Midgardsblot 2026 — Days 3 and 4

Following our first and second days’ report, we continue to describe Midgardsblot 2026, set in Borre, Vestfold, Norway, on August 12-16.

On the third day, I unfortunately had to skip Vreid and Vėlių Namai. The first one is a symphonic black band that delivered a very convincing performance days earlier at Hellsinki Metal Festival. Vėlių Namai, a ritualistic dark folk and techno project rooted in Baltic pagan traditions, was later unanimously praised by those who attended as one of the strongest performances at Midgardsblot. Some, however, praised mostly the three songs played with the guest Espen Winther (Eldrim, Folket Bortafor Nordavinden).

Nargaroth

Nargaroth is a quite old German Black metal band, which, however, performed its first show in Norway only now.

I Am Morbid

Featuring original Morbid Angel members David Vincent and Pete “The Feet” Sandoval, I Am Morbid delivers the raw power and intensity that helped define extreme metal playing Morbid Angel covers.

SKÁLD

French SKÁLD may sound a little mellow on the record, but they are unbeatable live. It is usually harder to “conjure” the specific vibe outdoors comparing to Gildehallen shows, but SKÁLD did it with ease, triggering savage dance pits in the crowd.

Turbonegro

A cult old-school punk rock band from Norway — Midgardsblot tries to feature prominent local talent usually, albeit the entire lineup sometimes looks a bit eclectic. However, this one was quite a success, with lots of stage diving taking place.

Koldbrann

Fourth day of the festival started for me with Koldbrann — black metal veterans led by Mannevond, who delivers a prominent stage presence. One of the most compelling and tight sets of the day.

Einherjer

Einherjer is a Viking metal band from Haugesund, Norway, founded in 1993. Their topics naturally fit the festival perfectly, as the band is known of alternating black metal and folk influences. The local reenactment club Borrefylkingen typically makes a “chainmail pit” at these shows and also ended up on stage for the last few songs.

Forndom

Forndom is an ambient ritualistic folk project of Ludvig Swärd. The musician is known for their very particular and serious views on the folk scene and spirituality. It was made obvious that the performance has deep pagan roots: the stage featured an altar which Ludvig splashed some sacrificial blood on, and all the musicians were also drenched in blood.

Shortly after the altar part, there was a lightning warning, and the band didn’t get to finish the set. Looked like the ritual “worked” a little bit too much. The festival had to stop completely, but thankfully the next bands weren’t affected, and Forndom finished their set later in the evening.

Nebala

Nebala is a project of Jonas Lorentzen, and the new album “Rites of Passage” was in the making for the last few years. This year, albeit not yet released, it was given an inaugural performance at the festival. Jonas remains in tight connection with Christoper Juul from Heilung, who was working a lot on the album sound. It is hard for an outsider to say how much of the performance effect came from the Heilung composer being on board, but that was a seminal moment for the band as the gig made many people weep with emotion. The set featured some symbolic movements on stage, again with some “blood”. The band aims to release a recording of the event at some point.

Runahild

A traditional closing of the festival by dancing foltronica of Runahild. Another constant thing on the festival and a fitting goodbye for this year’s edition.

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