8 NEW ADDITIONS, HEADLINERS ANNOUNCED, LINE-UP ALMOST COMPLETE!
Alcatraz Open Air announces
BEHEMOTH / ARCH ENEMY / CARCASS / UNEARTH / VENDED / EVIL INVADERS / SUICIDAL ANGELS / HARAKIRI FOR THE SKY
You may recall we had a handful of bands left to announce. As it turns out we’ve got more than a handful for you - as well as an awesome surprise we’ll keep under wraps for now. Unfortunately there’s a bit of bad news as well as both Municipal Waste and Phil Anselmo have cancelled their European tour for this summer. Luckily we were able to find worthy replacements and we’re happy to add them to our list of confirmed acts. Much to the fans’ regret
BEHEMOTH! and
Arch Enemy were unable to lay siege to Forest National as originally planned so we’re stoked to announce they will headline our Prison Stage on different days. Arch Enemy will be showcasing their new ‘Deceivers’ CD, which is set to drop in the run-up to the festival. Behemoth’s eagerly awaited new album will hit the shelves a few weeks later. Arch Enemy’s most recent Alcatraz performance dates back to 2014 - has it really been that long? All the more reason to look forward to their triumphant return to Kortrijk!
Earlier we announced Accept had been added to the schedule. The German metal pioneers are the authors of a slew of metal classics and will close out proceedings on the Main Stage on Day 1. Fireworks guaranteed!
Carcass last laid waste to Alcatraz in 2015. The godfathers of grindcore recently unleashed a new slab with ‘Torn Arteries’, a savage new chapter in the discography of these melodic death metal legends. Get ready for a mix of new and old tracks, each more brutal than the last.
American metalcore stalwarts
Unearth and the young dogs from
Vended are both making their first Alcatraz appearance. Like Slipknot, Vended hail from Des Moines, Iowa, and in addition to the geographic and musical link, the fledgling rock band features the sons of Slipknot’s Corey Taylor (Griffin - singer) and Shawn ‘Clown’ Crahan (Simon - drummer).
With
Evil Invaders we welcome yet another talented Belgian band and they’re itching to ram the tracks off their new album ‘Shattered Reflection’ down our metal-guzzling throats. Incidentally, with Evil Invaders the number of Belgian bands at this year’s edition is nudging 30, illustrating our lasting commitment to billing homegrown talent.
Municipal Waste’s cancellation forced us to look for a suitable replacement and that brought to mind last year’s memorable performance by Greek thrash heroes
SUICIDAL ANGELS. Would they be in for an encore? Damn right they are, the deal was sealed in no time.
And last but not least we offer you
Harakiri for the sky. This Austrian band has matured into of the figureheads of the post black metal scene with an unrivalled mix of melancholy shoegaze on the one hand and ferocious black metal on the other. Last year’s happy reunion with friends and a truckload of standout performances are still fresh in our minds and with just over six months to go to the 14th edition of our little prison party the countdown can start in earnest.