It’s an afternoon of festival news here at Rock Sins. Having just updated our readers on the twenty new bands playing Download Festival next year, it’s now time to talk about the first batch of bands for Bloodstock Open Air 2022!
First announced at this years’ Bloodstock Festival shortly before Friday nights’ excellent headliner Devin Townsend, Bloodstock have unveiled seventeen bands of their own for next years’ festivities. Headlining Bloodstock Open Air Festival 2022 will be Richmond, Virginia’s finest export of heavy metal Lamb Of God. LoG will return to Catton Hall to headline for the second time, and that’s a set we can’t wait for! Also returning to headline Bloodstock 2022 were 2021 original headliners Mercyful Fate, who were forced to delay their appearance by a year due to COVID-19 – but they will be back next year – better late than never, to headline Saturday night. The third headliners are yet to be revealed.
Like Mercyful Fate, Dimmu Borgir were supposed to play Bloodstock in 2021 but fell victim to the COVID restrictions, so Shagrath and co will also return to their special guest slot in 2022. Likewise Bay area pioneers Vio-Lence, who have rescheduled their Bloodstock debut for next year. Thrash titans Testament and Exodus are both on board for main stage slots at Catton Hall in 2022, as are extreme metal favourites The Black Dahlia Murder. Another band returning to their previously scheduled 2021 slot are UK metalcore favourites Bury Tomorrow, as is former Pantera frontman Phil Anselmo with his band Philip H Anselmo and The Illegals, doing a set of Pantera classics (an announcement that was met with a very mixed reaction from the Catton live crowd at the time). Sacred Reich, Butcher Babies, Life Of Agony, Bloodywood and a UK festival exclusive from GWAR round off the main stage additions for Bloodstock Open Air Festival 2022 from the first batch of bands.
The Sophie Lancaster Stage for 2022 also has the first bands announced to be playing “The big tent at Bloodstock”. 2021 scheduled headliners The Night Flight Orchestra will return on Thursday night. Meanwhile closing out the festival on the Sophie Stage will be none other than Static X – their only UK show of 2022! Heathen will also play on the stage at some stage across the weekend.
Early bird tickets are on sale now – but be quick, the organisers have been reporting that they are months ahead of where they usually are in sales. So if you want the cheapest possible access to Bloodstock Open Air 2022, don’t hang around and book your tickets now!
