UK EXTREME
METAL FESTIVALS
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A CONCISE GUIDE TO THE COMING YEAR’S BLACK & EXTREME METAL FESTIVALS
There was a time when the idea of having a selection of annual UK extreme metal festivals to choose from would have seemed extremely far-fetched. Indeed, devotees of the scene were forced to make the most of the odd all-day event, while either travelling overseas to the likes of Wacken and Dynamo, or experiencing the somewhat mixed rewards of rock/metal events such as Download festival.
More widely speaking, it’s wild to observe the degree to which festivals have proliferated to become cornerstones of the black and extreme metal calendar over the last 20 years, not least in countries such as Norway, Sweden, Germany and the US. The UK, in particular, has benefited from this general expansion and now offers multiple large-scale events of various flavours in various locations. Here is a brief Cult Never Dies guide to some of the best of them.
DAMNATION FESTIVAL
8-9TH NOVEMBER 2025
BEC ARENA, MANCHESTER
Info: HERE
Tickets: HERE
Notable acts include: NAPALM DEATH, THE HAUNTED, HELLRIPPER, ANAAL NATHRAKH, PIG DESTROYER, ONSLAUGHT, PRIMORDIAL, WIEGEDOOD, AFSKY, PANZERFAUST, SPECTRAL WOUND, CODE
The legendary Damnation Festival marks its 20th anniversary this year, having grown significantly over the past two decades to become Europe’s largest indoor extreme metal event. Covering everything from hardcore (Stampin’ Ground) and doom metal (Warning) to grind (Napalm Death) and black metal (Primordial), the festival is also notable –particularly for us – for featuring a Cult Never Dies stage, this year showcasing acts such as Hellripper, Code, and Spectral Wound.
CULT NEVER DIES 12TH ANNIVERSARY
14TH NOVEMBER 2025
SIGNATURE BREW, LONDON
Info: HERE
Tickets: HERE
Notable acts include: YOTH IRIA, HEATHEN DEITY, STAHLSARG
We’re obviously bending the rules here, as our 12th anniversary party isn’t exactly a festival – nonetheless, it’s an essential inclusion because it features very special sets from Greece’s Yoth Iria (their first headline performance in the UK, no less), as well as our own Heathen Deity and Stahlsarg, two of England’s top black metal bands. And just as importantly, it marks the debut of the Cult Never Dies: DIPA into the Abyss beer!
GATHERING OF THE DAMNED
21ST-22ND NOVEMBER 2025
GARAGE ATTIC / IVORY BLACKS, GLASGOW
Info: HERE
Tickets: HERE
Notable acts include: FUCKING ABADDON’S VENOM, CRAVEN IDOL, NYCTOPIA.
One of only three festivals on this list located in Scotland, Gathering of the Damned returns after last year’s Cult Never Dies-centric Trivax/Heathen Deity co-headliner. This year, it features none other than extreme metal pioneer Abaddon of Venom, along with our friends in Craven Idol, among others. It’s definitely a no-brainer for anyone in the area, with the warm-up night on Friday and the main event on Saturday.
DARK CLOUDS OVER CAMDEN
6-7TH FEBRUARY 2026
THE BLACK HEART / THE DEV / RAVEN RECORDS
Info: HERE
Tickets: HERE
Notable acts include: BLACK ALTAR, OLD CORPSE ROAD, HEXENBRENNER, SCEPTOCRYPT, DREICH
One of several Camden-based multi-venue festivals on this list, Dark Clouds Over Camden is now in its fourth year, having earned a stellar reputation with past events and once again highlighting underground talent. The focus is mostly black metal once again, with familiar talents such as Black Altar and Old Corpse Road, but the inclusion of acts such as Ishtar Terra and experimental Malta-born act Sceptocrypt makes for a somewhat broader experience.
ALBION DUNGEON FEST
14-15TH FEBRUARY 2026
THE NEW CROSS INN, LONDON
Info: HERE
Tickets: HERE
Notable acts include: FIEF, CONIFEROUS MYST, ORNATORPET, ATLANTEAN SWORD, WERESS, SEREGOST, AN OLD SAD GHOST, HOLE DWELLER, SPECTRAL KINGDOM
Though of course not a metal festival at all, Albion Dungeon Fest is nevertheless one of the more notable happenings on this list, being the second incarnation of England’s first dungeon synth festival. This year’s debut proved to be an excellent and genuinely unique event, the cosy two-floor pub proving surprisingly well-suited (and well-stocked) and next year once again includes a wealth of dungeon synth royalty.
LORDS OF THE LAND
4TH APRIL 2026
AUDIO / SLAY, GLASGOW
Info: HERE
Tickets: HERE
Notable acts include: ANAAL NATHRAKH, EXHUMED, GRUESOME, STAMPIN’ GROUND (MANY MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED)
A surprise late entry – having been announced, by pure coincidence, on the very day that this piece went live – this is also the surprise return of a very familiar name. Absent since before the pandemic, the festival was previously a large-scale event that featured such giants as Carcass, Autopsy, Obituary, Napalm Death, Voivod, Dark Angel, Bloodbath, Unleashed, Coroner, Rotting Christ and Electric Wizard. With that in mind, it will be interesting to see what this fifth edition has to offer in terms of further bookings, though the first four names are all suitably respected acts.
INCINERATION FESTIVAL
2ND MAY 2026
ROUNDHOUSE / ELECTRIC BALLROOM / UNDERWORLD / THE BLACK HEART / THE DEV, LONDON
Info: HERE
Tickets: HERE
Notable acts include: BLOOD FIRE DEATH: TRIBUTE TO BATHORY, HYPOCRISY, VOMITORY, DRAGGED INTO SUNLIGHT, VREID, DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT
Incineration is the longest-standing extreme metal festival in the capital and arguably the longest-running event specifically focused on black and death metal in the UK. Having grown over the years to encompass five venues within Camden, it is an intense one-day takeover that always includes significant bands, this year offering Blood Fire Death, Hypocrisy, Dragged Into Sunlight, and Vomitory, with many bands still to be announced.
A WEEKEND OF DARKNESS
8TH-9TH MAY 2026
FELL FOOT WOOD, CUMBRIA
Info / tickets: HERE
Notable acts include: BONE TOMB, SARDONIC WITCHERY, CENOTAPHE, WHINLATTER, DREICH
One of several festivals run by Wulfhere Productions – and, like many of those, featuring mainman Hrafn on the poster – A Weekend of Darkness takes place in the semi-legendary Fellfoot Woods, known for such festivals as Blackwood Gathering and Darkness Over Cumbria festivals. More names to be announced, but expect a wealth of UK talent supporting the visiting US headliner Sardonic Witchery, and France’s Cenotaphe.
FORTRESS FESTIVAL
30TH-31ST MAY 2026
SCARBOROUGH SPA, SCARBOROUGH
Info: HERE
Tickets: HERE
Notable acts include: OLD MAN’S CHILD, GALLOWBRAID, VINTERLAND, DODHEIMSGARD, MORTIIS, AKERCOCKE, MIDNIGHT ODYSSEY, EMYN MUIL, OLD SORCERY, WHOREDOM RIFE, DARKENED NOCTURN SLAUGHTERCULT
One of the big names here in terms of UK black metal gatherings, Fortress combines big international names with a historic Victorian venue and unique seaside setting, the beach being just a few minutes' walk from the various stages. The poster speaks for itself, but obvious highlights include exclusive sets from the likes of Vinterland, Gallowbraid, Dodheimsgard, and Whoredom Rife, as well as a special dungeon synth day featuring legends like Mortiis, Old Sorcery, and Atlantean Sword.
THE WOODS
10TH-11TH JULY 2026
FELL FOOT WOOD, CUMBRIA
Info: HERE
Tickets: SOLD OUT
Notable acts include: LUNAR SPELLS, OLD CORPSE ROAD, HEATHEN DEITY, WINTER ETERNAL, OAKENTHRONE
Another Wulfhere two-day black metal festival held at Fell Foot Wood, this one has actually sold out, but is notable for including Greece’s Lunar Spells and Winter Eternal, as well as British talent such as Heathen Deity, Old Corpse Road and Ulfarr.
BLOODSTOCK FESTIVAL
6TH-9TH AUGUST 2026
CATTON PARK, DERBYSHIRE
Info: HERE
Tickets: HERE
Notable acts include: JUDAS PRIEST, DEATH ANGEL, SAXON, CRYPTOPSY, SHINING, TESTAMENT, NEVERMORE, BLOOD COUNTESS, TRIVAX, URNE, SEPULTURA
The largest and longest-running metal festival in the UK, Bloodstock is fairly broad in terms of both bands and attendees, but demands inclusion on the basis of its surprisingly high attendance by extreme metal fans and stalls. Judas Priest arguably make this a mandatory visit, and while we probably won’t be watching the likes of Bootyard Bandits or Evil Scarecrow, we’ll surely take in sets by Testament, Blood Countess and Death Angel.
DOOMSDAY FEST
30TH AUGUST 2026
GREEN DOOR STORE, BRIGHTON
Info: HERE
Tickets: HERE
Notable acts include: SAKIS TOLIS, NECRO RITUAL, DEVASTATOR (MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED)
Celebrating an impressive 10th anniversary, Doomsday Fest is immediately notable for its location in the south coast city of Brighton. While many bands are still to be announced, it has begun strongly with the reveals of a special set from Rotting Christ frontman (and Cult Never Dies author) Sakis Tolis, alongside local acts Necro Ritual and Devastator.
COSMIC VOID FESTIVAL
18TH-20TH SEPTEMBER 2026
ELECTRIC BALLROOM / THE UNDERWORLD / THE BLACK HEART
Info: HERE
Tickets: HERE
Notable acts include: TRIUMPH OF DEATH, BLOODBATH, MOONSPELL, VEMOD, SARCOFAGO, UNLEASHED, TIAMAT, DECREPID, KAMPFAR, ASPHYX, BLACK CRUCIFIXION, EINHERJER, AUÐN, VINTERSORG, SINISTER, NECRONAUTICAL (MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED)
An indisputably big-hitter among UK black metal events, Cosmic Void has established a reputation over the last five years by bringing over influential acts such as Mysticum, Arcturus, Samael, Djevel, Darkspace, and Ved Buens Ende. This year, it features Triumph of Death, Moonspell, Kampfar, Vemod, and Incubus’ Sarcofago, as well as, for the first time, a selection of prominent death metal bands including Bloodbath and Asphyx.
DARKNESS OVER CUMBRIA
25TH-26TH SEPTEMBER 2026
FELL FOOT WOOD, CUMBRIA
Tickets: HERE
Notable acts include: TO BE ANNOUNCED
The longest running of the Fell Foot Wood black metal weekenders, Darkness Over Cumbria has a loyal following, selling out of its exclusive allocation of 130 tickets as much on the reputation of the event itself as the specifics of the line-up. Expect a litany of UK black metal bands (and fans) to be in attendance, as well as the possibility of an international headliner.
CALL OF THE CROW
2ND-3RD OCTOBER 2026
PEALIE’S BARN, NORTH YORKSHIRE
Info: HERE
Tickets: HERE
Notable acts include: TO BE ANNOUNCED
Having made its storming debut this year, Call of the Crow launched with an impressive line-up that included Psychonaut 4, Fen and Saor. Next year’s bands are yet to be announced, but we can anticipate a similar booking approach as well as a return to the uniquely evocative barn-based farm setting.
DARKNESS OVER EDINBURGH
27TH-28TH NOVEMBER 2026
THE BANSHEE LABYRINTH, EDINBURGH
Info: HERE
Tickets: HERE
Notable acts include: TO BE ANNOUNCED
As the name suggests, Darkness Over Edinburgh sees Wulfhere Productions taking the Darkness Over Cumbria format to Scotland’s capital. No bands announced yet – though to be fair, this is over a year away at the time of writing.