GOTHIC metallers PARADISE LOST head up the latest additions to Damnation Festival.

The genre-spanning Halifax quintet will bring their blend of atmospheric doom to the main Jagermeister Stage at Leeds University Union, on Saturday, November 6, 2010.

And they’ll be joined by German progressive metallers THE OCEAN, rising post-rock trio MAYBESHEWILL and the politically inspired industrial overtones of OCTOBER FILE.

With The Dillinger Escape Plan, Earthtone9, Anaal Nathrakh, Lawnmower Deth and Alcest among the names already confirmed for the sixth edition of Damnation Festival, the event is shaping up to be the most vital date on the metal calendar.

Paradise Lost vocalist Nick Holmes last night revealed the band are looking forward to taking the stage in Leeds, if not negotiating the roads network.

He said: "It's fantastic to be playing at the Damnation Festival, and we hope to see you all there.

"I never got my head around the one way system in Leeds, thankfully someone else will be driving so we should arrive on time!"

Festival Director Gavin McInally added: "Following the triumphant performances by My Dying Bride and Anathema in recent years, it’s fitting to have Paradise Lost complete the final piece of the Unholy Trinity at Damnation.

"We are also delighted to announce The Ocean, Maybeshewill and October File for what will be another vital bill on our Rock Sound Stage this year."

Announced so far: The Dillinger Escape Plan, Paradise Lost, Earthtone9, Anaal Nathrakh, Lawnmower Deth, Rolo Tomassi, Alcest, The Ocean, SSS, Hecate Enthroned, Fen, Maybeshewill, October File and Fukpig.

Tickets are priced £27 and are available from See Tickets: http://www.seetickets.com, Ticketline: http://www.ticketline.co.uk and Leeds Tickets: http://www.leedstickets.com
For more information visit the official Damnation Festival sites:

Web - http://www.damnationfestival.co.uk
Myspace - http://www.myspace.com/damnationfestival
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/damnationfestival
Twitter - http://twitter.com/damnationfest

The Ocean made my day!

Damnation Festival will offer three bands the chance to win slots on this year's line-up, opening the Rock Sound, Terrorizer and Jagermeister stages in Leeds this November.

And if sharing a line-up with The Dillinger Escape Plan, Paradise Lost, Anaal Nathrakh and Lawnmower Deth isn't enough, one of the three winning acts will also bag free studio time with legendary producer Russ Russell at Parlour Studios.

Damnation organisers, the stage sponsors and most importantly, the fans will decide on a shortlist of five bands for each stage before it goes to vote decided entirely by the fans signed up to the Damnation forums and social networking sites, including Facebook and Twitter.

Festival director Gavin McInally said: "Dawn of Chaos, Speedtheory, Forever Never, Latitudes, Rinoa, Dead Beyond Buried... Since 2005 we've always done everything we can to balance a line-up which will attract crowds while giving rising UK bands a stage worthy of their talents.

"And down the years, some of the opening performances have been the highlights with acts like Evile, Malefice and Man Must Die having played prestigious festivals across the globe since.

"So it's with great pleasure and expectancy we throw open our three stages to three bands who impress our fans the most."

Gavin added: "The fact that Russ Russell has agreed to offer studio time and, more importantly, his own time and expertise to work with one of the winning bands is very fitting considering he has worked with Damnation veterans including Napalm Death, The Berzerker, Sikth, Lock-Up and Evile over the years.

"It's refreshing to see someone with such a high-profile in the music business willing to give up his time to work with up-and-coming musicians."



The first stage under the spotlight is the Rock Sound Stage, so if post-rock, post-metal, doom, sludge or any form of experimental noise is what you're after at this year's Damnation Festival, get shouting recommendations and submitting your bands on the forums, Facebook, Myspace and Twitter sites.

The shortlisted bands will be announced on the Damnation Festival website a week today; Tuesday, August 24, with links for fans to listen to before casting their final vote.

The winner will be announced the following Tuesday , August 31, to coincide with the start of the Terrorizer Stage vote.

**Votes on the Damnation Festival forums will only be valid from users registered before Tuesday, August 31.
Facebook and Twitter accounts will be checked for authenticity to prevent single users creating multiple accounts to vote.

Announced so far: The Dillinger Escape Plan, Paradise Lost, Earthtone9, Anaal Nathrakh, Lawnmower Deth, Rolo Tomassi, Alcest, The Ocean, SSS, Hecate Enthroned, Fen, Maybeshewill, October File and Fukpig.

Tickets are priced £27 and are available from See Tickets: www.seetickets.com, Ticketline: www.ticketline.co.uk and Leeds Tickets: www.leedstickets.com
For more information visit the official Damnation Festival sites:

Web - http://www.damnationfestival.co.uk
Myspace - http://www.myspace.com/damnationfestival
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/damnationfestival
Twitter - http://twitter.com/damnationfest

Go suggest Groan. And I'll bake you a cake.

Creeping Dan wrote:Go suggest Groan. And I'll bake you a cake.

The cake is a lie.


Is'nt it the same every year, you have to register on the site and there is a poll vote for x amount of time?

Well you get shortlisted if the organisers like you. Then you're down to a vote. But you can only vote if you register before the 31st this month. But to be honest with you we won't win the vote because we currently don't have as much support some some bands entering. Not the best way to get exposure... But hey there's nothing to lose. I mean if we get to the voting stage then maybe people will actually check us out. But That's not how it works... People would see the 5 or so bands and go... Right there's my mates band. But yeah if we get to that part... If an extra person manages to hear us that's good enough for me.

Sounds gay.

Nah... No real complaints if there's nothing to lose.

Mitzi's Revenge will win if they get through to the voting because they have the most friends. They're a really bad band as well. Band name sucks, music sucks.

Yeah, Myspace democracy is shit. Pity because it'd be nice to see some decent smaller bands on there, especially a proper doomy one like Groan to break up all the thrashy grindy type stuff.

After scores of submissions, pages of fans' feedback and hours of trawling Myspace pages, the final six bands looking for YOUR vote to play the Rock Sound Stage at Damnation Festival are:


Talons - www.myspace.com/gotalons

"Forging the explosive energy of hardcore, the subtleties of post-rock and the fractured song structures and complexities associated with math-rock, Talons possess a fascinating sense of urgency and drive, with a sound that both soothes and savages in equal measure."


No Made Sense - www.myspace.com/nomadesense

"Wonderfully ambitious, progressive metal...the Reading trio have created a truly thunderous testament for the Gods of metal...Glorious!"


A Forest of Stars - http://www.myspace.com/aforestofstars

"Sounds that are as unsettling not only in their tonality, but their instrumentation as well, with micro-tonal keyboard sweeps and violin slides that blow away traditional Western approaches to melody and harmony, and leave the listener awash in a wave of paranoia and claustrophia"


Year of the Flood - www.myspace.com/yearoftheflood

"Epic D-Beat/Hardcore based loosely on the books of Margaret Atwood and Aldous Huxley.
Spreading the word that the human race is bringing our downfall with its arrogance.... the waterless flood is coming"


The Construct - www.myspace.com/theconstruct_band

"Epic down-tempo, progressive metal from Manchester for fans of Neurosis, Isis and Cult of Luna..."


Wiht - www.myspace.com/wihtleeds

"Bleary eyed grooves and bludgeoning pessimistic peaks combined with the ever present quest for the holy riff culminates in a tasty yet filthy pie of its own pedigree."


Please give all the band a listen on the newly launched Damnation Festival website (http://www.damnationfestival.co.uk/vote) before submitting your vote as you'll only get one!

Voting will close at midnight, a week today, August 31, before a winner is announced.

Round II: The Terrorizer Stage

After a jaw-dropping 4,000+ votes for the Rock Sound Stage competition which saw a two horse race between No Made Sense and eventual winners The Construct, we now have five more bands of the extreme variety vying for a slot of the Terrorizer Stage to join the likes of Anaal Nathrakh, Hecate Enthroned, SSS and Fukpig.

The five finalists are:


Colonel Blast - http://www.myspace.com/colonelblast

"To call Colonel Blast brutal is doing them a disservice, I’m not sure there is a word that can do justice to their sound… So, let’s just say it’s heavier than a bull elephant’s nut sack the week before mating season."


Diascorium - http://www.myspace.com/diascorium

"....a well-stirred mix of various extreme metal tropes: death metal slamming, black metal shimmering bleakness, doomy breakdowns and grindcore-type inventiveness..."


Ishmael - http://www.myspace.com/666ishmael

"The finest Devon doom, blended with sludge and bound with ale - equal parts despair, disillusionment and all-out hatred, steeped in alcohol and thrown to the baying crowd."


The Afternoon Gentlemen - http://www.myspace.com/theafternoongentlemen

"Pure insane thrashcore from the UK. Picture Spazz and Hellnation for starters and throw in an extra heap of negativity and rage."


The Atrocity Exhibit - http://www.myspace.com/theatrocityexhibit

"Welding monolithic chunks of the most sludge like doom to intense grindcore barrages in a successful stylistic blend. "


Please give all the band a listen on the newly launched Damnation Festival website at http://www.damnationfestival.co.uk/vote before submitting your vote!

Voting will close at midnight, a week today, Sept 8th, before a winner is announced.

BEST OF BRITISH:

Experimental doom titans ESOTERIC and globe-trotting metal veterans PANIC CELL will help fly the UK flag at this year’s Damnation Festival.

They’ll be joined by Scottish old-school death metallers BONESAW, Brighton's progressive rockers THE MIRE and the recent winners of the Rock Sound and Terrorizer stage competitions; The Construct, Colonel Blast and Diascorium.

The new additions join an eclectic three-stage bill in Leeds University Union, on Saturday, November 6, which includes The Dillinger Escape Plan, Paradise Lost, Anaal Nathrakh, Alcest, Lawnmower Deth and Rolo Tomassi.

Festival Director Gavin McInally said: “The booking of Esoteric has been a long time coming and it’s a pleasure to finally have the highly respected doom outfit at Damnation while a Jager drenched evening with Panic Cell is a highlight of any festival. It's great to have those boys back in the UK after playing with the likes of Metallica, Alice Cooper and Slayer earlier this year.

“Despite hailing from the dizzy heights of Aberdeen, Bonesaw have been sending shock waves through the UK’s extreme metal scene so it’s only right they bring their old-school death metal noise to our Terrorizer Stage while The Mire are expected to set the progressive metal bar high with their Rock Sound Stage outing."

Meanwhile, the submissions for the final opening slot competition on the Jagermeister Stage are now open.
Fans can make suggestions via the official forums, Myspace, Facebook or Twitter and a shortlist will be announced on Monday, September 20, before a seven day voting frenzy takes place to decide a winner.

Announced so far: The Dillinger Escape Plan, Paradise Lost, Earthtone9, Anaal Nathrakh, Lawnmower Deth, Rolo Tomassi, Panic Cell, Alcest, The Ocean, Esoteric, SSS, Hecate Enthroned, Fen, Maybeshewill, October File, Bonesaw, Fukpig, The Mire, Colonel Blast, The Construct and Diascorium.

Tickets are priced £27 and are available from See Tickets: www.seetickets.com, Ticketline: www.ticketline.co.uk and Leeds Tickets: www.leedstickets.com
For more information visit the official Damnation Festival sites:

Web - http://www.damnationfestival.co.uk
Myspace - http://www.myspace.com/damnationfestival
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/damnationfestival
Twitter - http://twitter.com/damnationfest

worst damnation line up ever

In fairness to the guys, they've had tremendous amounts of bad luck this year trying to get bands to play and they've readily admitted to anyone who asks that they're low on money. It is, after all, only 4/5/6 people organising it out of their own pocket, and they aren't millionaires.

The fact they've persevered and put on a gig instead of just caving like so many other festivals in the UK is commendable enough in it's own right. Bonesaw is more than enough for me and SSS and Lawnmower Deth are the icing on the cake.

Anyway, I think it's better than last year's bill! Even if it was the worst on paper, I think in practice it'll be a whole different story. There's a good 5/6 bands there who on their own gigs would be a gig of the year candidate through sheer chaos invocation (Fukpig, SSS, Lawnmower Deth, Anaal Nathrakh, Dillinger Escape Plan). Couple that with bands like Paradise Lost, Esoteric, Alcest and you have a winner.

All of these bands, however, don't matter because my darlings, my dearies Bonesaw are playing. I cannot wait.

HARDCORE punk legends DISCHARGE and UK thrash titans SABBAT are the latest additions to the sixth chapter of Damnation Festival.

The crust veterans will headline the Terrorizer Stage while Sabbat will perform on the Jagermeister Stage.

The Dillinger Escape Plan and Paradise Lost will now co-headline the downsized event, which takes place on Saturday, November 6, in Leeds University Union.

Festival Director Gavin McInally said: "It's no secret we've had a tough year of it so being able to confirm two top acts like Discharge and Sabbat is a real pleasure.

"Aside from the Jagermeister Stage competition and perhaps another smaller band on the Terrorizer Stage, the bill is pretty much complete for this year and despite the lack of an exclusive headliner we're delighted to once again put together a three stage line-up we're immensely proud of.

"Rare showings from the likes Lawnmower Deth, Fukpig, the return of Earthtone9, exclusive performances by Alcest, Anaal Nathrakh as well as the aforementioned talent of DEP, Paradise Lost, Sabbat and Discharge - 2010 is going to be a blinder."

Announced for Damnation Festival 2010: The Dillinger Escape Plan, Paradise Lost, Discharge, Earthtone9, Sabbat, Anaal Nathrakh, Lawnmower Deth, Rolo Tomassi, Panic Cell, Alcest, The Ocean, Esoteric, SSS, Hecate Enthroned, Fen, Maybeshewill, October File, Bonesaw, Fukpig, The Mire, Colonel Blast, The Construct and Diascorium.

Tickets are priced £27 and are available from See Tickets: www.seetickets.com, Ticketline: www.ticketline.co.uk and Leeds Tickets: www.leedstickets.com
For more information visit the official Damnation Festival sites:

Web - http://www.damnationfestival.co.uk
Myspace - http://www.myspace.com/damnationfestival
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/damnationfestival
Twitter - http://twitter.com/damnationfest