PREVIEW: BLOODSTOCK FESTIVAL UK 10-13TH AUGUST 2023

by Carina Lawrence

UK’s heaviest metal festival, Bloodstock, is nearly upon us, taking place at Catton Park, Derbyshire, on 10th-13th August 2023. With a massive line-up consisting of Ronnie James Dio main stage headliners Killswitch Engage, Meshuggah and Megadeth, a whole load of other heavy hitters, and rising metal acts. Here are some bands we recommend you catch over the mighty packed weekend!

Thursday 10th August

Austrian Symphonic metal icons Visions Of Atlantis know how to put on a massive and inspiring show, and their infectious, uplifting sound will go down a treat on the opening day. Their latest album, 2022’s ‘Pirates’ was critically acclaimed, so there is no doubt they will play some hits from there, such as ‘Legions Of The Seas’ along with all their other best tracks.

Friday 11th August

American metalcore heroes Killswitch Engage are the Friday headliners, which is well deserved, and I’m very happy and excited as a long-time fan. Armed with eight hefty albums, with their latest being ‘Atonement’ released in 2019, they have plenty of metal anthems to churn out on their headline set, such as the popular “The End Of Heartache” and “My Curse”, which are going to sound immense, especially with crowd participation. Also, as their last album was released four years ago, there are good odds that they may have some new songs up their sleeve and what better time to unveil these than at Bloodstock? As well as being headliners, this is their first-ever appearance at the festival!

Swedish melodic death metal pioneers In Flames will heat things up considerably before headliners Killswitch Engage take to the stage. They have an impressive catalogue of fourteen albums now with their newest release, ‘Foregone’, which came out earlier in the year, has been hailed as one of their best albums in a while with a great blend of their old core roots and the new evolved In Flames sound, making it a masterclass in melodic metal. They have so many mega metal tracks; I’m sure they will pick only the best. The singalong opportunities will be plentiful!

Grammy-nominated, epic doom pioneers CANDLEMASS will headline the Sophie Lancaster Stage in a UK-exclusive performance. They have an array of immense albums and songs to select for their set, but we will most likely be hearing a few from their latest offering, 2022’s ‘Sweet Evil Sun’, which will be exciting to hear especially given that it’s their only UK performance this year.

Saturday 12th August

The industrial/post-metal quartet from Brighton, UK Tribe Of Ghosts has an exciting and intriguing sound making them a must-see as they combine electronic soundscapes, eclectic extreme metal influences and pop vocals with haunting and devastating effects. Soundtrack inspired by fiction such as ‘I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream’, ‘1984’, ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ and ‘Fahrenheit 451’. They played Bloodstock last year on the New Blood stage, and they went down so well they have been invited back to perform on the Sophie Lancaster stage to open Bloodstock Open Air 2023.

Saturday’s headliners are extreme Swedish metallers Meshuggah, who have become known for their innovative and complex technical sound. They have plenty of tracks to choose from for their mighty headline set. Their latest album ‘Immutable’ which was released last year, went down a storm with fans and critics alike, so It will be awesome to hear some of their new tracks in the mix and, of course, amongst tracks from their milestone album 2008’s ‘obZen’ and to hear the immense tracks such as ‘Bleed’ and ‘Combustion’.

Iconic metal pioneers TRIPTYKON from Switzerland, formed in 2008 by Thomas Gabriel Fischer, founding member of the pioneering heavy metal bands Hellhammer, Celtic Frost and Apollyon Sun. In an unmissable UK-exclusive performance, they’ll treat BLOODSTOCK to a CELTIC FROST set. So you don’t want to miss this rare and special exclusive spectacle!

London metal trio Urne is ones to watch, so it’s great to see they have a slot on the main stage and what good timing as their second highly anticipated album ‘A Feast On Sorrow’ is released one day before their appearance on the 11th August via Candlelight Records. What better way to release and promote a new album!

Sunday 13th August

Thrash metal legends Megadeth will close the festival on the final day, and what a final headliner with them being one of the ‘Big Four’ thrash metal acts and for a good reason with their technical guitar work and complex yet melodic musicianship. They have so many classic songs to churn out with an impressive masterclass of thrash metal offerings in their catalogue with definitive albums such as ‘Rust In Peace’, ‘Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying?’, ‘Killing Is My Business… And Business Is Good ‘, and their latest 2022 album, ‘The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!’ which was widely critically acclaimed by all, which is even more remarkable being this far into their career. It will be magnificent hearing some of the new tracks live among their classic material in what will be a career-spanning set.

Swedish innovative death metal act Tribulation will play the main stage and have an ever-evolving and diverse sound as demonstrated on their latest EP Hamartia, which was released in April this year and showcased the outfit’s new guitarist Joseph Tholl and acted as a new exciting chapter, for the band. Ones to watch if not already familiar, and they will surely deliver a captivating set.

Hardcore legends BIOHAZARD will headline Sunday night on the Sophie stage, with their original line-up making it a must-see. They haven’t released a new album since 2012’s ‘Reborn In Defiance’, but they are guaranteed to play all their hardcore hits such as ‘Punishment’, ‘Tales From The Hard Side’ and ‘Wrong Side Of The Tracks’. Following their reunion last year, it is possible a new album may be on the way, so perhaps there is a chance of a new song being debuted.