GALLERY: 14.5.2026 Steelfest – DAY 1 @ Villatehdas, Hyvinkää

July 31, 2026

Arriving at the XIV edition, this year’s Steelfest featured a really strong lineup, with something for everyone in the different fringes of extreme music. With the festival being nearly sold out across all three days, it had been a while since we didn’t see this big of a crowd on these grounds surrounded by Villatehdas, especially on the first day. Yet it was already difficult to move around halfway through Thursday, a testament to the success of the event.

After arriving in Hyvinkää and settling into our accommodation (including the usual shopping for the weekend and the pre-festival lunch) we dived in for the first of these three days of relentless live performances, culminating in REVENGE‘s headlining show later tonight. With the weather showing the first signs of summer – as it is tradition on Steelfest weekend – the day started indoors with the familiar faces from EVIL ANGEL. The Lahti-based black/thrash combo put on their usual show with the destruction of a BON JOVI‘s vinyl and the vocalist initially wearing an executioner’s mask (and of course no pants, because only studded underwear are trve!). The guys entertained the first comers with material mainly from their second record, seemingly having a good time at that, while the audience slowly began to ease themselves into the festival. Having EVIL ANGEL as an opening act for the first day was not a bad choice, as their uncompromising style and attitude set the tone for the rest of the day.

First one on the outdoor stage was EPÄKRISTUS, who actually never released a full-length (but seems like they might be getting there). The switch to more raw black metal from the thrashier riffs could have worked better without the sunshine hitting the band, which also included a keyboard player in the current lineup, but most likely they would have been all wearing sunglasses anyway. They sound rooted in the 90’s early black metal, especially of Finnish origin, had some good punch though… which made for a nice show to check out while having a drink.

The American duo FIN brought everyone back to the indoor stage for another set of old-school influenced black metal, intense and brutal in its short set. The band was not in the original booking but was a replacement for AUTUMN STRIFE (with whom they share FIN‘s vocalist/guitarist), who had to cancel. Their show was, in any case, well-received by the audience, especially some very enthusiastic few in the front, and towards the end they were joined on stage by WHITE DEATH‘s vocalist Vritrahn. Another brutally powerful performance was that of the following BLOOD CHALICE, if anything, thanks to the imposing presence of their vocalist Pessi Haltsonen (TORTURE KILLER), who can be quite intimidating to the uninitiated when you see the veins and lumps of muscles flexing as he’s singing. The band had their traditional setup with an altar, candles, incense, skull, and bones. No extras on stage like they have done a few times in the past, with the addition of a couple of naked women on stage during their performance. Sounding equally energetic and smashing on the outdoor stage in the sunlight, they delivered a very solid and impactful show with their blend of death metal.

Shifting to more grandiose melodies and atmosphere, COMMANDER AGARES gained the praise of their fans by giving them exactly what they expected: a mix of ambient and symphonic black metal with riffs reminiscent of INQUISITION and that epic tinge that brings GRAVELAND to mind, all infused in Finnish tradition. They had a laser show, and because of that, no photographers were allowed in front of the stage. Which could have been more understandable if the same lasers weren’t already in use – to some extent at least – in another show, without any restrictions. Because of that, we ended up watching the show from the benches in the distance, before heading out once again for CHAMBER OF UNLIGHT.

Being basically made of HORNA + DEATHCHAIN members, we are always sure these guys will deliver (as they basically live and breathe music), so we knew already that their gig would have been tight and relentless. We also got to see the first iteration of Spellgoth for this weekend (with a surprising yet not so surprisingly different kind of look the following day with ANTIHUMAN INDUSTRIES). They are clearly a well-trained machine, and we’ll likely be seeing them more in the near future, given the upcoming release of their second album later this year. Another band that is very familiar with the Steelfest stage is WHITE DEATH. This time no big gimmick on stage, no crucifixions, no butchering, but instead a few gravestones, candles, an urn, and other graveyard-like ornaments decorating the front of the stage and the back, in front of the drum kit. Vritrahn was wearing a white cloak and no pants. With no overly weird stuff going on, the show was more traditional and straightforward, except for when seemingly the vocalist collapsed and needed help to be put back on his feet. They played mostly from their namesake record and faced a very enthusiastic crowd of hardcore fans, which was to be quite expected.

Next on the outdoor stage, we had HOLOCAUSTO – in its HOLOCAUSTO WAR METAL iteration – performing as a duo made of the singer and guitar player Valério Exterminator, and the drummer Márcio Jameson. This black thrash attack represented the traditional “South American oddball” of the festival – something that we have every year in one form or another – with their colorful and entertaining performance, for which finally the barbed wire decorations in front of the stage were rather fitting. Very old-school sound in the 80’s Brazilian vein, it was certainly one of those shows not to be missed here at Steelfest, without being particularly mind-blowing or articulate. Simple riffs but pretty effective. Something from which we gained adrenaline and a good mood to continue the rest of the night.

Next was something that early ENTHRONED fans will have certainly appreciated: Lord Sabathan (also playing in HEINOUS on the following day) and his SABATHAN played quite a few covers from the early days of the Belgian band, along with some own material in the same style, of course. Not necessarily among the highlights of this day, but still an honest performance that brought us back musically into the mid-90’s, with spikes, corpse paint, and all.

Corpse paint is something that SATANIC WARMASTER has abandoned for quite some time in their performances. The band returned here to play once again in the same slot as the last time, playing a strong set with the usual no-nonsense attitude, in front of their cheering fans, which, as anyone could guess, here are quite abundant. Their uncompromising old-school black metal hits in just the right spot, and the energy drawn from watching this gig carried straight on towards the furious display of that war metal machine which is REVENGE. The Canadian trio seemed possessed from start to finish; the music was so loud that at least initially, the sound required some adjusting. Overall, they were absolutely overwhelming, and the fans started getting wild enough that the security tried to intervene on a few occasions right by the mosh pit. This wall of sound that crushed the crowd continued relentlessly for the whole duration of the gig, with unparalleled intensity compared to any other shows today. They kept hammering with no time to breathe, showing what they are made of. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen REVENGE live. This was long overdue, and it felt absolutely great. Easily one of the most memorable performances of the weekend, and yet also disorienting as if you had just been run over by an angry mob. Would do it again 5/5.

This was the best way to end the first day of Steelfest 2026. We left the venue supercharged with adrenaline and still couldn’t sleep for a few hours. The following day would be at least equally intense with the likes of BEHERIT, CONCRETE WINDS, and AKHLYS, to name a few killer acts.