Subterranea: Why Inferno Fest Is Going To Rule

One of Europe’s finest, most metal-est festivals is just around the corner…

Inferno, Oslo’s Subterranea-sponsored, long-running, liver-testing, sleep-depriving and absolutely essential extreme metal festival has just announced its full lineup and for fans of things that go ‘Aiieee!!!’ it looks set to be one of the highlights of the year. Based at the John Dee/Rockefeller venue at the heart of black metal country, this 13th edition take place from April 16-19, with the first night being the now-established ‘Club night’/bar crawl with bands playing in various venues across the city.

With their epic and devastating The Wild Hunt album still echoing across the metalsphere, and spawning yet more numerous imitators in its wake, Watain will be bring the festival to a bloody and ecstatic end on the Sunday night as the likes of Rotting Christ, Black Witchery, Gehenna, Sigh and Subterranea cover stars Oranssi Pazuzu playing that same night.

Other headliners include Canada’s reformed and thoroughly bullet-belted black/death cult heroes Blasphemy and Dimmu Borgir, while Hatebreed, Fleshgod Apocalypse, filthy occultic death metallers Necros Christos and Obliteration, Mgła – one of the most talked about, and exhilarating bands to have arisen from the black metal underground – Ireland’s apocalyptic dark ambient duo From The Bogs Of Aughisk, Tristania, A Storm Of Light, Impiety and one of the most cult acts ever to emerge from Brazil, Mystifier, will be just some of the bands desecrating the Easter weekend.

Also new to the festival is the Inferno Cruise, a three-hour tour of the Oslo fjord, whose majestic beauty will just have to contend with serial killer-obsessed and thoroughly revered Japanese doom-maniacs Church Of Misery vying for attention as they test the SS Johanna’s structural integrity to its very limits.

The official hotel is, once more, is the Royal Christiania, a mere few minutes’ stumble to and from the Rockefeller and John Dee venues, and it will be transformed once more from a sedate and elegant place of lodging to a four-day scene of bacchanalian excess, foyers rocking to the constant sound of metal, raucous afterparties where you might just find yourself drinking with a metal hero and stupendous Scando-breakfasts that serve hungover and grateful punters and artists until midday – all at a special discount.

Check out www.infernofestival.net for the full lineup and ticket prices, and we’ll see you down the front, at the bar, scoffing 7-11 pizza at 4am and basically having the time of our metal-obssessed lives.

Merlin was promoted to Executive Editor of Louder in early 2022, following over ten years working at Metal Hammer. While there, he served as Online Editor and Deputy Editor, before being promoted to Editor in 2016. Before joining Metal Hammer, Merlin worked as Associate Editor at Terrorizer Magazine and has written for Classic Rock, Rock Sound, eFestivals and others. Across his career he has interviewed legends including Ozzy Osbourne, Lemmy, Metallica, Iron Maiden (including getting a trip on Ed Force One courtesy of Bruce Dickinson), Guns N' Roses, KISS, Slipknot, System Of A Down and Meat Loaf. He has also presented and produced the Metal Hammer Podcast, presented the Metal Hammer Radio Show and is probably responsible for 90% of all nu metal-related content making it onto the site.