“Hence the burden of flesh becomes resolved.”
Find herein our full report of Incineration Festival 2025, London’s premiere extreme metal festival. Words by Dobbin T, Emily Cole and Kieran White. Find our extensive galleries of the day here.
This year’s line-up was quite literally incredible. It was a convocation of several major tours signing up fully, some of the essential extreme metal acts of the UK, plus rare one-off sets. All of our attendees had a fantastic day, and this article will get into the details. Incineration is spread across five Camden venues, all of which are legendary spots for the heavy music scene. The trips between the venues are generally quite smooth – a few minutes for Electric Ballroom, Underworld, The Black Heart and The Devonshire Arms, and about fifteen and a lot of tourist traffic for the Roundhouse.
Traditionally, we save our commentary on the general organisation of a festival for the end of an article, but in this case it’s suitable to front load it. Almost any attendee will first tell you about how incredible the line-up and sets were, but they’ll also be quick to mention the queues too. These snaked around blocks in the early part of the day, easing somewhat when the Roundhouse sets began, but the Black Heart was at capacity all day, and most people missed out on a set they had hoped to see for this reason. Spectral Wound was a particular sore point, as Gorgon Vomit had to drop on the day without replacement, meaning everyone was trying to get into the Electric Ballroom, leaving some stragglers out in the sun.
This capacity challenge comes somewhat as a surprise, as last year’s event had much the same setup (minus the Roundhouse) and had no such issues. Incineration was undoubtedly a victim of their own success in booking such an amazing line-up, creating a lot of interest and even international travel for the event. Many will question the decision to open up additional ticket sales for the non-Roundhouse venues, leading to a more significant over-sell than became optimal.
I won’t pretend that there are easy answers to capacity challenges, or understand the all important balance sheet that really determines what’s feasible, but there are lots of options for the festival in the years to come if demand stays high. Desertfest runs the same venues over three days, picking a more ‘top-heavy’ line up and spreading those big bands out over the three days (however, fitting it all into a single day has many perks). Later this year, the Common Thread Tour takes a different approach, where only one venue (the Roundhouse) is open in the evening, and the equivalent capacity is spread across five other places during the afternoon (though the overall capacity would not work for Incineration’s size). They could pull a Damnation and swap venues or even cities entirely. Ultimately, Incineration’s venues are classics for good reason, but Camden was not necessarily designed as a festival destination (whether it was designed at any point is another matter entirely).
To be absolutely clear, everyone I spoke to had a great time despite the capacity issues, and we’ll be all over it next year regardless of the format. Don’t let this discussion deter you from next year’s offering when it comes.
The first destination of the day for many was Warbringer at the Electric Ballroom. As their career hits the twenty-year mark, there’s never been a better time to see Warbringer. Their latest record is possibly the best modern thrash album of the decade, showing that the way to make it compelling is to get smarter, not dumber. They are electrifying with their speed and chillingly clean with their solos. They embrace nerdy topics without getting bogged down in historical re-enactment, and take things to epic proportions with aggression, not cheese. The master stroke on Wrath And Ruin has to be the vocal melodies, with John Kevill rocking them brilliantly in the live arena. At Incineration, they were delighted to open the proceedings with their warm stage persona to an already packed room that spawned the day’s first mosh.
Dobbin diverted to the smaller stages to catch some brutal death from the Scottish Iniquitous Savagery. The first Underworld crowd got a schooling in guttural techniques and incomprehensible guitar lines. It’s striking how casually complex their music is, something that it’s always easy to brush over when it comes to extreme metal. When brutal death metal is delivered this proficiently, even the most inscrutable moves deserve to be fathomed, something I hope to attempt to do again soon.
Back in the Ballroom, Lamp of Murmuur maliciously took the stage, turning Warbringer’s concise and calculated thrashing into something far more sinister. The crowd were truly “Reduced to Submission and Slavery” at the sight of the band, who were draped in dark velvet cloaks, shrouded in a glowy haze, and facially obscured by their murky corpse paint. Though quite a lot smaller than the other bands in this stacked line-up, Lamp of Murmuur were able to hypnotise the audience with their relentless riffage and spit-filled screams. Every track was played with ritualistic accuracy and taste, plunging the room into a Saturnian Bloodstorm and ensuring that all those attending were “Eternally Banished to Agony”.
Meanwhile, at the Black Heart, Vaticinal Rites were completely packing out the room for their take on death metal. Along with the likes of Celestial Sanctuary, Coffin Mulch, and Mutagenic Host, they’re defining the UK’s death metal sound, a trend that is really beginning to define itself. This ‘NWOBDM’ has its roots in old-school death metal, worshipping at the altars of Morbid Angel, Incantation and Entombed, and borrows a little (but not a lot) from the technical and cavernous disciplines. Vaticinal Rites’ own blend bring an unholy atmosphere, complex licks, and solid balance between accessible and advanced structures. They seemed to take dive-bombing solos at every turn. The Black Heart’s walls have a special way of directing every sound directly into your eardrums, creating an all consuming experience, though those at the back usually have to accept that the stage is barely raised. As with all the Black Heart sets we saw, there was only just enough space for a mosh for their final few songs. They had a substitute drummer as Max Southall was off in the EU playing with Hellripper (how about them for Incineration 2026?).
Carnation were the only one of their touring line up (Decapitated, Cryptopsy and Warbringer) not to be playing the Electric Ballroom. They were in the Underworld, offering their relatively easy-to-grasp take on death metal. That’s meant as no insult, it’s just important context, as they were surrounded by some especially nutty bands. Perhaps their more traditional approach is what got them so solidly attended. They rocked hard, busting out tracks from their proudly nerdy Cursed Morality record, which dives into sci-fi classics and circle pit riffs in equal measure. Speaking of traditional takes on extreme metal, Spectral Wound were next up, the Electric Ballroom absolutely brimming for their dungeonesque black metal. All their newer tracks were visceral bangers, but it’s “Frigid and Spellbound” that absolutely captured the day – that’s absolutely a modern classic in the making. For the subsequent song, they pulled on Lamp of Murmuur’s singer for a feature – thank goodness he hadn’t changed out of his stage outfit yet.
At this point, the Roundhouse opened for business, meaning the most hyped bands were alternating between it and the Electric Ballroom. The queue was extremely long for Múr, and there wasn’t enough time for the room to fill before they started playing. This had a persistent knock-on effect: the lack of time between the beginning and end of the sets meant that it wasn’t possible to see full sets at those stages (bar Decapitated who had a bigger comfort gap). Even just ten to fifteen minutes would’ve been enough to walk to the Roundhouse and make it in time for each set’s beginning. For those who were already locked in, Múr started by playing the atmospheric and synth laden intro to “Heimsslitt”. They sounded absolutely massive at the Roundhouse, showing that their sound is built for these larger stages even at such an early point in their career. Kári Haraldsson’s vocals were a fantastic compliment to the massive post metal atmosphere created by the band. You could really feel it physically every time he unleashed his menacing growls into the microphone. As Múr unleashed “Holskefla” we were blessed with some awesome pyrotechnics to amplify the crushing riff early on in the song. The performance was for sure a highlight for festival goers, and hopefully a sign of bigger things for this fantastic band.
Meanwhile, Dobbin continued his tour of the small stages. Celestial Sanctuary hit the Underworld having only played London only a week before, supporting Employed To Serve with Burner (a 2024 Incineration band). Needless to say, they were more confident than ever, and crowd enthusiasm followed suit. On the second track, Tom Cronin called for a headbang and was rewarded with a mosh. Later the famous Underworld pillar briefly became a metalhead maypole, and there was even time for a wall of death. As they closed with their greatest achievement, “Trapped Within The Rank Membrane”, the (completely understandably) thinning crowd gave way to some hardcore moves. Much of the crowd were dipping for Coffin Mulch, a set that was so rammed that Dobbin dipped straight after shooting to try and make space for just one extra person. They’ll have to come back to give a bigger London audience a taste of their rancid sound.
At the Electric Ballroom, Blackbraid were maintaining an extremely high energy performance throughout their set. They are a truly unique band with their combo of black metal and Indigenous themes and sounds, which made for a truly one of a kind experience. Sgah’gahsowáh’s incredible vocals and energy were definitely stirring emotions, delivered with a level of passion that rubbed off on everyone in the room. A key moment was when he broke the mic stand he had been swinging around. Though it was unintentional, he worked it into his performance as he wrapped the mic chord around his neck, screaming while his face was almost entirely covered by his hair. Being front and centre to this happening was incredible. This set was truly one of the best of the day, and you should look forward to the release of their new album, Blackbraid III, in just a few months. Maybe we’ll see a headline tour for the album soon.
Next up was Batushka – and although the name ownership fiasco has been settled with the creation of Patriarkh, it feels good to say that the band that Incineration had booked was the real deal. There was no house music before they walked on stage, just ambience, incense, and a whole lot of smoke. This really set the tone and atmosphere that we were going to get with this cryptic band. As the band walked on stage, we were met with bellringers that were summoning the members and demanding silence. Shortly after came the blast beats and choir singing, which sounded absolutely immense and honestly terrifying. It was a performance that demanded your silence and attention; it felt like we were part of something sacred. The band members mostly stood still and performed their roles. Any other extreme metal band this would be boring and unacceptable but for Batushka this only added to their haunting performance. Hopefully we can begin to see more of this band in a live setting in the future, as this performance deserves to be seen by more people.
Zooming back to the smallest stage, Grief Ritual were grinding at The Dev to a solid audience. They’re one of those bands whose guitar tone just makes you laugh, and marvel how we arrived at such ridiculous sounds in heavy music. It’s a great time to be catching them as they haven’t played too many shows following the release of Collapse earlier this year, surely an essential record for anybody after grindcore with an essential message. The most enthusiastic attendees threw some two steps and fast moves for the more hardcore moments. It’s hard to imagine such a softly spoken band hit as hard as they do, and even more surprising to see they’re opening for Nekrogoblikon, Allegaeon and Party Cannon later this year. Here’s hoping the humour of those shows won’t get in the way of the important politics motivating Grief Ritual’s sound – it’s so much more than fight music.
Fun fact about seminal brutal death metal band Cryptopsy – their walk-on song is the entirety of “For Whom The Bell Tolls”. The bemused audience was quickly reminded of a few more classics from None so Vile, as well as their blistering new material from As Gommorah Burns. Hearing this range rendered in front of you smooths out the jarring production changes they’ve been through, so a playlist of the set list doesn’t do justice to how cohesive yet evolving their sound has been over the years. Perhaps needless to say, but Matt McGachy is a hall of fame singer. This set included the live debut of “Until There’s Nothing Left”, a grotesque track which will be on their upcoming record, set to be a special kind of intricate carnage that will vindicate all fans of their 2023 record.
It’s no secret that Blood Incantation were set to be the highlight of the day for many, so Dobbin took the hit and ensured someone had an ear at the other stages. First up were Wormwitch at the Underworld who drew a great crowd despite the clash. Many attendees greeted the songs with cheers and recognition, so clearly there’s a significant UK cult of the Wormwitch. The trademark microphone style of Robin Harris is to shout directly up into the heavens, towards a mic positioned like a noose. Their sound was only enhanced by the Underworld’s cubby format, bringing out all of their crust and gnarl but retaining plenty of definition.
Over in the Dev, the only band we saw get a more modest crowd was Healing Wound; this is understandable, as they were only announced a few days beforehand as the replacement for Underdark. This was no indication of their quality, and there were still plenty of eyes and ears who came to follow their windy blackened hardcore tracks. Healing Wound’s brand of aggression will be familiar to Converge fans, as every moment felt like it hurtled into the next. Their songwriting is almost completely indifferent to traditions of gratification and concordance. Every pause became a piercing blast of feedback. With a full album on the way next year, they’re certainly a band to watch closely.
Perhaps the highlight of the day for a lot of people, Blood Incantation’s popularity has shot into the stratosphere since the release of “Absolute Elsewhere”, and this performance at Incineration was that album in full. Part of the excitement was maybe that Blood Incantation were understood to be exclusive to the fest. However, as we were walking in we were handed flyers of some UK additional shows later this year with Oranssi Pazuzu as support. This will be very cool for people who unfortunately missed out on Incineration this year. As we already knew it was Absolute Elsewhere in full, we knew what to expect as the set opened with “Stargate”. The sound Blood Incantation creates is perfect on these big stages, filling the room with cosmic synths and eerie guitar playing before unleashing some death metal riffage onto the roundhouse crowd. The light show and the CGI sci-fi visuals on the stage screens really amplified the atmosphere, as well as the top-notch performances from all members. If you didn’t manage to catch their set at Incineration, definitely catch them in October, as it’s a performance you shouldn’t miss.
Severing the day in the Ballroom were Decapitated – one of the festival’s well-awaited headliners. Reigning from Poland, Decapitated presented the audience with their explosive and stylistically dynamic sound. From old-school classics from their 2002 release, Nihility, to their more contemporary works within Cancer Culture, the exhausted crowd were thrown into “Spheres of Madness” by the bands’ pure headbangers. There was truly “No Cure” for their sonic devastation, as they blasted the venue with their technical yet tasteful riffs and grooves that lead to a “Mandatory Suicide” of your eardrums. By the end of their set, no one was left dissatisfied (or without whiplash), as the band had truly Decapitated each one of us.
Dobbin concluded his day with Bedsore, a band who do death metal differently. Exactly how differently became immensely clear as they prepared the stage – moogs, 12 stringed guitars, a dress code you could set align picture frames to – this is no ordinary extreme metal band. Last year’s record Dreaming the Strife for Love defines their prevailing style, with the tracks they played from their 2020 debut Hypnagogic Hallucinations being brought into this new sonic territory. Hardly any distortion was used, bringing all of that retro ‘tone-in-your-fingers’ to a new context. The songwriting borrows much from prog, but what they do is simply too weird to be thrown in with most of the genre’s proponents. Their panicked vocals are yet another odd aspect, perhaps the only vestige of traditional extreme metal remaining in the band – and yet, they feel heavy in an entirely new way. Bedsore are yet another band that absolutely has to come back and put on their own show within their current release cycle, hopefully in an illustriously decorated venue that matches their dapper style (Koko or O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire spring to mind).
For the last set of the night for Boolin Tunes, Kieran took a brisk walk back to the Roundhouse for the main headliners Triptykon plays Celtic Frost. Though not as extreme as other bands on this bill, Celtic Frost are a part of metal history and getting to hear some of these songs is an honour and privilege. The set was emotional for a lot of people, including Tom Warrior who paid respects to his fallen brother Martin Eric Ain playing some of their most iconic songs, including “A Dying God Coming Into Human Flesh” for the first time ever. The performances by Triptykon were tight and high energy, amplified by some pyrotechnics on stage and visuals on the screens. Tom Warrior’s passion for these songs is still clear, and enjoys playing these songs, even almost twenty years on from the disbanding of Celtic Frost. The fourteen minute belter “Synagoga Satanae” was a highlight as those absolutely crushing riffs sounded massive, as well as previously mentioned “A Dying God Coming Into Human Flesh”. Overall, we were blessed to see these songs played for us at Incineration, and it capped off an incredible day of extreme metal. We look forward to it next year.
