Bloodstock Open Air

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