Graspop Metal Meeting Line up complete

The lineup for the 16th edition of Graspop Metal Meeting is complete! Today we’re adding the final four names, including two homegrown bands.

‘Youth is the future’ is a saying that certainly applies to the West Flemish band STEAK NUMBER EIGHT. Winners of the 2007 edition of the prestigious Humo’s Rock Rally at the tender age of 16, these young guns graft their fierce postrock/noise on heroes Isis, Mastodon and Neurosis. Steak started building a faithful following the moment they burst upon the scene and the release earlier this year of their brilliant second album ‘All Is Chaos’ is another major step forward. The band has clearly matured since they blew us away at GMM2008 and who knows what else this year has in store for the Wevelgem quartet? Surely a major international breakthrough is just a question of time… (Sunday 26 June)
DIABLO BLVD the band around stand-up comedian Alex Agnew is coming to Dessel for the second time. They’ve just released a new album, ‘Builders of Empires’, and judging by the new material their GMM set will beat Agnew’s five sold out shows in the Antwerp Sportpaleis hands down. It’s obvious by now that Diablo Blvd is not a frivolous side project at all; this groovy metal uppercut is the real deal. (Saturday 25 June)
With SWEET SAVAGE, GMM proudly presents one of the pioneers of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, also known as the NWBHM. Founded in 1979, the Northern Irish band only became known to a wider audience in 1996 when Metallica covered their song Killing Time as a B-side for their single Unforgiven. The band split in 1983 and then briefly reformed in the mid-eighties and towards the end of the millennium, but it wasn’t until 2008 that Ray Haller reassembled the troops for real. The untimely death of guitarist/songwriter Trev Fleming last October was a body blow but the band nevertheless continued work on their new full-length album Warbird. Be sure to check them out! (Friday 24 June)
In 1992, the New York crossover band PRO-PAIN raised a bunch of eyebrows with their excellent debut ‘Foul Taste of Freedom’. The album is still considered a milestone thanks to the uncompromising mix of hardcore and metal. Twelve studio albums later, Pro-Pain are still a force to be reckoned with, especially live on stage. The New York foursome have a special treat in store for their GMM set as they’ll be playing the entire Foul Taste of Freedom album front to back. Whether you’re an early fan or need an introduction, Pro-Pain doesn’t take any prisoners so consider yourselves warned! (Sunday 26 June)
http://www.graspop.be
press release