COPENHELL Metal Cruise

COPENHELL METAL CRUISE 2026

The ninth COPENHELL Metal Cruise will take place taking place on October 23–25, 2026 aboard the well-known vessel Nordic Crown – MNEMIC, SKULLCLUB, BRAT, LUNA KILLS and XO ARMOR are ready to set sail into the darkness!

As always, the voyage will be packed with top-tier entertainment and the unmistakable COPENHELL atmosphere. In addition to rock and metal concerts on the ship’s stages, you can visit the best floating dive bar, Den Synkende Skude (The Sinking Wreck), get a permanent souvenir from our seafaring tattoo artists, join in a sing-along with our singing sailors, try to escape from an escape room, nurse your hangover in our cosy board game lounge, and much, much more on the trip to Oslo and back!

Mark it in big bold letters in your autumn calendar right now, grab your finest crew members, and bring them on board when we cast off on October 23. We look forward to adding even more bands to the Metal Cruise lineup very soon!

Tickets for COPENHELL Metal Cruise can be purchased here.

The next COPENHELL Metal Cruise will take place on October 23 -25, 2026.

Read more about the announced bands here:

KHEMMIS

The American doomsday prophets from Denver have, since their 2015 debut Absolution and its highly praised follow-up Hunted from 2016, been well on their way to establishing themselves as one of the doom genre’s truly great new names. The heavy, slow music is based on traditional heavy metal, and the dual vocals with the fabulous combination of Ben Hutcherson’s harsh growl and Phil Pendergast’s melodic singing create a saturated and rich soundscape on top of a wall-to-wall carpet of beautiful guitar harmonies. It’s powerful music that gives you an irrepressible urge to drive across the USA in a 1967 Chevrolet Impala and battle evil supernatural creatures – and not least headbang like a maniac until your neck muscles hang in tatters.

MNEMIC

MNEMIC is one of the early Danish pioneers of the djent sound, leaving a significant mark on the metal scene with five albums released on Nuclear Blast Records. They had the honour of supporting heavyweights such as Metallica, Deftones and Meshuggah on numerous tours, earning not only Danish but international recognition for their visionary sound. After disbanding in 2011, the band made a strong comeback in 2024, reuniting with their original vocalist, Michael Bøgballe – who had left the group back in 2005 – resulting in, among other things, an outstanding performance at last year’s COPENHELL. We look forward to them repeating that success this autumn!

SKULLCLUB

SKULLCLUB delivers the finest nautical blend of folk, singalong rock ‘n’ roll, seasick punk rock and hardcore with a generous splash of metal: a mixture straight from the harbour pub in hell, capable of getting even the stiffest peg leg stomping along. With a massive twinkle in one eye and a patch over the other, they dish out earclips and keelhaulings in abundance. The party is guaranteed and the entertainment is locked in, because there are plenty of ugly things to sing about and ear-splitting choruses to bellow along to when SKULLCLUB tears one sea shanty after another from their tattered shirt sleeves. Look forward to a pirate’s ransom for every last gold coin in the treasure chest when the utterly deranged punk pirates return to COPENHELL Metal Cruise!

BRAT

Since forming in 2021, New Orleans band BRAT has undergone rapid development with their deathgrind/hardcore – we’re talking powerviolence, which in BRAT’s pink universe goes by the names “barbiegrind” or “bimboviolence”. Their music is crunchy, crushingly heavy and gloriously anti-purist, celebrating all the outsiders with a joyful party that everyone is invited to! The band gave the audience a serious beating on the Gehenna stage at last year’s COPENHELL, and they are ready for round two with us this autumn.

SYRACUSÆ

SYRACUSÆ is one of Colombia’s most ambitious modern metal bands – a quartet from Bogotá who, since 2015, have pushed the boundaries of Latin American metal with a sound that moves elegantly between djent, metalcore, progressive metal and post-metal. The band works conceptually, experimentally and at a high technical level, where their polyrhythmic grooves and philosophical lyrical universe meet in a sound that is both powerful and grandiose.

LUNA KILLS

Finnish LUNA KILLS is a refreshingly modern addition to the metal scene, combining alternative music and nu-metal with electronic elements inspired by game soundtracks into a wholly distinctive musical identity. Since forming in 2019, the band has built a dedicated fanbase at home and is now embarking on a broader European conquest – and we look forward to giving them a very warm welcome at sea.

XO ARMOR

German XO ARMOR plays a crushing combination of metalcore, trap, techno and pop – yes, it makes sense when you hear it! Their music is raw and intense, yet filled with melodic details and quirky elements alongside a twisted and nerdy lyrical universe that revolves around everything from witches to dinosaurs. It is distilled madness in musical form and a truly exciting addition to the modern metal wave washing over us in these years.

SPLIT

With their young age and modern approach to the metal scene, SPLIT delivers an energetic punch and hard-hitting tracks that push the boundaries between hardcore and metalcore. The band is from Amager, Copenhagen and was formed in August 2024 by frontman Benjamin and band members Aske, Linus, Anders and Viktor. Since then, they have played shows all over the country and built a reputation as an intense live experience. In March 2025, SPLIT released their debut EP 2300 – a tribute to their hometown. With plenty of new music on the horizon, the band is only just getting started and ready to show what “Amager Hardcore” is all about.

DEATHCHANT

DEATHCHANT is a fuzz rock band from Los Angeles that blends psychedelic doom, stoner rock and classic heavy metal into a thick, dusty and sun-scorched wall of sound. With roots in the rawness of desert rock and a nod to 70s occultism, the quartet delivers long, hypnotic riffs, snarling vocals and crushingly hard guitar solos. The albums Waste and Thrones (from 2021 and 2023 respectively) cemented the group as one of the new generation’s most uncompromising underground bands – perfect for fans of bands like Earthless, Uncle Acid and Sleep.

OPENHELL

COPENHELL’s popular house band OPENHELL once again sets sail on the COPENHELL Metal Cruise, where they will get the ship rocking with their boiling witch’s cauldron of live metal karaoke, sing-alongs and raw power. Do you have an inner metal god hidden in your belly? Now it’s your turn to feel the rush! Line up on the left side of the stage for the chance to roar your favorite classics out over the audience with a top-tuned live band behind you.