W:O:A supports B:O:A (Bloodstock Open Air)

The mighty German heavy metal festival, Wacken, has leant its European marketing muscle to the U.K. in a global demonstration of support for the launch of Bloodstock Open Air (B-O-A) ­ the leading independent U.K. festival that is dedicated to heavy metal music.

With Wacken's support, B-O-A will be an international Mecca for heavy metal music fans, producing a metal fest to match any in Europe. Thousands of fans are expected to converge on Catton Hall in Derbyshire on June 24-25 to experience an incredible lineup of European legends alongside fresh U.K. talent; solid rhythm making, blood-pounding, adrenalin fuelled metal!

Vince Brotheridge and Paul Gregory are the dedicated fans behind the creation of Bloodstock, their Nottingham-based promotions company. Recognizing the lack of a traditional heavy metal/rock festival in the U.K., the friends were determined to find a way to share their passion for the music with other fans around the world. Bloodstock U.K. exploded onto the festival scene in 2001 and over the last four years it has brought some of Europe's top rock acts to the U.K. for the first time. PRIMAL FEAR, BLIND GUARDIAN, ELVENKING and NIGHTWISH have debuted in the U.K. at Bloodstock. Vince says, "Bloodstock U.K. has been fantastic, but last year we reached sell-out capacity and we are now ready to include an outdoor event which will make the whole Bloodstock experience bigger and better!"

The success of Bloodstock has attracted the interest and support of Thomas Jensen, organizer of the internationally renowned Wacken festival in Germany. Like Bloodstock, Wacken was born from the passion of a handful of metal fans looking for somewhere to share their love of music. The German festival has grown consistently over the last fifteen years, from an initial 800 visitors attending in 1990, to over 30,000 people travelling from all over Europe. Thomas says, "We are delighted to support such a dynamic festival and help it reach the international acclaim of Wacken. Our goal is to strengthen Bloodstock and B-O-A to attract 20,000 fans in the next three years and really place the U.K. on the map for Euro-style metal music."

Fans who have had the opportunity to experience a previous Bloodstock event say it's clear that the festival is produced by fans for fans and B-O-A is no exception. The extensive grounds of Catton Hall in Derbyshire are a prime location for an incredible festival experience, banging music, space for camping, food, drink and a metal-market. With an awesome line-up, including CHILDREN OF BODOM, SEBASTIAN BACH, EDGUY and EVERGREY, alongside the latest fresh talent on the metal scene, B-O-A can't be missed!