LINE-UP 2026
LINE-UP 2026
20 artists from +7 countries will perform on 3 stages over 2 days. The carefully curated line-up features: pioneers of contemporary black, death, doom, and post metal to rock; bands with punk, crust, and sludge influences; as well as ambient, alternative, experimental, and folk artists. There will be a reading (Lesung) again (only in German). Our attractive Dark Arts & Crafts Exhibition featuring 6 distinguished visual artists & artisans completes the event.
Scroll down to find out more about the bands and the exhibition.
Artwork: © Druckwelle
BANDS
ULTHA (DE) will return to Culthe Fest with their unparalleled hybrid of US-influenced black Metal, (funeral) doom, post punk, and dark movie score ambience.
Not only will it be the band’s first concert in over 10 months but also the first show in their new line-up. At Culthe Fest 2026, ULTHA will perform an unholy and passionate SPECIAL SET like you’ve never seen before – and likely will never again. What this means exactly? Be there and find out! But prepare for an exclusive 90min. headliner show with some surprises and various special guests!
With this collaboration ULTHA and CULTHE COLLECTIV also celebrate their long-standing and unique friendship, rooted in the early days of both the band and the fest. We can’t wait for April 4th, 2026!
(DE, black metal/doom/post punk/ambient)
WARNING (UK), the legendary British doom band from Harlow, Essex, will headline Culthe Fest 2026 on April 5th. And we couldn’t be more honored to bring this magnificent artist to our stage!
WARNING is one of the most important, influential, and highly regarded bands to emerge from the ‘90s doom metal scene. Founded in 1994 by vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter Patrick Walker (also 40 Watt Sun), the band has shaped its distinctive melodic, heavy doom sound – defined above all by Walker’s haunting voice.
WARNING released two full-length studio albums, of which the 2nd, “Watching from a Distance” (2006 – 20 years anniversary!), has been heralded as one of the most iconic releases of the century, and one of the milestone metal albums of the decade.
In 2026, WARNING return with their highly anticipated 3rd album to be released via Relapse Records soon. The new material is promised to be “a continuation of WARNING’s previous distinctive output, coupled with the melodious elements found in Walker’s other project, 40 Watt Sun.”
Get ready for WARNING, performing their first live show of the year at Culthe Fest 2026, April 5th!
(UK, doom metal)
SUN WORSHIP (DE) will return to Culthe Fest with their uncompromising, unpredictable, and unique blend of black, death, and simply no-bullshit metal. After it didn’t work out last edition for health reasons, Culthe Fest 2026 will see the duo performing their latest masterpiece “Upon the Hills of Divination” in its entirety & more dismal dirges!
In the years since “Emanations of Desolation” (2019), SUN WORSHIP managed to hone their already elaborated drums’n’guitar assault to maximize impact. Combining versatile, restless, and passionate drumming with detailed, varied, and harsh, high-octane riffing, there’s hardly a second to rest. And still there are rare moments of beauty, silence, and calm emerging from the sonic abyss SUN WORSHIP drag us into. A sense of wonder and relief contrasting the overall doomed caveman-atmospheres.
SUN WORSHIP offer a stripped-down, fierce, and primal – yet sophisticated, confident, and well-versed listening and live experience. Be there on April 4th, it’s going to be tremendous!
(DE, black/death metal)
UNDERDARK (UK) will play Culthe Fest 2026, making up for last edition’s scheduled appearance, which had to be cancelled last minute due to an injury. Now they are back and this post black metal force’s passion and ambition are skyrocketing.
Not only will this be the first performance in Germany since 2018. As the band has just announced that “LP3 is well underway”, we can look forward to a SPECIAL SET, seeing UNDERDARK performing new material as well as a 10 years best of – encompassing their complete discography.
The band stands out lyrically, writing “very much … about real shit” (Abi Vasquez), such as the decay of a post-industrial town in the British Midlands, narrated on their latest album, “Managed Decline”. The same goes for their sonic identity, as it uniquely blends black metal, post rock, and post hardcore elements. Catch UNDERDARK live at Culthe Fest 2026, April 5th!
(UK, post black metal)
WYATT E. (BE) will appear at Culthe Fest for the first time, featuring singer NINA SAEIDI (UK with Iranian roots) from Lowen, to take you on a sonic journey to ancient Mesopotamia with their hypnotizing ritual doom/drone. A soundtrack of the exile to Babylon, which leads to ancient Gods, forgotten cities, and lost civilizations – while exploring commonality across time and space.
Get thrilled about this EXCLUSIVE SPECIAL SET: Culthe Fest 2026 will see WYATT E. FT. NINA SAEIDI performing a full album show of the band’s latest masterpiece “ZAMĀRU ULTU QEREB ZIQQURATU PART 1” (translating: music from inside the ziggurat) + NEW MUSIC this alliance is working on! Nina Saeidi will fly in especially on this occasion to enrich the sound experience with her ethereal voice, traditional Iranian tahrir singing, and a revival of ancient Akkadian tongue.
We are over the moon to have WYATT E. FT. NINA SAEIDI with us and to be able to provide the stage for this extraordinary show on April 4th!
(BE/UK, ritual doom/drone)
JONATHAN HULTÉN (SE) will make his Culthe Fest debut at our 2026 edition, inviting us all to a holistic feast for the senses, where enigmatic and highly poetic musical-, visual-, and dramatic expression melt into one of a kind.
Under the self-chosen umbrella term “Ambient Dream-grunge”, JONATHAN HULTÉN crosses conventional genre boundaries by creating a bewitching blend of: ambient music, blues, (gothic) folk, rock, and singer-songwriter. The eclectic influences of the former Tribulation guitarist go even further, extending to film scores and visual art. Thus, JONATHAN HULTÉN released his debut solo album in 2020, showcasing an introspective, highly individual musical style – as well as his distinctive, wonderfully warm voice. An experimental, visual album followed, while his latest, third full-length “Eyes of the Living Night” (2025) reveals itself as an expansive work of transformation and wonder.
Join JONATHAN HULTÉN’s journey into the borderland between darkness and beauty, a world of haunting melancholy and emotional renewal – presented in an acoustic/electric, cinematic SPECIAL SET at Culthe Fest 2026, April 5th!
(SE, ambient/blues/folk/rock/singer-songwriter)
YELLOW EYES (US) will perform at Culthe Fest for the first time, drawing everyone into their experimental and highly atmospheric black metal. On their latest album in particular, the band has included dark/doom/industrial folk and sinister, surreal (dungeon) synth, resulting in a fascinating and utterly unique sonic universe.
YELLOW EYES was formed in 2010 by brothers Will and Sam Skarstad in the woods of northwestern Connecticut. With six full-length records and the seventh to be released in autumn 2025, the band continues to refine and expand their distinctive sound, incorporating soundscapes and medieval instrumentation alongside a renewed focus on folkloric simplicity and violent power.
This is the first EU show since 2024 – and to take us over the moon: YELLOW EYES will be premiering new music from the upcoming 7th album at Culthe Fest 2026, April 4th!
(US, atmospheric black metal)
THE GREAT OLD ONES (FR) will return to Culthe Fest to captivate you with their haunting, atmospheric black metal, bringing cosmic nightmares and arcane melodies over Münster.
Forged in 2009 in the ancient mists of Bordeaux, France, they continue to thrill the scene with their evocative, intense, and sonorous soundscapes, invoking the eldritch horrors of H.P. Lovecraft’s mythos. In 2025, THE GREAT OLD ONES unleashed their fifth opus, “Kadath” – departing from the oceanic depths, and venturing instead into the treacherous twilight of the Dreamlands. Compositions both violent and heavily beautiful, with haunting vocals, raging riffs, a great sense of melody, and relentless drums, transport the listener into a world where wonder and magnificent dreams intertwine with terror and unspeakable horrors.
Behold and be drawn into a journey beyond the familiar, into a world of cosmic dread and awe-inspiring beauty, with harbingers of doomed dreams, THE GREAT OLD ONES, at Culthe Fest 2026, April 5th!
(FR, atmospheric Lovecraftian black metal)
CRANIAL (DE) will perform at Culthe Fest for the first time to enrich the bill with their heavy atmospheric doom/post/sludge metal. The band has just released its third full-length “Structures”, offering a dynamic interplay of towering heaviness and subtle melody, catharsis and confrontation – “rooted in grief, anger and uncertainty, but it never collapses under that weight and gives room for hope.”
CRANIAL was formed in 2014 as one of the two “successors” to Omega Massif. With an EP in 2015 and two albums in 2017 and 2019, the band has established itself across scenes, known for their sophisticated songwriting, well-crafted suspense, and the creation of a captivating, dense atmosphere. Their music expands and collapses, ebbs and flows, with moments of overwhelming sonic force giving way to haunting calm – showcasing a band that knows when to devastate and when to let silence speak.
At Culthe Fest 2026, CRANIAL will be performing “Structures” in its entirety. This is going to be intense, we can’t wait for April 4th!
(DE, doom/post/sludge metal)
MAUD THE MOTH (ES/UK), the solo project of Spanish-born and Scotland-based artist Amaya López-Carromero, will return to Culthe Fest in 2026 to cast her absolutely exceptional alternative music spell over us!
With a passion for singing inherited from a family steeped in the Castilian oral folk tradition and a vocation for composition amplified by classical studies, Amaya has spent her life traversing contrasting landscapes, cultures, and scenes to develop MAUD THE MOTH’s unique genre-bending identity within the new contemporary alternative European music scene. Behind this lies a fascinating, far-reaching fusion of art song, avant-garde, experimental, folk, gothic, jazz, neoclassical, post-rock, singer-songwriter, and dark wave music elements. MAUD THE MOTH’s uncompromising, cathartic, and critically-acclaimed work encompasses three full-length records and others; the latest album “The Distaff” came in 2025.
At Culthe Fest 2026, MAUD THE MOTH will appear with a FULL BAND SET, covering various releases – featuring Scott McLean (Healthyliving, Ashenspire a.o.) on guitar and synth and Alasdair Dunn (Ashenspire a.o.) on drums. Be enchanted by this extraordinary experience on April 5th!
(ES/UK, alternative/avant-garde/experimental music)
DAEVAR (DE) will give their Culthe Fest premiere in 2026, adding to our heavy music cauldron with their mesmerizing, melodic doom grunge/metal/rock.
The bustling Cologne-based trio started off in 2022/23 and released three albums in three years, most recently “Sub Rosa” (2025). Ever evolving their blend of doom metal/rock with grunge music spheres and aesthetics, DAEVAR build on bountiful, melodic songwriting to create a cloudy lo-fi soundscape, a laid-back, yet tense atmosphere – punctuated with some invigorating more uptempo bursts.
The band aims to “capture the raw energy of the 2020s” with Pardis Latifi’s blunt, unapologetic lyrics “addressing crushing inequities, grotesque inhumanity, and the growth of independence”. Intense, rat-drenched riffs and frenetic guitar solos, driving basslines, and a straightforward, to the point drumming provide the perfect musical ground and translation.
Having already won the stoner doom scene, DAEVAR are now venturing into darker realms to capture you at Culthe Fest 2026, April 4th!
(DE, doom grunge/metal/rock)
ISKANDR (NL) will perform at Culthe Fest for the first time to enchant the gathering with his unparalled psychedelic folk doom. Ancient-feeling tunes, evoking dark medieval atmospheres and a melancholic longing, merge with otherworldly postindustrial musical cues that exude a certain dark wave/post punk vibe – enriched by psychedelic folk music reminiscent of last century’s 60s/70s. The result is a mesmerizing new blend of deeply atmospheric heavy music.
ISKANDR aka multi-instrumentalist O. is no stranger to Culthe; he first appeared on our stage with his groundbreaking bands Turia and Lubbert Das in 2016. Among others, he is also involved in Dool and Fluisteraars (live). Now O. will return with ISKANDR as one of his most fascinating projects, equipped with a catalog of already four much acclaimed full-length records that showcase an impressive musical evolution.
True to his credo “ever changing, constantly morphing, searching for new pathways”, and to heighten the excitement further, ISKANDR will present a NEW LIVE SET at Culthe Fest 2026, April 5th!
(NL, psychedelic folk doom)
SILVER KNIFE (BE/NL/FR) will come to Culthe Fest to perform at our stage for the first time and enrich the bill with their endearing, powerful, and emotional interpretation of atmospheric black metal.
This transnational supergroup was formed in 2019, featuring members from Belgium, the Netherlands, and France that all have tons of other incredible bands to their respective names (Oerheks, Laster, Paramnesia, et al.). Driven by aggressive melancholy, SILVER KNIFE forged their stellar debut album “Unyielding/Unseeing” and an EP, which led to their first public performance at Roadburn. Some of you may also know them from the final edition of Ultha’s Unholy Passion Fest. Coinciding with Roadburn 2025, SILVER KNIFE released their second, self-titled full-length, with which they ultimately blossomed into one of the most interesting bands in contemporary black metal.
SILVER KNIFE will head to Münster next and you better get ready for their maelstrom of furious and powerful, yet melodic and atmospheric black metal that will hypnotize and sweep you away – at Culthe Fest 2026, April 4th!
(BE/NL/FR, atmospheric black metal)
ASHENSPIRE (UK) will enter their first German festival stage at Culthe Fest 2026, stirring it all up with their signature avant-garde/progressive black metal.
Formed in 2013 in Glasgow, Scotland, the band ingeniously fuses the experimentation of avant-garde jazz, the abrasiveness of noise rock, the political anger of anarcho-hardcore punk, and the intensity of post black metal, to create an overwhelming catharsis of righteous fury.
ASHENSPIRE has risen to international recognition with their critically-acclaimed second album, “Hostile Architecture”, gaining praise for their explicit anti-capitalist politics as well as outstanding, unequalled compositions. The follow up is in the making, so there’s a good chance we’ll get to experience some new music live…
Expect an intense show, fueled by the band’s energetic stage presence, which will also foster the visibility of queerness in black metal. It’s long overdue, so let’s go there – with ASHENSPIRE at Culthe Fest 2026, April 5th!
(UK, avant-garde/progressive black metal)
COLTAINE (DE) will give their Culthe Fest premiere in 2026, drawing us into their fog-drenched realms of atmospheric doomgaze, post rock/metal melancholy, and psychedelic possession.
The band was formed in the mystical shadows of Germany’s Black Forest in 2022, building on an older musical past dating back to 2014. Some new faces and an exciting sonic development channeled the spell of COLTAINE, bound in their debut album “Forgotten Ways” in 2024.
Continuing that path of haunting beauty, COLTAINE have just released their second full-length “Brandung” to re-open the spiritual gate between life and death and embark on a dark ocean of cinematic heavy music. Droning acoustic guitars gradually melt into harder, yet graceful electric passages, while Julia’s vocals fuel the overall sense of a gentle longing for the unattainable.
Come to this trance-like trip and be transcended by COLTAINE at Culthe Fest 2026, April 4th!
(DE, doom/post metal/rock)
TRISTIS (DE) will make their Culthe Fest debut at our 2026 edition, drawing us into the void with their expressive blend of atmospheric post black metal, blackened post hardcore/screamo, and doom. Expect intense heavy music, carried by the riff, embracing haunting melodies, all bound together by desperate yet powerful vocals. The band explicitly stands against classism, homophobia, racism, sexism, and other forms of discrimination.
Hailing from NRW, TRISTIS released their debut EP “Das Schweigen Vieler” in 2023. A split with θoʊθ followed in 2025. Coinciding with Culthe Fest 2026, TRISTIS will release their upcoming, second EP entitled: “Des Strebens Einzelner”, which we are pleased to announce!
The band tells us that, lyrically, this record will continue the predecessor’s narrative. We are excited to hear what will happen musically. What is more, we all can look forward to a SPECIAL RELEASE SHOW, fueled by accompanying performance arts, at Culthe Fest 2026, April 5th!
(DE, post black metal/post hardcore/screamo/doom)
WINSELMUTTER (DE), the “Wailing Mother” (from German folklore), will haunt Culthe Fest 2026 with raw, bloodthirsty black metal that kicks you right back to the 90s. The band inhabits old-school black metal 21st century style: both channeling and challenging the sound and spirit of the second wave, with a proper punk vibe and a clear anti-fascist attitude.
Formed in 2024, they released their debut full-length in 2025, which hit the underground like a morning star crushing a chain armor. At Culthe Fest 2026, WINSELMUTTER will perform songs from “Schattentod in der Leibeswelt” and we’re excited to see them premiering new music as well!
Talking music, expect relentless blast beats and fierce tremolo picking that pierce through an ambience of overall doom and discomfort – crowned by the powerful, shrieking, and wailing vocals of the WINSELMUTTER herself. The band let us know: this is “what remains when despair meets rage. Their songs speak of decay, suffering, and the bitter aftertaste of false salvation.”
We can’t wait for WINSELMUTTER, entering our stage for the first time at Culthe Fest 2026, April 4th!
(DE, old-school/raw black metal/black metal punk)
GREET (UK) will perform his first German festival show at Culthe Fest 2026 to mesmerize you with his fascinating, harmonium driven dark folk/drone.
GREET comes from the ashes of anarchist black metal band Dawn Ray’d and is the solo project of former drummer Matthew Broadley. With the harmonium and his voice at the heart of this dark and rich contemplative folk, GREET combines the undulating drone of the harmonium with soothing melodies to channel grief, joy, nature, anger, revolution, and revenge into enthralling folk vignettes. The enchanting sound evokes the dynamic, awe-inspiring, and untameable landscape found in surrounding county of Yorkshire and conjures the cinematic atmosphere of folk horror movies, blurring the lines between traditional folk and drone.
At Culthe Fest 2026, GREET will present a SPECIAL SET entitled “Draw from the Darkened Spring” – featuring songs from the 2025 debut full-length “I Know How To Die”, brand new, unreleased tunes, and instrumental improvisations. We look forward to a spellbinding live experience on April 5th!
(UK, dark folk/drone)
TERZIJ DE HORDE (NL) will be back at Culthe, having already played several concerts with us, yet performing the Fest for the first time. The urgent reason: this beacon of boundary-pushing black metal and hardcore intensity has just released one of the strongest albums of 2025 – more melodic, more direct, more intense –, screaming out loud: “Our Breath Is Not Ours Alone”!
Founded in Utrecht, the Netherlands, in 2009, TERZIJ DE HORDE uniquely combines complex heavy music and deep poetic reflection on a destructive and unequal world and time with a cathartic call for direct action in their challenging, furious, and dynamic compositions. The band’s raging, emotional, and vitalizing live shows do not keep the audience at a cold distance, but forcefully pull you close with unquestionably black metal, fueled by the energy and attitude of hardcore punk and screamo.
That’s exactly what will happen when the band will be performing their new, third full-length “Our Breath Is Not Ours Alone” in its entirety at Culthe Fest 2026, April 5th. We can’t wait to share their raw visceral energy and whirlwind of contrasting emotions, we can’t wait for TERZIJ DE HORDE!
(NL, black metal)
MARCEL DRECKMANN (DE) will be back at Culthe Fest in 2026 for this fabulous feature. The author, narrator, and vocalist (as well as occasional painter/illustrator) in HELRUNAR, ÁRSTIDIR LÍFSINS, and WÖLJAGER will open the festival with a reading on April 4th (only in German):
„JENSEITS. HIER.“ (LESUNG)
Eine Auswahl von dunkler Lyrik und Prosa zu Grenzgängern und ihren verschiedenen Gesichtern. Reflektionen über Außen-, Innen- und Anderswelt.
MARCEL comes from the Münsterland region, whose unique, unspoiled atmosphere, almost forgotten folklore, traditional dialect („Mönsterlänner Platt“), and certain dark and obscure aspects have had a strong influence on his work. “On the surface, the Münsterland may not be a spectacular site, but if you stroll through the country beyond the bigger cities, you will find that it has a very distinct ambience, especially in autumn and winter … austere, earthy, rainy, smoky and misty.” We are curious to see how this may be reflected in the reading!
MARCEL read to us first back in 2018. Those who have witnessed his talent, heard his deep speaking voice, and are familiar with his profound projects know: this is going to be something really special!
(DE, dark folklore/poetry/reading)
DARK ARTS & CRAFTS EXHIBITION
DRUCKWELLE – HAUS NOSTROMO – FANGORN TREASURES – ARTLESS PRINTS – RONJA HOLLKOTT – MORBID MOHN
6 distinguished visual artists & artisans display all kinds of heavy, gloomy, dark, and morbid art & craft at their stands, and on the walls of Triptychon. Expect original artworks; screen prints on paper, card, and textiles; extraordinary and handmade craftwork; curiosities, and more.
The exhibition aims not only at art lovers, collectors, and fans. Musicians/bands get the opportunity to find artistic support regarding artworks & illustrations for releases or merch, and to start collaborations. Meet the artists – meet the artisans!
TICKETS & MERCH
