It’s not just the weather across the UK that’s hotter than ever, so is the up ‘n’ coming talent on display in the METAL 2 THE MASSES finals! Without further ado, the next group of winners landing slots on the Stowford Press New Blood Stage can now be unveiled!
Friday kicks off with Coventry’s rising nu-metalcore force MEET YOUR MAKER, already turning heads with their high-energy, crowd-interactive sets.
Saturday’s New Blood line up brings a stacked and eclectic bill. Northeast thrash/groove merchants REDSCAR proudly fly the flag for their home turf, while Kent-spawned horror punk quartet VAMPYRA arrive fresh from the underworld with a reign of chaos in tow. Channel Islands deathcore/metalcore hybrids APOTHIS bring crushing riffs and punishing breakdowns from Guernsey, East Lancashire’s fantasy-fuelled groove metal crew SHADOW COMPANY blend thrash aggression with doom-laden heft, and South Wales electronic-alt rockers INSCAPE arrive armed with their freshly dropped conceptual EP C.I.T.R.U.S. – a sci-fi tale of rogue AI and android uprising. Bedfordshire alt-metal outfit WITHDRAWN carve a space where eerie beauty collides with raw aggression, and Norwegian heavy/thrash duo LEKTAGON make the trip from Scandinavia, bringing riff-driven metal tinged with prog, death, and black metal flavours.
Sunday is no less ferocious. Cheltenham powerhouse duo CHUG deliver hardcore energy and face-melting groove on a two-piece budget that punches well above its weight. Sheffield/Nottingham five-piece ARKDOWN – dubbed a “death metal twist on the metalcore methodology” by Metal Hammer – fuse crushing riffs with soaring melodic hooks. North Wales wizard-grunge purveyors GROOM THE GIANT conjure sludgy, psychedelic riffs from the hills of Llangollen and Wrexham, while Somerset’s DEATH BRIGADE drag blackened death metal straight from the trenches of the South West.
And there’s still more bands to be locked in as the METAL 2 THE MASSES finals around the country continue! Stay tuned for the final group of winners to be revealed on July 14th!
Getting your battle jacket and festival fit ready for BLOODSTOCK? Grab your festival essentials from official sponsor EMP and save 20% off when you spend £39.99+ using code BOA2026. Plus, check out the exclusive Bloodstock x EMP collaboration T-shirt while you’re there! And be sure to stop by the new and improved EMP stage over the festival!
EMP comment, “This year the EMP Stage is bigger, better, and louder than ever and we’d love to shout about it! As we celebrate 40 years of EMP, this feels like the perfect moment to make some noise while supporting some of the best up and coming bands out there who will tear up our stage!”
Shop exclusive and limited edition band merch, alt fashion, pop culture (Star Wars, Pokémon, Marvel, DC and much more), anime and gaming. Browse here: http://emp.me/9tuu.
Offer valid until 26/07/2026. Minimum spend £39.99. Excludes books, media, tickets, Böhse Onkelz, Rammstein, Till Lindemann, Broilers, Die Ärzte, Die Toten Hosen, Metality, vouchers, and items that include a donation. Maximum 2 redemptions per customer. Cannot be combined with any other promotional code. Discount is applied at checkout after entering code BOA2026.
Planning your route to BLOODSTOCK yet? For the closest drop-off on site and also eco points, why not come via a carbon-neutral BIG GREEN COACH? There are pick-up points all across the U.K.! And for the first time ever, you can now book your official coach travel to arrive on Wednesday as well as Thursday, helping you to take advantage of the add-on Wednesday Early Bird ticket option for an extra night of metal shenanigans! For those coming by train into Tamworth station, BLOODSTOCK can also confirm that the shuttle bus to site will also run on Wednesday! Get full info & book your seat with Big Green Coach here.
You can also travel by car using LIFTSHARE! Liftshare connect metal loving drivers and passengers going in the same direction. By sharing a spare seat or two, this reduces the number of cars on the road travelling to the festival and subsequently reduces carbon emissions as well as traffic jams.
Explore more here.
BLOODSTOCK’s 25th anniversary is going to be truly unforgettable. BLOODSTOCK 2026 is delighted to present RJD headliners LAMB OF GOD, SLAUGHTER TO PREVAIL, JUDAS PRIEST, and SAXON. Sophie Lancaster stage headliners will be CRYPTOPSY (None So Vile 30-year anniversary set), WEDNESDAY 13, LEPROUS, and CARPENTER BRUT. You’ll also be able to see BODY COUNT, SEPULTURA, MUNICIPAL WASTE, DEATH ANGEL, TESTAMENT, NORTHLANE, BLEED FROM WITHIN, VENDED, ORBIT CULTURE, THE SCRATCH, IMPERIAL AGE, LIFE OF AGONY, OF MICE & MEN, BIOHAZARD, 200 STAB WOUNDS, THE HELL, BLACK SPIDERS, SHINING, NEVERMORE, EVIL SCARECROW, HEAVYSAURUS, SKYND, PARTY CANNON, BATTLESNAKE, INHUMAN NATURE, KITTIE, CASTLE RAT, GRAPHIC NATURE, BOOTYARD BANDITS, EXCREMENTORY GRINDFUCKERS, HIDDEN INTENT, SELLSWORD, NECKBREAKKER, SEETHING AKIRA, HAMMER, STAMPIN GROUND, URNE, CELESTIAL SANCTUARY, THROWN INTO EXILE, VIKING SKULL, BOUND IN FEAR, IMPERIUM, FROGLORD, MUSHROOMHEAD, DREAM STATE, TRIVAX, MANTIS DEFEATS JAGUAR, BLOOD COUNTESS, GURT, OUTERGODS, FLAYED DISCIPLE, NOISEPICKER, ACID THRONE, ALUNAH, VOID BELOW, TEMPLES ON MARS, CONCRETE AGE, THRASHERWOLF, IMPERIAL DEMONIC, CHAINED SAINT, IMBRIUM, OVERPOWER, UNTAMED SILENCE, CHANGE PERSONA, AFTER SMOKE CLEARS, SOULRIDE, VANITAS, GOAT MAJOR, CANCEL THE TRANSMISSION, TEMPEST SAINT, TROLLMOTHER, DOSED, STITCHED, WREX, FOLLOWING THE SIGNS, THE CARTOON CARTEL, AETHORIA and more. See the full lineup at the official website. There’s still more bands to be announced.
All weekend tickets are sold out, but you can still grab a limited number of day tickets for £99 (+fees) to be part of the fun! Not been to the festival before? A day ticket is a perfect taster to see what you think! Child tickets are also available and under 4’s attend for free. Head over to the ticket store to see all options and if you’re coming by car, pre-book to save on car parking!
For the most up to date festival information, visit the official website at bloodstock.uk.com.
BLOODSTOCK 2026 will take place at Catton Park, Derbyshire on 6th – 9th August, 2026.
