DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES NEXT ACTS FOR 2018

Download Festival, the world’s premier rock event, has announced some of the biggest rock acts in the world including Marilyn Manson, Parkway Drive, Rise Against, BODY COUNT ft. ICE T and more. The three-day festival takes place 8-10 June 2018 at the spiritual home of rock in Donington Park, Leicestershire. Tickets are on sale now at downloadfestival.co.uk/tickets.

Download is proud to welcome back the Antichrist Superstar himself Marilyn Manson, fresh off the release of critically acclaimed new album Heaven Upside Down. The goth rock veteran is more energised than ever and set to bring his renowned live show to Donington next year.

Since 2003 Aussie rock titans Parkway Drive have gone from strength-to-strength, pushing boundaries with their epic live performances. Having ascended to the forefront of modern metal with their latest critically acclaimed album Ire, their ferocious crushing breakdowns and stadium-sized choruses have them high on people’s lists for future headliner contenders.

 

Parkway Drive said:

“Parkway Drive are super stoked to be returning to Download for 2018. It's always a highlight for us to play Download and this time around we're aiming to top it all. We can't wait!”

British modern metal institution Bullet for My Valentine have also been confirmed to perform at Download Festival next year. The Welsh powerhouse have conquered the heights of Wembley Arena along with fellow UK torchbearers Asking Alexandria who will be taking to the stage with a hero’s return of their original infamous vocalist Danny Worsnop.

 

Matt Tuck of Bullet For My Valentine said:

“We're so excited to be playing next year's Download Festival!! It's been 5 long years now since we last performed at Donington Park, so we're more than ready to get back on that legendary stage and do what we do best. See you there!”

 

Ben Bruce of Asking Alexandria said:

“We have been waiting for half a decade to say this again, “DOWNLOAD WE ARE COMING FOR YA!”. Download festival is hands down one of the most exciting festivals in the world to play and so we have decided to bring our biggest show to date over with us. We cannot wait to see you all there. In the words of this year’s legendary headliner, Mama I’m coming home”

Pivotal punk rock heroes Rise Against will have fists thrown in the air, with their ferocious socio-political rock. Expect a high energy, kinetic performance from one of the world’s biggest authentic punk bands, who’ve proved their lasting worth to the genre. Joining the line up are LA Glam Rockers Black Veil Brides, Swedish extreme tech-metal trail blazers Meshuggah, and post hardcore legends Alexisonfire whose performance will be a long-awaited return to Download Festival.

Mind-blowing “metal phenomenon on a mission” BABYMETAL are confirmed to make their second official Download performance. This UK exclusive appearance will see the return of their thunderous metal, mixed with infectious J-pop that’s taken the world by storm. With figurehead Ice T at the helm, Body Count’s mix of harsh political messages and powerful hard-core sensibilities have made the rap metal icons unmissable, as well as In This Moment who are led by the entrancing Maria Brink and ready to bring a gothic, industrial, metal spectacle to make Download proud.

 

BABYMETAL said:

We are so happy to announce that we will be playing at Download UK!! We were last there in 2016 and it is an absolute honour to be returning to this prestigious festival next year. Can’t wait to go back and see everyone there!”

 

Purveyors of garage-punk noise The Hives are confirmed, with frontman Howlin' Pelle Almqvist guaranteed to leave no stone unturned with a set of frantic non-stop rock n’ roll. Making their Download Festival debut are pop punks scousers WSTR who have propelled themselves throughout the last year, as well as emo pop favourites Mayday Parade who are hot off the back of a successful ten-year anniversary tour.

Selling out Brixton Academy and making massive waves as the break out luminaries of UK pop-punk, Wrexham five-piece Neck Deep are returning to Download Festival along with Seattle’s The Pink Slips with their fusion of “synth-pop, punk, dance and vintage rock ‘n’ roll”, fronted by the ferocious GRAVE, daughter of Guns N’ Roses’ Duff McKagan. Last but no means least are rising stars Dream State with their no-nonsense, melodic emo rock which has earned them their debut Download appearance.

Download Festival is the home of rock music and takes place on the sacred grounds of Donington Park, which have been associated with rock since the eighties. The festival attracts icons of rock to its main stage, plus some of the best and hottest new acts in the world. AC/DC, KISS, Metallica, Black Sabbath, The Prodigy, Rage Against The Machine, Slipknot, Linkin Park and many more have all headlined its main stage.

 

Def Leppard announced as 2nd headliner for HellFest

This event will be DEF LEPPARD’s first concert in France for almost seventeen years (The band’s previous live appearance in this country dated from October 20th 1996 in Paris)!!!

Def Leppard

With more than 100 million albums sold worldwide and two prestigious Diamond Awards (Def Leppard are one of only five rock bands to have two consecutive 10 million plus selling albums in the U.S. The others are The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and Van Halen.) to their credit, Def Leppard – Joe Elliott (vocals), Phil Collen (guitar), Rick "Sav" Savage (bass), Vivian Campbell (guitar) and Rick Allen (drums)— continue to be one of the most important forces in rock music. Over the course of their career, the band has produced a series of classic groundbreaking albums that set the bar for generations of music fans and artists alike. The group’s spectacular live shows, filled with powerful melodic rock anthems, continue to sell out venues worldwide.

HELLFEST are pleased to announce a further 72 acts to their already stellar line up across 6 stages over 3 days from June 21st-23rd 2013 in Clisson, France.

British luminaries WHITESNAKE make an excellent addition to Friday’s mainstage line up, and the British invasion continues with the addition of ASKING ALEXANDRIA who recently sold out their entire UK tour including London’s prestigious Brixton Academy.

Legendary Swedish rock outfit EUROPE will also join the main stage line up on Friday and following their comeback album ‘Carved Into Stone’ in 2012, 90’s thrash metallers PRONG make a welcome addition to Sundays line up. 

To mark their 25th anniversary DANZIG will also appear as part of the main stage line up and he'll be bringing special guest & former Misfits band mate Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein. This will be the first time ever that Danzig and Doyle will have performed together live on European soil. Joining the punk parade will also be UK veterans THE TOY DOLLS & BUZZCOCKS showing us that they can still whip up a storm after over 30 years in the business.

Following the release of their third studio album ‘Band Of Brothers’ last year, hard rock super group HELLYEAH return to the mainland to lay to waste their brutal concoction of foot stomping, fist pumping rock and roll.

 Swedish hype machine GHOST and American thrashers BLACK BREATH both whipped up a storm in 2012 and Hellfest are proud to add them to their ever growing line up of exciting acts.

Further acts announced for the line up are
 

7 WEEKS – A DAY TO REMEMBER – AGNOSTIC FRONT -ATTENTAT ROCK –AUDREY HORNE – BANE – BELPHEGOR – BERRI TXARRAK – BLACK COBRA– BLACK PYRAMID – BURY YOUR DEAD – CASUALTIES – COCKNEY REJECTS – CULT OF LUNA – DEEZ NUTS – DR LIVING DEAD – ERYN NON DAE – FINNTROLL –GALLOWS – GRAVEYARD – HEATHEN – HELL MILITIA – HIGH ON FIRE – HYPOCRISY – JUSTINE – KISSIN DYNAMITE – KOLDBRANN – KROKUS – LE BAL DES ENRAGES – LORDI – MANILLA ROAD – MASTER OF REALITY –MISANTHROPE – MISERY INDEX – MONSTROSITY – MOONSPELL – MORBID ANGEL – NOFX – PALLBEARER – PIG DESTROYER – P.O.D – PROCESSION –RETOX – RIVERSIDE – SETH – SIX FEET UNDER – SLEEP – STILLE VOLK – SURTR– SWANS – SYMPHONY X – T.A.N.K. – THE ARRS– THE DECLINE – THE GREAT OLD ONES – THE OLD DEAD TREE – THE SECRET– TREPONEM PAL – VEKTOR – VERA CRUZ – VOIVOD – WALTARI  
 
The two outdoor platforms, Mainstage 1 and Mainstage 2 sit side by side on the festival site and will host a total of 17 bands per day. Alongside the mainstages there is the magnificent double stage tent which houses ‘The Altar’ and ‘The Temple’. Both have their specialties with ‘The Altar’ showcasing predominantly Death Metal and Grindcore, and ‘The Temple’ featuring Black and Pagan Metal. Between them will present 18 acts per day.

The fifth stage holds the title "The Valley" and will play host to a collection of Stoner, Doom, Sludge, Psychedelic and other Alternative Metal acts. Last but not least, the sixth and final stage ‘The Warzone’ will be dedicated to Punk, Hardcore, Electro and Industrial Metal.

If the excellent array of acts Hellfest have already announced was not enough for you, at the entrance of the campsite you can find the Metal Corner, where festivities begin from Thursday 20th June at 5pm and will continue late into the evening of each of the festivals days.