Damnation Festival 2025: An Unforgettable Weekend of Boundary-Pushing Extremity [Photos]

Damnation Festival 2025 once again cements itself as a cornerstone of the underground heavy music world. Over two brutal days, every room is packed from the first blast on Saturday to the final roar on Sunday, with the festival delivering a line-up which epitomizes contrast. It’s a place where sludge, doom, grindcore, black metal, punk-thrash and expansive post-rock all sit comfortably side by side, and where long-serving legends share the stage with bands who are only now breaking into much bigger spaces. What ties the whole weekend together is the way each act leans fully into the moment. From polished, cinematic productions to raw, unfiltered chaos, it is a line-up that makes Damnation what it is.

We review the early sets that draw unexpectedly huge crowds, the intimate and smoke-drenched performances that feel almost ritualistic, and the mid-afternoon slots that erupt into carnage as returning favourites level packed rooms. There are bands delivering career-highlight shows, others pushing their sound into darker or more progressive territory, and some simply unleashing half an hour of ferocity that leaves you pinned to the back wall. By the time Napalm Death bring the weekend to a close with one final burst of unapologetic fury, it’s clear that Damnation 2025 has delivered another unforgettable celebration of heavy, boundary-pushing music, the kind of weekend that leaves you exhausted, buzzing, and already counting down to next year.

Saturday, November 8, 2025

Necrot

Starting the weekend with a band I’ve been desperate to see live since the release of the brilliant Blood Offerings in 2017. Necrot bring their blackened death metal antics to Damnation Festival for the very first time and it was all well worth the wait. Being one of the first bands of the day is a tough time for most bands, but Necrot draw an insanely large crowd for so early in the day and for good reason. Its 30 minutes of unrelenting, ear pummelling, stomp a hole in the floor energy. Playing a set that perfectly blends songs from albums old and new but re-intensified at break neck speeds and with a really old school, raw death metal swagger. With such a terrifying wall of sound sometimes the musicianship is secondary, but Necrot are a really technically calculated band who’s live power lays in those big galloping builds and thunderous melodies. It’s headbangers heaven and a really fun way to start my weekend.

Deadguy

Now in their second coming of being a band, New Jersey legends Deadguy return to Damnation Festival hot off the heels of releasing one of the best albums of the year so far. Not to long ago Deadguy felt like a band of folk law. This mysterious group who in the space of 3 years in the mid 90s released an album that would influence an entire sub genre, only to then disappear off the face of the earth. Here we are 28 years later, and it feels like Deadguy are just getting started! Although sighted as a metalcore band, to me they play a slowed down, more intense form of mathcore minus the over the top technical diversions. They possess some of the angriest and innovative big riffs of the weekend and meld them brilliantly with 2-step rhythms and a diy punk rock energy. They play with an unhinged and provocative stomp which cuts a fine line between wanting to dance and wanting to fight. Its a diverse, crowd pleasing set both in sound and song selection and given the carnage on the dance floor, it’s clear Deadguy are all the way back.

Portrayal Of Guilt

Damnation Festival and specifically this stage today, were built perfectly for bands like Portrayal Of Guilt. A predominantly club level band who are now on a seven year, three album upward trajectory, they desperately deserve and have earned their own time on a bigger platform. And with this opportunity comes the ability for Portrayal Of Guilt to not only play to a much bigger audience, but to also be able to creatively spread their wings and marry the dark and twisted atmospherics of their music with some big screen visuals. The main thing of note, is what an absolute wall of noise this three-piece are able to create. A deafening wave of scuzzy, blackened, extremes that snowball into gallops of tortuous noise. Often teasing moments of calm that ultimately evaporate into frantic, anxiety riddled blasts of lights and noise. The caustic vocals and huge, spine tremoring bass lines make for uncomfortable listening, and when paired with the backing visuals, this set has a real horror movie feel to it. This was a band taking full advantage of a brilliant opportunity and one of the sets of the weekend.

Orbit Culture

Orbit Culture have had a hell of a 2025 and find themselves potentially on the cusp of being a much bigger commodity than their Damnation billing would suggest. Since bursting out of the underground in 2020, Orbit Culture have finally hit that worldwide trajectory after the release of Death Above Life earlier this year. From the jump it’s easy to see that Orbit Culture are in a place where the biggest stages are where they live now. It’s a well rehearsed, perfectly polished production that feels grand and cinematic in its delivery. They have huge, obnoxious riffs and moments of all out savagery but they manage to walk that fine line of extreme and mass appeal perfectly. Its a really impressively balanced set which will no doubt hook all first time listeners and is a monumental moment for long time fans alike.

Damnation Festival 2025 (Gallery 1) @ BEC Arena (Manchester, UK) on November 8th, 2025

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Afsky

One of, if not the only true black metal bands on this year’s Damnation lineup, Denmark’s Afsky are a welcome addition to today’s proceedings. Side project of Solbrud singer songwriter Ole Luk, Afsky live in a world of beautiful, harrowing atmospherics and ethereal melodies. What caught me by suprise is how much heavier they are live than on record. They build their songs on a pyre of sadness, melancholy and traditional black metal soundscapes, with the pay offs sounding like the sky is absolutely crashing down. They convey emotion through their music in such an organic and visceral way that even those unfamiliar with the songs can connect to the palpable atmospheres they create. Having this performance in the smallest and most intimate rooms at the festival was a stroke of genius, and the stage looking like a darts match in the 80s with the most incredible amount of smoke Ive ever seen during a show, actually worked for them when paired with a hell of a light show. A captivating performance that felt like those in attendance had been witnesses to a real Damnation moment.

Panzerfaust

At the other end of the extreme black metal spectrum, we have Canadian war enthusiasts Panzerfaust. A band known for their theatrical and immersive nature, its a far darker and more extreme performance than expected. Although more palatable than perhaps the bands playing around them today, they have a really unnerving presence and the progressive elements of their sound is far more prominent and interesting in the live setting. They build a really dense and at times throttling atmosphere. Every song has mountains of layers of diverse sounds and they go to extreme lengths to avoid the traditional black metal tropes and embrace the more eccentric patterns and melodies. The dynamic between the vocalists offers an added punch of aggression when they are in top gear and makes for a really unique aspect to an already distinctive sound. A stand out performance that no doubt put Panzerfaust on a fair few people’s radars.

Deafheaven

Just when I thought Deafheaven couldn’t get any better, they roll into Damnation Festival 2025 with an absolutely jaw-dropping, awe-inspiring, leviathan of a performance! Had you asked me prior to the day, how would you like this setlist to look? I’d have bitten your hand off to hear a majority of the songs from the bands latest album Lonely People With Power for the first time, with a little bit of Sunbather and New Bermuda sprinkled in… And god love them, isn’t that exactly what they delivered. Don’t get me wrong, I love every record and every direction this band has gone in. But this grand of an occasion and opportunity was perfect to peacock the fantastic new material and give a nod the old. It’s noticeable how much more confident and comfortable Deafheaven look on stage these days. Gone are the static silhouettes of band members hiding in the shadows, instead we have a band upfront and in charge. They deliver dream like passages and soring melodies, intertwined with the sharp, scathing vocals that work as two polar opposites which perfectly compliment each other. The musicianship within Deafheaven is often overlooked due to its abrasive nature, but this is a collective of true artists who are at the forefront of innovation and progression, all be it they are now perfecting a genre they helped establish in the first place. It’s hard to find fault in any part of this set other than selfishly wishing they had double the time.

Wormrot

You don’t get many chances in a calendar year to see a Singaporean grindcore show, which is a real shame because if Wormrot are indicative of an entire subgenre, then get those bands over here immediately. Since reuniting the lineup that released the brilliant Hiss in 2022, Wormrots live shows and subsequently the entire mystic surrounding them has garnered a fair amount of social media attention, which most likely accounts for the room being absolutely packed for this performance. It’s absolutely incredible how much noise this three-piece can generate, especially when you consider that they don’t have a bass player. Easily the heaviest band on this bill, the sheer force and frightening power they generate is unbelievable. Every song is like a two to three minute stampede of sonic blasts and blood-curdling gutturals. There’s a rawness to Wormrot that sometimes masks how technically gifted this band really are, like watching a band blow your mind in a practice room. Grindcore in general is often overlooked for the talent within its ranks, but bands like Wormrot continue to show up and show out.

Damnation Festival 2025 (Gallery 2) @ BEC Arena (Manchester, UK) on November 8th, 2025

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The World Is A Beautiful Place….

It’s fair to say that The World Is A Beautiful Place And I’m No Longer Afraid To Die have seen a seismic change in their sound and focus since the early days of being a band. Once upon a time considered a post-rock, indie band, they have evolved wonderfully over the years into a truly experimental unit. Through multiple personnel changes and a bucket load of ambition, they have gone through a real metamorphosis into being what they are today. And what they deliver is a super interesting amalgamation of ideas and expression. They take the indie / post rock that got them here and fuse it with elements of dreamscape and gazey along with a tendency to rely on much heavier passages and dynamics. It’s a sound that feels like its constantly growing and expanding in front of you, like an organic idea being realised and explored for the first time. It’s also one of few chances on the back part of today to really absorb and decompress with a band who are just as likely to take off into a five minute melodic adventure as they are to try are emotionally crush you. A perfect time of the day for something wildly contrasting to the rest of todays lineup . Some what of a Damnation Festival speciality.

Corrosion Of Conformity

Corrosion Of Conformity are, for all intents and purposes, a legendary band and feels like a really big moment to have them headlining Damnation Festival. Now forty-plus years into there illustrious career, it’s mind boggling how a band who have been so generationally influential arnt regularly given the flowers they deserve. Time away to pursue side projects, multiple hiatuses and a number of personnel changes over the years may play a factor, but every time Corrosion Of Conformity come back together they never show a single sign of losing a beat. It’s an hour of sludge-drenched, doom-laden, stoner metal that shakes your bones and makes you feel like time is stopping around you. Those weighty guitars and dense, methodical bass patterns sound so unstoppable when they hit full gallop and Pepper Kennan‘s vocals are still so full of that powerful Southern grit. They casually role out a set of absolute stoner classics like “Vote With A Bullet” and “My Grain”, capping off with the mighty “Clean My Wounds” to a hero’s ovation. This was a fantastic opportunity to celebrate true pioneers and icons of metal.

Sunday, November 9, 2025

Ted Maul

Throughout the weekend at Damnation, all of the stages have been packed out and as reforming London wrecking crew, Ted Maul, bound out onto the stage, the tone is readily set for the rest of what turns out to be a savage day. Melding together splashes of modern metal, death metal, metalcore and hardcore, Ted Maul live up to their name as they set about mauling the packed room that has come to greet them. For those fans and friends who have made the long trek up from London to support the band, it isn‘t long before the first pits of the day break out and, as the first wall of death crashes across the floor, you can‘t help but stand back and nod to yourself that it‘s good to have them back.

Din Of Celestial Birds

Din Of Celestial Birds are an instrumental, post-rock five-piece from Leeds who offer so much more than what is written on the label. The truth is, their music goes far beyond being just post-rock. They experiment with vast cinematic soundscapes that blend and merge beautiful, soring melodies and thunderous riffs, creating enormous walls of sound. Each member of this incredibly talented band adds texture to the vast layers of these songs, taking their time to let them grow and build into a storm of noise. They deliver a hypnotising show that is as intensely emotional as it is impressively technical. I’d love to see Din Of Celestial Birds return to Damnation Festival on one of the bigger stages where they can take advantage of some huge visuals to accompany their outstanding live show.

Conjurer

Seeing the name Conjurer on the bill for Damnation confirms that, for this half an hour especially, Damnation is in for a right treat. An absolute wall of crushing brutality blares out from the stage as the Irish outfit dropkick this packed room into another postal area. Doomy, sludgy, savage waves of riffs pour from the stage while even the calmer moments still have you bracing yourself for the flattening gut-punch that is coming your way in a few moments. When that suckerpunch lands, it does so with such unforgiving force that you’re woken out of the hypnotic trance only to find yourself being pummelled into the back wall of this room.

Onslaught

British thrashers Onslaught are one of those bands from the heyday of the British UK thrash scene who, like many others, found a lot of love across the UK but never really burst the bubble of the more commercial successful US thrash scene. Still, here today, this was the perfect reminder as to why British thrash will always hold a fond place in the hearts of those who were around to experience bands like Onslaught at their peak. Whipping up circle pits, banging heads and devil horns can be seen all around the floor as the thrash veterans tear through a neck-snapping set. A fantastic trip down memory lane Onslaught‘s set might have been, it was also a reminder that, sometimes, the old ones are the best.

Damnation Festival 2025 (Gallery 3) @ BEC Arena (Manchester, UK) on November 9th, 2025

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Psychonaut

Another band who I would rely on Damnation to gift me opportunity to see in the live domain, Psychonaut are such an intriguing band. A week or so prior to this years festival, they released their fifth full-length record World Maker which only highlighted my need to see if and how they can replicate this bombastic wizardry. Not only does it turn out that Psychonaut at some of the most talented pure musicians I’ve seen live, but they have an absolutely incredible presence and spirit that goes far deeper than stage show atmospherics and theatrics. They have songs that are so highly emotionally driven and expertly crafted that you are transported out of the room and into a meditative state of crushing bliss the longer you watch. It’s a simple stage set up which is perfect when dealing with the overwhelming number of different patterns and layers they are constantly constructing and putting into the universe. They sonically dance between soring mountain tops and rivers of fire that sees the most beautiful and serene soundscapes plummet into anxiety riddled doom. This a technically perfect performance from a band who should be thriving for their chance at bigger opportunities, they have everything required to take that next step.

Stampin‘ Ground

Over the twenty-five years of Damnation Festival, there have been some truly memorable sets but this afternoon‘s showing by returning UKHC veterans Stampin‘ Ground has to rate amongst one of the most iconic Damnation sets. One of the most anticipated of the weekend, the quintet waste no time in levelling the room with bodies crashing around as the band rip through a cathartic “Pain Is Weakness Leaving The Body and a bone-crunching “Dead From The Neck Up”. By now bodies are spitting over the barrier as frontman Adam Frakes-Simes joins the chaos at the front. However, in what feels like the blink of an eye, Stampin‘ Ground are bringing their ferocious set to a close with a brutal, teeth-loosening rendition of ”Officer Down” with Ted Maul frontman Jeremy Gomez joining Adam on the barrier for an unforgettable finale.

Raging Speedhorn

Fellow UK metal terrors Raging Speedhorn have the inenviable task of following that but, as with Stampin‘ Ground, the Corby sluggers are no slouches. In fact, some would say that the band get better with age. Ugly as sin, this dual-vocal wall of sludge smashes you in the face with the viciousness of a pintglass to the face on a Friday night. Absolutely unrelenting throughout, the pit musters up enough energy to tear seven bells out of each other with vocalists Frank Regan and Dan Cook overseeing the mayhem like demented ringleaders. Walloping through their set, Raging Speedhorn may look like they are out of control but, in reality, you‘re watching one of the most visceral, ferocious metal bands that Britain has ever spewed out.

Pig Destroyer

Does grindcore get better than Pig Destroyer? In my opinion no it doesn’t, and given their positioning on the lineup every time they make the trip over for Damnation Festival and the Black Friday-esque queues at their merch table, this is an opinion that is widely shared. Now in their twenty-eighth year as a band, Pig Destroyer are dangerously close to being considered veterans of the game. There is nothing subtle and zero airs and graces to what Pig Destroyer do. They create a disgusting mess of noise that is catchy yet far from palatable, full of hooks and melodies but unpredictably dangerous. They sound like a hundred ideas all wrestling for position in your head but never quite making sense. An angry barrage of guitars and drum blasts, led by a vocal that flits between panic and fury, they really are so much fun I promise! Pig Destroyer perform with the freedom of a band who don’t care if you like what you hear, they are what they are and you can try to understand it or don’t. For me they do make sense (as much as such a brick wall of deafening grind can make sense) and seeing them live is always a pleasure and a highlight.

Damnation Festival 2025 (Gallery 4) @ BEC Arena (Manchester, UK) on November 9th, 2025

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Hellripper

There are some bands who just live upto their names and Hellripper are one of them. A balls-to-the-wall lesson in Motorhead-inspired punk/thrash, Hellripper race onto the stage and, within seconds, their frontman is on the barrier smashing a beer can into his skull. The rest of the set follows in similarly chaotic fashion as the band thrash through the likes of “Bastard Of Hades“ with a crowd absolutely losing their minds. It might be early evening on the second day of what has been a stamina-sapping weekend but both Hellripper and the Damnation crowd are well and truly up for a messy thrashfest and, it almost feels like this was the kind of set that we all needed to drag us towards the last hours.

Anaal Nathrakkh

It’s probably about time to rename one of the Damnation Festival stages after Anaal Nathrakh. I’m guessing they have played this festival now more times than any other band and given the love and admiration they recieve every time, this surely won’t be the last. Anaal Nathrakh are an anomaly of a band who, in my opinion, have very few peers to liken themselves to. Having released some of the most ambitious and progressive albums maybe of any band in modern metal, it’s always an absolute privilege to see them live. Starting the set by confirming that they won’t be repeating any of the songs from the last time they played here, brings a joy to my heart and a smile to my face. Roaring through a set of deep cuts and songs from days gone by, they play with an abstract ferocity and a licence to completely defy the conventional. The last 2 songs of the set are rightfully reserved for what lead singer Dave Hunt jokingly refers to as “The Big Hits” and they unleash hell in the form of ”Forward!” and the mighty “Endarkenment”, two songs that need to be preserved in a museum as a reminder to future generations of what greatness looks like. I don’t think there would be any complaints if Nathrakh were a Damnation resident band every year, which they pretty much are at this point anyway. I will never grow tired of their brilliance.

The Haunted

It‘s almost strange to think that Swedish melodic death metal machine The Haunted are now a band you could class as veterans having been peddling their melodeath metal for nigh on three decades now. That being said, watching the band ripping through iconic balls of Swedsh death metal like “Hate Song”, The Haunted almost don‘t need to prove their status as one of the finest of the modern generation of Euro death metal bands. That being said, they deliver a set that is both polished yet pit-friendly and the sight of frontman Marco Arno stalking the stage with blood weeping out of a self-inflicted headwound early on in the set, The Haunted made sure that almost twenty years since they first graced the stage at Damnation, they were going to give fans who have been with them on that journey, a full throttle performance, blood n‘ all.

Spectral Wound

No strangers to these shores now, Canadian black metal extremists Spectral Wound have really hit their stride in 2025. Having hit a hatrick of excellent releases over the past seven years, along with an aggressive touring schedule that has seen them steadily out grow the smaller venues, its fair to say Spectral Wound are ready and deserving of this opportunity. The packed out room seems to agree with this sentiment and they unleash thirty minutes of hell upon it. They play a grimy, nasty form of black metal, with an aggression and contempt that sucks the air out of the room. With traditional shrill vocals and break neck tremolo-picked riffs in abundance, they put on a real clinic for those in attendance and cement themselves as a force in the new wave of black metal.

Amenra

With the finish line not too far in front of us, our final two bands of the weekend are two that are going to drag us screaming and kicking past the post. First up, Belgian post-rock outfit Amenra, deliver something extra special for one of the most highly-anticipated sets of the weekend. Shrouded in almost near darkness bar some sparse lights and video screens, Amenra plunge Damnation Festival into a world of darkness both sonically and visually. Hypnotic to watch, the band lurch through their suffocating, dense set as all eyes and ears are trained in one direction. Already expecting something tough, at this stage of the weekend, their set is an unforgiving one. It is also a flawless one and, at this late stage of the day, one of the highlights.

Napalm Death

By the time the clock strikes eleven o‘clock and Damnation Festival is ready for the final call, what better way to sign off this astonishing weekend of heavy music with one of the icons. Yes, Brummie grindcore crew Napalm Death arrived to dish one final short, sharp hammer blow to the skull of Damnation Festival. Even minus long-standing bassist Shane Embury, on a cold, damp Sunday night in Manchester, Napalm Death are still a devasting wall of ferocity. Frontman Barney Greenway flits around the stage barking out lyrics to songs which, even now, still stand the test of time. Opinionated and unapologetic, Napalm Death rage through their set and, a tired room of nearly six thousand fans is with them all the way. Our Damnation wraps up with their iconic “Nazi Punks Fuck Off” kicking us right through to what is going to be a very unpleasant Monday morning but what a way to end this magnificent weekend celebrating the best of underground music.

Damnation Festival returns in 2026 on the 7th and 8th November. Tickets are on sale now from the Official Damnation Festival Website here.

Damnation Festival 2025 Poster