SATURDAY PROGRAMME 

We can’t wait for the second day of the World Metal Congress, which will continue with two more not-to-be-missed panel discussions, as well as the premiere of two documentary films that powerfully illustrate just how diverse our music truly is, and just how much people are willing to sacrifice to support it. And don’t forget to check out our live gig happening later on!

DOORS 11AM

11:45 | INTRODUCTION & WELCOME

With Alexander Milas and the WMC team, plus some words from Barney Greenway of Napalm Death.

12:00 - 2:00 | SYRIAN METAL IS WAR (UK PREMIERE)

Bombs, snipers, and power outages have done nothing to dampen the metal spirit in Syria. Sticking a finger to the ferocious civil war there, Syrian metal musician and filmmaker Monzer Darwish shot this captivating documentary on location during the ongoing conflict and smuggled the footage with him as he fled on a rubber boat to Europe. This film is testimony to the trials and tribulations of the metal community in one of the most dangerous countries on the planet today.

UPDATE: We are very proud to announce that we will be joined by director Monzer Darwish and Jake Shuker from Syria’s Maysaloon for a post-film Q&A.

2:00 - 2:45 | UNITED FORCES

Heavy metal is often referred to as a community, but are we really in it together? What does it mean to be part of the global metal family? Metal fans like to boast the open mindedness of the scene, but is metal as diverse and open as it could be?  And how can the metal scene become even more open to all?

2:00 - 2:30 | HAQ123 : LIVE PERFORMANCE

Zac (age 10) on drums, Millie (Age 8) on vocals and Dave (old) on bass are HAQ123! A power trio from Birmingham, brought up on the sounds of Sabbath and energised by Haribo. WEBSITE

2:45 - 3:30 | FIGHTING THE POWERS

Metal has a proud history of annoying the powers that be, but should it have an activist, political edge, or should it stay out of the fight? From promoting social awareness to being a force for political change, what are metal’s big hits and misses? Join us with a panel of English and global experts to discuss if Heavy Metal’s power still resonates politically, and where the battlegrounds lie.

3:30 - 5.30 | SONGS OF INJUSTICE : HEAVY METAL MUSIC IN LATIN AMERICA (UK PREMIERE)

Join this riveting journey of heavy metal’s struggles as it is produced and performed in the extremely challenging context of Latin America. Under the political stresses of colonialism, dictatorship, terrorism and neoliberal exploitation, Songs of Injustice highlights metal artists from Peru, Chile, Argentina and Mexico whose music has helped them to overcome social injustice.

This premiere will be followed by a keynote by the director Prof. Nelson-Varas Diaz on Documenting Latin American Metal.

3:45 - 4.15 | JO QUAIL : LIVE PERFORMANCE

London based cellist and composer Jo Quail draws upon myriad influences, creating music that connects with and unites a very diverse audience. Whilst influenced by the music of Bach, Debussy, Tavener and Bartok, as well as contemporary artists such as Trent Reznor and Perry Farrell, Jo’s highly evocative and atmospheric music follows its own singular path. Coupling extended cellistic techniques with looping technology Jo creates elegiac soundscapes entirely live, with no pre-recorded elements; whether eerily intimate or magnificently rich in layers and textures, Jo’s music will take you on a transcendent journey. WEBSITE

SATURDAY EVENING

After the days events, we will close the doors for a couple of hours and transform the main space downstairs for a live showcase from 7pm. We want to show you the best the WORLD has to offer with a mixture of grindcore, black metal and high energy metal. Separate ‘evening only’ tickets are also available if you can’t attend during the day.

WORMROT

Hailing from Singapore, Wormrot was formed in 2007, and since their formation have been doing extensive tours in the US, EU and the neighbouring Asian countries. Aside from the usual underground shows in a converted garage in Denver, a farm in France, a few squats in Europe or a cave in Penang, they've also played at festivals like Glastonbury Festival (UK), Maryland Death Fest (US), Obscene Extreme Festival (CZ), Scion Rock Fest (US), SXSW (US), Netherlands Death Festival (NL), Incubate Fest (NL), Bloodshed Fest (NL), Baybeats (SG), Earslaughter Fest (CA) and many more. WEBSITE

DAWN RAY’D

Three piece politically charged crust black metallers Dawn Ray’d are riding on a wave of popularity after their excellent release ‘The Unlawful Assembly’ on Prosthetic Records. Equal parts malice and spite; ethereality and exultation. From clean singing to full thrashing pace, the band “breathes new fire into black metal's small but sturdy leftist tradition, crafting potent, violin-laced atmospheric black metal songs that double as battle hymns for the class war” – Noisey WEBSITE

ZOMBIES ATE MY GIRLFRIEND

Zombies ate my Girlfriend is a high-energy metal band from Cape Town, South Africa. Established in 2012, their latest full-length album “Shun the Reptile” released to critical acclaim in November 2018. 
Renowned as one of South Africa’s top metal acts, the band has enjoyed sharing stages with a slew of touring bands from abroad. Including, Protest the Hero, The Darkest Hour, 36 Crazyfists, Monuments, August Burns Red, Unearth and DevilDriver. In 2016 the guys were crowned champions of the Wacken Metal Battle at the legendary Wacken Open Air in Germany, making them the first South African band to achieve this feat. 

Zombies Ate My Girlfriend will be making this journey with support from the Wacken Foundation.

UNYIELDING LOVE

Exhumed from Belfast, Ireland by the always consistent Sentient Ruin, The Sweat of Augury is a voracious assault of top-notch Grind. My initial reaction to Unyielding Love was that they have some sort of Metal Ouija board and conjured forth the spirit of the legendary Discordance Axis. But honestly, as my time with this band increased, I realised that it would be unfair to draw those comparisons. And I don’t mean that as a disservice or a strike against Unyielding Love. They do pull forth from the grave of that influence. Yet, they truly embody their own sphere and sonic entity. One will find layers to be pulled back like a surgeon preparing to do open heart surgery.