Old Grave Fest, organised by Romanian Thrash Metal Club, arrived at Quantic in Bucharest between 8 and 10 October 2026 to smash our brains in and remind us why, for many years, the event has been home to heavy metal, thrash metal, death metal and NWOBHM. Acts we could only have dreamed of seeing in Romania five or ten years ago finally took the stage here, alongside familiar names we were glad to welcome back. And those of us in the audience walked away with enough energy to last us the rest of the month.
Old Grave Fest XIII announcement poster
© Romanian Thrash Metal Club
What’s Better Than Cracking a Cold One? Having One at Cold Grave Party!
Cold Grave Party put four acts in the firing line before Old Grave Fest proper got underway, with Holocaust closing the night on a high-voltage NWOBHM note.
The evening opened with the Mexican death metal of In Obscurity Revealed. The musicians can boast two full-length albums, “Glorious Impurity” [2018] and “Caustic Maelstrom” [2026], both of which sound vicious on record and on stage. Judging by the way they put their songs through their paces, I can only imagine trying to stay still while these maniacs tear through their set.
In Obscurity Revealed
© Ștefan Lupașcu
Next came a hefty dose of heavy metal from Sweden’s Templar. On a side note, I discovered them on Last.fm some time ago, and I still remember hearing “Treacherous Beast” from 2024 and promising myself I would keep an eye on them. Since then, their sound has evolved considerably, and “Conquering Swords” [2026] stands as proof. What matters most is the passion with which they deliver their ideas, whether in the studio or in front of a crowd. On Quantic’s stage, those ideas came armed with sharp riffs, a strong sense of melody and the conviction that classic heavy metal needs neither reinvention nor excuses to hit hard. Templar made a compelling case for keeping their name on the radar.
Templar
© Ștefan Lupașcu
Rapid followed, unleashing Finnish black/speed metal at full throttle. Their blend of old-school speed, thrash aggression and punkish roughness gave the set a scrappy, unpolished edge, with little interest in playing by the rules. With “Enter the Realm of Fire” [2026] marking their full-length debut, the band members had plenty of firepower to keep the crowd moving.
Rapid
© Ștefan Lupașcu
The final act of the Cold Grave Party belonged to British NWOBHM veterans Holocaust, who celebrated the 45th anniversary of their debut album, “The Nightcomers”, in fine style. If, somehow, their name has yet to cross your path, do yourself a favour and give their albums a spin. You will not regret it. Opening with “Smokin’ Valves”, they soon worked their way through “Death or Glory”, “Heavy Metal Mania” and, of course, the title track. Each song stirred the crowd into a frenzy, and the old-school riffs sounded every bit as glorious as they should.
Holocaust
© Ștefan Lupașcu
Friday Was No Day for the Faint-Hearted
Razorvoid kicked off Friday with Swedish thrash metal, punk and d-beat influences, setting the pace for a day that would move between speed, bestial aggression, hard rock and epic metal. Fresh off the release of their 2026 album “Into the Void”, their direct approach made for an energetic opening, putting the audience in the right frame of mind for the more extreme acts still to come.
Razorvoid
© Ștefan Lupașcu
The Americans of Abhorrency brought black and death metal into the equation, with cavernous riffs and an abrasive sound that favours raw force over unnecessary ornamentation. Their material sits firmly on the more savage end of the extreme metal spectrum, and the set provided a sharp contrast to the traditional heavy metal waiting further down the schedule.
Abhorrency
© Ștefan Lupașcu
Germany’s Cherokee changed the atmosphere with hard rock, proving that Old Grave Fest once again had room for more than blast beats and low-tuned guitars. Built around classic rock instincts, strong melodies and a more accessible approach to heaviness, their performance offered a welcome shift in dynamics without feeling out of place on the bill.
Cherokee
© Ștefan Lupașcu
Bonehunter, hailing from Finland, brought black metal, thrash metal and punk together in a suitably unruly combination. Fast riffs and a rebellious attitude formed the backbone of their sound, while the shifts in pace kept the material from becoming a one-dimensional exercise in speed. Their set was a reminder that a little punk spirit can do wonders for an extreme metal performance.
Bonehunter
© Ștefan Lupașcu
Canada’s Smoulder brought epic heavy/doom metal into the picture, trading speed for grander melodies, fantasy-inspired atmosphere and riffs built to make an impression. Their music has a distinct sense of scale, balancing heaviness with the storytelling instincts of traditional metal. Against the more aggressive acts surrounding them, Smoulder offered a different kind of intensity, one rooted in atmosphere and the power of a well-built composition.
Smoulder
© Ștefan Lupașcu
Swiss veterans Messiah followed with a set carrying the weight of decades spent in the extreme metal underground. The 35th anniversary of “Choir of Horrors” provided an especially fitting reason to revisit their catalogue, with their aggressive approach bridging old-school death and thrash metal. Their presence was a reminder that some records become reference points not because they follow a trend, but because they help establish one.
Messiah
© Ștefan Lupașcu
Blasphemy brought Friday to its knees. The Canadian black/death metal maniacs ripped through “Gods of War”, “Nocturnal Slayer”, “Blasphemy” and “Goddess of Perversity”, dragging the audience into the foul depths of their early catalogue. “Blasphemous Attack” from “Gods of War” [1993] and “Goddess of Perversity”, from “Fallen Angel of Doom…” [1990], highlighted two defining records.
There was nothing ceremonial about this closing act; Blasphemy made sure the night ended on their terms.
Blasphemy
© Ștefan Lupașcu
Saturday: No Signs of Slowing Down
Finnish thrashers Dart opened Saturday with a straightforward dose of speed and old-school aggression. Their 2025 full-length “Speed Days” captures the directness of classic thrash metal, sharpened by a punk-inflected edge. It made for an appropriate start to a day that would eventually culminate in one of hardcore punk’s most influential names.
Dart
© Ștefan Lupașcu
Century brought Swedish heavy metal to the stage, drawing on the melodic, steel-plated traditions of the 1980s and the spirit of the NWOBHM movement. Their set drew from “The Conquest of Time” [2023] and “Sign of the Storm” [2025], showcasing memorable riffs and classic songwriting without unnecessary embellishment. The material reaffirmed that traditional heavy metal remains a vital part of the underground rather than a relic to be kept behind glass.
Century
© Ștefan Lupașcu
Chile’s Force of Darkness shifted the focus towards black/thrash metal, combining the velocity of thrash metal with a darker, more aggressive sensibility. Their sound belongs to the rawer end of the spectrum, where speed and atmosphere work together rather than compete for attention. They provided another dose of old-school extremity in a line-up that refused to settle into a single mood.
Force of Darkness
© Ștefan Lupașcu
Also hailing from Chile, Procession brought epic doom metal to Old Grave Fest, with a set drawing on three full-length albums. Their selection offered a cross-section of the catalogue, steeped in the darker traditions of doom metal and the grander ambitions of epic metal. It was my first time seeing them live, and I really liked what I heard.
Procession
© Ștefan Lupașcu
Florida’s Perdition Temple returned the focus to death metal, with black metal influences marking their aggressive approach. With five full-length albums to draw from, including their most recent release, “Malign Apotheosis” [2025], they had a solid catalogue to choose from, with plenty of material to resonate with the crowd. I particularly enjoyed “Resurrect Damnation” from the aforementioned album and “Desolation Usurper” from “Sacraments of Descension” [2020].
Perdition Temple
© Ștefan Lupașcu
Negative Plane, from the United States, took the festival into more occult territory with their distinctive approach to black metal. Psychedelic undertones and unusual atmospheric turns give their compositions a character that extends beyond straightforward aggression, inviting the audience to absorb the music rather than simply react to it. Their set was a well-rounded affair, featuring songs from “Et in Saecula Saeculorum” [2006] and the more recent “The Pact…” [2022].
I remember spotting their name on the Old Grave Fest poster and thinking they would be one of my personal highlights, and they lived up to those expectations. I would gladly see them live again.
Negative Plane
© Ștefan Lupașcu
The members of Discharge had the final word on Saturday at Old Grave Fest XIII. Hailing from the United Kingdom, the veterans brought their trademark d-beat to Quantic, drawing on a catalogue that helped define the sound of British hardcore punk. Their music needs little decoration: the drums drive forward, the guitars grind away, and the vocals retain the confrontational edge that has made Discharge instantly recognisable.
On stage, the veterans proved that their music loses none of its force with age. The pounding beats and distorted guitar work kept the set charging ahead, while the vocals cut through the noise with the same defiant spirit that has defined their sound for decades. There was no need for elaborate stage theatrics when the music itself did all the talking. The audience responded in kind, drawing on the intensity radiating from the stage and lending the show an added spark.
Discharge
© Ștefan Lupașcu
Conclusion? The Old Ways Bite Back
Old Grave Fest XIII gathered recognised names, cult favourites and younger acts from across the international underground, spanning a wide range of heavy music without reducing the programme to a single formula. The three-day event also offered Romanian audiences the chance to see artists making their first appearances in the country, adding another reason to appreciate the work that the members of Romanian Thrash Metal Club continue to put into the festival.
Quantic once again provided the meeting point for different generations of underground music, with the Cold Grave Party setting the scene before Friday and Saturday delivered the main programme. For an audience looking beyond trends and neatly defined genre boundaries, Old Grave Festival XIII offered plenty to take home, from T-shirts and records to ringing ears that would take a while to recover.
The crowd
© Ștefan Lupașcu
