Metal

Amon Amarth headline Bloodstock Open Air 2017

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It’s Friday night, we’re all wearing black and the arena smells strongly of rum and beer. Let’s do this.

Twice now, the Swedish vikings have hit the second-from-top billing at Bloodstock Open Air and tonight they finally get to bring their full fire-fuelled show to the hallowed ground of Catton Park. There is nothing about the stage set that suggests Amon Amarth intend anything less than a completely immersive show tonight, with the drum kit set atop a giant viking helmet, sporting two insanely huge upturned horns. It’s Iron Maiden levels of crazy.

Burning straight out with ‘The Pursuit of Vikings’ and some very synchronised headbanging, they draw the remaining stragglers from around the arena into their fold with their melodic yet heavy sound. Yelling out “Bloodstock! Welcome to our little Viking feast… for the first time we are headlining this motherfucker… are you ready to feast like Vikings tonight?” they throw themselves headlong into ‘First Kill’ and the crowd follows suit, there are a lot of people with incredibly long hair here, and they are windmilling it with wild abandon.

Joined on stage by a couple of battling vikings in full gear, flanked by an obscene amount of pyrotechnics in the form of fire cannons (which can be felt even at the back of the arena, they’re damn hot!) as well as an almost constant blast of smoke between bursts of strobe lighting, Amon Amarth are absolutely killing it. They are hands down one of the best headliners BOA have ever booked, and it’s been a long time coming.

Vocalist Johan Hegg yells out “You guys are loud! I’m not surprised though… this is the true metal country” and pushes the pride button inside every British metalhead, we just bloody love being told we’re the best at this – especially as for many, Bloodstock is the only time of year you get to be surrounded by kindred spirits. Following up with a tradition for the band which was apparently started here, he calls for the crowd to sit down “…and show the world how it’s done… this is Viking fucking rowing!”. Now if there’s one other thing the British love, it’s the chance to re-run some cheesy childhood memories, and this bares an extraordinary similarity to Oops Upside Ya Head at school discos… Aaaanyway, a huge portion of the arena is given over to seated metallers pretending to row-row-row their boats. We are such a strange country.

‘Deciever of the Gods’ and ‘Destroyer of the Universe’ go down a storm with the already hyped up crowd, and a Loki-esque character takes to the stage to stomp about a bit, but mainly he seems to be getting in everyone’s way. Being very literal with their song-to-décor ratio is a good thing in my book, I appreciated the face melting amount of fire during ‘Death in Fire’ and the torched rune during ‘Runes to My Memory’, I mean you really know what they’re trying to convey. Vikings like fire. Taking to the front of the stage armed with an array of drinking horns, the band take a moment to toast their main stage debut “We want to take this opportunity to raise our horns to you… skol! Or cheers!” eliciting a huge roar from a crowd who in turn are thrusting their own drinking horns high into the air.

‘Guardians of Asgaard’ is bone shatteringly heavy and the sound quality here tonight is absolutely top-notch, but it’s finale ‘Twilight of the Thunder God’ that rocks us to our core. During a simulated (thankfully, no rain here) thunderstorm with lightning and a rainy backdrop, a giant serpent/wyrm from the album cover, is wheeled on stage and it’s just one of the most amazing sets we have ever seen here at Bloodstock. Targaryens would feel right at home. As they play the song out and call “Stay safe, row hard, and most importantly, raise your horns!” there’s a sense the crowd here would have easily gone in for two more hours of Amon Amarth, and that’s really what a headliner should be, right? A vaccum where nothing else matters outside of the moment. I reckon they achieved it.

All photographs © A. Hyams – Do not use without permission.

DOWNLOAD 2017 – Sunday Review

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With the sun tentatively out again Downloaders can rejoice at the first dry festival in god knows how many years, no wellies required!

Rock supergroup The Dead Daisies, heavily promoted on Planet Rock over the last few months, are absolutely living up to the hype with their classic rock and roll vibes. Another band to note the recent terror attacks in the UK, vocalist John Corabi calls out “We heard about what’s going on in Manchester… London… it's only gonna get better with love… peace” to a roar of applause from the crowd before busting out ‘Main Line’.

Over on the main stage, Southern rockers The Cadillac Three are making the most of the sunshine with their unmistakable country twang and slide guitar. They are absolutely as redneck as you imagine, it’s awesome. Next up are Gothenburg gods, In Flames with an enormous circle pit and a lot of complaining out their miniature cooler of beer (okay, it really is ridiculously small.) “We are Swedish people and we love beer… and this is what we got… (tiny cool box) we are gonna be great anyway but this is a disgrace! I’m just gonna put it here to remind us of all the suffering and struggle we have to make this shit happen” Anders Friden jokes it’s their “Spinal tap moment”. ‘Take This Life’ is incredible and the arena atmosphere is wild, there’s even a Teletubby in the circle pit going mental.

Next up, Aussie rockers Airbourne are as topless and naughty as ever, but you can see that security are on edge in case Joel ‘deathwish’ O’Keeffe tries any of his mental rig-climbing shit again. On the Encore stage Ministry are going off, with frontman Al Jourgensen yelling “this is a new song… if you think it fucking sucks, throw shit at us. If you like it, go buy the record and our tshirts and shit. I’m a promosexual”. They’ve got a massive crowd in front of them and are giving it everything they’ve got, it’s one of the most storming sets of the weekend.

Despite the fact that the arena is packed for Steel Panther, I can’t see anything different to last time they played Donington. The same misogynistic garbage is being spouted, and yes I know it’s satire but it’s a bit dated now, don’t you think? It’s a shame because they’re obviously talented musicians, but it’s hard to get past all the shit Spinal Tap stuff to see it. As usual they’re pulling loads of girls from the crowd to join them on stage, but it’s clear the TV crew are steering clear of the boob shots, probably due to the fact that these girls are of indeterminate age.

Clutch however are pure rock and roll heroes. After an initial rocky start with the guitars not being right, Neil Fallon quips “we are Clutch… we are professional musicians” before heading into ‘Your Love Is Incarceration’ and the powerfully epic ‘X-Ray Visions’. Having been on the Download vetran list for a few years now, Fallon jokes “I think this is the most gorgeous day I’ve ever experienced here at Download, thanks for arranging that, Mr lighting director”. ‘Sucker for the Witch’ is amazing, and who doesn’t love a band who aren’t afraid to use a cowbell? On the other hand, they didn’t play ‘Electric Worry’…

Onward to Opeth, who honestly look like vampires about to combust in the late sun, they’re musically impressive don’t get me wrong, but much more of a band-of-the-brooding-night, am I right?

Big Four metal gods Slayer are up next, and Kerry King is sporting a blood-splattered axe while frontman Tom Araya let’s us know how tonight is going to go down “We’re all here for the same thing… smiling and getting hit and stuff. Its always nice to see happy people”. KK absolutely shreds like a beast, massive chains swinging from his leather trousers while his braided beard whips back and forth. The crowd is enormous and rafts of extra security have been drafted in to deal with the constant stream of crowd surfers coming over the barrier, including one particularly unfortunate gringo (he was wearing a poncho) who was bleeding profusely from the nose after recklessly going over on his stomach. He looked pretty proud about it to be honest. ‘South of Heaven’ and ‘Reign In Blood’ are obviously incredible, there’s something utterly spellbinding about hearing those metal anthems in real life.

An hour clear of everything else finishing, a cold night has come out of nowhere and underdressed metalheads are huddling together under the darkening sky. O Fortuna ominously blasts out of the huge array of speaker stacks flanked by giant screens offering up the Aerosmith Aero-Vederci logo and images of the bands’ past. As this is their departing tour, the tribute is expected but kind of lacks the oomph of last years’ farewell to Black Sabbath, maybe it’s because Black Sabbath were homegrown heroes, I don’t know. As Steve Tyler takes to the stage dressed in his usual hippy garb of sequins, frills and flouncy scarves, a massive roar goes up from the astonishingly large crowd.

Having seen Instagram posts earlier on from daughter Liv Tyler, of her and Steve riding the stage-side big wheel earlier on, looking out over the site, I wonder what it feels like to be playing these last shows. At nearly seventy years old I can imagine it’s relief and sadness all rolled into one. Throwing around the mic stand (also bedecked in a floaty scarf, obviously) Steve belts out the likes of ‘Young Lust’, ‘Cryin’ and ‘Living on the Edge’ and it’s like you’re right back at the beginning of their career with them. Well… apart from the incredibly shit fire graphics engulfing Tyler on the screens, it looks like they’ve grabbed them from the original Duke Nukem.

The band themselves are so practiced, so pro, that you wouldn’t know they’d aged a day. ‘Love in an Elevator’ powerfully resonates around the arena and Tyler leads on with a frank statement “I remember checking into rehab one time and hearing the abuse in the world people get… especially women… and thats why Janie’s got a gun”.

After a brief Joe Perry solo, alongside what appears to be a video of his holiday snaps… we get the awesome ‘Stop Messin Around’ and ‘Oh Well’ Fleetwood Mac covers as Tyler writhes around on the giant floor logo. We are treated to every bit of Aerosmith history, harmonicas, rattlesnake shakers and of course ‘Sweet Emotion’, though the wind has picked up and Tyler has to requisition a hat from the crowd to keep his hair out of his mouth. It happens to the best of us pal.

‘I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing’ sees everyone in the arena grabbing hold of each other and swaying, while a million phone screens light up the sky. It might not have the prettiness of the 70’s lighters but hey, we’re living in the age of technology. ‘Rag Doll’ includes the use of the most ridiculous and majestic megaphone ever. It is bejewelled with rhinestones inside and out, and Beatles cover ‘Come Together’ is just phenomenal.

‘Dude (looks like a lady’ is hilarious fun with guys prancing around in front of us, but the encore sees a white grand piano brought down onto the gangway for Tyler to play the heartbreakingly beautiful ‘Dream On’ after a mention of the recent UK terror attacks “When you dream good dreams… good things can come true… Aerosmith is dreaming with you… Dream On”. Standing atop the piano, the band show us the true meaning of a ‘show’, something few modern bands really do anymore, it’s a picture I’ll never forget.

Saying goodbye with ‘Walk This Way’, ticker tape explosions and blasts from smoke cannons, it’s hard to comprehend that we’ll never get to see them again. That those bands we grew up listening to, our rock history, is becoming just that, a thing of legend. Aero-vederci to one of the greats.

DOWNLOAD 2017 – Saturday Review

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With an overcast sky and the threat of rain in sight, today’s Download crowd is considerably more covered up and there are a surprising amount of people dressed in bucaneer-swag heading towards the Encore stage…

Alestorm are one of those bands who are both musically talented, and seem to be in it for a laugh. What’s not to love about a band who comedically rhyme anchor and wanker in song form? Wenches, parrots and pirates alike are jumping around to the likes of ‘Keelhauled’ and ‘Magnetic North’ (if you haven’t seen the Alestorm/Lady Gaga mashup ‘Magnetic Telephone’, get on youtube this instant. It’s marvellous.) and the quips on the origins of their material are, interesting… “This song is about that time Tom hanks got lost on a desert island and fucked a volleyball… Shipwrecked!”.

As crowd surfers fly overhead on various inflatable sea creatures (kudos to the guy managing to stay aloft the orca all the way to the front) vocalist Chris Bowes yells “Do you know why we are here download? We are here to drink your beer!” and the arena goes mental for ‘Drink’ followed, obviously, by ‘Hangover’ – “This is for anyone feeling a little. Bit shit today, for anyone who woke up in a puddle of their own vomit”.

Suicide Silence put on a rowdy set yelling at the crowd to “motherfucking jump around” ticking the box for proper metal headbanging and hair lashing today, Of Mice & Men are ripping up the main stage and Kvelertak (the most mispronounced band all weekend) bring dark Norwegian metal (and lots of owl themed décor) to the now slightly gloomy arena. Brief spells of rain see Downloaders immediately reaching for the ponchos, it seems after the last few years everyone has come prepared for the worst.

Pierce the Veil are living up to the piercing part of their name with extraordinarily shrieky vocals, so we’re off to the Encore stage for a good dose of heavy metal with Max & Igor (Cavalera) with thousands of other Sepultura fans looking for their fix. They do not disappoint, Roots Bloody Roots is absolutely insane and the arena is rammed with headbangers.

In the main arena, it seems a lot of people are crashed out on the hill eating food – Download hasn’t been home to crappy ratburgers for a few years now, but highlights this year include gooey Mac & Cheese, duck fat potatoes and on two ends of the spectrum – vegan maki sushi rolls and giant shredded brisket sandwiches. AFI are on the main stage but it’s hard to hear when you’re in a food coma.

Coheed and Cambria are over on the second stage throwing down some heavy melodic sounds, followed by the Ace Ventura of metal – Devin Townsend. There is no extreme expression his elastic face cannot convey, he goes from cheeky to mean in a fraction of a second and this makes him undeniably interesting to watch – even apart from the fact that he fucking shreds. Simple Plan have packed out the Avalanche stage and it looks like the entire tent is bouncing as one to ‘Welcome To My Life’ and Sean Paul collab ‘Summer Paradise’.

Headlining the Encore stage for the second time at Download is heavy metal shock doctor Rob Zombie, whose stage shows always go above and beyond and the biggest crowd of the weekend have turned out to see him. Rob appears on stage rocking the shiniest outfit I’ve ever witnessed in metal. Hell, he wouldn’t be out of place in a Lady Gaga video or on RuPaul’s drag race. Silver mirrored discoball flares are topped with a silver studded and spiked leather jacket with added fringing, a glittery Stetson and a Frankenstein flag hanging out the back of his pants… Rob you have seriously outdone yourself on this one. I want to be you.

Leaping around between three lifted podiums, in front of LED screens showing images from horror movies, Rob screams through hit after hit – 'Living Dead Girl' is wild, and the crowd responds by sending wave after wave of crowd surfers over the barrier. Rob spends a little time joking around about the arena offerings he can see “I wanna fucking party. Do you wanna party or do you wanna eat fucking noodles. Steakhouse. Extreme largeness… what does that even mean??” and briefly noting the current state of affairs in the world… “these challenging political times… I’d like to address a very serious subject that no-one else wants to talk about. What the fuck is going on with alien abductions?” asking “who here has been abducted and anally probed?” before asking stage security to help him crowd surf a blow up alien to the back of the arena.

With a face meltingly large amount of pyro, demon sidekicks sporting LED guitars, grilles and vampire wings – Rob brings a slice of B-movie madness to Donington that really deserved to be lit up on the main stage to be honest. As giant inflatable balls are thrown out into the crowd and foam snow is sprayed from the top of the stage, White Zombie super hit (and Guitar Hero go-to track) 'Thunder Kiss ’65' has a bassline that makes your soul shiver as Rob laments “I remember playing this back in the early 90’s at Castle Donington… were any of you there? You dont remember me but you’ll probably remember Metallica huh”.

After a quick dip into The Ramones’ ‘Blitzkrieg Bop’ because… well who knows… it’s back into Thunder Kiss and straight onto a cover of Alice Cooper’s ‘School’s Out’ whilst parading around in a union flag as a cape. Rounding up with the one everyone’s been waiting for, ‘Dragula’ is truly epic, as this whole show has been.

Over in the main arena, Biffy Clyro are also finishing up on their multi-tiered LED lit stage, tops off, sweaty as hell. It’s awesome to see them top the bill here, and they are fantastic, but it would have been cool to see what horror shenanigans Rob Zombie could have brought to the table. Fireworks light up the night sky above the stage and the arena clears for the campsites, see you tomorrow metalheads…

System of a Down – Download Festival 2017: Reviewed!

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A miraculously dry day at Download sees droves of half-drunk, half-sunburnt red faces heading to the main arena for Friday night's headliner System of a Down. Having played at Download last in 2011, SOAD were definitely due a return to the main stage at Donington and thousands of people are already packed in to watch.

Starting strong with 'Suite-Pee' and 'Prison Song', blending seamlessly into 'Violent Pornography' (which I realise sounds rather rude…) SOAD make it known that they mean business. It's rare for  a band to be respected and liked across the board, but it really seems like System aren't the great divider that other headline acts seem to be. Droves of people are coming in from the second stage where Sum 41 are just finishing up, and the standing is packed all the way to the back of the arena.

With his now white-streaked beard, Serj Tankian holds the crowd in the palm of his hand and a giant screen behind shows clips of black and white movies and news stories during the bass heavy 'Aerials'. It's bone-shakingly heavy and there is a deafening chorus of people joining in around us, Download have got the main stage sound absolutely spot on this year, it's pitch perfect from way back into the arena.
Into the much loved 'Bounce' for some limb-flailingly chaotic pogoing, during which a man in an extraordinarily short tutu with "Twat" sharpied across his forehead, almost loses what's left of his dwindling dignity, followed shortly by the incredible 'Psycho' and 'Chop Suey' – absolute classics. The guy on the front row wearing a full tuxedo is going berserk and I know how he feels, this is shaping up to be one of the best headline sets Download has ever seen.

After a solid 45 minutes of play without so much as a pause, Serj yells out to the crowd "Download, how you fucking doing out there?" and that's our lot. SOAD truly came to just smash it up, not stop for a chat. For a band heavily invested in political topics and lyrics, I had sort of wished for a quip or two regarding yesterday's UK election results, maybe something about being well hung…

Closing out with the enormously enjoyable 'Toxicity' and 'Sugar' SOAD have pulled off a near perfect headline set, and despite the obviously lower numbers at the festival this year, everyone seems to have turned out to see them do it. Roll on day two!

 

Just ten more weekends before BLOODSTOCK!

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Time is zipping past and there are now just ten more weekends before BLOODSTOCK!  Have you planned your travel and dusted off your tent?  BOA HQ is busy with preparations, site visits are underway and we’ve confirmed nine more bands and a whopping 26 more club nights!

Lining up for a Sunday slot on the Sophie Lancaster stage are PUPPY.  Freshly signed to Spinefarm, the hotly tipped band were recently chosen to open for CKY on their comeback tour.  The band tell us "We're beyond excited to be playing Bloodstock. Every year we're in awe of how good the line up is, so for them to ask us to jump on board is a real privilege.  See you guys in the pit for Megadeth!"  Check out their recent video for ‘Beast’ here – https://youtu.be/r8LvjC26pfw.

Grabbing a Saturday Sophie slot are much lauded Londoners, THE ONE HUNDRED. Their new album ‘Chaos + Bliss’ comes out on 2nd June via Spinefarm.  Watch their latest video for ‘Monster’ at https://youtu.be/hP_nIAVAKbE.  Frontman Jacob tells us, “BLOODSTOCK is one of the finest heavy music festivals on the circuit and we are excited to be joining an already amazing lineup.  See you in August!”  Also appearing on Saturday are Welsh rockers, FLORENCE BLACK.  Get a handle on their sound with the video for ‘The One’ – https://youtu.be/29gpEAHm58E – and check out their new ‘EP II’ at iTunes or Spotify.  Midlands thrash animals, ERADIKATOR also join the Saturday bill.  Check out their lyric video for ‘Astral Body’ – https://youtu.be/iUSQ265xorw – taken from their 2015 album, ‘Edge of Humanity’.  

Last seen at BLOODSTOCK on the Jagermeister stage in 2015, Reading stoner/sludge squad MORASS OF MOLASSES bring their swamp and groove filled riffs to the Sophie stage on Friday.  Get to grips with ‘My Leviathan’ at https://youtu.be/F_cTjECbvZA.   

We’ve also locked down the undercard for Thursday night’s party night bill, below that night’s headliners, BATTLE BEAST.  We welcome back ‘Metal 2 The Masses’ alumni, RAMAGE INC. to open the weekend’s proceedings!  Check out the tech metallers’ ‘Within Circles’ over on their YouTube channel – https://youtu.be/v_bC0L4Lc1g.  Party doomsters, GURT also land a slot.  Get a taste of their sludge via this fan-filmed footage from their Edinburgh show late last year – https://youtu.be/8Zm0qCYCiHs.  THE INFERNAL SEA will bring their black metal noise to the bill.  If you’re not already familiar, watch the ‘Plague Herald’ video over at their record label Cacophonous’s YouTube – https://youtu.be/O4dyiNtIIfA.  Lastly, Italy’s WIND ROSE round out the Thursday bill with their ‘Lord of the Rings’-inspired dwarven folk metal.  Hear their track ‘To Erebor’ here – https://youtu.be/-qF1EQXIG1c.

The second phase of BLOODSTOCK club nights start on 2nd June!  Get along to one of the following events, bang your head to some tunes from BLOODSTOCK bands old and new, and be in with the chance of winning weekend tickets or related giveaways.  Expect fun ways to win – previous year’s events featured the likes of bucking broncos, endurance tests, and air guitaring!  Check your local club for details, as dates may be subject to change.  Events for June/July run as follows:

Fri 2nd Jun – Nottingham – ‘Tactical Assault’ at The Level, NTSU (featuring Evil Scarecrow)
Sat 3rd Jun – Hanley – ‘Devil’s Night’ at JJ’s
Sat 10th Jun – Glasgow The Cathouse
Sat 17th Jun – Coventry – The Phoenix
Sat 24th Jun – Sheffield – The Corporation
Sat 24th Jun – Norwich – ‘Meltdown’ at The Waterfront
Sat 24th Jun – Birmingham – Eddie’s Rock Club
Mon 26th Jun – Reading – Sakura
Thu 29th Jun – Exeter ‘TPT’ at Timepiece
Fri 30th Jun – London ‘Voodoo’ at Elektrowerkz
Fri 30th Jun – Camberley – The Agincourt

Sat 1st Jul- Hanley – ‘Devil’s Night’ at JJ’s
Sat 1st Jul – Brighton ‘Apocalypse’ at Envy
Sat 1st Jul – Wolverhampton Civic Hall
Fri 7th Jul – Leicester ‘Feedback’ at Firebug
Fri 7th Jul – Woking – Schism
Fri 7th Jul – Reading – ‘The Pit’ at Face Bar
Sat 8th Jul – Coventry – The Phoenix
Sat 8th Jul – Southampton – ‘Apocalypse’ at The 1865
Fri 14th Jul – London ‘Project Mayhem Pirate Party’ at Electric Ballroom
Sat 15th Jul – Burnley – Sanctuary
Sat 22nd Jul – Norwich ‘Meltdown’ at The Waterfront
Sat 22nd Jul – Birmingham ‘Uprawr’ at Asylum
Sat 22nd Jul – Middlesbrough ‘SUMO/Holy Shit’ at Medicine Bar
Sat 29th Jul – Birmingham – Eddie’s Rock Club
Sat 29th Jul – Sheffield – The Corporation

Bloodstock confirm GHOST as final headliner for 2017

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BLOODSTOCK are very excited to announce GHOST as their Saturday night headliner!

This will be GHOST’s first ‘ritual’ at BLOODSTOCK and watching their amazing stage show after dark is sure to be quite the religious experience!  Check out a taster of what might be in store via this clip from Hellfest 2016 – https://youtu.be/JNCbvDIOeT4

A Nameless Ghoul informs us “We are absolutely chuffed to finally be playing at the classic BLOODSTOCK.  Over the years we have heard so many great things about it and now, to be able to headline one of the nights, is a great honour and we are very much looking forward to it.  Thank you all and see you there!"

GHOST, who are hot off the back of their Popestar UK tour, channel the early sounds of Black Sabbath, Pentagram, Judas Priest and Mercyful Fate, as well as elements of prog and late '60s psych rock, so couldn’t be more at home on Catton Park’s hallowed turf.  Papa and the Ghouls current album, ‘Meliora’ spawned the Grammy Award-winning track, ‘Cirice’, the video for which has clocked up almost 16 million views on YouTube – https://youtu.be/-0Ao4t_fe0I.  ‘Meliora’ was followed in September 2016 by their critically lauded ‘Popestar’ EP, featuring the hugely sticky ‘Square Hammer’ – https://youtu.be/VqoyKzgkqR4.   We can’t wait to welcome them to Catton Park in August!

Already announced for 2017 are Friday’s headliners AMON AMARTH, Sunday’s headliners MEGADETH, plus ARCH ENEMY, KREATOR, BLIND GUARDIAN, HATEBREED, TESTAMENT, OBITUARY, KING 810, BRUJERIA, WHITECHAPEL, SKINDRED, POSSESSED, ANNIHILATOR, MUNICIPAL WASTE, HELL, DECAPITATED, SOILWORK, CHELSEA GRIN, MACABRE, INQUISITION, KING PARROT, SCARAB, WINTERSUN, ONI, DENDERA, KROH, ABHORRENT DECIMATION, COURTESANS, WRETCHED SOUL, BOSSK, and WINTERFYLLETH.  Many more are still be announced!  Stay tuned to BLOODSTOCK’s social media at https://www.facebook.com/bloodstock and https://twitter.com/bloodstockfest for the latest!

 

 

Download Festival announces 20 more bands

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Download Festival, the world’s premier rock event has announced another plethora of bands, from legends and new talent alike, including Devin Townsend Project, Suicide Silence, Code Orange and many more. Download Festival takes place on 9 – 11 June 2017 at the spiritual home of rock in Donington Park, Leicestershire.

New to 2017, The Avalanche Stage shines a spotlight on everyone from the biggest global acts, to the latest breaking bands. Headlined by the previously announced Sleeping With Sirens, Simple Plan and The Dillinger Escape Plan, the Avalanche Stage will be hosted by new music champions, Kerrang’s Fresh Blood.

Alex Baker, presenter of Fresh Blood on Kerrang! Radio said: “Right now, there is an undeniable, electric excitement about new music in the air and as soon as we saw the new Avalanche Stage we just had to be involved. It was clear from the get go that one of The Avalanche Stage’s aims was to ensure that there was a dedicated space for these new bands within the festival. Download has always been amazing at supporting new talent and I’ve always admired them for that – so it was a no brainer to get as involved as much as humanely possible!”

Metal behemoth, Devin Townsend Project will be making their welcomed return to Download Festival, featuring living legend and ex Strapping Young Lad frontman, Devin Townsend.

On playing the festival, Devin said: "Download! Amidst a crazy year, we have been invited to play at one of my favourite festivals in the world. The band is rocking better than ever, and we are fired up to have some fun with you guys. We look forward to blowing the roof off the place. See you there!"

The hottest name in hardcore, Code Orange are torchbearers for their genre and will excite festival goers with a crushing set. Twenty years on from the release of ground-breaking album Roots, Max & Iggor Cavalera reunite to perform the seminal record in its entirety to the Download crowd.

Having influenced heavy music with their rapid twin vocal and tech metal, groove masters SikTh will bring the Main Stage mosh pit to life. Deathcore stalwarts Suicide Silence are back with tracks from their eponymous fifth album and are set to deliver an incomparably powerful live set atDonington this summer. Joining them are unmissable supergroup elite, Krokodil who are set to impress with their immensely forceful metal, and UK stoner rock legends, Orange Goblin with their heavy hammer, steel toed riffs and fistfuls of attitude.

Renowned for his wild live shows and fiercely loyal fan base, Ohio rapper Machine Gun Kelly has received waves of critical and commercial success with sophomore album General Admission, which he’ll be bringing in abundance to Download this June. Aussie rock heroes Sick Puppies will serve up their tooth rattling rock and hard hitting hooks that will send the Download crowd wild. Led by the incredible Johnny Hawkins, San Antonio rockers Nothing More have cemented themselves in the top echelons of modern rock and will be bringing their ferocious live performance to Donington.

Having previously supported Iron Maiden, metalcore outfit The Raven Age stride between melody and brute force, and will be returning to Download for another epic performance. They’ll be joined by tour de force of energy, Yonaka, and country rock n’ rollers Blackwater Conspiracy.

The dark and volatile Perturbator completes the trio of Dogtooth Stage headliners alongside the previously announced Exodus and Wednesday 13. Prepare to be lost in his technoir, dark synthwave as he closes the Dogtooth Stage for 2017. Dublin’s grunge pop rockers OTHERKIN will riff their way through infectious songs with a raucous energy, whilst London five piece, Drones will be out to deliver a barrage of hardcore punk for the Download Festival audience.

Having supported the likes of rock legends Black Stone Cherry and Halestorm, The Fallen State will bring soulful vocals and unapologetic rock to Donington. Expect a distinctive mix of pop, punk and new wave from London/LA duo Love Zombies, chaotic and energetic indie punk from Blackwaters, gritty modern blues fuelled rock from Bristol natives Tax The Heat and soulful rock n’ roll from Nashville’s Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown.

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 rock icons to its Main Stage, plus some of the best and hottest new acts in the world. AC/DC, KISS, Metallica, Def Leppard, Guns N’ Roses, Rage Against The Machine, Slipknot, Linkin Park and many more have all headlined its Main Stage.

 

ANNOUNCED TODAY

BLACKWATER CONSPIRACY

BLACKWATERS

CODE ORANGE

DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT

DRONES

KROKODIL

LOVE ZOMBIES

MACHINE GUN KELLY

MAX & IGGOR CAVALERA

NOTHING MORE

ORANGE GOBLIN

OTHERKIN

PERTUBATOR

SICK PUPPIES

SIKTH

SUICIDE SILENCE

TAX THE HEAT

THE FALLEN STATE

THE RAVEN AGE

TYLER BRYANT & THE SHAKEDOWN

YONAKA

 

Download Festival announce the grand return of WWE NXT Live! for 2017!

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Download Festival, the undisputed champion of rock and metal, has today announced the grand return of WWE NXT LIVE! to the hallowed grounds of Donington Park. Music fans will once again be electrified with incredible displays of skill and athleticism, as the hugest names in Sports Entertainment deliver the complete WWE NXT experience alongside the world’s biggest rock stars, on June 9 -11. Tickets are available now from downloadfestival.co.uk/tickets.

Alongside headliners System Of A Down, Biffy Clyroand Aerosmith, fans can catch NXT Superstars *Bobby Roode, Aleister Black, Tye Dillinger, Kassius Ohno, Eric Young, Alexander Wolfe, Killian Dain, Nikki Cross and many more as they bring the hard-hitting, innovative and action packed brand of NXT to the purpose built, full scale ring in the main festival arena.

Last year saw NXT make a huge impact with Download fans, delivering a weekend of action to capacity crowds with shocking debuts, high flying manoeuvres and surprising returns from the biggest names in sports entertainment. It also provided one of the most touching moments in Download history when Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events & Creative and WWE icon Triple H was awarded the Metal Hammer ‘Spirit Of Lemmy’ award on the main stage, in honour of his relationship with the late legendary Motörhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister and to acknowledge the affinity between the rock and wrestling worlds.

Download Festival Promoter, Dave Bradley said: “Having WWE NXT at Download is like seeing what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object – you just know sparks are gonna fly! Wrestling and rock music go hand in hand and if last year is anything to go by, this exclusive festival experience is only going to be bigger & better for round two! This is not to be missed.”

Current NXT Champion Bobby Roode, who made headlines with his NXT debut at last year’s Download Festival said: “Download was my very first show in NXT. The combination of NXT Superstars and massive musical acts, entertaining tens of thousands of passionate fans makes Download a unique experience.

Returning to Download as NXT Champion will make this an extra special moment for me as a performer. WWE has been synonymous with rock culture for decades and has a long history of engaging with the rock community, previously collaborating with the likes of; Motorhead, Killswitch Engage, Limp Bizkit, Kid Rock, Living Colour, Rob Zombie, POD and many more huge bands.

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 and metal to its main stage, plus some of the best and hottest new acts in the world. AC/DC, KISS, Metallica, Def Leppard, Guns N’ Roses, Rage Against The Machine, Slipknot, Linkin Park and many more have all headlined its main stage.

Bloodstock announce four more for 2017

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BLOODSTOCK is powering ahead with even more bookings for 2017!  We’ve four more to get you excited for August’s best metal weekender…

German thrash legends KREATOR shred their way on to BLOODSTOCK’s main stage this Summer in Saturday’s special guest spot!  Vocalist/guitarist Mille Petrozza declares, “We are happy to finally return to BLOODSTOCK!  KREATOR will give you the full treatment this time.  WE SHALL KILL.”  The band released their fourteenth studio album, ‘Gods of Violence’ in January via Nuclear Blast.  Check out the video for the title track at: https://youtu.be/xeUBJ2Ha-FM and get up to speed on all things KREATOR over at: https://www.facebook.com/KreatorOfficial/.

Flint firebrands KING 810 land a Ronnie James Dio main stage slot on Saturday in a UK festival exclusive, so will be your only chance to catch the band on these shores this summer!  Their genre-busting album, ‘La Petite Mort (Or A Conversation With God)’ was hugely lauded upon release last year, with leading US outlet, Metal Injection pronouncing it “2016’s best example of what an album should be”.  Check out their visceral video for ‘Alpha & Omega’ at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcLmQDr7GGw. This happened in Flint this week… https://youtu.be/QsmoWV_HQII.

Black metal marauders INQUISITION will headline the Sophie Lancaster stage on Friday.  The duo of Dagon and Incubus released their seventh album, ‘Bloodshed Across The Empyrean Altar Beyond The Celestial Zenith’ via Season Of Mist last August.  Listen to ‘Wings Of Anu’ from that disc at https://youtu.be/UGdbsGFrvbY and prepare for a ferocious finish to Friday night.

Lastly, KING PARROT fly in from their Aussie homeland for a Sophie stage slot. The self-dubbed “grindin’, thrashin’, punk wrecking machine” are on the road in support of their Phil Anselmo-produced disc, ‘Dead Set’.  Lend your ears at https://agoniarecords.bandcamp.com/album/dead-set, or watch their 2012 video for ‘Shit On The Liver’ at https://youtu.be/cinvIr-O1k8 – it was a finalist in the Australian Music Video Awards and has racked up nearly half a million YouTube views!  Learn more Parrot at www.facebook.com/kingparrotband/.

Bloodstock Open Air announces Arch Enemy, Chelsea Grin, and Oni

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By way of a late Valentines Day gift, BLOODSTOCK is thrilled to announce 3 more bands for 2017’s event!

 

ARCH ENEMY will be joining us as Sunday’s special guests.  Get a taste of their Swedish melodeath with the live video for ‘War Eternal’, shot at Wacken 2016 and check out what’s in store this August – https://youtu.be/p5etfIwlRbg.  The band, now fronted by Alissa White-Gluz, are set to release a new live DVD/Blu-Ray of their full Wacken set titled ‘As The Stages Burn!’ on 31st March via Century Media.  ARCH ENEMY guitarist Michael Amott tells us "We're very much looking forward to being a part of this year's edition of BLOODSTOCK, which actually takes place very close to where my father was born.  We'll be bringing our 'pure fucking metal' attack home… Hail to England!"  Stay clued up on all things ARCH ENEMY at www.facebook.com/archenemyofficial/.

 

Salt Lake City deathcore mob CHELSEA GRIN also land an early main stage slot on Friday. The band released their fourth studio album, ‘Self Inflicted’ via new label home Rise Records last summer and unveiled a video for ‘Broken Bonds’ – https://youtu.be/awa50gXnOdw.  Frontman Alex Koehler tells us “We are looking forward to heading back overseas this summer to be part of Bloodstock 2017.  When we were offered the show and we saw the lineup we were extremely excited.  We’ve seen tons of videos from BLOODSTOCK in the past and cannot wait to be there.”  Get all the latest on CHELSEA GRIN over at www.facebook.com/ChelseaGrinMetal.

 

Lastly, prog metallers ONI join the ranks on the Sophie stage on Saturday.  Signed to Metal Blade, these Canadians recently unveiled a creepy video for ‘The Only Cure’ from debut album ‘Ironshore’, featuring guest vocals from Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe.  Check it out at: https://youtu.be/ERFBmOtElKU.  Frontman Jake Oni says “In the past year, we’ve had the pleasure of playing the UK a few times, but being a part Bloodstock 2017 is a huge honour.  We are not only excited to show this festival what we’ve got, but also to see some of the masters that are playing!!!  You don't want to miss this!”  ONI warm up for their BLOODSTOCK debut by traversing Europe next month with Children of Bodom.