Tremonti

Shinedown, Killswitch Engage and more added to Download 2016

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Download Festival, in one of its biggest announcements yet confirms 33 new additions for 2016 including Shinedown, Killswitch Engage, Down, Don Broco, Architects, Neck Deep, Tremonti and more. Download Festival takes place 10-12 June 2016 in Donington Park and tickets are on sale now.

Download Festival, the world’s premier rock and metal festival, returns for 2016 with one of its biggest lineups to date. Joining headliners Rammstein, Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden for a weekend of incredible rock music are Shinedown, who played an unforgettable set at the festival in 2012. The band’s latest album Threat To Survival shot to Number 13 in the UK charts earlier this year.

Killswitch Engage, dubbed “the people’s champions of metal”, will make the floor move under your feet with a jaw-droppingly outstanding set; Down, featuring former Pantera vocalist Phil Anselmo, will deliver some booming dark riffs and all out metal; Don Broco, who celebrated a Number 6 album earlier this year forAutomatic, will bring charisma by the bucketload with a chaotic and immensely enjoyable live set, and Brighton metallers Architects are confirmed for a ferocious, boundlessly energetic set ensuing some gigantic circle pits.

Neck Deep are making waves as the heroes of UK pop-punk. The Wrexham five-piece have been on tour with Bring Me The Horizon and All Time Low, and will headline their own tour next year; Tremonti, fronted by former Creed and Alter Bridge guitarist Mark Tremonti, are known for their fast and heavy headbang-worthy riffs; French band Gojira will provide some full on heavy metal throwing crowds into an absolute meltdown; bringing Satan back to the masses, Swedish six-piece Ghost are confirmed for some sticky-sweet hooks and melodies, and lots of satanic musings.

Back on British soil, Billy Talent are preparing to deliver a storming set for crowds in Donington Park. The Canadian sensations will also release a new album in 2016; Saxon will bring some classic rock and guitar heavy tunes; Australian metal-core band The Amity Affliction will put on a great live set mesmerising crowds and are bound to create a raucous mosh pit; Halestorm, led by awesome frontwoman Lizzie Hale, return with some hard, riffy rock; one of the hottest bands in the ‘alternative’ world, US band Beartooth are confirmed, and Glasgow rockers Twin Atlantic, whose last two albums scored Top 5 in the UK Rock & Metal chart, will bring their unique pop rock sounds to Download.

Californian metallers Atreyu are renowned for their high-energy and impassioned sets; self-proclaimed “party-metallers” Attila will bring a heavy-hitting set; reggae-metal group Skindred will get the pit bouncing and rocking and are guaranteed to please the crowds at Donington; former Gallows frontman Frank Carter is confirmed with his new band The Rattlesnakes; Milton Keynes five-piece Tesseract, one of progressive metal’s elite, will send the audience into overdrive with a flawless performance; and with some big, belligerent metal, Counting Days are also confirmed.

Controversial electronic punk rap group Ho99o9 will be bringing their raucous live show to Donington; Milk Teeth have rapidly been gaining widespread acclaim for their nineties grunge nostalgia. Dead! went out on tour with Young Guns this year and have established themselves as one of the hottest bands to look out for in 2016, as have Exeter three-piece Black Foxxes, who have sold out every London show they’ve played. Fort Hope have been championed by Radio 1 this year and their album Courage reached Number 8 on the UK Rock & Metal Chart.

Rival Sons have earned a name as “one of the hottest rock bands on the planet” and will bring an awe-inspiring set of raw power and soulful, bluesy rock; hard rockers Breaking Benjamin are back following a five-year hiatus and will be loud and glorious; American thrash metallers Havok will bring exactly that; Dutch synth-metal band Delain are known for their upbeat energetic performances and US rockers Skillet are set to bring one hell of a monster show. Bringing some fun and thrash metal, Lawnmower Deth are also confirmed to play next year. The band are currently battling it out for the Christmas number one spot with their version of ‘Kids in America’.

Headlining the third stage on Friday, Gutterdämmerung – the brand new rock ‘n’ roll film from Belgian-Swedish visual artist Bjorn Tagemose billed as a “loud and dark fairy tale” – will be screened at Download. The film features the combined might of Slash, Iggy Pop, Josh Homme, Henry Rollins, Lemmy, Tom Araya and many more of hard rock’s finest.

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 the best hot and new acts in the world. AC/DC, KISS, Metallica, Aerosmith, Guns N’ Roses, Rage Against The Machine, Slipknot, Linkin Park and many more have all headlined its main stage.

Andrew WK, In Flames, Testament and more added to Download 2015 lineup

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Hard-partying punk philosopher Andrew W.K. will make his debut at Download festival in 2015. The rocker cum self-help guru cum motivational speaker has been tirelessly spreading his philosophy of partying over the past decade, delivering lectures at such revered institutions as Oxford and Yale Universities. But in 2015 he will finally take his place on the most prestigious stage of all when he performs at Donington for the first time.

The man himself feels that the iconic festival will be inkeeping with his lifestyle:

Aaaaahhhhhhrrrrgggaaaa!!! I'm totally chuffed about playing and partying at my first ever Download! I've no doubt that it will be partier than even the partiest party I've ever been to!

Swedish metal giants In Flames will also return to Download in 2015; the infernal five-piece spent much of 2014 in the recording studio but are set to roar back on to the UK live scene to set Europe’s biggest rock and metal festival alight this summer.

Lead singer Anders Friden said: 

It will be fantastic to be back on UK soil. Download has always been a great festival. We’re looking forward to meeting friends and playing our take on heavy metal in front of some of the greatest fans that there is.

They will be joined by seminal thrash heavyweights Testament seven years on from their only previous Download performance.

Guitarist Alex Skolnick looked forward to rejoining the pantheon of British rock and metal: I recall reading about Download as a teen, seeing early pics of Maiden, AC/DC and other greats all sharing a bill there (back when it was "Castle Donington"), thinking how lucky they have it in the UK and dreaming about one day playing an incredible event like that with so many bands. Well, dreams can come true, so on behalf of all of Testament, let me say how thrilled we are to be appearing at Download 2015!

Following his surprise departure from Asking Alexandria last week, Danny Worsnop’s new project, We Are Harlot – whose music draws on the awesome tradition of its 1980s classic rock forebears – are also bound for Download 2015.

Grunge legends L7’s addition to the line-up is their first confirmed UK live date in over fifteen years. Having lit up the musical world with their refreshingly grizzly sound and their resolute, tampon-chucking, live-TV-panty-dropping, one-night-stand-raffling refusal to give a f**k, L7enraptured fans by announcing that they were once more ‘hungry for stink’ at the end of 2014.

Among other renowned acts joining the line-up are titanic metal supergroup Hellyeah, featuring former Mudvayne singer Chad Gray,Nothingface guitarist Tom Maxwell and legendary Pantera and Damageplan drummer Vinnie Paul.

US metallers All That Remains add yet more bulk to the bill with their huge choruses and relentless driving melodies.

Homegrown horror rockers Fearless Vampire Killers also bring their inimitable iron-clad gothic theatricality to the line-up, fresh from the release of new album Unbreakable Hearts.

Guitarist and co-vocalist Kier Kemp looked ahead to the festival: 

Download's line-up totally fucking owns this year! We're just super happy to be part of it all again. We've been working on a lot of stuff behind the scenes. New material, new direction and this will mark a new era for FVK. Download is going to be the perfect forum to show this all to the world.

Elsewhere, ahead of their headline performance, Kiss’ former axe man Ace Frehley will hit Download with a sharp dose of his distinctively grungy sound following the release of mega album Space Invader in 2014.

On bringing his solo project to Donington Frehley said: 

I'm really looking forward to rockin' out in the UK at Download…It's been 7 years since my last appearance and my new band kicks ass!

Acclaimed Alter Bridge and Creed shredder, Mark Tremonti, is also added to the line-up under the guise of his hard-rocking solo act Tremonti, which sees him team up with fellow rock royal Wolfgang Van Halen on bass, with the duo having confirmed recently that they are working on a new album.

His fellow hard rockers and hellraising progeny of Thin Lizzy, Black Star Riders, will share material from their hugely anticipated new album,The Killer Instinct, with the Download faithful for the first time.

British rockers Thunder are also confirmed ahead of the release of their first record in six years, Wonder Days, which is due for release in February.

Thunder’s Danny Bowes said:

Download is one of my favourite festivals in the world, so I can’t wait for June to come around. Donington was where we made our mark back in 1532 [sic], so it's fitting somehow to be back at Download this year when we release 'Wonder Days', our first studio album for 6 years, and it’ll be great to see how the new tracks go down alongside the classics. The Download crowd is always amazing, so as my dear old Mum used to say, "Let’s have it!”…

They will be joined by melodic metalcore superstars The Ghost Inside, following the release of their massive album Dear Youth last November.

As well as these rock and metal icons, Download 2015 will provide a platform for some of the genres’ finest young pretenders; King 810 have shot to the attention of rock fans over the past year, having had to pull out from last year’s festival at the last minute, and, fresh from their slot on Slipknot’s mammoth ‘Prepare For Hell’ Tour, Flint’s finest are ready for an all-action, all-conquering performance at Download.

Their fellow debutants Defeater’s Donington debut last year was also thwarted – by an injury to frontman Derek Archambault – but the Boston hardcore mob return stronger than ever in 2015 take their rightful place among rock’s live elite.

Also making their Donington bow are Utah deathcore maniacs Chelsea Grin, who join the line-up following the success of their savage 2014 record Ashes to Ashes.

For vocalist Alex Koehler, the band’s Download appearance represents the fulfilment of a long-held dream: We're all looking forward to playing Download festival this year. Ever since I watched Slipknot's live DVD filmed at download, I've been dying to experience it first-hand.

Local cult heroes, Nottingham metallers Evil Scarecrow, will be scuttling South West along the A52 to unleash the mighty Crabulon on unsuspecting legions of festivalgoers.

Frontman Dr Hell said: 

The first festival I attended was Metallica at Donington Park in 1994. Since that life altering occasion it’s been my lifelong ambition to play this hallowed ground and I finally, finally get to shout “Scream for me Donington!”. We are totally stocked beyond all belief. We are working on a very special show for this, one that will defy the world of physics.

Swedish metalheads Bombus will also fly into Donington for the first time armed to the teeth with their uncompromising breed of barnstorming, balls-out heavy metal, while Brighton punk rockers Gnarwolves make their biggest festival appearance to date, building on the release of their eponymous breakthrough album last year.

If that isn’t enough, alt-power-rockers Hands Like Houses add to the booming Australian delegation, while cult hardcore punks Stray from the Path also hit Download for the first time, as do hotly tipped punk rock tyros, Creeper and the new project form the post-hardcore marauders formerly known as Climate, Blood Youth.

Hands Like Houses see being part of the festival’s bill as the rock world’s ultimate bragging right: 

We are beyond excitement in announcing we'll be playing at Download Festival 2015! It's a huge honour to be invited to be part of such a massive bill and can't wait to get back to the UK for such an iconic rock event!

Blood Youth also looked forward to their debut: It’s every bands dream to be able to play a festival of such magnitude and legendary status. To say we've been given that opportunity is unreal and we're damn grateful. We look forward to tearing it up alongside so many great bands and hope to see you there.

This deluge of talent flooding Donington Park from June 12-14 will be joined by headliners Slipknot, Muse and Kiss, main support Judas Priest, Faith No More and Mötley Crüe and rock and metal megastars Black Stone Cherry, Enter Shikari, Marilyn Manson, Five Finger Death Punch, A Day To Remember, Slash and Miles Kennedy, Black Veil Brides, Lamb of God, Rise Against, Bill Idol, Parkway Drive,Hollywood Undead, Clutch, Body Count, Eagles of Death Metal, Godsmack, Mallory Knox, Motionless in White, Madball, Every Time I Die, Dragonforce, Backyard Babies, Crown the Empire, Northlane and H.E.A.T.