It’s almost time again: during the Easter weekend, Inferno Metal Festival will once more turn Oslo pitch black. From 17 to 20 April, Norway’s capital will be flooded with metalheads from all over the world, gathering in the city that gave birth to black metal. As Norway’s most iconic metal festival, Inferno is the place to celebrate our love for metal in all its forms. Passion knows no borders, which is why Zware Metalen is making its second pilgrimage to Oslo.
This year’s edition has a lot to offer. The line-up is enough to make any metal fan’s heart race. Thankfully, you won’t miss a single set. The bands perform on two stages (the large Rockefeller stage and the more intimate John Dee) located in the same building, with no overlapping performances. During the day, however, you’ll be spoilt for choice:
- Club gigs scattered across the city
- Art exhibition in the festival hotel, featuring work by none other than Kristian Espedal
- ESP Guitar Clinic with Behemoth’s guitarists and a drum clinic by SepticFlesh
- Tattoo convention
- Metal fashion show
- Edvard Munch walking tours around the city
- Bus excursions with Anders Odden to legendary black metal sites like Holmenkollen Chapel and Langhus Station, where you can recreate the iconic Mayhem photo
- A wide range of museums, including the Munch Museum and the National Museum with its exhibition Gothic Modern: From Darkness to Light
- A boat trip to the Gol stave church at the Norsk Folkemuseum
- Hiking in (hopefully snow-covered) forests, just a metro ride away from the city centre
- The infamous black metal cellar in Euronymous’ former record shop Helvete (now Neseblod Records)
On Thursday and Friday, the Inferno Music Conference also takes place in the festival hotel Clarion The Hub. Experts from around the world come together to dive into topics such as the cultural influence of Norse mythology in modern media and its popularisation and misinterpretation (featuring none other than Guðni Th. Jóhannesson, former President of Iceland, and Johan Hegg of Amon Amarth), metal in the Middle East, metal’s rise into the mainstream, the new generation of metal bands and fans, and much more.
But let’s be honest, it’s all about the bands. While black metal is heavily represented, there’s also a generous dose of death, thrash, and even some doom metal. Maundy Thursday will turn black soon enough with Abbath headlining, supported by blackened acts like Dødheimsgard, Udåd, Syn, Spectral Wound and Necrophobic. Good Friday lives up to its name with the likes of Gaerea, Blood Incantation and 1349, whose blistering performance will no doubt recall the arrival of the Black Death in Norway 676 years ago. On Holy Saturday, Norway takes centre stage with national pride Satyricon, alongside thrash legends Aura Noir and death dealers Cadaver. And Easter Sunday will be gloriously blasphemous with Polish powerhouse Behemoth leading the charge, joined by Naglfar, Tsjuder and many more. Let the crosses burn!
Naturally, the festival is already close to being completely sold out. So if you want to be part of Oslo’s beating metal heart this Easter, don’t wait. For more details, check out the Inferno Magazine.
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