Heavy metal music festival Bloodstock begins today in Catton Park, Derbyshire.
Bloodstock Open Air, which has been running since 2001, is the UK’s largest independent heavy metal festival and features a variety of music across its various stages.
This year’s festival is headlined by the legendary Megadeth, alongside Killswitch Engage and Meshuggah.
However, there are also a variety of Manchester bands playing at the festival, with seven groups representing our city ranging from prog rock to extreme death metal.
Therefore for any Mancunians attending the festival, here is MM’s list of Greater Manchester acts playing at Bloodstock this year.
Bloodyard
Death-metal band Bloodyard formed in the North-West in 2010, and have received acclaim for their live performances across many venues and festivals across the UK, as well as their studio material consisting of two EPs and an album. A mix of death, groove and black metal, they cite Lamb of God, Bolt Thrower and Cannibal Corpse as influences. Bloodyard will open the Sophie Lancaster Stage at 10:30am on Friday.
Dead XIII
Dead XIII have released a new song to mark their Bloodstock appearance, which you can listen to here. The horror-inspired group embrace the theatrics in their appearance and bring a blend of metal and punk to the festival. They play the New Blood Stage on Saturday at 1:30pm.
Skies Turn Black
Manchester’s Skies Turn Black bring a modern melodic spin on classic British Heavy Metal, with big choruses and solos. The group play the Jagermeister Stage at 16:55 on Saturday.
Square Wild
Genre-fluid prog-rock outfit Square Wild won their way into Bloodstock through the ‘Metal 2 The Masses’ tournament, the winners of which get to play on the New Blood stage at the festival. Square Wild will be on at half four on the New Blood Stage, Friday. The band will bring a very different and less heavy vibe than many of the other bands on this list and at the festival, but their song-writing ability and musicianship cannot be denied, as well as their infectious enthusiasm for music and what they do.
You can read MM’s interview with Square Wild following their M2TM victory here.
Tortured Demon
Oldham’s Tortured Demon have already made Bloodstock history; their 2021 set on the small Jagermeister Stage was swarmed by an estimated 2000 fans, closing the stage for repairs. The baby-faced thrash-metal band brings high energy, good songs and a breath of fresh air to the metal scene. They are returning to Bloodstock on the larger Sophie Lancaster stage this year, playing at 11:20am on Saturday. They recently released their second album ‘Rise Of The Lifeless’ last June.
Vice
Vice are a 3-piece group making their first Bloodstock appearance since 2016. Originating from the Manchester underground scene, they will be playing material from their latest record “For The Fallen” on the New Blood stage at 12:45pm, Saturday.
Wolfbastard
Formed in 2012, Manchester’s Wolfbastard grace the Sophie Lancaster Stage at 11:20am on Friday. They bring a blend of black metal and ‘D-beat’ punk, and have three albums’ worth of material to sift through on streaming platforms.
