unsigned stages: The Bloodstock team are pleased to announce that German Heavy Rockers UNITING THE ELEMENTS have been added to the bill for the Bloodstock Open Air 2008. UTE have long been regarded as one of the best unsigned uk bands currently on the rock and metal circuit. With a gigging list that simply astounds, Bloodstock expects their set to be an absolutely mind blower.

UNITING THE ELEMENTS are Dawn (Vocals), Ola (Guitar), Violet 'The Cannibal' (Drums).

UNITING THE ELEMENTS' sound has an attitude rooted in rock, awesome powerful guitar and pumping drums that provide a leviathan like sound, a pop like appeal that reaches across many audience profiles, all knitted together with the energy, vocal talent and the visual appeal of sylph like singer Dawn.

The three piece (with a bassist constantly being considered) hold crowds enthralled as they start each set at a blistering rate and somehow maintain the drive with hypnotic and typically German precision. As carefully crafted crescendos are reached again and again, ecstatic fans at an amazingly varied set of venues are just hooked into this unforgettable force. There’s not many who ever leave a UTE gig once the first note is hit.

Formed in 2002 UNITING THE ELEMENTS have played alongside a diverse range of headline acts such as Bryan Adams, The Scorpions, Fun Loving Criminals, The Levellers, The Sweet, Uriah Heep, Marky Ramone, Sandi Thom, New Model Army, and Steve Hillage.

Refusing to stand still, UNITING THE ELEMENTS are proactive with over 850 appearances at venues ranging from pub gigs to major festivals in Europe and the US. With every show, their committed fanbase continues – like UTE’s reputation – to grow and develop.

Their music is aired on radio stations worldwide, receiving best audience ratings in the US radio test market.

UNITING THE ELEMENTS defy simplistic categorisation, providing 100% energy,
enthusiasm whilst possessing undeniable stage presence and passion.

UNITING THE ELEMENTS have played ;Wickerman, Rock & Blues (Custom Bike Show, Pentrich), Solfest, Farmyard Party, Eastern Haze, Cambridge Rock Festival, Volkswagen Festival and Lunacy Festival.

Click Here to view UNITING THE ELEMENTS Bloodstock Unsigned Band profile page .

Yes it's true - the international phenomenon that is Guitar Hero 3 is coming to Birmingham.


www.scruffymurphys.co.uk - the award winning Newton street based Rock Bar has teamed up with Bloodstock Open Air Metal Festival to bring the ultimate in interactive music gaming experience this Friday 16 May 2008. With the prize for the Winner and Runner up of a place at the UK Final at Bloodstock - the UK's Premier Metal Festival - over the weekend of 15-17 August, this is a night not be missed.

Birmingham is the first in a UK series of Guitar Hero 3 heats with each venue contributing 2 representatives to the Final. There they will compete against others who have come through the heats and also participants at the 10,000 attended Festival itself. In addition to 3 runner up prizes, there's a grand prize of £500, Bloodstock and Guitar Hero 3 merchandise and above all - a certificate acknowledging the first winner of the annual Bloodstock Festival/ Guitar hero 3 Champion. You'll have the additional bragging rights that come with your being photographed and featured on the venue, Festival and industry websites.

The proceedings start at 7.30pm and all the action will be featured on state of the art Projectors, large screens and X Box Elite consoles. GH3 features several musicians including Tom Morello (of the bands Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave and The Nightwatchman) and Slash (of the bands Guns N' Roses, Slash's Snakepit, and Velvet Revolver) as in-game characters. For those of you not familiar with the concept, each player uses a guitar-shaped controller to play highlighted notes of varying genres of rock music as they scroll in-time with the music - a sort of karaoke for guitarists. And you don't even need to have picked up a guitar previously or know how to read music. It really is playing by numbers and as there are several levels each with their own points system, scoring is not a challenge. But...... obtaining a great score can be though and for anyone out there who thinks that they have just the right amount of axe wielding talent and considers themselves as the next Rock God legend just waiting to be discovered then this is the game for you.

Bloodstock will have personnel in attendance on the night and will offer opportunities to purchase tickets for the Festival with on the night GH3 spot prizes available. The evening also offers a revolutionary, electronic, convenient and green method to enter with a unique ticket reference number purchased via mobile phone. For full venue details, please contact

Scruffy Murphys
Newton Street
Dale End
Birmingham
B4 7 LN

Tel: 0121 2362035
Web : www.scruffymurphys.co.uk
E-mail : bookings@scruffymurphys.co.uk

So if you've got what it takes to come through this regional heat, earning your place at the final, taking place at the UK’s biggest Metal Festival and ultimately be the overall winner playing in front of a crowd of thousands with a real band behind you............... see you at Scruffy Murphy’s this Friday.

For all terms and conditions

www.bloodstock.uk.com

Jason 07891 399 672
webmaster@bloodstock.uk.com

Bloodstock Metal Festivals is proud to associate itself with Rock Matrix and their innovative Metal initiatives.

Adam Fillary has been instrumental in pioneering revolutionary multi band/ multi level Metal music experiences in and around Kent and the South East since April 2002. His most recent and possibly ambitious set of gigs hits a crescendo this Monday 5 May 2008 in Beautiful Bexleyheath. The Darbex Metal Final, starts at 12 Noon start and finishes after 12 full on hours at 12 Midnight. As part of Bloodstock's Metal 2 The Masses UK wide initiative, Adam has 12 bands performing and complete with a stand alone room featuring Metal DJs this promises to be a record breaker on loads of levels.

Rock Matrix is keeping true to their word to supply variety, quality AND quantity of bands - keeping it as metal as possible for bands and fans. A full house is expected so for all those who know what Rockl Matrix does will no doubt get in there quick style. Others...you've been warned - the bands that are on early have just as much right to be there and you may miss a gem just by turning up late. Please support Rock Matrix as they keep the dream alive and to ensure that for loads of the bands playing on Monday ...Darbex is the start to greater things. This is just one of a series of events that Bloodstock will be working with Adam on as we expand this already creative relationship.

With a slot at the UK's premier Metal Festival up for grabs, be ready to witness some of the best Metal around;
Bloodstock hopefuls The Inbreds and Sevenyearsdead, Plus 3 bands already into the MTTM website vote namely: Without Remorse, Silent Descent, Denounce and the bands playing for the last slot: Designs of Chaos, Zocalo, Arxis and Sizen, then day guests: Schizophrenia, Conquest, Violation Complex

With an entry fee of only £4 with flyer and £5 on the day and having the entire day being filmed and recorded - what are you waiting for?
This promises to be one of the, if not THE most amazing metal gigs, staged in the Kent area.

Venue address
2 Crook Log
Bexleyheath
Kent, DA6 8BW

Telephone: 020 8301 1111

Rock Matrix: www.eventmatrix.co.uk or visit www.eventmatrix.co.uk

Regards

Bloodstock Team

www.bloodstock.uk.com
webmaster@bloodstock.uk.com

The Bloodstock team are pleased to announce that Swedish true metal trio GRAND MAGUS have been added to the bill for Bloodstock Open Air 2008.

Grand Magus were formed by vocalist Janne ‘JB’ Christoffersson and bassist Foxy who cut a couple of demos with drummer Fredrik ‘Trisse’ Liefvendahl before issuing a split 7" with Spiritual Beggars, who JB would later join. This secured them a deal with Rise Above who released their self-titled debut in 2001, follow-up ‘Monument’ in 2003 and most recently ‘Wolf’s Return’ in 2005. Trisse quit the band in 2006 and was replaced by Seb who will make his recording debut with the band on their as-yet-untitled fourth album which is due just in time for Bloodstock. Although the band’s sound has evolved over the years and they’ve often distanced themselves from the ‘stoner’ tag, the combination of influences on ‘Wolf’s Return’, taking in everything from Judas Priest to Candlemass, make them one of the best traditional metal acts to emerge in recent times. Get set for a bludgeoning comeback.

Click Here to view the GRAND MAGUS Bloodstock Band Profile Page

GRAND MAGUS – Mountains Of Power – BLOODSTOCK OPEN AIR 2008.

For the 2nd year running, music giants HMV are set to sell tickets for Bloodstock Open Air with 34 stores around the country which have now received their ticket allocation.

HMV are selling Bloodstock Festival tickets two months earlier than last year, and with this years line-up looking so good with bands such as: Nightwish, Dimmu Borgir, Opeth, Helloween, At The Gates and so many more great metal bands to come.

SO WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? – GET TO YOUR LOCAL HMV STORE NOW TO BUY THE BEST VALUE METAL TICKET OF 2008!!!

LIST OF STOCKISTS AS FOLLOWS:

Birmingham High St
Brighton Churchill Sq
Bristol Broadmead
Cardiff
Derby
Doncaster
Edinburgh Princes St
Gateshead
Glasgow Argyle
Hanley
Leeds Headrow
Leicester
Lincoln
Liverpool
Manchester 90 Mkt St
Mansfield
Merry Hill
Middlesbrough
Milton Keynes
Newcastle
Northampton
Norwich
Nottingham Listergate
Oxford
Oxford Circus
Portsmouth
Reading Oracle
Rotherham
Sheffield High St
Sheffield Meadowhall
Southampton
Wakefield
Wolverhampton
York

Due to be released in June, Guitar Hero fans everywhere will be able to rock once more with Activisions latest announcement of Guitar Hero: Aerosmith. The latest Guitar Hero instalment gives gamers the chance to play in the shoes of Whitford (guitar), Perry (guitar) and Hamilton (bass) beside drummer Kramer and frontman Tyler.

“Having a game built around Aerosmith has been a huge honour and really a great experience for us,” says Joe Perry. “We’ve put a lot of ideas into the game so that fans can have fun interacting with our music, getting inside our body of work and learning about the band’s history.”



Players will experience the legendary career of Aerosmith, from their first gig to them becoming rock royalty, whether it’s jamming at venues from historical moments in the bands career, to rocking to Aerosmith’s greatest hits like “Sweet Emotion” or - what was recently announced by Activision – playing songs from bands that had either performed with or inspired Aerosmith.

Mott the Hoople's “All the Young Dudes”, The Kinks' “All Day and All Night,” Joan Jett's “Hate Myself for Loving You” and Cheap Trick's "Dream Police." are the recent songs that have been announced for Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, to be played alongside Aerosmith’s other greatest hits within the game.

“We are extremely excited that Aerosmith chose to team up with Guitar Hero, bringing one of the world’s all-time best-selling artists together with one of the biggest video game brands, to deliver a new and unique interactive way for our customers to connect with artists and their music,” said Dusty Welch, head of publishing for Activision/RedOctane.

Many Guitar Hero 3 fans will also be pleased to hear that Guitar Hero: Aerosmith spans across a wide range of console platforms once again: Playstation 2, Playstation 3, Nintendo Wii and Xbox 360, allowing fans that haven’t yet upgraded to a next generation console not to be left behind.

To celebrate Guitar Hero’s collaboration with Aerosmith, Guitar Hero 3: Rock Legend fans are now able to download Aerosmith’s “Dream on” for free – which is available at the Xbox Live Marketplace for Xbox 360 and The Playstation Store for the PS3.

The Bloodstock team are pleased to announce that Scottish folk/power metallers ALESTORM have been added to the bill for BOA 2008.

Alestorm were formed in Perth in 2004 as a two-piece under the name Battleheart playing self-styled ‘True Scottish Pirate Metal’. After releasing an eponymous EP in 2006, they expanded their line-up in order to play live and subsequently issued a second EP ‘Terror on the High Seas’ as a full band later the same year. Increased interest in the band led to a deal with Napalm Records in 2007 and a name change to Alestorm. Their debut album ‘Captain Morgan’s Revenge’ appeared in January this year and was supported by extensive touring including dates with Turisas and appearances at various European festivals.

Click Here to view the ALESTORM Bloodstock Band Profile Page .

ALESTORM – Wenches & Mead – BLOODSTOCK OPEN AIR 2008.

NIGHTWISH CONFIRMED FOR BLOODSTOCK OPEN AIR 2008!

The Bloodstock team are delighted to announce that Finnish symphonic metallers NIGHTWISH have been confirmed for BOA 2008. Along with fellow headliners Dimmu Borgir and Opeth, the addition of Nightwish is set to help make BOA 2008 the best Bloodstock yet.

From humble beginnings in 1996, Nightwish rapidly rose to prominence and were instrumental in driving the burgeoning popularity of symphonic and gothic metal. Their debut album ‘Angels Fall First’ was an instant success, and was soon followed by ‘Oceanborn’ in 1999 and ‘Wishmaster’ in 2000, which went straight to the top of the Finnish album charts. An EP ‘Over The Hills And Far Away’ – issued in 2001 – bridged the gap to the next album ‘Century Child’, which appeared in 2002 and went gold in Finland within two hours of its release. Extensive touring followed – including their first appearance in the UK at Bloodstock Indoor in 2003 – as the band continued to build their fanbase and rack up impressive sales.

Their increasing international profile led to tensions within the ranks and the recording of 2004’s landmark ‘Once’ album was mentally and physically draining. It was, however, a huge success, selling a million copies, and the ensuing world tour – including their debut trek around the USA - continued right through til the end of 2005. After the final show, singer Tarja Turunen was fired from the band and many feared that the Nightwish fairytale had come to an abrupt end. The rest of the band had other ideas and auditions to find a suitable replacement were carried out in late 2006. Finally, in May 2007, Swedish vocalist Anette Olzon was announced as the new singer for Nightwish, and the band released their latest album ‘Dark Passion Play’ in September.

Far from being the end of the line, the band’s troubled times have given them a new lease of life. ‘Dark Passion Play’ is a worldwide hit and the positive live reviews have already begun to pour in. Female-fronted symphonic metal may now be an entire genre in itself, but nothing beats the original.

Click Here to view the NIGHTWISH Bloodstock Band Profile Page

NIGHTWISH – Power And Passion – BLOODSTOCK OPEN AIR 2008.

Bloodstock searches for a Guitar Hero 3 Star