Bloodstock Open Air, the UK’s premier annual metal festival, returns 6 to 9 August. Celebrating 25 years since its inception, and going from strength to strength, each year the festival organisers really pull out all the stops. This year is no different. Selling out in record time, fans who were lucky enough to grab their tickets are in for a mammoth weekend of heavy metal madness. From huge headliners on the Ronnie James Dio Stage, hidden gems early in the morning, underground greats on the Sophie Lancaster Stage and always a champion of new music on the New Blood Stage, there is truly something for everyone.
Opening the Ronnie James Dio Stage for the first time on a Thursday gives us more music than ever and an extra headliner. Here is to an excellent weekend full of amazing bands.
Saxon
It feels quite fitting that the first headline band of the inaugural Bloodstock festival back in 2001 is the first headliner for the 25th iteration of the festival. Coming off a very strong previous album, Hellfire and Damnation in 2024, and a new album on the horizon, Saxon show no signs of slowing down, which is phenomenal considering they are a band always on the road and the members are all pushing up the average age of the festival. Biff Byford’s vocal prowess has stood the test of time, with ‘Wheels of Steel’, ‘Princess of the Night’ and ‘747 (Strangers in the Night)’ all bona fide classics. Expect huge singalongs and plenty of nostalgia from one of Britain’s best heavy metal bands.
Lamb of God
If there is one thing Friday night headliners Lamb of God will not do, it is pull any punches. Welcoming in the weekend with a foot to the throat, these Virginians are no strangers to headlining the festival, doing so in both 2013 and 2023. Lamb of God have been around long enough that most people know what to expect from their shows. Fast, heavy, technical riffs, crushing breakdowns and a wild, rabid crowd. It surely will be a spectacle. With it being nearly 20 years since the release of Sacrament (the album that got me into LoG), will we be treated to any surprises? Deep cuts? The entire album? I would find it hard to believe they don’t acknowledge it in some way.
Slaughter to Prevail
This is about as controversial as it gets. As soon as Slaughter to Prevail were announced as the Saturday night headliners, a lot of people pushed back and did not like it. Talk about Bloodstock taking a chance. However, following on from a strong run of headline shows in January, StP have shown they have the musical muscle to headline a festival like this regardless of controversy. Expect a large stage show, unparalleled vocals in terms of sheer power and noise, huge mosh pits and walls of death. It will be interesting to see if people do choose not to watch them. Either way, it will be a show to be remembered.
Judas Priest
The mighty Judas Priest close out the festival, headlining Sunday night on the Ronnie James Dio Stage. Need I say more, it’s Judas Fucking Priest. Telling you to go watch them is similar advice to “don’t take a toaster in the bath”. It’s just common sense. In all seriousness, Priest are still at the top of their game. Having seen them last year, I can attest that Rob Halford and co. are still firing on all cylinders, with songs sounding as good as ever. And let’s be honest, who doesn’t want to see Halford come on stage with his motorbike, or sing along to ‘Breaking the Law’. How many years have Priest got left in them? Who knows. One thing I do know, this will be a festival ending set you don’t want to miss.
Vended
Normally it is hard for kids of famous musicians to step out of their parents’ shadows and forge their own path without detractors pointing out they are only where they are because of famous parents. Vended have broken through this and carved out their own path. While there are parts where you can hear the influence of Griffin Taylor and Simon Crahan’s fathers (Corey Taylor and Shawn Crahan of Slipknot respectively), the sheer intensity of their live performance is staggering. Leaving everything on the stage, there is a raw aggression to their performance and music which needs to be seen. Catch this lot before they blow up, which undoubtedly feels imminent.
Body Count
If you poll most Bloodstockers about which band they want to see play at Bloodstock, the overwhelming response would be Body Count. The amount of celebration when Body Count were announced should be enough to tell you to check out their set, because you know the crowd is going to be rabid as hell. Fronted by rapper Ice-T, people assume Body Count will be more rap and hip hop orientated. This is not the case. Body Count are a metal band first and foremost, as shown by their cover of ‘Raining Blood’ which appears in most of their sets. ‘Talk Shit, Get Shot’ and ‘Cop Killer’ will have the same effect as a bomb being dropped on Catton Hall.
Sepultura
This is it. The last chance to see Sepultura on British soil. Celebrating a 40 year reign, this is a band everyone will want, no, need to see before it’s too late. Expect a set filled with classics from the whole back catalogue and, if their previous festival stops this year have been any indication, some surprise guests during ‘Kaiowas’. This will be emotional, not necessarily sad, more celebratory, and by all accounts will be a fantastic send off to a legendary band.
Black Label Society
In a weekend full of legendary performers, another graces the grounds of Catton Hall. Zakk Wylde brings Black Label Society to Bloodstock. Go to any metal festival and you will undoubtedly see a Black Label Society vest. Their bluesy heavy metal transcends most metrics, age, genre and race, and will pull a huge crowd. A proper musicians’ band. The only question… how long will Zakk Wylde’s solo be?
Void Below
Playing Friday on the New Blood Stage are Cumbrian heavy hitters Void Below. Hailing from West Cumbria, where the mountains roll into the bleak Irish sea, this chilling landscape carves out the inspiration for their music. Drawing on old school death metal, heavily mixed with doom influenced atmosphere and topped off with images and lyrical themes drawn from the works of H.P. Lovecraft, Void Below will reach up from the surface and drag you down into the depths of the underground. If there is one band to check out on the New Blood Stage, the Cthulhu driven quartet are it.
Heavysaurus
Anyone who has been to Bloodstock before is aware of the connection between Bloodstock and dinosaurs. This is the logical next step, a dinosaur metal band. Heavysaurus (three dinosaurs and a dragon) mainly focus on getting kids involved with metal, though this doesn’t mean you can’t have fun too. This should be a great way to open the Ronnie James Dio Stage with general silliness. Who doesn’t want to see a dinosaur mosh pit to a dinosaur metal band? I certainly do.
Castle Rat
‘Fantasy medieval doom metal’. There are many things that come to mind when your mind pictures those words. If I showed you a picture of Castle Rat as well, the two pair up seamlessly. With a sound and visuals that wouldn’t be out of place in 1976 let alone 2026, Castle Rat take you on a magical journey, weaving their tales through their music. The Rat Queen is here to defend her realm from the Rat Reaperess. Alongside the Count, the plague doctor and the druid, she needs your help to defeat the evil at Catton Hall.
Carpenter Brut
Closing out the festival with the headline slot on the Sophie Lancaster Stage is the best possible place for an artist like Carpenter Brut. Known as a ‘rave for metalheads’, the French darksynth musician fuses 1980s style synths with metal intensity and horror style atmospheres. Carpenter Brut are a completely different animal live than in the studio. Bringing a live band to play alongside the synths gives it a totally different feel. It hits so much harder. I know this won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but I would still recommend checking them out to make up your own mind.
Sellsword
If you haven’t had your fill of power metal, then get yourself to the Sophie Lancaster Stage on Saturday afternoon for Sellsword. Their unique ‘mercenary metal’ provides ample fist pumping, headbanging medieval madness which makes you want to follow them into battle. Their shows, or ‘sieges’, are full of energy, with a lot of work going into their set design. Medieval banners adorn the stage, with their mic stand being an actual sword. There are also rumours of a trebuchet.
