Photo Reports
Back in February, Idavoll kicked off 2026 by taking things up a notch again from their usual folk programming with another metal night and the first show of Vansind on Belgian soil.
The night started off silly with the fun-loving Dutchmen of Mourning Wood who played a very solid and much less parody sounding set than one might expect from their band name and on-stage shenanigans. They couldn’t help themselves to end with a metal cover of famous Dutch language children’s TV hit “De Plopdans”, with a live gnome on stage.
Next up were Morgarten from Switzerland to turn things into a somewhat darker direction with their folk-black sound. The band keeps upping their game every time they come round, they really owned the stage this time around. Despite playing since since 2005, it looks they finally taking off and touring Europe more and more. Keep an eye out and go catch them live where you can!
Vansind headlined the night on their first ever show in Belgium(!). All the way from Denmark, their style both catchy and heavy. Seeing harsh vocalist J Asgaard (does it get any more viking?) take the stage you could be forgiven for thinking he’d be brother to Amon Amarth frontman Johan Hegg and his sound wouldn’t dissuade you from that illusion. Vansind‘s style is more melodic, however, with harsh male and clean female vocals alternating and the metal augmented with flutes, bagpipes and keyboards to an infectious brand of folk metal.
The organisation & bands both seemed to have put in all effort to make sure appropriate drinks for the music were present: a plethora of mead variants were both on sale at the merch booths and at the bar besides the usuals.
This February, one of the year’s most highly anticipated tours arrived in Helsinki with full force as the “Death Over Europe” tour stormed into a sold-out Kulttuuritalo, bringing with it an absolutely crushing lineup. The undisputed kings of Norwegian black metal, Mayhem, were joined by legendary American death metal force Immolation, while the ever-formidable Swedish black metal panzer division Marduk completed a bill of truly devastating proportions. This was the kind of night that lingers long after the final note – still ringing in your ears for days to come.
Check out the photos from this intense night below!
Lord of the Lost came to Tampere’s Tavara-Asema on the 16th of March as part of their ‘Tovr Noir’ Tour, unfortunately without bassist Class Grenayde.
Together with Ad Infinitum they still easily riled up a big crowd even on a Monday evening.
It’s that time of year again when we look back and share our favorite images from the past year…
I dug into my albums and this is what came out, with pictures of Borknagar, Doro, Machine Head, Ne Obliviscaris, Room 13, Vola, Infected Rain, Luna Kills, Kickin Valentina, Art Nation, SatchVai Band, Arkona, Kreator, Cro-Mags, Bury Tomorrow, Electric Callboy, BTL and Ankor:
On March 12, 2026, Leaves’ Eyes brought their “Songs of Darkness tour” to the DVG Club in Kortrijk, delivering an evening of symphonic and viking metal alongside support act Catalyst Crime.
Catalyst Crime opened the night with an energetic set led by Zoë Federoff, quickly engaging the crowd with their blend of heaviness and melody. A special highlight was guest guitarist Marek Šmerda (aka former guitarist of Cradle of Filth), who joined them on stage—an appearance made even more meaningful by his connection to the band, as he is married to Federoff (who happens to also be a former COF member).
When Leaves’ Eyes took over, the atmosphere shifted into epic territory, with Elina‘s soprano vocals and a commanding stage presence. Šmerda once again appeared, performing with the band and bridging both acts. Another standout moment came during “Swords in Rock,” when Zoë Federoff also returned to the stage to join Leaves’ Eyes, adding an extra layer of energy to an already powerful performance.
It was a strong set, with special collaborations and a not too packed crowd what created a very nice evening in a very nice DVG Club!
On Friday March 6, Finnish melodic death metal band Omnium Gatherum brought their European tour to DVG Club, delivering an intense evening of melodic metal to a packed crowd. The night opened with two strong support performances from American progressive death metal band Fallujah warming up the audience, followed by Swedish melodic death metal outfit In Mourning, whose powerful set prepared the crowd perfectly for the headliners. The show was part of Omnium Gatherum’s European run in support of their latest album and tour campaign.
Sadly, longtime vocalist Jukka Pelkonen was unable to participate due to health issues after being diagnosed with lymphoma, forcing him to step away from the tour to focus on treatment. Stepping in as a temporary frontman is Henry Hämäläinen, known from bands like Shade Empire. Despite the circumstances, the substitute singer quickly won over the audience in Kortrijk with a confident and energetic performance. During the show, he shared a fun detail about life on the road with the band: every member of Omnium Gatherum has a number printed on their shirt. As the newest temporary member of the lineup, he joked that he had been assigned number 007 — “the James Bond of the band,” as he laughingly told the crowd.
The Kortrijk show demonstrated that the spirit of Omnium Gatherum remains strong and fans are already looking forward to welcoming the band back once their regular vocalist returns to the stage.
It was a Monsters Ball on Tuesday March 10th, 2026 at Piere’s in Fort Wayne, Indiana with Butcher Babies, Lylvc and Remember Me crashing into town and melting our faces for the night!
Remember Me warmed things up for the evening! They are a 4 piece metalcore band based out of Indiana! They are not strangers to playing at Piere’s as they formed their band a couple of years ago and have been gracing the stage ever since. The band’s lineup consists of: Chris Storm[Vocals], Jonathan Ensz[Drums], Nathan Valdez[Guitar] and Justin Robbins[Bass].
Up next was Lylvc (pronounced “Lilac”) a rock/hip-hop fusion band based out of North Carolina. After speaking to both vocalists prior to the show, I was so excited to see them perform. Energy and connection with their audience is important to them and it showed throughout their performance! They gave it their all and it was fun to witness. They also value the importance of mental health which I greatly appreciated. They played a cover of Papercut(Linkin Park)which they did amazing on. They also played their new single Starless. The band’s lineup is made up of: Alyse Zavala[vocals], Oscar Romero[vocals], Cameron Gillette[keyboard/synth/rhythm guitar], Seth Morgan[lead guitar] and Lee Hutt[drums].
Butcher Babies, heavy metal band based out of LA, headlined for the night and they delivered a power packed performance! Vocalist Heidi Shepherd is one of the most energetic and dynamic artists I have ever seen. She commands the room and this show was no exception! Their crowd interaction and relentless energy is a force to be reckoned with! At one point near the end of their set Heidi entered the crowd and sang from the center of a circle pit! That was so fun to witness live. After this tour ends, the band is headed to Europe and then playing a couple of festivals here in the United States. If you like metal and intensity, you will love Butcher Babies!
HEIMAT OVER EUROPE 2026 brought a thunderous night of extreme music to Stuttgart, showcasing a lineup that spanned continents and generations of heavy sound. This was warming up every extreme metal and metalcore fan’s heart. Opening the evening were FROZEN SOUL from Dallas, USA, one of the most exciting newcomers in modern Death Metal. Their icy riffs and crushing groove immediately ignited the unfortunately smaller crowd due to the early stage time.
They were followed by THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER from Michigan, USA—long‑established Melodic Death Metal veterans whose technical precision and relentless energy remain unmatched. Their set was a whirlwind of blastbeats and razor‑sharp melodies, the first major peak of a long night.
Next came THE HALO EFFECT from Gothenburg, Sweden, a band formed by seasoned musicians deeply rooted in the classic Gothenburg Melodic Death Metal tradition. Their warm harmonies and anthemic choruses offered a powerful contrast, turning the hall into a massive sing‑along.
Headliners HEAVEN SHALL BURN from Saalfeld, Germany—true Metalcore/Melodic Death Metal heavyweights with decades of experience—delivered a visually stunning and politically charged performance. Pyro bursts, towering light walls, and a ferocious stage performance sealed the night as an unforgettable highlight. Heaven was burning for sure this night!
A triumphant celebration of Europe’s metal identity.
Stan’s Room at Piere’s in Fort Wayne, Indiana was ablaze as Shallow Side and Above Snakes rolled into for a pop-up show while out on tour with No Resolve. The Kickbacks (aka TKB), Fort Wayne locals, were also on the bill for the night. It was truly a special evening!
The Kickbacks have been rocking the regional scene since 2014 with their post grunge vibes and high energy! This 3 piece band was high energy and well put together.
Above Snakes hail from Boston, Massachusetts. I love their Nu Metal/hard rock blend of music and energetic stage presence! This was my 2nd time seeing them and I will definitely be keeping an eye on this band.
Shallow Side, from the great state of Alabama, just simply brought things home for the night! I had heard nothing but great things about them and they did not disappoint. I really love their hit The Worst Kind! They played a fun mashup, Separate Ways(Journey) and even threw in some country. They were very entertaining and loved the crowd and the crowd loved them.
Overall, what a gem of a show this was and no better way to spend a Thursday night!!
On Thursday, 12 February 2026, Swedish metal provocateurs Avatar brought their “In the Airwaves” tour to Ancienne Belgique (AB) in Brussels, Belgium, delivering a powerful night of riffs, theatrics and pure metal energy as usual.
The full report by Annet can be found here
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