Joining them will be Fellow Finnish folk-freaks WINTERSUN, who’s set at Bloodstock this year will be highly anticipated after they were forced to pull out the 2009 event to complete their still to be released ‘Time’ album, expected later this year. Featuring members from some of the top names in the Finnish metal scene including ENSIFERUM, ROTTEN SOUND and NORTHER, WINTERSUN are something of a super-group, with the various members influences combining to create a unique blend of melodic death and power metal with a heavy folk flavour that is bound to go down a storm with the Bloodstock crowd.

Also added to the line-up are reformed US Thrash legends FORBIDDEN. The recently reformed thrashers released their first album in over 13 years last October, after too-long a hiatus. ‘Omega Wave’, released via Nuclear Blast records, received rave reviews in the British metal media and was rapturously received by fans, who lapped up the 12 tracks of no nonsense, back-to basics thrash on offer. Find out why FORBIDDEN are one of the most highly regarded acts of the 80s/90s US thrash scene at this, their first ever UK festival appearance.

The band – whose early recordings (such as the 1999 album, ‘Midnattens Widunder’) arguably laid the blueprint for the folk metal movement of today – filmed and recorded a recent show at the world-famous Melkweg in Amsterdam, and it this footage that provides the basis for the as-yet-untitled DVD; this is due to this be released in September of 09 via Spinefarm Records UK.

The full list of dates is as follows:-

SEPTEMBER

25th – Nottingham, Rock City
26th – London, Underworld
27th – Wrexham, Central Station
28th – Manchester, Music Box
29th – Glasgow, Cathouse
30th – Leeds, Rio’s