CATTLE DECAPITATION, ABORTED, FROZEN SOUL, TRIBAL GAZE — NOV. 25, 2025 — THE ORPHEUM, TAMPA, FL

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Dec 042025
 

(Our contributor Daniel Barkasi was lucky enough to catch the Tampa stop of Cattle Decapitation’s still-ongoing No Fear For Tomorrow North American Tour, with support from Aborted, Frozen Soul, and Tribal Gaze, and he sent us the following enthusiastic report, accompanied by terrific photos made by Brittany Barkasi @Turn off the Thunder.)

To say that we’re supporters of Cattle Decapitation could be the understatement of the day. Having followed this band ever since hearing Homovore 25 years ago – how is it that long – it’s been a constant evolution for the death/grinders with the ironic name. For these ears, The Harvest Floor displayed a bit that was really on to something special, which was fully realized with Monolith of Inhumanity, at this point not being solely a grindcore act, but a homogenization of the best elements of that style smashed together with roaring, energetic death metal.

From there, the band has been on a steady trajectory of phenomenal records, whose subject matter has also gotten bleaker in their vision of the human condition. Each album since the aforementioned Monolith has given added flavor to their already signature sound, with 2019’s Death Atlas being a personal standout – a well-assembled record that digests best as a whole, whilst being more poignant than the band could have imagined, considering what was about to happen with the dreaded COVID times.

With this tour, the band are playing Death Atlas in full, so if we couldn’t have already been more excited for another romp through the slaughterhouse, anticipation was at a fever pitch. Bringing along a notably weighty trio of Aborted, Frozen Soul, and Tribal Gaze along for the ride, an unabashedly crushing of an evening was set. Continue reading »

DAMNATION FESTIVAL 2025: A REPORT

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Dec 032025
 

(With this feature we welcome a new Seattle-based NCS contributor who goes by the moniker KAOS_Agent. What he has provided in his debut is an extensive report on the recently completed 20th anniversary installment of Damnation Fest in the UK, as well as lots of his photos from the event.)

“If you go, you might as well go big.”

I could not imagine a better way to put the mentality of this year’s Damnation Festival, celebrating its twentieth year of existence and fourth year of bringing the best of black, sludge, death, and post-metal to the Bowler’s Exhibition Center in Manchester, UK. This was my first time attending Damnation, following a few bucket list items of volunteering at Roadburn last year, as well as attending Ascension festival in Iceland, where I serendipitously met an unexpected amount of folks from the Seattle metal community, including the lovely proprietor of this site.

What impressed me about Damnation this year was its ability to maintain a small festival vibe while at the same time acknowledging their own success and gradual expansion. Organizer Gavin McInally and the extended team have gone through great lengths to create a roster that brought back long-standing repeat favorites along with emergent acts that tiptoe the line of underground appeal. And as far as a milestone year, Damnation has ensured the local scene was well-represented, with a coincidental 20 bands being based in the UK and Ireland. Continue reading »

SHOW REVIEW: BE’LAKOR, PERSEFONE, ORPHEUS OMEGA (MELBOURNE, OCT. 11, 2025)

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Oct 152025
 

(Australia-based NCS contributor Tør was lucky enough to see the Melbourne stop on a recent short tour by Be’lakor, Persefone, and Orpheus Omega, and he sent in the following report, accompanied by his photos of the show, in black and white below.)

I enter The Croxton Bandroom in Melbourne on a cool early spring evening, fashionably late. The recuring infection in my left ear has just flared up, and my tolerance for nonsense is at an all-time low.

As soon as I clear the ticket counter, I am greeted by Melbourne’s Orpheus Omega who are blazing through their set. What’s on display is Australian melodic death metal at its finest: solid riffs infused with clever use of keyboards and sweeping melodies. Frontman Chris Themelco navigates the guttural and clean passages with expertise and manages to engage the crowd in the process. The band’s latest release, Emberglow, will undoubtedly please traditional melodeath worshippers as well as those who dabble in the more symphonic end of the spectrum. Continue reading »

FIRE IN THE MOUNTAINS 2025: THE DAWN OF A NEW AGE OF HEAVY CEREMONY

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Aug 072025
 

(Denver-based NCS writer Gonzo prepared the following extensive report on this year’s edition of the Fire in the Mountains festival. All photos except where noted by Jacob Juno.)

Like more than a few who will read this, the experience of the 2022 Fire in the Mountains festival left an indelible mark on me. That July weekend in the Tetons, now over three years in the rearview mirror, gave more than just a weekend of music in the wilderness to everyone in attendance. It took what easily could’ve been a risky one-off experiment and turned it into something decidedly different. Its success can be measured entirely by the community it built over those three unforgettable days.

Some of it was the incredible lineup, which included Enslaved, YOB, Wolves in the Throne Room, Wayfarer, and many others. Still more of it was the beautiful setting just outside Grand Teton National Park. But so much beyond that felt intangible, as if any human tongue lacked the words necessary to describe how it felt to be there.

I thought about all of this as I finished packing up my Subaru to the brim with camping gear two weeks ago. The wait was over. After three long years of uncertainty, the Fire in the Mountains festival would finally be making its triumphant return in a new place, rife with the potential for new beginnings.

And even though I didn’t know it at the time, the 2025 edition of this festival would not only obliterate every expectation I had for it, but it would signal the dawn of a new kind of heavy ceremony, paving the way for yet another weekend for which I’d struggle to find the words to describe.

The following recap is me trying anyway. Continue reading »

SÁTAN FESTIVAL, JUNE 5TH, 6TH, AND 7TH, STYKKISHHOLMÚR  (ICELAND)

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Jun 272025
 

(Our French contributor Zoltar made his way to Iceland again to attend the June 2025 edition of Sátan festival, and we received the following report, with a few of Zoltar‘s photos.)

Be warned, you’ll often read this same phrase over and over again in the following report: Only in Iceland…

Mind you, it’s far from being my first time here as after a first visit in the mid-00s as a regular tourist (no metal involved), I had the chance to attend a few times the now defunct Eistnaflug festival and also to be invited to be part of the Wacken Battle Iceland jury. Yet, this tiny country with a big heart never ceases to amaze me, on all levels.

And yes, only in Iceland could a festival be set up in the middle of freakin’ nowhere (that would be in this very case Stykkishholmúr for you, roughly one three-hour drive up from Reykjavik, population 1,300) in early June called Sátan Festival. And yes, there’s a twist here. The accent makes all the difference, since Sátan (look it up, google it if you don’t believe me) is first and foremost the name of a local mountain with an old legend attached to it.

Besides a hard-to-transcribe-on-paper pronunciation – try something like ‘sauthan’ – the name has actually something to do with a legend about a troll, a haystack, a horse, and a couple of extra things I’m not entirely sure of anymore… But that’s not what really matters here, as this new and up-and-coming festival (this is their second edition) encapsulates everything that makes the Icelandic scene such a special one. Continue reading »

FORTRESS FESTIVAL 2025 — MAY 31-JUNE 1, SCARBOROUGH, NORTH YORKSHIRE, ENGLAND: DAY 2

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Jun 252025
 

(This is Part 2 of Daniel Barkasi‘s extensive report on the 2025 edition of the UK’s Fortress Festival, covering the second day of the two-day event, again accompanied by his own photos. To check out his report on Day One, go here.)

Sunday, Day 2

As it turns out, running stage to stage for 11 hours taking in as many bands as possible may sap the energy reserves a little. Who knew? This was always going to be a whirlwind of an excursion, so we were mentally prepared for the madness. My body, however, said no – at least to getting out of bed early enough to grab breakfast at the hotel. Alas, we made due with some protein bars and various other food items I had picked up from a Sainsbury’s, as time was of the essence to get down to the Spa for the second day of insanity. Today would prove just as wild as the first. Continue reading »

FORTRESS FESTIVAL 2025 — MAY 31-JUNE 1, SCARBOROUGH, NORTH YORKSHIRE, ENGLAND: DAY 1

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Jun 242025
 

(We proudly present the first part of Daniel Barkasi’s extensive two-part report on the latest edition of Fortress Festival in the UK, lavishly accompanied by his own many photos. We plan to post his report on the second day of the event tomorrow.)

When deciding to travel to a foreign land, many preparations need to occur. Especially when it’s a country that you’ve never been to before. It’s true that these ears have traveled much distance for live music – we’ve been to Germany many times for Wacken (x3), Summer Breeze (x2), Party.San and Trveheim, for example – but somehow in all our travels, the UK had never been one of them.

From afar, I’ve admired several UK based metal festivals that have been boasting insane lineups that would simply never occur in North America. Cosmic Void, Damnation Festival, ArcTanGent, Incineration Festival are all ones on the list to hit up – but the mighty Fortress Festival was the one that screamed the loudest. Partially due to the mind-boggling lineup, but also the unique location, a seaside resort town known for its beach, views, history, and massive fortress (hence the name of the fest).

What better locale for two days of furious black metal, sans an old stave church in Norway? Continue reading »

NORTHWEST TERROR FEST 2025: THE FULL REPORT

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May 302025
 

(We are most grateful to Denver-based NCS writer Gonzo for this amazingly comprehensive and vivid report on the 2025 edition of Northwest Terror Fest. Except where noted, the photos are credited to PNW photographer extraordinaire J. Donovan Malley and NWTF staff.)

This won’t be true for everyone, but for me, there are perhaps no other words in the English language that have sparked more friendships than “hey man, nice shirt.”

I remembered this as I was standing on the corner of 10th Ave & Pike St. at just before 4 p.m. on a clear Thursday afternoon in Seattle. The 2025 Northwest Terror Fest was less than an hour from officially kicking off. I was in front of Neumos and Barboza clad in my long-sleeved Blood Incantation shirt amid a small crowd of similarly clad festival diehards. As usual, I was looking for Islander – both to say hi and to grab my festival pass for the weekend – and before I could even find the man himself, I got sucked into my first conversation with a stranger about our mutual love for Blood Incantation.

This interaction set the stage perfectly for the next three days of music, friends, community, and probably more beer than one man’s liver should ever be tasked with handling. It was once again time for me to dive headfirst into Northwest Terror Fest. Continue reading »

GONZO GOES TO ROADBURN 2025

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May 192025
 

(Our Denver-based writer Gonzo went to Roadburn 2025 in April. Here’s his extensive report on the experience.)

For almost as long as I can recall, I’ve wanted to make the pilgrimage to Roadburn. The 4-day affair in Tilburg, Netherlands, has been one of the most consistently raved-about experiences in heavy music on the planet for the better part of two decades, and I’d been dead-set on getting my ass there for at least half that time.

As it turns out, 2025 would be the year I’d finally get to see if Roadburn lives up to the hype.

The short answer?

Yes. Fuck yes. And then some. Continue reading »

SHOW REVIEW: SWALLOW THE SUN, HARAKIRI FOR THE SKY, GHOST BATH, SNAKES OF RUSSIA – FEB. 28, 2025, ORLANDO FL

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Mar 212025
 

(Daniel Barkasi provided us the following wonderful report on the February 28 Orlando stop of Swallow the Sun‘s recently completed U.S. tour with Harakiri for the Sky, Ghost Bath, and Snakes of Russia, accompanied by the wonderful photos of Brittany Barkasi @Turn off the Thunder.)

Personally, Swallow the Sun is a band that has meant quite a bit over the years, both to myself and many friends – memories that will never fade. A good friend even made merch in the form of necklaces and keychains for this very tour, which are super high quality and wholly unique. For yours truly, ever since having my blackened heart soothed by The Morning Never Came in 2003, these Finns have been a constant in the listening rotation.

I first caught them live in September of 2007 (17-½ years ago – time is damn cruel) on what now has to be described as a dream tour, with Katatonia headlining, and Insomnium, Scar Symmetry, and Swallow the Sun supporting. Hard to imagine that tour was real, but for me and a bunch of others in the old Peabody’s (miss that place) in Cleveland, it was quite an affirming event. Since then, we’ve managed to see them a bunch of times, and when the opportunity arises, it’s one that we can’t turn down.

Adding to the allure of the melodic death/doom legends were Harakiri for the Sky, the post-black stalwarts who have eluded me for quite some time. Add to that the pummeling sounds of Ghost Bath and the dark electronics of Snakes of Russia, and we had a varied collection of fantastic acts to take in.

So off to Orlando we trekked to a usual landing spot in central Florida – the incredible Conduit – for a memorable evening of heart-wrenching musicality. Continue reading »

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