The increasingly popular Fortress Festival‘s side-programme, Fortress Forum, will return on Saturday 30th May. This year the theatre room at Scarborough Spa will host a series of exclusive on-stage interviews offering attendees a unique insight into the lives and works of some of the musicians attending the festival. Two bands have been announced so far.
Swedish melodic black metal band Vinterland will sit down to discuss their enduring legacy and their historic UK debut at Fortress, where they will perform their cult classic debut album, Welcome My Last Chapter, in its entirety for its 30th anniversary. While UK progressive black metal act Akercocke will discuss the history and making of one of extreme metal’s most celebrated records, namely 2003’s Choronzon, with the band giving a worldwide exclusive full album performance of it at the festival.
The Fortress Forum conversations will be led by Jackie Smit of the Into the Necrosphere podcast and author, journalist and Cult Never Dies founder Dayal Patterson.
While Saturday focuses on industry and artist discussions, the theatre stage will transform on Sunday 31st May to host the festival’s previously announced Dungeon Synth stage. This dedicated programme will be headlined by the genre’s pioneer, Mortiis, with performances also confirmed from Emyn Muil, Atlantean Sword and Gate Master.
Fortress Festival has a stacked lineup of international and exclusive acts, including Saturday headliners Old Man’s Child (UK exclusive) and Sunday headliners Gallowbraid (worldwide live debut). The lineup also includes Dødheimsgard, who will perform their album Black Medium Current in its entirety, Norwegian black metal duo Whoredom Rife headlining the Ocean Room stage, and Abigail Williams returning to the UK for the first time in eight years.
UK exclusive sets will also be performed by Fluisteraars, Groza, Mesarthim, Midnight Odyssey, Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult (Ocean Room headliner), This Gift Is A Curse and Misþyrming, alongside debuts from Old Sorcery, Totenwache, Black Cilice, Darkenhöld and Antrisch among others. Aeon Winds will play a worldwide exclusive set, A Forest of Stars will perform a special return show, and Ossaert will perform a worldwide exclusive. Vespéral will make their UK debut and perform a worldwide exclusive of their recently released album, La Mort De L’âme.
As has become standard now, Fortress Festival is likely to sell out well before the event begins. Weekend and day tickets are available now.
