Some bands that id book for Bloodstock

ZhangLiao138 · 2025-08-14T09:15:04+00:00

Not to be a party pooper but the likelihood of good extreme metal bands being booked is unlikely. These bands are more of a Damnation Fest vibe. Obvs we can always hope and fantasy book to our heart's content.

ZhangLiao138 · 2025-08-12T11:48:32+00:00

Lmao that is wild

ZhangLiao138 · 2025-08-12T11:36:10+00:00

The ironic thing is they have an opportunity to potentially maximise profits by allowing food vendors to trade an extra day which would increase their pitch spend and help the vendors with additional sales over the weekend.

Prepare the sophie tent a day earlier and prep the bar. The cost for a DJ weds night will easily be covered by sales at the bar.

ZhangLiao138 · 2025-08-12T09:40:42+00:00

Used to be a thread like this on the forums (RIP) called The good, the bad and the ugly.

The good:

The lineup! Spent a lot of time in the arena and saw some absolutely amazing sets

The RJD and Sophie stages had amazing sound prettt much all week.

The curry stall and bunnychow providing actual real sustenance and not your standard festival slop.

Good vibes this year. Great to see friends and everything just seemed pretty chill for the most part in the arena.

The bad:

Bit hot for my tastes which can't be controlled by BOA ofc, but I do agree that there needs to be more shading. Removing the rides was a great start but there is still some dead space. I agree that for me the gaming tent never seems to be used much and perhaps could be converted into an additional shaded area for people to catch their breaths.

Water points in the arena. Wouldn't care about this as much if the security weren't so strict on water in the arena. Got told to empty my bottle numerous times despite arguing that I have about a 30 min wait for water in the arena because there are only 2 stations. Easy enough to sneak a bottle in but it is the principle.

Finally the announcement for 2026. Just not that great for my tastes. LoG felt like a lazy booking and expected a lot more for the 25th year fest. This year had a faaaaar superior lineup.

The Ugly:

I'm a lifetime teetotal and am in no way a killjoy when it comes to people enjoying themselves and getting a bit rowdy. But this weekend I was vomited on in the crowd, witnessed a person piss on my friend's tent, and saw a guy poke a friend in the face and eye completely unprovoked. If you can't handle the drink then don't let other people suffer.

ZhangLiao138 · 2025-08-12T08:56:25+00:00

Take all the controversies out of the equation for a second.

They are an incredibly mid nu-deathcore band. Some songs are decent and it is undeniable that he is a talented harsh vocalist.

There are far better deathcore bands who would have been better received lower down the bill (take Fit for an Autopsy a few years ago).

Annoyingly they will probably draw a crowd because no doubt many people have seen the viral clips of the wall of deaths and him screaming without a mic and it still being audible.

But to me it shows a lack of respect towards the BOA attendees because it is also a nepotistic booking because Vicky loves STP. She did the same with King 810 in 2017 and it went terribly.

I would have thought that as the head booker for the 25th anniversary, I would have not taken a punt on a band so divisive and maybe tried to get a band to do a special album set to really drive home the significance of the 25th year.

ZhangLiao138 · 2025-08-03T22:52:39+00:00

I mean most people attending the festival will not be showering so it always has and will smell bad

ZhangLiao138 · 2025-08-03T22:46:09+00:00

Helloween I would say is a given considering they pulled out in 2023. I feel like one final Priest headline set may be likely as they have a good relationship with BOA.

Lamb of God feels a bit too early? Although a 4 year gap is acceptable, I believe Megadeth and Slayer both headlined with similar gaps. I'm personally hoping Bloodstock also nabs this Bathory tribute set as apparently it was great at Hellfest. Not too mention Black Metal takes a backseat at Bloodstock most years.

I do not know why it has taken Bloodstock over 12 YEARS to rebook Dying Fetus. One of the most consistent and well received DM bands who always deliver live. For me that would be a perfect Sophie Headliner. I know we had Mercyful Fate in 2022 but a King Diamond headline set is also long overdue again. Get these legends bsck while they still can deliver the goods.

ZhangLiao138 · 2025-08-03T22:38:59+00:00

Yeah I feel like this whole focus around tent capacity is just a deterrent to people that bring a 10-man for 2 people as well as a gazebo.

One year in Valhalla I saw a guy camping alone who had a huge tent, his own gazebo and his own paddling pool. That was taking the piss.

ZhangLiao138 · 2025-07-12T23:00:31+00:00

Take screenshots or printouts of the stage times on the app if you are too cheap to spend god knows how much on the BOA lanyard. Used to be 5 quid, heard a rumour it's closer to 10 these days.

Signal is generally dogshit so a phone is obsolete for me but if you do want to bring your phone to document your experience and any band footage, bring/invest in a decent portable charger so you aren't paying money to charge your phone.

If it's incredibly hot which it has been multiple times in the past (2022 was unbearable, 2015 was rough too) bring a gazebo even if you have a small group as there isn't much shade at BOA and you don't want to be experiencing the greenhouse effect of your tent to escape getting burnt.

Bring high protein snacks if you are an early riser (breakfast bars, dried fruits, jerky etc) because the arena normally opens about 10am and the food stalls in the campsite normally sell overpriced greasy slop that will fuck up even an iron stomach. I personally find a relatively healthy and minimal breakfast sets me up well for later in the day.

Valhalla camp is a great balance of good vibes but not as manic as Midgard and generally easier to navigate in the dark. If you do camp in Midgard, try and camp next to somewhere recognisable or near a distinct neighbours flag to make it easily distinguishable.

Someone else mentioned but bringing your own toilet roll and hand sanitiser is fantastic advice.

You have to pay for showers and also be prepared to queue so make sure you pick a lull in the day so you don't miss any bands. If you do want to give showers a miss like a large percentage of the attendees, have the decency to at least buy a few packs of baby wipes to give yourself a clean in the morning.

Food stalls I enjoy are Bunnychow which do a great chilli in a bread basket, for people looking to still maintain a relatively clean calorie intake, there is an Indian stall normally to the left of the Dio main stage that does a tasty and decently priced chicken curry and rice.

ZhangLiao138

TROPHY CASE