Live Review: Damnation Festival 2025 - Sunday
9th November 2025
Words: Dan Barnes and Matthew Williams
Photos: Tim Finch
We’re into uncharted territory with this second day of Damnation, but the mouth-watering prospect of seeing some of the genre’s best bands today is enough to let you ignore throbbing feet and aching and an aching back - though, that could be just me.
The Lou’s Brews stage is – in my humble opinion – one of the singularly best line ups of eight bands ever seen at the festival.
Having reviewed their latest album, I was genuinely excited about seeing Conjurer live once again. Opening with the gentle guitar strumming and solitary voice, “Unself”, is melancholy and emotional but has that power and aggression, which the crowd adore. With the blood stained backdrop feeding perfectly into the narrative, bassist Conor Marshall shows us all what headbanging is all about, on the brutal and heavy sections of “All Apart”.
“We are going to be playing some new songs from the latest album Unsafe” as they mesmerise us with “The Searing Glow” and “Let Us Live”. There’s a bit of a rant about politicians and CEO’s before “Hang Them in Your Head” which is a bruising track, and their blend of sludge, doom and post-metal ends with more anguish and despair with “Choke”, having created a dynamic atmosphere on stage. [MW]
Now came the thrash, and it was thrash delivered with great aplomb from Bristol’s Onslaught. With vocalist Sy Keeler back after a 6-year absence, it was time for them to claim the stage as their own, beginning with “Power From Hell”. There were a few sound issues for Keeler, but he is on top form taunting the crowd with, “I haven’t seen you go crazy yet” as they rip through “Thermonuclear Devastation” and “Death Metal”.
The nightmarishly evil and sinister “Killing Peace” reaches new levels of madness, as Keeler says he’s “so happy to be back” and they are off to Australia after this. He starts off a chant of “Lemmy, Lemmy, Lemmy” as they play their cover of “Iron Fist” which sees the pit go wild. With a 40th anniversary tour of The Force planned for next May, they end with two classic thrash tracks, “Let There be Death” and the magnificent “Metal Forces”. See you next year guys. [MW]
Regular Damnation visitors, Primordial bring their dark Celtic metal to the Bowler’s for the first time with a set of epic, windswept tales. Atmospheric and uncompromising, the show opens with the militaristic percussion of As Rome Burn, with Alan Nemtheanga leading the crowd in the song’s choral mantra. Pól MacAmhlaigh’s bass thunders through the opening of Gods to the Godless, as the Irish band head deep into their past for this this classic. To Hell or the Hangman is the newest piece on offer, taken from the 2018 album, Exile Amongst the Ruins, and comes with a tragic tale of 1583. It's impossible to imagine a Primordial show without the signature song The Coffin Ships and the driving, dark narrative of the dreadful events concerning the Irish exodus of the nineteenth century. Emotion drips from every line as the band recount the flight from the famine and the fate that would befall a large percentage of those forced to flee. Lightening the mood – but not much – comes the Empire Falls conclusion to the set, bookending the show with another from To the Nameless Dead, it's the fatalistic admission that nothing is eternal and life as we know it is transitory. Which is more terrifying than any black metal rite. [DB]
It's been but three years since Virginia grindcore legends, Pig Destroyer, were here playing their Prowler in the Yard album in full and now they’re back with the shackles off and they have free reign to pummel Damnation in any way they see fit. And the way they see fit is to mount a shock and awe campaign, beginning with half a dozen tracks from the Terrifyer record. Gravedancer opens the set in front of a surprisingly colourful backdrop; Scarlet Hourglass and a grinding Thumbsucker follow, before Pretty in Casts and Crippled Horses blast into The Gentleman’s grooving riff. In comparison the Book Burner material, beginning with Sis, The American’s Head, Eve and Valley of the Geysers come across as refined, even accessible to those unfamiliar with grind aesthetics. Loathsome comes with a call to make security earn their pay checks, and The Diplomat is introduced as a tribute to At the Gates/ Lock Up front man, Tomas Lindberg, who sadly lost his battle with cancer in September.
Following Army of Cops, it’s Prowler… material until the end, with Starbelly, Cheerleader Corpses, Scatology Homework and Trojan Whore finding bassist Travis Stone and noise/ samples guy, Alex Cha going, quite frankly, ape-shit throughout, and drummer Alex Jarvis at least doesn’t have a stint with Misery Index like the last time he was here. Piss Angel and Junkyard God bring the show to an end, leaving the crowd spent, but exhilarated. [DB]
However, there is little time for Damnation to rest and refresh before it’s time to go again, this time with the festival’s admitted ‘house band’ Brummie bruisers and general misanthropists, Anaal Nathrakh. Making a swift return to Manchester after the 2023 Holy Goat stage headline appearance, Nathrakh blend classicism with sheer brutality to create some of the most unsettling extremity imaginable. Smoke makes the figures in the band little more than shadows, which certainly suits the overall ambience of the show. In the Constellation of the Black Widow comes out swinging, More of Blood Than Fire finds the intensity pushed up to the max, and the band pay their own tribute to the influence of Tomas on Obscene as Cancer, being, as Dave Hunt says, “the most At the Gates song Nathrakh have.”
Images of totalitarianism pepper the screens during Acheronta Movebimus, and Dave admits to his pants starting to fall down during the introduction to Of Fire, and Fucking Pigs. It’s an adjusted set from the previous show, streamlined and feeling more aggressive. The combination of black metal rawness with grinding extremity, symphonics and industrial shouldn’t work, but blend into an unholy cacophony of nihilistic fatalism. Deep cut, When the Lion Devours Both Dragon and Child from 2006’s Eschaton, is about as accessible as the set gets, ending with the assurance of only the hits between now and the end of the show. Forging Toward the Sunset rips, but Forward! comes with the challenge for Damnation to beat the Download number of crowd surfers going over the barrier. It all ends with Endarkenment and I can’t imagine it will be too long before the forums are filled with people demanding another Nathrakh return. [DB]
It was a different iteration of The Haunted who headlined the second Damnation back in 2006, with only bassist Jonas Björler remaining in the band since that show. Also, if I may be permitted to say, they’ve been away too long, though their announcement was cause for much excitement. Add to that the release of the excellent new record, Songs of Last Resort, this year and that I’ve lost sufficient amount of weight to be able to fit into both my 2009 and 2011 tour shirts, meaning the appearance of these Swedes was a particular highlight for the weekend.
New tracks Warhead and From Fire Reborn launch the show, the latter showcasing drummer Adrian Erlandsson’s punishing style. rEVOLVEr’s rapid-riffing 99 crunches with its off-kilter rhythms, and The Dead Eye’s The Flood and The Medication feel as though they have a very different feel in the heat of a show than they do on record. DOA is custom-built Marco material, mixing melody with power; another newbie, To Bleed Out comes with the question of whether Damnation wants a slow one? We’re getting it anyway, but we still have the illusion of democracy. No Compromise and an imperious All Against All hit like a combination of punches, followed by the instrumental intro, Dark Intentions, meaning only one thing: Bury Your Dead. The set ends with the barrage that is the self-titled’s The Hate Song, making new friends around the Bowler’s and reminding us old ones what we’d been missing. [DB]
I don’t think there’s an adjective left in the English language on how best to describe the next band, as quite frankly, they are the best at what they do. As they took to the Pins and Knuckles Stage, Belgian post-metallers Amenra shroud the stage in smoke, for another jaw-dropping and awe-inspiring performance. It’s an audible and visual masterpiece as they begin with “Salve Mater” to unleash the harrowing and enchanting drama before a packed-out arena.
They have a well-rehearsed routine and draw you into their narrative, getting better each time I see them. “Razoreater” is a song of epic proportions as they pull you into their misery, all done in the most sinister of uplifting ways. “De Evanmans” gives us more intense music before a single white church on the screen signals “A Solitary Reign” and that distinctive opening sends a shiver down my spine.
It's a visceral experience of artistry and musicianship in perfect harmony, as frontman Colin H Van Eeckhout’s relentless and punishing vocals scream out in pain. “Am Kreuz” is more enchanting than ever, with the singer hunched on his knees, and they end with a spellbinding version of “Diaken” which is both haunting and disturbing, yet musically on another level to most others. True genius at work. [MW]
British extreme music legends and 2018 festival headliners, Napalm Death feel as though they’re the only band capable of bringing a satisfactory end to the day and this twentieth anniversary of Damnation.
For only the second time of my own experience – the first being Hammerfest 2017 - Napalm is playing without Shane, who is taking some personal time away, though will be back in the fold when those matters are sorted. Otherwise, it’s ‘as you were’ and the show goes on. Multinational Corporations, part II kicks us off, with early outings for Silence is Deafening, Scum and You Suffer, all unusually appearing in the set’s first half. Getting those tunes early suggests this is not going to be a predictable set, and that’s proved right with the inclusion of Resentment Always Simmers, from the Final Throw of Throes mini album. It’s doomy progression a world away from the classics Unchallenged Hate and Suffer the Children.
In fact this set is littered with deep cuts not usually included: Vision Conquest from Harmony Corruption, Order of the Leech’s Narcoleptic, and Enemy of the Music Business’ Necessary Evil make unexpected appearances. Both Dead and Retreat to Nowhere from 1988 show Napalm Death have not lost touch of their roots, as does a rare airing of Scum’s Prison Without Walls, bringing us up to date with 2020’s Throes of Joy In the Jaws of Defeatism material, Amoral, Backlash Just Because and Fuck the Factoid.
The now-obligatory cover of Dead Kennedys’ Nazi Punks Fuck Off, which now feels with belongs more to Napalm that its originators, and a closing Contagion bring the curtain down on the set, the day and the festival, confirming Napalm Death’s undeniable status as bone-fide national treasures and that Damnation works as a two day show. [DB]
Taking their name from The Day Today’s roving reporter, London Deathcore act, Ted Maul’s flame burned so very bright back in the late noughties, so bright, in fact, that the fire consumed the band after only one album. 2007’s White Label was ahead of its time and had it come out a few years later would have pitched Ted as one of the leading lights of the burgeoning genre. But, sadly, it was not to be, and the members went their separate ways, leaving people pondering what might have been. Eighteen years after their last Damnation appearance, the band have reunited for this special show, older, but hardly wiser, launching into Gutting the Reason at barely passed the midday mark. Spherical Lies comes with some stomping hardcore vibes, And We Tolerate the Sickness is introduced as the band’s “number one hit” and gets an appropriately big response, while Forest… With This Memory of a Free Festival and For the Innocent bring the set to a storming conclusion. [DB]
Surrey progressive avant-garde black metal troupe, <code> make their first return to Damnation since their triumphant appearance in Leeds back in 2014. Taking the grandiose nature of the genre rather than the low-fi aspects, the band craft a compelling consideration of light and shade, through mid-paced riffs. Borrowing an aesthetic from fellow festival favourites, Primordial, the set is book-ended by The Cotton Optic and Brass Dogs from the Nouveau Gloaming debut, now hitting its second decade. Vocalist, Wacian, comments at <code>’s billing between Ted Maul and Stampin’ Ground, with their high-energy performances, against their own measured delivery. The 2009 album, Resplendent Grotesque, is heavily represented, and we even get the Under the Subgleam EP deep cut, Pollution Vigil. It’s a moment of subtlety, an oasis amid the raging storm of the bands either side of them. [DB]
Another huge presence, and unexpected pleasure on the bill, was that of UK hardcore legends Stampin` Ground. They draw a monumental sized crowd for a rare appearance, and as soon as the intro music starts, it promises to deliver what we all want, sheer bedlam!! “Pain is Weakness” hits hard and fast, with singer Adam Frakes-Sime on the safety barrier as he watches over the masses, they churn out the brutal “Dead From the Neck Up”.
He talks about how organiser Gav “pestered us to play here again” and thanks the crowd for showing up. It’s like they haven’t been away, as it’s seamless from start to finish with all band members a flurry of action on the stage, delivering their trademark hardcore sound. The security team earn their pennies during this set, with bodies strewn everywhere as the band drop riffs left, right and centre as they rip through “Mid-Death Crisis” and “Everybody Owes a Death”.
With a plethora of camera phones in the air, they dedicate “By Whatever Means Necessary” to organiser Gav, as the crowd are urged to “get the fuck down” before jumping up in unison. There’s a huge circle pit for “Outside Looking In” with the mic being tossed into the crowd at one point. The band seem genuinely humbled, “this is beautiful man” before they unleash further hell with “Symmetry of Hatred”. “This is your last chance to dance” as the crowd goes bonkers to the electrifying “Officer Down” with crowd surfers galore as the frontman is held aloft by the crowd on their triumphant return. [MW]
As if the day couldn’t get any crazier, it was the return of Corby’s finest, Raging Speedhorn, to the Holy Goat Brewing Stage. The six piece are well known for their anarchic live performances, and they didn’t let us down. My day was made instantly, as they started with my favourite track, “Hate Song” which kicked things off beautifully, before “Spitfire” ensured that the mania levels were kept high.
Crowd surfers were in full flow during “Superscud” with the dual vocals and manic action on stage matching that of the masses off it. “Are you feeling good Damnation?” which brought cheers from two members of Stampin` Ground who were stood next to me. The pace and rhythm of “Iron Cobra” was spot on and the band were clearly having fun enjoying themselves, as they played two newer songs, “Buzz Killa” and “Every Night’s Alright for Fighting”.
“This is an old number” before they play “Master of Disaster” but the crowd lap it up for all it’s worth, laying siege to the barriers. More chaos for “Knives and Faces” before the intensity goes up again for a glorious version of “The Gush” which makes you feel as if you’ve just been sodomized. The Corby sludge masters wind up their set with “Thumper” and “Heartbreaker” to leave the whole crowd feeling broken. [MW]
I’m not sure whose idea it was, but having Hellripper following on from Raging Speedhorn and Stampn' Ground, barely gave time for the crowd to draw its breath, but the pit ready mob were prepared for their next battering. James McBain and his crew are developing into a very slick machine and prove this with the menacing “All Hail the Goat” and “Black Arts & Alchemy” opening the set, which showcases the blistering solo skills. “Are you guys still fucked up from yesterday? Stay fucked up for 30 more minutes” as they tear into “Blood Orgy of the She-Devil” as the crowd go batshit!
“Are you ready for some rock n` roll? Answer with your best King Diamond voice” as “Hell’s Rock n` Roll” proceeds the speed metal chaos this is “Demdike”, and it is exceptionally fast. “I’ll give you a 30 second breather now” quips McBain, as the carnage continues during “The Affair of the Poisons” which demonstrated to me how much they’ve improved since I last saw them a few years ago.
“Now’s the time to dance Manchester” screeches McBain ahead of new song “Kinchyle” before revealing it was bassist Andy’s birthday. The glorious “Goat Vomit Nightmare” gets the masses worked up even further, and it’s insanely good. “The Hanging Tree” is followed by “The Nuckelavee” and they end their energetic set with “Bastard of Hades” as they encourage the crowd to set a new crowd surfing record, which they try their best to achieve. And now breathe… [MW]
If Perturbator last night showed the light side of a one-man electronic project, then Tristan Shore’s Author & Punisher demonstrated the dark. As a mechanical engineer, Mr Shore fabricates his own instruments to the precise specifications required to generate the sought-for sound. Existing somewhere between Industrial, Doom and Drone, A&P is essentially an art project, in which metal is the paint and the festival environment is the canvass. New album, Nocturnal Birding, is only recently released, yet its avian subject matter dominates the show. Meadowlark, Mute Swan, Rook, all the sort of tick-list an ornithologist might collate but given weight and gravity by the unorthodox orchestration. Visually bland, but an Author & Punisher show is all about losing yourself in the swirling vortex’s uncompromising soundscapes. I’d hoped Damnation would book the act since seeing Tristan perform at the town’s Deaf Institute a couple of years back, and my anticipation was rewarded many times over. [DB]
More Canadian black metal arrives in the shape of Spectral Wound and their unswerving adherence to all things dark and unholy. Channelling their inner demons, the band launch into the opening trio of tunes from their newest Songs of Blood and Ice full-length from last year. Fevers and Suffering, At Wine – Dark Midnight in Mouldering Halls and Aristocratic Suicidal Black Metal flail with icy intent and rage with rasping vocals. The band would return to this record for A Coin Upon the Tongue and the closing Twelve Moons in Hell’s Gorgoroth-ian blasphemy but would make stops at Infernal Decadence and A Diabolical Thirst for Slaughter of the Medusa and Frigid and Spellbound respectively. As probably the most trve black metal act of the weekend, Spectral Wound bring a sense of Satanic dread to slowly darkening Manchester night. [DB]
Ghent post Black Metal band Wiegedood close out the Cult Never Dies stage with the longest set Damnation festival has ever seen. Not content with playing one record in its entirety, the Belgians are playing three: the trilogy of full lengths that began their recorded career, De doden hebben het goed, parts I, II and III; twelve songs, spanning 2015 to 2018.
Collectively the performance is above a hundred-minutes of epic black metal majesty, from the opening thirteen-minutes of Svanesang, into the confrontational Kwaad bloed, through the title track and out into Onder gaan. As the journey through the story continues, Wiegedood guides us through blistering drums, whirlwind guitars and demon vocals, like Virgil leading Dante through the nine circles of Hell. Obvious comparisons arise with Wolves in the Throne Room, Winterfylleth and Der Weg einer Freiheit, but they’re rarely a band thing. As Napalm Death’s bludgeoning shows no mercy on the main stage, Wiegedood offer a more inventive way to bring the crowd to submission. [DB]
With the ringing of COC’s epic “Clean my Wounds” still in my ears from the previous evening, I set off back to the BEC Arens for Day two of Damnation Festival, with more madness and chaos set to happen.
It began for me with the cathartic and atmospheric musings of Sheffield’s Hidden Mothers opening the Meliora Stage. With aggressive vocals they set the tempo perfectly with opener “Defanged” and have a range of moody melodies, they get the crowd swaying along to their ambient textures. There’s a mellower edge to “The Grey” as the big noise follows through.
“Still Sickness” and “Violet Sun” are performed next, with a softer, mellower side to their music alongside a lighter vocal, and as they lull you in, there’s this outpouring of anguish which crushes your soul. They have a lovely drum sound, and you are fully immersed in their performance as they thank everyone “for coming to watch us” and finish with the sombreness of “Haze” to round off an intriguing set. [MW]
Having witnessed Din of Celestial Birds at Damnation 2023, I was looking forward to seeing their return. With the 5 piece on stage, and a rocket ship blasting into space on the screen behind them, they put in a strong performance, with songs “Downpour” and “Utopia”. They are slow and brooding but capture your imagination with fiery riffs and are helped with a complimentary light show. They switch tempos and pace impressively across their compositions, as their serene and peaceful tones aid the shifting soundscapes. With “MMEC” and “I Love You but It’s Killing Me” rounding off their set, it’s another enjoyable performance to witness. [MW]
Pelagic Records’ Swiss alternative Noise rockers, Coilguns attract the crowd looking for something a little more cerebral and hit the ground running with Bandwagoning’s edgy post hardcore discomfort. Vocalist, Louis Jucker is a mass of unbridled energy, covering every inch of the stage, moving along to Placeholder’s At the Drive-In vibes, featuring whistles and jangling guitars. Fierce drums and pummelling bass drive the tunes’ strangeness and oddity, a world away from Stampin’ Ground on the other stage. The whole set, barring the final song comes from last year’s Odd Love album, including the throbbing Generic Staircase, the emotional wreck that is Venetian Blind, and the grooving weight of Bunker Vaults. Only the barrage of noise that is Millennials’ title track moves the focus away from Odd Love, bringing the short set to a close in front of an appreciative audience. [DB]
Pelagic label mates, Psychonaut, mix their post metal sound with a huge dollop of Seventies psychedelia, opening the show with And You Came With the Searing Light from the very recently released World Maker album. A calm beginning gives way to a massive attack of fiery guitars and confrontational drums. The older All Your Gods Have Gone from 2018 is darker and more doomy, the insanely titled instrumental of All I Saw as a Huge Monkey shows a more playful side to the band. Full of skipping beats and catchy rhythms, theirs’ is a set of vast soundscapes and soaring passages, the kind of thing only Damnation ever seems to concern itself with. [DB]
London post hardcore/ metalcore juggernaut Devil Soul His Soul played Damnation back in 2012 and have chosen the festival’s twentieth anniversary to come back for another go. Here to focus on their Darkness Prevails EP, itself celebrating a two-decade birthday, and the debut album, A Fragile Hope, the band play a selection of tunes from those releases, not hampered by following a dedicated setlist, they intermingle tracks, giving a fresh approach to Darkness Prevails’ jittery title track by having it sitting between the emotionally loaded The Starting and the neo-classicalisms of Hope. Opening with a scene-setting In the Absence of Light before going full-on screamo for As the Storm Unfolds really tickles the nostalgia bone of more than one person in this stage tonight. There hasn’t been a new record from Devil Sold His Soul since 2021’s Loss, so one wonders what lies in store for the band going forward. [DB]
Another new band to me was post rock duo Nordic Giants. With Billy Idol’s “Rebel Yell” playing on the PA, the screen comes to life with images of skulls and heads morphing into one as the words In Shadow appear. A monologue and music begin and with haunting melodies they create instrumental compositions that are both intriguing and powerful when combined with the visual story being told.
The tension and drama they build is quite something to witness, and swathes of post-rock wonderment take the crowd on a journey of discovery. There are techno beats which add to the narrative as the solemn, glum music is enhanced by a visual that is designed to captivate and enthral, doing exactly that. [MW]
As people began to suffer from the two days battering, it was left to German sludge duo Mantar to inject some life back into the festival and oh boy, did they do just that. A huge crescendo of noise greeted the packed crowd and by the time they play the storming “Spit” the crowd are on their side. “We play safe so you can go home to your jobs and families, or we play like it’s Saturday night” they tease, before “Astral Kannibal” which bounces along with a superb bass sound.
“Cross the Cross” ensures the pace it kept up, but I enjoyed the slower elements in this one alongside the vocal. “I’m going to send this pic to my parents, as they don’t believe I have any friends” joked guitarist Hanno Klanhardt as they plough further into their set, with “Cosmic Abortion” a song about babies having babies apparently, and “Halsgericht”. Their fiendishly good set concludes with “Era Borealis” and they are one of the discoveries of the weekend for me. [MW]
My tired body shifted to the Meliora stage one final time to witness a group I never thought I’d get to see live. British doom band Warning haven’t played in several years, yet here they were in front of me playing “Watching From a Distance” in its entirety. It’s a slow crushing procession of doom metal and at times I felt like I was being lowered into my own grave, such was the drama and tension that the band create.
With songs “Footprints” and “Bridges” being played for the first time in several years, it was a pleasure to witness with the huge bass sound shifting the dynamics of the songs. With those first few strums of final track “Echoes” they remind people of what a great band they are, as the evocative vocals lead to the inevitable out pouring of emotion from the crowd who witnessed this performance. [MW]
So there is it… Damnation marks its twentieth anniversary with its biggest and most ambitious show yet; and I’d think you’d have to be particularly picky to find fault with any aspect of the weekend. Already looking forward to next year.
Photo credits:
Lou's Brews/Cult Never Dies Stages: Tim Finch Photography
Check out the rest of our Damnation Festival coverage!
Reviews
A Night of Salvation
Damnation Festival Saturday
Damnation Festival Sunday
Galleries
Damnation Festival Saturday
Damnation Festival Sunday
Interviews
Gavin McInally - Festival Director
Band Interviews
Pre-Festival Coverage
Damnation Festival Preview
20 Years of Damnation - The First Decade
20 Years of Damnation - The Second Decade
