Bloodstock have revealed dates for this year’s Metal 2 The Masses grand finals and announced 24 more bands across the New Blood and EMP stages for August’s 25th anniversary edition.
Presented by Westons Stowford Press, the M2TM grand finals kick off in Cyprus on April 19 and roll through 30 locations across England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands, Norway and Cyprus. Every winner earns a 30-minute slot on the Stowford Press New Blood Stage at the festival itself. No other festival does more to support grassroots metal and local venues, a commitment recognised at the 2024 Heavy Music Awards where Bloodstock and the M2TM initiative received the H Award for exceptional contribution to the underground scene.
This year’s M2TM winners will also be in with a chance of winning prizes from ESP and Engl Amps, including an EC400 Quilted Maple guitar, a Phoenix 204DX bass and a Ravager IR amp head with matching cab.
Among the 24 newly revealed bands, Friday’s New Blood Stage welcomes death/doom devotees Void Below, alt prog rockers Temples On Mars, hardcore-metal alchemists Negative Frame and Concrete Age. Saturday brings old school riff merchants Thrasherwolf, Northern Irish melo-death crew Imperial Demonic, Chained Saint and dark prog fiends Imbrium. Sunday sees Overpower fusing early Metallica and Slayer influences with the savagery of UKHC.
The revamped EMP stage, now relocated within the main arena with a bigger setup and its own bar, will host the likes of Untamed Silence, Cancel The Transmission, Goat Major, Trollmother and more across the weekend.
Bloodstock has also set up eleven club nights around the UK where fans can win festival tickets. The 25th anniversary festival runs August 6-9 at Catton Park, Derbyshire, headlined by Lamb Of God, Slaughter To Prevail, Judas Priest and Saxon. Weekend tickets are sold out, but day tickets remain at £99.
