In a week our everlasting quest for finding and experiencing the best metal festivals across the world will take us to Norway. Yes, the motherland of black metal where the air is filled with the scent of bvrned churches and where you will have to sell your kidney to pay for a beer. So outfitted with (a bit) of our own booze and a taste for extreme metal, we’re sure that Midgardsblot will be a blast.

The festival kicks off on Thursday, August 20th with an opening speech. Since we want try as much as the festival has to offer, you’ll find us doing some guided tours around the area (which should be very interesting since the Midgard Historical Centre is an archaeological site with grave mounds, excavations, exhibitions and more!) attending lectures and a beer tasting!

The music program opens with Folket Bortafor Nordavinden ft. Kati Ran, who will play an acoustic set, inspired by ancient music and the way it was performed back in the day. It will get a little heavier with the folk-rock/metal group Bergtatt, Danish folk metal band Huldre and Norwegian experimental metal formation Solefald. The evening will end with a special set from Einar ‘Kvitrafn’ Selvik (Wardruna) in the Gildehallen. Selviks music is often enchanting, whether performed acoustic or amplified, and in these surroundings, it should be a once in a lifetime experience.

The second and third day will continue with other activities such as viewing (parts of) the Blackhearts documentary and a panel debate. Some of Scandinavia’s finest are performing: Ihsahn, Einherjer, Kampfar, 1349 and Thyrfing. Not to mention two special sets from Enslaved’s Ivar Bjørnson’s Bardspec and Mayhem’s Atilla Csihar. The festival does not solely focus on Scandinavia. Extreme metal bands from other areas of the world are featured as well. From the Vastland from Iran (currently Norway) and Acyl from Algeria will diversify the program with their own (musical) traditions. There is a lot more we could say about this festival, but what it comes down to is: be there!