Bloodstock 2024 has come to an end, and many festival-goers will be wondering what next year has in store. Fortunately, they won’t have to wait long, as the organizers have already announced 19 bands for 2025, including all of the headliners. Early bird tickets are now available, and with a line-up like this, it’s probably safe to say that they won’t last long.
Friday’s headliner will be American metal giants Trivium, returning to Bloodstock after a decade to kick off the festival with a bang. The band’s sound has evolved much over the years, but it sounds like fans of their earlier work will be treated to a dose of mid-noughties nostalgia. In a statement, frontman Matt Heafy says, “Our headline set will span our entire 20-year history and we’ll also celebrate ‘Ascendancy’ by bringing both the music and art to life.” Trivium won’t be the only big name on Friday, with black metal legends Emperor set to return to Bloodstock for the third time in just over a decade. In 2022, frontman Ihsahn featured on Heafy’s solo album, so fans of Ibaraki may be hoping for some sort of crossover.
Machine Head will headline the Saturday, returning to Bloodstock after their secret set on the Sophie Lancaster stage back in 2022. Speaking of that gig, frontman Robb Flynn says, “That show, which marked our return to the live arena post-pandemic, was one of the hottest, wildest and most intense shows we’ve ever played on UK shores and we now want to recreate that magic again and take it even higher in August 2025. Bloodstock, get ready because Machine F**ckin’ Head is coming to town and we want to see all you Head Cases lose it! BEERS UP!” It seems safe to say there are no secrets this time around. They will be joined on the Saturday by Southampton horror punks Creeper, and Texan metalcore outfit Kublai Khan TX.
Sunday marks the triumphant return of Gojira, the third and final headliner of the Ronnie James Dio stage. Most recently, the French metal giants performed at the Olympics opening ceremony, but way back in 2018, they stole the show at Bloodstock with an audio-visual experience to remember, featuring a combination of fire, lasers and explosions. The impressive display was a tough act for others to follow, so it makes sense that Gojira will be closing the festival this time around. They will be joined by special guests The Black Dahlia Murder, in their first Bloodstock appearance since the passing of beloved vocalist Trevor Strnad, as well as Germany’s medieval metalheads Feuerschwanz and dark rockers Lord Of The Lost. In case that wasn’t enough, metalcore legends August Burns Red will be making their Bloodstock debut.
Over on the Sophie Lancaster stage, Nergal’s bluesy side project Me and That Man will headline Thursday night, giving the crowd a chance to wind down from the high-octane musical offerings of special guests All For Metal. From that point on there will be little opportunity for rest, with Canadian death metal band Kataklysm set to headline the stage on Friday, followed by nu-metal pioneers Static-X on Saturday, and Floridian death metal legends Obituary on Sunday. While Friday’s special guest has yet to be announced – leaving at least some room for fan speculation – flamenco-metal band Breed 77 have been confirmed for Saturday, and on Sunday, Canada’s 3 Inches of Blood will provide some classic heavy metal nostalgia.
With these announcements, next year is set to be one of the most highly anticipated Bloodstock weekends yet. For those who have yet to grab their early bird tickets, they can head over to the Bloodstock 2025 Ticket Store now to do so.
