There are festivals with fancy champagne bars, corporate lounges, influencer photo booths and VIP sections full of people who don’t even know who’s playing…
…and then there are festivals like Templemore Metal Fest 2026. 😈
The sort of festival built for the real ones.
The pit survivors.
The denim-and-patch-jacket warriors.
The “I’ll just have one pint” liars.
The glorious creatures who still wake up with tinnitus and think:
“Worth it.” 🤘
On 30th May 2026, Devil’s Bit Promotions are unleashing an absolute monster of a one-day metal gathering at The Old Malthouse, and judging by this stacked line-up, Templemore is about to echo with blastbeats, breakdowns, solos, growls and enough headbanging to register on the Richter scale.
Sponsored proudly by Heineken, this all-day metal celebration is shaping up to be one of those grassroots events that reminds everyone why the underground scene still matters so much. No gimmicks. No watered-down radio fluff. Just heavy music, passionate fans and pure chaos from start to finish. Proper lush, mun. 🍺🔥
🏚 THE OLD MALTHOUSE – THE PERFECT HOME FOR METAL MAYHEM
Honestly, could there be a more perfect venue name for a metal festival than The Old Malthouse?
It already sounds like somewhere a black metal band recorded a cursed demo tape in 1994 while a storm raged outside and someone sacrificed a crate of lager to the riff gods. 😈
Small-to-mid-sized venues like this are the beating heart of the scene. This is where bands prove themselves. Where fans discover future favourites. Where merch tables become gathering points for tired metalheads clutching warm beer and debating whether Slayer could beat a dragon in a fight.
These venues matter.
These promoters matter.
These events matter.
And Templemore Metal Fest feels exactly like the kind of gathering that keeps underground metal alive while the mainstream chases TikTok dances and acoustic sad-boy nonsense.
🍻 A FULL DAY OF RIFFS, SWEAT & BEAUTIFUL CHAOS
This isn’t one of those “three bands and everybody goes home by 8pm” situations either.
Oh no.
Templemore Metal Fest is serving up an entire day of sonic destruction with 11 bands ready to tear through the walls of the venue one riff at a time.
Doors open…
Pints start flowing…
Necks start loosening…
And from 1pm onwards it’s game over for your hearing.
Exactly how it should be. 🤘
🎤 SOCIAL DILEMMA
🕐 1:00 – 1:30
Opening a festival is a dangerous game.
Half the crowd are still parking.
The other half are trying to locate the bar.
And somebody’s mate Dave has already disappeared despite arriving twelve minutes ago.
But opening slots are often where the magic happens.
Social Dilemma have the honour of kicking off the day, and early festival slots can create legends. Every seasoned gig-goer has that one story:
“Yeah, saw them at 1pm years ago before anyone knew who they were.”
This could be one of those moments.
Expect raw energy, hungry performances and the first proper roar from the crowd as Templemore officially wakes up.
🌽 KOB (KORN TRIBUTE)
🕜 1:45 – 2:15
Right then…
Who’s emotionally prepared for a Korn tribute set in the middle of an Irish metal festival after a few pints? Because that sounds absolutely chaotic in the best possible way. 😂🔥
KOB are bringing the nu-metal nostalgia hard, and you already know exactly what’s going to happen:
- Somebody attempts the Jonathan Davis scatting noises
- Random strangers suddenly become best mates during “Freak On A Leash”
- Grown adults begin bouncing like it’s 2001 again
- One bloke in oversized jeans definitely loses a wallet in the pit
Nu-metal tribute sets at festivals are always carnage because everyone secretly knows every word whether they admit it or not.
Prepare for absolute scenes.
🐺 BLACK SHUCK
🕝 2:30 – 3:15
A band named after the legendary ghost hound of British folklore?
Yeah.
That’s metal as hell. 😈
Black Shuck sound like the sort of band who emerge through smoke machines while lightning crashes in the background and ravens circle overhead.
By this point in the day the crowd should be fully warmed up, the beer garden buzzing, and the first proper pit casualties beginning to appear near the merch stand clutching sore necks and life choices.
Festival season, baby.
⚔️ NEW ENEMY
🕞 3:30 – 4:15
The mid-afternoon slot can either make or break a festival’s momentum.
Thankfully, New Enemy sound perfectly positioned to keep the chaos rolling.
This is usually the point where:
- The crowd density doubles
- The bar queues become terrifying
- Somebody starts a wall of death completely unprovoked
- Security guards begin questioning their career choices
And honestly?
Beautiful stuff.
👁 FOLLOWING THE SIGN’S
🕟 4:30 – 5:15
As daylight starts fading and the atmosphere grows darker, Following The Sign’s arrive to drag the festival deeper into the shadows.
There’s something glorious about underground metal bands with mysterious names and terrifying aesthetics. Half the fun is discovering what sort of sonic madness they unleash once they hit the stage.
One thing’s certain:
Nobody’s going to be standing politely with folded arms.
🍺 METAL FESTIVAL SURVIVAL MODE ACTIVATED
By around 5pm every metal festival enters a very specific phase.
You’ve:
- Spent too much money on beer
- Bought merch you absolutely didn’t budget for
- Lost at least one mate
- Forgotten where you parked
- Developed mild neck damage
…and you’re somehow still yelling:
“ONE MORE BAND!”
That’s the magic of festivals, mun. 🤘
🔨 ASYLUM ROAD
🕠 5:30 – 6:15
The evening run begins with Asylum Road, and by now the atmosphere inside The Old Malthouse should be bordering on unhinged.
This is the time of day where sweat literally drips from ceilings in packed venues.
Where everyone smells faintly of beer and smoke machines.
Where strangers become pit brothers and sisters for life.
Heavy music has always been about community as much as noise, and events like Templemore Metal Fest capture that perfectly.
🩸 UNMAKER
🕡 6:30 – 7:15
Now we’re entering proper danger territory. 😈
Unmaker sounds less like a band and more like a medieval curse whispered before battle.
You can practically hear the downtuned riffs already.
By this stage:
- Circle pits are inevitable
- Crowd surfers are multiplying
- The floor becomes suspiciously sticky
- Everyone’s hair has achieved maximum chaos
This is where the festival fully transforms from “music event” into “metal battlefield”.
⚡ IN DOMINUS
🕢 7:30 – 8:15
Prime-time festival slots hit differently.
The lights get darker.
The sound gets louder.
The crowd gets rowdier.
And every riff somehow feels twice as massive.
In Dominus land right in the sweet spot of the evening schedule, where the energy peaks and the entire venue starts moving as one giant wall of sweat and denim.
Honestly?
There’s no feeling quite like it.
☠️ DESERTED
🕣 8:30 – 9:15
As darkness settles fully over Templemore, Deserted step into what could become one of the most atmospheric sets of the night.
This is the slot where:
- Beer cups fly through the air
- Lighters and phone torches rise
- Voices start disappearing from too much shouting
- Every riff feels heavier under dark lights
Underground festivals after sunset always carry a completely different energy. It becomes less of a gig and more of a shared ritual among metalheads.
And honestly?
That’s why we keep coming back.
👻 GHOST OF WAR
🕤 9:30 – 10:30
A full hour slot for Ghost Of War means one thing:
Absolute devastation incoming. 🔥
By this point the crowd should be fully unleashed, operating entirely on adrenaline, lager and pure love for heavy music.
Expect:
- Massive singalongs
- Endless horns in the air
- Pits opening instantly
- Drummers trying to break physics
- Guitar solos that melt faces clean off
This feels like one of those sets people will still be talking about weeks later down the pub.
🧟 NECROMATION
🕥 10:45 – 11:45
And finally…
The closing ritual.
Necromation have the honour of headlining Templemore Metal Fest 2026, and what a gloriously evil-looking name to finish the night with. 😈🔥
Headliner sets at underground festivals are always special because by then the crowd has become one exhausted, euphoric metal family.
Nobody cares how sore their feet are anymore.
Nobody cares about work tomorrow.
Nobody cares that they’ve spent £40 on beer and another £60 on black T-shirts.
All that matters is the music.
One final pit.
One final scream.
One final riff echoing through The Old Malthouse before everybody spills into the night grinning like maniacs.
🤘 WHY THE UNDERGROUND METAL SCENE STILL RULES
Events like Templemore Metal Fest prove something important:
Metal never dies because the fans never stop caring.
While giant mainstream festivals become increasingly expensive and over-commercialised, grassroots events continue carrying the true spirit of heavy music.
These are the shows where:
- Bands meet fans properly
- Promoters risk everything for the scene
- Local venues stay alive
- New talent gets discovered
- Communities are built through riffs and chaos
And honestly?
That spirit is worth protecting.
🍻 RIFF REPORT FINAL VERDICT
Templemore Metal Fest 2026 looks like an absolute belter of a day for Irish metalheads and travelling riff addicts alike.
Huge respect to Devil’s Bit Promotions for putting together a stacked line-up filled with underground passion, tribute chaos and proper festival energy.
If you love:
✅ Heavy riffs
✅ Sweaty venues
✅ Cheap-ish beer
✅ Loud crowds
✅ Underground metal culture
✅ Headbanging until your spine files a complaint
…then Templemore Metal Fest deserves a spot on your radar immediately.
Support grassroots festivals.
Buy band merch.
Tip the bar staff.
Respect the pit.
And don’t be the bloke who starts crowd-killing during the Korn tribute set, mun. 😂🤘
See you down the front. 🔥
