Having sold out of tickets for the main event many moons ago, it’s safe to say that after a two-year break, anticipation is building for Damnation Festival’s return on Saturday 6th November 2021. There may have been some necessary changes to the planned line-up but the organisers have still managed to put together a strong bill of mainly UK-based metal bands for the 2021 edition.
As always with Damnation, the line-up has a mix of metal’s sub-genres spread over the four stages. Do you want to catch some thrash? Then you won’t go wrong with Onslaught, Evile and Gama Bomb. If post-metal is your thing, then DVNE, Bossk and Year of no Light should keep you (and I) happy. And if you’d prefer some colourful party-slam, there’s Party Cannon and… well, just Party Cannon, but their afternoon shenanigans should be more than plenty.
For some of the bands, this year’s Damnation may see the first live outings of new songs released during the pandemic, providing attendees with the opportunity to hear tracks from the likes of main stage headliner Carcass’s tremendous Torn Arteries, and Bossk’s lush Migration. Maybe we’ll even get to hear a new song or two from Conjurer’s much-anticipated second full-length.
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By the looks of things, I’m going to be busy dashing from one stage to the next right from the get-go, having to make the tough choice of seeing Mountain Caller or Cryptic Shift. I’m champing at the bit to see Urne, whose Serpent & Spirit is a solid favourite of 2021, and the trio are sure to pull a large crowd at the Cult Never Dies Stage. With a strong Scottish contingent on the line-up, I’m not going to pass up the chance to see DVNE (sorry Man Must Die, next time), Party Cannon and Hellripper. I’ll also be sure to check out two of the three European bands on the bill – Regardes les Hommes Tomber, a band I’ve not had the chance to see before (have they played the UK previously?), and Year of no Light, who were mightily impressive at Damnation 2013. Then, of course, there’s the prospect of having your eardrums bludgeoned by mighty industrial duo Godflesh.
And if all of that wasn’t enough of an offering, there’ll be A Night of Salvation pre-show on the Friday. For this night of unique and exclusive performances, Svalbard will be playing the whole of last year’s glorious blend of post-rock and hardcore, When I Die, Will I Get Better?, and Orange Goblin will be celebrating 25 years of stoner-doom with a one-off chronological setlist selected from their vast catalogue. These two sets will be sandwiched between Akercocke’s 20th-anniversary playthrough of The Goat of Mendes, and Raging Speedhorn headlining with a performance of their stomping self-titled debut.
Tickets are £25 and are still available for the A Night of Salvation.
A bunch of bands have also been announced for the 2022 edition of Damnation, which will see a move to Manchester’s BEC Arena, and these include Converge, Pig Destroyer, Wolves in the Throne Room, and Ministry.
Tickets for these are available at https://www.damnationfestival.co.uk/tickets
