Pantera, Disturbed, Amon Amarth, Arch Enemy, Architects, Behemoth, Kreator, Meshuggah, Gojira, Parkway Drive, Testament, Voivod are among the 103 artists who have been added to the 26th edition of the Graspop Metal Meeting, set to take place June 15-18, 2023 in Dessel, Belgium. Tickets are on sale tomorrow at the links below. Continue reading
If you have ever wanted a hardcore punk band with wackiness that only Mike Patton can provide, then you owe yourself to check out Dead Cross and their new album, II (Ipecac Recordings). The result of this mix is absolute audible chaos that the world needs in this crazy day and age we all live in. Don’t worry metal friends, Dave Lombardo (ex-Slayer, Testament) is in this stellar lineup as well so you no need to pull the “this isn’t metal” card for this album!
Part of San Francisco’s famous Bay Area thrash scene, Blind Illusion may have only produced one full-length studio album during their initial eleven-year existence but that record, The Sane Asylum (Combat Records) still remains an undisputed classic of its time. Not only famous for adding more technicality, diversity, and flavour to a scene that ran predominantly on speed and aggression, Blind Illusion also ended up being responsible for the creation of alternative funk metal act Primus, the band at the time featuring former Possessed guitarist Larry LaLonde and batshit bass wizard Les Claypool.
Catton Park, United kingdom, 14 Aug 2022, Lamb of God performing on the Ronnie James Dio Stage at Bloodstock Open Air Festival Credit: Rich Price/Ghost Cult Magazine
SATURDAY
Considering most people are already feeling like overcooked baked potatoes wrapped in tin foil, the fact that today is meant to be the hottest day of the festival really isn’t the best news. Still, that certainly doesn’t deter a healthy crowd from shaking off the hangovers and getting on with the business at hand, Baest and Lost Society both grabbing the main stage by the scruff of the neck while Sister Shotgun and Mastiff do the same on the Sophie stage.Continue reading
Catton Park, United kingdom, 12 Aug 2022, Behemoth performing on the Ronnie James Dio Stage at Bloodstock Open Air Festival Credit: Rich Price/Ghost Cult Magazine
Main Stage and Sophie Lancaster Stage
THURSDAY
If there are two things we love doing in the UK, it’s complaining about the weather and queuing for things. Well, this year at Bloodstock Open Air, both are freely available and at no extra charge. Not a moment goes by without a comment on the sweltering heat or about having to wait to cross the road to the festival ground. Yes, not content with spending two hours in the main queue, campers have now invented a brand new line to join before even getting that far. For the first time ever, a line has formed for people pulling trolleys and sack carts. Almost a quarter of a mile of people waiting in a surprisingly orderly queue before joining an even bigger queue. England, never change.
With the heat already playing its part, I finally arrive at the Sophie Lancaster Stage in time to catch Italian nutters Nanowar of Steel who send the audience into hysterics with daft costumes and a “Wall of Love” (a traditional wall of death that climaxes with people hugging each other to George Michael’s ‘Careless Whisper’). Preceding the infuriatingly catchy ‘Norwegian Reggaeton’ with Burzum‘s outdoor recipe for roasted salmon (“you place the freshly caught salmon on a rock and burn down the church next to it”) the band then take the opportunity to use the mighty ‘Valhalleluja’ to build an Ikea coffee table, holding it aloft for the elated crowd. Accompanied by an actual goblin for the duration of their set, US act Nekrogoblikon certainly put on an enjoyable show but find it tough following such a display of irreverent insanity.
Whether you want it to or not, once a nickname is acquired, it sticks. Sometimes for life. For almost as long as the band has existed itself, Californian speed metal legends Megadeth have been known by fans as Megadave. A purely affectionate nickname for sure, but one which grew out of frontman Dave Mustaine‘s often brutal and cold-blooded approach to personnel management. The singular constant in a revolving door of band members, make no mistake. Mustaine is Megadeth. Always was, always will be.
When the death metal scene blew up in the early nineties, it was exciting to watch fresh new blood delivering a much-needed kick up the backside to many lethargic established acts. However, with little room for growth and proliferation of bands all covering the same ground, stagnation, and panic soon set in. Just as their predecessors had found, forward-thinking and experimentation were often frowned upon while the alternative was perceived as merely playing safe or laziness. It was survival of the fittest in a catch-22 situation and the fans were a fickle and unforgiving judge.
Bloodstock Open Air (BOA) 2022 is almost upon us. Kicking off on Thursday the 11th of August, this most metal of all festivals runs until Sunday the 14th, damaging necks, air guitar strings, and bank accounts along the way. After Covid put paid to the 2020 festival, an admirably safety-conscious BOA returned with a five day bang last year! (read our review of BOA 2021 review here), selling out weekend passes well in advance and things promise to be just as busy this time.
The Bay Strikes Back Tour – Testament, Exodus, and Death Angel – brought a massive dose of thrash to the edge of the Ohio State University campus on Wednesday night with their stop at the Newport Music Hall. The tour celebrates the origins of thrash metal stretching back to the late 1970s and early 1980s. It is incredible that these three bands are still standing on the stage and belting out their music for long-time and new fans alike.
Bloodstock Open Air 2022 has shared a big update. including their plans for their Club Nights, and Plans with Sophie Lancaster Foundation and Derbyshire LGBT+, as well as added 2 more bands to the lineup. Static-X and Tallah have dropped out, replaced by Dark Tranquility and Defects respectively. The comeback of the fest in 2021 was great and you can read our review here. Headliners for BOA 2022 are Lamb Of God, Mercyful Fate and Behemoth. Bloodstock will take place at Catton Park, Derbyshire on 11th-14th August 2022.