Download Festival - Page 7 of 9 - Summer Festival Guide

Bowling for Soup, Bad Religion and more for Download Festival 2014

November 18, 2018January 13, 2014 by Summer Festival Guide

The Summer Festival Guide 2014 is excited to reveal the next additions to the Download Festival lineup including Bowling for Soup, Black Label Society, Opeth, Bad Religion and more!

Leading the armada are pop-punk legends Bowling for Soup, who have chosen to celebrate their 20^th birthday at Donington, wisely putting faith in Europe’s biggest Rock Festival to bring the party.

Lead singer Jaret Reddick said: We are really stoked to be coming back to Download this year…first and foremost, our little band turns 20 this June, so what better way to celebrate! Music, beer and Portaloos! Also, it's a great opportunity to show our amazing UK fans that, although we don't have plans to tour any time soon, they will still get to see our pretty faces once in a while. Can. Not. Wait!

Celebratory Birthday circle pit, anyone…?

Elsewhere on site, two of this year’s most massively anticipated spring album releases will be followed with huge live performances; Black Label Society, led by notorious shredder Zakk Wylde, and Swedish prog-metal mad scientists Opeth will both bring never-before-seen sets to Download 2014, making the crowds at Donington amongst the first to experience the new material in the flesh.

Forming the L.A. regiment of today’s new Download battalion are Celtic-punk seven piece Flogging Molly and Download Festival virgins Bad Religion – making their Donington debut 35 years after they first started their melodic punk crusade against tyranny and hypocrisy.

Lead singer Greg Graffin was keen to acknowledge the UK, and in particular Donington’s place in music history: Our UK fans are among the most dedicated and appreciative audiences the world over. We consider every trip to the UK a special treat, and the tradition of Donington will make this appearance all the more special. Bad Religion is steeped in tradition, so we greatly look forward to it!

Also joining them will be PHA and the Illegals, the latest project from Pantera and Down Frontman, Phil Anselmo.

Powerman 5000 are another act who will receive their Download Festival baptism in 2014, with lead frontman Spider One joining big bro Rob Zombie at the coalface of Donington’s grizzly industrial underworld.

There will be less pond-crossing and more M1-gridlock-negotiating for the return of home grown Metalcore 5-piece Bury Tomorrow this June, in a set that will feature the likes of massive new single, Watcher and more great tracks yet to be revealed from impending album Runes, which lands on May 26^th.

Vocalist Dani Winter-Bates commented: We're absolutely stoked to be invited back to play Download Festival. It was one of the staple points of last year for Bury Tomorrow! So we can't wait to get back to Donington and smash it!

The BossHoss, who have been purging pop songs of their innocence and churning out badass Country Trash Punk Rock for the past decade will also appear at Download 2014. Sascha Vollmer aka Hoss Power from The BossHoss said: We had a blast playing at Download in 2011 and the energy there totally blew our minds! We can always rely on a kick-ass party at our UK shows, so we're more than ready to come back and have another good old riot with you crazy bunch of rock and roll maniacs!

More? Ok, well listen up – today’s announcement also confirms another handful of awesome appearances from classic North American metal caballeros Skid Row, Tesla and Danger Danger as well as Jill Janus’ thrash-influenced Huntress, filthy blues-rockers The Graveltones and newcomers Anti-Mortem.

Huntress-in-chief, Jill Janus said: Huntress is honoured to play Download Festival again! We had a killer show last year, and will bring the fury to UK music fanatics once more.
Spread it, shred it, behead it!

Larado Romano of Anti-Mortem said of the announcement: Anti-Mortem is extremely excited and beyond ready to play Download this year, it will be the biggest festival we've played to date and our first as a group in the U.K. Watch out UK, we'll be kicking ass Oklahoma style and our rage is American made!

On his latest recruits, Download promoter Andy Copping said: This is shaping up to be the most diverse Download yet – a real tableau of the past, present and future of rock and metal. You can see that in our headliners; Aerosmith, Linkin Park andAvenged Sevenfold, and in today’s announcement where we combine such renowned acts as Bowling for Soup and Opeth withnewer acts like Bury Tomorrow.

The Offspring, Status Quo, Steel Panther and more for Download 2014

November 18, 2018November 26, 2013 by Summer Festival Guide

Download Festival’s 12^th year is shaping up to be one of its best as the 2014 line up for Europe’s biggest rock festival continues to swarm over every inch of the rock, metal, punk and alternative music landscape like a zombie crusade.

Pop Punk royalty The Offspring will be returning to Download after a long absence from the festival, having appeared just once before in 2008.

Guitarist Noodles commented: It's been six years since we first played Download and we can't wait to return and rip it up. Stoked!

Rock legends Status Quo, who released their 100^th single in 2013, make their Download Festival debut after over 50 years of producing some of the biggest guitar anthems in history and will be performing a purely greatest hits set.

On the prospect of returning to Donington, frontman Francis Rossi said: When Status Quo once again take to the Donington stage, it will have been 32 years since we headlined the Monsters of Rock Festival on August 21^st 1982. That year saw the Falklands War, the launch of the Commodore 64, Aston Villa winning the European Cup and the raising of the Mary Rose. You might say a lot has changed since then but we are still rocking, and still playing the Quo hits. See you there.

The Quo will be joined by Metal titans Trivium who return to Donington for a very special performance of the set they played at their legendary first Download Main Stage appearance in 2005.

Bassist Paolo Gregoletto said: We are thrilled to be returning to Download for our 5th time. In honour of both the festival and fans that embraced Trivium first, we have decided to play our 2005 set list from start to finish, preceded by a set of some our other festival favourite tunes. However, to make it all the more unique, we will be playing this "one time only" set on the Red Bull Stage, the most intimate and intense setting possible for revisiting this special moment in time. We have had some of our best experiences as a band on the hallowed grounds of Donington, and this is shaping up to be one of our most exciting ones yet! Do not miss it!

Swedish metallers In Flames will also be joining the bill. Speaking on their return to the Home of Rock, frontman Anders Friden, added:

It has been a while since we last played the UK, so we are all excited and looking forward to coming back to play at Download Festival 2014.

Covering the classic metal end of the spectrum will be Steel Panther. A firm fan favourite, the spandex-clad, Sunset Strip rockers will be storming the sacred Donington stage for a fourth time.

Drummer Stix Zadinia said: Fish and chips. Tea and biscuits. Monty and Pythons. Steel Panther and Download Festival. These are four examples of how nature has been able to strike the perfect balance of harmony and elegance between two glorious and powerful things. We are so excited to come back and play Download Festival 2014. This was the place where we were truly introduced to the UK and it always feels like a homecoming to us. We in Steel Panther, are going to attempt to rock you so hard, that it will take you approximately one whole year to recover, only to muster enough energy to come back to DL2015 the following year to try to handle the power again! Roll on June!

Also joining the bill are melodic death metallers The Black Dahlia Murder, Sheffield’s finest While She Sleeps, Arizona’s Blessthefall, Japanese electro metalcore outfit Crossfaith, Californian soul punks Letlive, Metalcore giants Miss May I and, of course, after the phenomenal demand of #whynotdyingfetus Dying Fetus .

All of these huge bands will join headliners Aerosmith, Avenged Sevenfold and Linkin Park – playing their celebrated debut album Hybrid Theory in full – as well as special guests Alter Bridge, Rob Zombie and Fall Out Boy – all of whom were announced earlier this month.

Also check out Download’s latest viral campaign, Download Family Album. This crowd sourced photography collection will allow members of the scariest non-Addams family on the planet to share awesome rock iconography and Download memories over Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The Download team will use a tailored #Hashtag to set a new project every week, with themes including Thrash Tats, Air Guitar Antics, Rock Kids and Main Stage Mayhem, so get involved and get snapping!

Avenged Sevenfold, Linkin Park and Aerosmith to headline Download Festival 2014

November 18, 2018November 6, 2013 by Summer Festival Guide

Avenged Sevenfold, one of the mightiest forces in modern rock, have been announced as the first headliner for Download 2014. Friday 13th June 2014 will mark a momentous occasion in the history of Avenged Sevenfold as they continue their tradition of spectacular Download performances, by becoming headliners for the very first time, not just at Download, but at any UK festival.

Saturday night at this year’s festival will be headlined by the Grammy Award winning Linkin Park, who will be playing their multi-platinum debut album ‘HYBRID THEORY’ in its entirety as part of their set.

The legendary Aerosmith will be closing the festival in 2014, when they headline on Sunday 15th June. Joining them on the main stage as main support will be hard rockers, Alter Bridge.

Aerosmith are one rock’s most infamous and revered bands. Fronted by the iconic partnership of frontman Steven Tyler and guitarist Joe Perry, their generation spanning career has seen them sell in excess of 150 million records, making them the best selling American rock band in history. Despite having been a band for over 40 years, their incredible, ever expanding collection of hits continues to appeal to hoards of fans both old and new. Their headline performance at Download 2014 will be their first on UK soil since 2010, speaking on their return to Donington Park, Joe Perry said

“It’s been too long since we've been to England and we're sincerely f**ing charged to be coming back! See you there"

Joining Aerosmith in ending what is already set to be an incredible weekend, will be the heavy riffing, arena conquering Alter Bridge. The band released their 4th studio album, ‘Fortress’ earlier this year to huge critical acclaim. It’s been the band’s highest charting album in the UK, hitting the #1 spot on the rock charts and saw them sell out arenas across the country on their recent UK tour.

DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL: One week to go! New acts announced

June 10, 2020June 7, 2013 by Anna Hyams

With ONLY ONE WEEK TO GO, Download Festival announces a further 10 bands for the weekend as well of details of its on site activities and the return of the mighty Download FM powered by TeamRock. There’s still chance to get your ticket for the biggest weekend in the rock and metal calendar, visit www.downloadfestival.co.uk now for more information.

Joining the lineup are I Am I, fronted by former Dragonforce singer ZP Theart, Welsh rockers Falling With Style, three-piece Press To Meco, Leicester locals Surrender The Coast, Essex rockers Searching Alaska, Southampton group Forever Can Wait, Blackburn band Sky Valley Mistress, Scottish rockers Semper Fi and Akord, and energetic four piece rock/punk band New Killer Shoes.

This year’s Download Village entertainment is set to be bigger and better than ever as the Doghouse returns with its club night hosted by Revolution, Liverpool’s biggest rock night. Revolution’s Doghouse Residency is three nights of crazy, debauched and wild theme parties with a different theme each night. Revolution DJs will be slamming a mix of metal, punk and hardcore into the early hours Friday-Sunday, joined by some very special guests. Themes include Hawaiian Beach Party, Pirates of The Doghouse Party and the Download Zombie Apocalypse Party. Further information can be found at facebook.com/revolutionrocksliverpool.

The comedy tent also returns on Wednesday 12 and Thursday 13 June, with the Silent Arena taking over the tent for weekend activities from Friday 14-16 June. If villagers aren’t too busy buying some vintage merch or limited edition t-shirts, they can snuggle up at the Download Cinema, located in a Village corner.

For the first time Download Festival will this year have a zip line in the arena. Festival goers can zip across the sky taking in an adrenalin filled aerial view of the Donignton site. The first 12 people in the queue each day will receive a discounted price of £10 instead of the usual £15.

Download Festival are also excited to announce the return of the ever rocking Download Radio powered by TeamRock, broadcasting on 87.7FM across the Donington site, and online at www.DownloadFM.co.uk. Requests can be made via twitter @DOWNLOADFM & by email to [email protected].

TeamRock Radio will launch at Download Festival on Sunday 16 June at the unconventional time of 11.58pm, with Iron Maiden’s iconic song from the band’s fifth album, ‘2 Minutes to Midnight’ reinforcing its very different approach to broadcasting. Once the festival ends, TeamRock Radio will be born and directly after spinning the Iron Maiden classic to open the station they will broadcast The Best Of Download 2013, a retrospective show that tells the story of their years festival from the moment the gates open until the final act play their last chord.

Vodafone VIP is once again giving all our UK customers unrivalled experiences at some of Britain’s best festivals this summer, along with other great events. The Vodafone VIP Recharge Truck will return to Download Festival in 2013, helping customers ensure their mobile phone is charged throughout the festival weekend. Customers can also enjoy an unrivalled view of all the performances on the main stage by visiting the Vodafone VIP Viewing Platform. Also, don’t forget to download the official 2013 Download Festival app – powered by Vodafone.

Pepsi Max is proud to be the Official Cola partner of Download. Follow them on Twitter @PepsiMaxUK to find out about the Pepsi MAX stage and how they’ll be Maxing your festival experience. #maxmusic

The Red Bull Studios Live stage focuses on showcasing new and emerging talent. Eight unsigned bands also join the diverse line-up having earned their spot through the Red Bull Studios Live stage at Download opportunity.

Zippo are also ready to rock Download for a 3^rd year. Head over to the Zippo Encore Area for competitions like the hugely popular ‘Zippo Custom’ that allows you to design your own Zippo lighter, side-of-stage tickets up for grabs, face painting and lots more. You will also be able to purchase Zippo lighters, including the cool Download limited edition, perfect to hold up high during your favourite performances to create the ultimate Zippo Encore moment with your mates.

Jägermeister is bringing its brand new ‘Deep Freeze’ interactive bar experience to Download this summer. This unique activation is 50 square metres and boasts a 10 metre bar, maze, interactive photo wall, VIP area, free Wi-Fi and an incredible ‘Ice Bar’ which is chilled down to -10°C. The Jägermeister stage will also feature as the acoustic stage at Download.

A limited amount of tickets are still available for Download 2013. Visit www.downloadfestival.co.uk now to purchase yours.

FINAL BANDS ANNOUNCED TO PLAY THE RED BULL STUDIOS LIVE AT DOWNLOAD

November 18, 2018May 29, 2013 by Anna Hyams

On Friday 25 May eight young bands from all over the country gained a once in a lifetime chance to play live at Download festival this June with the Red Bull Studios live at Download opportunity. Six bands with the highest online votes from the public were picked, whilst two were chosen by the judges as wildcards. Searching Alaska from Essex, Akord from Grampian, Semperfi from Aberdeen, Surrender The Coast from Leicester and Forever Can Wait from Ponypridd were all chosen by public vote. Press To Meco from Horsham/Croydon and Sky Valley Mistress from Manchester/Lancashire were added to the Download bill by the judges.

The judges were Kerrang Radio presenter Katie P, Rock Sound magazine editor Ben Patashnik, Red Bull Records label manager and music industry aficionado Angie Somerside, plus hyped rock band and Download Festival veterans Don Broco.

A huge 700 bands entered in total. The public then voted and 100 of these went through to the judging panel who handpicked 15 they felt showed most potential. Those 15 undertook a professional studio experience in London at Red Bull Studios which included expert mentoring, professional photos and recording a live track in the state-of-the-art studio. Short films of each of the bands performances were put online and the public voted for six of the final eight.

The final eight bands will play the Red Bull Studios stages at Download festival 14-16th June, to crowds of thousands.

Thunder, Devin Townsend and more added to Download Festival

November 18, 2018April 29, 2013 by Summer Festival Guide

Download Festival continues to score out of the park with the announcement that a further 25 acts have been added to this year’s line up, including Thunder, Kvelertak, Devin Townsend and We Are The Ocean.

Headlined by Slipknot, Iron Maiden and Rammstein, Download Festival takes place 14-16 June 2013 in Donington Park. Weekend and day tickets are available at www.downloadfestival.co.uk.

Having last played Download as one of festival promoter Andy Copping’s ‘secret acts’ in 2009, classic rock favourites Thunder will be returning to Donington soil on the Saturday – hopefully guitarist/singer Luke Morley will have recovered from riding 161 miles on a pedal bike from London to Donington as part of the “Heavy Metal Truants” charity bike ride organized by Iron Maiden manager Rod Smallwood! For more information about Heavy Metal Truants go to www.heavymetaltruants.com.

Following their Download debut in 2011, hardcore Norwegian punkers Kvelertak will be back with a vengeance to perform tracks from their new album Meir. The inimitable Devin Townsend will also be back at Download, this time taking it down a notch to perform on the acoustic Jagermeister stage. Also confirmed for this year’s Download with a wealth of new material to please the crowds at the Jagermeister stage will be Essex four-piece We Are The Ocean.

No stranger to Download, London’s Zico Chain are confirmed for the Friday, fresh of the back of their support slot on Steve Harris’ solo tour. Hot new metal act Blood Command – another Norwegian export – will be looking forward to showcasing their live act this year. Blending stoner metal and garage rock, Black Moth are confirmed for the Saturday, as are hard riffers The Wild Lies.

New London punk band The Howling are confirmed, alongside local Birmingham pop-punkers Page 44 and the fierce Wounds.

The acoustic Jagermeister Stage at Download is a great chance to catch up and coming rock acts as well as stripped down performances from acts from the other stages over the weekend. In addition to Devin Townsend and We Are The Ocean, the Jagermeister stage will see the following acts: Hear Kitty Kitty, Toseland, Rob Lynch, Acoustic TV, Straight Lines, Fahran, The Killing Floor, The Afterparty, Pig Iron, Night x Night, Crash Mansion, The Graveltones, Arthemis and Avosetta, alongside acoustic performances from Walking Papers, Buffalo Summer, Crowns, Heaven’s Basement, Skin and Red White & Blues.

Black Stone Cherry, CHTHONIC and more added to Download 2013 lineup

November 18, 2018March 25, 2013 by Summer Festival Guide

Headlined by Slipknot, Iron Maiden and Rammstein, Download Festival takes place on 14-16 June 2013 at Donington Park. Day tickets are on sale from 9am on Thursday 28 March and are available at www.downloadfestival.co.uk. Weekend tickets are available now and selling quick!

Back for their fourth epic appearance at Download Festival are American rockers Black Stone Cherry with some loud, hard, in-your-face rock music. The band’s 2011 set left crowds gasping for more with a relentless onslaught of big guitar riffs at maximum volume. Taiwanese group CHTHONIC & The Oriental Orchestra and Norway’s legendary Satyricon will treat fans to some pure unadulterated black metal, while bestowing utter mayhem and full scale metal force at Donington are DragonForce. Ghost are also confirmed for 2013 having just completed a successful UK tour culminating in a sold out Brixton Academy in London.

American rockers Masters Of Reality join the bill performing tracks spanning their six studio albums, and ready to ‘Stand Up For Rock N Roll’ are US group Red White & Blues. Fearless Vampire Killers will tear it up with some theatrical alt-rock, punk rock band of the moment Fidlar will bring their Californian jams to UK shores, and Brit hardcore group Palm Reader are getting ready to churn up the Donington mosh pit.

Californian‘70s-style blues rockers Rival Sons are also confirmed, they joined Black Stone Cherry on their UK tour last year playing to packed out crowds across the country. American rockers Little Caesar are confirmed for some ballsy rock music, and the new supergroup Krokodil featuring members of Sikth, Johnny Truant, Cry for Silence, Gallows and Hexes will make their first Download appearance as a band.

Pop-punk piece Patent Pending are also added to the bill fresh from their tour with Bowling For Soup. Brit metal heads Idiom also join the bill, fresh from touring with Skindred, and last but by no means least are UK rockers Voodoo Six and Hammer Of The Gods.

49 more bands added to Download Festival lineup

November 18, 2018February 18, 2013 by Summer Festival Guide

Taking on the world, this year’s lineup continues to bring the best international rock acts from every corner of the globe to one festival site. Confirmed for their fourth appearance at Download Festival are US rockers Papa Roach. 2013 marks the band’s 20^th anniversary and they will celebrate by bringing hits like ‘Last Resort’, ‘Scars’, ‘She Loves Me Not’, and ‘Getting Away With Murder’ to a sea of mosh in Donington Park.

Joining Papa Roach are London metallers Rise To Remain, New York gypsy punk band Gogol Bordello, Californian alt-rockers Lit, US post-hardcore band Escape The Fate and fresh from their tour with Lower Than Atlantis, UK rockers Blitz Kids.

Buckcherry are welcomed back to Download Festival for a third time while Uriah Heep, regarded as one of the seminal rock acts of the early seventies, will make their Download Festival debut. Multi-million selling Grammy nominated nu metallers P.O.D join the bill, and following the release of their four-song EP earlier this year, titled Metal, Newsted, fronted by Metallica’s long-serving former bassist Jason Newsted, are ready to rock in Donington.

It’s a battle of Scandinavia’s finest and Europe are sure to ‘Rock The Night’, joined by Swedish metallers Katatonia and hard rock band Graveyard. From across the way, Finnish Viking metallers Turisas are also confirmed.

Ready to thrash out some serious heavy metal are Japan’s Dir En Grey. Jetting in fresh from the US are bloodthirsty death metallers Nekrogoblikon, After The Burial, The Ghost Inside, Blacklist Royals and stoner rockers Red Fang. Aussie rockers Karnivool and Naked Flame are also announced, and bringing a taste of fierce French heavy metal are The Algorithm.

Closer to home, Brit rockers Skin and Sacred Mother Tongue will take Download by the horns, joined by Brit metalcore groups Bury Tomorrow and Architects. Fresh from touring with Cancer Bats, Brutality Will Prevail and Reading prog-metal group Empress are also both confirmed.

Continuing to rock out for the regions are Cornish folk punk group Crowns, Midlands heavy rockers Emperor Chung, Manchester 5-piece Sonic Boom Six, Scotland’s States of Panic and Bleed From Within, Brighton rockers Verses, UK alt-pop band Hill Valley High and Cardiff’s Astroid Boys. Tipped as one of the hottest breakthrough artists of this year are Exeter’s I Divide, joined by fellow Exeter rockers Rat Attack and Londoners Mordecai, Modestep and Hang The Bastard.

Last but certainly not least are UK heavyweight groove metal quintet Heart Of A Coward, York’s Glamour of the Kill, Coventry rockers Silent Screams and Birmingham’s Cytota. Rockers The First and Broken also join the bill, and providing some gloriously twisted rock & roll Cambridge style are Uncle Acid and the Dead Beats.

Download Festival boasts some of the best onsite facilities to ensure that weekend ticket holders have the most enjoyable experience. The festival is currently in the process of being awarded with a “Provider” mark from CredAbility in recognition of its disabled access systems and amenities. Download’s Access Team are continuing their work with local Derby based firm, CredAbility, to strive towards the Verified Accessible award which will be awarded to them after the event. For further information visit http://credability.uk.com/.

Queens of the Stone Age and more announced for Download Festival 2013

June 9, 2020November 6, 2012 by Summer Festival Guide

Organisers are pleased to announce that Queens of the Stone Age are confirmed to make their Download Festival debut, marking the band’s first UK date to be announced for 2013. 30 Seconds to Mars are back for the third time to treat audiences to hits such as ‘Kings and Queens’, ‘This Is War’, ‘Closer To The Edge’ and ‘The Kill (Bury Me)’, and Gaslight Anthem, who played in 2011 and recently sold out Brixton Academy establishing themselves as one of the foremost contemporary rock bands, are also confirmed.

Returning to thrash out for the fourth time at Download Festival are Motorhead. In 2010 Lemmy and the gang were joined on stage by Slash creating a mosh of thousands to punk-fused metal classics ‘Stay Clean’, ‘Killed By Death’, ‘Overkill’ and ‘Ace of Spades’. Finnish rockers HIM are also confirmed playing hits spanning their 20 year career. The band have just released celebratory compilation Two Decades of Love Metal which includes all of their greatest hits and brand new track ‘Strange World’. Seattle alt-rockers Alice in Chains will be performing for the second time in Donington Park, while US rockers A Day To Remember will make their third appearance.

Weekend tickets with camping are on sale now at www.downloadfestival.co.uk. Download RIP ticket packages can be purchased via www.livenationexperience.co.uk or by phoning 0207 009 3484.

Tickets for Download Festival Weekend Arena and 5 nightcamping can now be purchased using a new Deposit Ticket Scheme, which allows eligible customers to pay for tickets over three installments. DTS is available to customers who purchase tickets before Monday 31 December 2012. For further information visitwww.downloadfestival.co.uk.

Download celebrated its 10^th anniversary this year with a sell out event headlined by The Prodigy, Metallica and Black Sabbath.

Slipknot confirmed as third headliner for Download 2013

November 18, 2018September 27, 2012 by Summer Festival Guide

They join fellow headliners Iron Maiden on Saturday 15 June and Rammstein on Sunday 16 June. Weekend tickets go on sale this Friday at 9am and are available at www.downloadfestival.co.uk.

Slipknot’s Clown said, ‘”We are extremely honored to have been asked once again to headline the Download Festival. This most definitely will be an experience not to be missed. Every time we've played Download we have created memories. Its always good to have the church of the Knot, the alter of the Knot, giving the sermon of the Knot to the congregation of the Knot, the culture of the Knot. This summer cannot come soon enough. Partake in the imagination or don’t bitch.”

Slipknot are a cultural force to whom rock fans need no introduction. A band from Des Moines, Iowa, U.S.A, Slipknot have evolved into something not unlike the alchemists, spiritualists and magicians of yore – the men in Slipknot tap into something primal, instinctual and combustible with each performance, and every album. The band has notched 11 Platinum albums and 38 Gold albums around the world, but these mainstream mile-markers aside, the engine of Slipknot is the power they derive from their live performance, the fertile ground of their fans and their shared, collective subculture. Slipknot is devoid of compromise. They offer no quarter. Take it or leave it.

Slipknot thrives in combustible circumstances, where impassioned performances filled with blood, sweat and fire are raw displays of esoteric wonder with a clear-cut, savagely creative command of expression. Multiple percussive instruments, electronic landscapes and near-apocalypticproportions of stage production bring forth songs like “Psychosocial,” “Duality”, “Wait and Bleed,” “Spit it Out,” “Before I Forget”, “Snuff”, “Sulfur,” and “People = S**t”. All modern classics, and anthems for a disenfranchised generation, full of depth, meaning and hidden blueprints for positivity within a framework built from anger, depression, rage, sadness and darkness. Slipknot embodies the full scope of the human experience, spit out and handed over to the crowd. Always imitated, never duplicated.

Andy Copping, VP of Promotions at Live Nation commented: “Slipknot’s last appearance at Download has gone down in the festival’s history as one of the best ever headline sets. God knows what they’ll have in store for 2013 but I’m looking forward to seeing how they’ll top the last one.”