PlanetMosh Keeping it Metal
Just a few gaps remain to be filled in the lineup for the 2013 edition of Belgium’s premier metal festival! Earlier this month HYPOCRISY, GRAVE DIGGER and KORPIKLAANI were confirmed. Today we are proud to add ROCKSTAR, AGNOSTIC FRONT, ESCAPE THE FATE, KING HISS, VANDERBUYST, ROTTING CHRIST and PRETTY MAIDS for this summer. The final four slots will be filled in the near future!
Take five musicians who learned the trade playing for some of hard rock’s biggest acts, mix it all up and the result is called a supergroup. The band name, Rockstar, says it all, really. The singer and frontman for this collective is Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens, the man who carved out a reputation as Rob Halford’s replacement with Judas Priest and who went on to work with Iced Earth, Dio Disciples and Yngwie Malmsteen. Joining him on guitar is Keri Kelli of Alice Cooper and Slash’s Snakepit fame. Onetime Scorpions and Kingdom Come drummer James Kottak and bassist Rudy Sarzo (Ozzy Osbourne, Quiet Riot, Dio and Whitesnake) make up the rhythm section and Teddy ‘Zig Zag’ Andreadis, who earned his spurs with Guns N’ Roses, is in charge of the keyboards. Apparently the quintet have no intention (yet) of releasing their own material, but as Ripper remarked there’s more than enough there to just go out and play a selection of songs from all the bands these guys were ever involved in.
Despite the occasional criticism to the contrary, GMM is always willing to provide a forum for homegrown talent, even if the band in question is not a household name (yet). King Hiss is an emerging stoner/rock/groove band with a good ear for melody and a penchant towards old school metal. They recently released a very promising EP called ‘Snakeskin’, a collection of 7 great tracks that grab the listener by the throat and left us begging for more. Armed with tons of conviction and experience gleaned from stints with the likes of Liar, Congress and Mans Ruin, this West Flanders quartet will pull out all the stops for their first show at a major festival. Let’s see if they pass the litmus test…
Vanderbuyst is a Dutch old school hard rock band inspired by the likes of Thin Lizzy, Van Halen, UFO and Deep Purple. No twiddly bits here, just straightforward classic spandex hard rock that leaves you with a sore neck the following morning. Apart from several EPs, Vanderbuyst also has three full-length albums to their credit. Last year’s ‘Flying Dutchmen’ entered the Dutch alternative charts at No. 1 so it seems the time is right for these guys to take their hard rock message beyond the Benelux borders. Meanwhile we’re more than happy to help them increase their notoriety by welcoming them to the GMM stage!
Find an updated overview of our day schedules here.
GRASPOP MOBILE APP NOW AVAILABLE!
Graspop Metal Meeting directly on your smartphone! Keep up with all things Graspop thanks to our free new mobile app. You can also listen to music, read band bios and much more. Tag your favourite artists and find out which bands are a must-see at GMM2013! The new Graspop Metal Meeting app is now available via http://www.appmiral.com/app/graspop-2013/
LAST FESTIHUTS & CAMPING SPACES FOR SALE
Bookings for Metal Town are pouring in. There are just a few festihuts and camping spaces available so don’t waste any time making your reservations: http://www.graspop.be/en/metaltown
If you don’t want to stay in Metal Town you can always pitch your tent at the festival campsite. Camping access is included in all festival tickets.
GRASPOP TOKENS AVAILABLE UNTIL 1 MAY
Food and drinks are paid with Graspop tokens. One token will cost 2.50 euros in the festival arena. In presale, you can buy the Graspop tokens for 2,35€/token. Benefit from buying your Graspop tokens in advance. Don’t wait too long, tokens are only available until 1 May (or while stocks last).
