COPENHELL 2024 TURNS UP THE HEAT IN HELL WITH 20 NEW BANDS
AVENGED SEVENFOLD, THE OFFSPRING, COREY TAYLOR, BRUCE DICKINSON, THY ART IS MURDER, SLAUGHTER TO PREVAIL, BIOHAZARD, CRADLE OF FILTH, HAMMERFALL, KARNIVOOL, ASINHELL,CORROSION OF CONFORMITY, DYING FETUS, HARMS WAY, MIMI BARKS, JOHN CXNNOR, CRYPTA, EXCEL, J.J. & THE A’S and ESCUELA GRIND will join next year’s festival.
The music underworld will become hot as hell when COPENHELL announces 20 strong acts from very different hard and heavy genres for next year’s festival.
The following bands will join already announced DROPKICK MURPHYS, MACHINE HEAD, PRETTY MAIDS, DIE KRUPPS, HIGH ON FIRE, MADBALL, SHADOW OF INTENT, KHEMMIS, FU MANCHU, LACK, 1349, HEXIS, ZULU, NAKKEKNAEKKER, ENFORCED, JUNGLE ROT, PLAGUEMACE, SANGUISUGABOGG, INSANITY ALERT, KNIFE, DVNE and MAKE THEM SUFFER:
AVENGED SEVENFOLD
The American music phenomenon AVENGED SEVENFOLD is arguably one of the most important rock bands of the 21stcentury. Their unique music style, which combines progressive metal elements with classic hard rock and superior songwriting, world-class musicians, spectacular stage shows and memorable concerts, has turned them into one of the biggest hard rock and heavy metal headliners on today’s music scene.
Throughout the last 20 years, ’A7X’ has kept fearlessly developing their sound, and they have constantly moved the boundaries for rock and metal’s sound and looks with their extraordinary music productions. The band’s long music journey is wild and unpredictable, but it makes perfect sense in the quintet’s singular artistic universe, which is full of surprises and innovation. This swirling madness is the essence of hyper-modern rock’n’roll that builds upon several decades of new ideas and development in the genre and points to the future with an intense melting pot of everything from wild punk and thunderous techno to desperate hardcore and funk metal.
THE OFFSPRING
The iconic Californian punk rock band THE OFFSPRING has enjoyed enormous popularity through several decades, and they are still standing strong on today’s stages. Their ability to balance great and successful productions with punk’s integrity and authenticity all through the ‘90s established their status as one of the most important driving forces behind the revitalisation of punk rock and made them a timeless band that inspires both younger and older music fans. The band will visit COPENHELL for the very first time in 2024 – their 40-year anniversary – and we look forward to experiencing their infectious energy, audience appeal and a bunch of great earworms.
COREY TAYLOR
The American Corey Taylor is indeed a modern renaissance man. Aside from his giant success with the madman troupe Slipknot and his rock band Stone Sour, the hyperactive artist also embarked on an interesting hard rock solo career in 2020.
So far, this has resulted in the albums ’CMFT’ (Corey MotherFucking Taylor, of course) and ‘CMF2’ from an exciting music project from the Des Moines legend that in no way sounds like his other two bands. Here we get passionate and modern rock’n’roll from an inspiring and innovative frontman – who, as we learned at COPENHELL Con 2023, also has one foot planted solidly in the geek world – that we look forward to having back at COPENHELL.
BRUCE DICKINSON
The label “legend” should always be used sparingly, but it is very fitting here: Iron Maiden’s iconic front man BRUCE DICKINSON will visit COPENHELL 2024 with his seventh solo album ‘The Mandrake Project’ on the set list. The singer got his debut with Iron Maiden on the album ’Number of the Beast’ in 1982 and left the band later, in 1993, when he started on his dazzling solo career together with guitarist Adrian Smith. They both returned to Iron Maiden in 1999, and BRUCE DICKINSON has only released ‘Tyranny of Souls’ from 2005 in parallel until now.
We are very excited to hear more about what this musical jack-of-all-trades is brewing for his upcoming 2024 album, and it is a huge honour for us to welcome him back to Copenhagen!
THY ART IS MURDER
The Australian deathcore band THY ART IS MURDER challenges genre conventions, and they have attracted a big and dedicated fan base with their uncompromising and powerful approach to metal. The band’s sound is an unholy and successful marriage between raw brutality and technical proficiency. Their music creates a very special crushing and oppressive feeling with the genre’s defining heavy guitar chugs, pounding rhythms and madly growling vocals. Earlier in 2023, the band replaced their lead singer through many years with Tyler Miller from Aversions Crown, who is featured on their most recent release, ‘Godlike’, and has impressed the audience during the band’s subsequent live performances.
SLAUGHTER TO PREVAIL
In recent years, the Russian-American deathcore band SLAUGHTER TO PREVAIL has been getting a lot of attention for their brutal sound and wild stage shows. It was formed by lead singer Alex Shikolai in Russia in 2014 and later moved to Florida in the US, where their wild fusion of death metal and metalcore has won them many fans. Their extreme music universe is incredibly dark and gruesome, and the band performs wearing masks and costumes that create a gripping atmosphere during their concerts. The COPENHELL 2024 audience can look forward to one colossal discharge of metal power here!
BIOHAZARD
When people start talking about the crossover field between thrash metal and hardcore punk, one act in particular stands out: BIOHAZARD! Back in 1987, these music pioneers started shaking New York’s metal scene with their aggressive and energetic sound, which has inspired countless other metal and hardcore bands through time. The band is renowned for their completely honest and often controversial songs that typically circulate around social injustice and the hard urban life in big American cities. Their 1992 release ’Urban Discipline’ arguably ended up becoming the band’s most important album to date and a yardstick for the crossover genre. You are, in other words, in for a historic experience when this iconic New York band visits COPENHELL for the first time ever!
CRADLE OF FILTH
The British extreme metal band CRADLE OF FILTH combines elements from black metal, gothic metal and symphonic metal in a completely unique music universe with lots of horror aesthetics added. The band was created in Suffolk in England in 1991 by the controversial singer Dani Filth and while the other band members have been replaced several times over the years, the group is still famous for their high level of technical proficiency and their very own approach to both music and aesthetics. All fans of extreme metal are under an obligation to attend this concert!
HAMMERFALL
The Swedish metal band HAMMERFALL was formed in Gothenburg, Sweden in 1993, and they released their very successful debut album ‘Glory to the Brave’ in 1997. From that point in time and all the way until today, the band has played an important pioneer role in the strong popularisation of classic heavy metal and power metal in recent decades. These Swedes dedicate themselves fully to traditional heavy aesthetics with epic lyrics based on mythical and heroic themes. In other words: A band that sits right in the middle of the comfort zone for all fans of entertaining and oldschool heavy!
KARNIVOOL
With their interesting progressive sound, Australian KARNIVOOL have achieved great international renown for their impressive skill and innovative approach to rock music. They are known for their complex compositions and their creative use of rhythms and melodies that match their deep, introspective lyrics and layered soundscapes perfectly. They came on the radar very fast with their debut album ’Themata’ from 2005, but it was the follow-up release ‘Sound Awake’ from 2009 that truly possessed masterpiece qualities. A cult band for everyone who loves progressive rock and heavy metal.
ASINHELL
The Danish singer and guitarist Michael Poulsen is best known for his leading part in Volbeat – but he is a man of many talents. He played death metal all the way back in the ‘90s, and he has now returned to this genre with the ASINHELL project, together with Marc Greve from Morgoth and Morten Toft Hansen from Raunchy. The 2023 debut album ’Impii Hora’ is a true love letter to the traditional sound of Swedish death metal, shock-full of electrifying and crisp riffs, raging vocal assaults and drum bombardments. Truly entertaining heavy metal – and a real gem for everyone who loves classic unadulterated death!
CORROSION OF CONFORMITY
Throughout 40 years, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY, also known as “COC”, have made a clear mark on both the hardcore punk and metal genres, and they are one of the few bands that have managed to win lots of respect in both fan groups over the years. Their musical variety is huge, and these Americans have experimented with lots of influences and genre digressions over the years, with everything from stoner rock and sludge metal to blues-inspired heavy metal – something that has kept them constantly relevant throughout their long and successful career.
DYING FETUS
DYING FETUS: The name itself clearly signals uncompromising controversiality, which permeates the American death metal band’s aggressive music. Artistic integrity and strong political messages are hammered through with double pedals, chainsaw riffs and incredibly furious vocals that rip and tear through both body and mind. Every since the ’90s, the band has been one of the most respected acts within the genre – due to both their critically acclaimed releases and their super-intense live performances – and we look forward to welcoming the Maryland group back to COPENHELL.
HARMS WAY
A concert with the hardcore band HARMS WAY mostly feels like being hit by a freight train and only barely surviving. Frontman James Pligge’s formidable physical appearance and barking vocals will make you think of a rabies-ridden dog on a tight leash when he is hanging over the edge of the stage against the audience while the band delivers maximum energy and intensity behind him. We can only encourage everyone to take extra good care of each other during this concert!
MIMI BARKS
Dirty and dismal doom trap smothered in heavy synth, hip-hop, metal and pulsating industrial rhythms. German MIMI BARKS is a true shock rocker with wild costumes and a grisly and provocative aesthetic driving her work. Her act is a universe and an art project, as much as it is music. Expect the unexpected – and first and foremost a dark and really bleak experience.
JOHN CXNNOR
Industrial soundscapes are the core of the electronic music project JOHN CXNNOR – but fear not, as it is so heavy that hell itself will shake beneath the festival site. Their dystopic music effortlessly combines trip-hop, doom metal and scores from sci-fi movies in a totally unique sound that feels like the soundtrack to the end of the world. Everything is, as the name implies, inspired by Terminator and other classic ’80s movies – with great visual effects, dark beats and interesting guest vocalists added to the mix.
CRYPTA
CRYPTA was formed in Brazil in 2019 and never hesitated one second making themselves known on the international death metal scene with their brutal music and energetic live shows. The founders, bass player and singer Fernanda Lira and guitarist Luana Dametto, are former members of the thrash metal band Nervosa, and they have a bright future ahead of them after their successful 2021 debut ‘Echoes of the Soul’ and the 2023 follow-up ‘Shades of Sorrow’, both of which whet the appetite for much more from the up-and-coming Brazilians.
EXCEL
EXCEL plays crossover thrash that is strongly inspired by ‘70s punk rock and speed metal. The band, which was originally called ”Chaotic Noise” before a name change, grew out of Venice in California at the same time as Suicidal Tendencies in the ’80s, and they play groovy, thrashy and highly energetic skatecore centered around American street and graffiti culture.
J.J. & THE A’S
J.J. & THE A’s from Copenhagen/Barcelona originally started out as a studio project for the musicians J.J. and Will. After the addition of singer Kimia Haghighi, they recorded two EP’s with intense and catchy punk rock that were released by the British cult label La Vida Es Un Mus Records. The band has played several concerts in both the Nordic countries and in Great Britain, and they will release their debut album in 2024. All punk fans can expect an explosion of raw power punk energy!
ESCUELA GRIND
The New England quartet ESCUELA GRIND plays unrelenting, brutal powerviolence grindcore steeped in raw aggression. Their chaotic sound cacophony is a frontal attack on all senses and mostly feels like a sonic assault – but make no mistake, as a subcurrent of groovy hardcore runs beneath all the rage and adds lots of soul and complexity to the music.
The following 42 bands have been announced for COPENHELL 24 so far:
AVENGED SEVENFOLD - THE OFFSPRING - DROPKICK MURPHYS - COREY TAYLOR - MACHINE HEAD - BRUCE DICKINSON - PRETTY MAIDS - THY ART IS MURDER - SLAUGHTER TO PREVAIL - HAMMERFALL - KARNIVOOL -BIOHAZARD - CRADLE OF FILTH - ASINHELL - MADBALL - HARMS WAY - CORROSION OF CONFORMITY - DYING FETUS - HIGH ON FIRE - KHEMMIS - DIE KRUPPS - FU MANCHU - 1349 - LACK - JOHN CXNNOR -