The festival promises to be an electrifying celebration of heavy metal’s diverse sounds and community spirit. Held at Catton Hall, Derbyshire, the lineup is headlined by three titans of the genre: Trivium, Machine Head, and Gojira. Each will dominate the Ronnie James Dio stage on successive nights, with Gojira’s Sunday performance following their acclaimed appearance at the Paris Olympics’ opening ceremony.

Fans can expect a broad spectrum of metal excellence. The Ronnie James Dio stage features acts like black metal pioneers Emperor, gothic stalwarts Lacuna Coil, and melodic death metal legends The Black Dahlia Murder. Meanwhile, the Sophie Lancaster stage includes a mix of styles with Me and That Man, Static-X, and death metal icons Obituary as headliners​. 

Adding to the experience is a heartfelt tribute to Lemmy Kilmister, with a replica of the late Motörhead frontman’s tour dressing room and a bust containing his ashes at the bar — a poignant homage to a rock icon​.

For those attending Bloodstock 2025, the festival’s big headliners will undoubtedly draw the masses, but the true fans of heavy metal know that the magic often lies in the lesser known. Below the marquee names, hidden treasures can be found, and it’s in these shadowy corners of the lineup that the discerning ear can find revelation.

Consider Emperor, who will perform under Trivium on Friday. This Norwegian black metal legend rarely graces stages, and their set is poised to deliver a spine-chilling blend of brutality and artistry. The tantalising possibility of a live collaboration with Trivium’s Matt Heafy—through his connection to Emperor’s Ihsahn—could make this one of the weekend’s most electrifying moments​. 

Saturday brings the theatrical flare of Creeper, whose punk-horror aesthetic is a rare sight on Bloodstock’s traditionally metal-heavy stages. Expect soaring melodies and dark narratives to infuse the Ronnie James Dio stage with a welcome dose of gothic drama​. 

On the Sophie Lancaster stage, the lineup becomes delightfully eclectic. Me and That Man, the dark Americana project of Behemoth’s Nergal, headlines Thursday night with a brooding set of bluesy laments that contrast sharply with his black-metal roots.

Then there’s Breed 77, whose flamenco-metal fusion on Saturday promises to be as hypnotic as it is heavy. Sunday closes with a rare appearance by the resurrected 3 Inches of Blood, a Canadian band whose galloping riffs and NWOBHM influences have reached near-mythical status​.

Don’t overlook the rising force of All For Metal on Thursday. With their Norse-inspired theatrics and epic anthems, they could well become the surprise darlings of the festival​. 

From the mosh pits to the campsite camaraderie, this isn’t just a festival—it’s a pilgrimage for the heavy music faithful.

Tickets are already on sale, with early bird packages offering fans the best deal for this epic gathering​.

The news was announced today at this years festival, at which vocalist Vegard Sverre ‘Ihsahn’ Tveitan and guitarist Tomas ‘Samoth’ Haugen were present. Their appearance next year will mark the festivals 25 year anniversary.

After a four-album career that marked them out as one of extreme metals most influential acts, Emperor retired in 2001 with the swansong album, ‘Prometheus – The Discipline of Fire and Demise’, and have only re-united briefly in 2006 and 2007 for one-off gigs. Discussing the future of Emperor in an interview with Gun Shy Assassin, Ihsahn stated that he would ‘never say never’ to future performances, but that there would be no new music from the band:

‘Part of the reason why our albums keep on selling is probably because we were always an uncompromising band, and that is a tradition I would like to uphold. If we did a new EMPEROR album, what kind of EMPEROR album would people like? I say listen to the stuff I do, and the stuff that Samoth does, and you can more or less figure out what a new EMPEROR record would sound like, and that sounds nothing like old EMPEROR. Trying to duplicate something from the past would just turn everything into a parody.’

Since the dissolution of Emperor, the members have channelled their energy into other projects, with Ihsahn pursuing a solo career, Samoth turning to death metal with the band Zyklon, and former bassist Mortiis achieving a successful career in dark ambient music.

Emperor’s career has, like many of their contemporaries from the early 90’s Norwegian black metal scene, been marked by controversy stemming from a number of violent incidents. 1994 saw two of the bands three members incarcerated – former drummer Bard Faust was convicted of the 1992 homophobic murder of Lillehammer man Magne Andreasson, while Samoth was implicated and imprisoned for his involvement, along with contemporaries Varg Vikernes and Euronymous, in the infamous church burnings that plagued Norway throughout the early part of the decade.