Bloodstock Festival just leveled up. Teaming up once again with alt legends EMP UK, the fest has revealed the next wave of metal’s rising elite set to crush the EMP Stage this August. Fresh talent, underground heroes, and genre-bending noise-bringers — this stage is where the future of heavy lives.
EMP are back in full force, saying: “As proud sponsors of the 4th stage, EMP is ready to rock alongside the best in metal. With giveaways, exclusives and the best in alt merch, we’re beyond stoked to be back at the UK’s biggest independent metal festival.”
This year’s EMP lineup is stacked. Here’s who’s bringing the fire.
FRIDAY – 8th Aug
- Desolator – Yorkshire thrash done the old-school way
- Lust Ritual – Occult doom metal with atmosphere.
- Insidious Void – Old-school death metal from Belfast.
- Shrike – “Cinematic” metal with epic and orchestral elements. This is one to watch
- Helldown – New to the scene band from South Wales, capping the friday off with some more Thrash.
SATURDAY – 9th Aug
- Rites to Ruin – Classic metal vibes built for big stages and louder crowds. Expect a full tent for this one
- Crown Solace – Symphonic metal from Scotland, great mix for a genre that never misses at BOA
- Tiberius – Also featuring at Radar Festival, Edinburgh Prog metal with some seriously high energy.
- Bad Smell – Hard Rock with some attitude, this will be a Saturday band to get the beers in for.
- Thrashist Regime – Aberdeen thrashers finish off a very Scottish Saturday with some riffs.
SUNDAY – 10th Aug
- The Five Hundred – Nottingham’s metalcore crushers fresh off a sold-out hometown show.
- Z Machine – Sheffield Groove Metal with SAX. Need we say more?.
- Maatkare – Egyptian mythology meets full-force metal with modern riffs.
- Orme – Drone, sludge, and Hertfordshire’s slowest power trio.
- Phonbanduk – Riffs for days.Thick, distorted sludge-grunge from Worcester.
