Inferno Metal Festival reveals additional wave of bands

Inferno Metal Festival is close to having a full line-up for next year’s edition, and this time we have yet another heavy-hitting package to offer: Cult of Luna, Der Weg Einer Freiheit, Svarttjern, 1914, Sadistic Intent, Hulder, Zatokrev, Bizarrekult, Swartzheim, Gloombound, Angell and Raumer. Tickets can be purchased here.

Cult Of Luna

Over the past two decades, Cult of Luna have established themselves as one of the leading bands on the global post-metal scene. With a discography built on ambitious, raw and intense works, the Swedish band has created a unmistakable sonic signature – a blend of earth-shaking heaviness, beauty and raw intensity. Their live performances are nothing less than sonic devastation, with weight and power that hit you in the gut and all the way out to your fingertips. Cult of Luna push the boundaries of heavy music with their artistic vision and have become a unique band unlike any other. We have to go all the way back to 2008, when Cult of Luna played two shows at Inferno Metal Festival – one for those under eighteen and one on the John Dee stage. Now, eighteen years later, they are headlining our biggest stage, and we know many are looking forward to having them back at Inferno.

Der Weg einer Freiheit

The German progressive black metal visionaries Der Weg einer Freiheit have never been afraid to move beyond the genre’s confines and have forged their own path with their artistic and emotional expression. On their sixth studio album, “Innern”, which was recently released, the quartet show both depth and precision in their songwriting – qualities the band is well known for. Der Weg Einer Freiheit was formed in 2009 by guitarist and vocalist Nikita Kamprad and has developed from an underground phenomenon into one of the most acclaimed forces in modern black metal. The band has played Inferno Metal Festival once before – in 2019. With a new record out, we can once again look forward to welcoming Der Weg einer Freiheit back to the festival.

Svarttjern

Svarttjern play Norwegian old-school black metal – genuine, raw and unpolished. The band started in 2003 and has since released six albums. Despite playing traditional Norwegian black metal, Svarttjern have gone their own way by including elements from both thrash and punk, in addition to their characteristic pitch-black humour and lyrics. Last year Svarttjern released “Draw Blood”, which confirms the band’s position as one of the strongest Norwegian black metal bands today.

1914

1914 come from Ukraine and play blackened death metal. The band base their music, image and lyrics on true stories from the First World War, and 1914 is also the year the war began. So far,the band has released four albums and are now current with a brand new masterpiece entitled “Viribus Unitis”. We have on several occasions tried to bring 1914 to Inferno Metal Festival, but due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine this has had to be postponed twice. This time everything seems to be falling into place, and we are looking forward to having 1914 in Norway for the very first time.

Sadistic Intent

The American death metal band Sadistic Intent first started all the way back in 1986 under the name Devastation, before changing their name to Sadistic Intent in 1987. As such, Sadistic Intent are regarded as one of the pioneers of death metal. Throughout it all, the band has been firmly steered by the Cortez brothers, who also run the record shop and label Dark Realm Records in Downey, California. For a short period, Jeff Becerra was also part of the band, which then performed as Possessed, before they returned to the name Sadistic Intent. Prepare yourself for classic American old-school death metal of the purest kind when Sadistic Intent play Inferno Metal Festival for the very first time.

Hulder

Hulder is a one-man black metal project – or rather, a one-woman project – that started in 2018 in the Pacific Northwest of the USA, strongly inspired by medieval mythology. After several demos and EPs, the critically acclaimed debut album “Godslastering: Hymns Of A Forlorn Peasantry” arrived in 2021, followed by the mini-album “The Eternal Fanfare” in 2022, which brought the project broad international attention. Hulder has since toured extensively in North America and Europe, including as headliner on the Decibel Magazine Tour 2024. The new album “Verses In Oath” (2024) combines a dark, melancholic atmosphere with relentless intensity and carries forward the legacy of classic black metal.

Zatokrev

Zatokrev is a Basel-based Swiss quartet, formed in 2002, that plays death/doom metal. Their music can be described as ambitious and impulsive, merging extreme music with esoteric folk influences. The band released their debut album in 2004 and have so far put out five records, the latest of which arrived earlier this year. Fans of Neurosis, Thou, Unsane, YOB, Ufomammut and Glassing should check out this band if they have not already done so. This will be the band’s first concert in Norway.

Bizarrekult

Bizarrekult was started in 2006 by Roman. The project later moved to Norway and has since released two full-length albums. The band is described as a blend where black metal forms the foundation, with a more post-metal-influenced expression on top. In 2021 came “Vi overlevde”, and in 2023 the even stronger “Den tapte krigen” followed – two albums filled with aggression, beauty and melancholy, powerfully and effectively woven together.

Swartzheim

Swartzheim is an aggressive Danish thrash metal band channelling frustration over a world that is destroying itself and leaving the mess to younger generations. Live, Swartzheim is pure wrath and full throttle – with no half measures. The band has already played at, among others, Wacken, Wilwarin, Viva Sounds, SPOT Festival, Copenhell Metal Cruise and Copenhell, and was voted best new live band at “Den Hårde Tone” in 2024.

Gloombound

Gloombound from Oslo is a band that blends old-school death metal with dreamy, dark, heavy doom metal. With cheeky guitar lines and hefty riffs, Gloombound create a unique and intoxicating atmosphere. The sound is depressive, evil and manic, but also beautiful, sombre and peaceful – with a hint of hope amid all the darkness. The band draw inspiration from, among others, diSEMBOWELMENT, Spectral Voice, Dream Unending, Rippikoulu and Tideless, while still maintaining a sound that is entirely their own.

Angell

Angell is a new progressive blackened death metal band from the deep forests of Telemark. “Like father, like son”, as the saying goes – and in this case Angell is the son of Ihsahn (Emperor) and Ihriel (Starofash). This also means that Angell’s uncles play in Leprous. We are therefore talking about a young musician born straight into music. We can safely expect a new force to be reckoned with in the years to come as Angell now launches his own band.

Raumer

Raumer is a black metal band from the Skedsmo area in Romerike, founded by guitarist Odin in 2020. The name Raumer comes from the Norse region Raumaríki (modern-day Romerike), as the area was known in the Viking Age. So far, Raumer has released three EPs, the most recent of which, “De døde”, came out earlier this year. This will be Raumer’s first concert at Inferno Metal Festival.