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Since 2001, when Easter weekend falls across Norway’s capital Oslo, what should be a celebration of new life becomes a weekend of darkness for metal aficionados; Inferno Metal Festival. For over two decades, a cohort of extreme metal’s finest heavyweights and venomous underground filth descend to the spiritual home of where black metal revolutionised the world. 2025’s event is no different with a staggeringly impressive lineup across four days this April. However, with the news that festival founder and organiser, Jan-Martin Jensen, sadly passed away in February, 2025’s festival will be more than a weekend of extreme metal; it will be a fitting tribute to a man who gave his life to heavy fucking metal.
Ahead of Inferno Metal Festival 2025, we digest the lineup to give you the top 10 bands we are most anticipated for at this year’s event. If you’re making the pilgrimage to Oslo, or want to discover some extreme metal treats, read on!
GAEREA – Friday, April 18 – Rockefeller
Portugal’s GAEREA have the metal world in a stranglehold. Capitalising on the lull and isolation of the pandemic, 2020’s Limbo announced the band to the world and their stock has risen dramatically ever since with 2022’s Mirage continuing their upwards trajectory. Their fusion of black and death as they explore the swirl of the vortex is encapsulating, especially on the live front, with the band’s anonymous frontman twisting and contorting in perfect synergy with their aural chaos. Last year’s Coma and their astonishing performance at Fortress Festival here in the UK cemented GAEREA as a genuine heavyweight in black metal. We cannot wait to see what they conjure at Inferno.
ROTTING CHRIST – Saturday, April 19 – Rockefeller
For over 35 years, Greece’s ROTTING CHRIST have been on an endless campaign to remain at the forefront of the extreme metal scene. Their storied career has seen the band undergo numerous stylistic changes but retain a commanding respect. Their recent run over the past decade has been immaculate with 2016’s Rituals, 2019’s The Heretics, and last year’s Pro Xristoy being lapped up with sheer glee. The way in which the band can create an enormous earthly tone whilst being accessible enough to make a connection is incredibly impressive and it will be on full show at this year’s Inferno. Expect a victory lap from one of black metal’s hardest working bands.
SCHAMMASCH – Sunday, April 20 – Rockefeller
Switzerland’s occult collective SCHAMMASCH have conjured intrigue and fellowship over the past 16 years. Since forming at the tail-end of the noughties, the band have forged a truly impressive sound and their ambitious approach to crafting extreme metal is genuinely exhilarating. Take 2016’s staggering triple album Triangle. A hugely ambitious effort that put the SCHAMMASCH on the map. Subsequent releases (2019’s Hearts Of No Light and last year’s The Maldoror Chants: Old Ocean) only have reinforced their impressive reputation. It’s somewhat fitting the band grace Inferno on Easter Sunday itself, albeit the forthcoming ritual will be quite different!
BLOOD INCANTATION – Friday, April 18 – Rockefeller
Denver’s BLOOD INCANTATION have an approach to death metal that conjures desire to explore the unknown. Themes of ancient alien civilisations, mysticism, the terrifying inner works of existence, nothing is off limits and these concepts sit at the heart of the BLOOD INCANTATION template. Live, the band are a force to be reckoned with and this year’s Inferno Metal Festival sees the band proudly represent the death metal arm of the festival. Marking their debut at the festival no less, expect a cosmic, weird and utterly mesmerising performance at Inferno where material from the likes of 2019’s Hidden History Of The Human Race will have you question your very existence. Plus, we’ll have the added treat of hearing material from last year’s stunning Absolute Elsewhere. Strap yourself in, it’s going to get cosmic and weird.
SETH – Saturday, April 19 – John Dee
French black metal horde SETH have enjoyed somewhat of a renaissance in their second coming. Since reforming in 2011, the band have carved their own space in the black metal scene with their vicious approach to the genre. Romanticising their country’s rich history, spanning from 2019’s Notre-Dame fire that is strikingly represented on 2021’s La Morsure Du Christ or the turmoil of the French revolution in last years’ La France des maudits. The band’s national identity bleeds into every book and cranny of their DNA, with last year’s album being entirely written in French Alexandrine by vocalist Saint Vincent. It’s this authenticity that helps set SETH apart in a crowded market and we are confident they will be a standout at this year’s Inferno Metal Festival!
BEHEMOTH – Sunday, April 20 – Rockefeller
Polish juggernauts BEHEMOTH have risen to a level that defies logic, especially for an extreme metal band. Their storied career and 21st Century boom has seen the Poles catapult to one of the biggest names in metal and at this year’s Inferno, the band look to close the festival in thunderous fashion. A BEHEMOTH live show in 2025 is a spectacle with enough tricks and sinister visual cues to conjure a devilish atmosphere. Just look at the band’s staggering show during the pandemic, 2020’s In Absentia Dei, a performance that pushed the boundaries of what extreme metal live can do. At Inferno, we can expect a memorable and explosive live show from one of our leading theatrical heavyweights. Whether it’s the likes of the alluring Bartzabel, the bombastic Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel or the sheer aural firepower of Ov Fire And The Void, BEHEMOTH have the arsenal of songs to accompany the visual flare. And with their performance coming ahead of album number 13, The Shit Ov God, we can’t wait to hear how their new material stacks up.
KYLESA – Friday, April 18 – Rockefeller
Holy shit, this is going to be good. Georgia’s finest sludge metallers KYLESA have sorely been missed since going on hiatus in 2016, but 2025 marks a special year. The band have awoken from hibernation. Performing at just a select few festivals through out the year – including ArcTanGent here on UK soil and Roadburn in the Netherlands, those at Inferno will be blessed with a rare chance to see one of the coolest bands in heavy music. Expect a bucketload of wicked sludgy riffs with the likes of Scapegoat and Unspoken set to become highlights of the weekend. Although there’s no confirmation that we will see a follow-up to 2015’s Exhausting Fire, for now, we have an opportunity to bask in the finest American sludge. We cannot wait.
TSJUDER – Sunday, April 20 – Rockefeller
Although they may not boast the same notoriety against some of their fellow countrymen, Norwegian black metallers TSJUDER have enjoyed a long and sustained career. Since the release of their first demo in 1995, the band have remained a consistent presence in the scene and at this year’s Inferno Metal Festival, fans will have the opportunity to see the band ignite on home soil. Plus, this year’s performance is bolstered by the fact its split into two performances; the first being a set of their own material and the second being a BATHORY tribute set, in which they will be joined by co-founding BATHORY bassist Frederick Melander.
BATUSHKA – Thursday, April 17 – Rockefeller
Pre-2017, BATUSHKA were the poster child of the black metal scene. 2015’s Litourgiya – a record that effortlessly fuses black metal ferocity with intense atmospheric Eastern Orthodox mysticism – was critically acclaimed and their live performances, such as 2017’s astonishing set at Scotland’s North Of The Wall, cemented BATUSHKA as a genuine established force within modern black metal. Although very public and ugly legal disputes over ownership rights marred the BATUSHKA name, the subsequent schism finally resolved last year with band founder Krzysztof Drabikowski retaining the BATUSHKA rights whilst Bartłomiej Krysiuk engages with his new endeavour PATRIARKH. At Inferno, Easter gives the gift of the rebirth of BATUSHKA under Krysiuk‘s name with enough theatrics and black metal flare to make their festival debut a memorable one.
SIBIIR – Thursday, April 17 – Goldie
Although Inferno‘s big draws is often the international heavyweights of extreme metal, the festival plays an important part in curating homegrown talent and each year, the festival welcomes a host of Norwegian bands and this year, SIBIIR are flying the flag. The Oslo-based band have been crafting a wicked blend of black metal and hardcore for over a decade now and 2019’s Ropes was a firm favourite of ours here at Distorted Sound. On the back of last year’s Undergang, the band arrive at Inferno on day one with momentum on their side. We are bracing ourselves for one of the nastiest sets of the weekend!
And that wraps up our top picks for this year’s Inferno Metal Festival! If you’re making the pilgrimage to Norway, who are you most excited to see? The Distorted Sound team will be on the ground in Oslo at this year’s festival bringing you all the latest!
Inferno Metal Festival takes place in Oslo, Norway from April 17th-20th 2025. Tickets are available now and can be purchased here.
For more information on the festival like their official page on Facebook.
The post Top 10 bands you must watch at Inferno Metal Festival 2025 appeared first on Distorted Sound Magazine.
