mayhem), Shane Embury and Danny Herrera (Napalm Death), Nick Barker (Testament, Dimmu Borgir), Joe Horvath (Circle of Dead Children), and BLOODSTOCK fellow Sethlans Teitan (Watain). With appearances on BBC Radio 1 at the personal behest of sadly missed icon John Peel, a headline set at Inferno Festival in Norway, countless placings in ‘best album of the year’ polls and album of the month awards in the press, as well as cover appearances on leading magazines such as Terrorizer on their CV, ANAAL NATHRAKH’s status as one of the leading lights in extreme metal is undeniable. Says the band of their overdue appearance at Britain’s only true outdoor metal festival:
 
“It's been a long time coming, but finally the planets seem to be in the correct alignment for us to disgrace a stage at Bloodstock. We will also be sicking up a new album in the run up to the festival, so Bloodstock will likely be something of a release celebration/commiseration. Horrific. Good.”

BLOODSTOCK OPEN AIR 2012 takes place at Catton Hall August 9th – 12th. Four day camping tickets for next year’s event are available now atbloodstock.uk.com for just £90 (plus booking fee) until xmas. 
 
Tickets for the 2012 event are on sale now at www.bloodstock.uk.com

Bloodstock 2012 – Paradise Lost return after seven years

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One of the most successful and influential bands the British metal scene has ever produced,PARADISE LOST are true pioneers, with their early blend of death/doom giving way to the more melodic sound that defined the gothic metal genre. Guitarist Greg Mackintosh observes:
 
"We had the pleasure of playing the first ever Bloodstock Open Air way back in 2005, when it was quite an intimate affair. It's an honour to be asked back to BOA 2012, which looks to be shaping up to be a blinding festival. Since we last played, we have seen BOA grow into the Great British metal festival it is today. We look forward to seeing you all down the front."

With a back catalogue spanning twelve albums over twenty two years – and a DVD set for release before Bloodstock 2012 ("Draconian Times MMXI" features the London show at The Forum on April 1, a documentary from the whole tour, interviews about the history of "Draconian Times" and the two promo videos from their latest album, "Faith Divides Us – Death Unites Us") – PARADISE LOST are one of the few bands capable of delivering a set that will satisfy both fans of more brutal, death tinged doom with songs such as “Eternal”, “As I Die” and “Gothic”, as well as the melodic, gothic darkness of “Embers Fire”, “Hallowed Land” and “The Last Time”. 
 
Joining them are Swedish Black Metal misanthropists WATAIN, who make their BLOODSTOCK debut at a very special slot on theRONNIE JAMES DIO stage. Festering in the Black Metal underground since 2000, WATAIN’s rise through the ranks has been an impressive one, with Erik Danielsson’s dedication and conviction setting them apart, leading the band to become one of the most prolific acts on the scene today. Of next year’s appearance, the band states:
 
"The United Kingdom has spawned many a thing inspirational to Watain, be it druidic sorcery, Venom or Judas Priest. Our performances there have always been spiced with a nameless sensation of raw power, and this is the main reason why we have chosen Bloodstock to be one of the very few festival shows we will perform next year. As always, expect something very far from the ordinary."

Famed for their incredibly atmospheric live shows, their set at BOA 2012 will be their biggest UK performance to date, and as such the band are preparing to deliver a suitably memorable set, with a show full of satanic majesty planned, as blood, fire and fierce Black Metal spew out over a dusk covered CATTON HALL.

BLOODSTOCK OPEN AIR 2012 takes place at Catton Hall August 9th – 12th. Four day camping tickets for next year’s event are available now at bloodstock.uk.com for just £90 (plus booking fee) until xmas. 
 
Tickets for the 2012 event are on sale now at www.bloodstock.uk.com

Anvil for Bloodstock 2012

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The first act confirmed for the RONNIE JAMES DIO main stage next year are legendary Canadian comeback kings ANVIL. ANVIL are true defenders of the faith, having never lost sight of their vision to create uncompromising, dyed in the wool heavy metal. They have been on a rock ‘n’ roll journey for the past 30 years and while few bands can make it to the three year mark, ANVIL have closed in on three decades of the most uncompromised and ear pleasing metal known to headbangers. 
 
Ever since the award-winning documentary “Anvil! The Story of Anvil” propelled the Canadian band from their respectable, hard-earned status as a band revered by the likes of Metallica, Motorhead and Guns N’ Roses,ANVIL founding members, vocalist/guitarist Steve “Lips” Kudlow and drummer Robb Reiner, have made sure that one thing remains constant; their dedication to their music. Their performance at BOA 2012 is bound to be a memorable one in BLOODSTOCK’s history.
 
Home-grown stoners ORANGE GOBLIN are first to be confirmed for the SOPHIE stage next year. Since the mid 90s, ORANGE GOBLIN have upheld the traditions of great British heavy rock and metal, cementing their place in rock history as pioneers alongside the likes of Monser Magnet, Kyuss, Fu Manchu and Clutch. Since their formation in the late night drinking holes of London’s Soho, the band have risen to the very pinnacle of what they do, earning a reputation as an awesome live band that has seen them share the stage all over the world with the likes of Alice Cooper, Heaven & Hell, Sex Pistols, Kreator, Queens of the Stone Age, Danzig, Monster Magnet, Nashville Pussy, Cathedral, Nebula, Unida, Alabama Thunderpussy, Dio, Grand Magus, Witchcraft and many more. Returning to BLOODSTOCK for the first time since the inaugral indoor event in 2011, anyone under the canvas of the SOPHIE tent while OG are on its stage will be helpless against the sheer power and presence of man mountain/frontman Ben Ward, and will be in for one of the weekend’s highlights.
 
BLOODSTOCK have released early bird tickets for next year’s fest at rock bottom prices. Four day camping tickets for next year’s event – which takes place 9th – 12th August next year –  are available now atbloodstock.uk.com for just £90 (plus booking fee) until xmas. 
 
BLOODSTOCK OPEN AIR 2012 takes place at Catton Hall August 9th – 12th
 
Tickets for the 2012 event are on sale now at www.bloodstock.uk.com

Bloodstock Day Splits

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The line up/day splits so far is as follows:

Thursday 11th August

SOPHIE LANCASTER STAGE
ACHREN
XERATH
REVOKER
XERATH
ACHREN
JASON ROUSE 
STEVE HUGHES 
 
Friday 12th August
  
RONNIE JAMES DIO Stage
WASP
DEVIN TOWNSEND
KREATOR
CORONER
TRIPTYKON
POISON BLACK
FORBIDDEN
WOLF
THE DEFILED
 
SOPHIE LANCASTER STAGE
LAWNMOWER DETH
OCTOBER FILE
BYFROST
ARTHEMIS
ROMEO MUST DIE
CEREBRAL BORE
IMICUS
HAMMER HORROR FANCY DRESS

NEWBLOOD STAGE
UNKNOWN FEAR 
SHREDERTRON 
INNER FIRE
ENTRO-P 
PRIMITAI
RANNOCH 
SANTURNIAN
THE FURIOUS HORDE
DECIMATION
CRYOSTORM
TRAINING ICARUS
BREZNO 
 
Saturday 13th August
  
RONNIE JAMES DIO  STAGE
IMMORTAL
RHAPSODY OF FIRE
THERION
WINTERSUN
IHSAHN
FINNTROLL
TAROT
GRAVEDIGGER
SKELETONWITCH
 
SOPHIE LANCASTER STAGE
ANGELWITCH
THE ROTTED
DEADLY CIRCUS FIRE
HAMMER OF THE GODS
DEF CON ONE
BLAKE
DRIPBACK
KEITH PLATT 
STEVE HILL   
 
NEWBLOOD STAGE
BLUD VERA
ZOMBIE MILITIA
HAERKEN 
& Loads more TBC
 
JAGERMEISTER STAGE
AVENGE THEE & NAIME
FANTASIST
GUARDIANS OF ANDROMEDA
OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE
 

Sunday 14th August
  
RONNIE JAMES DIO STAGE
MOTORHEAD
MORBID ANGEL
AT THE GATES
EXODUS
HAMMERFALL
NAPALM DEATH
PRIMORDIAL
HELL
1349
 
SOPHIE LANCASTER STAGE
CRIMINAL
AMARANTHE
POWER QUEST
SURVIVORS ZERO
HELLISH OUTCAST
NEMHAIN
STEVE HUGHES 
JASON ROUSE

NEWBLOOD STAGE
CANDID INIQUITY
TWILIGHT EMBRACE
SANGUINE
NORTHERN OAK
TALANAS
SACRED ILLUSION
And More TBC

JAGERMEISTER STAGE
AMARANTHE
OPERATION ERROR
INFERNO
PIG IRON
LAST IN LINE

Bloodstock new lineup additions + Fancy Dress theme revealed

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After a 24 year silence, NWOBHM pioneers HELL return to the world of metal with an appearance on the RONNIE JAMES DIO stage. Cited as a huge indirect influence, and as one of the true founding fathers of occult metal, the band formed in 1982 from the carcasses of UK metal bands RACE AGAINST TIME and PARALEX. Seemingly plagued by disaster, HELL were shunned by the metal press at the time, who could not get their collective heads around a band so different and ahead of their time. Add to this a bankrupt label, and the tragic suicide of singer/guitarist Dave Halliday, the world was not yet ready for HELL.
 
Returning with re-recordings of 10 classics from the 80s, and armed with legendary metal producer, guitarist Andy Sneap replacing Halliday on guitar, and David Bower on vocals, HELL’s legacy becomes reborn at CATTON HALL this summer. 
 
“We had a lot of people asking us why we weren’t playing Bloodstock” says guitarist Andy Sneap“well it seems your demands have been granted approval by the Bloodstock consulate and we are honoured to be asked to play at Catton Hall on Saturday 13th August” 

Over on the SOPHIE stage, newcomers DRIPBACK will bring their noisy mayhem to the tented arena. Featuring members of BLOODSTOCK alumni TED MAUL and underground heroes LABRAT,DRIPBACK play a fierce blend of hardcore, death and thrash metal inspired by the metal and hardcore of the mid-90s. Sounding like an angry Entombed fighting a tooled up Biohazard, this London mob were recently seen supporting Soilent Green on their tour of the UK, and have their debut release out on Siege Of Amida records next month.
 
Says guitarist G Drax:
 
“Grit your teeth and beg for mercy! Dripback are hyped to play this years Bloodstock festival – no fuckin excuses Dripback are ready to smash Bloodstock 2011!” 

With the line-up nearly complete, and just a couple of months to go, it’s time to start planning your costume for BLOODSTOCK OPEN AIR 2011’s fancy dress theme night. The Friday is always a fun night, and with what would have been Hammer Horror legend VINCENT PRICE’s 100th Birthday coming this Friday, we thought what better way to pay tribute to the gruesome guru than a Hammer Horror theme this year. 
 
We’re asking fans to come as their favourite morbid monsters, with prizes on offer for the most impressive costumes that manage to send chills down the spines of spectators despite the summer sun. From DRACULA and his brides to FRANKENSTEIN’s Monster, WEREWOLVES and all manner of creepy creatures, there are piles of possibilities, including some perfectly practical ones like theMUMMY or INVISIBLE MAN, which solves the problem of the late night hunt for bog-roll on the campsite.
 
BLOODSTOCK has long been championed for it’s Metal Karaoke – frankly the most metal fun you can have anywhere – and this year we aim to make it extra special by hosting the MONSTER MOSH. Whether it be DRACULA doing DIO, FRANKENSTEIN fronting FINNTROLL or a WEREWOLFwailing along to WOLF, a special grand prize is on offer for the most horrifically impressive karaoke performance. 
 
BLOODSTOCK OPEN AIR 2011 takes place at Catton Hall August 12th – 14th.
 
Tickets for the 2011 event are on sale now at www.bloodstock.uk.com
 
BLOODSTOCK OPEN AIR 2011     
12th – 14th AUGUST 2011
 
BAND LINE UP SO FAR:
 
Ronnie James Dio Stage
WASP – IMMORTAL – MOTORHEAD  
DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT – MORBID ANGEL – AT THE GATES – RHAPSODY OF FIRE – THERION – CORONER – KREATOR – NEVERMORE – EXODUS -TRIPTYKON – HAMMERFALL – WINTERSUN – FINNTROLL – GRAVE DIGGER – IHSAHN – NAPALM DEATH – TAROT – FORBIDDEN – WOLF – POISON BLACK – 1349 – SKELETONWITCH – THE DEFILED
 
Sophie Lancaster Stage
ANGELWITCH – CRIMINAL – LAWNMOWER DETH – ARTHEMIS – POWER QUEST – THE ROTTED – OCTOBER FILE – NEMHAIM – DEF CON ONE – SURVIVORS ZERO – BYFROST – DEADLY CIRCUS FIRE – IMICUS – HAMMER OF THE GODS – BLAKE – REVOKER – ACHREN – ROMEO MUST DIE – AMARANTHE – CEREBRAL BORE – HELLISH OUTCAST 
 
Plus loads more bands still to be announced

Bloodstock Open Air announce comedy lineup

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One of Australia’s biggest comedians, STEVE HUGHES is a perfect fit for BLOODSTOCK, having been in several metal bands himself before embarking on his comedy career. Starting at an open mic night in the mid 90s, STEVE has gone on to earn rave reviews for his performances both live and on TV, with credits including numerous appearances at Edinburgh festival, MTV, Stand Up For The Week, as well as being hand picked by Michael McIntyre on his Comedy Roadshow. He comments:
 
“As a rule, as a comedian, I usually say no to doing comedy shows at music festivals. I’ve never really enjoyed it, and as my great friend and great Canadian comic Glenn Wool once said, ‘ You never want to do comedy,when in your peripheral vision you can see Iggy pop’. But as its Bloodstock and with a line up like it is, what is a man to do but say yes and turn up with microphone in hand and jokes ready to rock. See you all there. Hail the gods of metal.”

According to Metal Hammer Magazine – who are in a perfect place to judge, being both experts on Metal and having let him host their 2009 Golden Gods Awards – Canadian JASON ROUSE is “the most Metal comedian on the planet”. Brutal, dark, twisted and hell-bent on turning the mainstream comedy world upside down, over the last decade this comedy outsider has sharpened his teeth in clubs and festivals all over the world and become the most celebrated ‘odd-ball’ in comedy today. A clever combination of devilishly crafted jokes and ‘freak-show-like’ theatrics, JASON’s stand up will pit your sense of morals against your sense of humour as this jester from hell forces you to laugh at stuff you should not find funny.
 
STEPHEN HILL is a London based stand up comedian and writer who started his career after becoming a finalist in Jimmy Carr’s Comedy Idol on his first ever stand-up gig. Since then Stephen has shared the stage with the likes of Andrew O’Neill (who performed at last year’s BOA), Russell Howard, Lenny Henry, Reginald D. Hunter and Al Murray to name a few, as well as contributing to Channel 4 Radio’s “4 Weekly News Show” alongside Frankie Boyle, Mark Dolan, Greg Davies, Katy Brand and Tony Law.  If reviews for his sell out Edinburgh comedy shows “Adolf Hitler and Mother Teresa walk into a bar…”’, “99 Problems But Your Mum Aint One” and “Creme Eggs vs Nazi Nana” are anything to go by, his explosive no holds barred performance and stage presence is bound to go down a storm at CATTON HALL this august.
 
Joining them, KEITH PLATT brings his no-nonsense stand up to BLOODSTOCK. With his flat-cap, specs and moustache, KEITH may not look like your typical BLOODSTOCK attendee, but having been the frontman of Harrogate Thrashers ACID REIGN in the 80s, more than knows his metal. A somewhat crazy Yorkshire man, KEITH is irritated at most things, leaving nothing safe as he rants and raves and lets off steam. Like a Yorkshire ‘Al Murray’ he’s got bags of energy and within his act seamlessly ad libbs, deals with heckles and comes up with topical stuff, while never breaking character, and will tickle more than a few ribs at BLOODSTOCK.
 
With headline sets from IMMORTAL, MOTORHEAD and WASP, plus an undercard boasting exclusive appearances from the likes of DEVIN TOWNSEND, MORBID ANGEL, AT THE GATES, KREATOR, EXODUS and many more,BLOODSTOCK OPEN AIR 2011 is an unmissable event for any metalhead. Add to this a fantastic comedy line up, fairground rides, dodgems and the infamous BLOODSTOCK karaoke, and a ticket price of just £105 for FOUR days of fierce festival fun – including camping – there really is no better value ticket for fans of heavy music this summer.
 
BLOODSTOCK OPEN AIR 2011 takes place at Catton Hall August 12th – 14th.
 
Tickets for the 2011 event are on sale now at www.bloodstock.uk.com 

BAND LINE UP SO FAR:
 
Ronnie James Dio Stage
WASP – IMMORTAL – MOTORHEAD  
DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT – MORBID ANGEL – AT THE GATES – RHAPSODY OF FIRE – THERION – CORONER – KREATOR – NEVERMORE – EXODUS -TRIPTYKON – HAMMERFALL – WINTERSUN – FINNTROLL – GRAVE DIGGER – IHSAHN – NAPALM DEATH – TAROT – FORBIDDEN – WOLF – POISON BLACK – 1349
 
Sophie Lancaster Stage
ANGELWITCH – CRIMINAL – LAWNMOWER DETH – ARTHEMIS – POWER QUEST – THE ROTTED – OCTOBER FILE – NEMHAIM – DEF CON ONE – SURVIVORS ZERO – BYFROST – DEADLY CIRCUS FIRE – IMICUS – HAMMER OF THE GODS – BLAKE – REVOKER – ACHREN
 
Plus loads more bands still to be announced

Motörhead and W.A.S.P to headline Bloodstock Open Air

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motorheadClosing the weekend’s proceedings, the legendary MOTÖRHEAD step up to make sure that BLOODSTÖCK 2011 ends with a suitable bang. One of the most successful bands the British rock scene has ever produced, MOTÖRHEADhave sold over 42 million albums worldwide, received the prestigious Grammy Award and sent several singles smashing into the UK Top 40 charts in their 36 years. But what they do best, as we all know, is play Rock’n’Roll, and what better place to deliver the goods than at the end of the most metal weekend in the British calendar. There is much to celebrate, as iconic frontman LEMMY warns:
 
‘Bloodstock is celebrating 11 years, Motörhead 36 years – Boys and girls, come and see, we will rock your fu**in’ ass’. See you at Bloodstock!’

Possibly the biggest band to ever grace the grounds of CATTON HALL, MOTÖRHEAD’s headline set atBLOODSTÖCK 2011 will mark a standout moment in the festivals history, and with the promise of heavy hits like “Bomber”, “Overkill”, “Killed By Death” and “Ace Of Spades”, the loudest so far.
 
Multi-million selling metal legends W.A.S.P have the honours of winding down Friday’s festivities, at their only UK festival of 2011. Led by the infamous BLACKIE LAWLESS, W.A.S.P have been alarming the more conservative members of decent society for nearly three decades now. Like last year’s headliners Twisted Sister, W.A.S.P enjoyed the kind of notoriety that only a mob of politically active angry parents could provide, after being targeted by Tipper Gore’s PMRC who hurled ridiculous and misinformed accusations, apparently worried that heavy metal was going to ruin civilisation. 25 years later, the band can expect a much warmer reception at Catton Hall. With a catalogue of kick-ass classics such as “I Wanna Be Somebody”, “Wild Child” and “L.O.V.E Machine” to sing along to, W.A.S.P’s headline set at this year’s BLOODSTOCK OPEN AIR is bound to be a summer festival highlight.BLACKIE LAWLESS comments:
 
“W.A.S.P. swarm down on England, August 2011 – bringing – bloodbath – bloodrock – BLOODSTOCK” !!!
 
As well as the two fantastic headliners, BLOODSTOCK can also reveal a further five acts to solidify a mightily impressive undercard. Returning to BLOODSTOCK, Swedish heavy metal masters HAMMERFALL make an exclusive appearance on the RONNIE JAMES DIO stage. These seasoned musicians have become one of the leading and most successful metal acts of our time, flying the flag for true metal at a time when nobody cared about classic metal and baggy jeans were all the rage. With the same like minded spirit as BLOODSTOCK, HAMMERFALL deserve credit for keeping the heavy metal genre alive despite what fashions and trends dictate. Throw your horns and bang your head as the Steel-hearted Swedes deliver metallic anthems such as “By Any Means Necessary”, “Templars Of Steel” “Hearts On Fire” and “Renegade” at their only UK festival appearance this summer.
 
Joining them on the RJD stage will be Finnish gothic metallers POISONBLACK. Fronted by Ville Laihiala, formerly of suicidal metalheads Sentenced, POISONBLACK spread sonic poison and infect the masses with highly addictive dark rock hymns. Intense yet catchy, their ability to rock hard while still keeping a sombre mood showcases just how unique a band they are, and with gloomy tunes such as “Rush”, “Bear The Cross” and “My Sun Shines Black” under their sleeve, POISONBLACK are bound to go down a storm at their BLOODSTOCK debut.
 
On the SOPHIE stage, additions come in the form of Blackened thrashers BYFROST, freaky prog-metallers DEADLY CIRCUS FIRE, and, from the ashes of legendary black metallers Venom, new project PRIMEVIL.

Tickets for the 2011 event are on sale now at www.bloodstock.uk.com