Written by:	omne metallum
Published:	May 18, 2025

Ah, Blood Incantation and friends play London. If you were paying attention to the social media buzz or overhearing the chatter around Camden on May 3rd, you'd be forgiven for thinking today was merely a Blood Incantation gig with excessive amounts of support bands. Incineration Festival 2025 seemingly struck gold when they booked the band months before the release of Absolute Elsewhere, initially something I laughed at alongside the news of the price increase, and more fool me for doubting both.

After what was a fallow year for London's premier metal festival last year (marking the first year I purposefully did not attend, with prior absences being a result of work obligations and a trivial thing like a global pandemic), Incineration Festival seemed to take note of this and, as a make good, decided to book their strongest edition to date. Yes, I was back at Incineration Festival and damn, if I wasn't in for a great day; hell, when you're already worried about clashes before the full line-up has been released then you know it’s a great bill. Mixing some of the best up-and-coming names in the metal underground alongside bands who had a banner 2024 and some legends of the genre, Incineration Festival 2025 was set to be a day to remember.

Speaking of comebacks, Incineration took a page out of their own book and made the festival a five-venue affair again, with the Roundhouse utilised once more after an absence since 2022's edition where Emperor closed out proceedings. Taking the top spot this time around, however, was Switzerland's own Triptykon who were performing a Celtic Frost set... so Tom G Warrior paying tribute to... himself. Well, after catching their show back at Bloodstock 2023, I was excited to see the performance once more, especially after a day of what promised to be a strong and varied selection of metal music. This increasing in size and scale was reflected in the price of course, with the festival nearing the £100 price point; while this year proved to be value for money, it’s going to be interesting to see if the festival can maintain this going forward.

---

Warbringer 13:20-13:50, Electric Ballroom




With the festival seemingly finding any way to maximise ticket sales, the queue to see Warbringer (a bad omen given they were the first band of the day) was already painfully long despite arriving early. Fortunately, I got into the venue just in time, as California's Warbringer rolled their sonic attack onstage. While the band are no strangers to these shores, they are rare sights at festivals, something they are looking to rectify with not only today's appearance, but also playing Bloodstock later in the year.

With only 30 minutes to make their mark, the band took no prisoners as they launched into a set marked by increased tempos and an audience eager to start things off with a bang. With confidence and a solid sound, the band put their boots on the accelerator of their tanks and didn't look back, laying waste with classics intermixed with two cuts off of their latest (and greatest) Wrath And Ruin during their abbreviated set. This had the unintended side effect of John Kevill rushing his vocals, so I now forever have "The Sword And Lacrosse" etched into my brain; the flipside to this was that the warp-speed "Remain Violent" and crushing "Total War" started the day off on the right foot.

Lamp Of Murmuur 14:20-15:00, Electric Ballroom




The first of a few problems reared its head as Warbringer retreated from the stage; as the schedule for the day saw bands start in different venues as soon as others finished elsewhere, you would either have to rush through a crowded Camden to the next venue (and be met by a queue) and miss the start of a band, or, as I ultimately chose, wait in the venue for the next band, thus missing sets altogether (for an increased price to boot).

Still, as one of the highlights of 2023's festival, Lamp Of Murmuur, took to the stage, you forgot about things like that and focused on the music... or you would, if another problem didn't rear its ugly head. The sound at the Ballroom was awful for Lamp Of Murmuur, sounding as if the band were playing down a hallway and the vocalist from the other side of London. "Seal Of The Dominator" managed to pierce through the murky sound thanks to its groove-heavy approach, but the sound ruined what could have been a solid set by a band capable of stealing the show. A big disappointment for me, as they were someone I was really looking forward to, and it was poor through no fault of the band.

While Warbringer left you wanting more, Lamp Of Murmuur left you feeling sorry for the band.

Spectral Wound 15:40-16:25, Electric Ballroom




It was then that yet another tag team of problems reared their heads; someone had overlooked the fact that one of the best accompaniments to metal shows is beer, one that many like the indulge in. So when the bar ran dry on several lines of beer only 3 hours in, you knew someone had cocked up somewhere. As if to complement this issue, those few draught beers that were still available were met with a mechanical issue where the speed of pulling a pint slowed to a crawl, resulting in long queues for overpriced pints. When a can of Red Stripe was the best option for some kind of beer that didn't take twenty minutes to be served, it didn't leave a good taste in the mouth (and neither did the Red Stripe).

Still, with Carnation being sacrificed in order to ensure I got a good spot for Spectral Wound (a decision validated when pictures emerged on social media of the queue to get into the Ballroom), I waited to see a band I had been acquainted with thanks to Metal Storm's 2024 Awards highlighting how regarded last year's Songs Of Blood And Mire was. A good thing too, as much of the set was derived from that record. Luckily, the sound engineer found their ears, and the audience was treated to a near crystal sound, ideal for "Aristocratic Suicidal Black Metal".

Thankfully putting the day back on track, Spectral Wound were an early highlight, and one that raised the bar for what performances bands would pull out of the bag.

Blackbraid 17:10-17:45, Electric Ballroom




With the Roundhouse now open, the issue with crowds and queues eased somewhat, which proved ideal as it was around this time me and my friends gambled on getting an early dinner from the Wendy's opposite and getting back into the Ballroom for Blackbraid, which thankfully went off without a hitch.

The sound engineer was on form, and Blackbraid upped the bar yet again with a powerful performance that highlighted the quality of their albums, making evident how they had come to grow their profile so quickly. With "The Wolf That Guides The Hunters Hand" getting an early airing, Blackbraid held nothing back, and treated the audience to the best cuts from their two imaginatively titled albums. It was hard to do, but I had to drag myself away early to get to the Roundhouse in time for the next band.

Things were looking up after an early hitch.

Batushka 17:55-18:45, Roundhouse




With the feeling that the risk of the Roundhouse reaching capacity and missing out on Blood Incantation was all too real, decamping to the Roundhouse now seemed like the smart thing to do; with this move came the added bonus of getting to see Batushka. I have seen a Batushka before, but which one, I have no idea, so either this was a re-introduction to, or my first time seeing, this version of Batushka.

Still, as the bells chimed and incense lit, the black metal Slipknot (one has someone hitting a keg, the other holding a Bible) took to the stage and immersed you in a performance as hypnotic as it was enchanting. The sound was crisp and clear, as Batushka reminded me why they had stuck in my brain all these years, providing an experience that took you out of your mind and made you forget everything except the druids on stage. With the band's impeccible performance, you couldn't help but be rapt by their set, even if it was just robed, faceless musicians standing still on stage; the band knew how to pull and hold your attention throughout.

As the band left the stage, I got to meet the main musician who came down to thank those of us on the barrier, which was a nice touch. Didn't have the heart to ask him who he was and which version of the band this was, mind, but nice nonetheless.

Blood Incantation 19:35-20:25, Roundhouse




It was then that the excitement and anticipation usually reserved for headliners started to build up: the band of the festival for many, and, overhearing chatter in the crowd, supposedly the only band some intended to watch (full ticket price for one band? Madness).

As Blood Incantation took to the stage of a packed venue with rapt applause, the Pink Floyd-meets-Death experience that is Absolute Elsewhere was played out in full (only 2 songs in an hour? Rip off!), and damn, this was worth the months of anticipation and wait. With a video package accompaniment, the band played a nigh-on note-perfect rendition of the aforementioned album that felt like an experience more than a performance. Ethereal lucid passages were sharply punctuated by some killer death metal riffs that would take you from the heavens to hell, and all the glory and mystery in between; it was something to behold, and easily the best performance all day. Such was my transfixed state, I lost all track of time, and before you knew it, the band had played the whole album and were saying their goodbyes.

If Blood Incantation were to play a tour with Nordic Giants I am pretty sure I would come close to reaching nirvana (and not the Kurt Cobain kind).

Decapitated 20:25-21:25, Electric Ballroom




After what was the closest metal offers to a religious experience, I decided that the hour-plus wait for Triptykon was too long and hell, it's a festival, so some venue hopping was in order. Decamping back to the Ballroom in time for the tech-death masters that are Decapitated to take to the stage, it seemed I had missed a lot in my absence, namely the sound engineer losing all sense of hearing and leaving the band to fight a near-vertical uphill struggle, thanks to a sound so muddy that the guitars were a blur at best, and the new vocalist, Bodde, may as well have ditched the microphone and yelled.

After quickly seeing if it was possible to get into the Black Heart to see Bedsore (alas, it was rammed), I decided any Decapitated was better than none, but it was rough going, with songs hard to discern beyond an occasional recognizable rhythm, such as the stop-start nature of "Cancer Culture". A hell of a contrast with the Roundhouse, and in the end, one I left early to grab a quick pint elsewhere before heading over early back to the Roundhouse.

Triptykon performs Celtic Frost 21:45-22:55, Roundhouse

Well kids, don't give up on your dreams; if you work hard and put in the effort and sacrifices, maybe one day you too can live off your former glories from your youth... I think that's the moral of this story, anyway. Seemingly playing second fiddle to Blood Incantation, Triptykon had to work hard and not rest on their laurels if they were to follow that set.

As Tom took to the stage and the band launched into the death metal classic "Circle Of The Tyrants", the sheer quality of the Celtic Frost catalogue offered a chance of earning them the title of band of the day. Playing a career-spanning set (well, one album was overlooked, I don't know why...), rare airings of "A Dying God Coming Into Human Flesh" gave the show a sense of occasion, rather than being just another standard display by the band.

A highly enjoyable way to sign off the day, Warrior and co put on a solid show, one that was enjoyable, but did pale in comparison to what came before them on the very same stage. It meant the festival ended on a high note, after what had been a very topsy-turvy experience.

---

Conclusion

With the biggest Incineration Festival to date drawing to a close, it was a day of mixed experiences, with glorious highs and dismal lows. The highs were thanks to a slew of bands putting on their A game as they took to their respective stages, putting on the kinds of performances that remind you why you love live music so much. The rest of the experience though? Poor to say the least: queues, painfully woeful sound, bad scheduling and venues forgetting metalheads tend to drink a lot. Hopefully the right lessons can be learnt for next year, which already has the unenviable task of trying to follow this year's line-up.