Damnation Festival 2024 is set to be another big one. After the successes of 2022 and 2023, the largest indoor metal festival returns to Manchester on November 1st and 2nd, 2024.
You can buy tickets for this year’s event here.
A NIGHT OF SALVATION
A Night Of Salvation is still a relatively new venture for the festival. Taking place the night before the festival, A Night Of Salvation has a killer bill, equivalent to that of Damnation. In 2023, Enslaved played both nights with a different album being played each night. Album sets are one thing that sets this festival apart; they manage to curate a bill that sees several bands playing albums in full to commemorate a given anniversary. This year is no different.
LOU’S BREWS STAGE
Lou’s Brews Stage plays host to a range of special sets. Insanity Alert return to Damnation after a brilliant performance in 2022. Expect to gear up on insanity and enjoy tracks from the bands latest EP; Moshemian Thrashody. Hopefully we’ll get to hear Beer In The Park – a wonderful take/parody on the Iron Maiden classic, Fear Of The Dark.
Discharge step in for Sick Of It All, who sadly had to pull out. They’re going to be taking us back to Hear Nothing See Nothing Hear Nothing. Showcasing why they are such a revolutionary band, the OG hardcore punks will be a sure fire hit. Employed To Serve keep up the hardcore intensity with a full performance of their 2023 album, Conquering. THe Discharge/Employed To Serve back to back will be a ferocious few hours of music.
In 2013, German post metal group, The Ocean, released their magnum opus, Pelagial. At A Night Of Salvation, they will perform the album in full They will bring a little respite in proceedings with mellower moments. This performance will be extra special as it will be the last time the band perform this album with this line up. It is an exclusive just for Damnation’s A Night of Salvation.
To top off A Night Of Salvation on Lou’s Brews Stage, Polish technical death metal titans, Decapitated will perform an exclusive album set. The Negation, released in 2004 via Earache Records, is another exclusive set for Damnation/A Night Of Salvation. In addition to The Negation, the band will air some of their other choice cuts. It is going to be one not to miss.
CULT NEVER DIES STAGE
For the uninitiated, Cult Never Dies is a music/book publisher founded by black metal guru, Dayal Patterson. For years, they have been in and around the festival offering their fantastic wares. If you haven’t seen their range of fantastic books, you are missing out.
All that good stuff aside, they have helped curate a black metal themed stage with some of the finest acts around. Underdark will kick off the afternoon before UK stalwarts Fen take the stage. Their nature infused black metal will create an epic base for the other acts on the Cult Never Dies Stage.
The Lou’s Brews Stage isn’t the only stage getting in on the album sets. Boston, Mass. atmospheric band Morne, will play their 2023 album, Engraved With Pain, in full. Over four sprawling, extreme compositions, the band take the listener on a journey of introspection and despair.
One man black/doom metal project, Mizmor, will be up next. Also from the USA, Mizmor will deliver a punishing set with furious black metal and crushing doom metal. The ferocity continues with Czech black metal band, Cult Of Fire. As headliners of the Cult Never Dies Stage, the Czech group will bring their unique blend of spiritual, mystical black metal. Expect an extravagant performance that will wow.
PELAGIC RECORDS STAGE
Pelagic Records is a record label home to some of the finest extreme music out there. For your listening pleasure in Manchester, they have a selection of bands that will blow you away.
Sludge metallers Norna will kick things off. The Swiss/Swedish collective create an oppressive sound that is full of atmosphere and deeply heavy riffs. Sugar Horse will lighten things a little with their brand of experimental rock. Their ethereal doomgaze sound will transport you to wondrous places.
Hippotraktor will take the genre deviation further with their dynamic riffs and atmospheric soundscapes. Expect a mix of groove laden guitars mixed in with plenty of progressive metal motifs. A Swarm Of The Sun will raise the atmosphere further. A post rock/post metal set will feature plenty of long, epic compositions punctuated with heavy passages that show an array of colours.
The global appeal of A Night Of Salvation/Damnation Festival continues with LLNN. The Danish post rock collective will bring the curtain down on the Pelagic Records Stage. Post metal , sludge metal, doom metal; all are on the menu with LLNN.
For A Night Of Salvation, the Cult Never Dies/Pelagic Records stages run in tandem. Luckily, the stages are close together, so if you want a mix and match, you can flit to your hearts content. There is minimal clashing with Lou’s Brews Stage (save for a few minutes here and there).
DAMNATION FESTIVAL
Nearly two decades in, Damnation Festival is an ever present of the UK festival scene. It is a leading light in the extreme metal world and is the largest indoor extreme metal festival in Europe. Since it moved back to Manchester, it has grown year on year thanks to the organisers and their team. They have noted feedback on a range of things and each year, the festival has gotten better and better.
PINS & KNUCKLES STAGE
A.A. Williams will kick off the Pins & Knuckles stage at Damnation. Williams is an artist that we have followed for years on At The Barrier. We can’t wait to be in her presence yet again. Her deep, emotive music really hits hard. French post hardcore/sludge metal group Celeste will be next up. Formed in 2005, the band hail from Lyon and deal in bleak, desolate dissonance. Expect darkness to get that little bit darker as the band take the stage.
American death metal band Gatecreeper are known for their raw, old school death metal sound. The set will be one for the purists; but the modern twists that band offer will satisfy everyone with death metal on the agenda. From America to Australia; Ne Obliviscaris will bring their technical and progressive prowess to the Pins & Knuckles Stage with a performance of their Citadel album. The band often feature violin amongst their more traditional sound, which makes for an intriguing prospect.
Powerviolence legends Nails will bring a great sense of unease to the main stage. With songs that coming and going in the blink of an eye, their 45 minute set will be loaded with songs from across their catalogue. This brutal set is also a UK exclusive for Damnation Festival.
Bleeding Through will offer a masterclass in metalcore as they deliver their 2003 album, This Is Love, This Is Murderous, in full. Expect a thunderingly aggressive set that takes no prisoners. This Is Love, This Is Murderous is considered to be one of the best metalcore albums of the 2000’s. Instrumental post rock/metal group Russian Circles will follow and offer a little vocal respite in between Bleeding Through and the evening’s headliners.
That accolade goes to Cradle Of Filth. Over three decades into their being, Cradle Of Filth are legends of the game. Their mix of black metal, symphonic metal and gothic rock has touched many a music fan over the years. Inimitable shrieking vocals and fast tempos, laced with grandeur, have become their calling card. For Damnation, the band are offering fans an ‘Old School Ritual;’ expect cuts off those early Cradle Of Filth albums. Damnation is in for a treat.
HOLY GOAT BREWING STAGE
Crossover thrash band, Enforced, open up the Holy Goat Brewing Stage. Aggression and intensity will ensure that the audience will be getting busy from the off. There will be no let up in the intensity as Gillian Carter introduce more post-hardcore to proceedings.
After a one-two from the USA, Denmark’s Hexis follow. Their harsh and unrelenting hardcore sludge will undoubtedly bring a nihilistic atmosphere. Back to the US; 200 Stab Wounds will lay waste to the Holy Goat Brewing Stage with a masterclass in raw, fast and violent death metal. Their grotesque imagery and content has more than a whiff of Cannibal Corpse.
There is more death metal on the menu with the brutality of Fuming Mouth. Down tuned riffs and guttural vocals are a big part of their sound; they are a band on the rise. From the upstarts to the veterans; Memoriam is a death metal band formed by ex-members of Bolt Thrower and Benediction. When you have people of that calibre in the ranks, the quality and mastery of the music is unquestionable.
If an afternoon of death metal doesn’t crush you, then an evening with The Ruins Of Beverast certainly will. The one man German black metal project serve up an uncompromising and dense musical mix laced with mythology and ritualistic soundscapes. This is one performance you do not want to miss.
Closing out the Holy Goat Brewing Stage are Dragged Into Sunlight. If you look up the phrase extreme metal, there is a high probability that Dragged Into Sunlight will be in the definition. Performing their Hatred For Mankind album, the extreme metal outfit take heavy to a new place. Their live performances are punishing. If you have never experienced Dragged Into Sunlight live, prepare to have all your senses assaulted.
EYESORE MERCH STAGE
Pijn open up the Eyesore Merch Stage. The UK post rock/sludge group offer dynamism in their music. Their work with Conjurer shows that they can mix it up in the aural department. Heavy dosages of riffs mixed with cinematic soundscapes will ensure a beautiful start to the day. High Parasite is a new proposition for the metal world, however the band are fronted by veteran My Dying Bride frontman, Aaron Stainthorpe. My Dying Bride this is not; so if you’re expecting Turn Loose The Swans, you will be disappointed. The bands debut, which has just been released, has a more stoner/doom metal style.
Psychedelic doom is next up with Chicago based psych-doom band, Rezn. Their music will immerse you and will create a meditative environment for those in attendance. Black Tusk will change up the pace with an aggressive slice of ‘swamp metal.’ Punk, sludge, thrash and a raw intensity all come together to create a distinctly murky sound.
French doom metal group, Hangman’s Chair, will slow down the pace as they follow Black Tusk. In keeping with the European theme, Dutch dark rockers Dool will give an eerie aura to events. Within their sound is a real 70’s tinge with plenty of occult, doomy undertones. They will offer a real diversity in sound over the course of the weekend.
The last two acts on the Eyesore Merch Stage are real heavyweights. First up, Inter Arma will blow people away with their shape shifting blend of metal. Doom, psych, sludge and black metal all rear their heads in amongst their sky scraping mix. If that isn’t enough, the stage is closed by monolithic German nautical funeral doom perpetrators, Ahab. In 2023, the group had to pull out due to illness. To have them back in 2024 and ready to headline a stage is brilliant. It will be ten years since their last appearance at Damnation. It is fitting they get to raise their heavy metal flag over Manchester to unofficially mark this anniversary. The absolute gut punch, is that they clash with Dragged Into Sunlight – a truly killer clash.
You can buy tickets for this year’s extravaganza here. All of Damnation’s links can be found here, including a link to the festival app that has all the stage times and clash finder information to see you through the weekend.
Get a flavour of the bands by listening to our Spotify playlist of the artists on the bill. You can check out our archive of reviews on Damnation Festival, here.
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