Shaping up to be the hottest rock fest of the summer – with a line up boasting exclusive performances from IRON MAIDEN, RAMMSTEIN, MÖTLEY CRÜE and SLAYER plus many more amazing acts who you won’t catch at any other festival this year – Sonisphere Knebworth has revealed the next batch of bands to be added to this year’s all star cast, including yet more UK exclusives, making the £132.50 weekend ticket price – which unlike most festivals carries NO BOOKING FEE – the best value for money out there.

Bringing their unique style to Sonisphere as IRON MAIDEN’s special guests are Australian dance rock outfit PENDULUM. Since forming in 2002 PENDULUM have enjoyed a rapid ascension due to their new and original sound and individual take on dance and rock. A defining headline performance at Glastonbury’s Dance Stage last year saw them arguably become the biggest act on the underground, cementing their rise with the Radio 1 A-listed single ‘Propane Nightmares’ that saw the band leap into the mainstream. With a UK Number 2 album under their belts and a new studio offering set for May 2010, this PENDULUM continues to swing higher and higher.

Last year Sonisphere brought you the exclusive return of grunge legends ALICE IN CHAINS to the UK. So good was their performance, we just had to have them back, and we’re delighted to confirm this hugely exciting addition to Sonisphere 2010. One of the most successful music acts of the 1990s, selling over 17 million albums worldwide, the band achieved two number-one Billboard 200 albums, 14 top ten songs on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, and seven Grammy Award nominations. After the tragic death of frontman Layne Staley in 2002 the band reunited in 2005 with new lead vocalist William Duvall, releasing ‘Black Gives Way to Blue’ last year – their first studio album in 14 years, rapturously received by fans and media alike, and receiving the accolade of best album Of 2009 in several end of year polls. That AIC have continued to impress and overwhelm music fans in the face of tragedy and extended hiatus is testament to their greatness, and their return to Sonisphere Knebworth for their only UK show of 2010 is a more than welcome one.

Since 1994, LACUNA COIL have been at the forefront of gothic-infused metal, evolving and honing their craft and becoming one of the most successful bands in their genre, and so it is with a very warm welcome they join the ranks of Sonisphere’s 2010 bill.

With five studio albums under their belt and a solid worldwide fan base they are sure to be a firm crowd favourite at this year’s festival. Having enlisted the help of Don Gilmore (LINKIN PARK) on their latest opus entitled, ‘Shallow Life,’ they are set to cement their reputation as one of the premier melodic metal bands. The album has marked the band’s highest Billboard chart entry, as well as the highest Billboard debut in the history of Century Media Records in the USA by hitting the US Billboard Top 200 charts at #16. ‘Shallow Life’ also went straight into the official album charts in Italy, Japan, Australia, Germany, France, The Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Switzerland, Austria, Greece and here in the UK.

Irish-noiseniks THERAPY? will be making history at Knebworth this year by playing their classic album ‘Troublegum’ in its entirety to commemorate their 20-year anniversary, at their only UK show of 2010. Undoubtedly the most commercially successful album in the band’s career so far, the album sold in excess of ¾ Million albums, reaching number 5 in the UK Charts and featuring no less than five top 40 singles. Having just completed the recording of their first official live album – captured at three shows at Londons Water Rats on March 29th, 30th, and 31st – set for release this summer, fans will have a chance to see the real deal at Knebworth, as the chart topping three-piece work their way through classics such as ‘Screamager’, ‘Nowhere’, ‘Trigger Inside’ and ‘Die Laughing’ at this exclusive performance.

J-Rock superstars DIR EN GREY bring their creative and visionary metal force field to Knebworth this year, at their only UK performance of 2010. Having last year completed a mammoth world tour taking in Asia, Europe, South America, and North America, the band are gearing up to release a live DVD taken from the last of these shows at Tokyo’s legendary Budokan Hall entitled ‘UROBOROS -with the proof in the name of living…’ out May 2010.

A year shy of their memorable headline set at last year’s Bloodstock festival, Sweden’s biggest hard rock band EUROPE will join the Sonisphere cast, hot on the heel’s of their critically acclaimed studio album ‘Last Look At Eden’ which features the singles ‘New Love In Town’ and the title track.

If the rave reviews earned from their headline set at the BOA event are anything to go by, their set promises to be one of the festival highlights, as the band perform songs from their new album including ‘The Beast’, ‘No Stone Unturned’ and ‘Gonna Get Ready’, as well as classics including ‘Rock The Night’, ‘Superstitious’, ‘Scream of Anger’, and of course, ‘The Final Countdown’.

Sheffield rockers TERRORVISION will also be making their only UK appearance of 2010 at this year’s Sonisphere. With three Top 40 albums and twelve Top 40 singles in their CV, TERRORVISION were one of the forerunners of the 90’s Britrock explosion. The Bradford four-piece were impossible to ignore, with heavy radio play and Top Of The Pops appearances spreading the Terror-mania during the duration of the last decade of last millennium. Recently regrouping, and with a new album planned for 2011, what happens next is yet to be seen, but for now festival goers can take delight as Tony Wright and company deliver hits such as ‘My House’, ‘Oblivion’, ‘Alice What’s The Matter?’ and ‘Tequila’ at Knebworth this summer.

New York legends and original kings of the circle pit SICK OF IT ALL will bring an aggression injection to the Sonisphere ranks with their infectiously catchy hardcore. The band’s real life dogma and hunger for excellence as a hardcore band have truly been ideals that fans from all corners of the globe passionately admire and identify with. Originally formed by brothers Lou and Pete Koller in the mid-’80s, SOIA set the tone of their music and ideology by offering a no-frills view of the world around them. Often revolving around politics, social injustices and life on the streets in New York, the band wear their views on their sleeve and make no apologies, often times attempting to turn the tables to include a thread of positivity, a hope for change and improvement.

Party-Thrash metallers MUNICIPAL WASTE from Richmond, Virginia are another welcome addition to the Sonisphere line-up this year promising a high octane, debauched show at this exclusive festival performance. Fast, furious and funny, each of MUNICIPAL WASTE’s super-short songs is a memorable anthem to post-apocalyptic mutants, beer; thrash music…. or, indeed, all of the above. The bands dedication to their art is deadly serious, yet they are not afraid to bring the fun back into hardcore – expect beer bongs, body boards and bedlam.

Huddersfield Thrashers EVILE join this year’s Sonisphere Knebworth line up, bringing with them a whirlwind of breakneck metal. Founded by old school friends Matt Drake and Ben Carter and signing to Earache Records in 2006, the band have gone from strength to strength. After the tragic passing of bassplayer Mike Alexanderwhile on tour in Sweden in October 2009, the band made the tough decision to soldier on after holding two memorial nights for their fallen comrade.

Bright, Brit-metal hopefuls RISE TO REMAIN are returning to Sonisphere this year after a buzzworthy debut. Since then they have accumulated tours with TRIVIUM, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, SHADOWS FALL and THE HAUNTED under their belts and are suitably primed and ready for more festival action.

Lastly, it is with great pleasure that we announce the debut festival performance by RENEGADES, a band more recognisable by nature than by name, so we won’t reveal too much about them here – their songs say all you’ll need to know about them.

Tickets for Sonisphere Knebworth are available from:

(Sonisphere Knebworth)

With a full weekend ticket going for just £132.50, no booking fee and a host of exclusive performances there is no better value for UK Festival Fans this summer!

Line up so far:

IRON MAIDEN **
RAMMSTEIN *
ALICE COOPER *
ALICE IN CHAINS **
ANTHRAX *
APOCALYPTICA *
IGGY & THE STOOGES *
LACUNA COIL *
MÖTLEY CRÜE **
THE CULT *
DIR EN GREY *
EUROPE
FEAR FACTORY
SICK OF IT ALL
SLAYER *
HENRY ROLLINS (SPOKEN WORD) *
BRING ME THE HORIZON *
MADINA LAKE
EVILE
FAMILY FORCE 5
FIGHTSTAR
FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND
GALLOWS
SKUNK ANANSIE
TERRORVISION **
THERAPY? **
MUNICIPAL WASTE
PAPA ROACH *
PENDULUM
PLACEBO *
RENEGADES
RISE TO REMAIN

** Only UK performance of 2010
* Exclusive UK Festival Performance