Welcome to the 28th edition of Mangualde Hardmetalfest, Portugal’s oldest heavy metal festival hosted in Mangualde. The festival, established in 1997 by local metalheads, has progressed to one of the country’s largest lusitanian metal festivals.
The festival will be held on Saturday, January 14, and will showcase a superb roster of bands featuring headliners Satan from the United Kingdom, and other acts such as Schirenc Plays Pungent Stench, Black Mass Pervertor, Cape Torment, Deathless Legacy, Gorgon, Gwydion, Lord Vicar, Mordaça, Nocturnal, and Sollust will headline this year’s Mangualde Hardmetalfest.
Speaking about the bands individually, we should begin with the headliners, Satan, a British heavy metal band established in Newcastle in 1979.
The band is regarded as one of the forefathers of the early 1980s New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. Satan released six studio albums between 1983 and 2022, led by vocalist Brian Ross and guitarists Russ Tippins and Steve Ramsey. The band’s music blended traditional heavy metal and NWOBHM components with progressive and classical influences.
The band inked a new multi-album recording contract with Metal Blade Records in 2018, and their fifth studio album, ‘Cruel Magic,’ was released to widespread acclaim in 2018. ‘Earth Infernal,’ the band’s sixth studio album, was released last year on April 1, 2022.
‘Earth Infernal,’ Satan’s highly awaited sixth studio album, was released in April 2022 by Metal Blade Records. The legendary NWOBHM band returned to their old style with a thunderous, dynamic album that is guaranteed to impress genre lovers.
‘Earth Infernal,’ with an amazing lineup of guest musicians like Graeme English on bass and Sean Taylor on drums, preserves the band’s trademark vigor while adding an assortment of new inspirations that make it seem fresh but familiar.
‘Earth Infernal’ is jam-packed with explosive riffs, captivating hooks, and plenty of solos to keep listeners headbanging from the opening track, ‘Ascendancy,’ to the closing title track. If you enjoy traditional metal, you will not want to miss this album. ‘Earth Infernal’ is an essential addition to any metal fan’s collection.
A band with a recognized name for those familiar with the famed Pungent Stench, a unique combination of death metal and grindcore that generated a strong and intense sound that won them a committed cult following throughout the years and made them known while producing four studio albums, as well as a number of EPs and singles before ceasing to exist in 2013, one year after releasing their ‘The Stench of Redemption’ album, leaving the relentless and hard-hitting extreme metal scene with a void.
Of course, we are referring to Schirenc Plays Pungent Stench, a death metal band from Vienna, Austria, that formed in 2014. The band pays homage to the sound of Austrian death metal pioneers Pungent Stench, who split up in 2013.
The current lineup includes Martin Schirenc, the original Pungent Stench vocalist/guitarist, in addition to drummer Mike Hödl and bassist Danny Vacuum.
The band’s debut album, ‘From Dead to Worse,’ was released to tremendous acclaim in 2014. They have since released two EPs and a live album.
Schirenc Plays Pungent Stench’s music combines elements of traditional death metal, thrash metal, and black metal with progressive and classical influences.
Black Mass Pervertor, on the other hand, is a Finnish black metal band with punk overtones. K.R., vocalist/guitarist, and V-P., drummer, founded the band in 1998 and have since produced four albums, two EPs, and countless demos. The band’s music blends conventional black metal, punk, and hardcore components with a raw, old-school approach.
‘Fallen Angels,’ the band’s fifth studio album, was released to great acclaim in 2020. In addition to their recorded output, the band has been active in the underground Finnish metal scene for many years, performing at several shows and festivals.
Countrymen Cape Torment is a Portuguese death metal band. The band was founded in 2014 by vocalist/guitarist Pedro Carvalho and drummer Miguel Henriques, and they have three albums to their credit: ‘The Void’ (2015), ‘The End of Everything’ (2016), and ‘The Scourge of Mankind’ (2021).
With a raw and violent attitude, the band’s style incorporates classic death metal, thrash metal, and black metal elements. Cape Torment has performed in Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Serbia, Slovakia, and Hungary, among other places. ‘The Scourge of Mankind,’ the band’s third studio album, was released in 2021.
Deathless Legacy is a Rome-based Italian heavy metal band that began in 2006 as a Death SS tribute band until changing their name in 2013 owing to copyright/homonym difficulties.
The band’s current lineup consists of lead vocalist/guitarist Filippo Di Carlo, bassist Alessio Mazzoli, guitarist Simone Scardina, and drummer Emanuele Di Marco, and it has produced two studio albums, ‘Rituals of Black Magic’ (2019) and, most recently, ‘Mater Larvarum’ (2022). They have also appeared in anthologies such as ‘Terror Tales: A Tribute to Death SS’ (2018).
The music of Deathless Legacy blends heavy metal, symphonic metal, and horror metal components with occult and gloomy themes. The band has toured widely throughout Europe.
Gorgon is a French black metal band that started in 2005. Tristes Tropiques, bassist/vocalist Sekhmet, and drummer Dagon make up the band’s current roster.
The band has released various studio albums, the most recent of which is ‘Traditio Satanae’ (2021), as well as some EPs and splits. Gorgon’s music blends classic black metal, death metal, and thrash metal components with a visceral and Satanic attitude.
Gwydion, an astounding epic folk metal band from Portugal established in 1995, made waves when they first appeared on the scene with their ‘Ynys Mön’ 2007 debut album. Pedro Dias, Daniel César, Miguel Kaveirinha, Marta Brissos, Luis Figueira, and Bruno Ezz make up the band’s current lineup.
The band has released five studio albums, the most recent of which, ‘Gwydion,’ was released in 2020. Gwydion’s music is a melodious and epic blend of folk metal, Viking metal, and symphonic metal.
Lord Vicar is a Finnish doom metal band that started in 2006. Kimi Kärki, guitarist/vocalist, guitarist Peter Vicar, bassist Jussi Myllykoski, and drummer Gareth Millsted make up the current lineup.
The band has released three studio albums, ‘Fear No Pain’ (2008), ‘Signs of Osiris’ (2011), and ‘The Black Powder’ (2016). Lord Vicar’s music mixes conventional doom metal, hard rock, and heavy metal components with a lyrical and melancholy approach.
Mordaça is a Portuguese hardcore punk band that started in 2017. João Soares, bassist/vocalist Ivo Fernandes, guitarist Paulo Cardoso, and drummer Pedro Morais make up the band’s current lineup.
The band has two full-length albums, ‘Tudo O Que É Solido’ (2018) and ‘Segundos’ (2021), two EPs, and two splits to their credit. Mordaça’s music is a raw and violent blend of hardcore punk, thrash metal, and crust punk.
Nocturnal is a 1985 German heavy/speed metal band. They have published four studio albums, as well as countless demos and EPs, throughout the years. They are recognized for their high-energy live shows and their distinct combination of heavy metal and speed metal.
Nocturnal delivers a strong sound with fast-paced guitar riffs and booming rhythms that will delight any fan of the genre. They have also shared the stage with some of metal’s biggest stars, including Accept, and Saxon. Nocturnal is a key component of the German metal scene thanks to their distinct sound and powerful live performances.
Sollust, a gothic doom metal band from Portugal established in 2003, is the last to be revealed, but certainly noteworthy.
The band’s current lineup includes vocalist/guitarist Guilhermino Martins, bassist Vitor Vilas Boas, guitarist Pedro Lourenço and drummer Paulo Cardoso.
The band has released two full-length albums, ‘The Last Bird Song’ and ‘(In)Versus’ (2020), as well as two EPs and one compilation. Sollust’s music incorporates conventional doom metal, gothic metal, and progressive metal components with a gloomy and dark ambiance.
In addition to the main stage, Mangualde Hardmetalfest will have an open-air stage, a metal market, and metal karaoke, and it promises to be an unforgettable event.
Early bird tickets are currently priced at $26.37, with regular tickets costing $31.65. More information can be found on the festival’s website, including a complete list of participating bands.
