Graspop 2016, set to take place on June 17-19, has announced 22 new bands to the festival line-up:

We thought we’d end the year with a bang by announcing 22 new names for GMM2016. And not just any 22 names either: NIGHTWISH, APOCALYPTICA and SLAYER will be just a few of the top acts to tame the masses on the Stenehei in Dessel next year. With 73-odd bands confirmed so far and some 40 left to go, our 2016 line-up is really starting to take shape.

Our 22 new additions in alphabetical order: Amaranthe, Anthrax, Apocalyptica, Atreyu, Devil You Know, Gojira, Heaven Shall Burn, In the Woods, Moonsorrow, Nightwish, Raven, Saxon, Shinedown, Skillet, Slayer, The Amity Affliction, The Raven Age, The Wild Lies, Tremonti, Turnstile, Windhand and Zakk Wylde.

More good news: the day splits are also available. Click here to check when your favourite bands are playing. Masters of ceremony on Friday 17 June are Black Sabbath and King Diamond. Volbeat and Nightwish are headlining Main Stages 1 & 2 on Saturday 18 June; Iron Maiden and Twisted Sister have the honour of closing GMM 2016 on Sunday 19 June.

Confirmed for #GMM16:

Abbath, Amaranthe, Amon Amarth, Anthrax, Arcturus, Apocalyptica, Atreyu, August Burns Red, Black Sabbath, Borknagar, Bullet for My Valentine, Bury Tomorrow, Dark Funeral, Delain, Devil You Know, Dirkschneider, Disturbed, Down, Dropkick Murphys, Eisbrecher, Firewind, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Foreigner, God Dethroned, Gojira, Grand Magus, Heaven Shall Burn, In the Woods, Iron Maiden, Killswitch Engage, King Diamond, La Muerte, Legion of the Damned, Loudness, Megadeth, Monuments, Moonsorrow, Moonspell, Myrkur, Nightwish, Norma Jean, Obituary, Oomph!, Overkill, Paradise Lost, Pennywise, Powerwolf, Raven, Sacred Reich, Satyricon, Saxon, Shinedown, Shining (SE), Sixx:A.M., Skillet, Slaves, Slayer, Testament, Tesseract, The Algorithm, The Amity Affliction, The Midnight Ghost Train, The Raven Age, The Wild Lies, Thy Art Is Murder, Tremonti, Trivium, Turnstile, Twisted sister, Virgin Steele, Volbeat, Windhand, Zakk Wylde. Get to know more about the bands.

The Organizers of Graspop Metal Meeting, set to take place on June 17-19 2016, have announced 18 new bands to the 2016 line-up:

Next year’s line-up is starting to take shape with the addition of MEGADETH, DISTURBED, DROPKICK MURPHYS, FOREIGNER, DOWN, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, SIXX:A.M., PENNYWISE, POWERWOLF, OBITUARY, PARADISE LOST, EISBRECHER, FIREWIND, SHINING (se), TESSERACT, THY ART IS MURDER, GOD DETHRONED and NORMA JEAN. These 18 new acts take the total number of confirmed bands to 51.

Have been confirmed so far (in alphabetical order): Abbath, Amon Amarth, Arcturus, August Burns Red, Black Sabbath, Borknagar, Bullet for My Valentine, Bury Tomorrow, Dark Funeral, Delain, Dirkschneider, Disturbed, Down, Dropkick Murphys, Eisbrecher, Firewind, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Foreigner, God Dethroned, Grand Magus, Iron Maiden, Killswitch Engage, King Diamond, La Muerte, Legion of the Damned, Loudness, Megadeth, Monuments, Moonspell, Myrkur, Norma Jean, Obituary, Oomph!, Overkill, Paradise Lost, Pennywise, Powerwolf, Sacred Reich, Satyricon, Shining (SE), Sixx:A.M., Slaves, Testament, Tesseract, The Algorithm, The Midnight Ghost Train, Thy Art Is Murder, Trivium, Twisted sister, Virgin Steele, Volbeat.

Watch the announcement trailer here:

From 17 through 19 June, the Dessel plains will once again form the backdrop for three days of metal mania. VOLBEAT join previously confirmed headliners BLACK SABBATH and IRON MAIDEN and will close proceedings on Saturday 18 June. Five albums into a stellar career Volbeat are at the top of their game. Inspired by Johnny Cash, their music has taken them to the world’s biggest stages and next summer the Danish quartet will take Dessel by storm!

It also gives us great pleasure to announce the legendary KING DIAMOND. The Danish heavy metal outfit around the eponymous eccentric frontman is releasing a long-awaited new album next year. Brace yourself for pure and unadulterated heavy metal horror, vocal acrobatics and a satanic experience of the highest order. King Diamond is co-headlining with Black Sabbath on Friday 17 June.

Also confirmed for this 21st edition is TWISTED SISTER! After more than four decades, the American heavy metal band around the flamboyant Dee Snider is bowing out with a blistering farewell tour: ‘Forty and Fuck It’! Twisted Sister will close the 21st edition of Graspop Metal Meeting on Sunday 19 June on Mainstage 2.

The line-up is shaping up nicely with another 28 household names! Confirmed acts in alphabetical order: Abbath, Amon Amarth, Arcturus, August Burns Red, Black Sabbath, Borknagar, Bullet For My Valentine, Bury Tomorrow, Dirkschneider, Dark Funeral, Delain, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Grand Magus, Iron Maiden, King diamond, La Muerte, Legion of the Damned, Loudness, Monuments, Moonspell, Myrkur, Oomph!, Overkill, Sacred Reich, Satyricon, Slaves, Testament, The Algorithm, The Midnight Ghost Train, Trivium, Twisted sister, Virgin Steele, Volbeat

Tickets for Graspop Metal Meeting 2016 go on sale at 10 am tomorrow, 15th October, exclusively via www.ticketmaster.be and www.proximusgoformusic.be.

Also available as from tomorrow: VIP tickets, tents to rent, festihuts, pitches and holiday cottages.

Festival tickets COMBI (June 16, 17, 18, 19): 195 euros
Festival tickets FRIDAY (June 17): 95 euros
Festival tickets SATURDAY (June 18): 95 euros
Festival tickets SUNDAY (June 19): 95 euros
Graspop tokens in presale: 2.50 euros/token

The price includes: access to the festival site, to the campsite and to the parking, free use of the festival shuttle buses, access to the Metal Plaza on Thursday June 16 (for combi visitors only), service costs, environmental and mobility contribution. Tickets do NOT include a round trip train ticket.