Stage Times Announced

FRIDAY 10TH AUGUST

RONNIE JAMES DIO STAGE

Start End Band Name
11.00 11.30 MALEFICE
11.50 12.30 FREEDOM CALL
12.55 13.35 GRAND MAGUS
14.00 14.45 MOONSORROW
15.15 16.15 ICED EARTH
16.45 17.30 SEPULTURA
18.00 19.00 DIO DISCIPLES
19.35 20.35 WATAIN
21.15 22.45 BEHEMOTH

SOPHIE LANCASTER STAGE

Start End Band Name
11.50 12.20 THE COMMANDER IN CHIEF
12.40 13.10 GONOREAS
13.30 14.00 PRIMITAI
14.20 15.00 SWEET SAVAGE
15.20 16.00 DERISION
16.20 17.00 DEATH VALLEY KNIGHTS
17.20 18.00 PYTHIA
18.50 19.30 EASTERN FRONT
20.00 21.00 ALCEST
21.15 21.45 DIRTY SANCHEZ
22.00 23.00 METAL KARAOKE
23.00 02.00 4 DJ’S OF THE APOCALYPSE

NEW BLOOD STAGE

Start End Band Name
10.30 11.00 IN COMA
11.15 11.45 CONTROL THE STORM
12.00 12.30 WAKING THEO
12.45 13.15 WARHORSE
13.30 14.00 KREPSUKUL (ROMANIA)
14.15 14.45 CAMBION
15.00 15.30 MY WOODEN PILLOW
15.45 16.15 EXILE THE TRAITOR
16.30 17.00 KILLER HURTS
17.15 17.45 SCARE TACTICS
18.00 18.30 KATALEPTIC
18.45 19.15 INFERNAL CREATION
19.30 20.00 FALLEN FATE

JAGERMEISTER STAGE

13.40 14.10 SKARLETT RIOT
14.50 15.20 DAKESIS
16.00 16.30 A ANDRASTE
17.20 17.50 DAVE MCPHERSON
19.00 19.30 ABSOLVA
(FORMER FURY UK)

SATURDAY 11TH AUGUST

RONNIE JAMES DIO STAGE
Start End Band Name
11.00 11.40 BENEDICTION
12.00 12.40 I AM I
13.05 13.45 CTHONIC
14.10 14.55 CROWBAR
15.20 16.05 MAYHEM
16.35 17.20 SANCTUARY
17.55 18.55 HATEBREED
19.30 20.30 TESTAMENT
21.15 22.45 MACHINE HEAD

SOPHIE LANCASTER STAGE

Start End Band Name
11.00 11.30 SPLINTERED SOUL
11.50 12.20 SAVAGE MESSIAH
12.40 13.10 DRIPBACK
13.30 14.00 INFERNAL TENEBRA
14.20 15.00 RISING DREAM
15.20 16.00 FURYON
16.20 17.00 WINTERFYLLETH
17.20 18.00 WITCHSORROW
18.50 19.30 SIGHT OF EMPTINESS
20.00 21.00 ORANGE GOBLIN
21.00 22.00 GOBLIN FANCY DRESS
22.00 23.00 METAL KARAOKE
23.00 02.00 4 DJ’S OF THE APOCALYPSE

NEW BLOOD STAGE

Start End Band Name
10.30 11.00 APOLLYON
11.15 11.45 MERCILESS FAIL
12.00 12.30 STORMBORN
12.45 13.15 THE CONFLICT WITHIN
13.30 14.00 FATHER (SLOVENIA)
14.15 14.45 SUBLIME EYES (NORWAY)
15.00 15.30 WRETCHED SOUL
15.45 16.15 BULL RIFF STAMPEDE
16.30 17.00 TEMPUS FUSION
17.15 17.45 COSMIC VORTEX OF DOOM
18.00 18.30 REFLECTIONS IN EXILE
18.45 19.15 DOOMED (CROATIA)
19.30 20.00 GONE TILL WINTER

JAGERMIESTER STAGE

13.40 14.10 FROM RUIN
14.50 15.20 TRIAXIS
16.00 16.30 KYRBGRINDER
17.20 17.50 DREAMCATCHER
19.00 19.30 ZP THEART
(IAMI – FORMER DRAGONFORCE VOX)

SUNDAY 12TH AUGUST

RONNIE JAMES DIO STAGE

Start End Band Name
11.00 11.40 KOBRA & THE LOTUS
12.00 12.40 CORROSION OF CONFORMITY
13.00 13.40 NILE
14.05 14.50 BLACK DAHLIA MURDER
15.15 16.00 EVILE
16.30 17.15 ANVIL
17.50 18.50 PARADISE LOST
19.25 20.25 DIMMU BORGIR
21.15 22.45 ALICE COOPER

SOPHIE LANCASTER STAGE

Start End Band Name
11.50 12.20 RE ARMED
12.40 13.10 FLAYED DISCIPLE
13.30 14.00 BATTALION
14.20 15.00 CRIMES OF PASSION
15.20 16.00 ANCIENT ASCENDENT
16.20 17.00 NOCTERFERIA
17.20 18.00 DEMONIC RESSURECTION
18.50 19.30 HEADCHARGER
20.00 21.00 ANAAL NATHRAKH
21.20 22.20 COMEDY HOUR
22.30 22.45 TEENAGE CANCER RAFFLE DRAW
22.45 03.00 WILDSIDE PARTY

NEW BLOOD STAGE

Start End Band Name
10.30 11.00 SEPREVATION
11.15 11.45 FROM RUIN
12.00 12.30 AETHARA
12.45 13.15 SO DA KO
13.30 14.00 HAKIN
14.15 14.45 DREAM CATCHER
15.00 15.30 REIGN OF FURY
15.45 16.15 HURON
16.30 17.00 A THOUSAND ENEMIES
17.15 17.45 SHATTERED SKIES
18.00 18.30 INCINERY
18.45 19.15 BLYND (CYPRUS)
19.30 20.00 AIRSTRYKE

JAGERMEISTER STAGE

13.40 14.10 A THOUSAND ENEMIES
14.50 15.20 SPLINTERED SOUL
16.00 16.30 ORIANTHI
(ALICE COOPER GUITARIST)
17.20 17.50 KOBRA & THE LOTUS
19.00 19.30 MERCY HOUSE

ALL STAGE TIMES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE !!

A big talking point for any metal fan is The Festival. While the mainstreamers are pondering whether it’s Ibiza or Marbella to top up their tan and buy a new summer wardrobe for, us lot are keeping our eyes on which bands are being added to X, Y and Z festival and weighing up pros and cons of which one to go to. Should one venture abroad or stay on home soil?

Bloodstock is the only outdoor festival offering a genuine alternative to the UK mainstream, for the seasoned metalhead to consider along with the Hellfests and Wackens overseas. It has grown radically since starting out as a small indoor venture back in 2001, these days boasting three stages; watch major acts from all metal subgenres on the Ronnie James Dio stage, established underground bands on the Sophie Lancaster stage or check out some untapped talent in the New Blood tent. There is something to suit all tastes this year whether it’s extreme metal you’re after or more traditional sounds to bang your head to. The event is still intimate enough to see the bands without having to lug those binoculars round with you, has a good friendly atmosphere and the chances of losing your mates are much slimmer than at the more commercial likes of Download and Sonisphere. If you would rather camp out with a bit of luxury then opt for the VIP section; for a bit extra you can have your tent set up in a backstage area away from the riff-raff and even get your own separate bar and bogs. What more could you ask for?

Okay, it’s Britain and we all know how schizophrenic our weather has been of late; will it be a glorious heatwave or pissing rain all weekend? Your guess is as good as anyone’s. Are you really going to let the weather stop you having a good weekend of metal and beer though? Speaking of beer, yes the prices are never cheap at festivals and it’s nearly always either warm, watered down or both so best stock up your tent supplies the best you can. As for food…there’s the usual assortment of burgers, fish and chips, noodle bars, etc. etc. and the ever-popular Deli Kate offering a gluten free alternative.

Situated in Catton Hall, Derbyshire, the venue is in a central location between the towns of Lichfield, Burton On Trent and Tamworth, making it relatively accessible on public transport. A shuttle bus service runs to and from Lichfield throughout the weekend. There are also coaches directly to the site running from 26 towns and cities nationwide via the Big Green Coach Music Travel Co. (Departing from; Birkenhead, Bournemouth, Bridgend, Bristol, Cardiff, Carlisle, Chester, Glasgow, Gloucester, Lancaster, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Middlesborough, Newcastle, Newport, Oxford, Preston, Sheffield, Southampton, Stockport, Sunderland, Swansea, Warrington and Worcester).

At the end of the day what we all really care about above all else is…the bands! The final headliner has just been announced (who guessed Machine Head?) and there are already some big draws on the Ronnie James Dio stage. Iconic granddaddy of shock rock Alice Cooper bringing his gruesome theatrics as Sunday headliner with the equally visual and bombastic Dimmu Borgir return to the arena with some black metal pantomime after last headlining Bloodstock in 2008.

Ronnie James Dio may have shuffled off this mortal coil but his music lives on; on the Friday, Tim “Ripper” Owens joins a host of long-time Dio members to perform a set of classic anthems spanning the legend’s career under the moniker Dio Disciples. Polish extremists Behemoth follow up with some blackened death brutality. Having cancelled their original scheduled appearance in 2010 when Nergal was diagnosed with Leukemia, this promises to be a spectacular show.

This year’s line up is especially diverse and caters very well to the extreme metal audience. Satanic Swedes Watain bring their stage ritual to Bloodstock for the first time. Invoking the true spirit and ethos of black metal, Watain are one of the most revered underground acts around today and their shows are as feral, fetid and blood-soaked as the music. Also keeping it black are Mayhem, Chthonic and Moonsorrow who return with their epic Pagan stylings, while the genre is equally well represented on the Sophie Lancaster stage with Eastern Front, Anaal Nathrakh, Winterfylleth and shoegazers Alcest.

Will Deicide actually show up to play? Well pay no mind as the death metal quotient is filled with Egyptological extremists Nile and British brutalists Benediction, while Demonic Resurrection represent India on the Sophie Lancaster stage who are joined by Ancient Ascendant and death-thrashers Flayed Disciple. Or how about some aggro-core with Dripback featuring ex Labrat bassist Adam Da Rat?!

Paradise Lost bring the Yorkshire gloom, while Grand Magus bring the doom in a more trad mould and Orange Goblin get the joints passing around as Saturday headliners on the Sophie Lancaster stage, with Witchsorrow earlier that day. Dig out the old patched denim and crack open a beer for some retro frash as Testament hit the main stage as main support on the Saturday, along with Seattle’s recently reformed Sanctuary featuring the unique vocal talents of Warrell Dane, while homegrown thrash heroes Evile join Battalion and Savage Messiah on the Sophie stage.

If you are planning to head down on the Thursday then you’ll not find yourself without entertainment as the Sophie Lancaster tent opens its doors for the evening and puts on a triumvirate of bands with Swedish metallers Marionette headlining and support from Hampshire melodeth horde Bloodshot Dawn and symphonic death/black metallers Saturnian. As per usual once the bands have finished you can kick back with some stand up comedy from the likes of Steve Hughes and Dirty Sanchez.

Tickets for the full weekend start at £115, which can be purchased from the official festival website http://www.bloodstock.uk.com/ . VIP tickets are available from £120 for a single person and £235 for a couple, plus various options to have a ready made up tent on site.