The organizers behind Damnation Festival aren’t messing about this year. They’ve just pulled the curtain back on a massive wave of bands for the 2026 edition, and it’s looking like a proper essential weekend for anyone with a taste for the heavier side of life. Swedish post-metal titans Cult of Luna are set to headline the Saturday night, while Norwegian black metal legends Satyricon will be closing the whole thing down on Sunday with a UK exclusive performance.
Joining them at the BEC Arena in Manchester on 7th and 8th November are some absolute heavyweights. We’re talking Liverpool’s own death metal icons Carcass, the experimental madness of Igorrr, US sludge masters Crowbar, and Swiss extreme metal royalty Triptykon. We just caught Carcass out on the road last week and they were absolutely clinical, so having them on this bill is a massive win.
These six names join an already stacked line-up that includes Health, Walls of Jericho, Eyehategod, and Wolves In The Throne Room. Festival boss Gavin McInally reckons this is the strongest bill they’ve ever pulled together, and looking at that list, it’s hard to argue with him. He’s also teased that there are still another 19 bands to be announced, which is frankly obscene given the quality already on display.
Punters have clearly been paying attention, as more than half the tickets have already been snapped up. If you’re planning on heading to Manchester in November, you’d better get a move on. Gavin’s prediction is that the festival will sell out in record time, so don’t be the one gutted in the car park because you left it too late. Tickets are available now via the official Damnation site.
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