Part IV of Zware Metalen goes on holiday to Norway. After festivals Tons of Rock in 2019, Inferno Metal Festival in 2023 and Beyond the Gates last year, we return to the incubator of black metal. ‘True North Beckons’, as Vemod would say. More than fifty bands adorn the line-up of the Inferno Metal Festival in Oslo, which promises a lot of beauty this edition. And beautiful it was. So it’s time to highlight a few of the gems.
Inferno Metal Festival traditionally takes place over the Easter weekend, from Maundy Thursday to Easter Sunday. On Thursday and Friday, there is also the Inferno Music Conference. This takes place at the centrally located festival hotel, Clarion The Hub. Bobos from all over the world descend there for panels on developments in our beloved genre and the music industry. Clarion The Hub is also the place for afterparties (not only in the rooms, but also with DJs at the hotel bar), a proper metal bingo, auction and art exhibition.
A few minutes’ walk away is the main stage: the Rockefeller. In the same building, there is the John Dee for a more intimate setting. Without overlap, the concerts alternate so you don’t have to miss a single thing. Scattered around the city, however, there are even more performances to experience in bars throughout the day.
Inferno kicks off for me on Thursday afternoon with Dødheimsgard at the Rockefeller. After no less than 12 rehearsals, the motley band -ten men/women strong- delivers a downright magisterial performance. I always get very happy with Vicotnik live anyway, but the carefully curated setlist, the violin playing during Tankespinnerens smerte and the synth duo going wild during It Does Not Follow increase my grin considerably. Kvohst of Hexvessel once again joins in for a vocal contribution on The Snuff Dreams Are Made Of. Not long after, I make my way to the John Dee not to miss a second of Syn‘s performance. This Norwegian black metal band signed to quality label Terratur Possessions impressed me a lot on record. The singer seems like a cousin of Dead on stage, how he becomes one with the music in an almost maniacal way. Fantastic to witness this live! Something that will not be possible very often in the Benelux. Just like Udåd, who will give their debut show at the John Dee after Necrophobic‘s more light-hearted performance (Tsar Bomba remains fun to see live). Udåd is the new band of Thomas Eriksen, known for Peaceville gem Mork. Mesmerised, I float in the atmosphere, carried by just a few riffs, a blastbeat here and there and tormented vocals. No embellishments, no cosy talk in between. Letting the music speak for itself is something the Norwegians do incredibly well. I wouldn’t have missed this for anything! I opt for the ultimate energetic end to this wonderful festival day: Spectral Wound, the black metal titans from Canada. Savage, fierce and ferocious!
Dødheimsgard by Uncle Allan Photo
Syn by Sotiris Zikas – Vfor5
Udåd by Sotiris Zikas – Vfor5
Spectral Wound by Uncle Allan Photo
Good Friday is indeed a good Friday with a spectacular performance by Gaerea, for me one of the reasons to go to Inferno again. With a brand new stage production and a perfect new album under their belt, Coma, they once again live up to the high expectations. The promotion to a spot on the main stage is well deserved and also much needed to accommodate their large fan base. Long before the venue opens, the streets around Rockefeller are already filling up with crowds. It’s great to see how this band is growing. Not linearly, but exponentially. Goosebumps galore. Bravo!
Gaerea by Sotiris Zikas – Vfor5
From number three in our Year List, we go to number one: Blood Incantation is here to perform the instant classic Absolute Elsewhere in its entirety. And does so in a mindblowing way. With great conviction. We’ll definitely revisit this gem next month in a sold-out Tivoli in Utrecht, or Trix in Antwerp. I have actually already seen enough to go back with a very satisfied feeling, but Non Est Deus will still take the stage at the John Dee. This black metal band is the brainchild of the brilliant Noise, whom we know well from Kanonenfieber. His hired guns for tours with Kanonfieber are also the live musicians for Non Est Deus. And what a sincere and compelling performance these Germans bring. Sprinkled with holy water, I gladly join in the captivating protest against religion, ‘a disease in the human mind’. Delightful Easter spirit. For a change, I end Good Friday with a levelling doomsday rave by John Cxnnor at the burlesque bar Goldie, while moments later 1349 sets Rockefeller ablaze. For those wondering, the drumsticks of Frost, who performs with Satyricon in Stockholm this evening, come in the capable hands of Kevin Kvåle (Gaahls Wyrd).
Blood Incantation by Sotiris Zikas – Vfor5
Non Est Deus by Uncle Allan Photo
John Cxnnor by Uncle Allan Photo
Holy Saturday gets off to a slightly later start, only to quickly release all the pent-up energy with Rotting Christ. Completely against my expectations, this performance – after a disappointing show in 013 a week earlier – turns out to be one of the highlights. This is due to a rock-solid setlist, a band that is immensely keen to play here and a fantastic atmosphere in the moshpit. The band members shine and give their all. Songs I missed in Tilburg, such as King of a Stellar War, In Yumen Xibalba, …Pir Threontai and The Raven make for a great party in the pit. Laughing, jumping, dancing, pushing, pulling. And then crowdsurfing to my anthem, Non Serviam. Icing on the cake!
Rotting Christ by Uncle Allan Photo
Time to hydrate and catch one’s breath (‘mosh’ is a welcome workout option on your smart watch) before Satyricon kicks off. In terms of popularity, the Backstreet Boys of Norway. It’s extra special to experience a show in their homeland. The Norwegians are very proud and big fans. You can tell immediately by the dynamics. Whereas in the Benelux countries you hardly ever see a moshpit get going and Satyr even has to ask for it, like with Fuel for Hatred, here the crowd goes wild from the very first moment. Now, Diabolical! Literally and figuratively. The bruises all over my body will serve as a nice souvenir of this fantastic evening for a long time to come.
Without any frivolities, Satyr and Frost bring Inferno’s most memorable show. The setlist is one I could only dream of. After Now, Diabolical comes a refined version of Repined Bastard Nation (‘a darkness we cannot tolerate’!) from Volcano. This explosion of euphoria is followed by another with Black Crow on a Tombstone (The Age of Nero). Best drums ever? The pace slows down a bit with Deep Calleth Upon Deep before going all-out again on Walk the Path of Sorrow (Dark Medieval Times). Time for more old hits: Du som hater god (Nemesis Divina), Hvite Krists død (The Shadowthrone), Rhapsody in Filth and Filthgrinder (Rebel Extravaganza).
Satyricon by Johannes Andersen
The album Now, Diabolical returns with The Pentagram Burns (yes!) and To the Mountains, which Satyr dedicates to Jan-Martin Jensen, the founder of Inferno, who sadly passed away earlier this year. A man who meant an incredible deal to the metal scene in Norway. This makes it an extra-charged edition of his festival and many artists pay tribute to him.
Satyricon presents a big surprise with a guest appearance by none other than Sivert Høyem (Madrugada). How great to see the hit Phoenix with his vocals live! Everyone sings along word for word, what a wonderful experience. We hold on to that singing along for a while for closers Mother North and, of course, K.I.N.G.. Climbing down to rule Inferno! This performance alone is worth my trip to Oslo, thank you gentlemen!
Satyricon by Johannes Andersen
Finally, Easter Sunday brings more fine black metal. As a United Nations of Black Metal, we see successively Naglfar from Sweden, Bythos from Finland, Tsjuder from Norway, Celeste from France and Behemoth from Poland. Where Naglfar brings almost a party with its melodic black metal, Bythos sets a more serious tone. I am very charmed by the imploring vocals of Hoath Torog, also vocalist of Behexen. There are furthermore the members Infection and Kassara of Horna. So then you know enough. This is a must-see. The new album, Chthonic Gates Unveiled, comes off well with Wolves of Hades, among others. Lovely!
Naglfar by Johannes Andersen
Bythos by Johannes Andersen
Three-piece Tsjuder also let us enjoy ourselves again. It’s great to hear one of my very first black metal songs, Mouth of Madness, live. How cool I thought that was back then, this is true nostalgia. New work, like Gods of Black Blood, is also pure enjoyment. The last half-hour of the set is a tribute to Bathory, together with Frederick Melander. He was briefly the bassist of this legendary band in the early 1980s and has also been playing bass parts live for Tsjuder since 2017. The contrast with Celeste is big. Very big. Still, it is great to dream away while nodding with De Tes Yeux Bleus Perlés, in my opinion, one of the best post-black metal songs.
Tsjuder by Johannes Andersen
Celeste by Johannes Andersen
To the supreme Behemoth the honour of closing Inferno. The audience is tired, mostly drunk and yet ready to go berserk one last time. As three planets in the same constellation, Behemoth is touring Europe with Satyricon and Rotting Christ under the banner Unholy Trinity. The Rockefeller (capacity: 1,300 people) is the smallest venue in the event. Singles from the forthcoming album (The Shit ov God, 9 May) are already doing surprisingly well live. The introduction of Demigod gives goosebumps from head to toe time after time and Conquer All also exhibits the invincible level every time. With perfect sound and stage production taken to a new level again, Behemoth lives up to its headlining status with ease. More fire, more effects, more outfit changes than during an average Taylor Swift show. It is striking how well a song like Christians to the Lions does in Norway. The audience goes totally frenzied. Chant for Ezkaton 2000, of course, also guarantees what we will call ‘audience participation’. Hail Satan! However, I can already feel the melancholy rising with the encore, O Father O Satan O Sun!. The end of Inferno is now definitely in sight. A stunning performance -as always with this song- brings a lump to my throat. Nergal sings ‘I’m most complete, yet so undone’ and this is exactly how I feel now after four days of Inferno.
Behemoth by Uncle Allan Photo
In 2025, too, Inferno proves to be one of the world’s best metal festivals. In doing so, I see the strength of not growing coûte que coûte, but keeping it small-scale in its current set-up. In general, the level of performance is incredibly high. The reason for this may be that the international industry gathers here for the Inferno Music Conference. With a heavy delegation in your audience, consisting of all those record labels, booking agencies, festival organisers, journalists and promo companies, you simply don’t want to give a bad show. So the best shows will be seen here, in beautiful Oslo, over the Easter weekend. Early bird tickets are already on sale, so get them in before the festival sells out again!
Part V of Zware Metalen goes on holiday to Norway is already in preparation, by the way. More on that later!
Date and location
17 april 2025, Oslo
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