Saturday
Doors open at 11am on Saturday and the crowd are so anxious with excitement that by the first band making their way to the stage at midday, the arena already contains thousands of people. Early in the day on the Pins & Knuckles (main) stage are fast-rising, self-described ‘Medieval Fantasy Heavy Metal band’ Castle Rat. Their set made up mostly of songs from their acclaimed sophomore album The Bestiary, they waste no time displaying why they’re on everyone’s lips right now, with the scope of their stage show mightily impressive, frontwoman ‘The Rat Queen’ slaying monsters as the band score the story behind her. This is no gimmick though, the songs are genuinely impressive, and the musicianship is unreal. This is a set that’s already undoubtedly going to be in the conversation for one of the best of the weekend.
Photo by Jake Owens
Metalcore stalwarts Deadguy step on the Holy Goat Brewing stage with their recently released first album in 30 years, Near-Death Travel Services, and you can see just how much excitement they have to be able to finally play new music. It’s a set that of course also contains classics from their seminal debut Fixation on a Coworker, these getting the devoted crowd riled in the early parts of the day and screaming along to songs they’ve loved for decades. Frontman Chris Covino is noticeably appreciative of this, and it’s a performance demonstrating they still belong in the game so far into their career.
Photo by Em Coulter
Back over on the main stage, Italian melodic doom maestros Messa come armed with another lauded 2025 album in The Spin, which takes up their 40 minutes with its dynamic power, riffs aplenty, and vocalist Sara Bianchin’s stunning ability to weave her way through the bands complex numbers with the delicacy they deserve in parts, and the colossal soar they need in others. Winning droves of the crowd over as the show progresses until they have everyone in the palm of their hands, Messa prove a band that surely will be a much higher billing next time around at this fest.
Photo by Jake Owens
Swedish thrashers Orbit Culture have 50 minutes to show what they can do, yet take only a matter of seconds whipping the crowd into a frenzy by launching into the pounding title track of last month’s fifth LP Death Above Life. Mixing in a few older ragers to give fans that have been with them a while a smile, they barely let up the entire time, their power and stomp mixing with a commanding stage presence and top-of-the-game tightness to create a brilliant entrance to the evening, and winning new fans in the process.
Photo by Jake Owens
Talking of might and heft, California sludge legends High on Fire literally shake the room with the sheer devastation of their guitar tone and frontman Matt Pike’s punishing vocal. Playing a varied setlist with legendary drummer Ben Koller touring with them, the band put a mighty grin on the faces of long-term fans - of which there are clearly many - but also impress everyone else here with their ability to know exactly how to work a festival crowd at this time of day and get their energy going for the rest of the night.
Photo by Jake Owens
It’s a surprise that black metal / shoegaze hybrid Deafheaven have never played Damnation before, and the reception from the crowd as soon as they take to the stage is proof enough that this probably won’t be their last time here either. Launching into the opening track of their latest release Lonely People with Power, frontman George Clarke’s ever-flamboyant stage presence still seeming to surprise by how well it somehow couples with the viscerality of his vocals, and the band playing their frenetic part in an always solid outing, the San Francisco five-piece sound as heavy and brilliant as ever all the way through.
Photo by Jake Owens
The penultimate performance on the main stage really shows how far Damnation has come over the years - two decades ago pretty much solely featuring brutal bands, it’s now being able to showcase completely different genres, such as synthwave heroes Perturbator, and no-one bats an eyelid - moreso, most are very happy with its addition. There are of course those in attendance that have been with Damnation since the early days that have perhaps not come across an outfit like Perturbator before, but with the two-piece’s finesse and ability in their genre, along with their impressive production with a moving stage and a thumping light show, it’s hard not to be won over by their near hour-long performance of pulsing beats to bring the party into the night.
Photo by Jake Owens
Headlining the second stage, and again showcasing the diverse international nature of this year’s lineup, Portuguese black-metallers Gaerea put on a show with a bombast far greater than most of their peers, their performance ascending the typical black-metal show with their upbeat energy and crowd-entertaining nature - a crowd, incidentally, that has absolutely packed out this room to the point where it’s hard to even get in. At this point in their career, calling Gaerea solely black-metal may actually be unfair, as they impressively expand their sound here into elements of prog, post-metal and other, with an edge of just enough melody to suggest that they may just be going to much higher places with the release of their upcoming record Loss.
Photo by Em Coulter
Headlining a 20th anniversary of a fest like this requires a big name, and Damnation have pulled out all the stops to secure Southern metal stalwarts Corrosion of Conformity to ring in midnight. Showcasing their four-decade-plus discography in an hour is an impossible task, but CoC do a great job of pleasing their old fans whilst giving younger fans here an intro into a band they may not be familiar with. Starting out as just a jam with bass and drums, the rest of the band then make their way on to the stage to rip out their dirty riffs and tasty licks, looking like they’re having a genuinely great time while doing so, and it’s a lovely way to end what’s been a stellar first day of the event.
Photo by Jake Owens
Sunday
Opening up a Sunday of a festival, crowd heads still heavy from the night before and a lot of fans not yet into the venue, is no mean feat. Ted Maul, however, reforming for one night only and playing their first show in 16 years, manage it with frankly unbelievable aplomb. A band self-described as the type that “if you know, you know”, it’s fair to say that a lot of the people here don’t know what they’re in for, but the death metallers - with a fair few other surprising influences - play with the intensity and integrity of a band that never took a single day off, let alone over a decade. Disgusting yet versatile vocals pair with the tightness and havoc of the instrumentalists, and getting the crowd into a wall of death only ten minutes into the festival is a feat that proves just how special a set this was.
Photo by Em Coulter
Opening the main stage, and continuing the theme of stunning recent releases, British sludgers Conjurer play a set here following their appearance at Damnation’s pre-party on Friday night, A Night of Salvation, to a crowd in excited anticipation of hearing Unself’s songs live, and the band deliver a performance worthy of the enthusiasm. Lit only as silhouettes, the four-piece crush with the weight of their sound in parts, yet create moments of calm bliss in others. They’re a crowd favorite here, and with their messages of inclusivity and hope, it’s a charming start to what promises to be an electrifying day.
Photo by Jake Owens
Scottish speed-metal solo project Hellripper plays the Cult Never Dies stage with a group of incredibly tight musicians who altogether look like they’re having the time of their lives. The band rattle through 40 minutes of black ‘n’ roll frenzy without relenting, keeping the audience moving the whole time, and fans and band alike leave the room knowing Hellripper are a project whose popularity is rapidly rising.
Photo by Em Coulter
Anaal Nathrakh frontman Dave Hunt jests that his outfit are the ‘house band’ of this festival, this being their sixth performance here, and tells the crowd that because of this they’ve massively changed their setlist from last time out. This proves a hit with an audience that has been murmuring all weekend that Nathrakh are the band that a lot are most excited to see, and the live five-piece rip through classics and deeper cuts alike, all with the precision and perfection that’s come to be expected of them. Hunt’s soaring vocals never not mind-blowing, as well as a band this heavy’s ability to write choruses this big, and a beautiful moment dedicating their song ‘Feeding the Death Machine’ to the recently passed legendary vocalist of At the Gates, Tomas Lindberg (Dave telling the audience that it’s their most AtG-sounding song as there was no point in doing a cover since they just wouldn’t do it as well), this is one of the best sets of the weekend, and the size of the crowd suggests that maybe next time it’ll be yet another step up for Nathrakh on the billing.
Photo by Jake Owens
Subheadlining the fest on night two is Belgian post-metal masters Amenra, who play a varied selection from their impressive discography to a crowd captured from the first minute to the last, the group’s sheer visceral nature - particularly frontman Colin van Eeckhout’s desperately impassioned vocals - demanding attention at all times. Their almost hypnotic background paired with the band’s stage presence and the frank brilliance of their music is the perfect solemn way to bring in the last couple of bands of the weekend, who’ll bring something else entirely to showcase what Damnation’s all about.
Photo by Jake Owens
Second stage headliners Wiegedood attempt the ambitious and incredibly impressive task of performing their first three albums back-to-back as a 10th anniversary celebration of their debut. Creating a frankly unbelievable sound for a three-piece, the Belgian outfit showcase what the best of modern black metal is all about - unnerving in parts, brutal in others, and overall a dynamic representation of what genre can be. They’re frankly stunning and a brilliant way to close out the stage, and it’s another string to the bow of Damnation Festival - always trying, and always succeeding, to bring new and innovative ways to entertain.
Photo by Em Coulter
Closing out what has been an undeniably successful two-decade Damnation celebration are the godfathers of grindcore themselves, Napalm Death. Shane Embury taking some time away, the band still manage to put on a show as frantic and urgent as has come to be known from the Birmingham foursome, tearing through almost 20 songs from their long and unrivalled career. The entire group still with the energy of most bands 30 years their juniors, no-one else does it like Napalm, and they don’t look like they’re going anywhere soon.
Photo by Jake Owens
Damnation Festival is one you need to get to. It’s a pinnacle of heavy music, and it’s a high bar for every other festival to follow, not just in terms of lineup, but bringing inventive and exclusive performances, and having its practicalities and vibe down to a tee.
Tickets for Damnation 2026 are on sale now. Get them - HERE
