“We told them all to fear us and they parted ways to let us through.”
Our ArcTanGent team has been salivating at the line up with every addition. From the first drop that announced Karnivool and double sets from Between the Buried and Me and We Lost The Sea, all the way to the late-announced Thursday headliner (Godspeed You! Black Emperor), and even the recent switch that added Indifferent Engine, our anticipation has continually swelled. So far we’ve chatted to Kayo Dot to get an insight on what they’ll be playing and what headliners excite them. This article compiles our recommendations, focusing on what we see as being the essential non-headline sets. (Cover photo by Joe Singh on behalf of ArcTanGent.)
Firstly, some insider tips for those attending ArcTanGent. Bristol’s hills are famously fickle with their weather and the temperature drops in the late evenings. Therefore, come in solid footwear and be ready for any weather (despite positive predictions), regardless of whether you are camping or not. The site is lovely with easy distances between the stages, yet with a line up so strong your energy will be tested. If you’re finding your energy waning, the best spot to take the weight off is often the barrier itself (that said, do take actual breaks as well). Budget ahead for merch and check in at the merch tent several times each day, as bands load in and out at different times and those earlier in the day’s line up might not be displaying their stock for long. Lastly, plan to have zero signal at the site, and install the festival’s app ahead of time, as it has a great clashfinder plus all the key information.
Kalandra (Yohkai, 18:20 Wednesday)
Historically, Wednesdays at ArcTanGent are something of a ‘best of last year’, and 2025 is no different. Except for the headliner Wardruna (and the night’s silent disco set, AK/DK, who are festival veterans anyway), the whole Wednesday line up played 2024, now presented in multi-stage clashless glory. As such, we could easily recommend any of the bands, shortlisting God Alone, Hundred Year Old Man and Underdark for this spot. We settled on Kalandra, partially to call ourselves out for sleeping on them up to this point. Their two albums The Line and A Fame Of Mind present a bold vision for folk-infused rock. They create an ostensibly ‘Scandi’ sound, neither in the ‘Gothenberg’ nor ‘Abba’ ways, instead stemming from their patient songwriting, the magnetic vocals of Katrine Stenbekk sung in English and old Norse, and their sampling of the local songbirds. They are also genuinely and joyously varied: they front-load the most ‘intense’ and catchy moments, yet the majority of the records sit in the ‘acoustic’ realm, and no track across the two are really the same. There’s also perhaps no better band to be playing ahead of Wardruna, as they’ve literally been covering “Helvegen” on their extensive tours – perhaps a good moment for a feature? Don’t miss what will be a truly unique set. – Dobbin T
Horrendous (Bixler, 13:55 Thursday)
Despite ArcTanGent’s reputation as a ‘metal’ festival, it’s rare that it books a bona-fide death metal band. Some past examples include Rivers of Nihil, Grief Ritual, and of course Opeth, but even these bands don’t play it straight with the genre. The closest booking to Horrendous is Cryptic Shift, back in 2022. Horrendous also base their sound within death metal, borrowing from thrash and tech to make something of a progressive blend, with prominent fretless bass from the school of Cynic, Obscura and Beyond Creation. In short, it’s weird and enthralling, readily rockable with plenty of circle pit and headbanging moments. Those following every turn will have to have done their homework. Horrendous locked in their sound and production with the record Ecdysis back in 2014, and their following grew on very specific corners of the internet (let’s just say they really are the ‘nerd’s choice’ for death metal). Ten years on they’ve dropped three more records that all vie to be their strongest. As luck would have it, their latest Ontological Mysterium is our favourite, balancing all their facets and all the most fun moments of their discography. It’s taken an ArcTanGent booking to get them this side of the Atlantic, and it’s tempting to try and keep them, but we’ll have to settle for their Thursday afternoon masterclass. – Dobbin T
vianova (Bixler, 16:50 Thursday)
Making an appearance in the UK for the very first time this year at ArcTanGent, Berlin-based chaos-merchants vianova are certainly one of the most prime ear-to-the-ground picks among this year’s line-up. With crushing breakdowns, primal grooves and angular riffs; all combined with a hearty, tongue-in-cheek and shockingly deft sense of genre-mixing, vianova’s tech-metal-meets-anything-and-everything angle on modern metal fills the very sizable Twelve Foot Ninja-shaped hole that has remained in my soul ever since their departure. The approach is different, but the execution is just as electric, and with the band clearly gearing up for a larger release with a string of singles released throughout 2024 and 2025 (including mind-melting essentials “Mas Rapido” and “Uh Yaya”), there’s no better time to get on the train if you’re in the market for something truly, wholly unique within the tech metal sphere. – Maximo David
Ithaca (Main Stage, 12:10 Friday)
Amidst teary eyes and last goodbyes, the cheeky last-minute promise of “see you at ArcTanGent” was quick to alter the atmosphere at O2 Academy Islington’s ‘Cremation Party’ final headliner of February just passed. For those who aren’t aware of the UK metallic hardcore pillar that is (or rather was, depending on when you’re reading this) Ithaca you’re admittedly a little late as that ship is currently in the process of sailing. However, for those attending this year’s ArcTanGent you’re actually right on time to see them off in style. They’ll be bringing a ferocious blend of elevated, punk-infused metalcore to the table that’s bound to go down a treat with the ArcTanGent crowd (as it has before in 2022) so if you fancy yourself some music with bite and maybe some light sobbing, get yourself down to the main stage nice and early on Friday to pay your respects. – Jack Crosby-Griggs
Car Bomb (Main Stage, 13:20 Friday)
For the uninitiated, I feel as though it may be better to go into this one blind. US-based tempo-agnostics Car Bomb are certainly one of the better known acts on the line-up within the tech-metal space, but those outside that realm may not quite be aware of their deep antics – and they may enjoy themselves more for it. Seeking to answer the never-once-asked question ‘what if Meshuggah were stranger?’, Car Bomb’s compositionally unfathomable approach to angular, hard-as-hell, percussion-oriented tech-metal is not only deeply engaging, but it’s mind-shattering once you get down to the finer details. Their latest EP, Tiles Whispers Dreams, has just dropped, so if you’re looking for a quick crash course, that’s your best bet. – Maximo David
Papangu (Bixler, 12:45 Friday)
Hailing all the way from Brazil are Papangu, whose amalgamation of avant-garde experimentation and syncopated Brazilian rhythms with a filthy sludge metal finish will be hitting the Bixler stage early on Friday. The holy grounds of ArcTanGent being your prog band’s first ever international show is a big achievement for the band, and the people of ArcTanGent will be the first people to witness Papangu’s eccentric brand of zeuhl. Papangu draw comparisons from a wide range of critically acclaimed talent, while the sludgy first album Holoceno drew comparisons to Magma and Kayo Dot, their sophomore album Lampião Rei includes more of a fleshed out Brazilian jazz fusion sound that hardened proggers will find delectable. Abundant in colour and complexity, Papangu are a must-see for any prog fan looking to find something truly unique at this year’s ArcTanGent. – Kieran White
Frontierer (Bixler, 20:40 Friday)
If the musical equivalent of an earthquake, volcanic eruption, tsunami and hurricane all at once is just what the doctor ordered for your ideal balmy summer’s eve, then look no further than the feeding frenzy that is Frontierer; God’s cruel answer to the age old question “What if the Scots and the Americans teamed up to create what can only be described as weaponised rage?”. Though they’ve reared their beautifully hideous heads to UK audiences plenty a time over the past few years (alongside the likes of Better Lovers, Chat Pile and Conjurer as well as making numerous prior appearances at ArcTanGent, 2000trees and even UK Tech-Fest), they are simply the kind of talent you absolutely cannot miss even in spite of their frequent visits. Both sonically and physically, Frontierer will knock your socks, mustache and just about any other article and accessory that isn’t fastened down straight off your person, never to be seen again. – Jack Crosby-Griggs
The Callous Daoboys (Main Stage, 13:20 Saturday)
Revered for their deliciously overstimulating approach to just about every facet of what they do, witnessing The Callous Daoboys strut their stuff in a live setting feels much akin to ticking off that one fascinating landmark you’ve been dying to see with your own two eyes for as long as you can remember. Quite appropriate given their recent track record of acclaimed release after acclaimed release having firmly solidified their well-deserved place upon modern mathcore’s Mt. Rushmore (Mt. Mathcore? Mt. Mathmore?). Additionally, the rollout of I Don’t Want To See You In Heaven – their latest, zaniest and maziest exhibition-piece yet seems to imply once again that there has never been a better time* to catch them than right here, right now – lest ye wish to be branded a “hater of fun” forevermore. – Jack Crosby-Griggs
Boneflower (PX3, 14:40 Saturday)
Speaking of ‘ArcTanGent subgenres’, screamo has been an undercurrent for the festival in recent years. As ever, nobody at ArcTanGent is playing it straight, but squint and you’ll see screamo represented in this year’s line up too: Envy, Chalk Hands, As Living Arrows, Indifferent Engine, meth., and Boneflower, the latter of which clinch the key recommendation from us. This three-piece have long had a knack for the essential oxymoron that only screamo provides: their sound is barbed yet dreamy, fitting for a basement production yet sounding like an entire universe. Their record Reveries is fresh, glorious screamo, and sounds like it’s made purely from razors and clouds. It’s likely our favourite from the scene for 2025. Save some energy for their set as they surely have a newfound appreciation for audience movement from their side-tour with meth. and The Fall Of Troy. – Dobbin T
Rolo Tomassi (Main Stage, 17:55 Saturday)
When you think of bands that are integral to the history of ArcTanGent, Rolo Tomassi is likely to be on that list. Playing the first ever iteration of the festival in 2013, and four more times in subsequent years, they’re back again for the sixth time. Rolo Tomassi’s brand of ethereal yet aggressive mathcore has drawn critical acclaim over the span of over two decades culminating in Where Myth Becomes Memory, a truly breathtaking and monumental album that will stand the test of time as a landmark in the history of mathcore and UK heavy music. Fans of the 2 Promoters 1 Pod podcast will know that Rolo Tomassi have some surprises in store for their 20th anniversary set this year including a string quartet and a career spanning setlist. Make sure you don’t miss this seminal group at this year’s ArcTanGent on the main stage, as you won’t see another set quite like it. – Kieran White