Bloodstock Open Air Preview: A Global Metal Lowdown

And so the fabled Bloodstock Open Air Festival is once again upon us, with just over a month to go and buzzing fans planning out their days takings, we at Global Metal Apocalypse thought about giving you all a helping hand with that with a handful of bands we have got our sights on - from the New Blood to the Ronnie James Dio stage, we have got you covered.

Giving each band a unique analysis on the style they play, what feats they've already achieved (some crazier than at first thought) and why you should check them out at Bloodstock, whilst linking you to their latest albums for purchase (for pre-listening and potential band-signing).

Metal is truly global and we are proud to be the forerunners of giving global metal the ultimate exposure, let the Bloodstock apocalypse begin...

1. Jasad & Burgerkill

This is a bit of a cheeky selection, by having two bands who both hail from Indonesia, it's like killing two birds with one stone. Both bands have been tearing down their native Indonesia for the last 2 decades, with Jasad forming around 1990 and Burgerkill in 1995. For the vastness of the scene, the sub-genres that dominate seem to be Thrash Metal and Death Metal, and these two bands are no exception, having recently picked up the Metal Hammer Golden God award for "Metal As Fuck" in 2013, Burgerkill will no doubt bring their gritty style of Indonesian Death Metal and westernized Metalcore. Jasad in contrast go a notch heavier with their own form of Brutal Death Metal and correlates with their band name meaning ('Corpse' in Indonesian; 'Soul' in Malay). Both bands will be performing on the Sophie Lancaster stage on the Saturday.

This is perhaps the first time any Indonesian Metal band has set foot ashore on British soil and so this will mark a hugely historic moment not only for said metal scene, but Bloodstock itself as the festival prides itself in giving international metal a platform to bring the party from the most far flung nations.

Jasad's latest album: "Rebirth of Jatisunda" - get this from Severed Records here
Burgerkill's latest album: "Venomous" - get this from eBay international here


2. Hexis

Black Metal vs. Hardcore? We know Deathcore caused a stir when it emerged but can 'Blackcore' avoid that fate? Hexis believe so, and going on the strength of their music video "Tenebris", this eccentric Danish unit have record-label-signing stamped right across their faces. Not much is known about this lot and so the thought of said genre combination making an appearance on the Friday on the Hobgoblin New Blood Stage will surely attract a sizable crowd. Combining Bloodstock with a short UK tour (5th-8th August - Bournemouth, Bristol, Bloodstock & Hull with Oblivionized; except Bloodstock), you would not want to miss this genre-bending bunch.

Hexis' latest album: "Abalam" - limited to a 1000 so be quick to get one from Musicfearsatan here


3. Scarred

The Luxembourg Metal scene finally makes its mark on British soul with this Death Metal unit raring to unleash themselves upon the masses. Having made themselves a pedigree on the festival circuit via performances at Wacken Open Air and Metalcamp, they will surely not disappoint this time. Further to their Bloodstock appearance, they will be performing at Sonic Visions on 12th November with a host of other fantastic bands including fellow countrymen Retrace My Fragments of whom we reviewed their latest album. As for Scarred, this will be a historic moment too for the Luxembourg Metal scene, given it's small size. Be sure to make a note in your diary: Scarred @ Bloodstock, Sunday 9th August on the Hobgoblin New Blood Stage.

Scarred's latest album: "Gaia - Medea" - get this from Season of Mist here


4. Dead Label!

We've been championing this Irish trio for a long time now (see our post in 2013 here; and here) and we believed in them, low and behold they play in Japan and return to sharpen themselves for Bloodstock. Oh and Claire Percival used to be our Irish correspondent, small world eh? Having paid attention to this group for a good 2 years now, we are pleased to see them being selected to unleash their infectious Thrash Metal amongst the Bloodstock horde. The trio used to be signed to the now defunct Rising Records, and now are signed to Nuerra Records. Thus they released their debut album through the latter record label and their follow-up album is due soon, you ought to check this Irish group out seeing as they are going places. They will not disappoint you. Confirm this statement on Sunday 9th August on the Sophie Lancaster stage.

Dead Label!'s debut album: "Sense Of Slaughter" - get this from the band here directly.


5. Winter Storm

Another successful partnership, we had the pleasure of featuring this West Midlands Gothic Metal band on our 'Tea, Crumpets & English Metal' compilation in aid of raising funds for the Animal Health Trust (https://globalmetalapocalypse.bandcamp.com/track/worcestershire-winter-storm-dark-awakening) and now they are set to play Bloodstock. So we can assure festival goers that if they check this band out, they will be truly treated to. Bringing an icy blast from their native Kidderminster, this female-fronted quintet will ensure the Bloodstock grounds turn into a huge ice rink for all moshers to freeze at the sheer force this band musters. We dare you to prove us wrong by checking the band out on Friday 7th August at the Jagermeister Stage; perhaps their serving the ice for the Jager shots?

Winter Storm's latest album: "Within The Frozen Design" - get this from the band here directly.


6. Within Temptation

Of course we could not exclude perhaps the most exciting headliner this time round, for one reason only. Xzibit. Come on, when WT released the song 'And We Run' it garnered so much attention, positive and negative, it positioned itself as probably the most controversial song ever done by the Dutch symphonic veterans. Speaking of Dutch bands, do check out Delain who will be playing the headline slot on Friday on the Sophie Lancaster Stage. This is a real treat for two reasons, one there seems to be a healthy aroma of Gothic Metal going about this year and also this is a UK exclusive, which means that this is the only show they will be playing in the UK this year, oh do we hope they've managed to sneak Xzibit in, that will be one historic moment not only for metal music, but for Bloodstock Festival... in da hood brutha. Be entranced by the Dutch veterans on Saturday 8th August as they tear down the Ronnie James Dio stage.

Within Temptation's latest album: "Hydra" - get this from Amazon UK here


Now let the metal do the talking and watch out for more coverage from the GMA team as we lead up to the UK's best ever metal festival.