Wednesday, August 27. 2008Cloudscape Bloodstock Open Air 16th August 2008![]() Administering a mighty mid-morning shot of symphonic adrenalin, Swedish metallers, Cloudscape deliver a high-octane wake-up call of captivating proportions. Clinging to a can of Carlsberg for essential onstage sustenance, enthused frontman, Mike Andersson proposes a toast to the crowd before the band resume their trademark technical blizzard of sublime soundscapes and guitar-fuelled melodrama. Despite a momentary meandering of appreciation illustrated by an errant voice in the crowd who utters an eloquent, “Fuck off” in reply to Andersson’s tremulous falsetto, the audience are, for the most part, utterly enthralled. Resplendent in a Slash-like ensemble of velvet shirt and skin-tight black leather, bassist, Hans Persson unleashes a mighty succession of thunderous riffs as Andersson wields the mike stand with glittering, stadium rock showmanship. By turns majestic and anthemic, “Will We Remain” features immaculate, face-melting axemanship while “Darkest Legacy” is slick with cinematic ambience. Andersson’s lavish, almost operatic tones soar effortlessly above a mind-bending array of otherworldly electronica. Showcasing both tireless stamina and agility throughout, Andersson’s vocal capacity makes for a truly compelling performance. Poignantly emotive yet packing sufficient heavy metal artillery to largely escape the much abhorred power genre, Cloudscape are epic theatricality incarnate. Author: Faye Coulman Sunday, July 27. 2008GET READY TO ROCK!! AT BLOODSTOCK OPEN AIR 15th 16th 17th August 2008 This years Bloodstock Open Air festival has already been tipped to be THE heavy rock /metal festival of 2008 not to be missed. 10,000 metal heads will descend on the picturesque village of Walton On Trent, in Derbyshire expecting to rock out to the finest metal line up the UK has ever witnessed.The campsite opens Thursday at 12 noon giving you plenty of time to set up camp for when the festivities begin. The Guitar Hero 3 Tent and Lava Stage and bar will be open on Thursday at 12 noon to welcome you all. Here you will enjoy all the revelry of Metal Karaoke, a couple of surprise bands to warm you up for the weekends metal onslaught as well as head banging to the tunes of the infamous 4 DJ’s of the Apocolypse … all this until the early hours. To follow on from this - Friday, Saturday and Sunday will see the main stage treat you to the most quality metal line up of 2008. Headline acts - Opeth, Dimmu Borgir and Nightwish with Special Guests Helloween, as well as Iced Earth, At The Gates, Soulfly and Soilwork, to name just a few. UK EXCLUSIVE - Sunday night headliners ‘Nightwish’ will close the festival with a spectacular performance as they are bringing their entire pyro’s light show never before seen in the UK. We have the cream of the UK unsigned metal acts on the Scuzz Underground Stage ready to shock your senses, and for those of you who just want to catapult yourselves into space we also this year have fairground rides, the International Metal Market plus Guitar hero 3 Champion competition madness and much much more Full weekend tickets with camping are just £85. Limited day tickets are on sale at just £45. Tickets on sale through our secure online shop at www.bloodstock.uk.com plus selected HMV stores around the UK - _you can also purchase from SEE tickets, Ticketwebb, Piccadilly, Gigantic, Ticket Factory and Last minute or call the 24 hour ticket hotline: 0871 2200260 Band line up: Friday: OPETH, HELLOWEEN, SOULFLY, PRIMAL FEAR, DESTRUCTION, AKERCOCKE, TYR, PRAYING MANTIS, EVILE, SAINT DEAMON, Saturday: DIMMU BORGIR, ICED EARTH, SOILWORK, NAPALM DEATH, MOONSORROW, COMMUNIC, SWALLOW THE SUN, ELUVEITIE, MOB RULES, CLOUDSCAPE Sunday: NIGHTWISH, AT THE GATES, OVERKILL, AS I LAY DYING, KATAKLYSM, GRAND MAGUS, ALESTORM, CROWNING GLORY, HEAVENS BASEMENT BLOODSTOCK OPEN AIR Date: 15th 16th 17th August 2008 Venue: Catton Hall, Walton on Trent, Derbyshire Tickets - Full weekend Tickets with Camping - £85 Day tickets - £45 Child tickets £35 Make sure you Purchase your Car parking Ticket !! Regards Bloodstock Team www.bloodstock.uk.com Thursday, June 12. 2008Faye Coulman interviews Paul Gregory
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![]() Merchants of Metal “It helps me, being the eternal optimist – a requirement for any mad idea,” comments Paul Gregory, founder and promoter of Bloodstock festivals. Faye Coulman documents the unprecedented success of the UK’s most prestigious extreme music event to date While the likes of Glastonbury and Download annually sate mainstream appetites, heavy metal enthusiasts were left wanting where live entertainment was concerned, until the birth of Bloodstock in 2001. Forged from a mutual appreciation for heavy metal, organisers Paul Gregory and Vince Brotheridge were struck by a marketing concept which was at once creative and commercially viable. “We chose to bring little known acts from Europe to perform at a UK festival instead of them performing at smaller venues in London,” Paul explains. “Our talent-luck for bringing bands from Europe for their UK debut is where we gained our reputation.” Since the festival’s distant origins as an indoor event in 2001, Bloodstock witnessed fifty per cent expansion each year thereafter, which culminated in the launch of Bloodstock Open Air 2005. Though the UK is largely esteemed the homeland of heavy metal, prior to the advent of B.O.A, Britain was the only European country without its own major, open-air metal event. Paul and Vince have now fully established and conquered their highly specific niche in the music industry. The pair’s business awareness and artistic vision was successfully reconciled in the form of promotions and website design body, AMust4music. An acclaimed artist, mf Paul’s numerous cover art projects provided ready-established connections with a range of reputable acts, including classic rock legends, Saxon. His dark, iconic designs also constitute the focal point of both Bloodstock’s promotional web features and merchandise. Ever innovative in marketing approach, Paul remarks: “We are always looking at developing new merchandise and have bespoke artwork year on so as to not bore with the same old same old.” In close proximity to conveniently placed sources of accommodation and local eateries, The Assembly Rooms, situated in the heart of Derby, presented the ideal venue choice for the original indoor festival. Despite the initially crippling costs, Bloodstock 2001 received rave reviews from both local and national press, as well as an enthusiastic reception from 700 fans. “We were always confident,” Paul reflects, “but it’s been a hard road with a lot of casualties.” The capacity of the indoor festival, capable of hosting 2,500, presented a considerable limitation given the sell-out success of Bloodstock 2004. In 2005, plans for open-air expansion, to be run alongside the original indoor event, were announced. Given the festival’s limitless scope for international talent and diversity, it seemed only appropriate that Bloodstock should embody the vast, outdoor characteristics of its European counterparts. Long-time friend and business associate, Thomas Jensen, of Germany’s Wacken festival, extended his marketing expertise to the prospective venture. Catton Hall, in South Derbyshire, satisfied the problematic search for an outdoor venue, given its suitably secluded location and capacity of 10,000. Paul and his cohorts’ tireless dedication precipitated a marketing triumph born of overseas ideology coupled with the loyal, intimate values of the regional metal scene. mf “Bloodstock started with a team of people with an idea to put on a festival of the music they all loved,” Paul affirms. “We have a loyal fan base that help with the festival’s ever-growing need for helpers. Our motto: ‘By the fans for the fans’ are not just words.” In 2005, an interview with Metal Hammer accurately identified the source of Bloodstock’s marketing ingenuity. Paul told the magazine: “I think a lot of promoters are only going to book things that are sort of big at the time. That’s where we’ve got our niche,” he stated before concluding: “We’re not followers, we’re leaders.” Not since the greatly mourned departure of Donington’s Monsters of Rock festival had the British metal scene anticipated a live event of such gargantuan import. While Bloodstock continued its annually staggering rate of expansion, the promotions team endeavoured to raise the profile of the festival by every conceivable means. In addition to the team’s marketing scheme, corporate titan, HMV rendered tickets readily available to the public, displaying promotional flyers and posters nationwide. Together with leading rock and metal cable and satellite TV show, Scuzz, Bloodstock received a tremendous publicity boost. As many aspiring entrepreneurs will appreciate, Bloodstock’s early promotional measures, though inventive in strategy, suffered considerable financial limitation. Of the team’s enterprising origins, Paul reminisces: “I believe we did quite a good job in our early promotion efforts given our lack of knowledge at the time. We mf had street teams, advertising, obviously, in all the metal magazines and local papers. We had a very limited budget, which at the time was almost zero.” In light of his own seasoned expertise, he urges fledgling promoters to: “Work on the basis that nobody has ever heard of your festival. Street teams, advertising, radio, television if you can get it and mostly be creative - think out of the box.” Despite the extraordinary success enjoyed by Bloodstock 2007, Paul remains steadfast in his prevailing ethos of self-promotion and dedication to the local metal scene. Media exposure was extended also to the unsigned sector of the festival via an Internet facility, which allowed for the uploading of music videos created by aspiring artists. Undoubtedly the promotional core of the thriving operation that is Bloodstock, the official website offers still further marketing opportunity for both upcoming promoters and musicians. Perhaps the organisation’s greatest initiative thus far, “Metal 2 The Masses” 2008 aims to further media exposure for both Bloodstock and more minor sectors of the industry alike. Promoters are requested to purchase a franchise of “Metal 2 The Masses”, producing an invaluable association with the reputable name of Bloodstock Open Air. Online voting for various groups of unsigned artists, presented by each independent promoter, begins in June. It is anticipated that the venture will do much to raise the profile of live metal in its entirety, providing promotion for Bloodstock while establishing a sound basis for future developments in this sector of the industry. mf Although Bloodstock occupies a specialist niche, fellow subcultural industry professionals have proved consistent in their support of the organisation. In breakthrough year 2005, Metal Hammer music magazine cited Bloodstock as Britain’s best independent metal festival. Acclaimed extreme metal publication, Terrorizer, also revealed Bloodstock as the No.3 Biggest Musical Event, based on the results of a readers’ poll held in 2006. As anticipation for the 2008 festival nears its dynamic climax, Terrorizer’s June edition hails Bloodstock as one of the metal scene’s most celebrated forthcoming events. “Bloodstock hasn’t strayed from its original ethos as a metal meeting for metalheads…” the article enthuses. “Those European metal superfests oughta start worrying; Bloodstock is bringing metal home Saturday, March 15. 2008are YOU the GUITAR HERO 3 CHAMPION of 2008?![]() Bloodstock searches for the next Guitar Hero 3 Star If so, you've just got to compete for the title of....……… "Bloodstock Open Air Festival 2008 - Guitar Hero 3" Ok………..this is your big chance to show the world that Guitar Hero 3 and all that axe wielding talent you have wasn’t just for Christmas. If you’re the next legend just waiting to be discovered and idolised and can answer yes to the following questions then do not hesitate to let us guide you along the path of guitar glory. • Ever wanted to show what you can do with your guitar? • Are you an expert exponent of Guitar Hero 3? • Got what it takes to win a regional heat and earn your place at the final, taking place at the UK’s biggest Metal Festival? • Think you can be the overall winner and play in front of a crowd of thousands with a real band behind you? For all budding lead guitarists who just know that they fully deserve the ultimate Rock God prize, a ridiculous bag of related goodies and products PLUS VIP Festival tickets, then this is the competition for you. Bloodstock Open Air Festivals has joined forces with GUITAR HERO 3 to bring you an unbelievable opportunity to compete for this annual Title and Prize. We already have several hosts lined up to work with us as we put on the mother of all shows at dedicated Guitar Hero 3 events around the country. If your Rock Society, Student Union, Club or venue wants a piece of the action, please get them to contact us at the numbers below . All bases are covered with official GH3 products and equipment provided at Heats held at locations across the UK in May/ June 2008 as we search for our first Guitar Heroes. We’ve got Ticketing partner tixmob.com on board who provide a revolutionary, electronic, convenient and green method to enter with a unique ticket reference number purchased via mobile phone. So all we need now is YOU! Any enthusiastic venues that want to play host to GUITAR HERO 3 in partnership with Bloodstock Festivals should make contact as soon as possible. From 2 April you can enter the competition and get all the vital details, terms and conditions on www.bloodstock.uk.com For more information Competition and Venue Details : Jason 07891 399 672 or webmaster@bloodstock.uk.com Media Enquiries : Clive 07882 352 742 or clive@bloodstock.uk.com For Full Festival news and performer details, please log onto www.bloodstock.uk.com Tuesday, November 20. 2007BLOODSTOCK 2008 NOVEMBER UPDATE As the dark days of winter draw in, there’ll be no time for hiding away or hibernation for the Bloodstock team as we continue to assemble what promises to be the festival’s best ever line-up. Already for BOA 2008 we’ve confirmed legendary outfits Opeth, Dimmu Borgir, Primal Fear and the recently reformed At The Gates alongside newer talent in the shape of Moonsorrow, Swallow The Sun, Communic, Evile and Eluveitie. If that lot has whetted your appetite, let’s just say that we have many further exciting announcements coming your way in the next few weeks that’ll have you polishing your tent pegs in furious anticipation of August 15th…ROCK SOCIETY The new Rock Society memberships which were launched on October 31st have been selling fast, so for those of you still ‘thinking about it’, now is the time to get over to Bloodstock Store and sign up fast as there are just 150 available! For just £20 a year, Rock Society members receive: 1. Laminated Rock Society pass with your name and number on it. 2. 10% discount on all Bloodstock merchandise and tickets purchased online. (Discount applies until 15th December 2007). 3. 10% Discount on all Bloodstock merchandise purchased at the festival. You’ll need to bring your Rock Society pass with you to claim your discount. 4. Backstage tours at Bloodstock 2008. 5. Your name on the `Thank you` page in the official Bloodstock programme. 6. Early priority entry to the festival signing area. 7. Option to renew a week before anyone else. 8. Access to the Bloodstock Rock Society forum where you can chat with new members like yourself as well as our lifetime members who have supported Bloodstock since the beginning. Official Rock Society passes will be sent out by post within ten days of purchase and you’ll need to bring these with you when attending Bloodstock 2008. BLOODSTOCK OPEN AIR 2008 TICKETS Tickets for Bloodstock Open Air 2008 are currently on sale and you still have until December 15th to take advantage of our massive pre-Christmas discount which holds tickets at just £61 each. Tickets purchased after this date will be priced at £85, so early bird buyers will save a massive £24! Bloodstock tickets make great Christmas presents too! Click HERE to buy your Bloodstock tickets NOW! Regards Bloodstock Team www.bloodstock.uk.com Tuesday, August 28. 2007Bloodstock Aftermath![]() Paul Gregory What a great weekend, hope you all enjoyed yourselves and returned home safely without too much of a hang over? Firstly can I start by thanking you all for yet another fantastic Bloodstock and for giving the festival your support, we had some amazing bands this year and have received from the bands a lot of praise for a great festival and even greater fans !!! I have had several emails and browsed the forum so to help clear up a few issues, give out praises to the well deserved and to dish out some no no’s to the very few misguided I feel it only right I try to answer your queries. We all do our very best to make sure your festival improves each year and to a greater extent I think this year we achieved this. Lack of toilets were a major issue this year, that won’t be the case next, we will also have showers on the campsite, a much requested item. It’s not rocket science, when we get it wrong or, you rightly tell us and if it’s achievable we’ll fix it. Onto our plans for 2008, in order for us to make Bloodstock Open Air the festival all you guys want to be proud of like of our European counterparts, we have to look carefully at our current situation. Running two festivals back to back is financial suicide and means at best you do both badly, as the capacity of the venue is limited and the bands we would like to see at the indoor are not affordable to make the venue work, it makes no sense to continue. The alternative is no Festival “period.” This as many of our decisions has been hard but one we had to make at this juncture. However we will re kindle the Christmas show and I’m not saying the indoor is gone for good, once we have the open air the festival where we want it to be we will revisit it. Ticket Prices Bloodstock is NOT some corporate money grabbing machine, neither is it a charity, a rise in ticket price is not a way of making a quick buck but a natural consequence of the festival’s spiralling costs due to our commitment to make it the best it can be, that said we’ll keep prices for next year the same as this years price if you purchase your ticket between now and 15th December 2007, any tickets purchased after 15th December will be priced at £ 85, this will give all you loyal Bloodstockers the opportunity to snatch what is and believe me a bargain. Tickets for Bloodstock Open Air 2008 will go on Sale from September 1st and can be purchased Online in the Bloodstock Store !! All tickets will be despatched before Christmas so they also will make ideal Christmas presents !!! We have also taken on board emails received from lots of metallers that could not attend this year as they have children, with this in mind we have introduced a Child ticket, if you have children aged between 4 – 11 you will be able to purchase a ticket for them at the reduced rate of £ 35, children aged 0 – 3 will get in for free ! The misguided, I received some complaints about certain individuals setting fire to wheelie bins, Bloodstock has always been a friendly safe festival something we’re all proud of, we will NOT tolerate to be polite the misguided element these people ruin it for others, be warned our security is to be doubled next year, another reason for our cost increase. The campsite, we will endeavour to have a quiet area for those not wishing to be part of the mayhem created by those who want to party till dawn. Bloodstock’s ethos for the fans by the fans is born out by the number of metal heads that give their time and energy behind the scenes to put the show on, from production, Merchandise to street teams, all working tirelessly throughout the year to give us all a true Metal festival to be part of and proud of. Next years Bloodstock Open Air is set to be even bigger than this year, we are liaising now with some amazing bands and we aim to have some band announcements with you shortly, we appreciate your comments on bands and we read ALL band requests you guys put forward !! Keep it heavy keep it safe Cheers Paul Monday, July 16. 2007Bloodstock Festival Main stage Bands Review
With a grand total of 55 bands, this year sees the most diverse Bloodstock line up to date. From classic rock to death metal, progressive power metal to bay area thrash, there is sure to be something to suit every metal head in attendance.
THURSDAY Chris Slade (AC/DC, Damage Control) gets things off to a start on the main stage with a drum solo and following that will be an opening set from one of the lucky winners of the Bloodstock competition. The organisers of Bloodstock have been giving unsigned bands the opportunity to upload their videos onto the official website, where head-banging members of the public are able to vote for their favourite video. The competition is divided into three genre categories, with the overall winner being the band that gets to play the main stage. The competition closes on July 29th so get voting while you can and be sure to get down to BOA early to watch the band you voted for open up in front of a crowd of metal-hungry festival goers. ![]() Kiuas ![]() Head On ![]() Firewind FRIDAY ![]() Exploder ![]() Scar Symmetry ![]() Wolf ![]() Memfis ![]() Korpiklaani ![]() Damage Control ![]() Epica ![]() Nevermore ![]() Dark Tranquillity SATURDAY ![]() Beyond All Reason ![]() Rise to Addiction ![]() Freedom Call ![]() Benediction ![]() Legion of the Damned ![]() Finntroll ![]() Dream Evil ![]() Sabbat Luci Herbert MTUK Metal 'Zine www.metalteamuk.net Wednesday, July 11. 2007Bloodstock Invades France!
Greetings, metal fans!
Firstly, let me introduce myself, I'm Dj Sly AKA 'Death' - of 'The 4 Dj's Of The Apocalypse'. More about that later, for now I want to tell you about the storming weekend of pure metal that was HELLFEST 2007. Myself and my crew had the good fortune to be asked to represent Bloodstock at this years HELLFEST in France. If you haven't heard about it you should have! (And you can check out a full lineup at www.hellfest.fr . We set off on Thursday armed with exclusive BOA t-shirts and bags full to bursting with Bloodstock flyers. On arrival at the airport we found that we were not the only metallers from England heading to the fest, in fact only about 5 people on our flight weren't, let the fun begin! The entire plane was a buzzing sea of hair and black shirts. We land in Nantes and set off en mass to find Clisson and the fest. 1 bus, 2 trams, 1 train and a walk later we arrive at the Hellfest campsite. The queue wasn't too bad and soon we were inside setting up our tents when the skies opened on us, but we were in high spirits and slightly drunk now so we just didn't care. Soon the tents were up and we set about getting to know people, it was surprisingly easy to make friends considering our meagre French and soon we were chatting with people from all around the world. The next morning we were up bright and early and off to collect our entry passes. Unfortunately there was a generator fire on the main stage and the arena was flooded by heavy rain so the fest didn't get started till about 4pm rather than the original 1pm but we all keep ourselves amused with chants and beer. The main downside to this was missing about 9 bands, including LAMB OF GOD. The first band on the main stage was CHIMAIRA and they blew us away! We'd just made it into the VIP bar for a beer when they came on and the walls began to shake with the sound of METAL. The day continued in a truly metal style with bands like DESTINITY, MASTODON, HACRIDE, HATEBREED and the mighty MACHINE HEAD. The finale of the day was SLAYER and they played with all the enthusiasm of a band playing their first festival and all the talent of guys that have been doing it for years. At this point I have to sneak in the fact that while we were standing backstage listening to MACHINE HEAD we had the pleasure of getting our picture taken with the legendary KERRY KING! Hell yeah! The headlining act was meant to be KORN but they pulled out 'Due to severe weather....' (full statement found at www.korn.com ) . On our second morning we realised that our food and more importantly beer supplies were nearly out so we set off into the village of Clisson. As well as being a nice little French town with an impressive castle, Clisson had various cafe's with bands playing on the streets and a local square with a brass oompah band. The first band we saw that day was VADER but we had to tear ourselves away to follow up a recommendation to see GUTWORM on the Discover Stage. On arrival we realised we'd left it too late as the marquee was already bursting at the seams with fans. Our next stop was the Gibson Stage to see KORPIKLAANI then on to the indoor market for a spot of metal merch shopping. Re-emerging with various cds and t-shirts in our Hellfest bags, we decided to meet some more of the European metal fans and spread the word of Bloodstock. Walking around passing out flyers to the masses, we couldnt help hearing thumping tunes from BRUJERIA. A suitable soundtrack while we worked. While taking a break from flyering, we headed over to the skate ramp. Waiting in anticipation for someone to hurt themselves we heard monstrous riffs coming from the Main Stage, a band by the name of AMON AMARTH. We hadnt heard them before but we came away impressed. The riffage continued with the likes of NAPALM DEATH, CHILDREN OF BODOM, SWORN ENEMY (a personal favorite of Famine - Dj Of The Apocalypse) and IMMORTAL. The day was capped off by TYPE O NEGATIVE. Not the best performance I have seen from them but they got the crowd going and hearing 'Black Number One' blaring through the French countryside at 1.30am was awesome. The final day of the festival began in true metal style sharing breakfast beers amongst our new comrades and playing a camp wide game of 'Throw The Ball'. Players from all over the world, even as far as Australia joined in. By lunchtime, we were really feeling the effects of the beer and decided it was time to get a good dose of METAL. We headed over to Stage 2 to catch EPHEL DUATH and SCARVE, wicked. On our way to see KREATOR, we discovered that by collecting 30 empty cups we could get free beer. Our day was getting better and better. Next up were CONVERGE, ORTHODOX and the brutally heavy 1349. The headline acts for Sunday were DREAM THEATER and EMPEROR but i have to say, for us the highlight of the day had to be MEGADETH. An awesome set throughout, even the rain during the mosh pits was appreciated, the first time all weekend. Hellfest was our first European festival and I have to say I'm hooked; it was the perfect prelude to BOA. If you can afford to go next year, I would strongly recommend it. You will come home with a reawakened thirst for metal. Bring on Bloodstock.... Finally a little more about myself, my crew and our involvement at BOA 2007. We are 'The 4 Dj's Of The Apocalypse', a collective of Dj's from around the UK and you can hear us everyday until 2am in the LAVA Arena playing 'Metal for the fans'. With that in mind we want you to let us know what kind of tunes you want to hear from us at BOA, so please post your suggestions in the forum. Keep your eyes peeled for more... : Dj Sly aka Death - The 4 Dj's Of The Apocalypse : Thursday, June 21. 2007Bloodstock Open Air Metal Festival 2007 Band Line up Guide![]() Metal Fans at Bloodstock Open Air 2006 The festival began as an indoor event back in 2001, when two metal fans noticed that since the termination of the Donnington Monsters of Rock, the true metal heads in the UK had nowhere to go. In subsequent years the festival has continuously grown, bringing to the UK audience many metal bands that would otherwise never get the opportunity to play in the country. As the word of Bloodstock was spreading and the festival was now attracting a bigger audience, the organisers decided that it was time for expansion. In addition to the traditional indoor Bloodstock festival, 2005 marked the inaugural Bloodstock Open Air festival. The organisers of Bloodstock festivals have always strived to bring their audience bigger and better bands year upon year although the line up for BOA 2007 pushes the festival into a whole new league, as we are brought such high profile acts as Lacuna Coil, In Flames, Testament and Arch Enemy while they still continue to bring us the best in underground metal. This goes to prove that Bloodstock really is the festival for the fans, by the fans! TESTAMENT Testament are one of the pioneering bands of the original Bay Area thrash movement and are regarded by many as the greatest thrash band outside of the big 4 (Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax). Originally forming in 1983 under the moniker “The Legacy”, it wasn’t until four years later in 1987 that they would release their debut album of the same name through Megaforce Records. During the remainder of the 80’s Testament pumped out another two albums and while their second studio album “The New Order” reinforced the bands standing as a premier thrash metal band, their subsequent release “Practise what you preach” propelled them to almost mainstream recognition, even resulting in regular video rotation on MTV. To this date this album is regarded by many as Testament’s quintessential album. For these Bay Area stalwarts, the 1990’s spelled change on the horizon. Their fourth album “Souls of Black” was received with divided opinions as it appeared in the heart of the incipient grunge scene, while record company pressures impacted their following release “The Ritual” which saw the band attempt a much more commercialized, radio friendly album culminating in a more traditional heavy metal sound and increased number of ballads. The band even began to incorporate elements of death metal into the mix towards the close of the decade on “The Gathering”. Meanwhile, guitarist Alex Skolnick, feeling frustrated with the current situation decided to pursue his interest in jazz music, parting ways with Testament and forming the Alex Skolnick trio. This lead to a series of line-up changes for the band. Now Testament are back to their original line up and a new album is expected to surface at some point in 2007. Nick Barker will be joining the band on drums for their tour. LACUNA COIL ![]() Since their 1997 formation, Lacuna Coil have proved to be one of the most influential bands of the past decade and have achieved global mainstream success which can only be attributed to their unyielding work ethic combined with remarkable musicianship and let’s not forget their unique brand of melodic metal featuring a contrast of male and female vocals which intertwine with gothic elegance. Upon signing to Century Media in 1998, the band released a self-titled E.P. and have since recorded four full length studio albums although it wasn’t really until their the release of Comalies in 2002 that the metal world really stood up and took note and the gap that separated Lacuna Coil from the mainstream began to diminish. “Heaven’s a Lie” was the first single to be lifted from the Comalies album and was warmly embraced by the media receiving rave reviews and radio airplay. A video was shot for the follow up single “Swamped”, which garnered heavy rotation on music channels Scuzz and Kerrang! The track also featured on the soundtrack to video game “Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines". Comalies has sold in excess of 500,000 copies and the band are well on their way to topping these sales figures with their 2006 opus Karmacode. The band managed to break into the UK top 40 with their recent single “Our Truth”, also worming its way into other worldwide charts; a sure sign that Lacuna Coil are treading along the golden path to greatness. So far 2007 has mostly been a year of touring for Lacuna Coil. In March the band teamed up with Stone Sour and Shadows fall for the Jagermeister Music Tour and in May they headlined the aptly named “Hottest Chicks in Metal” tour along with Within Temptation, The Gathering and Stolen Babies. Front woman Christina Scabbia also lent her voice to a re-recording of Megadeth classic “A Tout Le Monde” on the new album from Dave Mustaine and co; “United Abominations”. IN FLAMES ![]() In Flames are one of the originators of the Gothenburg Sound together with Dark Tranquillity and At the Gates. In Flames was founded in 1990 by Jesper Stromblad, at the time a member of death metal band Ceremonial Oath. With a desire to create music of a more melodic nature than he could with his then current band, Jesper teamed up with Johan Larsson and Glenn Ljungstrom who became the core members of In Flames. After being offered a deal by Wrong Again records the band entered Studio Fredman where they self produced their debut album Lunar Strain. This was released in 1994 and during that same year the band returned to Studio Fredman to record an EP entitled Subterranean, which quickly caught the attention of Nuclear Blast Records. Still without a permanent vocalist or drummer, the band managed to complete their line up in 1995 when Anders Friden and Bjorn Anders entered the fold. Shortly after the recording of their third album Whoracle, original members Johan and Glenn left the band and were replaced by Peter Iwers and Niklas Engelin on bass and guitar respectively. Niklas didn’t last very long in the band, as not long after their successful tour of Japan and Europe, he left to focus on his other band Gardenian. At this point Bjorn climbed out from behind the drumkit and switched to playing guitar, and replacing him on drums was Daniel Svensson formerly of the band Sacrilege. With a new line up in tow the band recorded Colony. This was their biggest release and soon after embarked on a world tour where they played to sold out crowds most nights. The turn of the millennium saw the band release their sixth studio album, Clayman, which in a matter of months exceeded all previous sales figures, reaching #17 in the Swedish charts and also landing in a number of magazine polls worldwide. The following year the band decided to end their collaboration with long standing producer Fredrik Nordstrom and instead entered Dug out Studios with producer Daniel Bergstrand to record Reroute to Remain. With a more accessible sound coming to the fore this would become the album to really thrust In Flames under the mainstream spotlight. This followed with another tour including a highly coveted support slot with Metallica where In Flames performed in front of a crowd 30,000 strong. The band have since released two more albums; Soundtrack to your Escape and Come Clarity. A more accessible sound utilising more clean vocals could be heard as the band eschewed much of the death metal influence observable on earlier releases. This has seen a rapid ascendancy in popularity for In Flames, as they have won themselves a loyal army of fans as well as influencing a new generation of bands. In Flames are scheduled to release their 10th studio album in 2008, which will be recorded in the newly built In Flames studios. ARCH ENEMY Arch Enemy have become a formidable force in the metal world. The brainchild of Michael Amott, previously of Carcass and founding member of death metal act Carnage, Arch Enemy was born when he got together with his brother Christopher Amott, and ex. Carnage band mate Johan Liiva, with the purpose of making music which combined melody with aggression. The band initially signed to Wrong Again Records and subsequently released their debut album Black Earth. Michael Amott was the sole songwriter for this album and is considered by many as their most aggressive effort throughout their career. Not long after its release, Arch Enemy came to the attention of Century Media records, who put out the bands sophomore album Stigmata, placing the band in the hands of a worldwide audience for the first time. The band recruited bassist Martin Bengsston and drummer Peter Wildoer, neither whom lasted and the following year Sharlee D’Angelo took over on bass while Daniel Erlandsson, initially a session musician, was brought back to play the drums, this time on a permanent basis. With this line up Arch Enemy entered the studio for a third time to record Burning Bridges, the album which would see the band attempt a more melodic sound than was present on the first two records. Michael Amott was beginning to notice that the live performance of Johan Liiva wasn’t quite upto scratch and realising that he was holding them back from their full potential, Johan Liiva was asked to quit and filling his shoes was amateur music journalist Angela Gossow, who Michael had met previously during an interview where the vocalist had handed him a demo. At the time, for a band within the death metal genre to be fronted by a woman was virtually unthinkable and when Angela first appeared on Wages of Sin in 2001, Arch Enemy created a huge tidal wave on the underground metal radar. While her glass-gurgling growl was anything but feminine, her natural beauty was to add a whole new level of appeal to their live performance. The album was received exceptionally well by the critics and made it’s way into numerous “best of” polls. A sold out tour of Europe followed before the band embarked on a tour of the US supporting Nile. Not long after the band returned to the States, this time headlining. The follow up album entitled Anthems of Rebellion, released in 2003, was instantly deemed a metal masterpiece. The album received outstanding critical praise and was awarded “album of the month” in various publications. This album also proved to be quite the success story for Century Media, as Anthems of Rebellion would bring them the highest first week UK Soundscan sales up to that point. Following the success of the album, the band headed a massive touring campaign across the United States and Europe, sharing stages with metal giants Iron Maiden, Slayer and Nevermore and in the same year making appearances at Download, Graspop and Tuska festivals to name only a few. 2005 saw Arch Enemy release their sixth studio album Doomsday Machine, which has been dubbed by some as the pinnacle of their career. With this album came some commercial success for Arch Enemy as Doomsday Machine reached #87 on the Billboard top 200. Arch Enemy is currently in the process of recording a new album which is due for release later in 2007. Arch Enemy will join forces with Trivium, Dragonforce and Machine Head for The Black Crusade tour which comes to the UK in November. Tickets to Bloodstock Open Air have already proved to be in massive demand, so much that the festival organisers have had to limit the amount of attendees, thus announcing their decision to cap the festival at 7000 tickets. This target is already over half way to being met and with the additional sales avenues including the option to purchase mobile tickets from www.tixmob.com and from selected HMV outlets, it is anticipated that tickets will sell out prior to the event. Luci Herbert MTUK Metal 'Zine www.metalteamuk.net Wednesday, April 18. 2007Bloodstock Open Air Festival Update !!![]() Bloodstock Open Air Metal Festival 2007 Bloodstock Open Air is fast approaching and we feel this will be a pinnacle year for the festival, we have stepped up to the next level & still kept the ethos of “ For the fans by the fans “, that will always remain our key statement. In order for the open air to work well this year & also for Bloodstock to bring the typical Bloodstock bands that you all want to see, we have more established & popular headliners that are better known to UK audiences, this enables us to bring the lesser known in the UK, European bands. The headliners, In Flames, Lacuna Coil, Testament & Arch Enemy are great additions to Bloodstock & this will be their ONLY UK Festival appearances for 2007. Arch enemy also been in the studio recording tracks for their new album following the huge success of ‘ Doomsday Machine ‘ and ‘Live Apocalypse ‘ so hopefully they may play at Bloodstock some of their new tracks ! We are also very pleased to hear In Flames who are headlining the Saturday of Bloodstock Open Air have just been confirmed to be the support band for IRON MAIDEN on their upcoming dates in June in Germany, In flames are also up for a Metal Hammer Golden Gods award for Best Live Band ! Lacuna Coil are currently touring with Stone Sour & will be doing a International Tour shortly with Within Temptation, ahead of their Friday Night headline slot at Bloodstock. We have aimed to get bands that have repeatedly been asked for and are pleased to confirm Testament as a Thursday Night headliner, with 3 support bands this is an extra night added onto the normal two days, if you buy your tickets before 5th May 2007 this extra night will not cost you anymore, after 5th May 2007 tickets will increase by £ 5, we feel Bloodstock Open Air is THE BEST value for money event in the UK ! With other bands added to the bill such as Dream Evil, Epica, Kiuas, Benediction, Rise To Addiction, Korpiklaani, Legion Of the Damned, Beyond All Reason and still more bands to be announced we aim to have the first sell out Bloodstock Open Air , as the festival grounds have a limited capacity. We will also have the ever popular unsigned stages giving many young up & coming bands the opportunity to gain a fan base and maybe a record deal !! Please keep watching for more band announcements soon …………………………… Sunday, December 24. 2006MERRY CHRISTMAS
MERRY CHRISTMAS & A VERY METAL 2007 FROM THE BLOODSTOCK COLLECTIVE
All the Bloodstock Team would like to thank our fans & supporters old and new over the past 6 years & wish you all a very very merry christmas !! We will see you all in 2007, until then keep watching the site for more announcements .......................... Ho ho Ho !! Tuesday, November 14. 2006Buy your Ticket in 2006 and get this T-Shirt Offer
Yep – that’s right, buy your ticket(s) by 31 Dec 2006 and you will not only receive a FREE exclusively designed S’tan image on a sooper dooper T-shirt but you will also be in the hat to win the Original Artwork created and signed by Paul Gregory!
![]() Bearing in mind that Paul is about to enjoy further acclaim with at least two high profile international dedicated exhibitions of his work in 2007, this extraordinary piece of work is about to increase in value. And will continue to do so. Please note that there is no guarantee that T shirts will be available after the deadline – we are looking at a limited edition run to maximise exclusivity. What a great opportunity to own the latest piece from the Bloodstock Collection. So if you want to own one of these shirts, win the original or realise what a great present it will make…get moving. There are 5 types of ticket purchase you can make. Each purchase entitles you to: • ONE FREE T-shirt and • ONE entry to win the Original Artwork. Option Ticket Type Indoor/ Open Air Cost 1 1 Day Ticket Indoor £26.00 2 1 Day Ticket Open Air £28.00 3 2 Day Ticket Indoor £51.00 4 2 Day Ticket Open Air £56.00 5 Supporters Club £120.00 2 Day Tickets Indoor AND Open Air Click Here to Buy Tickets for Bloodstock 2007 and Get your FREE Limited Edition Bloodstock T-Shirt ! ! Friday, October 20. 2006Bloodstocks New Website “By Fans for The Fans” We would like to welcome all our fellow metal heads to the new Bloodstock website and as we head into 2007 there are a lot of big things happening in the Bloodstock camp. As 2006 passes we now have 8 fantastic festivals under our belts that we hope all who have attended have enjoyed and have witnessed the growth of Bloodstock. We started Bloodstock by stating the festival “ By fans for the fans “ , and we feel the new site is more fan/band friendly than any other metal site out there. We have introduced the fantastic Bloodstock unsigned area, where young, new and up and coming metal bands can at last get their music heard to a core metal audience and then we will let our fans pick who they want to see play bloodstock the following year. With lots of great talent out there we hope to one day uncover the next maiden or metallica !! In addition to features like the unsigned section we have also introduced the very exclusive Bloodstock dating section, this is totally unique to Bloodstock and one day we hope we will be responsible for an official Bloodstock marriage !!! We have tried to make the site more personable and friendly so have also put a contact us section with mug shots of all the integral Bloodstock crew, ( some air brushing or photo shop may have been required there !) We would also like to give a huge shout out and thank you to everybody that supplied us with band biographies for our new site and photos for our new gallery section; these are currently being added to the new site. If you are not already aware all bloodstock members can upload your own photos onto the bloodstock members gallery, if you have got embarrassing photos of you or your friends or pictures that are memorable share them with fans on your bloodstock photo gallery. We are keen to see 2006 go out with a bang and we will soon be announcing our line up for an even bigger and more Metal Bloodstock 2007 ! !! See you all there ! |
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This years Bloodstock Open Air festival has already been tipped to be THE heavy rock /metal festival of 2008 not to be missed. 10,000 metal heads will descend on the picturesque village of Walton On Trent, in Derbyshire expecting to rock out to the finest metal line up the UK has ever witnessed.

As the dark days of winter draw in, there’ll be no time for hiding away or hibernation for the Bloodstock team as we continue to assemble what promises to be the festival’s best ever line-up. Already for BOA 2008 we’ve confirmed legendary outfits Opeth, Dimmu Borgir, Primal Fear and the recently reformed At The Gates alongside newer talent in the shape of Moonsorrow, Swallow The Sun, Communic, Evile and Eluveitie. If that lot has whetted your appetite, let’s just say that we have many further exciting announcements coming your way in the next few weeks that’ll have you polishing your tent pegs in furious anticipation of August 15th…


























