After one month of voting, nearly 6,000 votes cast and countless sharing across all social media platforms by us and nominees alike, the time has come to announce the winners of the GMA Awards 2019.

But before that happens, there will be a change to how the nominees are cast. For 10 months of the year we will be running a series of rounds from which the 10 finalists will be recognised for the annual event.

The system will work as thus: nominees elected in the month of January are voted for in February... February nominees voted in March, etc and finishes with nominees in October being voted for in November - the finalists will then be voted for across the month of December and into early January 2021; finishing 8th January 2021.

Now that's put out into the open, we can finally reveal the winners of the GMA Awards 2019.

Global Metal Ambassador 2019

1. Gojira (France) - (28.1%)
   
2. Freddy Lim (Taiwan) - (21.4%)
3. Jake Shuker & Monzer Darwish (Syria) - (9.7%)
4. Sahil Makhija (India) - (8%)
5. Slaves To Sirens (The Lebanon) - (6.9%)
6. Underside (Nepal) - (6.4%)
7. Rock Arka'n (Togo) - (4.9%)
8. Roy Dipankar (India -'Extreme Nation' director) - (4.6%)
9. Overthrust (Botswana) - (4.1%)
10. Zarraza (Kazakhstan) - (3.5%)
11. World Metal Congress (International) - (2.2%)*
    

  * Later withdrawn by request of nominee.

Bloodstock is delighted to share that New Delhi’s BLOODYWOOD will headline the Sophie Lancaster stage on Friday, in a UK festival exclusive. Blending Indian folk instruments and heavy metal, this is sure to be a unique set you won’t want to miss! Check out their most recent single (closing on 1.4 million views), ‘Machi Bhasad (Expect A Riot)’ at https://youtu.be/Gsy5sJy5_34. 

Saturday’s Sophie Lancaster stage headliners are none other than extreme metal miscreants CATTLE DECAPITATION. Hailing from California, the Metal Blade signed group release their crushing new album ‘Death Atlas’ this Friday, November 29th! Not familiar? Listen to ‘Bring Back The Plague’ from the new LP at https://youtu.be/BBy4gn8VBMo. Head here to pre-order all manner of cool formats.

Birmingham death metal brutes MEMORIAM will be Saturday’s special guests on the Sophie Lancaster stage. The band’s third album, ‘Requiem For Mankind’ was released by Nuclear Blast in June. Watch the video for ‘The Veteran’, taken from that album, at https://youtu.be/_uTsdsc3cys. 

Also joining the Sophie bill on Saturday, are Edinburgh-based prog experimentalists RAMAGE INC. With five albums under their belt now, they’ve plenty of songs to choose from! You can explore their latest record, ‘Under The Skin’, in its entirety over on their Bandcamp page at: https://ramageinc.bandcamp.com/. 

Have you discovered London’s psych-doom crew GREEN LUNG yet? Appearing on the Sophie stage on Sunday, Metal Hammer described them as, “a fantastic mix of stoner rock, hard rock, and psychedelic rock laden with harmonies,” with further praise heaped on them by Kerrang!, The Guardian, and BBC Radio 1 Rock Show host Daniel P. Carter. Play their latest album, ‘Woodland Rites’ on Bandcamp at https://greenlung.bandcamp.com/. 

BLOODSTOCK is pleased to welcome back post-metal squad BOSSK, joining the Sophie stage line-up on Friday. Following on from 2016’s well received ‘Audio Noir’ album, the band’s Facebook page was recently teasing new music is coming in 2020. Here’s hoping it’s out in time for BLOODSTOCK! Watch the full set of their 2017 performance at https://youtu.be/PLNpbvyUzQw. 

Filled with questions about BLOODSTOCK? Put them to festival directors ADAM GREGORY and VICKY HUNGERFORD in a Facebook Live Q&A tonight! Head over to BLOODSTOCK’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/bloodstock/ for a 7pm start! Can’t make it? Don’t worry, you’ll be able to replay it later on the page too.

In other BLOODSTOCK fun, as 2020 marks 20 years of BLOODSTOCK, instead of ‘12 Days Of Christmas’ competitions, BLOODSTOCK is going to have 20! Be sure to check  Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/bloodstock/ every morning from December 5th for details of each one-day-only competition, and be in with a chance to win all sorts of prizes from BLOODSTOCK bands past and present, festival sponsors, and of course BLOODSTOCK!

BLOODSTOCK’s 2020 main stage headliners are DEVIN TOWNSEND (Friday), BEHEMOTH (Saturday), and JUDAS PRIEST (Sunday). The festival also welcomes PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS, SKINDRED, PARADISE LOST, LIFE OF AGONY, BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, DIAMOND HEAD, JINJER, VIO-LENCE, SACRED REICH, GLORYHAMMER, DARK TRANQUILITY, and BUTCHER BABIES so far. Many more bands performing over the weekend will be announced in due course. 

Discounted Early Bird tickets, VIP tickets, child tickets, and car parking tickets for 2020’s event are available now at the ticket store.  Be quick though, the early bird discount ends on December 15th (or sooner if the early bird allocation sells out) and weekend tickets then revert to the standard price of £145 (+ fees)! Campervan tickets for 2020 are already sold out. 

BLOODSTOCK 2020 takes place at Catton Park, Derbyshire from 6th-9th August 2020.  For more info, click to www.bloodstock.uk.com.  

Indian Progressive / Experimental Metal quartet Dymbur are now officially releasing their much-anticipated debut full length - ‘The Legend of Thraat’ has officially released worldwide on November 5th, 2019.

'The Legend of Thraat' is a fine record that explores the Heavy side of Metal with Modern, Progressive Elements that appeal to fans of bands such as Monuments, Twelve Foot Ninja, Aliases, Allegaeon.  Consisting of 10 tracks the album traces the evolutionary journey of DYMBUR stretching from the band's roots to the future direction being taken.

This album has been recorded by Cornelius Kharsyntiew, at Legato Recording Studios in Shillong and mixed and mastered by Brandon Scurlark at Eltar Studios in North Carolina, United States of America. The Music Video of the same was shot & edited by Embor Sayo of Fishy Photography, Shillong.
 
The band released two brand new videos from the album.

• Capital Vices:- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1eGEQqFnZs

• Diablo Illumination:- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivsWAl1oLaw

Purchase the new album here:

Bandcamp- https://dymbur.bandcamp.com/album/the-legend-of-thraat
Instamojo- https://www.instamojo.com/dymburofficial
 
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Every now and then you get a band from South America that astonishes you. Verthebral are doing the same with their brand of unrelenting, vicious death metal. What's more, it's not just brainless chaotic fury but it's something that's properly though out and executed brilliantly. Check out the first song that's streaming here on Bandcamp and YouTube. 

South American band Verthebral are a reminder of the potency of death metal coming from their continent. From Paraguay, the band is doing everything right - from the traditionally-rooted riffing to the relentless percussive hammering with savage, barked out vocals to top it all off, everything is meticulously put together and executed to perfection. It's reminiscent of the Brazilian death metal wave that emerged around the turn of the century and Verthebral take it a notch higher by imbibing the best qualities, especially the barbaric take on the style, and tempering it with unpredictable tempo changes and whip-lashing breakdowns. It's a sheer thrill for any seasoned death metal fan to bear witness to the raging onslaught and the best part is that the music still lingers in your mind after it's all over, which proves that it's not just mindless brutality but a well thought out extreme album that must not be taken lightly.

Band line-up -

Christian Rojas - Vocals/Bass
Daniel Larroza - Guitars
Alberto Flores - Guitars
Denis Viveros - Drums

Artwork by Marcos Miller (Mental Horror)
Layout by Turkka Rantanen (Paganizer, Demilich)

• Official Bandcamp
  
• Verthebral Facebook
  

• Transcending Obscurity Site
  
• Transcending Obscurity Official YouTube Channel
  
• Transcending Obscurity Records Facebook
  

Indian Progressive / Experimental Metal band Dymbur have released their first single 'Capital Vices' on behalf of their new album ‘The Legend of Thraat’.

The guitarist, Cornelius adds:-

     “Dymbur are excited to announce the release of their first single & music video ‘Capital Vices’ from their upcoming concept debut-album.”

He adds:-

     “This song speaks about the greatest sins of mankind i.e. The Seven Deadly Sins - Lust, Envy, Gluttony, Wrath, Vanity, Greed and Sloth. As much as metal prefers to be about condemning the wicked ways of the world and often, being introspective of our worse fears, there is also a lesson about human nature and its negativity. This is something that we want to tell you about through this new song.”

This song has been recorded by Cornelius Kharsyntiew, at Legato Recording Studios in Shillong and mixed and mastered by Brandon Scurlark at Eltar Studios in North Carolina (USA). The Music Video of the same was shot & edited by Embor Sayo of Fishy Photography, Shillong. 

'The Legend of Thraat' release date to be announced soon!

Watch here:- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1eGEQqFnZs

US Premiere on Metal Injection

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R.A.I.D a Hardcore / Crossover Thrash Metal act from Hyderabad, India, have released their most recent album 'Imperium' worldwide via Rottweiler Records (USA). 

Now the quartet have released their music video for the track 'Outrage', taken off the album.

Link to the video - https://youtu.be/SPXJphyei0I

Frontman Rueban says:-

     "The album is loosely based around the biblical character; Samson. Samson was depicted as the epitome of strength in the bible. Though, we might not be like Samson, we, as individuals have unique strengths that we can use. No matter who you are, what age group you belong, or what the status of your life may be, you have a gift that you can use. The pain only gets stronger when we refuse to learn a lesson. If there’s something ‘negative’ happening in your life right now, chances are that you need to learn to accept people the way they are. The album music shows you how to gather yourself and be stronger than you have ever been, based on everyday life experiences."

Social Media:

Facebook | Instagram | Bandcamp | Digital 45

Formed in the bylanes of Bassein, Mumbai in 2017, the Indian five-piece thrashers Sabotage channel the cut-throat boldness and the unceasing exuberance of the Bay Area thrash metal. The group has already made a remarkable impression nationally by becoming two-time finalists of Wacken Metal Battle – India. With high velocity live assaults and dynamic song-structures, SABOTAGE is surely a great addition to the fast-growing Indian underground metal.

The quintet’s first ever release, The Order of Genocide, comes out on CD and digital format on August 3rd. The EP contains four frenzied and ruthless tracks, strictly following the scripture of old school thrash metal. The subjects of the song rotate from failed judicial systems, anti-political norms to serial killers.


As the first preview of the EP, the band release the title track, debuted at Germany's Legacy Magazine

The band comment:-

     "The title track of this EP is loosely based on power hungry hounds who will ensure they stoop to any level to retain the authority. The most valid innuendo would be politicians who would orchestrate division in the name of religion, caste and win their vote banks to be the central powerhouse just to chew the common man and spit 'em out! The song is our way of telling these hounds to fuck off!"   

https://sabotageindia.bandcamp.com/album/the-order-of-genocide-ep
 
https://www.facebook.com/Sabotage-India-148984769030530
https://www.instagram.com/sabotage_india 

Hyderabad based Hardcore/ Crossover Thrash Metal act- R.A.I.D have finally unleashed their album cover for their new album- 'Imperium'. The album has a release date of 28th June 2019 and will be released through Rottweiler Records.

Frontman Rueban says:-

     "The album is loosely based around the biblical character; Samson. Samson was depicted as the epitome of strength in the bible. Though, we might not be like Samson, we, as individuals have unique strengths that we can use. No matter who you are, what age group you belong, or what the status of your life may be, you have a gift that you can use. The pain only gets stronger when we refuse to learn a lesson. If there’s something ‘negative’ happening in your life right now, chances are that you need to learn to accept people the way they are. The album music shows you how to gather yourself and be stronger than you have ever been, based on everyday life experiences."

The two singles from the album can be heard here:

• Unbreakable- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBPQQkCmuyM  
• Outrage- https://youtu.be/jJGDw0LuXqg

Pre order links:

• Digital: https://raidhxc.bandcamp.com/album/imperium
• Physical (CD): https://rottweilerrecords.bigcartel.com/product/r-a-i-d-imperium-cd

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