BLOODSTOCK REVEAL ‘METAL 2 THE MASSES’ FINALS DATES AND FIRST BANDS FOR 2023’s NEW BLOOD STAGE

25th April 2023 0 By Jon Deaux

As Spring settles in, BLOODSTOCK HQ is a hive of activity. This week’s announcement sees the first bands announced for the New Blood stage, and the dates are set for the Finals of 2023’s METAL 2 THE MASSES program, BLOODSTOCK’s celebrated initiative to help developing bands score a landmark opportunity, playing a slot on the New Blood stage at the festival in August. Some winners are chosen from online submissions, whereas others battle it out among their peers at local events across the country. This year, 29 different regions have stepped up and we also welcome initiatives from Croatia and Poland to the program.

The finals kick off this Saturday 29th April at Leicester’s O2 Academy and roll through to Saturday 8th July at Oxford’s Jericho Tavern. Full dates are detailed below, so be sure to get out and support both bands and venues near you.

Sat 29th Apr – LEICESTER O2 Academy

Sat 6th May – EDINBURGH La Belle Angele

Fri 12th May – BELFAST Voodoo

Sat 13th May – DUBLIN Fibber Magees

Sat 20th May – SHEFFIELD Corporation

Sat 20th May – MANCHESTER Rebellion

Thu 25th May – NORWICH Brickmakers

Sat 27th May – MILTON KEYNES Craufurd Arms

Sat 27th May – LEEDS The Library

Sat 3rd Jun – LONDON The Dome

Sat 3rd Jun – NEWCASTLE Trillians

Sat 3rd Jun – OSIJEK (Croatia) Ex-Epic

Sat 10th Jun – CHORZOW (Poland) Lesniczowka Rock n’ Roll Cafe

Fri 16th Jun – COLCHESTER Coda

Sat 17th Jun – GRAVESEND Leo’s, Red Lion

Fri 23rd Jun – BIRMINGHAM Devils Dog

Sat 24th Jun – HITCHIN Club 85

Sat 24th Jun – WREXHAM XS @ The Penny Black

Sat 24th Jun – BRISTOL The Exchange

Fri 30th Jun – BOURNEMOUTH Bear Cave

Fri 30th Jun – CHELTENHAM Frog & Fiddle

Sat 1st Jul – BURNLEY Sanctuary

Sat 1st Jul – STOKE The Underground

Sat 1st Jul – NORTHAMPTON The Black Prince

Sat 1st Jul – LIVERPOOL Zanzibar

Sat 1st Jul – CARDIFF Fuel

Sat 8th Jul – NOTTINGHAM The Old Cold Store

Sat 8th Jul – SALTASH Livewire

Sat 8th Jul – OXFORD Jericho Tavern

Meanwhile, grabbing New Blood slots via the online submission process are these lucky acts.

Joining Friday’s New Blood stage is London’s LOKUST. Their ferocious, instrumental demo single, ‘Guiltless’ (featuring Krimh – Septicflesh/ex-Decapitated) only hints at what’s to come when they release their debut album this year. Also appearing Friday will be Stoke On Trent’s self-described “heavy as fuck” trio, HEADPRESS. Get a taster of their brutal triple attack via the video for ‘Outlines’. And joining Friday’s fray are Yorkshire UKHC squad, STREET SOLDIER. Check out the crunchy uncompromising title track from their debut ‘One Man Gang’ EP.

For Saturday’s New Blood stage, we welcome South Wales black metal collective OFNUS. Watch out for the band’s debut full-length coming this Summer and meanwhile get a taster of their bleak, brutal sound. Also featured on Saturday will be riff-laden Manchester metal trio, VICE. Their second album, ‘For The Fallen’ was released last summer – watch their video for ‘Vultures’ here. Irish doomsters SOOTHSAYER also land themselves a Saturday slot. Get familiar with their glorious, atmospheric noise via the video for ‘Cities Of Smoke’, taken from their album ‘Echoes Of The Earth’. Last, but certainly not least, the Danish modern death metal squad NAKKEKNAEKKER join Saturday’s lineup. For a five-piece with an average age of 18, these boys have skills beyond their years. Check out this clip of their live show.

Over on Sunday’s New Blood stage, you’ll be seeing East Anglian thrashers ELIMINATION. The band’s 2021 debut, ‘Echoes of the Abyss’ turned many heads and the band is at work on its successor, due out this year. In the interim, watch their video for ‘Icon of Despair’. Also grabbing a slot is Northern Ireland rock trio, SKYPILOT. The band’s latest album, ‘Simple Beasts’, laden with fat riffs, landed last Summer, featuring the track, ‘Octofuzz’. And Nottingham extreme noise terrorists OUTERGODS grab a Sunday spot. Featuring members of Evil Scarecrow and Raised By Owls, the band are working on a new album that’ll land this Summer. In the meantime investigate their ungodly ‘Catacombs of Madness’.

BLOODSTOCK’s very popular club nights are also underway! Grab your mates, hit the dance floor, and perhaps you’ll be a lucky winner coming home with a free pair of weekend tickets – every club night will be running a competition! If none of these are near you, fret not, there will be more party nights at other locations through June and July revealed soon.

APRIL

Fri 28th April – Warrington, FC2

Fri 28th April – Cardiff, Metro’s

Sat 29th April – Camberley, Agincourt

Sat 29th April – Stoke-on-Trent, The Sugarmill

MAY

Sat 6th May – Brighton, Above

Fri 12th May – Bristol, The Lanes

Sat 20th May – Newcastle, Reds Bar @ Northumbria Uni Students Union

Fri 27th May – London, Elektrowerkz

Sat 27th May – Southampton, Suburbia

Sat 27th May – Stoke-on-Trent, The Sugarmill

Sun 28th May – Exeter, The Cavern

Never been to BLOODSTOCK before and just want to come for a day to check things out? A limited number of day tickets are on sale now in the ticket store. Adult day tickets are £75 and if you’d like to make it a family day out, child day tickets are £25 (mini moshers under 4 can come for free), plus booking fees. Ready for the full weekend experience with your metal brethren? VIP and campervan tickets are already sold out, but you can still get standard weekend tickets in the ticket store!

Planning your travel yet to BLOODSTOCK? Big Green Coach will drop you & your gear right inside the festival gates for minimal walking, from all around the UK. Get more info at BIG GREEN COACH. For more travel info, look under the info section on BLOODSTOCK’s official website here.

BLOODSTOCK’s 2023 Ronnie James Dio main stage headliners are KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, MESHUGGAH, and MEGADETH. Also appearing are HELLOWEEN, IN FLAMES, TRIPTYKON (PERFORMING CELTIC FROST), BIOHAZARD, EMPLOYED TO SERVE, ROYAL REPUBLIC, SACRED REICH, HEAVEN SHALL BURN, SEPULTURA, ABBATH, FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY, CROWBAR, CANDLEMASS, BOSSK, TRIBULATION, SEETHING AKIRA, UGLY KID JOE, DECAPITATED, GATECREEPER, ZEAL & ARDOR, KING 810, URNE, ALL HAIL THE YETI, DEAD LABEL, CHURCH OF THE COSMIC SKULL, BROTHERS OF METAL, GUTALAX, UUHAI, INVISIONS, COBRA THE IMPALER, TROLLFEST, SKYND, WARKINGS, FROZEN SOUL, THE VIOLENT INZIDENT, TRIBE OF GHOSTS, DAKESIS, THE ENIGMA DIVISION, THE GREY, EYES, TUSKAR, STENGAH, OVERTHRONE, TORTURED DEMON, CASKET FEEDER, PEST CONTROL, GAEREA, BLOODYARD, WOLFBASTARD, SKIN FAILURE, WITCHSORROW, WYTCH HAZEL, HATE, BLACK COAST, STRIKER, ZETRA and more. Stay tuned for more announcements to come!