Bloodstock

BLOODSTOCK REVEALS BANDS, CLUB NIGHTS, & PLANS WITH SOPHIE LANCASTER FOUNDATION & DERBYSHIRE LGBT+

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BLOODSTOCK can’t wait to welcome you to the UK’s best heavy metal weekender this summer and as every day passes, there are more exciting things to reveal! Read on for the latest news on who’s been added to the bill, some riotous club nights to get you warmed up, the start of the M2TM final heats, plans afoot with the Sophie Lancaster Foundation and Derbyshire LGBT+, plus while you’re getting set for the long Easter weekend, stop by BLOODSTOCK’s social media later this week for some special Easter competition fun! 


Following the unfortunate news that STATIC-X are cancelling all their European shows in 2022, BLOODSTOCK is excited to announce that their replacement in the Sunday night headline slot on the Sophie Lancaster stage are none other than Swedish melodeath pioneers DARK TRANQUILITY. The band are currently touring across Europe, covering more than 27,000km over 52 cities in 24 countries, in just 57 days, almost immediately after wrapping a US tour too! 


Regretfully, TALLAH have also had to pull out, but their spot will be filled by modern metal crew DEFECTS, fresh off tour with In Flames. Get to know them via their latest single, End Of Days. 


BLOODSTOCK is committed to inclusivity and is pleased to announce that Derbyshire LGBT+ and Sophie Lancaster Foundation will both have stalls at the festival this year, where all are welcome to stop by and learn more about the work they do. You can find them in the arena to the left of the main stage, alongside Derbyshire Blood Bikes.
 
2022 marks the 15th year since Sophie Lancaster’s tragic death. Adam Lancaster, Sophie’s brother and team member at the Foundation, will also give a talk each day of the festival at the Rock Society tent at the back of the main arena. His powerful, intimate account details the true horrors of hate crime and the work the Foundation does to combat prejudice and intolerance in Sophie’s name. 
 
Derbyshire LGBT+ add, “For 39 years Derbyshire LGBT+ has operated as the only charity in Derbyshire committed to the LGBT+ community of Derbyshire; offering support, advocacy, advice and empowerment. We are very proud to announce our attendance at BLOODSTOCK this year, so that we can extend our reach even further and offer these services at an event that promotes inclusivity and acceptance. Our amazing staff and volunteers will be standing by and we encourage people to visit us, find out more and to see what we have to offer. Let’s put the ‘Unity’ in ‘Community’ together!” 


BLOODSTOCK’s Metal 2 The Masses, the initiative that supports all genres of grass roots metal and offers a chance to play BOA’s New Blood stage, kicks off their final heats across 25 regions from 1st May. Get on down to your local event and help shape the festival’s line-up! Look out for the winners to be announced in due course, together with some additional bands chosen from CD applications and some of the very best runners-up. Check out the image below for your nearest finals event.

BLOODSTOCK is also thrilled to restart Bloodstock-themed club nights across the country! Local rock pubs and clubs are a key part of what BLOODSTOCK does with the ‘Metal 2 The Masses’ scheme, so we’re stoked to support them further by announcing the first wave of club nights for 2022. Get along to your local event, hear a ton of tunes from BOA bands past and present and be in with a chance of winning a pair of standard weekend tickets, a goodie bag or various other giveaways. Dates & times are subject to change, so check locally for latest info. More cities will be announced in Phase 2 which runs through June & July, but meanwhile, head down to the following for some fun!

Friday 15th April – Exeter, Cavern – Altern8
Saturday 16th April – Southampton, The Hobbit
Friday 22nd April – Reading, Face Bar
Saturday 23rd April – Camberley, Agincourt
Friday 29th April – High Wycombe, Crash Rock Club (Bucks SU)
Saturday 30th April – Stoke on Trent, The Sugarmill – Devil’s Night
Saturday 30th April – Brighton Above,
Friday 6th May – Plymouth, The Junction
Friday 6th May – Woking, Schism
Friday 13th May – Bristol, The Lanes – PHUCT
Friday 13th May – Exeter, Cavern – Altern8
Friday 13th May – Winchester, The Railway Inn
Saturday 14th May – Manchester, The Bread Shed
Saturday 14th May – Newcastle, Grindhouse
Friday 27th May – London, Elektrowerkz
Saturday 28th May – Stoke on Trent, The Sugarmill

If you’ve already got your ticket bagged, are you now thinking about how best to get to Catton Park? BLOODSTOCK is pleased to support two sustainable travel options – Big Green Coach (who’ll drop you & your gear right inside the festival gates for minimal walking, from 33 locations around the UK & you can secure your seat for just a tenner) and Liftshare (a safe way to offer up a spare spot in your car, or nab one in someone else’s & perhaps make new friends to boot). Get more info on both options over at BIG GREEN COACH and LIFTSHARE.

All VIP packages, Early Bird tix, and campervan passes have now sold out. You can still snap up standard weekend camping tickets (just £145 +fees for 4 days of heavy metal fun) plus day & child tix are available now at the ticket store. Mini moshers under age 4 get in free!

EUROPEAN METAL FESTIVAL ALLIANCE MEMBERS LAUNCH ‘METAL UNITED’ CHARITY T-SHIRT

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Members of the European Metal Festival Alliance (EMFA), have today launched a new ‘Metal United’ t-shirt, with all proceeds going to a recognised relief charity to aid Ukrainian people most in need in their current crisis.
 
The festivals taking part in this fundraiser – Alcatraz Hard Rock & Metal Festival, Belgium; Art Mania Festival, Romania; Bloodstock Open Air, Great Britain; Brutal Assault, Czech Republic; Dynamo Metal Fest, Holland; Inferno Metal Festival, Norway; Into The Grave, Holland; Leyendas Del Rock, Spain; Midgardsblot, Norway; Motocultor Festival, France; Party.San Metal Open Air, Germany; Resurrection Fest, Spain; and Summer Breeze Open Air, Germany – are all united against war and oppression, and welcome all people, no matter what country they are from, or what race or religion they are. The festivals want to make plain that they are not for Ukrainians and against Russians; that they wish most of all to just help people who are in need in these troubling times.

The t-shirt is available in a wide range of sizes at https://www.sbtix.de/produkte/45549-charity-shirt-for-ukraine for 16,66 Euro, with proceeds going to Music Saves UA. It can be pre-ordered until March 20th, with shipping beginning at the start of April. Vlad Yaremchuk, Booker of Atlas Weekend Festival, co-initiators of Music Saves UA, states: “We are the All-Ukrainian Association of Music Events, in peacetime we are the largest association of representatives of the music industry of our country.


Now, normal life in Ukraine has completely stopped. So, we are using all our resources and people to provide humanitarian help to our people who need it the most right now. Our team works 24/7 to help as many victims of this cruel war as possible.


Humanitarian help centre has already been deployed on the premises of the Atlas venue in Kyiv. We are also working on setting up refugee assistance centres on the borders with Europe to facilitate a safe and robust infrastructure for hundreds of thousands of civilians fleeing the country. Our entire team is currently located in multiple cities of Ukraine, and we are in close contact with volunteers, Ukrainian military, and humanitarian groups so we are aware of the current urgent needs on the ground and are ready to provide immediate help where it is most needed at this very moment.Therefore, we need financial assistance urgently. For this we have organized a project aimed at raising funds for the humanitarian needs of the civilians in Ukraine.


We encourage you to not remain indifferent and to help Ukrainian families to survive this difficult time.”
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vamp.org.uaInstagram: https://instagram.com/vamp.org.ua Adam Gregory from Bloodstock Festival on behalf of EMFA comments, “We all find ourselves shocked at recent events and wish to do all we can to aid in such harrowing times. All proceeds from the t-shirt will be going to support those in need and our thoughts are with everyone affected by war or oppression.”

BLOODSTOCK ANNOUNCES FINAL BATCH OF SOPHIE LANCASTER STAGE BANDS

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Over halfway there! With just 168 days to go before the marauding metal hordes charge through the gates of Catton Park, BLOODSTOCK has its last batch of Sophie Lancaster Stage bands to announce. It’s also ‘Last Call’ time for the Deposit Scheme, where you can pay over 6 smaller instalments (full details below). Artists for the Jagermeister and New Blood stages and other fest entertainment details are yet to come, but in the meantime, wrap your eyes and ears around the following…
 
Once you’ve set up your tent and had your first beer, Thursday’s Sophie tent proceedings open with the unmissable, incendiary noises of Bristol blues-punk four piece, MOTHER VULTURE. Check out their high octane video of ‘The Wave’ for a taster of what’s in store!  
 
Also snagging a Thursday slot are BASEMENT TORTURE KILLINGS who’ll bring their serial killer grindcore to your Thursday evening. If you’re not familiar with their sound, watch the clip for ‘Armchair Psycho Or Pure Predator?’. 
 
Friday’s Sophie opener is deathgrind squad CREPITATION. If you’re heading to the Liverpool Napalm Death/Raging Speedhorn show in March, you’ll catch them opening the show. If you can’t make it, you can still witness their sonic chaos via this live footage from Foothills Gutfest a couple of years back. 
 
If hardcore is more your vibe, you won’t want to miss London bruisers INHUMAN NATURE, also playing the Sophie stage on Friday. You can warm up extra early if you’re attending Cro-Mags’ London gig in June, for they’re first onstage that night. If not, check out the title track from their recently released ‘Under The Boot’ EP, out now on Church Road Records.
 
Saturday’s Sophie fun brings a pummelling from Hull crew MASTIFF. US magazine Decibel described them as “a rousing blend of savage power that’s as ready for the mosh pit as it is for your next clandestine ritual in the woods.” See for yourself via the video for ‘Endless’ from their crushing album, ‘Leave Me The Ashes Of The Earth’.
 
Joining the Sophie Lancaster Stage shenanigans on Sunday, are Coventry three-piece and M2TM alumni PELUGION, levelling up from their 2018 New Blood stage slot. Inviting fans of Black Sabbath & Black Label Society especially, investigate their single ‘Bane Of Humanity’, while you wait. 
 
BLOODSTOCK’s Metal 2 The Masses, the initiative that supports all genres of grass roots metal and offers a chance to play BOA’s New Blood stage, is proud to announce a partnership with Eyesore Merch in 2022. The programme provides up and coming bands with an awesome opportunity to be seen and heard by a wide audience and part of the music industry normally out of reach for bands at that level. In partnering with Metal 2 The Masses, Eyesore Merch wants to add to that opportunity by offering 3 winning bands from the 26 regional heats, a chance to get their merchandise showcased to an audience of potential new fans. Those 3 winners will see their merchandise featured and available to purchase on www.eyesoremerch.com, have their gear included on Eyesore Merch’s mailout direct to customers and featured on the Eyesore Merch socials, which directly targets a metric tonne of metal lovers who love buying ‘hard to find’ band merch.


If you’ve got your ticket bagged, are you already thinking about how best to get to BLOODSTOCK? BLOODSTOCK is pleased to support two sustainable travel options – Big Green Coach (who’ll drop you and your gear right inside the festival gates for minimal walking, from 33 locations around the UK & you can secure your seat for just a tenner) and Liftshare (a safe way to offer up a spare spot in your car, or nab one in someone else’s & perhaps make new friends to boot). Get more info on both over at BIG GREEN COACH and LIFTSHARE. 


Want something to get you all fired up for this summer’s event, or maybe you’re curious about BLOODSTOCK having never been before? If so, check out the brand new festival trailer for the lowdown. 


Lastly, it’s final call for BLOODSTOCK’s phenomenally popular weekend ticket Deposit Scheme. Sign up here before 11.59pm this Saturday night, 26th Feb, if you want to take advantage. This year, payments are spread across 6 months instead of 5, making it even more manageable to secure your place and pay for your ticket in instalments. An initial payment of £31.20 is due upon sign up, then five additional payments of £24.16 will debit your bank account on 25 Mar, 29 Apr, 27 May, 24 Jun, with a final instalment on 29 Jul, which will include any applicable admin/booking fees. Tickets will be delivered digitally.  


All VIP packages, Early Bird tix, and campervan passes have sold out. You can still snap up standard weekend camping tickets (just £145 +fees for 4 days of heavy metal fun) plus day & child tix are available now at the ticket store. Mini moshers under age 4 get in free!


BLOODSTOCK’s 2022 Ronnie James Dio main stage headliners are BEHEMOTH, LAMB OF GOD, and MERCYFUL FATE. Also appearing across the weekend are KILLING JOKE, DIMMU BORGIR, TESTAMENT, EXODUS, AVATAR, ALL HAIL THE YETI, BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, GWAR (in a UK festival exclusive), BURY TOMORROW, SACRED REICH, LIFE OF AGONY, SPIRITWORLD, BELPHEGOR, BUTCHER BABIES, VIO-LENCE, BLOODYWOOD, JINJER, LORNA SHORE, DOYLE, LOST SOCIETY, HATEBREED, SLEEP TOKEN, DARK FUNERAL, EYEHATEGOD, DISCHARGE, STATIC-X, THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA, ENFORCED, PARTY CANNON, SOEN, HERIOT, BLOOD YOUTH, BLACK TONGUE, HEART OF A COWARD, FEROCIOUS DOG, HEATHEN, NEKROGOBLIKON, CATTLE DECAPITATION, ORBIT CULTURE, TALLAH, SAMAEL, CYHRA, NOCTEM, NANOWAR OF STEEL, THROWN INTO EXILE, PUPIL SLICER, CAGE FIGHT, VENDED, ILL NINO, SKARLETT RIOT, DESERT STORM, SORCERER, RED METHOD, and BAEST as well as many more yet to come. Stay tuned for additional 2022 announcements in due course.

BLOODSTOCK will take place at Catton Park, Derbyshire on 11th-14th August 2022.

For more info, click to www.bloodstock.uk.com. 

BLOODSTOCK ADD TWELVE MORE BANDS!

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If you’re anything like us, you can’t wait to be back in the green fields of Catton Park watching some world class heavy metal at BLOODSTOCK – and we’re well over half way there! Is it too soon to start a count down yet?! (136 days to go, in case you were wondering… yes, 19 weekends). 


With lots more bands and festival fun to reveal before then, here’s 12 more joining the bill to help round out the most fun you’ll have all summer. 


Swedish rabblerousers AVATAR jostle their way onto Friday’s Sophie Lancaster stage bill.  Joining them that day are US metalcore squad, THROWN INTO EXILE.  Saturday, the Sophie stage welcomes the hotly-tipped, viscerally-dubbed PUPIL SLICER and hardcore/crossover thrash newcomers (feat. members of Tesseract and Eths) CAGE FIGHT. Sunday’s fun will be ably abetted by nu-metal stalwarts ILL NINO, Manchester hardcore noiseniks GUILT TRIP, hard-hitting rockers SKARLETT RIOT, and progressive groove/sludge merchants DESERT STORM.


Over on the Ronnie James Dio main stage, the super-buzzy Des Moines, Iowa upstarts VENDED are set to kick off proceedings and blow your Sunday morning wide open.  Epic Swedish doomsters SORCERER and industrial metalheads RED METHOD are also both added to Friday’s bill, and waking you all up first thing on Saturday, will be Danish death metallers, BAEST.


Unfortunately, PHIL ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS will no longer be joining us with their hotly received Pantera set, due to the cancellation of their entire European tour, but rest assured there are plenty of other headbangin’ riffs across the BLOODSTOCK weekend to take your fancy.


For those of you who can’t join us for the whole weekend, or perhaps you’ve never been to BLOODSTOCK before and just want a one day taster, mark your calendar with this important date!  Day tickets will go on sale in the ticket store on Friday 4th February at 9am, priced £65 (+bkg fees) for adults and £20 (+bkg fees) for children (4-11 years). Kids under 4 go free! 
 
In other news, BLOODSTOCK’s phenomenally popular weekend ticket Deposit Scheme is filling up fast.  Grab yours quick if you want to take advantage as once the allocation is filled, it will no longer be available.  This year, payments are spread across 6 months instead of 5, making it even more manageable to secure your place and pay for your ticket in instalments.  An initial payment of £31.20 is due upon sign up, then five additional payments of £24.16 will debit your bank account on 25 Mar, 29 Apr, 27 May, 24 Jun, with a final instalment on 29 Jul, which will include any applicable admin/booking fees.  Sign up to the scheme here.
 
BLOODSTOCK’s 2022 Ronnie James Dio main stage headliners are BEHEMOTH, LAMB OF GOD, and MERCYFUL FATE.  Also appearing across the weekend are KILLING JOKE, DIMMU BORGIR, TESTAMENT, EXODUS, ALL HAIL THE YETI, BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, GWAR (in a UK festival exclusive), BURY TOMORROW, SACRED REICH, LIFE OF AGONY, SPIRITWORLD, BELPHEGOR, BUTCHER BABIES, VIO-LENCE, BLOODYWOOD, JINJER, LORNA SHORE, DOYLE, LOST SOCIETY, HATEBREED, SLEEP TOKEN, DARK FUNERAL, EYEHATEGOD, DISCHARGE, STATIC-X, THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA, ENFORCED, PARTY CANNON, SOEN, HERIOT, BLOOD YOUTH, BLACK TONGUE, HEART OF A COWARD, FEROCIOUS DOG, HEATHEN, NEKROGOBLIKON, CATTLE DECAPITATION, ORBIT CULTURE, TALLAH, SAMAEL, CYHRA, NOCTEM, and NANOWAR OF STEEL as well as many more yet to come. Stay tuned for additional 2022 band announcements in due course.
 
With tickets selling faster than ever, all VIP packages, Early Bird tix and campervan passes are already sold out. Weekend camping tix & child tix are available now at the ticket store.  

BLOODSTOCK will take place at Catton Park, Derbyshire on 11th-14th August 2022.

For more info, click to www.bloodstock.uk.com. 

BLOODSTOCK announce 9 more bands & ticket deposit scheme

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As the days shorten and we inch ever closer to 2022, BLOODSTOCK is ready to announce yet another clutch of bands who’ll grace the stages at Catton Park next August.
 
The legendary KILLING JOKE are Sunday’s Ronnie James Dio main stage special guests. Cited as an influence by myriad bands from Slipknot to Napalm Death, Lamb Of God to the Foo Fighters, this band of creative visionaries led by the inimitable Jaz Coleman have been preaching wisdom and bringing the fire for over four decades. Jaz tells us, “Can’t wait to play, always loved BLOODSTOCK festival, looking forward to it!” Check out the trailer for their ‘The Death & Resurrection Show’ music documentary and wrap your head around the prophetic lyrics of 2015’s ‘I Am The Virus’. 
 
Also grabbing a main stage slot on Friday are California sludge squad, ALL HAIL THE YETI. Having opened the main stage back in 2019, we’re thrilled to see them return in the wake of their latest EP, ‘Within The Hollow Earth’. Check out the tripped-out video for ‘Headless Valley’ taken from that same 7-track collection. 


Moving across to the Sophie Lancaster stage, we see deathgrind legends CATTLE DECAPITATION and Swedish melodeath squad ORBIT CULTURE land a Sunday billing. Hotly tipped nu-metal upstarts TALLAH, Swiss extreme metallers SAMAEL and Swedish metal supergroup CYHRA are added to Saturday’s roster, plus Spanish black metal collective NOCTEM join Friday’s list. To round out the announcement, NANOWAR OF STEEL will be bringing their power metal parody skills to Thursday’s ‘opening party night’ line-up.  


In other news, BLOODSTOCK’s phenomenally popular ticket Deposit Scheme is ready for sign ups! This year, payments are spread across 6 months instead of 5, making it even more manageable to pay for your ticket in instalments. An initial payment of £31.50 is due upon sign up (which you can do at any point before 26th Feb), then five additional payments of £24.16 will debit your bank account on 25 Mar, 29 Apr, 27 May, 24 Jun, with a final instalment on 29 Jul, which will include any applicable postage and booking fees. Sign up to the scheme here.


The Metal 2 The Masses scheme for 2022 has also begun, with its modus operandi to find the best unsigned and grass roots bands and give them the opportunity to play a slot on BLOODSTOCK’s ‘New Blood’ stage. Bands should get their applications into their nearest regional promoter ASAP, as heats kick off in the coming weeks. Local promoters in regions not yet represented can email Simon Hall ([email protected]) for info, if they wish to host the scheme in their local area. Regions announced so far are: SCOTLAND (Edinburgh), NORTHERN IRELAND (Belfast), IRELAND (Dublin), LEEDS, NORWICH, MANCHESTER, NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, SHEFFIELD, MERSEYSIDE (Liverpool), LONDON, KENT (Gravesend), STOKE ON TRENT, CHESTERFIELD, LEICESTER, HITCHIN, ESSEX (Colchester), BRIGHTON, NORTH WALES (Wrexham), SOUTH WALES (Cardiff), DEVON & CORNWALL (Saltash), NOTTINGHAM, SOMERSET (Bridgewater) & NORWAY (Oslo). Full details of venues and who to contact to enter in each region, can be found here.
  
BLOODSTOCK’s 2022 Ronnie James Dio main stage headliners are BEHEMOTH, LAMB OF GOD, and MERCYFUL FATE. Also appearing across the weekend are DIMMU BORGIR, PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS playing their Pantera set, TESTAMENT, EXODUS, BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, GWAR (in a UK festival exclusive), BURY TOMORROW, SACRED REICH, LIFE OF AGONY, SPIRITWORLD, BELPHEGOR, BUTCHER BABIES, VIO-LENCE, BLOODYWOOD, JINJER, LORNA SHORE, DOYLE, LOST SOCIETY, HATEBREED, SLEEP TOKEN, DARK FUNERAL, EYEHATEGOD, DISCHARGE, STATIC-X, THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA, ENFORCED, PARTY CANNON, SOEN, HERIOT, BLOOD YOUTH, BLACK TONGUE, HEART OF A COWARD, FEROCIOUS DOG, HEATHEN, and NEKROGOBLIKON as well as many more yet to come. Stay tuned for more band announcements soon.

With tickets selling faster than ever, all VIP packages, early birds, and campervan tickets are already sold out. Weekend camping tickets & child tickets are on sale now at the ticket store.  


BLOODSTOCK will take place at Catton Park, Derbyshire on 11th-14th August 2022.

For more info, click to www.bloodstock.uk.com. 

BLOODSTOCK ANNOUNCES FINAL MAIN STAGE HEADLINER & MORE!

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After 2021’s most successful event to date and in celebration of Halloween, BLOODSTOCK is excited to announce a swath of bands for 2022’s Catton Park heavy metal party, including their final main stage headliner! 

The mighty BEHEMOTH will bring their spectacular production to close out the Ronnie James Dio main stage on Friday. Nergal tells us, “BLOODSTOCK has a very special place in BEHEMOTH’s heart. They are one of the first major European metal festivals who took risks to position BEHEMOTH as a festival headliner; a game changer for us in the UK! I can’t wait to get back onto the legendary grounds of Catton Park and raise some monumental hell with our legions! Until August!” The Polish heretics spent lockdown writing new music and putting on the best livestream we’ve ever seen, so we’re excited to see what they have in store for us next summer. In the meantime, remind yourself of their incredible production with this live clip of ‘Evoe’, taken from their ‘In Absentia Dei’ stream, which sees a live release on 17th December via Nuclear Blast.   

Las Vegas ‘death western’ crew, SPIRITWORLD earn a Saturday main stage slot in a UK festival exclusive! The band drop their debut ‘Pagan Rhythms’ album via Century Media on 5th November and we urge you to check it out! Get a taste of their ‘death western’ sound and aesthetic via the awesome video for ‘The Bringer Of Light’, taken from that debut.  

We also welcome Sweden’s black metal kings, DARK FUNERAL to Sunday’s main stage in yet another UK festival exclusive. It’s been five long years since their last album, but the icons recently confirmed they have finished recording their latest, seventh opus with producer Daniel Bergstrand, with a prospective release date of March 2022. While we wait, check out a video from their archives, 1996’s ‘The Secrets Of The Black Arts’.  

Moving over to the Sophie Lancaster stage, Austrian diabolics, BELPHEGOR grab a slot on the bill. With a new album arriving in 2022, we can look forward to seeing some new tracks live. Frontman Helmuth comments, “Hail! We are proud to announce that BELPHEGOR was again invited to the ingenious BLOODSTOCK Open Air in Derbyshire, England in August 2022 and we will shred the Sophie Lancaster stage. Be prepared!”  In the meantime, watch their devilish video for 2017’s ‘Baphomet’.  Grabbing a Sophie stage spot on Friday are British metal squad, HEART OF A COWARD. The band are working hard on album #5, so we hope to see new music in ‘22, but in the interim, why not pick yourself up a bargain in their 50% off sale on selected merchandise over on their official website. 

Swelling Saturday’s Sophie roster are Celtic folk punks, FEROCIOUS DOG, currently half-way through an extensive UK headline tour to promote their latest record ‘The Hope’, released just 2 weeks ago. The six-piece shared an emotional official video for the title track on World Mental Health Day, made in collaboration with NHS advisors. Also added to the Sophie stage on Saturday are Harrogate’s BLOOD YOUTH, who released their acclaimed third album at the start of October, titled ‘Visions Of Another Hell’. Watch the video for latest single ‘Colony3’ and read a recent Kerrang! interview with them here to learn a bit more.  

In addition, joining Saturday’s Sophie line-up are much lauded Hull crew, BLACK TONGUE bringing their fresh take on down tempo deathcore & doom. The group just wrapped up their first UK headline tour in 2 years and are now prepping to perform at Cvltfest in November before heading out on the road with Decapitated in 2022 for the latter’s 25th anniversary – not a bad warm-up for BLOODSTOCK! Last but not least, up-and-coming British noiseniks, HERIOT land a slot on Sunday’s Sophie stage. With US magazine Revolver recently declaring them “one of the most promising young bands in modern metalcore”, check out what the fuss is about when they support Svalbard across the UK in November and listen to their recent cover of the Machine Head classic, ‘Ten Ton Hammer’.
Joining BEHEMOTH as 2022’s Ronnie James Dio main stage headliners are LAMB OF GOD and MERCYFUL FATE. Also landing main stage slots across the weekend are DIMMU BORGIR, PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS playing their Pantera set, TESTAMENT, EXODUS, BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, GWAR (in a UK festival exclusive), BURY TOMORROW, SACRED REICH, LIFE OF AGONY, BUTCHER BABIES, VIO-LENCE, BLOODYWOOD, JINJER, LORNA SHORE, DOYLE, & LOST SOCIETY. Over on the Sophie Lancaster stage expect to see HATEBREED, SLEEP TOKEN, EYEHATEGOD, DISCHARGE, STATIC-X, THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA, ENFORCED, PARTY CANNON, SOEN, HEATHEN, and NEKROGOBLIKON as well as tons more yet to be announced. Stay tuned for more band announcements soon and check out the first 2022 trailer here. With tickets selling faster than ever, all VIP packages, early birds, and campervan tickets are already sold out. Weekend camping tickets & child tickets are on sale now at the ticket store.  

BLOODSTOCK will take place at Catton Park, Derbyshire on 11th-14th August 2022.
For more info, click to www.bloodstock.uk.com. 

BLOODSTOCK ADDS 12, INCLUDING 2 SOPHIE LANCASTER STAGE HEADLINERS

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After the biggest and most successful BLOODSTOCK to date this year, a certified triumph in the face of adversity, BLOODSTOCK’s 2022 event is off to a flying start with all VIP, discounted early bird tickets and campervan passes sold out in record time! Standard tickets are in the ticket store now ready to find their homes, so don’t snooze on ‘22’s epic line up, as at this rate, it’s sure to sell out in advance. Without further ado, here’s another splash of bands who’ll be gracing Catton Park’s hallowed turf in August 2022.

Grabbing a Ronnie James Dio main stage slot on Saturday are JINJER! After being foiled at the last moment this year with visa and travel issues, BLOODSTOCKers will be thrilled to see them finally join us for ‘22. As one of our most requested bands, we’re looking forward to seeing tracks from their epic ‘Wallflowers’ album released only last month. If you’re not yet familiar, check out the video for ‘Vortex’, taken from that same release. 
We also welcome 
LORNA SHORE to Saturday’s main stage bill. The New Jersey deathcore squad have been generating a huge buzz, so BLOODSTOCK is excited to welcome them to Catton Park! Check out the video for ‘To The Hellfire’ from their ‘…And I Return To Nothingness’ EP that came out last month via Century Media.  

Also snatching a main stage spot on Saturday, are Finnish metal squad LOST SOCIETY who recently re-signed to Nuclear Blast with the promise of new music on the way! While you wait, check out their 2019 video for ‘No Absolution’. 

Consider yourself a Misfits fan? Then you won’t want to miss Friday’s main stage addition of Misfits OG, DOYLE. Every fest needs some spooktacular entertainment and DOYLE’s our man in ‘22. Not familiar with his solo project? Have a peep at the video for ‘Run For Your Life’ and warm up your necks!

Landing the Sophie Lancaster stage headline slot on Saturday are circle pit kings and BLOODSTOCK favourites, HATEBREED! Will the big top tent still be standing once they’ve played their ferocious set? Come along and find out! The band recently released their ‘Weight Of The False Self’ album and just wrapped up a US tour with our ‘22 headliners LAMB OF GOD!  

Friday’s Sophie Lancaster stage headliner are the phenomenal, anonymous collective SLEEP TOKEN. What’s all the fuss about? Head over to YouTube for the playlist of their brand new album, ‘This Place Will Become Your Tomb’, released last Friday by Spinefarm.

Snagging a Friday slot on the Sophie stage are New Orleans sludge kings, EYEHATEGOD. Their long awaited new album, ‘A History of Nomadic Behavior’ came out in March this year and we’re looking forward to welcoming Mike IX Williams and his cohorts at Catton Park next year. Check out ‘High Risk Trigger’ taken from that album and remind yourself of their NOLA groove. 

BLOODSTOCK’s thrilled to announce that legendary punk squad DISCHARGE join Friday’s Sophie stage affray. The band dropped their ‘End of Days’ album via Nuclear Blast a few years back, so maybe a new album is on the cards?! In the interim, watch the video for ‘The Broken Law’ and start a pit in your living room!
Hailing from Richmond, VA (just like LAMB OF GOD and GWAR), Century Media’s ENFORCED bring their brand of crossover death/thrash to Friday’s Sophie tent. Check out their hefty, latest album ‘Kill Grid’, via their single ‘Malignance’. One for the crowd-surfers, perhaps?

For those sad that PARTY CANNON couldn’t join us this summer, you’ll no doubt be delighted that the ‘party slam defenders’ are reconfirmed for 2022, as part of Sunday’s Sophie stage fun. Grab your Cannon merch here, we all love that logo!

Swedish prog metal supergroup SOEN are added to the Sophie line-up on Sunday. Their fifth album, ‘Imperial’, was released in January. If they haven’t made it on your radar yet, watch the official video for lead single ‘Illusion’, perhaps they’ll be your perfect Sunday band. Helping get the party going at the Sophie stage on Thursday night, are everyone’s favourite goblin-fronted band, NEKROGOBLIKON. Rumours the goblin eats naughty mini-moshers are unconfirmed, but we’ve faith in their hint of a new song coming on Halloween… Just don’t tell the Hobgoblin Beer goblin, he’s not the only goblin at BLOODSTOCK!
2022’s confirmed Ronnie James Dio main stage headliners to date are LAMB OF GOD and MERCYFUL FATE, with the third headliner yet to come!! Also landing main stage slots across the weekend are DIMMU BORGIR, PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS playing their Pantera set, TESTAMENT, EXODUS, BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, GWAR (in a UK festival exclusive), BURY TOMORROW, SACRED REICH, LIFE OF AGONY, BUTCHER BABIES, VIO-LENCE, and BLOODYWOOD. Over on the Sophie Lancaster stage expect to see STATIC X, THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA and HEATHEN, as well as tons more yet to be revealed. Stay tuned for more band announcements soon and check out the first 2022 trailer here. With tickets selling faster than ever, all VIP packages, early birds, and campervan tickets are already sold out. Weekend camping tickets & child tickets are on sale now at the ticket store.  
BLOODSTOCK will take place at Catton Park, Derbyshire on 11th-14th August 2022.

BLOODSTOCK 2022 LAUNCHESWITH 17 BANDS ANNOUNCED!

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With BLOODSTOCK 2021 well under way, the festival is thrilled to already be looking ahead and announcing a swathe of bands for the 2022 event, which is set to take place on 11th-14th August 2022 at Catton Park, Derbyshire.  

Headlining one of our days (tbd) on the Ronnie James Dio main stage will be mighty groove metal overlords, LAMB OF GOD! Frontman Randy Blythe tells us “It’s been way too long since we’ve rocked the festivals of Merry Olde – what better way to announce our return than a headliner slot at BLOODSTOCK? Until then, pack your wellies and stay safe, England – LAMB OF GOD (and Roger Brilliant) will see you Summer 2022!” In the meantime, remind yourself of their awesomeness with this video of ‘Walk With Me In Hell’ from their 2013 debut BLOODSTOCK headline set. 

Saturday’s main stage headliner will be the previously announced, King Diamond-fronted, heavy metal icons MERCYFUL FATE, who roll over a year after global issues prevented their appearance at this year’s festival. The band tell us; “MERCYFUL FATE comes to BLOODSTOCK…this will be a dangerous meeting you don’t want to miss. King Diamond says, “This time we are going to bring the Devil himself.”   

The remaining main stage headliner is yet to be revealed. Stay tuned!  Also landing main stage slots across the weekend are PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS playing their Pantera set, DIMMU BORGIR, TESTAMENT, EXODUS, BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, GWAR (in a UK festival exclusive), BURY TOMORROW, SACRED REICH, LIFE OF AGONY, BUTCHER BABIES, VIO-LENCE, and BLOODYWOOD.  

Over on the Sophie Lancaster stage, headlining Thursday night are THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA and closing out Sunday night will be STATIC X, in their only UK show of 2022. Also landing a slot across the weekend are HEATHEN. 

Stay tuned for more band announcements soon and check out the first 2022 trailer here. Early bird weekend camping tickets are available at the on-site box office across the duration of the 2021 event, then will go on sale online at 9am Monday 16th August, priced at £135 (+ bkg fee) from the ticket store, as well as Serpents Lair VIP tickets, child tickets, and camper van passes (which always sell out very quickly, so don’t snooze if you’re after one). 
BLOODSTOCK will take place at Catton Park, Derbyshire on 11th-14th August 2022.
For more info, click to www.bloodstock.uk.com. 

BLOODSTOCK weekend tickets sell out; more details revealed

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BLOODSTOCK is excited to announce that weekend tickets to this Summer’s festival are now SOLD OUT!  A limited number of one day tickets are still available for Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with the latter day’s availability now very limited, so move fast if you wanna see Judas Priest!  Anyone missing the boat or wanting to sell their ticket due to changing circumstances, can check here for official re-sales.  So with BLOODSTOCK full steam ahead for 2021, the last of the bands are locked in, all ready for the festival’s 5-day run in just 3 weeks time.  

Saturday’s opener on the Sophie Lancaster Stage will be Midlands alt metal four-piece, NETHERHALL.  The band won their slot through Planet Rock Radio’s band competition and were picked from many, many submissions to win their slot.  NETHERHALL also recently performed at an event at Aston Villa FC for Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler to honour Butler’s induction into the Birmingham Walk of Stars.  Get yourself appraised by checking out the band’s video for ‘Ruminate’ here.  

The second phase of Metal 2 The Masses bands are also finalised, with 11 more grass roots outfits winning themselves a New Blood stage slot.  The South Wales winners are rock squad PEARLER, Kent’s chosen ones are the groove/doom metal outfit STRUCK/DOWN, Leeds’ top dogs are fuzzed-out sludgesters SOUND OF ORIGIN, Birmingham’s victors are rock four piece INSURGENT and Northern Ireland’s winners are doom/sludge 6-piece, ELDER DRUID, all of whom land themselves a Friday spot.  

Snagging their space on Saturday’s New Blood stage are Brighton victors KINZOKU who blend thrash, prog, death and metalcore, Chesterfield’s winners, the Hull thrash/groove outfit IRONTOOTH, Satanic Blackened Deathcore band BLOOD CHURCH take the Wolverhampton crown, coming out on top in Nottingham are rock 4-piece, COTTON MOUTH, Stoke’s winners are dread-soaked dropouts THE GHOULES and finally, Scotland’s Lovecraftian monsters NASSAU take the medal north of the border.  

Each year, the RAM GALLERY showcases a wealth of fabulous and fantastic heavy metal related art, curated by festival founder and globally renowned fantasy artist, Paul Gregory.  This year’s exhibits will include work from longtime Judas Priest artistic collaborator, Mark Wilkinson, who is also showing his latest creation in the shape of Fish’s latest ‘Weltschmerz’ album artwork.

There’s also a very special piece of art from previous BLOODSTOCK headliners, Trivium!  For the first time anywhere in the world, you’ll be able to see the actual painting from their recent ‘In The Court Of The Dragon’ video… and the first 100 fans to check it out can snag a 12×12 print to take home.  Be warned though, the painting is powerful and may be cursed – if you’ve watched the video you’ve seen the two ladies drooling a mysterious black liquid…!  Also exhibiting for the first time in the RAM Gallery is longtime Metal Hammer snapper and Iron Maiden official photographer John McMurtrie, who’ll have seven of his fabulous images on display. 

The ever-popular luthier, CYNOSURE returns once again with his astonishing handcrafted guitars, including both 2020’s and 2021’s creations.  2020’s two guitars are a Jimi Hendrix inspired axe (to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of his passing) and a Ronnie James Dio guitar (marking a similar 10 years).  2021’s themes are a Devin Townsend-inspired piece and a piece that is an homage to Van Halen.  There will be even more than just these works on display, so don’t miss this amazing and unique aspect of BLOODSTOCK, certainly something you won’t see anywhere else!  BLOODSTOCK is also proud to announce this year’s charity partners. 

Our previous partners, the mental health-angled MIND, roll over from 2020, together with the related PATCH AMNESTY.  Sharing the funds this year are DERBYSHIRE BLOOD BIKES, who offer a free medical courier service to the local NHS hospitals, moving blood, human milk for premature & ill babies, biological & diagnostic samples, medication and other urgent medical equipment wherever they need to go in the UK.  Their 65 volunteers and fleet of 13 bikes and 3 cars travel over 200,000 miles every year and are funded purely by donations, needing over £35,000 a year just to operate, so every single pound helps and we’re hoping BLOODSTOCK can give their coffers a big boost in 2021.  If you’ve still not found your tent after 2019’s fest, fear not, Fat Frank’s Camping Store can help!  You can pre-order all your gear, or just that one missing item and collect it on-site. You can have them blow up your air bed while you wait, or even ‘rent-a-tent’ from them for the weekend.  Not only that, they can also solve the problem of towing it all home on the train with their ‘festival bag’ service, where they’ll deliver all your kit back to your home address within 3-5 days post-event, or if you don’t want your tent anymore, you can drop it off at their donation point in the Midgard campsite. 

If you’d rather not wrestle with your own, you can rent one of Tangerine Fields’ pre-pitched tents, ready for your arrival at Catton Park.  No hassle putting it up and then taking it down on Monday morning!  Check out all the size options and book online here.  
BLOODSTOCK’s 2021 main stage headliners are DEVIN TOWNSEND (Friday), KREATOR (Saturday), and JUDAS PRIEST (Sunday).  The festival will also feature sets from SKINDRED, PARADISE LOST, DIAMOND HEAD, THERAPY?, VENOM PRISON, JINJER, VIO-LENCE, SAXON, THE WILDHEARTS, GLORYHAMMER, BLEED FROM WITHIN, NAPALM DEATH, PHIL CAMPBELL & THE BASTARD SONS, MEMORIAM, RAMAGE INC., GREEN LUNG, CONJURER, ORANGE GOBLIN, RAGING SPEEDHORN, LAWNMOWER DETH, CONAN, SYLOSIS, WINTERFYLLETH, HACKTIVIST, THE CRAWLING, EVIL SCARECROW, ACID REIGN, SVALBARD, BORSTAL, SEIDRBLOT, MOTHER VULTURE, BLOODSHOT DAWN, and EVILE, with plenty more besides and a wealth of new and breaking bands on our New Blood Stage.  One day tickets are still available in the ticket store along with child tickets and parking tickets. VIP and campervan tickets for 2021, along with weekend tickets are now sold out.  BLOODSTOCK 2021 takes place at Catton Park, Derbyshire from 11th-15th August 2021. For more info, go to www.bloodstock.uk.com.

LAST CALL FOR BLOODSTOCK TICKETS!

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There’s just 29 days left to BLOODSTOCK and the remaining tickets are flying, so don’t wait if you want to join the fun this year, as it’s looking very likely the event will sell out in advance. Don’t miss tonight’s BLOODSTOCK Facebook Live at 6:30pm with festival directors Vicky & Adam, for all the very latest info including safety measures for this year’s event.

With international issues continuing for some artists, DARK TRANQUILLITY have had to cancel, but we’re thrilled that the very epic LOATHE are able to join us in their place on Friday’s Ronnie James Dio main stage. Frontman Erik Bickerstaff tells us, “We are thrilled to be performing at this year’s BLOODSTOCK Festival for the first time, and to be sharing the Main Stage on August 13th alongside an incredible and eclectic lineup of heavy artists.” Not familiar with LOATHE’s atmospheric heaviness yet? Get with the programme via their video for ‘Two Way Mirror’ taken from the amazing ‘I Let It In And It Took Everything’ album. 

Similarly, BURY TOMORROW have had to pull out, but we welcome WHILE SHE SLEEPS in their place. BURY TOMORROW explain, “Due to the band’s current line up situation and despite best efforts we are unfortunately unable to play BLOODSTOCK this year, we are truly gutted! We support the festival and hope everyone enjoys every minute of the weekend! We are however over the moon to confirm BLOODSTOCK have invited us back next year so we will see you all at BLOODSTOCK 2022!!” We are more than sure that WHILE SHE SLEEPS are up to the task of filling their shoes – check out ‘Sleep Society’ from their blistering set at the Download Pilot.

UNLEASH THE ARCHERS have also unfortunately dropped out and they will be replaced on the Sophie Lancaster stage by British rock squad BLACK SPIDERS, in their first ever BLOODSTOCK appearance. To whet your appetite, they just released a lyric video for the aptly-named new song ‘Give ‘Em What They Want’ from next week’s new album. We want to be back head-bangin’ in a field with all our mates! Look out for the album’s special diablo red vinyl on July 17th’s Record Store Day. 

Due to LOTUS EATER splitting up, death metal bruisers FOETAL JUICE will now step into their spot, declaring, “We are absolutely delighted to be playing Bloodstock this year! It’s an incredible festival that we attend every year. The last time we played back in 2016 has still been the biggest show we have ever played. The year will absolutely kick that in the bollocks. We literally cannot wait to play this festival again!!” Get familiar with them via their latest album’s title track ‘Gluttony.’

This year’s Metal 2 The Masses scheme played out in a rather different landscape to the norm, but we applaud the efforts of the local promoters who’ve made a success of their heats despite an array of logistical issues. As such, we’re thrilled to announce 10 more winners from various areas across the country, who’ll each win a slot on the New Blood stage on Friday or Saturday. 

Landing slots on the Friday are extreme metal 5-piece, TERMINAL SUN who win the Sheffield competition, the Essex victors are death metal squad BEYOND EXTINCTION, Somerset’s champs are melodic alt metallers, SAIL, Manchester’s top dogs are tech thrashers BEYOND SALVATION, and SEVERENTH bring home the prize for North Wales. 
Snagging slots on Saturday’s New Blood stage are Hitchin’s stoner/grunge winners, BLACK ATLAS, Norwich sludgers A HORSE CALLED WAR, blackened death trio ASCARIS take the Bristol area prize, Newcastle’s goes to groove metal squad DESOLATION, while London’s victors HAWXX are also the winners of PRS’s Women Make Music award! Congrats to them!

There’s lots happening over on BLOODSTOCK’s Twitch channel and at 7:30pm this evening (13th July) the inaugural ‘BloodThirsty’ video interview podcast sees DEVILDRIVER frontman, Dez Fafara and JUDAS PRIEST’s Rob Halford talking all things metal! Tune in to watch the two legends discuss BLOODSTOCK and much more.

Brand new to BLOODSTOCK this year is our exciting gaming arena! Brought to you by our friends at Nordic Spirit, the Game Zone brings that little bit extra to an already packed, 5-day bonanza of metal. Feeling competitive? There’s a very wide array of games to play, on Xbox, Playstation, PC, retro consoles (from Atari to Sega to Nintendo), arcade machines, and more! The arena runs from 11am-8pm daily from Thursday, play at your leisure! While there’s plenty of space, do note it’s limited numbers at any one time.  If you’ve got your ticket but are yet to figure out your camping situation, let Tangerine Fields take the stress out of the weekend. If you’d rather not transport and wrestle with your own, you can rent one of their pre-pitched tents, all set to go and ready for your arrival at Catton Park. No hassle with putting it up and then taking it down on Monday morning! Check out all the size options and book online here.   

Our friends at PLANET ROCK RADIO have launched a BLOODSTOCK pop-up radio station, showcasing music from many of this year’s acts like Judas Priest, Kreator, and The Wildhearts, as well as others from BLOODSTOCK’s past such as Slayer, Nightwish, Machine Head, Gojira, etc to celebrate BLOODSTOCK’s 20th Anniversary. The channel will run for 3 months and is available on Planet Rock’s premium app, the Planet Rock Radio website and via smart speakers. Fans can get a month’s free subscription to Planet Rock Premium (in addition to a 7-day free trial period) using the code ‘Bloodstock’. Start your BLOODSTOCK party early by tuning in! More info here.
BLOODSTOCK’s 2021 main stage headliners are DEVIN TOWNSEND (Friday), KREATOR (Saturday), and JUDAS PRIEST (Sunday). The festival will also feature sets from SKINDRED, PARADISE LOST, DIAMOND HEAD, THERAPY?, VENOM PRISON, JINJER, VIO-LENCE, SAXON, THE WILDHEARTS, GLORYHAMMER, BLEED FROM WITHIN, NAPALM DEATH, PHIL CAMPBELL & THE BASTARD SONS, MEMORIAM, RAMAGE INC., GREEN LUNG, CONJURER, ORANGE GOBLIN, RAGING SPEEDHORN, LAWNMOWER DETH, CONAN, SYLOSIS, WINTERFYLLETH, HACKTIVIST, THE CRAWLING, EVIL SCARECROW, ACID REIGN, SVALBARD, BORSTAL, SEIDRBLOT, MOTHER VULTURE, BLOODSHOT DAWN, EVILE, and more, with plenty still being announced. For further line-up details, visit the official website.