Watain, Combichrist, Memoriam and Orden Ogan for Bloodstock festival 2018

Watain festival
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Swedish black metallers Watain have been announced as headliners of Bloodstock’s Sophie Lancaster Stage on the Sunday night. The band previously announced their as-yet-untitled sixth album will be released next year, preceded by a new 7-inch single Nuclear Alchemy.

“Our last performance at Bloodstock in 2012 was also the final date on the Lawless Darkness tour. The sun was setting while we played and the crowd was getting louder and wilder the darker it became – a very charged atmosphere,” says Watain frontman Erik Danielsson. “[We’re] eager now to return and see what the eventful years that have passed and the force accumulated since then has done to both us and the Bloodstock crowd.

“Furthermore, England is of course sacred ground when it comes to metal in general, so when performing there, the stakes are always high. May all those that doubt be impaled upon them.”

Also announced for the 2018 edition of Bloodstock are Combichrist, Orden Ogan and Memoriam across the Friday and Saturday on the main stage.

Already announced for next year’s festival are headliners Judas Priest, Gojira and Nightwish, plus Nails, Devildriver and Emperor.

Bloodstock Open Air, Catton Hall, Derby - live review

Metal Hammer

Founded in 1983, Metal Hammer is the global home of all things heavy. We have breaking news, exclusive interviews with the biggest bands and names in metal, rock, hardcore, grunge and beyond, expert reviews of the lastest releases and unrivalled insider access to metal's most exciting new scenes and movements. No matter what you're into – be it heavy metal, punk, hardcore, grunge, alternative, goth, industrial, djent or the stuff so bizarre it defies classification – you'll find it all here, backed by the best writers in our game.