Band Line Up 2026

Formed in 1995, Stampin’ Ground changed the face of metallic UK hardcore forever. With their relentless work ethic, unflinching lyrics and savage musical onslaught, they proved once and for all that a UK metalcore band could hold its own against their American counterparts.

Founded by bassist Ian Glasper and guitarist Antony Mowbray, the very first line-up included Paul Catten (Medulla Nocte, Murder One, Dead Sheeran) on vocals, but after two demos, Catten was replaced by Heath Crosby from Bradford band, Neckbrace. With Scott Atkins on second guitar and Adrian Stokes on drums, that formative line-up recorded two well-received EPs, ‘Dawn of Night’ and ‘Starved’, and an incendiary first album, ‘Demons Run Amok’, for German label, We Bite. Heavy touring, both in the UK and Europe, and an intense live show, soon saw the band building a strong following.

Heath was replaced on vocals by Adam Frakes-Sime, from Southend’s Blood Oath, in 1998, and they started to come into their own with second album, ‘An Expression of Repressed Violence’ (Kingfisher Records), that saw a much faster aspect to their sound bursting to the fore, the hardcore influences being fused with Slayer-esque guitars and double-kick drum mayhem.

However, it was with the ferocious third album, ‘Carved From Empty Words’, released by Century Media in 2000, that they realised their full potential. It garnered rave reviews across the board, including ‘Album of the Week/Month’ in the likes of Kerrang!, Metal Hammer and Terrorizer (with opening track ‘Officer Down’ now widely regarded as a true classic of the genre), and the band hit the road across Europe and the States, touring with everyone from Agnostic Front and Hatebreed to Biohazard and Soulfly.

The band’s fourth and final album was 2003’s ‘A New Darkness Upon Us’, and was recorded with Neil Hutton from Benediction taking over from Ade on drums. Glasper left soon after its release, his final gig with the band a now-legendary appearance on the main stage at the first Download festival, and was replaced by Ben Frost from Unite. There followed another year of solid touring, with bands such as Anthrax, Arch Enemy and Emperor, before Mowbray was replaced by Paul Fletcher, from This Is Misery and Unite, although Stampin’ Ground eventually folded in 2006. 

That final line-up of the band reunited briefly for some festival appearances in 2014, and it was thought that was the last the world had heard of Stampin’ Ground. At least, that is, until 2025, when three-fifths of the classic ‘Carved from Empty Words’ line-up reunited to celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of that seminal album. Adam, Ade and Ian teamed up with Paul Fletcher, from the final line-up, and Jim Saunders, from The Seventh Cross and Murder One, to breathe new life into those much-loved songs one more time.

Late 2025 will see the band treading the boards in their inimitable fashion once again, warming up with a long weekend supporting their old friends earthtone9, followed by a sold-out headline date in London, and appearances at Damnation and Revolution Calling festivals. Select dates are already being booked for 2026, with the jewel in the crown being their first ever showing at Bloodstock in August.

“We’re absolutely psyched to be playing Bloodstock 2026. It’s one of the few festivals we’ve never played, despite being tailor-made for it, and some of the guys have been attending almost every year, so it’s great to be doing it at last. We can’t wait to unleash unholy hell there!”