Download Festival sponsored by Zippo is now approaching its twelfth year and it keeps on going from strength to strength, and this year is looking to be the biggest and best to date. The festival will return to Donnington Park (its home since 2003) between 12th and 14th June with a line-up that covers everything on the rock, punk and metal spectrum. 

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Rock royalty are headlining this year's festival, with Slipknot and Judas Priest rocking the Friday, Muse and Faith No More on the Saturday and Kiss and Motley Crue on the Sunday; it's looking to be a jam packed weekend. 

But there's a lot more to be excited about this year than just the incredible headliners.

Since Danny Worsnop left Asking Alexandria to work full time with his side project We Are Harlot they've produced a self-titled album and have been nominated for Best New Band at Metalhammers Golden Gods and Best Album at Kerrang! Awards. Download Festival will serve as their debut UK performance and we can't wait to see what they can pull off. 

Enter Shikari have had an incredible year with the release of Mindsweep, and have been surging forward ever since. They're going to be destroying festivals all over Europe this summer including Rock AM Ring, Open'er Festival, T in the Park, Glastonbury and of course Download.  Their mix of electronics and rock music is sure to send Donnington Park into a frenzy. They headlined the Zippo Encore stage back in 2013 and this year is looking to be even more explosive. Just wait and see when Last Garrison drops on Sunday night.

More: Read our review of Download Festival 2014

Modestep are another band that blends electronics with rock music in the form of drum and bass. They released their new album London Road late last month, and it is guaranteed to get the whole park jumping. If you don't catch Modestep this year then you'll definitely be missing out. 

Fans of Parkway Drive have been begging for a festival performance or tour from them this year, and their wish was granted when the Aussies were announced to play at Download. They're one of the best heavy metal bands on the bill and if Parkway Drive are going to bring anything to Download it'll be circle pits and walls of death. 

If there's one band that's going to bring hard rocking metal anthems to the masses it's Five Finger Death Punch.  Mix that with a little bit of emotion and you've got your perfect festival band. If we could hear a bit of Wrong Side of Heaven and Under & Over It then our festival experience will be complete. 

With such iconic sponsors as Zippo, we have to mention their input at Download 2015, with the Zippo Encore stage; this year featuring the likes of Black Stone Cherry, Marilyn Manson, Black Veil Brides and Malefice.

Of course, we also have to mention Slipknot again. They're going to blow up Donnington once more this year with tracks like Custer, Devil In I and Sarcastrophe from their new album .5: The Gray Chapter mixed with their old classics like Duality and Before I Forget. We're expecting big things from Slipknot this year, as their Prepare For Hell tour was just as crazy as we'd hoped. When Corey Taylor screams: "Get down on the f***ing ground" like he did back in 2009, then you best get on that ground.  Slipknot has destroyed Download over and over again, and they're going to be back next week to do it all over again.

More: Read our review of Slipknot's January 2015 Nottingham gig