FESTIVAL OVERVIEW

Mid-August this year will see thousands of metal fans descend upon the pastoral grounds of Catton Hall for the annual Bloodstock Open Air festival. With the indefinite suspension of its indoor counterpart and predecessor (regularly held in the Derby Assembly Rooms from 2001 to 2006), the dedicated team of organisers have been able to concentrate their efforts solely on improving and expanding the Open Air extravaganza while pertaining to their ethos of "by fans for the fans". Their aim of establishing a European style metal fest in the UK with a diverse lineup of international bands from metal's many disparate subgenres came to fruition last year when the likes of In Flames, Lacuna Coil, Testament, Arch Enemy, Dark Tranquillity, Nevermore and Finntroll entertained around 5,000 fans over 3 spectacular days of music, fun, and general metal mayhem. This is an admirable achievement from a small team of loyal, hardworking individuals who constantly strive to perpetuate Bloodstock's essence of integrity and individuality rather than succumb to the greed-driven corporate monolithism of bigger UK festivals such as Download.

With 2008's lineup nealy complete, there is much to look forward to for every discerning metal fan, both young and old. Apart from the big name headliners Opeth, Dimmu Borgir, and Nightwish, the Bloodstock team have secured appearances from veteran thrash acts Destruction and Overkill; power metal pioneers Helloween; reformed Gothenburg melodic death metal originators At The Gates; NWOBHM act Praying Mantis; British grindcore legends Napalm Death; fast rising, self-proclaimed pirate metal band Alestorm; power-prog 3-piece Communic; batty Swiss folk/melo-death in the form of Eluveitie; British progressive death/black metallers Akercocke; the epic prog-edged black/folk sound of Finland's Moonsorrow, and many, many more. Once again, the emphasis is firmly on diversity which will no doubt strengthen Bloodstock's fast growing reputation as the UK's number one metal fest in terms of providing fans with quality, variety, and value for money. There will, of course, also be the unsigned stage showcasing a plethora of up and coming talent; the usual signing tent; an extensive metal market; a large campsite; a wide choice of food outlets; bars; Guitar Hero competition; and the ever popular metal karaoke which usually continues into the early hours after the bands finish playing on each day. Bloodstock 2008 promises to be the biggest and best event in the festival's 8 year history. Be sure to check out the official Bloodstock website, which includes a comprehensive guide to all aspects of the festival; travel info; extensive details of all bands playing; a very active forum; all the latest festival news, and a whole lot more. Click on the banner below for a direct link:

BLOODSTOCK OPEN AIR 2008 - FESTIVAL PREVIEW

DATE:

VENUE:

Friday 15th August - Sunday 17th August 2008

Catton Hall in Derbyshire, UK

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

DIMMU BORGIR; ICED EARTH; SOILWORK; NAPALM DEATH; MOONSORROW; COMMUNIC; SWALLOW THE SUN; ELUVEITIE; MOB RULES; CLOUDSCAPE

SUNDAY

NIGHTWISH; AT THE GATES; OVERKILL; AS I LAY DYING; KATAKLYSM; GRAND MAGUS; ALESTORM; CROWNING GLORY + MORE

OPETH; HELLOWEEN; SOULFLY; PRIMAL FEAR; DESTRUCTION; AKERCOCKE; TYR; PRAYING MANTIS; EVILE; SAINT DEAMON

Bloodstock Open Air Crowd, Catton Hall, Derbyshire, 18th August 2007

Photograph copyright © 2007 Mark Holmes - www.metal-discovery.com

Opeth at the Birmingham Academy, 23rd April 2008

Photographs copyright © 2008 Mark Holmes - www.metal-discovery.com

Dimmu Borgir at Nottingham Rock City, 29th September 2007

Photographs copyright © 2007 Mark Holmes - www.metal-discovery.com

Nightwish at the Newcastle Academy, 30th March 2008

Photographs copyright © 2008 Mark Holmes - www.metal-discovery.com

THE HEADLINERS

OPETH

With critically acclaimed new album, 'Watershed', released in the UK on 2nd June this year, Opeth's headline set on the first day of Bloodstock will be an exclusive UK Summer performance. Sustaining their progressive essence and unique compositional style with each new release, Opeth have become a major player in the metal scene while never compromising their sound or conforming to changing ephemeral trends. Although only frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt remains from the band's original lineup, the influential Swedish prog-death metallers are still an engagingly effective live band in 2008, as proved in recent weeks during their successful joint headline tour with Arch Enemy, billed as 'Defenders of the Faith'. Click on the link below for Metal Discovery's review/photos of their show at the Birmingham Academy on 23rd April this year.

DIMMU BORGIR

Another UK 2008 exclusive for Bloodstock, Norwegian black metal stalwarts Dimmu Borgir will be closing the second day of the festival in what is set to be their only live show in this country during the year. Last over in the UK for a few dates late September/early October with Amon Amarth and Engel in tow, people turned out en masse to witness the undisputed lords, and originators, of darkly melodic, grandiosely orchestral black metal in action. And the Borgir clan didn't disappoint fans with their touring setlist incorporating both older 'classics' and new material from last year's impressive 'In Sorte Diaboli'. With their style of music apposite for the big, open air stage, Dimmu Borgir will also become Bloodstock's first headlining black metal band. Check out Metal Discovery's review/photos of their gig at Nottingham Rock City in September last year by clicking on the link below.

NIGHTWISH

Originally headlining Bloodstock back in 2003 at the third occasion of the indoor festival for their first ever UK live appearance, Finnish symphonic metallers Nightwish return to close 2008's Open Air event on the Sunday. Sacking original vocalist Tarja Turunen towards the end of 2005, her replacement was unveiled in May last year, after a seemingly endless wait, as Swedish singer Anette Olzon. Speculation was rife among both media and fans whether post-Tarja Nightwish could still cut it and, more importantly, how Olzon would fit into the band's distinctive symphonic-power-prog aesthetic. Making her live debut back in September 2007 at a secret gig in Estonia, shortly followed by her first official show in Israel, any fears regarding the post-Tarja era of Nightwish were quelled as widespread rave reviews emerged from all corners of the globe. And with a rigorous touring schedule ever since in support of last year's stunning new album, 'Dark Passion Play', their best since the glory days of 'Oceanborn' and 'Century Child', they arrived on UK shores in March/April this year for a string of sold out shows. Click on the link below for Metal Discovery's review/photos of their appearance at the Newcastle Academy on 30th March.