Prophecy Fest announces seven more bands including the full billing of the Prophetic Overture on Thursday. The joyful outdoor gathering offers mostly acoustic sounds over some barbecue fires and the popular welcome drink.
This year’s musical programme features Finnish folk with a Kantele performed by NEST, Australian dark synth project TiR, pagan Anglo-Saxon dark folk act WOLCENSMEN, and German neofolk transformers VRÎMUOT.
In addition of this strong package, British rocker ANTIMATTER have agreed to bring an extra dose of drowning sadness to the cave, while THIEF present their electronic magic, and VALBORG return to brutally shake the walls again. The cherry on top is provided by DORNENREICH performing a second acoustic set to balance out their exclusive metal show. These bands complete the billing of PROPHECY FEST 2025.
Martin Koller comments: “Prophecy Fest 2025 is finally booked and we are offering our ‘family’ gathering a diverse programme that ranges from alternative rock via electronica and neofolk to the blackest of metal, and from beloved classics to new music”, the founder of the fest writes. “There will be exclusive and special shows and hopefully many highlights for every taste. Having completed the billing does not mean that we can lean back and relax. Much remains to be done and we will inform you about our progress as we proceed.”
Prophecy Fest 2025 will bring dark, forward thinking music with an attitude to one of the world’s most fascinating cultural locations, the legendary, natural Cave of Balve (“Balver Höhle”). The three-day event will start on Thursday, September 11 and it will conclude with a final concert starting before midnight of Saturday, September 13. The price for a 3-Day-Pass 2025 has been set at 149 € (plus service charge).
These acts have been confirmed (in alphabetical order): ANTIMATTER, ARTHUR BROWN, AUTUMNBLAZE, DARKHER, DORNENREICH, ENSLAVED, GRÀB, IMHA TARIKAT, KALL, KAYO DOT, MOONSPELL, MYRKUR, NEST, NYTT LAND, SOROR DOLOROSA, THIEF, TiR, VALBORG, THE VISION BLEAK, VRÎMUOT, WOLCENSMEN.
These special shows have been announced: AUTUMBLAZE are going to perform 2 sets with old school material only. DORNENREICH will perform an exclusive metal show for 2025 and an additional acoustic set. ENSLAVED agreed to present the legendary black metal “Hordanes Land” EP. KALL are the only legitimate band to perform LIFELOVER songs, which is exactly what they will do with a second show. MOONSPELL will play the classic “Wolfheart” album back to back in the original order and some fan favourites. MYRKUR will deliver their only show in Germany for 2025. THE VISION BLEAK promise to perform the “Carpatha (A Dramatic Poem” album in full.
3-Day-Passes as well as supplementary Comfort-Passes, and camping passes for Prophecy Fest 2025 are now available via the link below: https://spkr.festiware.app/shop/PF2025
TICKETS 2025
3-Day-Pass 149 Euro (plus 10% service charge)
Comfort-Pass supplement 70 Euro (plus 10% service charge)
Tent Site Pass: 15 Euro, Recreational Vehicle Pass (limited): 60 €
Ticket shop
https://spkr.festiware.app/shop/PF2025
LOCATION & TRAVEL
Prophecy Fest was founded in 2015 and sold out its first edition. This singular event for dark and innovative music takes place in the Balver Kulturhöhle (“Balve culture cave”) in the Hönnetal (“Valley of Hönne”) near the town of Balve in the Sauerland region of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
The naturally formed karst cave has been used by humans since the early Stone Age (palaeolithic). This important archaeological site has yielded remains from many periods through the ages until medieval times. According to Germanic legend as told in the old Icelandic Thidreksaga, the mythical blacksmith Wayland came to this cave to learn his magical craft from the dwarven masters that were dwelling there.
The gravity of its history and the special acoustics of the Balver Cave provide a unique atmosphere that perfectly echoes the musical spirit of Prophecy Fest.
For detailed information about accommodation, travel, & parking, please consult the Prophecy Festival page: https://fest.prophecy.de
The page will be updated regularly towards the festival.
New confirmed bands:
ANTIMATTER fit the agenda of Prophecy Fest perfectly as this British band is all about emotional, dark, and intelligent music. Originally conceived as a duo, these dark rockers have over the years morphed into a full-fledged band fronted by guitarist & singer Mick Moss. ANTIMATTER employ a wide range of stylistic means to achieve their artistic ideas and this also shows in their dedication and love for the stage.
NEST perform Finnish neofolk with ambient elements at the Prophetic Overture. The band’s founder Aslak Tolonen takes inspiration from Finnish folklore as well as fantasy literature and traditional fairy tales. He performs with the Kantele, a Finnish plucked string instrument of the zithern family, which was first made famous within the international metal scene by his compatriots AMORPHIS.
Los Angeles-based experimental electronic act THIEF have surprisingly firm roots in the local black metal scene. Mastermind Dylan Neal, who also played hammered dulcimer in BOTANIST, explores the theme of real and false memories on his band’s acclaimed and fascinating current full-length “Bleed, Memory”, which was inspired by the experience of dementia that had afflicted his sadly late father.
Before coming to Balve, TiR will open for Empyrium & Dornenreich at two massive concert nights in Turkey. This clearly demonstrates the connection of the Australian dungeon synth project with the metal scene. Its founder, the musician Oytun Bektas, also has Turkish family roots. He has been to Prophecy Fest as a visitor, but this year he will give his debut on stage. We recommend: Check TiR out!
VALBORG from the old West German capital of Bonn offer a very clearly defined artistic vision that shows in their artwork as well as in constant musical evolution. Coming from a death doom background, this eclectic trio loves to explore new alchemistic formulas of sound on each of their eight studio albums. The massive tracks from the latest album “Der Alte” will once again make the cave walls shake.
Popular Prophetic Overture veterans VRÎMUOT (“candour”) from Germany’s fabled Teutoburg Forest are the brainchild of composer, singer, and instrumentalist T.S., who founded the band with the stated mission to infuse fresh blood into the time-honored body of neofolk. He describes his venture as “mythopoeic darkfolk” to evoke spiritual feelings in the vein of the European romantic period.
WOLCENSMEN instigator Dan Capp, who also joined Bavarian black metal act GRÀB and UK doom stalwarts SOLSTICE, returns with his own project. His music is inspired by the deeply atmospheric acoustic-guitar compositions flowing from within the extreme metal scene of the 1990s. Drawing upon those folkloric moods and aesthetics he explores the mystical pagan culture of North-Western Europe.