Hard Rock Hell
Encyclopedia
Hard Rock Hell is a three day music festival currently held at Pontin's Holiday Village
, Prestatyn
, Wales
. The idea of holding the festival at in a holiday camp
gives the organisers pre-built venues and stages and because of the on-site accommodation allows them to hold a multi day festival over winter/spring months when outdoor camping is not desirable. The first edition of the festival was held at Butlins Holiday Camp
, Minehead
, England
but the festival relocated to its current location in 2008. The next edition of the festival will be held in December 2010.
, Minehead
, England
over Friday 9th and Saturday 10 November 2007. The headliners for the first edition of the festival were Cradle of Filth
and Twisted Sister
.
, Prestatyn
, Wales
over Friday 5th and Saturday 6 December 2008, the headliners for the festival were Thin Lizzy
and Black Label Society
.
, Prestatyn
, Wales
over Friday 4th and Saturday 5th December 2009 with a pre-event show on Thursday 3rd December, the headliners for the festival were Monster Magnet
and Queensryche
.
Pontin's
Pontins is a British holiday business which was originally founded in 1946 by Fred Pontin. It specialises in offering half-board and self-catering holidays with regular entertainment on offer. Accommodation is usually in the form of chalets. The company once grew to be a major operator of...
, Prestatyn
Prestatyn
Prestatyn is a seaside resort, town and community in Denbighshire, North Wales. It is located on the Irish Sea coast, to the east of Rhyl. At the 2001 Census, Prestatyn had a population of 18,496.-Prehistory:...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. The idea of holding the festival at in a holiday camp
Holiday camp
Holiday camp, in Britain, generally refers to a resort with a boundary that includes accommodation, entertainment and other facilities.As distinct from camping, accommodation typically consisted of chalets – small buildings arranged either individually or in blocks. Some had three or four storeys,...
gives the organisers pre-built venues and stages and because of the on-site accommodation allows them to hold a multi day festival over winter/spring months when outdoor camping is not desirable. The first edition of the festival was held at Butlins Holiday Camp
Butlins
Butlins is a chain of large holiday camps in the United Kingdom. Butlins was founded by Billy Butlin to provide affordable holidays for ordinary British families....
, Minehead
Minehead
Minehead is a coastal town and civil parish in Somerset, England. It lies on the south bank of the Bristol Channel, north-west of the county town of Taunton, from the border with the county of Devon and in proximity of the Exmoor National Park...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
but the festival relocated to its current location in 2008. The next edition of the festival will be held in December 2010.
Hard Rock Hell I : The Winter Ball
The first edition of the Hard Rock Hell festival was subtitled "The Winter Ball". Held at Butlins Holiday CampButlins
Butlins is a chain of large holiday camps in the United Kingdom. Butlins was founded by Billy Butlin to provide affordable holidays for ordinary British families....
, Minehead
Minehead
Minehead is a coastal town and civil parish in Somerset, England. It lies on the south bank of the Bristol Channel, north-west of the county town of Taunton, from the border with the county of Devon and in proximity of the Exmoor National Park...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
over Friday 9th and Saturday 10 November 2007. The headliners for the first edition of the festival were Cradle of Filth
Cradle of Filth
Cradle of Filth are an English extreme metal band, formed in Suffolk in 1991. The band's musical style evolved from black metal to a cleaner and more "produced" amalgam of gothic metal, symphonic black metal, and other extreme metal styles, while their lyrical themes and imagery are heavily...
and Twisted Sister
Twisted Sister
Twisted Sister is an American heavy metal band from Long Island. Musically, the band implements elements of traditional heavy metal bands such as Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, along with a style that is similar to early glam metal bands...
.
| Stage One | |
| Friday | Saturday |
|---|---|
Tokyo Dragons Tokyo Dragons Tokyo Dragons were a London-based hard rock band. They achieved success in the UK and worldwide after releasing a successful album, and touring with Nashville Pussy, The Quireboys, Status Quo, Do Me Bad Things and Winnebago Deal.... Crucified Babara Girlschool Girlschool Girlschool are a British heavy metal band originating out of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal scene in 1978 and frequently associated with contemporaries Motörhead. They are the longest running all-female rock band, still active after more than 30 years... Vixen Vixen (band) Vixen is an all-female American hard rock band which achieved some commercial success during the late 1980s and early 1990s as part of the Los Angeles, California glam metal scene.-Early years:... Lauren Harris Lauren Harris Lauren Harris is a British vocalist. She is the daughter of Iron Maiden bassist and founder Steve Harris. She was discovered in a pub by Russ Ballard, who was unaware of who she was.-Career:... Zodiac Mindwarp and the Love Reaction Spit Like This Spit like this -Introduction:Spit Like This is a four-piece rock band which plays their own original music. Not properly fitting into any single genre , they are described as the "bastard child between Motley Crue & Motorhead" on their website.SPiT LiKE THiS... |
Diamond Head Diamond Head (band) Diamond Head are an English heavy metal band formed in 1976 in Stourbridge, England. The band is recognised as one of the leading members of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal and is acknowledged by later bands like Metallica and Megadeth as an important early influence.-Early history:Formed by... Tesla Tesla (band) Tesla is an American hard rock band formed in Sacramento, California in 1984. They have sold 14 million albums in the United States.-Formation and Mechanical Resonance :... UFO UFO (band) UFO are an English heavy metal and hard rock band, who were formed in 1969. UFO became a transitional group between early hard rock and heavy metal and the New Wave of British Heavy Metal... Twisted Sister Twisted Sister Twisted Sister is an American heavy metal band from Long Island. Musically, the band implements elements of traditional heavy metal bands such as Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, along with a style that is similar to early glam metal bands... Saxon Saxon (band) Saxon are an English heavy metal band, formed in 1976 in Barnsley, Yorkshire. As front-runners of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, they had 8 UK Top 40 albums in the 1980s including 4 UK Top 10 albums. Saxon also had numerous singles in the Top 20 singles chart... Fastway Fastway (band) Fastway is a British heavy metal band formed by guitarist, "Fast" Eddie Clarke, formerly of Motörhead, and bassist, Pete Way, formerly of UFO.-Career:... McQueen McQueen (band) McQueen is a rock band from Brighton, England, formed in 2004. They have released one album on Demolition Records. McQueen has toured all over Europe and played shows in the US and Asia including headlining the Unite Festival in Vietnam in 2007 in front of a crowd of 15,000.After making... |
| Stage Two | |
| Friday | Saturday |
|---|---|
Cradle of Filth Cradle of Filth Cradle of Filth are an English extreme metal band, formed in Suffolk in 1991. The band's musical style evolved from black metal to a cleaner and more "produced" amalgam of gothic metal, symphonic black metal, and other extreme metal styles, while their lyrical themes and imagery are heavily... My Dying Bride My Dying Bride My Dying Bride are an English doom metal band formed in 1990. To date, My Dying Bride have released eleven full-length studio albums, three EPs, one demo, one box set, four compilation albums, one live album, and one live CD/DVD release. The band released their tenth studio album, For Lies I Sire,... Tiamat Tiamat (band) -Biography:Initially, the band played straightforward black metal under the name Treblinka. After having recorded the album Sumerian Cry in 1989, vocalist/guitarist Johan Edlund and bassist Jörgen Thullberg parted ways with the other two founding members, and subsequently changed the name to Tiamat... Chthonic Amenti |
Grand Magus Finntroll Finntroll Finntroll is a folk metal band from Helsinki, Finland. They combine elements of black metal and folk metal. Finntroll's lyrics are mostly in Swedish, the only exception being the song "Madon Laulu" on Visor Om Slutet... Sabbat Sabbat (band) Sabbat are a thrash metal band from Nottingham, England, currently consisting of Martin Walkyier , Andy Sneap , Simon Jones , Gizz Butt and Simon Negus . Over the years Sabbat have released three studio albums, four demos, two split singles/compilation albums, two singles and a live VHS... 3 Inches Of Blood 3 Inches of Blood 3 Inches of Blood is a Canadian heavy metal band formed in 2000 in Vancouver, British Columbia, currently consisting of Cam Pipes, Justin Hagberg, Shane Clark, and Ash Pearson... Turisas Turisas Turisas is a Finnish folk metal band from Hämeenlinna. It was founded in 1997 by Mathias Nygård and Jussi Wickström and named after an ancient Finnish God of war.... |
| Stage Three | |
| Friday | Saturday |
|---|---|
Tolerance Nemhain Forever Never Romeo Must Die Gu Medicine Zero Cipher Zero Cipher Zero Cipher were a metal/rock/alternative band from Farnham, Surrey. The band formed in the year 1998 from members of other bands within their local area. They played a style of music that fuses metal, rock, and industrial, although they cite wide ranging influences like Carcass, Wham, and Depeche... Feicomodo Avenger Sacred Mother Tongue SKWAD Immanis |
Raven Raven (band) Raven are an English heavy metal band associated with the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. They had a hit with the single "On and On", and refer to their music as "athletic rock".-Formation:... Beyond The Grave Brazabon 4 bands in Battle of the Bands competition |
Hard Rock Hell II : The Dragons Ball
The second edition of the Hard Rock Hell festival was subtitled "The Dragons Ball". Held at Pontin's Holiday VillagePontin's
Pontins is a British holiday business which was originally founded in 1946 by Fred Pontin. It specialises in offering half-board and self-catering holidays with regular entertainment on offer. Accommodation is usually in the form of chalets. The company once grew to be a major operator of...
, Prestatyn
Prestatyn
Prestatyn is a seaside resort, town and community in Denbighshire, North Wales. It is located on the Irish Sea coast, to the east of Rhyl. At the 2001 Census, Prestatyn had a population of 18,496.-Prehistory:...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
over Friday 5th and Saturday 6 December 2008, the headliners for the festival were Thin Lizzy
Thin Lizzy
Thin Lizzy are an Irish hard rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. Two of the founding members, drummer Brian Downey and bass guitarist/vocalist Phil Lynott met while still in school. Lynott assumed the role of frontman and led them throughout their recording career of thirteen studio albums...
and Black Label Society
Black Label Society
Black Label Society is a heavy metal band formed by Zakk Wylde, with nine studio albums, one live album, two compilation albums, one EP, and three video albums released since formation of the band.-Formation and Sonic Brew :...
.
| Stage One | |
| Classic Rock | |
|---|---|
| Friday | Saturday |
Tigertailz Tigertailz Tigertailz are a glam metal band hailing from Cardiff, Wales. They are most famous for their 1990 album, Bezerk, which made the Top 40 in the UK Albums Chart, and spawned a couple of successful singles... Doro Doro (musician) Dorothee Pesch , popularly known as Doro Pesch or Doro, is a female rock vocalist, formerly of the German heavy metal band Warlock .... Thin Lizzy Thin Lizzy Thin Lizzy are an Irish hard rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. Two of the founding members, drummer Brian Downey and bass guitarist/vocalist Phil Lynott met while still in school. Lynott assumed the role of frontman and led them throughout their recording career of thirteen studio albums... Budgie Budgie (band) Budgie is a Welsh Hard Rock/Heavy Metal band from Cardiff. They are widely considered as one of the first heavy metal bands and a seminal influence to many acts of that scene, with fast, heavy rock being played as early as 1971. The band has been noted as "among the heaviest metal of its day"... Benedictum Benedictum Benedictum is an American heavy metal band formed in 2005 in San Diego, California. Their current line-up consists of vocalist Veronica Freeman, guitarist Pete Wells, bassist Chris Shrum, keyboardist Tony Diaz, and drummer Micky Pannone... Glyder |
Viking Skull Viking Skull Viking Skull is a 5-piece heavy metal band, originating in the UK.-History:Viking Skull was formed in 2002, by Raging Speedhorn members Gordon Morison, Darren Smith and Frank Regan, along with their Guitar Tech, Roddy Stone, and Merchandiser, Waldie.... Wildhearts Black Label Society Black Label Society Black Label Society is a heavy metal band formed by Zakk Wylde, with nine studio albums, one live album, two compilation albums, one EP, and three video albums released since formation of the band.-Formation and Sonic Brew :... Clutch Clutch (band) Clutch is an American rock band from Germantown, Maryland, formed in 1990. The band's first release was an EP entitled Pitchfork, which debuted in October 1990. Their first studio album, Transnational Speedway League, was released three years later in 1993. To date, Clutch has released nine studio... Orange Goblin Orange Goblin Orange Goblin are a stoner metal band from the United Kingdom that formed in 1995. The band's lineup currently consists of singer Ben Ward, guitarist Joe Hoare, bassist Martyn Millard, and drummer Chris Turner.-History:... Panic Cell Hawkwind Hawkwind Hawkwind are an English rock band, one of the earliest space rock groups. Their lyrics favour urban and science fiction themes. They are also a noted precursor to punk rock and now are considered a link between the hippie and punk cultures.... Litmus |
| Stage Two | |
| Metal Hammer / Radio 1 | Born Again / Porshamar |
|---|---|
| Friday | Saturday |
Cancer Bats Cancer Bats Cancer Bats are a hardcore punk/sludge metal band from Toronto, Ontario, Canada.-Background:Cancer Bats originated in May 2004 with singer Liam Cormier and guitarist Scott Middleton, former member of Toronto heavy metal band At the Mercy of Inspiration... Johnny Truant Johnny Truant Johnny Truant was a British, Brighton-based metalcore band, formed in 2000 under the name Severance. The band recorded 3 demos under this moniker before renaming themselves after the lead character of Mark Z. Danielewski's novel House of Leaves... Ghost of a Thousand The Plight Textures Textures (band) Textures is a metal band from the Netherlands, formed in 2001. Textures' lineup revolves around founding members Jochem Jacobs, Stef Broks, Bart Hennephof, and bassist Remko Tielemans who joined in 2007... Black Hole Hexes Hexes (band) Hexes is a British hardcore punk band featuring the former A bassist, current guitar player for Bloodhound Gang and presenter of BBC Radio 1's Rock Show, Daniel P. Carter... |
Blitzkrieg Blitzkrieg (band) Blitzkrieg are a heavy metal band from Leicester formed in 1980, consisting of Brian Ross , Ken Johnson , Guy Laverick , Paul Brewis and Phil Brewis .... Firewind Firewind Firewind is a Greek power metal band. Formed in 1998, the group is currently signed to Century Media Records and was originally a small project created by guitarist, Gus G. to showcase his demo, Nocturnal Symphony in 1998. Firewind later became a full band over three years later when they recorded... Powerquest This is Menace Ravenscreed Outcry Fire Alestorm Alestorm Alestorm is a folk metal band from Perth, Scotland. Their music is characterized by a pirate theme, and as a result have been dubbed a "Pirate metal" band at a popular heavy metal related website.... Korpiklaani Korpiklaani Korpiklaani is a folk metal band from Finland who were formerly known as Shaman.-Biography:While other folk metal bands began with metal before adding folk music, Korpiklaani started with folk music before turning metal... Battlelore Battlelore Battlelore is a metal band from Lappeenranta, Finland. All of Battlelore's lyrics concern J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth.-Style:Battlelore mixes female vocals with harsh male growling in "beauty and the beast" duet, backed by heavy guitar riffing and occasional keyboard interludes. The band's... Waysted Waysted Waysted are a heavy metal band formed by UFO bassist Pete Way and Scottish rocker Fin Muir in 1983. Recruiting Frank Noon , Ronnie Kayfield and Paul Raymond, Waysted signed to Chrysalis Records and released Vices in 1983.... Tygers of Pan Tang Tygers Of Pan Tang Tygers of Pan Tang are a heavy metal band, formed in 1978 and originating from Whitley Bay, England. They are a notable band of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement... Praying Mantis Praying Mantis (band) Praying Mantis are an English rock band. Although a part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal scene, they pursued a musical direction more melodic and AOR-sounding than their contemporaries.-Career:... Pride Tiger Pride Tiger Pride Tiger was a Canadian rock band, based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Consisting of vocalist and drummer Matt Wood, guitarists Bob Froese and Sunny Dhak and bassist Mike Payette, the band released its debut EP in 2006... Spit Like This Spit like this -Introduction:Spit Like This is a four-piece rock band which plays their own original music. Not properly fitting into any single genre , they are described as the "bastard child between Motley Crue & Motorhead" on their website.SPiT LiKE THiS... |
| Stage Three | |
| Young Blood | Clive Aid |
|---|---|
| Friday | Saturday |
Jett Black Attica Rage Heaven's Basement Big Linda Get Vegas Lethargy Lethargy (band) Lethargy was a mathcore band formed in Rochester, New York in 1992 and disbanded in December 1999. Their last performance was on Christmas night of 1999. Drummer Brann Dailor and guitarist Bill Kelliher would later appear in Today Is the Day and Mastodon. Guitarist and vocalist Erik Burke is... |
Chariot Warrior Soul Warrior Soul Warrior Soul is an American hard rock band formed by lead singer Kory Clarke, guitarist Cliff St. Croix , later replaced by John Ricco, later replaced by Alex, a Scotsman living in New York City , and guitarist Chris Moffett. Then Peter Jay Tsudis... Dope Pig Iron Million$Reload Hecate Enthroned Hecate Enthroned Hecate Enthroned are a symphonic black metal band from Cheshire, England.-Biography :The band formed in 1993 under the name Daemonum by singer Jon and guitarist Nigel, as a black/death metal hybrid. After a few practices and recording a demo, vocalist Jon left the band after taking up an offer to... Beholder |
Hard Rock Hell III : The Vikings Ball
The third edition of the Hard Rock Hell festival was subtitled "The Vikings Ball". Held at Pontin's Holiday VillagePontin's
Pontins is a British holiday business which was originally founded in 1946 by Fred Pontin. It specialises in offering half-board and self-catering holidays with regular entertainment on offer. Accommodation is usually in the form of chalets. The company once grew to be a major operator of...
, Prestatyn
Prestatyn
Prestatyn is a seaside resort, town and community in Denbighshire, North Wales. It is located on the Irish Sea coast, to the east of Rhyl. At the 2001 Census, Prestatyn had a population of 18,496.-Prehistory:...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
over Friday 4th and Saturday 5th December 2009 with a pre-event show on Thursday 3rd December, the headliners for the festival were Monster Magnet
Monster Magnet
Monster Magnet is an American stoner rock band. Hailing from Red Bank, New Jersey, the group was founded by Dave Wyndorf , John McBain and Tim Cronin...
and Queensryche
Queensrÿche
thumb|250px|right|Queensrÿche's classic line-up performing at the [[Sauna Open Air Metal Festival]] 2011 in [[Tampere]], [[Finland]]. Left to right: bass Eddie Jackson, lead vocals Geoff Tate, drums Scott Rockenfield and guitars Michael Wilton....
.