Ankor. ⚡

Thursday 18 June Metal Dome

Genre: Metalcore

Spotify bio;

ANKOR is an alternative metal band based in Catalonia (Spain) with singer Jessie Williams (Bristol, UK), drummer Eleni Nota (Athens, Greece), guitarists David Romeu/Fito Martinez and bassist Julio López (Tarragona, Catalonia) formed in 2003 in Els Pallaresos a village near Barcelona, when its members were only around 13 years old. In 2014 ANKOR was chosen best newcomer band by the readers of the oldest rock magazine in Spain/South America; La Heavy (Heavy Rock/Kerrang). The albums, Beyond the Silence of These Years (2017) and White Dragon (2019) raised the band to a new level, allowing ANKOR to start doing headlining tours over Europe and Asia.
Their album Shoganal (2024) with the songs also known as 'Chapters', brought the band to take a huge step forward, reaching a bigger audience, playing several sold out shows in their headlining DARKBEAT Tour (October 2023) and opening the door to the biggest metal festivals like Wacken Open Air (Germany) 2 years in a row, Hellfest•s main stage (France), Tuska (Finland), Bloodstock Open Air (UK), Resurrection Fest's main stage (Spain), adding Deadpop (Japan), Graspop (Belgium), Nova Rock (Austria), Download (I-JK) and the legendary festivals Rock Am Ring and Rock 1m Park in 2026.
In February/March 2025 ANKOR toured their biggest headline EU/UK tour ever, visiting 17 different countries with several sold out shows.
April 2026 ANKOR will tour for the very 1st time North America.

Can't say I did not like my 25 minutes of Ankor, but I'm not too thrilled about it either. Listener beware, awesome growls switching to disney over here. This band has me so confused. I might ... maybe ... check em out. Chances are slim tho since they're also booked on thursday, which is already cramped with stuff I really wouldn't want to miss. But then again, seeing this live performance from Wacken 2023 (vid below), why not. On the MAYBE list they go. ⚡

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Gaerea. ⚡

Sunday 21 June Marquee

Genre: Black Metal

Spotify bio;

I see the memories circling below.
Loss (2026) Coma (2024) Mirage (2022) Limbo (2020) Unsettling Whispers (2018) Gaerea (2016)

That bio tells us nothing. But they had me after 15 seconds of Phoenix (their latest song of their upcoming album Loss). Instant ⚡Woah seriously - instant fan. So good they've got me checking out their merch and that's telling 😅 Their previous album is superb and I'll probably listen to this non-stop next weekend, love everything I'm hearing here.
Check out their latest single Phoenix. Either way - Sunday @ Marquee - I'll be there! Apparently they're also stopping by in BXL on March 20th @ Botanique, sadly I'm out and about that day, otherwise this would've been a no-brainer. This one will shtick!

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Rivers of Nihil ⚡

Saturday 20 June Metal Dome

Genre: Death Metal

Spotify bio;

Reading, Pennsylvania's Rivers Of Nihil have never fit neatly into a box, but with 20181s "Where Owls Know My Name", they transcended all labels applied to them. Returning in 2021 with "The Work", they have forged further into new territory, delivering an album that is as cerebral as it is visceral, and that covers a staggering sonic range, definitively placing them in a category of their own. Adds Adam Biggs, "It spans a lot of different styles, ideas, and emotions. The twists and turns are pretty drastic for your modern day metal record. There's a lot of what you already know we do, and a lot of what you've never heard us do before." There's no denying that the finished product is something unique and marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for Rivers Of Nihil, though Biggs states he has never gotten anywhere by thinking about the future of the band. "We always just sort of do this thing and it grows. I guess that could change at some point. But thinking about things that way doesn't seem to get me anywhere either. Better to focus on the work in front of us, as it turns out," he adds, referencing the album's title. "If we've learned anything for certain in the last year or so, it's that the future can be murky, we're not really owed anything, and it can all be taken away any second. But for now, we press on."

Adam Biggs spewing forth truths. This one was also an instant ⚡after the first corner on my trip I was like WOAH yes please. I need to discover more of these guys, 25 minutes was not nearly long enough. Saturday Metal Dome, I shall be present!

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Bury Tomorrow. ⚡

Sunday 21 June Jupiler Stage

Genre: Metalcore

Spotify bio;

Will You Haunt Me, With That Same Patience - May 16 2025.

Metalcore is such an odd genre. This is one of those bands that requires more listening. Their top track on Spotify opens like "woah I like this." and then progresses into "ehhh". So these 25 minutes were quite the rollercoaster...
Jupiler Stage is a nice play to be, and most of the time sunday is an off-day for me. So I guess I can check em out. We'll see. No rush. MAYBE-tier. I'll zap em just to be sure I don't miss them accidentaly. ⚡