One of the best things about the metal community is the metal festivals. There are many great large and famous metal festivals in the world but there are a lot of more intimate ones as well. One of them is the outstanding Karmøygeddon Metal Festival.
(Photo by Freimen)
The festival was supposed to start today, Thursday April 30th, and last for three days. It takes place annually in the town Kopervik on the island Karmøy (hence the name) in the south west coast of Norway.
Karmøygeddon is the ultimate highlight of the year for the metal community in this part of Norway and by word of mouth the festival now also attracts visitors from all over the world.
The history of Karmøygeddon is nothing but a textbook example of how to develop and keep a music festival alive. The festival has been around since 2004. With a solid baseline it has slowly and steadily been growing - patiently building up integrity among both fans and artists. This remarkable success in the music business is the fruit of hard work and firm control of festival leader Johnny Angelund and his professional and down to earth team.
The festival first started outside a pub in Kopervik in Karmøy with about 400 people attending. It was an instant success in the local metal community and with greater ambitions the festival was moved to a larger indoor venue in Haugesund in 2006. In 2015 they moved back to Kopervik and for the last years about 4000 people have attended the festival.
Over the years the festival has had a great variety of metal genres with many big names. Great bands like Skid Row, Kreator, Gamma Ray, Paradise Lost, Overkill, Kvelartak, Saxon, Sabaton, SepticFlesh, Helloween, Kamelot, Finntroll and U.D.O. have performed on the festival, alongside local bands and up and coming bands from all over the world.
But Karmøygeddon is much more than a festival. The organization and people behind the festival host dozens of concerts and events every year in Kopervik and Haugesund. These events bind the local metal community even tighter together and also provide local bands with a stage and an audience.
Festivals like Karmøygeddon have been very important events in the of revitalization of the metal genre and thus they are important part of the history of the metal. They are keeping the genre alive.
Karmøygeddon is very important for many people. It gives us the feeling of belonging. You never feel alone when you are on Karmøygeddon or one of their concerts. The people hanging there are open minded, dedicated to have a good time and they steer out of trouble. There's a special understanding between the artists, arrangers, volunteers and fans that we are all part of something important and valuable.
For the first time in 16 years, Karmøygeddon will sadly not be arranged in 2020 due to the circumstances. But the next edition of the festival is already planned for 2021. The dates are 6th – 8th of May. Check out the line-up so far below. Get your tickets quickly because the tickets are selling out fast!
Are you looking for a new experience? Attend Karmøygeddon! You won't find a nicer hell anywhere on earth...
Info and tickets: https://www.karmoygeddon.no
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