Zeal & Ardor will headline Damnation 2027, the first name announced for next year’s festival at Manchester’s BEC Arena on Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th November. Tickets are on sale now.
The Swiss avant-garde metallers lead a first wave packed with treats. Reunited crust punk and death metal crossover outfit Black Breath are coming, and doom favourites Bell Witch will play Mirror Reaper in full for its 10th anniversary. Death metal juggernauts The Red Chord are back too.
Lamp Of Murmuur and Panopticon bring the black metal, and Pestilence will play an exclusive “old school” set for death metal diehards. Cult Leader, Unsane and Rome all make their Damnation debuts, bringing hardcore punk, noise rock and neofolk to the weekend. Dimscûa, Together To The Stars, Million Moons and Unverkalt complete the opening announcement.
Organiser Gavin McInally said: “Our ears are still ringing from the most successful Damnation we’ve ever hosted. We sold out of blind bird tickets before a band was announced and now we get to top off what has been an incredible week with this absolute beauty of an opening announcement for next year.
“Zeal & Ardor are one of the most exciting live bands in the world and the thought of them with full production, headlining our main stage is incredible.”
He added that Bell Witch playing Mirror Reaper in full “is going to be one for the books”, while Pestilence have the old school fans covered.
Early bird tickets are available now, and there’s an instalment plan to spread the cost.
