Eyehategod, Walls Of Jericho and more have been announced for Damnation Festival 2026

We've only just recovered from the madness at Damnation's special 20th-anniversary edition back in November, where High On Fire, Perturbator, Napalm Death, Corrosion Of Conformity, Wormrot and almost 50 others ensured deafness for the next few weeks.

Already, though, they've announced that, following the success of expanding to two days last year, they'll be doing it again in ’26. And now, they've revealed the first names hitting Manchester's Bowlers Exhibition Centre in November.

Leading the announcement are Detroit hardcore icons Walls Of Jericho and NOLA sludge legends Eyehategod, making their long-tried-for debut at the fest.

They'll be joined by Benediction, Slow Crush, Holy Fawn, Cabal, Rwake, Ultha, Dodsrit, Lamp Of Murmuur, The Moth Gatherer, Fange, Black Sheep Wall and Intercourse.

In what's become a tradition for Damnation, there'll once again be celebrations of British metal's underground heroes. Death metal fiends Gorerotted will make their return to the stage for the first time in over a decade, concentrating on their first two albums, 2001's Mutilated In Minutes and 2003 follow-up Only Tools And Corpses.

"Public Health warning! Gorerotted are back from the dead and will be bringing the unholy racket of Mutilated In Minutes and Only Tools And Corpses to Damnation," they say. "We had a couple of beers backstage at Damnation, spent about 30 seconds catching up, and then they said, 'You played the first ever Damnation, you gotta reform and do it again', before going on to threaten to 'just announce us anyway' and give us a year's warning to put it together! It feels like the right time to exhume Gorerotted from the grave, from the Dead to Damnation, see you there for our only UK show!"

Also making a return will be Medulla Nocte, playing their ultra-intense 1998 album A Conversation Alone. Following the passing of drummer Jammer in 2012, frontman Paul Catten says it's a chance to bring things to a close and salute the departed.

"It's taken me years to feel comfortable about putting Medulla Nocte back together, but now is the right time. Playing A Conversation Alone in its entirety, in tribute to the ones who have left us," he says. "Where better to conclude the story than Damnation? I've had the best times at this festival, and it’s an absolute honour to be asked to play again, and in the band where it all began. See you in November!"

Festival big boss Gav McInally promises it's going to be a banner year for the bash, which now proudly stands as Europe's biggest indoor metal gathering.

"Having UK extreme metal legends like Gorerotted and Medulla Nocte dust themselves off to go again for a new generation of metal fans – alongside with us older buggers – is very special and we're honoured they chose to do that at Damnation.

"Eyehategod are a band we've wanted to play our stages since 2005 but never managed to get our paths to cross so it's brilliant to finally have them in our 21st year, while Walls of Jericho will turn BEC's main arena into a sea of flailing limbs for their only UK show of 2026.

"Benediction are long overdue a return to Damnation after 18 years and to have the talents of Holy Fawn, Slow Crush, Rwake, Ultha, and Lamp of Murmuur involved is down to the sizable demand from our fans to have them play the festival.

"I want to give a special mention of Black Sheep Wall and Intercourse who will both be coming to the UK for the first time, to play Damnation. Those who don't know them should check both out now. Incredible bands.

"Although this is an opening salvo of artists we're hugely excited about, it's a fraction of our main stage bill, and all six headliners over the weekend have still to be announced, so the next 32 bands are also going to be very, very special."

Damnation Festival takes place at Manchester Bowlers Exhibition Centre, November 7 – 8.

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