The first batch of venues for 2009 / 2010 Metal 2 The Masses Campaign have been announced with some of the countries finest venues offering their services to find the latest in Breakthrough Metal.

With a return of venues such as Scruffy Murphys, The Lounge Bar and Riffs, we're pleased to have added venues such as The Queens Hall, Retribution, The Rockhouse and Yardbirds Club, all of which are dedicated to finding new talent and keeping Metal Real !!!

But this is just the start of a UK wide initiative where we intend to approach more venues and in doing so search high and low for the best the UK has to offer. For bands wishing to apply all the venue details can be found on the "Masses Venues" section along with website links, geographical locations and loads more.

Further to this, the Bloodstock Roadshow will be coming to each venue giving away loads of goodies and giveaways and although we can't mention anything yet (due to red tape) we've got a huge incentive for all bands and venues to be announced soon.

So if you are in an unsigned band that could kick ass at Bloodstock get you CD's and Biogs off to the venues (clearly marked Metal 2 The Masses) as soon as possible or if you think you know a venue that may be interested in coming on board with Bloodstock Open Air, then feel free to get in touch with Initiative Organiser - Simon.

Simon@bloodstock.uk.com

Regards

Bloodstock Team

Well here it is – after a good many hours of going back and forth to the easel - we think Paul has come up with a great image for BLOODSTOCK OPEN AIR 2009.

For those of you who don’t know the history behind the artwork – Bloodstock was of course born in Derby, so Paul had the great idea of using some of Derby’s folk law ‘The Derby Ram’ to represent the image of the festival. After the first Bloodstock ’indoor’ festival in 2001 we decided to hold a competition for you guys to come up with a suitable name for the Ram and so ... ‘S-tan’ was born. And to each year there after ‘S-tan’ has become an integral part of the Bloodstock family.
We hope you like it

If you want to know more about the history of Bloodstock go to www.bloodstock.uk.com/history-of-bloodstock.htm

Regards

Bloodstock Team

For those of you who missed out on buying a Bloodstock 2008 festival t-shirt from the official merchandise stall at this years festival - we are pleased to confirm the last remaining stock is now on sale in the Bloodstock Store.

A couple of sizes have already sold out and we have no plans to reprint so when there gone... they're gone !


Regards

Bloodstock Team

The Bloodstock team are delighted to announce that Swedish goth metallers KATATONIA have been added to the bill for BOA 2009.

Katatonia were formed in Stockholm in 1991 by Jonas Renkse and Anders ‘Blakkheim’ Nyström and started life as a hybrid doom/death metal crossover before gradually shifting to a more mainstream atmospheric gothic/alternative rock sound, a move which began in earnest on their third album Discouraged Ones.

Having made a name for themselves on the underground with their Jhva Elohim Meth demo, the band released their debut album Dance Of December Souls on No Fashion records in 1993. A period of line-up instability threatened the future of the band and it would not be until 1996 that their sophomore effort Brave Murder Day eventually appeared. Featuring guest vocals from Opeth’s Mikael Åkerfeldt, the album marked a further development in their sound and, like their debut, was a critically acclaimed success. Renkse was back on vocals for Discouraged Ones, adopting a clean singing style which, although a risky gamble, proved to be a major turning point and helped them reach a much wider audience.

At this point, the band signed a long term deal with UK label Peaceville and began a run of releases building on their signature style and culminating in 2006’s The Great Cold Distance, their most dynamic work to date. Their eighth, as-yet-untitled studio album is expected later this year.

Click Here to view the KATATONIA Bloodstock Band Profile page .

KATATONIA – A Darkness Coming - BLOODSTOCK OPEN AIR 2009.

Don’t forget Early bird Tickets are now on sale at just £85 but only until 15th December 2008 when prices will increase. To buy your ticket now go to the secure Bloodstock on line store.

Regards

Bloodstock Team

The Bloodstock team are pleased to announce that Finnish folk metallers TURISAS have been added to the bill for BOA 2009. This will be the band’s ONLY UK performance in ’09!

Turisas were formed in 1997 in the southern Finnish city of Hämeenlinna and quickly developed a sound incorporating elements of folk, Viking and power metal. They spent the next few years honing their style and recording demos for promotional purposes. Their debut album Battle Metal was subsequently released in 2004 and almost immediately spawned its own sub-genre – battle metal – since used to refer to Turisas and other bands with a strong influence from Northern European folk history.

Tragedy struck in 2005 when guitarist Georg Laakso was seriously injured in a road accident, but although he was forced to quit as a result, the rest of the band resolved to forge ahead without him. Continuing to tour and gather momentum, Turisas were voted ‘Best New Band’ in Metal Hammer’s 2006 readers’ poll. Their second album The Varangian Way appeared in 2007, upping the ante on every front and winning the band many new fans and glowing reviews. They have become something of a festival institution, playing most of the major outdoor events across the length and breadth Europe and making their first UK debut at B.O.A. in 2007 with a rapturously received set of blood, thunder and… sauna.

2008 has seen the band embark on their biggest ever tour, supporting DragonForce throughout the UK, Europe and the US and also the release of their first DVD A Finnish Summer With Turisas. 2009’s UK EXCLUSIVE show will witness their welcome return to the beer-soaked fields of Bloodstock – cheers!

Click Here to view TURISAS Bloodstock Band Profile page .

TURISAS – From Beer To Eternity - BLOODSTOCK OPEN AIR 2009.

Bloodstock takes place on Friday 14th, Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th August at Catton Hall, Walton on Trent in Derbyshire.

Early bird Tickets are now on sale at just £85 but only until 15th December 2008 when prices will increase. To buy your ticket now go to the secure Bloodstock on line store at www.bloodstock.uk.com

Regards

Bloodstock Team

The Bloodstock team are pleased to announce that Swedish thrashers THE HAUNTED have been added to the bill for BOA 2009.

The Haunted were formed in Gothenburg in 1996 from the ashes of At The Gates and originally consisted of guitarists Patrik Jensen and Anders Björler, bassist Jonas Björler, drummer Adrian Erlandsson and Peter Dolving on vocals.

The band released their self-titled debut on Earache Records in 1997 and immediately made a major impact on the metal scene, winning Terrorizer magazine’s Album Of The Year. Both Dolving and Erlandsson quit in 1999, the latter going on to join Cradle Of Filth. Replacing the pair with Marco Aro and Per Möller Jensen, the band then issued their second album The Haunted Made Me Do It in 2000, showcasing a sound somewhat closer to the melodic death metal of At The Gates than the thrash metal of their debut. Over the years, they have continued to produce music which crosses the boundaries between thrash and death and have also proved influential on the metalcore genre.
Their third album, One Kill Wonder emerged in 2003 but despite its success, Marco Aro quit soon afterwards with original vocalist Peter Dolving returning to the mic. Since his reinstatement, the band have issued three albums; 2004’s rEVOLVEr, The Dead Eye in 2006 and finally Versus which appeared in September.

Known for their blistering, in-your-face live shows, their assault on Bloodstock promises to be brutal and unrelenting.

Click Here to view THE HAUNTED Bloodstock band profile page .

THE HAUNTED – No Compromise - BLOODSTOCK OPEN AIR 2009.

Bloodstock takes place on Friday 14th, Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th August.

Early Bird Tickets are now on sale at just £85 but only until 15th December 2008 when prices will increase. To buy your ticket now go to the secure Bloodstock on line store at www.bloodstock.uk.com and we promise to post your ticket out before Christmas.

* Not only that but The Bloodstock Team in conjunction with Kilimanjaro are offering up for grabs 2 x tickets to go and see ‘The Haunted’ and ‘All That Remains’ on tour in January at either Nottingham, Birmingham, Glasgow, Manchester, Brighton or London. To be in with a chance to win these tickets simply purchase your Bloodstock Early Bird Tickets before 15th December if you haven’t already and the winners will be picked at random and announced 16TH December. For information on their January tour go to www.myspace.com/thehaunted