Bloodstock 2025 Band Feature: Ba’al
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! It’s Bloodstock time and 2025 is looking to be one of the best events the festival has ever put on, if we’re judging it by bands… which we are, of course.
Taking place at Catton Park, Derbyshire from August 7th to August 10th, Bloodstock Festival 2025 has not only sold out all its weekend tickets, but it also sold out day tickets for the Saturday and the Sunday and it seems likely that Friday will follow suit before the festival actually starts. Boasting a lineup that includes the likes of Emperor, Lacuna Coil, Ministry, Mastodon, Fear Factory, Static-X, Nailbomb, Kataklysm, Obituary, and headliners, Trivium, Machine Head, Gojira, and so much more spread across four stages, it’s going to be one hell of a weekend.
Ba’al
One of many bands who first appeared at Bloodstock playing the New Blood stage (2017) and having since been invited back, Sheffield blackened post metal band Ba’al are something quite special.
Formed in 2016, Ba’al quickly became a cornerstone of Sheffield’s heavy music scene, winning the Bloodstock Metal 2 The Masses competition on their first attempt. Their standout performance at Bloodstock Festival led to an invitation from legendary producer Russ Russell (At the Gates, Dimmu Borgir, Napalm Death) to record the crushing single ‘Thy Sorrow’ at Parlour Studios.
Following two EPs and their 2020 debut album ‘Ellipsism’ (Clobber Records), Ba’al embarked on UK tours with Gozer and Ofnus, earning a reputation for emotionally intense, genre-blurring live shows.
Blending the weight of doom, the ferocity of black metal, and the haunting beauty of atmospheric soundscapes, Ba’al weaves together elements of sludge, ambient, post-rock, and noise. The result is a dynamic and emotionally charged sonic experience—equal parts devastating and transcendent.
If all of that wasn’t enough to be excited about their appearance at Bloodstock this year, the band come armed with a brand-new album too. Called ‘The Fine Line Between Heaven and Here’ (Road to Masochist), it is one of the finest records released this year.
This new album continues their dynamically evolved state while offering up layers upon layers of gorgeous, heart-wrenching, blackened post intensity. It’s Ba’al, but a bigger, bolder, and better Ba’al.
Check out our full review here.
The Sophie Lancaster stage will play host to Ba’al on the Saturday of the festival, and we can’t wait, but neither can they. We asked them what it means to be asked to come back and play on a bigger stage, what they learned from playing Bloodstock last time, how much of a boost playing the festival was, and what attendees can expect from their set this time around.
It’s great to have been asked to come back to Bloodstock again! Last time we played was 2017, when we played the New Blood stage after winning Sheffield’s Metal 2 the Masses competition, and we had a great time. We were a bit of a different band then, in both lineup and sound, so it’s very flattering to have been invited purely on the strength of the band we are now. We’re humbled, excited and nervous to be playing a bigger stage – the biggest we have played to date, anywhere!
I think the biggest thing we’ve learned from playing Bloodstock last time is to try and enjoy it and power through the nerves. Although our set in 2017 was well received, if you look at the footage you can really tell we’re bricking it, skulking around at the back of the stage rather than giving a hard-hitting performance. We’re older, wiser and more experienced now, so we’re going to really give it our all this time.
Our songs are all very long, so you won’t get many of them… But you can expect a couple of tracks from our new album The Fine Line Between Heaven and Here, which will have been out a few weeks, plus an older track from our debut album Ellipsism. We’re really excited to get out there, and we really appreciate everyone who has helped us reach this point.
Links
Website | Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram | Road To Masochist
