Damnation Add Six Bands To Already Incredible 2013 Line-Up

Damnation Festival have proved themselves pretty adept at bringing the best metal around to Leeds every November, and their latest announcement emphasises that more clearly than ever.

Heading the new additions to the bill are mighty Swedish melodic doomsters Katatonia, who will be performing their classic 2003 album ‘Viva Emptiness’ in full to celebrate its 10th anniversary. Guitarist Anders Nystrom commented: “We couldn’t be more psyched to celebrate our ‘Viva Emptiness’ album anniversary at a festival we never got to play before. So Leeds, join us and be damned”.

Joining Katatonia will be Norwegian black metallers God Seed, who will be performing as a UK exclusive. Featuring former Gorgoroth members Gaahl and King ov Hell, it will only be the band’s second ever performance on UK soil, and first outside London. Shockingly, enigmatic and mysterious frontman Gaahl has not provided a comment on the matter, but we can assure you that their set will be an unmissable treat for fans of metal’s dark side.

Also in attendance will be German prog metal collective the Ocean, alongside Norway’s finest industrial jazz metal troupe Shining, French post-metal behemoths Year of No Light and Irish doomsters Mourning Beloveth. It will be a rare opportunity for metal fans outside the capital to get a glimpse of all four of these acts.

These six bands join the already confirmed likes of headliners Carcass, Swedish post-metal superstars Cult of Luna, progtastic Stereoboard faves Crippled Black Phoenix, doom/death supergroup Vallenfyre, Romanian esoteric black metallers Negura Bunget, Liverpudlian thrashers SSS, occult doom group Moss, and the highly rated black metal act Voices.

That’s an incredible line-up, and there’s still more to be confirmed. Before that though, festival head honcho Gavin McInally had more info for fans.

"A change to licensing laws at Leeds University Union has opened up the possibility for us to use the fantastic Riley Smith Hall as a venue which fans can enjoy a pint in, but it comes with a catch," he said. "The festival's capacity would be pushed above the 4,000 mark and although ticket sales are better right now than at the same point 12 months ago, the venue management, somewhat understandably, don't want to hand over their entire building, including terracing and bars to Damnation unless there's a guarantee the numbers will justify it.

"This is not a sales pitch, if you don't believe the confirmed line-up so far doesn't merit your £34 then don't buy a ticket BUT if you are fully intending to be at Damnation Festival this year then booking your ticket now will help us land that fourth stage. And if we do, Carcass and Cult of Luna will not clash for a single minute, the Terrorizer Stage will be reminiscent of our Deathfest event with death and grind from morning until night, a fourth stage will worship doom all day long and we'll book DJs to perform in the terrace area which has been missing at Damnation since 2008."

With those words ringing in your ears I’m sure you know what to do. Tickets for Damnation are available now via leedsticket.co.uk. Visit damnationfestival.co.uk for more information. The festival takes place at Leeds University Student Union on November 2. See you there!

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