Congratulations to The Construct who have won an opening slot on the Rock Sound sponsored stage at Damnation Festival.

The Construct were recently shortlisted in our competition alongside No Made Sense, Talons, A Forest of Stars, Wiht and Year of the Flood. Response to the competition was staggering with a total of 4147 votes cast in just 7 days. The winning band took 45% of the vote with a highly respectable 1849 votes. Full voting statistics can be found below.

Many thanks to everyone who voted and well done to all our shortlist finalists for making it to the final 6 from hundreds of entrants. We’ll be seeing The Construct live on stage in Leeds on November 6th. See you there.

FINAL RESULT – ROCK SOUND STAGE – 4147 VOTES

The Construct – 1849 votes (45%)
No Made Sense – 1372 votes (33%)
Talons - 351 votes (8%)
A Forest of Stars - 232 votes (6%)
Wiht - 182 votes (4%)
Year of the Flood – 161 votes (4%)

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.”

HOW TO ENTER FOR THE TERRORIZER STAGE

After drawing up a shortlist for the Rock Sound Stage with voting now underway the next stage under the spotlight is the Terrorizer Stage, so if black, grind, death, doom, crust or just simple ugly noise is what you’re after at this year’s Damnation Festival, get shouting recommendations on the forums, Facebook, Myspace and Twitter sites.

The shortlisted bands will be announced on the Damnation Festival website a week today; Tuesday, August 31, with links for fans to listen to before casting their final vote.

The winner will be announced the following Tuesday , September 7, to coincide with the start of the Jagermeister Stage 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: http://www.seetickets.com

Ticketline: http://www.ticketline.co.uk

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

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.”

Damnation Festival will take place on Saturday, November 6 at Leeds University Union.

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

DAMNATION FESTIVAL FANS CHOICE PLAYLIST (JULY)
http://open.spotify.com/user/damnationfestival/playlist/2yvIglFSrrI8AfmCaNTy3T

Dragged kicking and screaming into being in October 2005, Damnation Festival punctured a hole in the UK metal calendar setting a new benchmark for independent music festivals. Since that time the festival has built a formidable community spirit and reputation for punching above its weight to deliver a bill of raw and diverse talent featuring a combination of the biggest names on the international metal stage and best home-grown bands that the UK has to offer.

Six years on and Damnation 2010 is once again ready to storm the halls of Leeds University Union in November promising one of the most exciting line ups the festival has ever seen. With The Dillinger Escape Plan and a newly reunited earthtone9 already announced and 3 packed metal stages still to unveil – 2010 is promising to be bigger, better, louder and nastier than ever before.

Join us on the journey to Damnation as we kick and claw our way towards November with a look back at our Alumni , name checking bands such as Carcass, The Haunted, Napalm Death, Cathedral, Therapy?, Kreator, My Dying Bride, Evile, Anathema, Sikth, Jesu and a myriad of others along the way. They’re all here, ready to take you on a trip down memory lane as we revisit some bands who’ve left a scar on the face of the festival and who you can now enjoy through our Spotify Playlists.

Keep up to date by adding us on Spotify and tuning into our Alumni playlists that we’ll be bringing you between now and November and keep an eye out for our 2010 playlist coming as we unveil more bands for this year’s festival.

This month we bring you the FANS CHOICE PLAYLIST. Songs chosen by the Damnation Festival community – whether it’s on the forum or across the social networks. These are the songs that you wanted to hear from our illustrious back catalogue of Damnation bands.

DAMNATION FESTIVAL FANS CHOICE PLAYLIST (JULY)
http://open.spotify.com/user/damnationfestival/playlist/2yvIglFSrrI8AfmCaNTy3T

Previous Playlists

DAMNATION FESTIVAL ALUMNI 1 PLAYLIST (JUNE)
http://open.spotify.com/user/damnationfestival/playlist/6IQCd15SMsCWqzIw0NLALW

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THE legendary LAWNMOWER DETH and rising crossover Scousers S.S.S. will bring the thrash to Damnation Festival 2010.

While representing the finest homegrown black metal at the sixth instalment of the Leeds-based event are HECATE ENTHRONED and FEN.

Festival Director Gavin McInally said: “Anyone who witnessed Lawnmower Deth’s fantastic set at Download last month can look forward to a second helping of good-old thrash fun at Damnation while S.S.S. are sure to live up to their moniker and provide a short, sharp, shock for the thrash fans who’ve enjoyed sets by the likes of Onslaught, Kreator and Evile over the years.

“And for those who prefer their music more grim, it’s a pleasure to be able to announce Hecate Enthroned and Fen who’ll deliver their distinctive takes on black metal this year.

“The latest additions mark another diverse lineup for Damnation Festival, adding to stages already bursting with the best in extreme, progressive and alternative talent such as The Dillinger Escape Plan, Anaal Nathrakh, Earthtone9 and Alcest.”

Damnation Festival will take place on Saturday, November 6 at Leeds University Union.

Announced so far: The Dillinger Escape Plan, Earthtone9, Anaal Nathrakh, Lawnmower Death, Rolo Tomassi, SSS, Hecate Enthroned, Alcest, Fen 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

Four more bands announced for this year’s Damnation Festival.

Damnation Festival veterans ANAAL NATHRAKH will return to lay waste to Leeds this year for the sixth instalment of the UK’s finest metal event.

They’ll be joined by French experimental duo ALCEST, the synth driven mathcore of ROLO TOMASSI and crusty Brummie brothers-in-arms FUKPIG, who make their Damnation debut after a crushing performance at Deathfest earlier this year.

Anaal Nathrakh – who headlined the Terrorizer Stage three years ago – will unleash their black metal tinged grindcore at Leeds University Union, on Saturday, November 6, 2010, in what is their only planned UK show of 2010.

The latest additions join the already confirmed The Dillinger Escape Plan and reformed Earthtone9 with many more bands to be announced across three stages.

Festival director Gavin McInally said: “No band – not even the mighty Carcass – has been requested to return to Damnation Festival by the fans as often as Anaal Nathrakh so it’s a pleasure, and a relief, to be able to make that happen.

“In contrast to the aural chaos of Nathrakh, Alcest will bring a touch of French sophistication to proceedings with their haunting, black metal inspired shoegaze.

“Rolo Tomassi are one of the rising stars of the current UK metal scene and it’s great to be able to host their energetic live show this year.

“As for Fukpig, well the devastation at Deathfest is responsible for their return!”

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