Hammerfest is an indoor music festival

Music festival

A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, and are often inclusive of other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines,...

 held annually at Pontin's Holiday Village

Pontin's

Pontins is a British holiday business which was originally founded in 1946 by Fred Pontin. It specialises in offering half-board and self-catering holidays with regular entertainment on offer. Accommodation is usually in the form of chalets. The company once grew to be a major operator of...

, Prestatyn

Prestatyn

Prestatyn is a seaside resort, town and community in Denbighshire, North Wales. It is located on the Irish Sea coast, to the east of Rhyl. At the 2001 Census, Prestatyn had a population of 18,496.-Prehistory:...

, Wales

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

. The festival is owned by emc3i Ltd, sponsored by their music magazine Metal Hammer

Metal Hammer

Metal Hammer is a monthly heavy metal music magazine published in the United Kingdom by Future Publishing, and in several other countries by different publishers. Metal Hammer articles feature both mainstream bands and more unusual acts from the whole spectrum of heavy metal music...

 and run by the orgnisers of the Hard Rock Hell

Hard Rock Hell

Hard Rock Hell is a three day music festival currently held at Pontin's Holiday Village, Prestatyn, Wales. The idea of holding the festival at in a holiday camp gives the organisers pre-built venues and stages and because of the on-site accommodation allows them to hold a multi day festival over...

 festival. Because the festival is held at a holiday camp

Holiday camp

Holiday camp, in Britain, generally refers to a resort with a boundary that includes accommodation, entertainment and other facilities.As distinct from camping, accommodation typically consisted of chalets – small buildings arranged either individually or in blocks. Some had three or four storeys,...

, the organisers can make use of pre-built venues and stages, and attendees can stay in the on-site accommodation. This enables the festival to be held during the winter/spring months when outdoor camping is not desirable. Each edition of the festival so far has sold out the holiday camp, which has a capacity of 4,000.

Hammerfest I

The original Hammerfest was held on Friday 24th and Saturday 25th April, 2009. 50 bands appeared at the festival spread over three stages and across the two days. Saxon

Saxon (band)

Saxon are an English heavy metal band, formed in 1976 in Barnsley, Yorkshire. As front-runners of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, they had 8 UK Top 40 albums in the 1980s including 4 UK Top 10 albums. Saxon also had numerous singles in the Top 20 singles chart...

, Sepultura

Sepultura

Sepultura is a Brazilian heavy metal band from Belo Horizonte, formed in 1984. The band was a major force in the death metal, thrash metal and ultimately groove metal realms during the late 1980s and early 1990s, with their later experiments melding nu metal, hardcore punk and industrial.Sepultura...

 and Opeth

Opeth

Opeth is a Swedish heavy metal band from Stockholm, formed in 1990. Though the group has been through several personnel changes, singer, guitarist, and songwriter Mikael Åkerfeldt has remained Opeth's driving force throughout the years...

 headlined the two-day event.

Main Stage
Friday - Metal on Metal	Saturday - Metal on Metal
Annotations Of An Autopsy Opeth Opeth Opeth is a Swedish heavy metal band from Stockholm, formed in 1990. Though the group has been through several personnel changes, singer, guitarist, and songwriter Mikael Åkerfeldt has remained Opeth's driving force throughout the years... Paradise Lost Paradise Lost (band) Paradise Lost are a heavy metal band that formed in 1988 in Halifax, England.-History:Their first three full-length albums are examples of the death/doom style, although the latter two incorporated some melodic and gothic elements... Architects Architects (British band) Architects are an English Metalcore band from Brighton, England, formed in 2004. The band went through several name changes before they decided upon Architects. Their first name was Inharmonic, which was swiftly changed to Counting the Days... HammerFall HammerFall HammerFall is a power metal band from Gothenburg, Sweden. The band was formed in 1993 by ex-Ceremonial Oath guitarist Oscar Dronjak.- Early days :... Malefice Malefice Malefice are a British heavy metal band from Reading, Berkshire, England, formed in 2003.-Band history:They were formed by friends at college and started to write their songs straight away. Their first major break was to open a four band bill charity gig at the Rivermead Centre in Reading...	Mayra Roxx Wolf Saxon Saxon (band) Saxon are an English heavy metal band, formed in 1976 in Barnsley, Yorkshire. As front-runners of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, they had 8 UK Top 40 albums in the 1980s including 4 UK Top 10 albums. Saxon also had numerous singles in the Top 20 singles chart... Sepultura Sepultura Sepultura is a Brazilian heavy metal band from Belo Horizonte, formed in 1984. The band was a major force in the death metal, thrash metal and ultimately groove metal realms during the late 1980s and early 1990s, with their later experiments melding nu metal, hardcore punk and industrial.Sepultura... Skindred Skindred Skindred is a Welsh rock band from Newport. The band was formed in 1998 following the disbandment of vocalist Benji Webbe's previous band, Dub War. Skindred's musical style mixes alternative rock, heavy metal, punk rock and reggae... Voodoo Six Exit 10

Stage Two
Friday - Thrash and Power Metal	Saturday - Hammer Hounds
Kiuas Kiuas Kiuas is a heavy metal band from Espoo, Finland. Their music has influences from power metal, folk metal and different styles of extreme metal. Influences from progressive metal can also be heard in some songs.-History:... Power Quest Power Quest Power Quest is a power metal band based in the United Kingdom.-The Power Quest Demo and Wings of Forever :Power Quest was conceived in March 2001 by keyboardist Steve Williams, who had recently departed London power metal band DragonHeart... Lethargy Lethargy (band) Lethargy was a mathcore band formed in Rochester, New York in 1992 and disbanded in December 1999. Their last performance was on Christmas night of 1999. Drummer Brann Dailor and guitarist Bill Kelliher would later appear in Today Is the Day and Mastodon. Guitarist and vocalist Erik Burke is... Warpath Evile Evile Evile is a thrash metal band from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire in the United Kingdom. Their debut album, Enter the Grave, was produced by Flemming Rasmussen at Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen, Denmark and was released worldwide in 2007 by Earache Records to critical acclaim by fans and critics... Mutant The Rotted The Rotted -History:The band was formed from the ashes of death metal / grindcore ensemble Gorerotted by ex-members Ben McCrow, Tim Carley, and Phil Wilson, along with Gian Pyres and Nate Gould due to a musical progression and a desire for less limiting lyrical themes: the band themselves say that The... Blood Island Raiders	Cathedral Cathedral (band) Cathedral are a doom metal band from Coventry, England. The group forged a link between early doom metal and a 1990s extreme metal aesthetic, making doom slower and heavier. Their debut album, Forest of Equilibrium, is considered a classic of the genre. They later on changed their doom style,... Dream Evil Dream Evil Dream Evil is a heavy metal band from Sweden, assembled and integrated by renowned musical producer Fredrik Nordström in 1999.-Biography:Producer Fredrik Nordström had the ambition of creating a power metal band of his own for a long time, but had difficulty finding anyone with musical ideals... Sylosis Sylosis Sylosis is a British metal band from Reading, Berkshire. In 2008 the band released their debut full-length studio album, the critically acclaimed Conclusion of an Age... Gama Bomb Gama Bomb -Beginnings: 2002-2005:Gama Bomb formed in Newry 2002 and soon built up a loyal following in their native Ireland and the UK, which they consolidated with a rigorous touring schedule and frequent forays into self-released recording. The band first gained attention with their demo The Survival... Mencea Waylander Waylander (band) Waylander is a Northern Irish band influential in the realms of Celtic folk metal. Formed in 1993, the band blends traditional Irish folk with 1990s heavy metal.-Biography:... Alestorm Alestorm Alestorm is a folk metal band from Perth, Scotland. Their music is characterized by a pirate theme, and as a result have been dubbed a "Pirate metal" band at a popular heavy metal related website.... Týr Týr (band) Týr, , is a folk metal band from the Faroe Islands. Their subject matter revolves almost entirely around old Nordic lore, mythology, and history, taking their name from a Norse god of war. They signed a worldwide deal with Austria's Napalm Records in early 2006, while signed to the Faroese record... Hexagram Hallow Earth Theory Grand Magus Sacred Mother Tongue Attica Rage

Stage Three
Friday - Buzz Metal	Saturday - Rising Records
The Defiled Tesseract TesseracT (band) TesseracT are a British progressive metal band formed in 2003. They are currently signed to Century Media Records.-History:Tesseract started out back in 2003 as a personal side project, to Fellsilent, in the then-teenage Acle Kahney's bedroom... Firebrand Superrock Thirteenth Sign Imicus	Open The Skies Nex Trigger The Bloodshed Bleed From Within Sworn Amongst The Morning After Mia Hope Many Things Untold Everything Burns The Dead Lay Waiting With Chaos In Her Wake

• Bullet For my Valentine
  Bullet for My Valentine
  Bullet for My Valentine are a Welsh heavy metal band from Bridgend, formed in 1998. The band is composed of Matt Tuck , Michael Paget , Jason James , and Michael Thomas . They were formed under the name Jeff Killed John and started their music career by covering songs by Metallica and Nirvana...
  
   were originally booked as headliners for the festival, but pulled out due to recording commitments.

Hammerfest II

The second Hammerfest was held on Friday 12th and Saturday 13th March, 2010, with a pre-party on the preceding Thursday. 44 bands performed across three stages during the two-day festival, with an additional 8 bands performing on the second and third stages during the Thursday pre-party. The festival was headlined by 5 Finger Death Punch and Suicidal Tendencies

Suicidal Tendencies

Suicidal Tendencies is a U.S. crossover thrash band founded in 1981 in Venice, Los Angeles, California by Mike Muir, its leader and only permanent member. The band is sometimes credited as one of "the fathers of crossover thrash"...

.

Main Stage
Friday - Metal on Metal	Saturday - Metal on Metal
Napalm Death Napalm Death Napalm Death are a death metal band formed in Birmingham, England in 1981. While none of its original members remain in the group, the lineup of vocalist Mark "Barney" Greenway, bassist Shane Embury, guitarist Mitch Harris and drummer Danny Herrera has remained consistent for most of the band's ... 5 Finger Death Punch DevilDriver DevilDriver DevilDriver is an American heavy metal band from Santa Barbara, California, formed in 2002. The band was originally named Deathride, however, due to copyright issues and the name being taken by several bands, Deathride changed its name to DevilDriver, which refers to bells Italian witches used to... Katatonia Katatonia Katatonia is a Swedish metal band formed in Stockholm in 1991 by Jonas Renkse and Anders Nyström .-1991-1993:The early Katatonia releases, such as the EP Jhva Elohim Meth..... Epica Epica (band) Epica is a Dutch symphonic metal band founded by guitarist and vocalist Mark Jansen subsequent to his departure from After Forever. They are known for their symphonic sound and the use of female vocals and male growls performed by Simone Simons and Mark Jansen, respectively. All six members write... Tony Martin's Headless Cross	Sabaton Sabaton (band) Sabaton is a Grammis-nominated power metal band from Falun, Sweden formed in 1999. The band's main lyrical themes are those of historical wars. This is heard in albums Primo Victoria, Attero Dominatus and Coat of Arms where all of the songs, except final tracks, take inspiration from historical... Suicidal Tendencies Suicidal Tendencies Suicidal Tendencies is a U.S. crossover thrash band founded in 1981 in Venice, Los Angeles, California by Mike Muir, its leader and only permanent member. The band is sometimes credited as one of "the fathers of crossover thrash"... Iced Earth Iced Earth Iced Earth is an American heavy metal band from Tampa, Florida. Originally formed under the name "Purgatory" in 1984, Iced Earth has released a total of ten studio albums, one live album, three EP's, two compilations and boxsets... Skindred Skindred Skindred is a Welsh rock band from Newport. The band was formed in 1998 following the disbandment of vocalist Benji Webbe's previous band, Dub War. Skindred's musical style mixes alternative rock, heavy metal, punk rock and reggae... Orange Goblin Orange Goblin Orange Goblin are a stoner metal band from the United Kingdom that formed in 1995. The band's lineup currently consists of singer Ben Ward, guitarist Joe Hoare, bassist Martyn Millard, and drummer Chris Turner.-History:... Attica Rage

Stage Two
Thursday - Empire Stage	Friday - XFM	Saturday - Hammer Hounds
Gentlemans Pistols SSS Arthemis Beholder Marshall Law	Swallow the Sun Swallow the Sun Swallow the Sun is a Finnish melodic death / doom metal band.- Biography :Swallow the Sun was formed in early 2000 by Juha Raivio, joined soon by Pasi Pasanen came along . They rehearsed a couple of songs, one of them being "Through Her Silvery Body" which would end up on their first demo,Out of... Warpath Abgott Conquest of Steel October File Malefice Savage Messiah Xerath	Vreid Vreid Vreid is a Norwegian black metal band formed in 2004 after the break up of Windir following the death of lead singer and founder Valfar. The remaining members along with new guitarist Ese formed Vreid... Carach Angren Carach Angren Carach Angren is a symphonic black metal band from the Netherlands, formed by two members of Vaultage. Their style is characterised by prominent use of orchestral arrangements... Dark Funeral Dark Funeral Dark Funeral is a black metal band from Stockholm, Sweden, founded by guitarists Blackmoon and Lord Ahriman in 1993. They are one of the bands to have emerged in Sweden during the Second wave of black metal.... Akercocke Akercocke Akercocke is an English progressive blackened death metal band from London, England. They take their name from a talking monkey in Robert Nye's interpretation of the Faust-legend, and are notable for their heavily Satanic and sexual lyrical content.... Zonaria Zonaria Zonaria is a melodic death metal band from Umeå, Sweden, formerly known as Seal Precious. The band is currently signed to Century Media Records.-Background:... Nefarium GU Medicine Panic Cell White Wizzard Shining Fury UK Rise to Remain

Stage Three
Thursday - Metal Breaker	Friday - Fresh Blood	Saturday - Old Skool Metal / Metal Aid
Fury of the Waters Crimes of Passion Glass Artery	Revoker Cars on Fire No Made Sense Sondura Man Must Die Echovirus	Huron Godsized Hellfighter The More I See Isolysis Belligerence

Hammerfest III

The third Hammerfest was held on Friday 18th and Saturday 19th March 2011. A pre-party was held on the preceding Thursday as in the previous year, with bands performing on the second and third stages. 48 bands performed across three stages during the two-day festival, with an additional 11 bands performing during the Thursday pre-party. Accept

Accept

Accept is a German heavy metal band from the town of Solingen, originally assembled by former vocalist Udo Dirkschneider, guitarist Wolf Hoffmann and bassist Peter Baltes. Their beginnings can be traced back to the late 1960s...

 and Sabaton

Sabaton (band)

Sabaton is a Grammis-nominated power metal band from Falun, Sweden formed in 1999. The band's main lyrical themes are those of historical wars. This is heard in albums Primo Victoria, Attero Dominatus and Coat of Arms where all of the songs, except final tracks, take inspiration from historical...

 were the headline acts.

Four months before the festival, Pontin's

Pontin's

Pontins is a British holiday business which was originally founded in 1946 by Fred Pontin. It specialises in offering half-board and self-catering holidays with regular entertainment on offer. Accommodation is usually in the form of chalets. The company once grew to be a major operator of...

 (who own the venue) went into administration. However, the festival still took place as scheduled.

Main Stage
Friday - Metal on Metal	Saturday - Metal on Metal
Ill Niño Ill Niño Ill Niño is an American six-piece metal band from New Jersey founded in 1998. The band has sold over 3.3 million units worldwide; they have 5 studio albums and 10 music videos.-History:... Accept Accept Accept is a German heavy metal band from the town of Solingen, originally assembled by former vocalist Udo Dirkschneider, guitarist Wolf Hoffmann and bassist Peter Baltes. Their beginnings can be traced back to the late 1960s... Turisas Turisas Turisas is a Finnish folk metal band from Hämeenlinna. It was founded in 1997 by Mathias Nygård and Jussi Wickström and named after an ancient Finnish God of war.... Wolf Sylosis Sylosis Sylosis is a British metal band from Reading, Berkshire. In 2008 the band released their debut full-length studio album, the critically acclaimed Conclusion of an Age... Holy Grail	Viking Skull Viking Skull Viking Skull is a 5-piece heavy metal band, originating in the UK.-History:Viking Skull was formed in 2002, by Raging Speedhorn members Gordon Morison, Darren Smith and Frank Regan, along with their Guitar Tech, Roddy Stone, and Merchandiser, Waldie.... Sabaton Sabaton (band) Sabaton is a Grammis-nominated power metal band from Falun, Sweden formed in 1999. The band's main lyrical themes are those of historical wars. This is heard in albums Primo Victoria, Attero Dominatus and Coat of Arms where all of the songs, except final tracks, take inspiration from historical... Satyricon Satyricon (band) Satyricon is a Norwegian black metal band, and the first one in the genre to join a multi-national record label .-Biography:Satyricon was formed in 1990 by Czral and Wargod. Ulver and Satyr soon joined them... Entombed Entombed (band) Entombed is a Swedish death metal band which formed in 1987 under the name of Nihilist. Though Entombed began their career as an early pioneer of Scandinavian death metal which initially differed itself from its American counterpart with its distinct guitar tone, by the early 1990s their sound had... Grand Magus Attica Rage

Stage Two
Thursday - Empire Stage	Friday - Jagermeister Stage	Saturday - Hammer Hounds
Metalica UK Attica Undercover Elixir Battleaxe Jaguar Mordecai Krusher	Blitzkrieg Blitzkrieg (band) Blitzkrieg are a heavy metal band from Leicester formed in 1980, consisting of Brian Ross , Ken Johnson , Guy Laverick , Paul Brewis and Phil Brewis .... My Ruin My Ruin My Ruin are a Los Angeles-based hard rock/stoner metal band fronted by Tairrie B , they have been going through various line-up changes since 1999. They have a dedicated fanbase, most notably in the UK... Headcharger Bleed From Within Turbowolf Godsized Revoker Breed 77 Breed 77 Breed 77 is a British band from the overseas territory of Gibraltar whose music is a fusion of alternative metal and flamenco.-Origin:Breed 77 comes from the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. Old Gibraltarian school friends, Paul Isola, Danny Felice, and Stuart Cavilla met up in London and... Feed the Rhino The Treatment Never Means Maybe Idiom	Evile Evile Evile is a thrash metal band from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire in the United Kingdom. Their debut album, Enter the Grave, was produced by Flemming Rasmussen at Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen, Denmark and was released worldwide in 2007 by Earache Records to critical acclaim by fans and critics... Onslaught Onslaught (band) Onslaught are an English thrash metal band from Bristol, England. Initially active from 1983 to 1991, they reformed in 2004. The band initially drew influence from the second wave punk rock bands such as Discharge and The Exploited, and then adopted a straight forward thrash metal... Gama Bomb Gama Bomb -Beginnings: 2002-2005:Gama Bomb formed in Newry 2002 and soon built up a loyal following in their native Ireland and the UK, which they consolidated with a rigorous touring schedule and frequent forays into self-released recording. The band first gained attention with their demo The Survival... Diamanthian Abadden Mutant Fury On Chthonic Chthonic (band) Chthonic is a Taiwanese metal band, formed in 1995 in Taipei. The group incorporates influences from traditional Taiwanese music including the classical Asian instrument erhu... Deadly Circus Fire Svart Crown Power Quest Power Quest Power Quest is a power metal band based in the United Kingdom.-The Power Quest Demo and Wings of Forever :Power Quest was conceived in March 2001 by keyboardist Steve Williams, who had recently departed London power metal band DragonHeart... Beholder

Stage Three
Thursday - Metal Breaker	Friday - Fresh Blood	Saturday - Metal Forge
Graveyard Triaxis Dirty Rose Krusher	Spirtyus Subservience Arceye Ravenface The Mercy House Guardians of Andromeda	Sa-Da-Ko Oaf Ten Cent Toy Cry Havoc Severenth Out Gunned

Hammerfest IV

Hammerfest will return for a fourth edition of the festival from 15th to 18th March, 2012. Skindred

Skindred

Skindred is a Welsh rock band from Newport. The band was formed in 1998 following the disbandment of vocalist Benji Webbe's previous band, Dub War. Skindred's musical style mixes alternative rock, heavy metal, punk rock and reggae...

 and Anthrax

Anthrax

Anthrax is an acute disease caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis. Most forms of the disease are lethal, and it affects both humans and other animals...

 are set to headline with Paradise Lost

Paradise Lost

Paradise Lost is an epic poem in blank verse by the 17th-century English poet John Milton. It was originally published in 1667 in ten books, with a total of over ten thousand individual lines of verse...

, Chimaira

Chimaira

Chimaira is an American heavy metal band from Cleveland, Ohio. Formed in 1998, the group is a notable member of the New Wave of American Heavy Metal scene. The band's name is derived from the word Chimera, a monstrous creature in Greek mythology...

, Lawnmower Deth

Lawnmower Deth

Lawnmower Deth are an English thrash metal band who parodied the genre and recorded three-and-a-half albums. Initially active in the late 1980s and early 1990s, they reformed in 2008.-Main career :...

, Heaven's Basement, Sci Fi Mafia, Fury UK

Fury UK

- Early History :Fury UK is a metal band based in Manchester, UK. The band was first formed around 2002 by Chris Appleton, lead guitarist & lead vocalist, whilst still in his early teens. The line-up was re-shaped several times over the early years, whilst still nothing more than a local band,...

 and Mortad all also on the bill. Recent additions to the bill include Exodus

Exodus

The Book of Exodus is the second book of the Hebrew Bible, and of the five books of the Torah...

, Amon Amarth

Amon Amarth

Amon Amarth is a Swedish viking metal band from Tumba, Sweden founded in 1992, and takes its name from the Sindarin translation of Mount Doom, a location in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth. The band comprises vocalist Johan Hegg, guitarists Olavi Mikkonen and Johan Söderberg, bassist Ted Lundström...

, Wizard

Wizard

Wizard may refer to:- Fictional characters :* Wizard or magician, a person in fantasy or mythology who has studied and practices magic** Wizard , a character in L...

, Hell

Hell

In many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...

, Heaven's Basement, Arthemis, Chemicals of Democracy, Achreen, Evil Scarecrow, Virus, Anterior, Holosade, Hammes of the Gods, Gentlemen of Distorted Sound, Trucker Diablo, Kyrbgrinder, Spirytus, Savage Outlaw, Inferno and The Painted Smiles.