BLOODSTOCK FESTIVAL has six more bands lined up for the Sophie Lancaster stage and four lucky bands win slots on the New Blood stage to celebrate the start of the ‘Metal To The Masses’ finals.

Landing slots on the Sophie Lancaster stage are Leeds metal trio BLIND HAZE, Italian power/classic metal outfit, ARTHEMIS, sludgy groove beasts GODS, symphonic goth outfit SEASON’S END, Bristol progressive rockers ENDEAVOUR and classic rock n’ rollers, BLIND RIVER.

The festival organisers also welcome back Last.fm as sponsors of the Sophie Lancaster stage for 2017.

BLOODSTOCK’s ever tenacious search for the best breaking bands culminates soon with the kick off of the ‘Metal 2 The Masses’ finals on 22nd April.  The festival’s incentive to give up-and-coming acts a break by offering slots on the bill at Catton Park has helped give many acts a career launchpad and the finals see the M2TM team narrowing it down and picking their winners for 2017.  This year, M2TM ran in 29 UK regions, plus events in Ireland and Norway to find bands for the New Blood Stage.  Attendees at the finals can also win weekend festival tickets or prizes from our sponsors, Kraken rum and Hobgoblin ale.  The lucky bands winning a slot on the New Blood stage will also be in with a chance of landing extra goodies from our friends at Gibson Guitars, Studiomaster & Carlsbro or recording time with Russ Russell at his Parlour Studios in Northampton.

Having won a slot on BLOODSTOCK’s New Blood stage in 2016, the Northern Irish band, THE CRAWLING are announced as winners of Metal 2 The Masses’ prize of a slot at the Slovenian festival, Metaldays.  Congratulations to them!

BLOODSTOCK is also proud to announce the first bands landing a slot on the Hobgoblin New Blood stage, hand picked from CD and online applications.  Hailing from Beirut, Lebanon are BLAAKYUM.  The band’s blend of thrash and groove metal is infused with crushing Middle Eastern percussion and oriental guitars. British power-proggers DAKESIS also land a slot.  The band’s sound ranges from powerful metal anthems to expansive, progressive instrumental and orchestral soundscapes. Norway’s NORDJEVEL will bring some black metal to the New Blood bill.  Featuring ex-Ragnarok and Marduk members in their ranks, their pedigree is second to none.

Lastly, British groove metal animals, TORQUED also win a slot.  They claim they’re here to ‘rip faces and blow gauges’.  Decide for yourself by checking out their set at in August!

Bands still wanting to throw their hat in the ring for a New Blood slot can apply via the Hobgoblin video upload platform – https://www.wychwood.co.uk, or by contacting simon@bloodstock.uk.com for further details.

Already announced for 2017 are our three headliners AMON AMARTH, GHOST, and MEGADETH, plus ARCH ENEMY, KREATOR, BLIND GUARDIAN, HATEBREED, TESTAMENT, OBITUARY, KING 810, BRUJERIA, WHITECHAPEL, SKINDRED, POSSESSED, ANNIHILATOR, MUNICIPAL WASTE, HELL, DECAPITATED, SOILWORK, CHELSEA GRIN, MACABRE, INQUISITION, KING PARROT, SCARAB, WINTERSUN, ONI, DENDERA, KROH, ABHORRENT DECIMATION, COURTESANS, WRETCHED SOUL, BOSSK and WINTERFYLLETH.  Many more are still be announced!  Stay tuned to BLOODSTOCK’s social media at https://www.facebook.com/bloodstock and https://twitter.com/bloodstockfest

BLOODSTOCK will take place at Catton Park, Derbyshire on 10th-13th August 2017.  Standard weekend camping tix are on sale at £139 (+ booking fee) from http://bloodstock.seetickets.com.  Children’s weekend tickets are also available, priced £35 (+ booking fee) and under 4’s go free!

As 2017 settles in, four more brutal bands are locked in for August’s best metal weekender; BLOODSTOCK OPEN AIR.

Swedish metal marauders, SOILWORK are confirmed for a main stage slot at Catton Park.  Frontman Björn ‘Speed’ Strid tells us “We are really thrilled to return to UK soil after a killer mini-tour with Arch Enemy last year.  That ended with one of the most spectacular and sweatiest shows to date at The Underworld in London. BLOODSTOCK is always a riot and we cannot wait to hit the stage this summer.  Bring it England!!!”

Murder metal outfit, MACABRE are set for a headline slot on the Sophie Lancaster stage.  The Chicago-based band blend elements of true crime, math rock, punk, thrash, folk melodies, death metal, jazz fusion, black metal and more.  Guitarist/vocalist, Corporate Death tells us “We haven’t been back to the UK in several years but BLOODSTOCK is exactly where MACABRE should play if you know our music.”

Metallic Finns WINTERSUN are also lined up to headline the Sophie Lancaster stage.  The band are hard at work on new album, “The Forest Seasons” which is set for release this Summer via Nuclear Blast.  The band tell us “It’ll be great to come back to the atmospheric BLOODSTOCK.  We had a blast in 2011, but this year is extra special since we’re going to play new music for you guys!”

Keen to include bands from less obvious parts of the world too, BLOODSTOCK is delighted to welcome back Egyptian death metallers, SCARAB, to the Sophie stage. The band are currently recording their new album, “Martyrs Of The Storm” so expect some new material at Catton Park this August!

If you’re going to BLOODSTOCK by coach, you might want to secure your spot now to ensure you’re not disappointed.  BIG GREEN COACH have 21 departure cities for coaches directly to BLOODSTOCK in 2017; Birkenhead, Bournemouth, Bristol, Cardiff, Chester, Glasgow, Gloucester, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Middlesbrough, Newcastle, Newport, Oxford, Preston, Sheffield, Southampton, Sunderland, Swansea, and Worcester.  BIG GREEN COACH will bring you, all your camping gear, & beer supplies and drop you hassle free right inside the festival grounds.  Check out the details and secure your seat for only a tenner (the rest is payable in July) over at http://www.biggreencoach.co.uk/events/bloodstock-festival-tickets-coach-travel.

Also available now is the very popular ticket deposit plan.  The payment scheme helps ease the pain of paying for your standard weekend ticket by breaking it up into five smaller, more manageable sums.  Sign up in the ticket store before 28th Feb with an initial payment of £34.80.  Thereafter, four additional instalments of £27.80 will debit your bank account on 1st April, May, June and July respectively.  Get full info over at http://bloodstock.seetickets.com/content/ticket-options.

Already announced for 2017 are Friday’s headliners AMON AMARTH, Sunday’s headliners MEGADETH, plus BLIND GUARDIAN, HATEBREED, TESTAMENT, OBITUARY, BRUJERIA, WHITECHAPEL, SKINDRED, POSSESSED, ANNIHILATOR, MUNICIPAL WASTE, HELL and DECAPITATED.  Many more, including our Saturday headliner are still be announced!  Stay tuned to BLOODSTOCK’s social media for the latest!

BLOODSTOCK will take place at Catton Park, Derbyshire on 10th-13th August 2017.  Standard weekend camping tix are on sale at £139 (plus booking fee), plus limited VIP packages/upgrades and car parking tickets (at a cheaper price than ‘on the day’ purchase) from http://bloodstock.seetickets.com/content/ticket-options.  Children’s weekend tickets are also available, priced £35 (+ booking fee) and under 4’s go free!  Camper van pitches have now SOLD OUT.