Fire in the Mountains is a one-of-a-kind heavy music festival. Located on the east side of Montana’s Glacier National Park, the land is home to the Blackfeet Nation, said to be the oldest living bloodline of indigenous people in North America.
In addition to being a weekend full of extreme metal, black metal, folk, Americana and loud, blistering heavy music, it’s also an opportunity to benefit the Firekeeper Alliance and their mission to prevent teen suicide in Montana’s indegenous community.
Taking placed from July 23 to 26 in its second year at Red Eagle Campground, Fire in the Mountains sees Sixteen Horsepower reunite for an exclusive US appearance and the return of atmospheric sludge legends Neurosis.
In addition to sets from Ruins of Beverast, Full of Hell, and Wayfarer among others, here are 10 performances that cannot be missed at Fire in the Mountains 2026.
AGALLOCH - Ashes Against the Grain Set
Named after the resinous and highly aromatic agarwood, Agalloch is quite literally black metal that evokes the scent of nature.
While they’ve always felt like more of a cold weather band, absorbing their tremendous 2006 album Ashes Against the Grain among the evergreens is a tantalizing prospect. Experiencing the unification of extreme music and nature has always been at the core of fire in the Mountains, and Agalloch embodies that principle in full.
SIGH
Sigh is kind of like waking up in a Japanese horror-induced fever dream soundtracked by haunted instruments. They take black metal in a completely insane and avant-garde direction across their 13 studio albums, each as bizarre and enthralling as the last.
Employing Japanese folk elements in the music, founder Mirai Kawashima brings that spirit to the stage. He’s decked out in traditional robes while a corpse-painted samurai rips guitar solos next to him. Meanwhile, there are flutes, saxophones, taikos and dozens of other instruments flying around.
No band that weekend will have you more confused or delighted than Sigh.
AMIGO THE DEVIL
Fire in the Mountains has very much leaned into the power of acoustic guitars and folk music across their history. Few musicians represent what the festival is about more than Danny Kiranos.
Amigo the Devil is about staring into the darkness with a wry, sometimes demented smile, and refusing to let it overtake you. His dark humor and turns of phrase are central to his music that connects to so many.
He’s also no stranger to playing in natural venues, from woods and deserts to caves and grottos.
Whether it’s “Hungover in Jonestown,” “Murder at the Bingo Hall,” “Once Upon a Time at Texaco pt.1” or “I Hope Your Husband Die”, his songs grab a hold of you and don’t let go. Red Eagle Campground is the perfect place to laugh, cry, and sing along to Amigo the Devil.
SUBROSA - Exclusive US Reunion Appearance
Doom and sludge lovers will have an excellent time at this festival, as Salt Lake City’s SubRosa return from an indefinite hiatus for an exclusive performance at Fire in the Mountain.
Featuring mesmerising vocals on a background of strings, juxtaposed with monstrously heavy riffing, SubRosa takes their time with long, epic compositions about sorrow, death and love; the kind that can astral project a listener to a completely separate realm. To experience their sonic art in the wilderness
ENSLAVED
The first iteration of Fire in the Mountains in Montana saw Wardruna headline the first night. It was a spectacle, informed by thousands of years of Norwegian heritage and music. Hearing Wardruna’s ancient and primal music echo over the same hills the Blackfeet have lived for thousands of years was an awe-inspiring merging of cultures
It should be a similar experience with the folk-viking black metal of Oslo’s Enslaved. Their mighty discography has traveled the bounds of black metal, psychedelia, progressive and beyond. But nature, wilderness, spiritualism and Norwegian folk has been at the heart of their music since the early 90s.
Enslaved will conjure the Norse gods to commune with the ancestral spirits of the Blackfeet. They’ve already collaborated with local artists, releasing the song “Spirit Helper” with Kevin Kicking Woman, an Elder of the Blackfeet Nation. It’s just a small taste of the musical power that will be unleashed at Fire in the Mountains.
BORKNAGAR
Borknagar are no strangers to conjuring the mystical and majestic mountains of their native Norway. Cold winds blow across their 12 albums, and Nordic nature is nestled into the very fabric of their music.
Having those vibrations wrap around you in the concert bowl before being thrown into the trees and over the Glacier Mountains in the distance is something that must be experienced.
YOB
Fire in the Mountains is about healing through loud, aggressive and artistic music, and Oregon doom legends Yob encompass all of those characteristics and more.
There's a certain spiritual element that unites all of the bands on the bill. Music isn’t just about rad riffs or bitching guitar solos; it’s the very nature of life itself. For over 25 years, Yob have poured every ounce of their being into their craft through a sludgy and cathartic filter.
Yob embrace facing the darkness in a gnostic and unflinching way. Appropriately, their album art showcases nature, mountains, clouds, and celestial bodies. So imagine the power a song like the aptly titled “Ablaze” will have under a star-strewn sky, echoing of Rising Wolf Mountain.
BARONESS
Stone was Baroness’ statement album. Not only the end of their color-themed run of records, it encompassed every essence of each of those albums and blended it into their best work to date.
Since Stone’s release, Baroness have been touring across the world. From dozens of overseas festivals to touring North America with the likes of Killswitch Engage, X X X XX . The four-piece is a well-oiled machine of some of the best musicians on the planet, and they make their brand of post-metal-meets-stoner-sludge look far too easy on the stage.
Sure, they have rippers like “Shock Me”, “Borderlines”, “Last Word” and “Take My Bones Away”, but their ability to turn dynamic, heartfelt songs like “Shine”, “Eula” and “Cold Blooded Angels” – while adding a tinge of folk to Stone – makes them a perfect fit at Fire in the Mountains.
BETWEEN TWO WORLDS - 20th Anniversary Set
In 2006, Abbath (ex-Immortal), Ice Dale (Enslaved), Armagedda (ex-Immortal) and TC “King Ov Hell” King (ex-Gorgoroth) – known simply as I – released a thrilling black ‘n’ roll album called Between Two Worlds.
20 years later, as the album has gained status as an unheralded cult class, the band have announced an exclusive reunion at Fire in the Mountains where they will play the record in full.
From the instant breakneck pace of opener “The Storm I Ride” through the theatrical title track and the evocative journeys of “Far Beyond the Quiet” and “Days of North Winds”, the album trods paths not made before or since.
Though Montana in late July tends to be a little warm, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a blizzard spawn over the festival during Between Two Worlds.
NEUROSIS
Neurosis returns to the stage exclusively at Fire in the Mountains.
Not only is it their long-awaited return from an unknown and potentially disgraceful hiatus, but it’s also the unveiling of their surprise new record An Undying Love for a Burning World with new vocalist Aaron Turner.
The record was surprise released along with their announcement of their headlining set at Fire in the Mountain. Steve Von Till’s involvement as Vice Chairperson of the Firekeeper’s Alliance played a massive part in both this performance and the new album.
This festival is about healing. When Neurosis strums their first droned chord, the musicians on the stage, the people in the crowd, the kids from the reservation, and everyone in between will have a healing moment that they can hopefully take back to their own communities.
If you were someone who thought this might never happen, who dreaded the end of Neurosis, you owe it to yourself – and the band – to see this return in person.
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Fire in the Mountains takes place from July 23 to July 26 at Montana’s Red Eagle Campground. Find out more info or purchase tickets here.
