The news of a brand new festival is always a reason to celebrate among metalheads, even more so when we remind ourselves of the troubling times that the metal entertainment industry is still navigating through. And what a better place than mystical Finland to host such an event?
Organized by Dark Moon Events, Bloodfest will host it’s very first edition at the Tiivistämö concert venue in Helsinki, between May 31st and June 1st, 2024. As this festival is fresh out of the oven, more details will come soon, so keep an eye out on our webzine. In the meantime, you can also stay connected with the community on the official facebook event.
The two day metal extravaganza will feature about 15 bands, let’s discover the first announcements together!
First wave of band announcements
Voidfallen
The melodic death metal band Voidfallen was the first band announced for Bloodfest. Founded in 2019 by Tommi and Henri, Voidfallen started out as a two-man project. They released their debut album The Atlas of Spiritual Apocalypse in 2021.
They are currently working on their next album and have released the first single earlier this year. Titled Starved of Martyrs, you can watch the official music video below:
Ondfødt
Black metal outfit Ondfødt joins the lineup and promises a set filled with dark tunes. Founded in 2013, their latest material Det österbottniska mörkret was released in May 2023 under the Black Lion Records label.
When talking about this album, the band states that “[…] the album takes you through the dark history of murders and the darkest side of people driven by religion. And as well as the urban legends of the spirits and the evil creations that live in the endless forests of Östrobothnia“
Check out the music video for Tvetalan, taken off of Det österbottniska mörkret:
Tenebrae Aeternum
The next band confirmed for Bloodfest 2024 is Finnish/Swiss occult black death band Tenebrae Aeternum. They create dark, agressive and disharmonic music based on occult, religious and cabbalistic themes.
Their latest musical effort is the self-released EP “For I Was The Snake”, unveiled in November of this year. You can listen to the EP in its entirety on Youtube:
Nihilo
The next announcement comes from Switzerland and will play their very first show in Finland. Nihilo plays unrelenting, fast, heavy, deep and everything in between, just as you like your death metal.
Established all the way back in 2003, Nihilo‘s latest album is Resolution released in 2022 under the label Iron, Blood and Death Corporation. Check out the music video for Chaos Within from Resolution:
Blackment
The young melodic heavy metal bad Blackment also joins the Bloodfest 2024 billing. Founded in 2014 in Hyvinkää, Finland, their debut album Plains of Oblivion was released in 2022. They mix the traditional flavorful, catchy heavy metal with atmospheric synths, skillful and catchy guitars melodies and punchy bass and drum lines.
Their latest single is Ghost in the Machine released in August 2023:
Earthblood
Talking about fresh acts, Earthblood from Espoo, Finland, just debuted in 2023 with their sludge and thrash riffs! Featuring Joel Notkonen (Aeonian Sorrow, Ondfødt, Arctora) on bass and vocals, Niko Kauhanen (Arctona) on drums and Jere Halonen (Arctona) on guitar and vocals, they promise to shake the stage and make everyone move under the influence of beer and noise.
They released their first EP Primal Noise in September. From this first release, you can watch the music video for the title track:
Aeonian Sorrow
Finnish-Greek doom metal stalwarts Aeonian Sorrow will bring their legendary atmospheric concerts to Helsinki next year. Born out of the soul and sorrow of Gogo Melone in 2015, Aeonian Sorrow‘s music dances on the edge of emotions, with soulful melancholic melodies on one side, and harsh, low and heavy tones on the other.
Their latest album Katara was released at the beginning of November 2023 and the band stated it to be “one of their most heart-felt albums that they have ever wrote”. You can convince yourself of this statement by tuning in to Anemos, the first song off Katara:
Kollectivist
The melo-death meets progressive metal band Kollectivist rounds up this first batch of announcements for Bloodfest 2024. The band consists of Late Honkola on guitar & vocals, Henri Ojala on guitar, Akseli Jäävuori on drums and Vesa Pietikäinen on bass.
Their latest musical effort is the eponymous EP Kollectivist, released in 2022. Check out the music video for The Grey:
More will be announced soon, so stay tuned here for more amazing bands!
