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The main stage lineup also features Venom Inc., who will perform their 2018 album ‘Ave’ in its entirety, alongside Raised By Owls, Hellripper, Tortured Demon, and King Kraken. Meanwhile, the second stage will showcase performances from Red Method, Thuum, and a second set from Hellripper. Fans can expect a night of heavy riffs and intense performances as Bloodstock extends its festival experience into the winter months. The event will also feature signing sessions as well as DJs.

Headliners Candlemass have commented: “Candlemass are proud to be a part of the Bloodstock Winter Gathering! We have always felt welcome on British soil and we’re excited to be there once again and deliver our special brand of Swedish doom metal! See ya all soon… Love you!!!”

The Winter Gathering follows Bloodstock Open Air 2025, set for August 7-10 at Catton Hall, with headliners Trivium, Machine Head, and Gojira. Weekend tickets have already sold out, as have Sunday day tickets featuring Gojira, but day passes for Friday (Trivium) and Saturday (Machine Head) are still available.

It has been an exciting year for the headliners and supporting act which will be taking this year’s Bloodsctok stage: earlier this week, Machine Head unveiled details of their upcoming album, ‘Unatoned‘, set for release on April 25 via Nuclear Blast and Imperium. Fans can already stream the first two singles, ‘These Scars Won’t Define Us’ and ‘Unbound’.

Meanwhile, Trivium frontman Matt Heafy confirmed in an exclusive interview with Metal Hammer last year that the band will perform their 2005 breakthrough album ‘Ascendancy‘, in its entirety during their Bloodstock set. They are currently playing the full album on their European tour with Bullet For My Valentine.

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“We’ve discussed adding in the special-edition original songs as well,” Heafy shared, hinting at the inclusion of Ascendancy’s bonus tracks, “Blinding Tears Will Break The Skies” and “Washing Away Me In The Tides.”

The festival has also constructed a replica of Lemmy’s dressing room, complete with a shower cap over a smoke alarm and a sticker saying, “harassing me about my smoking may be hazardous for your health.” This special tribute includes personal items such as his hat, coat, boots, photographs, and even his last jar of Marmite and Milky Way bars from the band’s final tour in 2015.

Lemmy Kilmister, born Ian Fraser Kilmister, was the vocalist and bassist of Motörhead, known for his gravelly voice, distinctive mutton chops, and outspoken egalitarian messages. Lemmy died on December 28 2015, only weeks after a diagnosis of cancer. It was revealed the following year that the singer’s official cause of death was prostate cancer, along with congestive heart failure and cardiac arrhythmia. Despite his illness, Lemmy continued to perform until just weeks before his passing. Bloodstock Festival director Vicky Hungerford told BBC Radio Derby, “When you go in there, it will feel like you’re in the touring dressing room of Lemmy.” The display also features a traveling slot machine that Lemmy took everywhere, his reading glasses, and his credit card. On Monday, after the event at Catton Hall, a troupe of 30 Harley Davidsons bikers will transport the bust to Rock City, a gig venue in Nottingham. This venue holds a special place in Motörhead’s history, having hosted many of their shows between 1987 and 2006. The ashes will remain on public display at Rock City, with the urn containing Lemmy’s ashes returning to Bloodstock festival every year.

“Lemmy would want to be remembered as a man of integrity, and a true rock’n’roller,” says @myMotorhead star Phil Campbell. “He was a one off.”

Phil Campbell caught up with Sky News ahead of Bloodstock to talk #LemmyForever https://t.co/aZeLL9dXXw

— bloodstockfest (@BLOODSTOCKFEST) August 7, 2024

As part of the tribute, there is also a replica Lancaster bomber at the festival, which was suspended above the stage during Motörhead’s 1979 Bomber tour. Speaking to BBC Radio Derby Bloodstock festival director Vicky Hungerford expressed her honour at being approached by Motörhead management to have Lemmy’s ashes at the festival. She said: “we were humbled and honoured to be approached by Motörhead management to have Lemmy’s ashes at Bloodstock. This tribute is a fitting way to celebrate Lemmy’s legacy and his significant impact on the heavy metal community.”

 

 

 

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In April, more of Lemmy’s ashes were enshrined at the Rainbow Bar & Grill on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood. This venue also boasts a patio named ‘Lemmy’s Lounge’. Last summer, more of his ashes were scattered in the mud at Germany’s Wacken Open Air festival to commemorate Motörhead’s countless shows there. Metallica’s James Hetfield has even had some of the ashes incorporated into a spade tattoo on his middle finger.

Motörhead manager Todd Singerman also shared a statement: “Bloodstock has always been a special place for Motörhead and for Lemmy. The people and the energy matched Lemmy’s values perfectly. This is definitely a fitting honour in the continuing series of enshrinements of Lemmy’s ashes in his most loved places.”

Ahead of the event in August, the Hopical Storm New Blood Stage has unveiled a number of rising bands you can catch at Catton Park in August: Disposable, Final Coil, She Burns Red, Biomechanimal, Praetorian, Lost To Light, Straight For The Sun, Akkadian and Sathamel.

Last year’s Metal 2 The Masses winners Acid Age have also been announced for Bloodstock – joining the Sophie Stage for 2024. “We love everything about M2TM,” they enthuse. “The exposure, photography, stage, lights and friends we made was more than satisfactory, but then we won and got to both attend and play Bloodstock 2023! We couldn’t believe it, Bloodstock is heavy metal Mecca. It’s where everyone comes together with a common goal, heavy fucking metal! The sense of community at the festival is undeniable. Now that we have a chance to return and play the Sophie stage, we aim to show everyone why we are the best war-jazz band in the world and we will do it for Sophie. See you in August.”

To top it off, Bloodstock have also announced the details of their Metal 2 The Masses initiative for new bands. It kicks off on May the 10th and runs all the way through to the 13th of July.

Check out the details below:

Bloodstock have also announced the final headliners for the show following August’s announcement that Architects and Amon Amarth will be headlining Bloodstock 2024, the festival have just confirmed their final headliner, and announced several more bands.

Opeth are set to top the bill on the Friday of the heavy metal bash, with a special fan-chosen set marking their only UK gig next year. “So…” begins frontman Mikael Akerfeldt. “Back to Bloodstock 2024 for us, it appears! I don’t remember how many times we’ve played the festival, but we do have fond memories from there. ‘Filling in’ for Heaven & Hell when RJD had passed is one. Fuck! Can’t remember a more emotional event onstage for us, to be honest.

“Anyhoooo, we’ll be there ‘rocking’ and ‘rolling’ in our own way, playing songs that you’ve chosen (apparently). Please be gentle. Right now I feel pretty far from being a rocker, as I’m writing this sat in my (favourite) greasy sweatpants, and my hair is greasier than ever. I’m working, you see. But I promise I’ll have a look in the mirror before we hit the stage. The band will be tight (that’s also a promise). I’ll sing OK (semi-promise). You’ll recognise the songs (I really have no idea, but you picked them!) and, we’ll be IN. THE. ZONE! All in all, providing the weather’s nice and the beer is cold, the possibilities for a magical night are rather decent. Wouldn’t you say? Hope to see (and hear) you there.”

Hatebreed will be celebrating their 30th anniversary on Friday on the main stage.  Enslaved will be there on the Sunday. On top of that, Nervosa, Crypta, Beast In Black and Forbidden have also been added to the line-up.

Bloodstock takes place at Catton Park, Derbyshire, on August 8 – 11.

You can get tickets here.

Having been in the studio with Spiritbox in January, getting busy, it now also looks like Jordan Fish has been working with them.

The Brighton-based behemoths have just taken to social media to tease us with the fact that they have been working with Jordan Fish. They shared a graphic featuring the Architects ‘A’ logo along with the word ‘Curse’ and some cool art. Then they went a step further and actually tagged Jordan’s account on Instagram.

This would likely be the Architects first new material since December’s ‘Seeing Red’. As for Jordan, well, it will be the first we have heard from him since he parted ways with Bring Me The Horizon late last year.

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At that time, Jordan announced that he was “excited to start this next period of my career, focusing for the meantime on songwriting and production”, but it is yet to be announced what his new role within the Architects may be. We’ll have to wait for the new single.

In leaving BMTH, Alt-metal juggernauts Bring Me the Horizon issued a statement regarding a personnel change within the band. After more than 11 years as the keyboardist, percussionist and producer for the band, Jordan Fish is parting ways with Bring Me. The news arrives as the band continues to work on their highly-anticipated Next Gen release.

In a statement release on December 22nd, the band confirmed the change and teased a glimpse at Next Gen in the very near future. “Bring Me The Horizon has decided to part ways with Jordan Fish. We want to thank him for the musical journey he took with us and wish him luck with everything in the future. Meanwhile we continue to work on ‘Nex Gen’, with brand new music coming very soon. See you on our UK tour in January.”

Releasing his own statement, the split seemed to be amicable with Fish sharing his appreciation for his time with the band while looking ahead to his next venture. “I’m really grateful for my 11 years with the band, and extremely proud of all that we have achieved together. I look forward to hearing what they do next, and wish them every success in the future. I’m excited to start this next period of my career, focusing for the meantime on songwriting and production.”

Architects are headlining Bloodstock, which takes place at Catton Park from August 8 – 11. Get your tickets now.

EARLY BIRD TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE NOW!

Grab your #BOA23 tickets now at https://t.co/6G0x8HDzkV pic.twitter.com/XTIwd6xc7i

— bloodstockfest (@BLOODSTOCKFEST) August 14, 2023

Architects continue to grow from strength to strength and after serving as the opening band for fellow metalcore heavy hitters Bring Me The Horizon at this summer’s Download Festival, the band now seemed poise to headline festivals in their own right. Bloodstock represents a major coup for the band, with the festival billed as one of the greatest platforms for heavy metal artists in Europe.

Bloodstock, set in Catton Park, Derbyshire just completed its 2023, three day event on Sunday to rave reviews. Particular praise was reserved for Killswitch Engage who, unbelievably, were headlining their first ever outdoor UK festival set. The Massachusetts metalcore pioneers made the most of their set, playing a staggering 21 song setlist that contained hit songs such as “My Curse,” “Rose Of Sharyn,” and the band’s cover of Dio’s “Holy Diver” to close out the performance and weekend.

This year’s festival was jam packed with some of the genre’s most successful and crowd-pleasing acts, with In Flames, Knocked Loose and the UK’s own Employed To Serve delivering supporting performances that will live long in the mind of many a metal festival goer. The weekend was rounded off with legendary acts, Meshuggah and Megadeth on the Saturday and Sunday respectively.

And for those that are already missing the three day event, organisers have moved quickly to whet the appetites of metal fans by announcing two headliners for next year’s festival. Amon Amarth, who have already headlined the festival in 2017, expressed their enthusiasm, saying, “England! We are excited to be returning to the Bloodstock hallowed grounds to do battle with you and the Saxon hordes. We look forward to fighting and feasting with you! See you soon.” 

Began in 2001, Bloodstock Open Air originally began as an indoor, single day’s event. By 2019, the festival boasted five stages and a capacity for 15,000 spectators outdoors in Catton Park. In addition to providing some of the biggest names in the scene to headline the main stages, Bloodstock also dedicates the New Blood stage to providing exposure to up and coming metal acts-many performing in front of large crowds for the first time.

2024’s Bloodstock Festival will take place on 8-11 August with further announcements on performing bands to follow in due course. Early Bird tickets can be purchased here.