“All life is temporary, what lasts is consciousness.”
Incineration is an extreme metal festival, and for the UK’s heavy scene, it’s the first taste of an incredible festival in 2025. A close friend of Desert Fest, it’s a Camden takeover of death, black, doom, prog, and miscellaneous occult metal of all kinds. Running for about ten years with a few skips due to the pandemic, this is its biggest year as it occupies over five venues with their best line up yet. Below we’ve got an overview of the event, some advice for attendees, and some discussion of our favourite artists on the line-up. Words in this article by Dobbin T, Emily Cole and Kieran White.
Firstly, some practical tips on surviving Incineration, mostly hinging on its setting, as it happens in a single day over five venues across Camden. Four of the venues are very close together – Electric Ballroom, The Underworld, The Black Heart, and The Dev. The Roundhouse is the largest of the lot, but you should budget at least a twenty-minute walk to it from the other venues (it’s more like fifteen as the crow flies, but you’ve got to wade through the tourists and fake punks of Camden on the way). The trip will absolutely be worth it as Tryptikon-plays-Celtic Frost, Blood Incantation, Batushka and Mur will all benefit from its illustrious scale. With just four bands on at this stage, the organisers have factored the travel time in for you, but you should be aware it’s more out of the way.
The remaining stages have their perks – the Electric Ballroom’s line-up is frankly ridiculous: Decapitated and their tour mates Cryptopsy and Warbringer, plus Blackbraid, Spectral Wound and Lamp of Murmur. All of these bands are massive in their respective genres, and for Incineration fest to fill out their second stage fully with international bands is an amazing feat. On the Underworld stage there’s no weak entries Undergang, Wormwitch, Celestial Sanctuary, Carnation, and Iniquitous Savagery. This stage also features the Japanese Minami Deutsch, certainly the odd one out, offering a krautrock intermission for the day (of course Blood Incantation’s tour mates would be oddballs).
The smaller stages get more and more underground, but let it be known that the strength of this line up runs all the way through. We’re big fans of the picks for the Black Heart – Five The Hierophant, Bedsore, Trivax, Coffin Mulch, Gorgon Vomit, Vaticinal Rites and Naut. Many of these bands will be new features for our site, so we’ll be sure to visit. Lastly, The Dev has a very UK underground focus: Underdark, Cruelty, Grief Ritual, Kulk, Copse and DeathCollector. Those who get into The Dev will be in for a visceral experience, but do note that the venue is minuscule, so arrive early unless you want to watch through the windows.
Be warned that the day will have a physical toll, especially if any of the bands get you moving. To make the most of it, you should change venues several times in the day, but too often will be a poor spend of energy. The best place to rest (besides an obligatory fast food jaunt) is usually the front row – let that barrier be your legs. Another good place to rest your feet is Raven Records, a record, coffee and alcohol-free bar very close to the four smaller venues. If it looks full, go downstairs for the fully atmospheric experience, and ask them to post your vinyl purchases to you instead of getting them dog-eared in the audience.
Spectral Wound
Although 2024 was a quiet year for black metal, there were a crop of strong releases from the likes of Gaerea, Aquilus, Paysage d’Hiver, Knoll and Ante-Inferno. King among these albums was surely Spectral Wound’s Songs of Blood and Mire, an record that unashamedly celebrates the best in traditional black metal styles. Absolutely decrepit goblin vocals call from lost halls over blackened grooves that just make you want to move. They’re worth deep-diving as well: beyond their (well deserved) mega-single “Frigid and Spellbound”, the more rudimentary mix of their debut Infernal Decadence still shines to this day. Their mid-afternoon slot on the Electric Ballroom stage will be a dark delight. Dobbin T
Bedsore
If I had a quid for every progressive death metal band that had a release that came out in late 2024 that ended up flying under the radar, I’d have 2 quid. Which isn’t a lot (I’ll take it in this economy), but it’s weird it happened twice. Meet Bedsore, an Italian band who, in late 2024, released their sophomore album Dreaming the Strife for Love with the psychedelics turned up to 11, filled to the brim with synthy goodness, laced with some blackened death metal and doomy atmosphere. It’s a melting pot of prog, and it’s absolute cinema. Bedsore are a super unique pickup for Incineration Fest and they are one to see on the Black Heart stage, especially for fans of Blood Incantation. Kieran White
Coffin Mulch
Amidst the recent resurgence of old school death metal, Coffin Mulch have emerged as a hidden gem within the extreme underground scene. Hailing from Scotland, Coffin Mulch have carved out a distinct space for themselves, channelling the classic, raw aggression of “HM-2 death metal”, combined with haunting atmospheres and aspects of contemporary metal production. As solidified in their 2023 debut, Spectral Intercession, Coffin Mulch’s sound is drenched in thick, fuzzy distortion, delivering a malevolent onslaught of relentless riffs, violent vocals, and immersive sonic terror. For fans of Celestial Sanctuary, Necrot, and Dismember, Coffin Mulch offer a familiar yet uniquely menacing take on death metal that honours its old school roots without trying to imitate the sound of others. With their brutal approach and hard-hitting discography, Coffin Mulch certainly deserve their spot at Incineration Fest this year. Emily Cole
Cryptospy
There are very few death metal albums out there that can compare to the precise and unorthodox brutality of Cryptopsy’s 1996 masterpiece None so Vile. The subsequent experiments in the mid 2000’s were maybe a bit foolhardy, leading to much disdain from death metal purists as well as fans concerned they had sold out. Despite that unfortunate era we have witnessed a magical return to form in the last decade, the 2012 self-titled album was Cryptopsy doing their duty. Making brutal technical death metal. Since then, they’ve released two EPs and the most recent full length As Gomorrah Burns, a blisteringly fast endeavour which ended up being one of my favourite releases of 2023. Cryptopsy and maybe more specifically their drummer Flo Mounier are pioneers of technical death metal, and you can catch them on the Electric Ballroom stage. Kieran White
Decapitated
Joining the festival as one of its Electric Ballroom headliners are technical death metal pioneers Decapitated. Forming in Poland as teenagers in 1996, Decapitated have created a varied discography with several standout albums that have shaped their benevolent sound. The band are well-known for their virtuosic riffs, complex song structures, and blistering aggression – with albums like Winds of Creation and Organic Hallucinosis becoming benchmarks in the genre. Despite facing the loss of founding drummer, Vitek, in 2007, Decapitated have continued to evolve their iconic sound, pushing their work into darker, more groove-oriented territory with their most recent albums, Anticult and Cancer Culture. Renowned for their explosive live performances and intense touring schedule, Decapitated stand as a testament to their resilience and innovation in extreme music. With a near-perfect discography and powerful, precise performances; Decapitated are destined to bring their intense brutality to Incineration Festival. Emily Cole
Underdark
We’ve watched Underdark for a while, in particular at ArcTanGent last year as they took on its second-biggest stage. Their most recent record Managed Decline is very fresh and so very good. It shows off the incredible range of the band from blackened heights to post metal throes. Its latter half visits a soaring and hopeful dimension that should satisfy those who are being pulled into the blackgaze world by Deafheaven’s latest. Abi Vasquez’s vocals are arresting and her performance is very interactive. Arrive early, as the five piece will take up plenty of space in The Dev by themselves. Dobbin T
DeathCollector (UK)
Making a formal introduction in 2023 and now playing at The Devonshire Arms at Incineration Festival are British extreme metal band DeathCollector. With past (and current) members of Severe Lacerations, Zealot Cult, and Ashen Crown, DeathCollector are an amalgamation of some of the UK’s best OSDM musicians. Their style is reminiscent of Fuming Mouth and Creeping Death – filled with grotesque guitar tones, and gruesome, gritty gutturals. With the release of their first album, Death’s Toll, the band were able to solidify their signature sound, with death ‘n’ roll interpolations and murky death metal production that serves as an ode to the genre’s predecessors. Despite being one of the smaller artists on the festival’s line-up, DeathCollector are a band that will certainly command their own spotlight and bring in many fresh fans. Emily Cole
Múr
Hypnotic and powerful, Icelandic prog metallers Múr released their extraordinary debut album during a time when everyone was finalising their end of year lists and it ended up flying under the radar. Opening the newly added Roundhouse stage at Incineration Fest’s biggest year yet, Múr are sure to turn some heads sharing the stage with heavyweights like Triptykon, Blood Incantation and Batushka. Múr’s blend of cinematic post metal and progressive death metal, with wall of sound production reminiscent of Devin Townsend and brutal riffs akin to Gojira, it’s a blessing to the ears and one that you’re not going to want to miss. The vocalist also plays the Keytar, and who wouldn’t want to see that at an extreme metal festival? Kieran White
Wormwitch
Taking the stage at The Underworld are Canadian band, Wormwitch. Channelling the raw fury of black metal through a crusty, primal lens, Wormwitch produce a sound that is a distinctive blend of sheer savagery and sinister soundscapes. Since their emergence in 2015, the band have handcrafted a style that combines the melodic sensibilities of Scandinavian black metal with the grit of d-beat and death ‘n’ roll. Alongside this, Wormwitch have solidified themselves as a massive contender in extreme metal, with their most popular album, Heaven That Dwells Within, injecting medieval and folk elements into their music – pushing the boundaries of the genre to new extremes. With lethal live shows and a consistently confrontational sound, Wormwitch continue to set the standard and redefine what black metal can be in the modern era – truly an essential band in this year’s line-up. Emily Cole
Blood Incantation
If you’re reading this article, you likely need no introduction to Blood Incantation. Their 2024 masterpiece Absolute Elsewhere took the metal world by storm, and quickly became a mainstream success with its effective blend of psychedelic space rock, and progressive death metal. Their set at Incineration Fest will be Absolute Elsewhere in full and it is an Incineration Fest exclusive performance in the UK. The terrifyingly ethereal atmosphere Blood Incantation will conjure in this performance will be an exciting one for many who have been entranced by Absolute Elsewhere. Kieran White
The event is essentially sold out, with a few passes recently released for the non-Roundhouse venues, so if you’re lucky you might find a ticket here, but be quick. You can also be an ultra-fan and catch the kick off show at the Black Heart, headlined by with the fantastic black metal of Wode and new-on-the-block noisers Believe In Nothing.