Midlands metal at festival of rock

Two more bands with strong Midlands connections will be joining Black Country heavy metal legends Judas Priest on the bill at next month's Download rock festival.

Black Country-based Hostile and Stone Gods - the band formerly called The Darkness and now fronted by Lichfield's Richie Edwards - are on the bill for the three- day festival at Donington Park from June 13-15.

Priest, who are about to release a new CD, Nostradamus, a concept album about the 16th century French seer, will be special guests to Kiss on the opening night.

It will be the second time they have appeared at Donington, considered the spiritual home of British rock, after they played at the first ever Monsters Of Rock festival at the venue in 1980.

Judas Priest, now reunited with singer Rob Halford, were formed in the early 1970s, drawing members from West Bromwich, Walsall and the Stafford area.

Priest guitarist KK Downing, who lives in the Bridgnorth area, is also producing the debut album from Midland rockers Hostile, who will be on stage earlier the same day.

The five-piece band describe themselves as having a "true old school heavy metal sound and soaring licks" and claim to be the new "torch bearers of metal, reigniting the scene from the sound of heavy metal was first born - the Black Country".

Stone Gods, having already played support slots to Velvet Revolver, also appear on the opening day of Download, which has taken on a classic old-style "Monsters Of Rock" line-up.

The band is preparing to release its first album, Silver Spoons & Broken Bones, and has a tour lined up which includes Birmingham Academy 2 on June 21.

This year's Download festival will take place on June 13-15. Headliners are Kiss, The Offspring and Lost Prophets, with other groups taking part including Motorhead, Chris Cornell and Bullet For My Valentine.

Weekend tickets cost from £130. For more details go to www.downloadfestival.co.uk