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There are a couple of things that make Bloodstock a rather special landmark in the UK festival calendar. Firstly, it’s a metal festival in the true sense of the word. Sonisphere and Download may want to claim that it is they that provide the real festival choices for metalheads up and down the country but Bloodstock is the genuine place to be each August for British headbangers. Alongside the odd wildcard, Bloodstock always provides a bill to make the mouth salivate at the potential of a ton of the heaviest bands in the business. Secondly, Bloodstock is a refreshing alternative to the overbearing commerciality of the big UK rock festivals. The family-run festival has an air of comforting friendliness to it that its larger competitors at Knebworth and Donington can never offer.
As with all festivals, however, a friendly atmosphere can only get an event so far. As such it’s a relief that, to accompany its atmosphere, Bloodstock has once again gone about piling its bill high with top quality heavy metal in 2012. Indeed, 2012 sees Bloodstock attracting its biggest headliner to date in groove metal arena titans Machine Head. Widely regarded as one of the finest live bands around, their Saturday night headline slot will surely be a historic occasion. Meanwhile, the night after, rock legend Alice Cooper will headline the very same Ronnie James Dio Stage, bringing his traditional theatrics and a whole barrel of indispensable anthems. Friday night sees Polish blackened thrashers Behemoth complete the trio of headline acts. Having been forced to pull out of Bloodstock two years ago due to frontman Nergal’s leukaemia, Behemoth will be roaring back into action at Bloodstock this year.
Highlights across the rest of the main stage bill are diverse and intriguing. The consistently, and wrongly, overlooked Testament will be proving to the crowd why they should be part of a thrash metal ‘Big Five’ on the Saturday night and Dimmu Borgir will remind everyone that they are the real progenitors of today’s rising symphonic black metal scene. Watain and Mayhem will be bringing black metal to Bloodstock in their usual visceral style whilst Crowbar and Corrosion of Conformity’s sludge metal stylings will flatten main stage crowds with their punishing down-tuned heaviness. Also appearing on the main Ronnie James Dio Stage will be legends like Paradise Lost, Sepultura and Anvil alongside newer names including The Black Dahlia Murder, Hatebreed and Evile. Friday night will also see a special performance by Dio’s Disciples in tribute to the great man himself.
As if the packed main stage bill wasn’t enough, Bloodstock has also outdone itself on the line-up for its Sophie Lancaster Stage this year. Headliners Alcest, Orange Goblin and Anaal Nathrakh will bring by turns atmosphere, the best riffs in town and pure, unbridled extremity. They will be supported by rare UK appearances from the likes of Demonic Resurrection and Noctiferia as well as some of the best homegrown talent from bands such as Savage Messiah, Witchsorrow and Dripback. All the while the New Blood Stage will be hosting some of the best up and coming below the radar metal bands in the country, and is well worth the odd visit over the course of the weekend.
With a line-up packed with the very best in metal talent, from both at home and abroad, Bloodstock 2012 looks set to be another fantastic year for the UK’s biggest true metal event. For further information get on over to www.bloodstock.uk.com
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As with all festivals, however, a friendly atmosphere can only get an event so far. As such it’s a relief that, to accompany its atmosphere, Bloodstock has once again gone about piling its bill high with top quality heavy metal in 2012. Indeed, 2012 sees Bloodstock attracting its biggest headliner to date in groove metal arena titans Machine Head. Widely regarded as one of the finest live bands around, their Saturday night headline slot will surely be a historic occasion. Meanwhile, the night after, rock legend Alice Cooper will headline the very same Ronnie James Dio Stage, bringing his traditional theatrics and a whole barrel of indispensable anthems. Friday night sees Polish blackened thrashers Behemoth complete the trio of headline acts. Having been forced to pull out of Bloodstock two years ago due to frontman Nergal’s leukaemia, Behemoth will be roaring back into action at Bloodstock this year.
