GMM 2014 Crew has announced, via the Official Website, the first 51 bands for Graspop Metal Meeting 2014:

Graspop Metal Meeting 2014 is still 204 days away but already it’s looking to be a vintage edition! For one thing, 2014 will go down in GMM history as the year we were finally able to realise our plans for a second main stage! Sitting shoulder to shoulder, main stage 1 and main stage 2 will feature the top bands and household names in our GMM2014 lineup. The Marquee and the Metal Dome create a more intimate setting and we’re also erecting an open air stage in the Metal Plaza where fresh metal talent can earn their GMM spurs.

A second main stage means even more metal fun. Our 2014 lineup will feature more than 100 bands on five stages and today we’re proud to reveal the first 51 names for next summer.

The living legends from BLACK SABBATH need no introduction. Two years ago, unforeseen circumstances forced them to cancel but this year they’re back to reclaim their rightful GMM throne. Black Sabbath will close the festival on Sunday 29th June. These guys are widely hailed as the pioneers of a musical genre that has stood the test of time and is still immensely popular after more than 40 years. Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and figurehead Ozzy Osbourne have finally buried the hatchet and the renewed collaboration with the craziest frontman in metal resulted in ‘13’, one of the best and most surprising comeback albums of the year. The album marks the triumphant return to form of the band responsible for countless classics such as ‘N.I.B.’, War Pigs’, ‘Iron Man’ and of course the inevitable ‘Paranoid’.

Five years ago VOLBEAT played in the Marquee, two years later they rocked the main stage and this year they’re coming back as (one of) the biggest European rock-’n-roll/heavy metal band(s) to headline Main Stage 1 on Saturday 28 June. Their Johnny Cash-inspired music has brought them to the world’s biggest stages and their music even appeals to a mainstream audience. Just five albums into their stellar career Volbeat are on top of the world. Perhaps things are going a bit too fast? Well, hundreds of thousands of fans worldwide can tell you the answer to that one. So roll up your sleeves and warm up those vocal chords because the guitar gangsters are coming home to Graspop Metal Meeting!

AVENGED SEVENFOLD may well turn out to be the youngest ever headliners on Graspop Metal Meeting. With two previous GMM appearances under their belt they’ve really hit the jackpot this time because they get to close Main Stage 1 on Friday 27th June. Their previous European tour in late 2013 made it obvious that Avenged Sevenfold, or A7X for short, are among the top dogs of the new metal generation.

SABATON have also proven on numerous occasions that the main stage is their natural habitat. Joakim Brodén’s power metal quintet will once again transform the Dessel plains into a no man’s land to rival the Westhoek. The Swedes recently released their ‘Swedish Empire Live’ DVD and the same boundless energy captured on that live recording will result in another GMM victory next summer. Only singer Brodén and bassist Sundström remain of the previous lineup, but the new Sabaton lineup has meanwhile matured into a well-oiled machine and is ready for yet another Primo Victoria!

Confirmed band so far are:

BLACK SABBATH, VOLBEAT, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, SABATON, SOUNDGARDEN, ALTER BRIDGE, OPETH, HATEBREED, CARCASS, W.A.S.P., NEUROSIS, GRAVEYARD, METAL CHURCH, WATAIN, PARADISE LOST, UNIDA, DEATH (dta), THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, DORO, ANNIHILATOR, BRING ME THE HORIZON, ELUVEITIE, TIAMAT, LEGION OF THE DAMNED, CULT OF LUNA, ORANGE GOBLIN, COMEBACK KID, CYNIC, WE CAME AS ROMANS, EMMURE, KYLESA, POWERWOLF, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, TRIPTYKON, ALESTORM, NAPALM DEATH, WALLS OF JERICHO, ENSLAVED, SKYHARBOR, GLORYHAMMER, PRO-PAIN, BLESSTHEFALL, HUNTRESS, NAILS, SOLSTAFIR, JEFF SCOTT SOTO, PRIME CIRCLE, NECROPHOBIC, THE TREATMENT, BATTLECROSS, CROSSFAITH