The first five bands to be confirmed for the Bloodstock Open Air Festival’s Sophie Lancaster Stage have been revealed. Returning to the festival after an appearance in 2007 are legendary Birmingham-based death metal act Benediction. Formed in 1989, Benediction have remained one of the UK’s most consistent and underappreciated death metal acts, and their addition to the Bloodstock lineup is a welcome one. Says bassist Frank Healy:
Bloodstock were the first festival in the UK to take notice of Benediction in 2007 and booked us to play. Since that show our profile in the UK has gone from strength to strength so when they asked us back it was a no brainer. They showed a lot of faith in us at the time when no one else did and we owe them a lot for that. We would be at bloodstock 2010 anyway but we will now get in free!!!
Joining Benediction on the Sophie Lancaster stage will be British doom metal act Witchsorrow, returning after a well-received set on the Unsigned Stage at BOA 2008. Now signed to Rise Above Records and with an album due out on the 12th of April, the band are looking forward to returning to Bloodstock. Says guitarist/frontman Nick Ruskell:
We’re delighted to be bringing doom metal to Bloodstock. It’s an honour to be part of such a killer festival that we go to as fans anyway, and a particularly special occasion for us to be sharing a bill with Heaven And Hell. We had a great time when we played on the unsigned stage in ‘08, and we’re looking forward to once again bringing our riffs and darkness to the UK’s best metal festival. If the sun puts his hat on, brilliant, if there’s wind, rain, mud and biting cold, so much the better for us.
The other three bands to be joining Benediction and Witchsorrow on the Sophie Stage, as well as making their UK festival debuts, are Swedish speed metallers Enforcer, thrash revivalists Steelwing and metal supergroup Killing Machine, which features Evergrey/Stratavarius bassplayer Jari Kainulainen and legendary former Slayer/Testament drummer Jon Dette. States Killing Machine guitarist Peter Scheithauer:
This is Killing Machine’s first ever UK show!!! And we’re stoked that it will be playing to the Bloodstock Festival metal heads. I know it will be a great night as the almighty Heaven and Hell will be closing the ceremonies, so what can be more metal than that? We want to thank Paul, Vicky and all the staff at Bloodstock for giving us this opportunity and we’ll make sure not to disappoint, so get ready for some ass kicking metal
The Bloodstock Open Air Metal Festival 2010 will take place at Catton Hall, Derbyshire from 13th – 15th August.
Weekend tickets are on sale now at www.bloodstock.uk.com
BAND LINE UP SO FAR
HEAVEN & HELL : CHILDREN OF BODOM : FEAR FACTORY : TWISTED SISTER
OBITUARY : ROSS THE BOSS (with Scott Columbus) : RAGE : ANDROMEDA : BEHEMOTH : DEVIN TOWNSEND : DORO : LEAVES EYES : SUFFOCATION : CANNIBAL CORPSE : KORPIKLAANI : GWAR : AMORPHIS : GOJIRA : SONATA ARCTICA : GORGOROTH : BLOODBATH : BLACK SPIDERS : EDGUY : ENSIFERUM : ONSLAUGHT : SNAKEBITE :
HOLY MOSES : BENEDICTION : ENFORCER : KILLING MACHINE : STEELWING : WITCHSORROW