English extreme metal legends CARCASS will return to headline the ninth Damnation Festival for their only UK appearance following the release of their first album in 17 years.

The death and grind standard bearers have promised another historic set which will feature cult classics alongside unexpected old gems and brand new material when they take the stage at Leeds University Union on Saturday, November 2, 2013.

And after helping to sell out Damnation Festival in advance back in 2008, guitarist Bill Steer is looking forward to performing to a packed house on their return to the event.

He said: “We’re very excited about the prospect of returning to Damnation Festival this year.

“Our appearance there in 2008 was a major highlight for us and this time around, people can expect to hear a fairly different Carcass set.

“The old favourites will be in there, of course, but we’re also planning to play a couple of the less obvious tracks from our past, as well as songs from the album we’ve just completed. Join us!”

With 22 more bands to be announced across three stages, festival director Gavin McInally, said fans can look forward to the melting pot of diverse styles of music Damnation Festival is known for from black metal to post-rock.

He added: “It was a coup to land the first UK Carcass show in 13 years in 2008 when fans snapped up every ticket going before we made it to the day itself and it’s another coup having the band return following the release of their first new album in 17 years.

“But even with the mighty Carcass topping the bill, we won’t be satisfied until we’ve pieced together a more challenging and brilliant day of music than the eight successful years we’ve already had the pleasure of hosting, so expect a lot more to come from 2013.”

Tickets for Damnation Festival 2013 are on sale now and will be held at last year’s price of £32 for a limited period.

To buy tickets, visit http://www.leedstickets.co.uk , the official Damnation Festival website at http://www.damnationfestival.co.uk or facebook.com/damnationfestival.

Damnation Festival will proudly host two rare live outings this year, as extreme metal 'supergroup' VALLENFYRE and experimental rock ensemble CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX perform at the event.

They will be joined in Leeds University Union on Saturday, November 2, by Romanian progressive black metallers NEGURA BUNGET, English doom trio MOSS and the sonic assault of Paul Catten's THE SONTARAN EXPERIMENT.

Vallenfyre - featuring members of Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride and At The Gates - will play their only UK show of 2013 at Damnation Festival, which will also be their first appearance outside London.

Founding member and vocalist Greg Mackintosh said: "Since our first UK show last year at Boltfest, we have been looking to follow it up with a northern show.

"Being asked to play Damnation Festival provides us with the perfect opportunity. We are looking forward to spreading some filth and meeting up with some old compadres."

Negura Bunget will also play the festival as an exclusive date.

Drummer Negru said: "Damnation is going to be our one and only UK concert in 2013 so we will definitely make it count!

"Be prepared for a very special Negura Bunget performance, with one of a kind exclusive previews."

And doom laden Moss also promised to make a lasting impression, as the band said: "It's been over 10 years since we last played in the north, in a squat in Manchester in front of eight people.

"So we look forward to finally bringing our doom and gloom back to the northern wastes at Damnation.

"You are in for a fucking horrible night."

Damnation veteran Paul Catten, added: "After waiting patiently for the Sontaran's turn to play my favourite festival, the moment has arrived finally.

"Expect large amounts of volume, a large slab of doom, blastbeats and electronic noises to batter you from all angles.

"My fourth time at Damnation in four different bands, but nothing will be as painful as what we have in store this time."

Tickets for Damnation Festival 2013 are on sale now and will be held at last year’s price of £32 until this Sunday, March 31 .

To buy tickets, visit http://www.leedstickets.co.uk , the official Damnation Festival website at http://www.damnationfestival.co.uk or facebook.com/damnationfestival

SWEDISH post-metal masters CULT OF LUNA have promised a "crushing wall of sound and light" after being confirmed to headline a stage at Damnation Festival 2013.

They will be joined at the ninth instalment of the UK's finest day of metal, hosted at Leeds University Union, on Saturday, November 2, by Liverpool's crossover thrashers SSS and London's black metal quartet VOICES.

The trio bolster an eclectic bill which already includes Carcass, Crippled Black Phoenix and Moss as well as exclusive UK shows by Negura Bunget and Vallenfyre.

Cult of Luna said: "Cult of Luna return to the UK after a sell out show at London's Garage in January.

"The band will fly in for a standalone performance as they continue promoting the Fritz Lang 'Metropolis' inspired 'Vertikal', their first album in over 5 years.

"Expect a heavy, crushing and richly textured wall of sound and light to bring Damnation to a close in spectacular fashion."

SSS front man Foxy is looking forward to taking the Jagermeister Stage for a full thrash assault.

He said: "It's a great honour to be asked back to Damnation Festival.

"We have a block of new noise to from our forthcoming LP to let loose on the unsuspecting.

"Take a deep breath... once we start we don't stop!"

And Sam Loynes of Voices added: "We shall be bringing our exhibition of obsession to this year's Damnation Festival, alongside some truly exceptional bands.

"We plan to deliver only the most vividly extreme of music for this opportunity we have been offered.

"It's an honour to play the UK's leading extreme music festival."

After announcing their spilt, The Sontaran Experiment will no longer play the festival.

Tickets for Damnation Festival 2013 are on sale now, priced £34, avaiable from: http://www.leedstickets.co.uk , the official Damnation Festival website at http://www.damnationfestival.co.uk or facebook.com/damnationfestival

Swedish melodic doom quintet KATATONIA and Norwegian black-metal masters GOD SEED are the latest international acts to be added to Damnation Festival.

German progressive collective THE OCEAN, French post-metal standard bearers YEAR OF NO LIGHT, Norwegian avant-garde jazz quartet SHINING and Irish doom titans MOURNING BELOVETH will also bolster the stunning bill which will be unleashed on Leeds University Union on Saturday, November 2.

The six additions compliment an extreme and eclectic line-up which already boast Carcass, Cult of Luna, Crippled Black Phoenix, Vallenfyre, Negura Bunget, SSS, Moss and Voices with at least nine more bands to be announced.

Katatonia will play 2003's classic 'Viva Emptiness' in its entirety.

Anders Nystrom, said: "Since it looks like November will bring us Damnation, we're absolutely certain there'll be some Swedish export of atmospheric dark metal coming your way with it!

"We couldn't be more psyched to celebrate our 'Viva Emptiness' album anniversary at a festival we never got to play before. So Leeds, join us and be damned!"

Mourning Beloveth are also looking forward to laying waste to Damnation.

They said: "We are delighted to be asked to play a small part in the metal institution that is Damnation Festival.

"Our recent visits to the shores of the UK have unfortunately been limited to stages in the capital.

"We would like to thank Damnation Festival for giving us the opportunity to at last rectify this grave and indefensible injustice.

"You guys bring the ale, and we'll bring the doom."

Damnation Festival could also become a four-stage event this year, reducing clashes and allowing the return of the much-missed Deathfest stage... with fans' backing.

Organiser Gavin McInally explained: "A change to licensing laws at Leeds University Union has opened up the possibility for us to use the fantastic Riley Smith Hall as a venue which fans can enjoy a pint in, but it comes with a catch.

"The festival's capacity would be pushed above the 4,000 mark and although ticket sales are better right now than at the same point 12 months ago, the venue management, somewhat understandably, don't want to hand over their entire building, including terracing and bars to Damnation unless there's a guarantee the numbers will justify it.

"This is not a sales pitch, if you don't believe the confirmed line-up so far merits your £34 then don't buy a ticket BUT if you are fully intending to be at Damnation Festival this year then booking your ticket now will help us land that fourth stage.

"And if we do, Carcass and Cult of Luna will not clash for a single minute, the Terrorizer Stage will be reminiscent of our Deathfest event with death and grind from morning until night, a fourth stage will worship doom all day long and we'll book DJs to perform in the terrace area which has been missing at Damnation since 2008."

Tickets for Damnation Festival 2013 are on sale now, priced £34, available from: http://www.leedstickets.co.uk , the official Damnation Festival website at http://www.damnationfestival.co.uk or facebook.com/damnationfestival

Greek extreme metal stalwarts ROTTING CHRIST and American post metallers ROSETTA head up the latest additions to the stunning Damnation Festival line up.

Joining them will be two slabs of southern sludge and doom in the form of PALEHORSE and SLABDRAGGER, French progressive maestros DIRGE, local grind merchants THE AFTERNOON GENTLEMEN and a rare live appearance from supergroup TWILIGHT OF THE GODS; featuring Primordial’s Alan Averill, Aura Noir’s Rune Eriksen, Lock Up’s drummer Nick Barker, Einherjer's Frode Glesnes and Patrick Lindgren from Thyrfing.

The seven bands join a bill rammed with extreme quality including Carcass, Cult of Luna, Katatonia, God Seed, Vallenfyre, The Ocean and Crippled Black Phoenix who will all lay waste to Leeds University Union on Saturday, November 2.

Returning to Leeds University Union following a blistering set at Damnation in 2009, Rotting Christ’s singer Sakis Tolis promised: “Our damned souls could not find a better and suitable shelter than Damnation Festival.

"Let's make the hell metal brothers and sisters."

Of their pending appearance at Damnation, Twilight of the Gods' Alan Averill said "I had a great show at Damnation with Primordial last year, and this year Twilight of the Gods arrives to bring Leeds some true epic heavy metal.

"Our album will be out in September so it's perfect timing for our first set of original songs in the UK.

"We promise you blood and heavy metal thunder"

The guys from Palehorse added; “We're really pleased to have been asked to play with such an impressive array of quality bands.

"Thanks to everyone at Damnation for choosing us in the ‘odd ones out’ category."

Damnation Festival is also delighted to confirm the addition of a fourth stage, which will focus purely of doom and sludge.

Festival Director Gavin McInally said: “The support we have been shown by the fans over the year, and in particular over the last month since we mooted the idea of a fourth stage, has been phenomenal.

“They have put us in a great position for this year’s event and afforded us the opportunity to grow to our biggest event yet.

“With our newly proposed timetable, fans will be able to see more bands in a day than at any other year."

Tickets for Damnation Festival 2013 are on sale now, priced £34, available from: http://www.leedstickets.co.uk , the official Damnation Festival website at http://www.damnationfestival.co.uk or facebook.com/damnationfestival

Doom and sludge titans CONAN, BLACK MAGICIAN and IRON WITCH will set the final cast for the wall of sound which has become Damnation Festival's fourth stage.

The Liverpool trio cement the new doom-focused stage which already boasts Moss, Mourning Beloveth, Slabdragger and Palehorse in a bunker-like venue, aptly named Mine.

Death metal duo DYSCARNATE and DIAMANTHIAN complete an extreme TERRORIZER STAGE which will also see Rotting Christ, Vallenfyre, Negura Bunget, Voices and The Afternoon Gentlemen test the structure of the cavernous Riley Smith Hall.

While, Polish post-rock quartet TIDES FROM NEBULA add the final touch to an eclectic EYESORE MERCH STAGE which will also be graced by Cult of Luna, Crippled Black Phoenix, The Ocean, Rosetta, Year of no Light and Dirge.

Damnation Festival's premier JAGERMEISTER STAGE is already complete with Carcass, Katatonia, God Seed, Shining, SSS and Twilight of the Gods playing on Saturday, November 2, at Leeds University Union.

Festival director Gavin McInally said: "Not only is this by far the best line-up we've ever put on, but it is also the most pleasing as we've been able to add a fourth stage with the support of fans who've bought so many tickets so early in the year while reducing the number of our much-hated clashes too.

"If doom, sludge and post-metal is your thing, you'll be able to watch every band from Iron Witch to Cult of Luna without wandering more than 20 yards while fans more interested in the Terrorizer and Jager stages will be able to catch the likes of Shining, Negura Bunget, God Seed, Vallenfyre, Katatonia, Rotting Christ and Carcass in one relentless day of music.

"At just £34 a ticket, we believe this line-up deserves a 'Sold Out' plaster across it and with five weeks of sales to go, that's our target, so please keep up the support!"

Tickets for Damnation Festival 2013 are on sale now, priced £34, available from: http://www.leedstickets.co.uk , the official Damnation Festival website at

http://www.damnationfestival.co.uk or facebook.com/damnationfestival