Beermageddon 2026
Beermageddon 2026
27-30th August 2026
Stoke Prior Sports and Country Club, Bromsgrove
Review and Photography by Beth Morait
Our Thursday arrival at Beermageddon wouldn’t be right without a dramatic entrance! Admittedly this year wasn’t quite as dramatic as the last time we were here (don’t even ask, I’m still traumatised) – this time the car didn’t have enough beans to pull the caravan up the miniscule hill onto the field. Queue the ever helpful metal family, two on the bonnet of the car (including my lovely hubby Steve) creating some front end weight, three pushing the back of the car, and a bit of clutch-killing revving, and we bloody did it!
After setting up the van, and being fashionably late for Taskmaster (caught the final couple of challenges – make the stupidest thing out of 5 balloons, show me you best battle armour, and the team challenge, Make Jim say the right word) it was time for the very un-metal, legendary Beermageddon Disco! An evening full of absolute dancefloor bangers, and a chance to catch up with the Beermageddon family! There really is no better way to start a festival than that.
FRIDAY
Friday is the first day of proper music at ‘geddon, but that didn’t stop the silliness first! Queue Jamageddon, the Beermageddon jam session. Hearing Iron Maiden’s ‘The Trooper’ played on accordion and kazoo says everything you need to know about how this went, and indeed the whole ethos of this festival! There was some proper music too, but it was mainly just great, silly fun! Then, just as the kiddies fancy dress and disco was getting going, mother nature decided to get biblical! Sadly the gazebo army lost a few brave warriors. They fought hard, but their nylon and tent pegs were no match for the mini hurricane that swept through Stoke prior.
Higher State
Following a too-close-to-call kids fancy dress judging, the first band of the festival, Higher State, took the stage. It’s always a hard task starting a festival, but these Birmingham Groove-meisters kicked it off in heavy as hell fashion. Incredibly tight and technical – the drummer was a machine! The whole place was bouncing straight away! Really heavy, really exciting, and a great way to kick things off. So much so that, by the third song, there was a circle pit going! Now bear in mind Beermageddon is in a pretty small room, and usually most people decide against the circle pit, especially this early on in proceedings. But the infection energy and wrath of Higher State just made everyone one say “Fuck it! Fucking PIIIIIIIIIIT!”
https://www.facebook.com/Higherstateband
Then it was time for the grown-ups (haha hahahaha) fancy dress competition, which was lunacy as always. This year’s theme was Video Nasties. It produced some interesting costumes, including a sexy banana, some zombie cheerleaders, a pirate named Betamax, and some cross dressing. The eventual winner being one of them! It was hard-fought as ever, but a worthy winner!
Deathfiend
Deathfiend were next, and the clue’s in the name. Old School Death, mixed with Sludgy muckiness, and Johnny Doom’s new band. By rights, this shouldn’t be my bag, because OSDM is not my thing at all. But I actually rather liked quite a lot of it. It was pretty melodic in parts, with decent riffs; kind of more Sludgy Punk in places. The bass player was awesome, and had a real stage presence. Fair play. There was more pitting too! At this point I was already pretty sure the crowd this year was all for the pits!
https://www.facebook.com/DeathFiend1
Symbyote
Co-headliners Symbyote were next. Deathcore from London. They were well received, have a brilliant stage presence, and are very professional… They’re just not my cup of tea. It felt too chaotic and crushing, almost clostraphobic… But then that’s the genre. And if you like that, then Symbyote do exactly what it says on the tin. The diehard Death fans in the audience were absolutely lapping it up!
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551242480567
Kensei
And then there was Kensei… And they didn’t just raise the bar. They took the bar off it’s props, took a chainsaw to it, chopped it into little fucking bits, doused it in petrol, and set fire to it while laughing manically! Bugger me they were good! Melodic Death Groove. But I would say leaning way further into Groove/ Metalcore than Death. They had the whole place bouncing, pitting, and generally just getting messy, thanks to the stage presence of every single member, from the elastic-legged bassist and hitman precision drummer, to the dueling guitars, all under the watchful command of frontman David Woodhouse. And because this is a family show, they had all the little kids (safely) crowd surfing in the last song. 10/10 from me! Cracking way to finish the first day!!
https://www.facebook.com/Kenseiband
SATURDAY
As always, Saturday morning started with a Traditional Handfasting Ceremony, led by Jim, as he’s an ordained minister (amazing what you do when beer is involved isn’t it). This year it was two of my favourite people in the world getting handfasted – ex Mad Spanner guitarist Dan Ashley, and his beautiful bride Kate. It’s the first time I’ve cried at a wedding in ages! And the crying didn’t stop there, as following the handfasting, we took a few moments to remember our fallen members of the metal family who are gone but never forgotten. It was a hugely emotional moment, and yet another reason why Beermageddon is so much more than just a festival.
Thrash Mob
Kicking off the music was Thrash Mob. Again, a brilliant way to start the day, with a band that lives up to their name. They are indeed a mob of highly energised gents, who clearly came to Thrash our faces off with some downright dirty old school messiness! It was raw with the type of precision that only comes from perfecting your craft. It was raw because it was meant to be. Dirty bass licks and overdriven guitar solos aplenty, all topped off with gnarly screams and growls. If you weren’t awake before, you certainly were by the time Thrash Mob finished! The room was also absolutely packed, which says a lot considering this was the first band of the day.
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61587337185522
Fakeout
Fakeout, a heavy-hitting Hardcore Crossover band from Sheffield were up next, and got the room moving pretty well… until the fire alarm stopped play! We all evacuated at the speed a startled snail would make an escape from a barely smouldering incense stick. It seemed that the smoke machine being heavily used on stage, and someone vaping under the smoke detector outside the disabled bogs, had set the alarms off. After a brief interlude to clear the mist, we filed back in and the band came back on stage to a slightly thinned-out audience, but that didn’t stop them crushing some souls! Decent set lads, well done, and big commendations for carrying on with such professionalism.
https://www.facebook.com/fakeoutuk
Thrasherwolf
4pm on a Saturday is definitely the time to inject a bit of classic Thrash into the mix. Thrasherwolf are essentially early Metallica played slightly faster, with Noddy Holder on vocals, and there’s nothing wrong with that I can tell you!! The room packed out pretty quick again when they started. They also received the Isaac Seal of Approval – when an 11 year old boy who doesn’t like anything says “these are my favourite band so far” then you must be doing something right! From a photography point of view, they were my favourite band so far too, because they all hammed it up for the cameras! I’m not a huge fan of classic Thrash when it’s recorded, but live performances are where this genre really does the business! Another great set! A contender for band of the weekend for me!
https://www.facebook.com/thrasherwolftheband
Mage
If everyone was too hyperactive after Thrasherwolf, Mage were up next, to bring us all back down into Stoner Doom land. They were heavy, muddy, and super-polished, ready to drag us off into a darkened murky swamp with their filthy melodies. Special mention to the drummer and lead guitarist, who were absolutely on point! Epic solos on the guitar, and I’m surprised that the snare drum survived the absolute beating it was getting!
https://www.facebook.com/Mageband
Bloodyard
Then it was time for one of the bands I’d been waiting for – the mighty Bloodyard!!! The had the most amusing introduction of the weekend, where we met ‘Little Jim’… I’m not going to say any more about that, just to keep you all intrigued! Now, I might be biased here because I’m glad to call the beautiful human that is Donna Hurd my friend, but fuck me sideways with a ten foot barge pole, they are so good, all the time, every time. As I’ve said before, I really shouldn’t like them, because Death Metal. But I really, really fucking love them! Every single member of Bloodyard is an insanely talented musician,and the connection they have as a band properly pulls through in their stage performance. It’s fast, crushingly heavy, and screamy, and their stage presence is as endearing as it is electrifying. There were pits. They were plentiful and the biggest of the weekend so far. Bands, if you want to impress me live, watch how this epic bunch of souls do it.
https://www.facebook.com/bloodyard666
Agrona
The penultimate band of the night were the first Black Metal band on the bill – Agrona. From south Wales, they do traditional Black Metal, complete with corpse paint and tortured screams. They’re all very good musicians, and they all give everything to their performance, none less than new frontman Bradwr, who used every move in the Black Metal book within the first song! Great for photos! I’m going to be honest, Black Metal really isn’t my bag. It never has been and it never will be. I think I probably said something similar the last time I saw Agrona here, with their previous female vocalist. If you like Black Metal then you will really get them, as the Black Metal fans at Beermageddon did. They are still very good, and I hate sounding ungrateful.
https://www.facebook.com/agronaband
Stahlsarg
Stahlsarg closed the night. Another Black Metal band. The room was fuller this time though, which was good. They are incredibly heavy, but very theatrical on stage, which makes the difference. Another great band from a photography view point too, especially with the heavy use of spotlighting on their faces (thank you lighting guy). Corpse paint aside, they are a step up from the standard Black Metal. I can’t go as far to say that I liked it… But I didn’t completely not like it, so I guess that’s progress. Aside from my taste in music though, they are, again, extremely good musicians, tight as a nuns chuff, with a decent stage show. I just can’t get used to the Black Metal crowd standing motionless during a performance. Maybe I had too much sugar or something, but I found myself thinking “move goddamn you.” I think I’m yet to reach that higher plane of consciousness that the Black Metal audience occupy. The invisible fourth wall is something you just don’t get in any other genre of metal. Randomly, Steve liked it! Bear in mind he’d usually be happier at Creamfields. I think some sort of weird time/space portal might have opened and thrown us into an alternate dimension where I’m not the metalhead, Steve is instead. Either that or it’s hormones…
Whichever way, it got me thinking about an interesting article to write. Some deep investigative journalism… Until the fire alarm went off again, and we had to evacuate to the car park.
https://www.facebook.com/stahlsarguk
SUNDAY
Sunday was the day I’d been waiting for. It started with a very interesting conversation at 7.30am with festival co-organiser Will Tudor, which covered such topics as civil war, systems and delegation, and why farts are funny. Then, at 1pm sharp, it was the Beermageddon family photo! Always a fun affair, and Abbashower (AKA the now corpse painted Will) got the crowd going brilliantly as always!
Oskaria
Oskaria took the opening spot on the Beermageddon stage on what had become a decently sunny day! They’re a Death/Doom 3-piece from Bristol, and fair play they made a large amount of sound and it was cavernous. Great way to start a Sunday when everyone was hanging out of their own arses and trying to drink away the shakes! As an aside, I think it says a lot about how Black Metal went down here this year, as there were more people in the crowd for Oskaria than there were for the headliners and main support on Saturday. Is the scene shunning the disconnect between Black Metal bands and the audiences they’re playing to in the diverse universe of the Heavy Metal Festival? Discuss.
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558577066962
Dark Remnants
Scottish Melodic Death Metallers Dark Remnants were up next. They looked the part, and sounded the part. They were extremely polished and slick, and they made excellent use of the available space on the stage, which kept the crowd engaged. They had an amusing Hydration Break in the middle of their set, which was random – they did give out free Buckfast though! Doesn’t get more Scottish than that really! If there’s one thing guaranteed to shift a hangover, but keep score ready for double hangover the next day, it’s that stuff! They did a great song about telling narcissists to fuck off too, which had one hell of a pit going. And this is why Melodic Death is infinitely better than Black Metal, in my humble opinion! Another one to put into the ‘Discuss’ pile!
https://www.facebook.com/DarkRemnantsBand
Fraction
I found myself getting more nervous as the time passed, because next up were Fractions. I hadn’t seen them since 2019, and then they were literally mindblowingly good. They were one of the band that made me go “FUCKING YES!!” When they got added to this year’s lineup. But for no apparent reason I started worrying that I’d built them up too much in my head,and I was going to be disappointed…
I needn’t have worried cos this is fucking FRACTIONS WE’RE TALKING ABOUT! Superb, from the first note onwards. Super intricate, technical, heavy progressive metal done absolutely as it should be. And it was testament to how good they are that the gathered crowd kept growing, and growing, and growing throughout their set. After I finished taking pictures, I headed back to the front to just watch, for the first time this festival. They were mesmeric. Frontman Chris Hare has one of the best voices in the UK metal scene right now. His ability to switch from cleans to growls and back again, in the blink of an eye, is an art in itself. It was so bloody good to see them after all this time. They are just a very special band. I could have gone home after their set and been completely happy. The only thing wrong with their performance was it wasn’t long enough! Bring them back again Jim, but give them a longer set!!
https://www.facebook.com/Fractionsuk
So busy was I waxing lyrical about how fucking good Fractions are to anyone who would listen, I almost forgot that there was more music!
Dead Mob
Next up, it was time for some Hardcore, courtesy of Dead Mob. Ooh they were hard, and core!!! Very fast, growly, and generally angry!! Everyone had a raucous time! They had the boom machine too, and my Dan loved that bit! BOOOOOOOM. On a serious note, they were very good. Really tight, great use of pauses in the music for tension, and great stage presence. They’d definitely been on the energy drinks beforehand. It was also pit-time again! And this one was violent! Very good.
https://www.facebook.com/deadmobuk
Kill All The Gentlemen
Kill All The Gentlemen were next, and the perfect accompaniment to my Sunday tea – gluten free slow-cooked beef, in a rich ale gravy, with roast potatoes and a topping of haggis, thanks to the culinary artistry of Little Al’s Kitchen, who surpass all other festival food in the history of time (Apart from Deli Kate at BOA back in the 2010s – her and Little Al are joint top! I miss Deli Kate)! The Extreme Metallers from Devon certainly brought some pure filthy rage to Sunday. They’re so fast I’m surprised they didn’t end up in orbit, and heavier than the entire heavy metal section of the periodic table! It was like being machine gunned in the chest repeatedly while munching on meat, and I fucking loved it!
https://www.facebook.com/killallthegentlemen
Then the biblical weather return for a few minutes, throwing down more rain that we’ve seen since June, and peppering it with thunderbolts and lighting (very very frightening!).
Anyway, back to the music.
Devil’s Henchmen
Devil’s Henchmen were the penultimate band of this year’s festival, with a familiar face on Bass – one of my favourites – Reaper UK’s Elliot Kyriakides, or Mr Plasticine hands! He’s an awesome Bass player, especially when it comes to furious Thrash Crossover which is what Devil’s Henchmen are all about! And from the get go they weren’t giving anyone any breathing space! As a warm-up band for Xentrix, they were the absolute perfect choice!! I loved every minute of it! Great set chaps. I’m getting dangerously close to becoming a Thrash fan after this weekend I think!
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063618938017
Xentrix
And then there was one… And that one was the mighty Xentrix!!!! The room was packed to the rafters and hotter than hell… But somehow it managed to get even hotter within about 30 seconds of the alumni of British Thrash Metal starting to pummel us with blast beats, shredding guitars, screaming solos and bass like a freight train running straight through your guts. This was a whole different league, and an honour to watch. If you needed a masterclass in how to make a room full of tired, drunk, and broken people throw themselves into a second wind, then this was it. There is a reason that Xentrix are held in such high regard, and that reason is because they’re fucking phenomenal! And that really is all I need to say about them! Thrash done how Thrash should be done, by musicians who have known who they are and what they do for longer than a large part of the Beermageddon audience have been alive. That is the measure of a great band.
https://www.facebook.com/xentrixmetal
And that, ladies and gents, was that for another year! My highlights were Fractions, Kensei, Devil’s Henchmen and Xentrix, but every band who graced that stage worked their arses off to give the audience the best time. A huge and heartfelt thanks to everyone involved in Beermageddon, especially Will Tudor and Jim Beerman, both of whom I’m honoured to call my friends. Until next year amigos! Beer, Beer, Beermageddon!
LINKS:
Festival:
Venue:
Disclaimer: This review and photographs are solely the property of Beth Morait and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, 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.
