German thrashers HÄMATOM have been confirmed for this year's edition of the Wacken Open Air festival, set to take place August 4-6, 2011 in the small town of Wacken in Schleswig-Holstein, northern Germany.

The festival billing is now shaping up as follows (in alphabetical order):

ACCU§ER
ALBERLOUR'S
APOCALYPTICA
AS I LAY DYING
AVANTASIA
BATTLE BEAST
BLAAS OF GLORY
BLIND GUARDIAN
BLOWSIGHT
CHILDREN OF BODOM
CRADLE OF FILTH
DEVILDRIVER
EXCREMENTORY GRINDFUCKERS
EXODUS
HAIL OF BULLETS
HÄMATOM
HAYSEED DIXIE
HEAVEN SHALL BURN
HELLSAW
HORCH
ICED EARTH
IN SOLITUDE
JUDAS PRIEST
KHOLD
KNORKATOR
KREATOR
MAYHEM
MORBID ANGEL
MORGOTH
MOTÖRHEAD
ONSLAUGHT
OZZY OSBOURNE
PRIMAL FEAR
RHAPSODY OF FIRE
RUSSKAJA
SEPULTURA
SHRAPHEAD
SIRENIA
SKÁLMÖLD
SKI KING
SMACK BALLZ
SODOM
STIER
STORMZONE
SUBWAY TO SALLY
SUICIDAL TENDENCIES
SUIDAKRA
TAUTHR
THE HAUNTED
THE PROPHECY²³
TOKYO BLADE
TORTURE SQUAD
TRIOSPHERE
TRIVIUM
TSJUDER
VENOMIN JAMES
VICTIMS OF MADNESS
VISIONS OF ATLANTIS
VOLCANO
VREID
WARRANT

Wacken Open Air was first held in 1990 as a small event for local German bands. By 1998 the event had become the major festival on the European metal calendar and has included over 70 bands from all over Europe, North America and Australia.

Wacken Open Air is usually held at the beginning of August and lasts three days, during which the festival-goers camp on several large camping grounds surrounding the actual festival area. The 70 or more bands perform across four separate stages over the course of the event.

The 2009 edition of Wacken Open Air set a sales record; it sold out on December 30, 2008. All 70,000 tickets were sold over 200 days before the start of the festival.

Wacken Open Air, which celebrated its 20th anniversary last year, was honored with a Live Entertainment Award in 2008 in the "Festival Of The Year" category. This award recognizes distinguished achievements in live entertainment and is given out by Live Entertainment Award (LEA) committee.