Bloodstock Festival once again returns August for its 18th instalment compelte with a killer line-up that aims to please fans from all corners of the Heavy Metal spectrum.
Bloodstock Open Air was conceived as an extension of the original Bloodstock indoor festival which ran from 2001 until 2006 at the Derby Assembly Rooms, moving from just one day to a full three-day event. The midlands Metal festival has prided itself on introducing the metal community to new and upcoming bands, whilst still having some of the biggest bands in the genre such as Megadeth, Slayer, Judas Priest and Motorhead.
Originally on one stage only, the festival expanded to incorporate a second stage in 2006. Known simply as The Unsigned Stage, it was designed to provide a platform for the next generation of metal talent to reach a wider audience. In 2010 it was renamed The New Blood Stage. 2007 saw further expansion of the festival with the addition of a third stage, originally called The Lava Stage which would grow into the festival’s second biggest stage. However, following the murder of 20-year-old Metalhead Sophie Lancaster due to her and her boyfriend’s gothic fashion in 2007, the stage was renamed the Sophie Lancaster Stage in her honour in 2009 to pay tribute and promote the S.O.P.H.I.E. charity campaign. This second stage is also used by “The 4 DJs Of The Apocalypse”, who provide Metal DJ sets until the early hours of the morning.
Similarly, Heaven & Hell, a reunited previous line-up of Metal legends Black Sabbath, were set to headline the festival in 2010, but were forced to pull out due to the untimely death of their singer, former Dio, Black Sabbath and Rainbow frontman, and all-round Metal legend, Ronnie James Dio. The main stage at the festival was subsequently renamed as the “Ronnie James Dio stage” in tribute to him.
This year’s line-up shows a vast range of Metal. The Friday is headlined by Swedish Power Metallers Sabaton, who bring their war inspired aesthetic to the masses in this UK exclusive show. Other bands performing are Djent pioneers Tesseract from Milton Keynes, Swedish Melodic Death Metal band Children of Bodom, Bay Area Thrashers Death Angel, tribal Groove Metallers Soulfly, led by the legendary ex-Sepultura frontman Max Cavalera.
The Saturday aims to please younger fans with some more modern bands, as showed by Australian Metalcore favourites Parkway Drive bringing their breakdown bonanza to the headline spot for the first time. Other bands to look out for are the red hot Metallic Hardcore band Code Orange, who have wowed fans with their pure aggression, as well as UK Black Metal legends Cradle of Filth, Deathcore band Thy Art Is Murder, Death-Doom Metal band Swallow the Sun and the mighty New York Thrash Metal kings Anthrax.
Finally, the Sunday continues the tradition of having the “heritage” band, as the classic 70s German hard rockers the Scorpions headline to close out the weekend. Other bands include Norwegian Symphonic Black Metallers Dimmu Borgir, Prog Metal innovators Queensrÿche, Belgian Death-Grind band Aborted and Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider’s solo band.
The festival continues to grow every year, offering a less mainstream alternative to the mighty Download Festival, and this year’s line-up looks to be one of the most diverse and intriguing.
Get tickets here