Top 10 Bands You Must Watch At Bloodstock Festival 2023

The Mecca of metal for UK metalheads, Bloodstock Festival has grown to become one of the premier festival in the calendar. Every August, thousands of denim-clad metallers descend to Catton Park in Derbyshire for four days of countless bands, pits aplenty and good vibes. 2023’s edition of Bloodstock is no different with an enormously stacked bill across five stages. Ahead of the antics this weekend, in no particular order, we pick out ten bands you must simply watch if you’re attending Bloodstock Festival 2023!

FROZEN SOUL – The Sophie Lancaster Stage – Thursday, August 10th

The first day of Bloodstock usually intends to ease you into the weekend’s action with a scattering of bands kicking off the party. But as far as Texas’ FROZEN SOUL are concerned, the party will be brought by blastbeats and death metal ferocity. Their BOLT THROWER worshipping death metal will ignite the heaviness on the first day of the festival as the band unleash a plethora of cuts from the killer Glacial Domination and Crypt Of Ice, ensuring that Bloodstock gets off to the most ferocious of starts.

GAEREA – The Sophie Lancaster Stage – Friday, August 11th 

Masked clan GAEREA have taken the black metal world by storm in recent years through the astonishing Limbo in 2020 and last year’s Mirage. Stunning records in their own right, as their aural cacophony can attest to, but live, the Portuguese band are simply phenomenal – just as we witnessed in Manchester last April. At Bloodstock, expect a truly captivating show where the masked men will swirl an aural vortex and ensnare all those who are present to witness it, bolstered by the massive production of Bloodstock‘s second stage. A guaranteed highlight of the Bloodstock weekend.

TRIPTYKON PERFORMING CELTIC FROST – Ronnie James Dio Stage – Saturday, August 12th 

Tom G Warrior is a living legend within metal, as his work with HELLHAMMER, CELTIC FROST and TRIPTYKON shows. At Bloodstock, we are in for a truly special treat as Warrior and his TRIPYTKON bandmates will remind the clock with a special CELTIC FROST tribute set in the sub-headlining set on the Ronnie James Dio Stage on Saturday. Seeing TRIPTYKON alone would be special enough, but to see and hear some of the most influential songs in extreme metal on one of the biggest stages for metal? Count us the fuck in.

URNE – Ronnie James Dio Stage – Saturday, August 12th 

Since rising from the ashes of the beloved cult band HANG THE BASTARD, London’s URNE have been carving a special place in UK metal. Their amalgamation of grooves, post-metal and sludge has been a winning formula, as shown with 2021’s Serpent & Spirit, but Bloodstock looks certain to be a homecoming for the trio. They arrive at Bloodstock hot on the heels of the release of their astonishing new album, A Feast On Sorrow, and despite an early slot on Saturday’s main stage billing, they’ll be sure to blow off any cobwebs from the night before. Expect riffs. Lots of riffs.

PEST CONTROL – The Sophie Lancaster Stage – Friday, August 11th

Leeds-based PEST CONTROL have been on an upwards trajectory since starting in the dark days of lockdown. This year has not only seen the crossover thrashers drop their killer debut album, Don’t Test The Pest, but they showcased their aural ferocity with a show-stealing set at this year’s Outbreak Fest. At Bloodstock, expect a warzone as a barrage of blistering riffs, venomous vocals and ample mosh calls with leave those present at The Sophie Lancaster Stage floored and gasping for breath. They look set to be one of the most exhilarating sets of the weekend.

ZEAL & ARDOR – The Sophie Lancaster Stage – Sunday, August 13th

Ever since Manuel Gagneux, mastermind behind ZEAL & ARDOR first posted to 4chan to experiment his musical creativity, who would have thought the project would grow to the juggernaut it is today? The fusion of African American spirituals with black metal shouldn’t work on paper, but Gagneux has made it so, and as such a special performance awaits on The Sophie Lancaster Stage on the last day at this year’s Bloodstock. Arriving for their Bloodstock debut on the back of last year’s excellent self-titled record, whilst armed with 2018’s Stranger Fruit and 2016’s Devil Is Fine, expect a truly captivating set that will showcase just why ZEAL & ARDOR are one of the most special bands in our world.

EMPLOYED TO SERVE – Ronnie James Dio Stage – Saturday, August 12th

Given their love of crossing metal with hardcore, it seems somewhat surprising that it’s taken this long for EMPLOYED TO SERVE to grace the Bloodstock Festival stage; especially looking at the dominance of British bands across the festival’s stage in recent years. As the saying goes, good things happen to those that wait, and at this year’s festival, the Woking-based band will be an injection of ferocious energy on Saturday afternoon as Justine Jones and company incite mosh calls aplenty, monstrous breakdowns and wicked riffage. EMPLOYED TO SERVE have been heralded as one of British metal’s most vital bands in recent years, and we feel confident that their set at Bloodstock will reaffirm this status.

TORTURED DEMON – The Sophie Lancaster Stage – Saturday, August 12th

When Oldham-based thrashcore outfit TORTURED DEMON took to the stage at Bloodstock Festival 2021, few would anticipate that the young wrecking ball would demolish the stage…quite literally. Since then, the band have shown no signs of slowing down and two years on since that infamous show, they return to the bigger Sophie Lancaster Stage on Saturday with momentum in their collective sails. Arriving to Bloodstock on the back of the wicked Rise Of The Lifeless, expect big riffs and epic breakdowns aplenty. Let’s just hope the stage remains intact this time!

HELLOWEEN – Ronnie James Dio Stage – Sunday, August 13th

It’s been 15 long years since German power metal veterans took to the Bloodstock stage and as the festival has grown in size, HELLOWEEN have maintained their position as a premier heavy metal band. Sub-headlining the Sunday before thrash veterans MEGADETH, HELLOWEEN are set to run a victory lap of their extensive discography led by a triple-pronged assault by Kai Hansen, Michael Kiske and Andi Deris. Pumpkins might be commonly associated with Halloween, but this August weekend, we will all be Pumpkins United.

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE – Ronnie James Dio Stage – Friday, August 11th

As Bloodstock has grown in its statute, we’ve seen some of the biggest metal bands grace the coveted headlining slots on the Ronnie James Dio Stage. MACHINE HEAD. LAMB OF GOD. TRIVIUM. AMON AMARTH. BEHEMOTH. Somehow, it feels like its been years in the making for KILLSWITCH ENGAGE to take up the mantle, but the time has come. Headlining Friday’s slot, the Massachusetts metalcore veterans will deliver a headline set of epic proportions as Jesse Leach will invoke a myriad of emotions and guitarists Adam Dutkiewicz and Joel Stroetzel will dual on stage with their trademark melodic riffing. With an arsenal of tunes in their locker, we anticipate KILLSWITCH ENGAGE to deliver the goods on one of our biggest stages.

Bloodstock Festival 2023 is set to take place at Catton Park, Derbyshire from 10th August – 13th August 2023. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased here. 

For more information on the festival like their official page on Facebook.