Simon Rushworth
rushonrock faves The Defiled are everywhere right now and just days after revealing they’re playing Sonisphere the band has been added to a typically bombastic Bloodstock bill!
Romeo Must Die and Cerebral Bore have also confirmed sets for the Catton Hall riff fest in August – a three-day shindig which features WASP and Motorhead spearheading an ear-bleeding line-up.
Defiled keyboard player The AvD said: “Well, the good news just keeps pouring in for us right now. We just found out that we are playing the main stage at Bloodstock!
“We have a real soft spot for this festival as it was the first festival The Defiled ever played and it was the most amazing experience we had ever had as a band at the time.
“The Bloodstock crowd treated us really, really well and I can still recall the buzz we all felt after that. It was just one of those moments you know you are going to take to the grave. So we are coming back to where it all began for us! Can’t wait!”
Nominated for a Golden God Award for Best New Band this year, The Defiled are one of the hottest bands on the UK scene right now and joining them on the RJD stage are Ohio’s Skeletonwitch – who make their Bloodstock debut this year.
The blackened thrashers set the underground metal world alight with their Breathing The Fire album back in 2009, with huge critical praise heaped upon the Billboard-charting third album, earning them a slot on the prestigious Ozzfest tour.
The band said: “We’re honored to be sharing the stage with the other killer bands at Bloodstock: Motorhead, Immortal, Morbid Angel, Coroner, Kreator…we could go on and on but you get the point. It’s going to rule! We’re opening the main stage on Saturday 13 August at 11 am. Depending on how you’re partying we’re going to wake you the fuck up or put you the fuck down. Either way, heavy metal is the law!”
On the Sophie Lancaster stage four very exciting additions can also be revealed. Self-styled murder-pop mob Romeo Must Die will bring their electrifying performance to the tented arena to set it off in the way they do best.
Bass player Ben Frost said: “We are really excited to be part of this year’s Bloodstock. It’s an awesome festival with a monstrous line-up. The fact that it keeps getting bigger and stronger each year is a testament to just how good it is and we can’t wait to tear up the Sophie stage.”
Swedish/Danish melodic metallers Amaranthe return to the UK for an exclusive festival appearance at Bloodstock after visiting these shores with Kamelot last month. Formed by Jake E. Lundberg and Olof Morck, Amaranthe are one of the most exciting news bands on the power/melodic metal scene.
And a look at the video for Hunger – which already has over 320,000 views on YouTube – leaves you in no doubt as to why, with the secret weapon of front combo Elize Ryd and Andy Solvestrom perfectly complementing each other and the powerful music that backs them. Guitarist Olof Mörck said:
“Amaranthe are very proud indeed to announce our very first festival gig in the UK at the legendary Bloodstock Festival! We had an incredible time playing London and Sheffield on our recent tour with Kamelot and Evergrey so our hopes for the UK audience are high! See you UK fans in August!”
Also joining the Sophie line-up are Norway’s Hellish Putcast. Featuring members of Keep Of Kalessin, Byfrost, Breed and 66 Crusher, this death/thrash ensemble are known for their sheer brutality, aggression and expansive approach to music.
“It’s an honour to bring this monster of a band to Bloodstock and I know it’s gonna be a killer crowd as always in the UK,” said singer Thebon. “Hellish Outcast will for sure show a new and fresh side of the Norwegian music scene! Your ears will bleed.”
Finally, Scottish Death metalheads Cerebral Bore bring their punishingly brutal extreme metal to Bloodstock. The female-fronted Earache signings can’t wait to have a crack at a big festival crowd in the UK and said: “We’ve heard so much about this festival, and in all honesty we never thought we’d end up on the bill.
“We’re really looking forward to sharing the bill with Lemmy’s wart, Morbid Angel, At the Gates and Napalm Death, its gonna be a great way to welcome us back to the UK after our US tour and after a bunch of festivals across Europe it will be awesome to finally play one on home soil. As one of the most brutal bands on bill you can expect that we’ll go all out for you, a full on fucking annihilating performance – come and see us on the Sophie Lancaster stage – or don’t and regret it forever.”
Bloodstock Open Air 2011 takes place at Catton Hall from August 12-14.