Fortress Festival 2026; A Preview
Fortress Festival 2026; A Preview
5 Rare & Unmissable Sets
30th and 31st May 2026
Preview by Oli Gonzalez
It’s that time of the year where black metal fans from across not just the UK, but from all corners of the world descend upon the quaint seaside town of Scarborough. The sunny Spa will once again be host to some of the most sadistic and grimmest black metal ever conjured up whilst being within a stone’s throw of the beach and arcades. The fourth edition is sold out, like the previous 3, keeping a 100% record! Now, we’ve seen some rare and exceptional sets in the festival’s short history. Who could forget Ultha’s blistering main stage set in 2024? Or Agalloch’s return to the UK in a European exclusive set in 2025? Mispyrming tour apart the Ocean room in 2024 whilst memories of Blackbraid’s UK debut still live fondly in the hearts of many.
This time around, there will be many more rare sets split across 3 stages that you won’t see anywhere else in the UK this year, or in some cases, anywhere else on the planet! Hell, it may be that some artists on this year’s bill may never play again! As such, here’s a list of 5 rare sets that make this year’s festival genuinely unmissable!
Ossaert
With a solitary live appearance to their name, Ossaert was originally intended as a studio only project. However, we’ll be graced with the second and perhaps final show. Those lucky enough to be in attendance at Roadburn that year will attest to their crushing live show, and the main stage billing seems more than justified.
https://www.facebook.com/Ossaert
Akercocke
“Sunrise is hours away”
Having seemingly disappeared off the face of the earth after their Night Of Salvation appearance way back in 2023, British extreme metal legends Akercocke return to the stage with a world exclusive playthrough of arguably their finest hour, “Choronzon”. Once again, Fortress attendees will have the chance to sing along to ‘Leviathan’ and many more bangers from this seminal work!
https://www.facebook.com/akercockeofficial
Mesathirm
It was on these shores that the mysterious cosmic atmospheric black metal act made their long awaited live debut at Cosmic Void festival! With fewer live appearances to their name than you can count on one hand, the Australian act rarely comes out to play. The main stage on the Saturday feels like the right environment for such a sparse live show, one that blends opulent melody and introspective blackened atmosphere.
https://www.facebook.com/mesarthim.official
Aeon Odyssey
With the line up featuring appearances from seldom seen Aeon Winds and Midnight Odyssey, this feels special enough already. Though the two will combine forces to present songs from the split EP “Aeon Odyssey”. An appearance which Aeon Winds described as “a once in a lifetime experience, given the vast difference between us”. Combining elements of dungeon synth and melodic black metal, this performance represents essential viewing for fans of black metal!
https://www.facebook.com/midnightodyssey
https://www.facebook.com/AeonWinds
Gallowbraid
That’s right, what once seemed a mere fallacy and dream has become a reality this year! Gallowbraid are making their world live debut and will close out the Sunday night. The brainchild of multi-musician Jake Rogers who described the project as having never been intended to be presented in a live setting, the performance will include a playthrough of “Ashen Eidolon”. This may be the first and last time this is ever heard in any arena!
https://www.facebook.com/gallowbraid
This of course can only scratch the surface of what is a fully stacked lineup! Old Man’s Child return to the UK after decades to close out the Saturday, whilst Old Sorcery and Mortiis form part of a brand new dungeon synth stage! Find out more about the schedule and plan your day with the brand new Fortress Festival app via Meliora!
LINKS:
Festival
Disclaimer: This article is solely the property of Oli Gonzalez and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this article, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
