FESTIVAL REVIEW: Inferno Metal Festival 2025

Norway is synonymous with black metal and for over two decades, Inferno Metal Festival has been a fundamental component for Norway’s continued influence on extreme metal. Year after year, every Easter, the country’s capital celebrates some of the finest heavyweights, and killer underground gems, extreme metal has to offer. And with the festival’s accompanying Inferno Music Conference, that sees music industry representatives from all four corners of the world congregate to discuss and participate in industry panels, Inferno Metal Festival holds a special position in the festival calendar. 2025’s festival was overshadowed with the sadness of founder Jan-Martin Jensen‘s passing in February, but in fitting fashion, 2025’s festival served as a loud celebration of a man who gave his life for metal. As media partners for the festival, we were on the ground in Oslo to experience it all, let’s begin.



Thursday – April 17th

SIBIIR – GoldieSIBIIR live @ Inferno Metal Festival 2025. Photo Credit: Sabrina Ramdoyal

Over in the intimiate confines of Goldie, homegrown talents SIBIIR ignite Inferno Metal Festival under the mantle of responsibility of being one of the first bands of the festival. And they do not disappoint. A cacophony of blackened tinged hardcore proceeds to ignite a high octane live experience, with vocalist Jimmy Nymoen spending more time in the crowd than on stage. Delivering a sound that felt like if CANCER BATS dipped their toes into a more raw blackened edge, SIBIIR are a lot of fun and it sets the tone nicely for the weekend’s action.

Rating: 8/10

NECROPHOBIC – RockefellerNecrophobic live @ Inferno Metal Festival 2025. Photo Credit: Sabrina Ramdoyal

Although they may not reach the same notoriety as some of their peers, Swedish outfit NECROPHOBIC are veterans of the scence through their blend of blackened death. At Inferno Metal Festival, they reflect a well oiled satanic machine with precision level execution. Buzzing riffing from guitarists Sebastian Ramstedt and Johan Bergebäck keep the pace hurtling forwards, whilst vocalist Anders Strokirk impresses with his confident stage aura and razor-sharp delivery. Albeit with some moment of stagnation, NECROPHOBIC deliver exactly what is expected; good, solid extreme metal. And they achieved just that.

Rating: 7/10

UDÅD – John DeeUDÅD live @ Inferno Metal Festival 2025. Photo Credit: Sabrina Ramdoyal

Spawned as a side project of MORK mastermind Thomas Eriksen, UDÅD‘s primary purpose is to allow Eriksen to explore the more primal elements of black metal. Unlike war metal contemporaries REVENGE or BLASPHEMY, UDÅD sits firmly in the realm of black metal that was once pioneered by Eriksen‘s countrymen in the 90s. Live at Inferno Metal Festival, under the compact backdrop of John Dee, UDÅD deliver a primal and earthly black metal experience. Material from last year’s self-titled debut sound mightily impressive here, with the likes of Blodnatten and Den Virkelige Apokryf sounding mightily nasty in the live environment. An impressive set from one of Norwegian black metal’s modern masterminds.

Rating: 7/10

TIAMAT – Rockefeller Tiamat live @ Inferno Metal Festival 2025. Photo Credit: Sabrina Ramdoyal

Swedish goth metal institution TIAMAT have a career that is fast approaching four decades and their long-standing career and blackened flourishes make them a solid palette cleanser on Rockefeller‘s main stage billing. Led by the swagger of Johan Edlund, the band twist and groove their way through a riff-laden feast and have enough bite in their bark to leave a lasting impression. It’s nothing particularly mind-blowing, but solid enough to catch your breath before the flurry of Friday’s evening billing.

Rating: 7/10

SPECTRAL WOUND – John DeeSpectral Wound live @ Inferno Metal Festival 2025. Photo Credit: Sabrina Ramdoyal

Arguably one of the biggst draws of the weekend, John Dee is packed to the rafters to greet Canadian black metal horde SPECTRAL WOUND. For a decade now, the Canadians have been whipping up a fierce reputation in the scene and their set at Inferno Metal Festival does not disappoint. Feral, vicious and captivating to witness, the band erupt and maintain a fierce energy that never dips during their time on stage. Material from last year’s excellent Songs Of Blood And Mire sound absolutely enormous here with the likes of Fevers & Suffering and A Coin Upon The Tongue igniting sheer bedlam amongst the crowd. And in Aristocratic Suicidal Black Metal, SPECTRAL WOUND have arguably one of the most infectious songs the genre has ever seen, and live, it stands as one of Inferno Metal Festival‘s greatest highlights.

Rating: 10/10

BATUSHKA – RockefellerBatushka live @ Inferno Metal Festival 2025. Photo Credit: Sabrina Ramdoyal

Rewind the clock to 2015 and BATUSHKA were the burning star of modern black metal. Litourgiya had blown minds with its Eastern Orthodox aesthetic, Gregorian chants and hefty black metal but subsequent public legal disputes over ownership rights buckled momentum and caused widespread confusion. Now, in 2025 under the impressive Inferno Metal Festival main stage, with the legal issues resolved, BATUSHKA is reborn under the stewardship of band founder Krzysztof Drabikowski and the resulting performance is as immersive as it is atmospheric. Big and powerful Gregorian chants engulf the Rockefeller as a cacophony of percussive riffs and snarls swirl together organically. It’s a powerful reminder of that spark that first struck back in 2015, and looking ahead, the future is bright once again for BATUSHKA.

Rating: 8/10

ABBATH – Rockefeller Abbath live @ Inferno Metal Festival 2025. Photo Credit: Sabrina Ramdoyal

As a stalwart in Norwegian black metal, ABBATH commands respect and admiration but well-documented struggles have impacted his ability to remain consistently solid live as he once held fronting IMMORTAL. But, under the backdrop of Inferno Metal Festival‘s main stage as Thursday’s headliners, and a billed Abbath Doom Occulta set, we’re treated to a bountiful feast of IMMORTAL classics, all performed with razor-sharp precision from a man whose purpose and drive is seemingly reborn. And the material speaks for itself. Having an opening five song run of Withstand The Fall Of Time, Sons Of Nothern Darkness, All Shall Fall, Solarfall and One By One is quite simply, fucking ridiculous, and the likes of Blashyrkh (Mighty Ravendark) and Mountains Of Might in the set’s latter stages sees many in the crowd grinning like a Cheshire cat. The material speaks for itself, but what bolsters this is the fact that ABBATH, and his flanking bandmates, are on serious good form, helping deliver a set that celebrates some of the finest material the genre has ever produced.

Rating: 10/10

Friday – April 18th

GAEREA – RockefellerGaerea live @ Inferno Metal Festival 2025. Photo Credit: Sabrina Ramdoyal

The rise of GAEREA has been nothing short of stratospheric. The Portuguese masked collective have been turning heads aplenty with solid studio releases and dazzling live performances. At Fortress Festival last year, we witnessed something special, something that signalled that GAEREA are bound for greatness. At Inferno, message reinforced. As is now customary with GAEREA live performances, from start to finish, you are captivated as the band twist and contort in perfect synchorisation with the music, helping elevate its impact. The likes of Hope Shatters and World Ablaze (both taken from last year’s Coma) are thunderous slabs of top tier modern black metal whilst Urge and Mirage are dispatched with the utmost conviction. It’s a dazzling display once again from a band who seemingly can’t put a foot wrong.

Rating: 9/10

BLOOD INCANTATION – RockefellerBlood Incantation live @ Inferno Metal Festival 2025. Photo Credit: Sabrina Ramdoyal

As one of death metal’s more intriuging outfits, BLOOD INCANTATION‘s expansive approach to death metal has seen them carve out a worthy reputation in modern extreme metal. And live, they are a force to be reckoned with. Arriving in Norway on the back of last year’s stellar Absolute Elsewhere, we’re treated to a full album playthrough of their epic. Flanked by two alien obelisks, the band proceed to take us on a journey that is equally horrifying as it is awe-inspiring as they power through The Stargate before jokingly asking to flip the vinyl before powering on with The Message. The sinister death metal riffs twist and contort whilst Paul Riedl dispatches his earth-shattering gutturals to monstrous effect. The added flourishes of psychedelic experimentation, where the band challenge us to look inwards as vintage Sci-Fi atmospherics swirl and ponder, is a wonderful component to the BLOOD INCANTATION sounscape, and live, it is a treat to experience. There is no one who comes to close to the majesty of BLOOD INCANTATION.

Rating: 10/10

KYLESA – RockefellerKylesa live @ Inferno Metal Festival 2025. Photo Credit: Sabrina Ramdoyal

Reunited and back for a select run of shows on our side of the Atlantic, Savannah, Georgia’s KYLESA arrive at Inferno Metal Festival to provide a welcome slab of sludge-soaked stoner to break up the blackened bite of the day’s action. And despite a shaky start where the mix isn’t quite right, the band quickly dust off the cobwebs and deliver a bountiful dose of rifftastic metal. The likes of Nature’s Predators and Running Red sound absolutely huge as the quartet, led by Laura Pleasants, power their way through their set like returning heroes. There’s no backdrop or visual flaire to KYLESA, just riff after riff of southern soaked metal. Glorious.

Rating: 8/10

SEPTICFLESH – RockefellerSepticFlesh live @ Inferno Metal Festival 2025. Photo Credit: Sabrina Ramdoyal

SEPTICFLESH‘s consistency since 2008’s Communion is nothing short of sensational. The Greek’s blend of epic orchestration with the primal earthy tones of death metal has seen subsequent releases, particularly 2011’s The Great Mass, 2014’s Titan and 2017’s Codex Omega establishing SEPTICFLESH as a genuine juggernaut. At Inferno Metal Festival, the band draw on their rich modern catalogue of material to deliver a bombastic, gripping and high energy experience. The Vampire Of Nazareth‘s booming rolling percussion sounds huge, whilst Portrait Of A Headless Man‘s thumping riffs sees a sea of heads banging in perfect unison. It’s a highly polished set from a band that continues to fire on all cylinders, 35 years in and showing no signs of slowing down.

Rating: 9/10

1349 – Rockefeller1349 live @ Inferno Metal Festival 2025. Photo Credit: Sabrina Ramdoyal

Although forming at the tail end of the 1990s, Oslo’s 1349 have kept the spirit of Norwegian black metal alive through their own uncomprising and icy take on the genre. As a result, the band have grown to become one of the most reliably consistent names in black metal and they take the responsibility of headling Inferno Metal Festival in their stride. With copious amounts of towering smoke blasting through a sea of striking red stage lights amidst a backdrop of Satanic imagery, the band strike a menacing presence and their discography only reinforces this aura. Whether it’s material from last year’s The Wolf & The King (with Inferior Pathways and The God Devourer in particular sounding incredible live) or firm favourites in Atomic Chapel, I Am Abomination or Blood Is The Mortar, the band deliver a consistently evil live assault, one that demonstrates why they are held with such high regard.

Rating: 9/10

Saturday – April 19th

COVEN – RockefellerCoven live @ Inferno Metal Festival 2025. Photo Credit: Sabrina Ramdoyal

Originally forming way back in 1967, for nearly six decades, Chicago’s COVEN have been conjuring their occult psychedelic rock. Helping to pioneer occult rock with their aesthetical presence, and behing held as an originator of the universal metal symbol, the signs of the horns, the band – helmed by Jinx Dawson – is a spiritual founder of metal. Although their music is a far cry from the cacophony of blastbeats, through vivid Satanic imagery projected on the screen behind them, or their ritualistic set opener in which Dawson elegantly steps out of a coffin, COVEN are a witchy good time. What helps is that they have some absolute bops to draw from, with the likes of White Witch Of Rose Hall and Black Sabbath sounding crisp and puncy, and Dawson elegantly glides across the stage and keeps the crowd entertained with her humout. “If you practise witchcraft, you can live forever, like me!” She jests at one point during their sermon, judging from her prowess and energy on stage, we’re inclined to agree.

Rating: 7/10

CADAVER – RockefellerCadavar live @ Inferno Metal Festival 2025. Photo Credit: Sabrina Ramdoyal

Although Norway is most commonly associated with spawning the iconic black metal bands of the early 1990s, the country’s influence extends to other pockets of metal. For CADAVER, they stand as a veteran of the death metal scence, with a career close to four decades. At Inferno, they are greeted with a heroes welcome with Anders Odden and company reciprocating the welcome with a well-refined and savage musical assault. The likes of Ignominous Eczema, Innominate, and recent cut The Age Of The Offended all hit with the weight of a sledgehammer with copious savage riffs and snarls dispatched with ease by Odden. And if there was ever a poignant moment in music this volatile, let it be Odden laying tribute to dearly departed festival Jean-Martin Jensen before a rip-roaring rendition of Mr. Tumor’s Misery. Just one of many tributes to a man who gave his life for our scene.

Rating: 8/10

AURA NOIR – RockefellerAura Noir live @ Inferno Metal Festival 2025. Photo Credit: Sabrina Ramdoyal

Arriving to inject a fresh bout of adrenaline, Norway’s AURA NOIR treat Inferno Metal Festival as a homecoming, and given the absolute bedlam that is unleashed from the crowd during their time on stage, that feeling is very much reciprocated. Buoyed by the crowd’s energy, the band unleash an absolute masterclass on blackened thrash, keeping heads banging and pits surging aplenty. Black thrash favourites like Black Thrash Attack, Conqueror and Hell’s Fire all pack a tremendous punch as the band blister their way with enough snarl and vigour to impress the stearnest of metalheads. It’s been seven years since their last record, but on the back of their endless energy at Inferno Metal Festival, we hope new music arrives sooner rather than later.

Rating: 8/10

ROTTING CHRIST – RockefellerRotting Christ live @ Inferno Metal Festival 2025. Photo Credit: Sabrina Ramdoyal

Celebrating their astonishing 35 year career, ROTTING CHRIST are a genuine juggernaut in today’s black metal scene. Much of this is down to their consistently solid arsenal of records, but live, ROTTING CHRIST ooze energy and community and this atmosphere translated perfectly into one of the best sets of the festival weekend. Starting strong with 666 and P’unchaw kachun‐Tuta kachun, the band craft and unleash a primal aural force, one that threatens to shatter the building’s foundations. Led by Sakis Tolis, who effortlessly commands the crowd and holds them in the palm of his hand, the band keep the momentum surging with Fire, God And Fear and Elthe Kyrie being delivered with the utmost conviction. It’s sheer aural power and utterly exhilirating to experience. 35 years in and ROTTING CHRIST are in the form of their lives.

Rating: 10/10

SETH – John DeeSeth live @ Inferno Metal Festival 2025. Photo Credit: Sabrina Ramdoyal

French horde SETH have been carving their own niche within the black metal ecosystem for some time now, three decades in fact. Using their time at Inferno Metal Festival to focus largely on recent efforts, 2024’s La France des maudits and 2021’s La morsure du Christ, SETH deliver a razor-sharp and particularly vicious assault to the masses. With the stage adjourned with prosthetic severred heads on pikes, a fitting visual reminder of the brutal French revolution, the likes of La Destruction des Reliques and Insurrection hit with the force of a freight train, whilst frontman Saint Vincent leads the assualt with utter conviction. They may have experience on their side, but based on their live prowess and renewed sense of purpose on the back of their recent studio output, it’s a captivating performance from a band whose stock is set to continue to rise.

Rating: 8/10

SATYRICON – Rockefeller
Satyricon live @ Inferno Metal Festival 2025. Photo Credit: Sabrina Ramdoyal

The finale of day three exploded with an energy that barely paused for breath after the mesmerising performance by ROTTING CHRIST. One might wonder how any band could match such vigour and intensity. However, when one of Norway’s most iconic and groundbreaking black metal bands, SATYRICON, stepped onto the stage, it marked a moment that had been highly anticipated throughout the festival. Their presence carried the weight of their significant influence, delivering a performance infused with the unique gravitas that only SATYRICON can provide.

As Now, Diabolical crashed into the venue, it unleashed a torrent of unified fury, seamlessly transitioning into classics like Black Crow On A Tombstone and Walk The Path Of Sorrow. It was a joy to watch the synchronised headbanging as the night unfolded into the early hours of the morning. The air within Rockefeller crackled with electric tension, creating an atmosphere that only decades of raw defiance can conjure from a group that has influenced black metal for over three decades. The collective energy peaked during Phoenix, as all witnessed Norwegian rock legend Sivert Høyem take centre stage and deliver an exhilarating performance. The Rockefeller crowd was fully immersed in the spectacle as Mother North crushed the audience, and K.I.N.G. brought the night to a grand close, marking another triumphant moment for Satyricon on the Norwegian stage.

Rating: 9/10

Sunday – April 20th

LAMENTARI – RockefellerLamentari live @ Inferno Metal Festival 2025. Photo Credit: Sabrina Ramdoyal

Danish outfit LAMENTARI might be one of the newer names on the Inferno Metal Festival lineup but they leave a lasting impression with a visual and aural feast to ignite the festival’s final day. A lethal cocktail of blackened death metal with extra orchestral flaire, the band ooze theatricity in their presence and songcraft. Pulling largely from last year’s excellent Ex Umbra In Lucem, the band cloaked and masked captivate as their symphonic blackened death metal connects with twisting riffs, big symphonics and expertly dispatched vocals from Daniel Lønberg. A mid-stage costume change, in which the members are blessed with incense from Lønberg before being derobed and unmasked is a subtle but impactful touch, helping shift the momentum in the band’s set. A highly impressive affair from one of black metal’s newest stars.

Rating: 9/10

SCHAMMASCH – RockefellerSchammasch live @ Inferno Metal Festival 2025. Photo Credit: Sabrina Ramdoyal

To experience SCHAMMASCH is a reflective and meditative experience. The Swiss collective’s approach to black metal is more measured in its approach, but its delivery is utterly enormous, and live, their sound translates expertly well against the backdrop of Rockefeller. Initial sound gremlins threaten to destabilise initial momentum, but ocne resolved, experiencing SCHAMMASCH is a breathtaking experience. The likes of A Paradigm Of Beauty and Winds That Pierce The Silence (both taken from 2019’s stellar Hearts Of No Light) are astounding atmospheric treats, whilst They Have Found Their Master sees the band deliver a breathtaking rendition in which the harmonised vocals cut through the meditative riffs like a hot knife through butter. It’s a stunning set from one of black metal’s most immersive outfits.

Rating: 9/10

NAGLFAR – RockefellerNaglfar live @ Inferno Metal Festival 2025. Photo Credit: Sabrina Ramdoyal

Swedish black metallers NAGLFAR have been part of black metal’s living room furniture for decades at this point. Emerging at the genre’s most influential and volatile period in the early 1990s, the Swedes have remained extremely prolific in their output and over three decades in, they resemble a finely tuned machine. And this is reflected in their performance on Inferno Metal Festival‘s Rockefeller main stage. The band power through a set that pulls upon many touch points of their weighty discography with Vortex Of Negativity finely representing their latest record, 2020’s Cerecloth, and Blades (taken from 19998’s Diabolical) given an outing to please the diehards. It’s a polished and unsurprising set that ticks all the boxes of what you can expect from a black metal performance from one of the genre’s reliable contributors.

Rating: 7/10

BYTHOS – John Dee Bythos live @ Inferno Metal Festival 2025. Photo Credit: Sabrina Ramdoyal

BYTHOS rarely perform live so to experience the Finnish black metal band live in action is a spectacle indeed. A packed crowd greet the band as they proceed to unleash a powerful and intimidating blast of black metal, made all the more immersive thanks to the intimate backdrop of John Dee. Pulling from their excellent two records – 2024’s Chthonic Gates Unveiled and 2020’s The Womb Of Zero, the band deliver an abundance of razor-sharp riffs, booming double bass drums and a hugely impressive display from frontman M.S.. Sorath The Opposer is a particular highlight where the band fire on all cylinders and leave a lasting impression. Although the crowd notably thins in the closing moments to file back upstairs for TSJUDER, we can only hope BYTHOS increase their live appearances.

Rating: 9/10

TSJUDER – RockefellerTsjuder live @ Inferno Metal Festival 2025. Photo Credit: Sabrina Ramdoyal

As NAGLFAR illuminated the stage with their precise melodic fervour, it was time for another Norwegian legend to take the spotlight on the Rockefeller platform. With over three decades of unrestrained darkness, the black metal trio TSJUDER paid an invigorating homage to the very roots of the genre. The blistering speed, combined with ice-cold aggression, captivated the Norwegian audience, paving the way for one of the most intense performances of the evening. Renowned for their unrestrainedly powerful approach, TSJUDER infused the venue with primal energy through tracks such as Possessed, Mouth Of Madness, and Kaos. The songs surged as the first half of the set not only captured attention but also engaged the hearts and minds amidst the chaos of riff and shrieks.

A significant highlight of their performance was a tribute to BATHORY, which further deepened their connection to the legacy of black metal during the second part of the performance. With bassist Frederick Melander leading the charge, the band honoured songs such as The Return Of Darkness and Evil, Satan My Master, and the closer, Born For Burning. The thrilling display generated immense anticipation, not only for the music itself but also for the immersive experience that unfolded, leaving every spectator feeling truly privileged to be part of this dark celebration.

Rating: 9/10

BEHEMOTH – RockefellerBehemoth live @ Inferno Metal Festival 2025. Photo Credit: Sabrina Ramdoyal

BEHEMOTH have achieved what few extreme metal bands could even muster, eclipsing the confines of the genre to bring a theatrical spectacle whilst retaining their aural extremity that made them such a treat in the first place. CANNIBAL CORPSE have achieved just that for death metal, but flying the black for the more blackened metal persuasion, BEHEMOTH arrive to close Inferno Metal Festival and it is an aural and visual treat. Fire engulfs the stage at numerous moments throughout the set, with the pyro blasts accompanying the crushing riffs of Ov Fire And The Void allowing your adrenaline to surge, whilst the various constume changes allows Nergal and his bandmates to successfully deliver a Satanic specatacle on Easter Sunday no less.

Despite its questionable title, material from the band’s new record, The Shit Ov God, slot into the set nicely with the likes of The Shadow Elite and the title track being received particularly well. Although there are moments where the momentum falters, with Lvciferaeon and Bartzabel not quite connecting as hard as their early barrage, but rolling back the years and getting renditions of the likes of Christians To The Lions, Cursed Angel Of Doom and Chants For Eschaton 2000 more than makes up for it. And as a thundering and triumphant rendition of closer O Father O Satan O Sun! draws the curtain on Inferno Metal Festival 2025, one thing is clear, black metal and all its persuasions has never been stronger.

Rating: 8/10

Check out our extensive photo gallery of all the action from Inferno Metal Festival 2025 from Sabrina Ramdoyal here:

























































































































































































































































Abbath live @ Inferno Metal Festival 2025. Photo Credit: Sabrina Ramdoyal


























Batushka live @ Inferno Metal Festival 2025. Photo Credit: Sabrina Ramdoyal


























































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INTRODUCING: Sometime In February

Guitar-driven progressive instrumental music has come a long way since the heyday of shredders like JOE SATRIANI and STEVE VAI. Whilst the technical virtuosity continues to escalate, modern bands in the scene place ever more importance on the quality of songwriting and the shape of the sound beyond the guitar. Bringing their take to the scene are North Carolina outfit SOMETIME IN FEBRUARY, fronted by Tristan Auman, who moonlights as a touring guitarist for progressive metal legends BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME. The band shall release their major label debut, Where Mountains Hide, this year – an exciting blast of guitar wizardry, riffs and breakdowns living comfortably alongside earworm melodies.



Auman kicked off SOMETIME IN FEBRUARY in 2020 with some solo demos before recruiting Scott Barber to record a first EP in 2021. The addition of Morgan Johnson on bass solidified the band as a trio, playing local shows in and around North Carolina and recording their self-released debut album in 2023. However, the prog sound wasn’t always Auman‘s intention. “At the time, I wasn’t even listening to much heavy music or progressive, technical stuff,” he shares, rattling off shoegaze, emo and post-rock as his main genre listening habits at the band’s inception. “But I always would go back to the more technical stuff. I kind of figured out that was my roots. I felt my baseline was progressive rock, progressive metal at its core.”



The primary influence on Auman was DREAM THEATER, serving as a branching-off point for djent bands like PERIPHERY, modern prog bands HAKEN, and instrumental acts like INTERVALS. But it’s clear that PLINI is a key influence, as well. “He’s a great songwriter and not just a wonderful guitar player,” eulogises Auman. “It’s very singable, discernible melodies in his songs. Of course, he shreds, but it’s all in service to the song itself.” That philosophy, of the central importance of songwriting, permeates Auman‘s approach. “I definitely would prefer to be known as a songwriter than a guitarist, because that’s my voice, essentially. Playing really fast on a guitar is the tool that I use to do that. I would much rather be a unique writer than the best guitarist on the planet.”


The new album Where Mountains Hide shows that focus on strong songwriting. It packs in tons of fiddly riffs and memorable hooks in a blazing, frenetic package. The writing process is, in Auman‘s words, “vibes-based” – sometimes drawing on personal meanings, but focused more on evocation of feelings than any direct storytelling. More than anything else, the album is infused with a sense of fun and light-heartedness, even in its heaviest moments. This stemmed from the first writing session for the lead single, Palantir. The band embraced its upbeat melodies, carrying that vibe throughout the writing process. “Overall, it’s more light-hearted than I was expecting,” says Auman. “I love writing angry stuff. I love writing sad stuff as well. [But] It’s kind of refreshing to have written a positive album. I’m not mad about it!”

Auman‘s time touring with BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME has also had an impact. Despite their legendary status in the North Carolina heavy music scene, he was a late convert. The relationship with the band began when Auman worked with BTBAM lead guitarist Paul Waggoner in a coffee shop. Joining them on tour has encouraged Auman to up his game with SOMETIME IN FEBRUARY. “I don’t want to come home from tour with BTBAM and then play music that I don’t feel would be up to a certain standard, like theirs.” As well as encouraging higher standards, some more direct influences are evident – in particular, some rapid, attention-deficit switch-ups in style and mood. “There’s definitely some moments on this album where you can tell – it’s a bit more riffy, a bit chunkier, a bit heavier, and that’s where you can kind of see that influence,” says Auman.



The focus on songwriting & sound craft and a growing professional ethos led to SOMETIME IN FEBRUARY calling on several collaborators. As well as a featured solo from Waggoner, BTBAM bassist Dan Briggs made several musical contributions. “There’s a lot of subtle things that Dan did. It’s not limited to one particular instrument. If you hear something in the background but can’t quite decipher what it is, it’s probably Dan getting up to something. Which was perfect!” The band also recruited Eric Guenther from THE CONTORTIONIST to support on sound design. “He really did level up this record, and we were very happy with the results.” Both contributions show an intent from the band to elevate their work beyond the guitar hero realm into something greater.

With the new album ready to go, the band are eager to push forward, particularly with live shows and touring. Auman is particularly keen to get out on the road supporting bands that SOMETIME IN FEBRUARY look up to, to continue learning and absorbing. A first-ever international appearance is scheduled in the UK this August as the band play ArcTanGent Festival. “We’re stoked!” Grins Auman. Though his touring commitments with BTBAM means it’ll be a busy weekend, playing three sets in two days. Given the talent and quality on show, this will hopefully be the first of many opportunities to experience this exciting young band play here. SOMETIME IN FEBRUARY bring both virtuosity and fun back into instrumental progressive music; expect to see much more from them in the future.

Where Mountains Hide is out now via InsideOut Music. View this interview, alongside dozens of other killer bands, in glorious print magazine fashion in DS119 here:
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ALBUM REVIEW: The Shit Ov God – Behemoth

Right, let’s just get this out of the way right now; The Shit Ov God is a terrible, terrible name for an album. English might not be Nergal’s first language so we’ll give him some leeway there, but it is astonishing that no-one in the band or their immediate circle could convince him not to use it. Somewhat appropriately, the title track is also the most cringeworthy song on BEHEMOTH’s thirteenth studio album, starting with an embarrassingly awkward chant and never recovering. The band’s attempts at being provocative feels forced and childish, and if you’ve spent more than ten minutes in the extreme metal world, or had sexual intercourse before, it almost feels like the black metal equivalent of the crudest BLINK-182 song.



It’s a tremendous relief then that the rest of BEHEMOTH’s latest is actually really good. Nergal’s continuing feud with the Catholic Church and foot-in-mouth tendencies have been a major distraction in recent years, but BEHEMOTH are still a creative force capable of producing kick-ass metal. The Shit Ov God isn’t on the same level as their all-conquering 2014 masterpiece The Satanist, but it more than holds its own against other career highlights like 2004’s Demigod.


Opening track, The Shadow Elite for example is an instant hit. It’s fast, heavy, and has a sense of grandeur that a lot of their contemporaries can only dream of. BEHEMOTH aren’t a symphonic band, but this is rich, opulent, blackened death metal and a timely reminder that even the most brutal music can be irresistibly catchy. At the opposite end of the track list, the closing duo of O, Venvs Come and Avgvr (The Dread Vvltvre) are an epic finale. The former is a brooding and ominous slice of atmospheric damnation, while the latter is a fast and unrelenting neck-wrecker which ends things on an adrenaline-fuelled high. You know that bit in NOPE where all those innocent people get dragged into the UFO? That’s what this is like, except the Devil’s there too.

In BEHEMOTH’s favour, it’s also surprisingly accessible. They’ve got a keen understanding of dynamics that makes songs like Lvciferaeon very easy to get into, even as a storm of riffs and blast beats rains fire from the heavens. BEHEMOTH might be purveyors of extreme music, but they’re also a natural progression for any teenage headbangers who like MACHINE HEAD and LAMB OF GOD and are looking to graduate to something darker. Make no mistake, this music is as savage as a hyena with rabies tearing apart a tourist who got lost on a safari, but it wouldn’t be out of place in an arena.



So, while Nergal might be rapidly turning into a meme, BEHEMOTH are still a powerhouse who can create music that’s as engaging as it is dark matter heavy. It remains to be seen as to whether they’ll ever make anything as astonishing as The Satanist again, but they’ve got more than their fair share of Luciferian anthems left in the tank. Thank heavens though, we can now easily get albums online and don’t have to quietly ask an HMV employee if they’ve got any copies of The Shit Ov God in stock.

Rating: 8/10



The Shit Ov God is out now via Nuclear Blast Records.

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LIVE REVIEW: Vio-lence @ Slay, Glasgow

Easter Sunday is usually about Jesus, rabbits and chocolate eggs, but those festivities take a back seat when Bay Area thrash metal legends VIO-LENCE are in town. Seeing as seemingly every classic thrash act has reunited in this social media age, it seems obvious that VIO-LENCE would do so for more than a one-off show. In 2019, guitarist Phil Demmel and vocalist Sean Killian reactivated the West Coast thrashers. However, Demmel parted ways with the band last year, leaving Killian the sole member of the line-up. Is an older vocalist with the rest of the band composed of hired guns enough to maintain an exhilarating and enthused live show?

Exhorder live @ Slay, Glasgow. Photo Credit: Duncan McCall

Before the headliners can answer that, another 80s thrash metal icon hits the stage. EXHORDER reformed again in 2017, after ending their previous reunion in 2011 four years later. These Americans are widely credited as playing fellow Louisiana metallers PANTERA‘s style of heavy groove-laden thrashy assaults first, yet never secured the level of success or notoriety as the cowboys from hell (and there are very clear differences between the two). Vocalist Kyle Thomas has repeatedly stated that PANTERA worked harder than EXHORDER and they’re friends with no bad blood.

As soon as EXHORDER commence their set, a respectably-sized mosh pit kicks off and two crowd surfers rapidly put the security to work. The opening song is the rebellious My Time, a track from the band’s 2019 Mourn The Southern Skies album. Considering this release was EXHORDER‘s first in twenty years, it’s impressive that a younger tune can get the adrenaline flooding the venue like this. Slay‘s sound is slightly messy though; the drums overpower the other instruments but not to the point of sabotaging the listening experience. Thomas picked up the guitar in 2020 and tonight, he handles those duties as well as his vicious rasp-shouts. He performs solidly, although has to keep looking at the neck of his guitar during the classic Slaughter In The Vatican material. The other new guitarist is Pat O’Brien, formerly of CANNIBAL CORPSE, who joined the San Francisco thrashers’ ranks last year. A punter swoons to him “You’re a legend!”, which leaves the guitarist looking very pleased and thanking the fan.Exhorder live @ Slay, Glasgow. Photo Credit: Duncan McCall

Last year, EXHORDER rolled out their fourth album Defectum Ominum, and promote it now with the likes of Forever And Beyond Despair, The Tale Of Unsound Minds and Year Of The Goat. Thomas‘ stage banter is humorous, keen and very appreciative of playing live. The band’s dynamic energy transpires into the attendees, and the hyperactivity means mosh pits never really pause for long. Of course, the crowd gets most thrashing with the SLAUGHTER IN THE VATICAN anthems. Death in Vain and Legions Of Death go down as an unrelenting storm, while a bruising one-two closing combo of Desecrator and Exhorder rally the fanatics into their most frenzied pit of the night so far.

Rating: 9/10Vio-Lence live @ Slay, Glasgow. Photo Credit: Duncan McCall

VIO-LENCE really have a high bar set to meet to match the support’s performance. The Americans set alight to the venue with opener Liquid Courage from their 1990 Oppressing the Masses full-length. This begins a set containing light speed riffs, dark tunes without being devilish and unbridled aggression that will make you accidentally crash your car – this is 80s thrash metal in its purest ideological form. Sean Killian‘s vocals often divide opinions, sounding like a hybrid of Joey Belladona from ANTHRAX and Russ Anderson of FORBIDDEN but less accomplished and with a far narrower range. However, it suits the music, and he maintains it in the live environment while possessing a theatrical stage presence. His backing band is mostly a tide of headbanging long hair, striding across the stage knowingly putting on a hell of a show. The sound works out better for VIO-LENCE than the special guests, thankfully.

Most of the vintage Eternal Nightmare and Oppressing The Masses are aired out, satisfying the most ravenous of VIO-LENCE die-hards. Engulfed By Flames, Phobophobia, Serial Killer and Kill On Command hit like a tonne of bricks that the attendees won’t forget any time soon. A lot of the vocalist’s stage banter to introduce the songs sounds cheesy, but considering the immature lyrics that often get slammed for being too much in the 21st century, it’s understandable why he takes this approach. The undying mosh pits impressively swell to occupy most of Slay‘s floor for most of the set – a fitting tribute to the notoriously violent shows they put on back in their heyday. An hour and ten minutes later, Killian announces that their show is coming to an end soon. The sound of disappointment nearly strangles all of the oxygen in the room, but the congregation does get to enjoy World in a World to lay the night to rest.Vio-Lence live @ Slay, Glasgow. Photo Credit: Duncan McCall

It’s a shame that the show has to wrap up but, but the headliners demonstrate their sincerity for playing live by ensuring they take a few pictures of everyone in the crowd. It’s clear that VIO-LENCE takes a real pleasure from performing live, especially compared to most of the other classic 80s thrash titans. Perhaps it’s because they reactivated much later and therefore appreciate intercontinental tours more. No matter the cause, these veterans are certainly still worth catching live in 2025.

Rating: 9/10

Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action in Glasgow from Duncan McCall here:

























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ALBUM REVIEW: the world is still here and so are we – mclusky

Welsh post-hardcore heroes MCLUSKY pick up exactly where they left over twenty years ago with the same hard-hitting riffs and cheeky humour they made their mark with back in the early 2000s. Despite being a band on and off for the last two decades after their initial break-up in 2005, Cardiff based trio MCLUSKY have retained their place at the forefront of the UK’s vibrant alternative scene, thanks in part to frontman Andy Falkous (or Falco)’s signature lyrical wit and demented vocal style. Now, with their first full length since Tony Blair was prime minister, the three-piece prove that they’re not just aging dinosaurs out for a quick nostalgia fuelled cash grab with their long-awaited fourth album the world is still here and so are we.



Although the lineup has changed, now featuring drummer Jack Egglestone and bassist Damien Sayell (who those in the know may recognise as the frontman of THE ST PIERRE SNAKE INVASION), the heart of MCLUSKY is still very much intact. Opening track and lead single unpopular parts of a pig reintroduces fans with open arms and a kick to the teeth with the exact same off-kilter humour and screeching start and stop pace that made them a name to watch back in their heyday but with a subtle modern sheen. unpopular parts of a pig is a thunderous stomping punk track that would’ve fit in perfectly on MCLUSKY’s earlier albums with just as many winking grins as unhinged screams.


Innovation may not be the main focus of the world is still here and so are we but that doesn’t mean MCLUSKY are simply retreading old ground, while long-time fans may be familiar with the broad strokes here there’s plenty of exciting new details and growth from the band. The track the battle of los anglesea swaps the band’s typical rapid pace for a steady stomp and replaces Falco’s frantic shouts for Sayell’s deep crooning while kafka-esque novelist franz kafka turns the dial all the way up in the opposite direction, building up around a galloping drum beat for an agitated punk feel. Over their years away MCLUSKY haven’t forgotten what made their earlier material so special but they have picked up a few tricks that keep their new album from sounding like a rehash of their hits.

MCLUSKY have always walked an extremely fine line between detached sarcasm and genuine openness in a way that’s difficult to tell which side they fall on, despite all the punny song titles and cocksure swaggering a hint of unironic depth manages to shine through. Tracks like people person and the surprisingly tender and extravagant album closer hate the polis give a rare glimpse under Falco’s mask with personal lyrics covering personal insecurities and political insights in between all the shouting and inside jokes. Rather than attempting to balance on the tightrope between their serious and silly sides MCLUSKY often say “screw it” and let themselves be sliced in half by it, leading to what could either be legitimate depth or a spiral of irony so deep that it’s impossible to distinguish from bona fide wisdom.



While other bands grow tamer and lazier with age MCLUSKY have matured like an expensive blue cheese, retaining what made them unique but becoming stranger and less appealing to those without taste. Old fans are sure to have a lot of fun with their favourite band’s return while newcomers can find plenty to love in MCLUSKY’s bizarre and ferocious mix of punk, post-hardcore and chaotic noise.

Rating: 7/10



the world is still here and so are we is out now via Ipecac Recordings.

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Alien Weaponry: The Rebirth Of Māori Metal

ALIEN WEAPONRY originally stormed their way out of New Zealand with their scintillating blend of Māori culture and a barrage of thrash riffs, and have shared stages with the likes of French titans GOJIRA in their career so far. Now coming into their third album Te Rā, with a second album that as they freely admit “didn’t quite hit where they wanted to”, we catch up with bassist Tūranga Porowini Morgan-Edmonds as they’re mid-tour to talk about how they’ve approached this new album and the changes they’ve seen in perception of the band and Māori people.



“It’s been a big change,” Tū explains of the change in writing style, “this is the first album that I’ve had a significant role in the writing of the album. There’s a good bulk of the songs that were written by me, so we’re curious to see how they’re received.” There shouldn’t be any danger in that; each single so far has been received warmly by fans. They’ve praised the band for recapturing the intensity that made them stand out originally as well as elevating the levels of groove, without sacrificing the technicality the trio have always enjoyed showcasing.



“When I started the process, since I’d never done it before, my goal was to not listen to other metal bands. I listened to ALIEN WEAPONRY to try and break down what it is that makes Lewis’ playing sound like ALIEN WEAPONRY,” he explains of settling into writing with the others for the first time. Take recent single 1000 Friends, which Tū wrote the music for, but guitarist and lead vocalist Lewis Raharuhi de Jong wrote the lyrics. Initially, the band thought it was a little too out of their wheelhouse during writing and even up to recording.

“My favourite band is TRIVIUM, and when we ran through the first demo we all said, ‘this is a little too much TRIVIUM for us!’ But it was the vocal melodies that brought it back, because the guitar part hasn’t really changed at all.” That bears out in that there’s much more of a groove influence to Te Rā than before; where their first two albums were thrashy, sometimes technically flashy affairs, Te Rā saw them take a deliberate decision to re-centre themselves on what fans had loved about them, without sacrificing their growth as musicians and people. It’s an approach that’s paid dividends, and it’s their most accomplished work yet.


It’s also, tonally, their most downcast and often negative. “That wasn’t conscious,” Tū begins, “it seems to take form when we were at home, and you’d think, ‘oh I want to write a song about that’… Lewis writes a lot of his songs about his mental health, the way he’s observing the world from his own mind and then his opinions on global issues. We didn’t decide collectively that there had to be an overarching theme, but it just sort of happened along the way because of the grim situation of the world right now.”

There’s the aforementioned 1000 Friends that criticises the impact of social media as it drives wedges between people while turning social interactions online into a pissing contest of likes and followers, while songs like Blackened Sky deal with the looming, seemingly constant threat of a global war. Elsewhere, there’s first single Mau Moko that takes in their cultural heritage. “I’m the band member with facial moko [traditional Māori tattoos] and that was about my experiences, what I noticed about the way my life changed since getting facial moko,” Tū explains, while its video also tackles the legacy of colonialism and its suppression of Māori culture and the head trade that colonial forces carried out. “There’s only one song that’s devoid of any deeper meaning,” he grins, “and that’s Ponaturi. It’s just a really fun song about killing sea demons!”



ALIEN WEAPONRY have become akin to ambassadors for Māori culture; while he notes originally in New Zealand, because of the history of colonialism it was difficult to find purchase in their home country, global adoration of their music and message has helped. There’s also been changing attitudes towards Māori people at home, with far more tolerance particularly amongst young people.

“The home reception has always been interesting,” he agrees, “the main one is that heavy metal isn’t a popular genre, and there’s an animosity towards Māori people that isn’t harboured elsewhere. Now, many years on, there’s a really awesome shift… a lot more people are proud to be Māori now, there’s a really great revival of cultural pride going on. We’re noticing people coming to our shows back home that don’t listen to metal, so they’re actually there to support the Maori side of what we do, which is really, really awesome. We played a festival back home last year, one of the only festivals that actually has a stage for rock and heavier music, and it was the first time we’d seen people complain that we were playing at the same time as a very popular R&B singer who was on a completely different stage!”

He recognises that there’s a certain amount of animosity still, but that it typically comes from an increasingly-maligned bigoted, far-right wing within the country, while most are embracing cultural pride, and by extension ALIEN WEAPONRY themselves. “There’s a lot of messaging and stories, metaphors to absorb” on the new album, but it’s safe to say, ALIEN WEAPONRY are back, and better than ever.

Te Rā is out now via Napalm Records. View this interview, alongside dozens of other killer bands, in glorious print magazine fashion in DS119 here:

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