Armstrong Metal Fest, which takes place in Armstrong, BC, Canada, has legendary status. An hour north/northeast of Kelowna, Armstrong is a small town that feels like it is in the middle of nowhere. And yet it has bred a popular summer metal festival that attracts folks from all over Canada, and, in my case, the US. I was familiar with the fest and had considered going in previous years, but either the timing didn’t work out or the top bands weren’t compelling enough for me to make the long drive from Seattle. This year, Into Eternity alone was nearly enough to convince me to come since I had never seen them live, and the combo of them + Vintersea on Day 2 and Rivers of Nihil and Cyborg Octopus on Day 1 were super compelling indeed. Ultimately, I decided to take the plunge and attend my first AMF.

The fest apparently started on a farm once upon a time, but now it is held at Hassen Memorial Arena in Armstrong. Given the time of year (mid July in the high desert region of Eastern BC), it is a blessing that the shows themselves are held indoors. However, there is also a huge outdoor component to the fest. The camping culture is huge, with countless RVs and tents set up all around a very large designated area. And in case you are wondering, though I did mingle in the camping section, I did not camp. I need a comfy hotel bed and AC, which did mean I ended up staying 15 – 20 minutes away in Vernon each night. A number of events, including Yeti Games and Thrash Wrestling, were held outside, attracting lots of participants and viewers alike. Band merch was in the main arena, but a separate building housed a variety of other vendors covering metal, art, and even getting to hold baby chicks, as well as snacks and a handful of tables to sit and eat at. This year’s edition featured a couple of food trucks, and a local group set up selling burgers and the like on Day 2.

The arena itself had an impressive setup. The stage was a great size and worked well with lighting, and the sound for the most part was fantastic. There were a handful of bands that had some minor sound difficulties when they started out, but in all cases but one, everything was sounding great by the second or third song at worst. I prefer the rail as much as possible, particularly since I viideo most of what I watch, and I appreciated that it sounded quite good so close, which can sometimes be a dead spot soundwise in some venues. I was further away from the stage for a handful of bands, and the sound was also great there. In general, I was very happy with both sound and lighting.

This fest is definitely a marathon, but it is scheduled in a way that makes it not seem as exhausting as it could be. Each day started at 10:30 AM and went to pretty much midnight, with 14 bands scheduled each day. The majority of sets throughout the day were on the shorter side, no more than 30 minutes with about 20 minutes changeover time in between. The evening bands got a bit more time, particularly once you got to the headliner. The serial single stage approach meant you didn’t have to pick and choose between bands, but finding the right opportunities to leave and grab food could prove challenging. I did end up missing part of a couple sets, and I did miss two sets entirely, but timing a break and a food recharge was crucial to completing the marathon, particularly since I was not staying close by. 

The fest does a great job providing exposure to the Canadian metal scene, with only 5.5 bands being from outside Canada (Nott is technically 2 members, with 1 from Vancouver and 1 from Seattle). Every band that played had released at least one album, and in many cases multiple albums, but it was cool to see so many smaller Canadian bands getting the opportunity to play a fest like this. I was unfamiliar with the vast majority of them, and it was a bit odd for me to attend a festival where I was familiar with so few. I also chose to go in mostly blind, looking up descriptions but choosing not to listen to a lot of recordings prior. And though not every band is one that I will continue listening to post AMF, I was impressed with the overall quality. Whether small or big, or a band I did or did not like, every band was high quality and deserving of playing the big stage.

The fest is split into two days, and I will cover what I saw each day. I only won’t really cover 2 bands (both on Day 2), but that is still 26 bands worth of material!

Now let’s dive into the bands! You can use the Table of Contents below to jump to your band of choice.

Day 1 was on Friday, July 17, and featured 14 bands, starting at 10:30 AM and going all the way until midnight. The bands were: Skeksis, Shotgun Divine, Muscle Crowe, Pharm, Die Another Day, Frosthymn, Syryn, W.M.D, Lycanthro, Iron Kingdom, Nott, Fervence, Cyborg Octopus, and Rivers of Nihil. I saw every band on Day 1 though only watched the first half of Muscle Crowe. I will cover each of the Day 1 bands next.

Vernon, BC, “doom-ish” metal band Skeksis kicked off the 2026 edition of Armstrong Metal Fest. I was not at all familiar with them and was curious what they were like. Self-described as “doom-ish, ” they brought groove and stoner influences that melded together  in an aggressive doom-ish fashion. They brought great energy and had one of the largest audiences I have ever seen for an opener so early in the day. What a great way to start the day! Skeksis played a 7-song setlist, though I sadly missed most of the first song. The setlist was:

1. Possession of Immortality
2. Shard of the Division
3. Dimensional Drifter
4. Beer Mage
5. Frostmourne Hungers
6. The Essence
7. For Those Who Come After

Nelson, BC, metalcore / post hardcore band Shotgun Divine played next. I got a bit of nostalgia with their summoning of the earlier 2000’s metalcore / post hardcore sound, which was quite well done. They brought a lot of energy with their 6-song setlist, and after 2 bands the fest was off to a great start! The setlist was:

1. Trauma Bond
2. Infernal Gospel
3. Digital Veil
4. Contrition
5. Cold Embracer
6. Scab

Kelowna, BC, Russel Crowe loving metalcore band Muscle Crowe played third. They all wore matching white outfits and brought a ton of energy with their early 2000’s technical metalcore vibes. I stayed for half their set and went and grabbed lunch, but I enjoyed what I saw. They played an 8-song setlist, including a cover song. The setlist was:

1. Beneath these Bloody Knuckles 
2. Circle the Drain 
3. Inhuman 
4. Strength and Honor 
5. Are You Not Entertained? 
6. Unhinged 
7. King of the Rats (Cover) 
8. Lead & Redemption

Kelowna, BC, aggressive progressive metal band trio Pharm took the stage next. Like so many bands at the fest, I was unfamiliar with them, and they were super impressive! They had a bit of an Incubus/Primus meets Car Bomb feel about them with the blend of psychedelic funk, mathcore, and progressive metal, and I was blown away by the musicianship and overall performance. They played a 5 song setlist:

1. Infinite Stairway of Madness
2. Crackhead Arachnid
3. Yawning Chasm Backwards  
4. Cannonball Flight
5. Siamese Squid

Calgary based modern metal band Die Another Day were up next. They sort of reminded me of a heavier Daedric, just with a guy behind the mic. There were a lot of great melodies as well as super heavy hitting sections, with a nice industrial tinged atmopshere. I really enjoyed their 7-song setlist. It was:

1. Transcend
2. Bury the Lies
3. Brain Dead
4. Razorblades
5. Green Eyes
6. Sickness with a Smile
7. Sempiternal

Originially Russian and now Calgary-based black metal band Frosthymn was next, fully decked out in corpse paint and ready to destroy our ears. Some initial sound issues made it impossible to hear the lead guitar on stage right for the first 2 songs, but thankfully it got addressed so the audience could hear all the cool lead work being played. The songs were fast and furious, oozing atmosphere, and delivered plenty of melody. I quite enjoyed their 6-song set! It was:

1. Arangas
2. Bullet Casings in the Glaciers
3. Sworn to Scorn
4. Bearer of the Flame
5. At Full Sails
6. Hooves of Death

The Calgary theme continued with pirate loving thrashy power metal band Syryn. Their energy and stage presence was amazing, with tons of engagement with each other and the crowd. Lead vocalist Sloan was all over the place and was a tremendous frontwoman with both her antics and incredible vocals. The musicianship was great,  and you could see just how much fun the entire band was having on stage. Syryn delivered an energetic set featuring 6 songs. The setlist was:

1. Paradise for Demise
2. Madness Becomes Me
3. Three Sheets to the Wind
4. Fight or Flight
5. Walk the Plank
6. Succubus Queen

The next band up was Vancouver-based W.M.D, who had been touring with Iron Kingdom in support of their latest album “Against All Warnings.” This trio brought so much energy to the stage and really got the crowd going with their brand of aggressive and almost punky crossover thrash metal. They played a 6-song set, with the first 2 songs played seamlessly together along with the last one taken from their 2018 release “Lethal Revenge.” The three songs in between were from their latest album “Against All Warnings.” It was a great set, and for a band I wasn’t really familiar with prior, I became a big fan! The setlist was:

1. Ignition / Capture & Kill
2. The Black Expanse
3. Eyes of a Killer
4. Already Dead
5. Thrash Attack

Ottawa band Lycanthro was next, delivering their brand of wolf-themed heavy/power metal. This was my second time seeing them, having seen them at Hyperspace Metal Festival this past April. This show was the last with the band for drummer Kyle Summers, and you could tell he was ready to give it all he had. The entire band did for that matter, with amazing musicianship and a few surprises, including a guy in a wolf suit making an appearance during last song “Crucible.” James is such a great frontman and is always fun to watch, and the band was super tight as they barreled through a 5-song setlist mostly featuring their most recent album, “Remnants of Rapture,” with just the closing song from their previous album. Their setlist was:

1. Intro / Far Beyond the Walls
2. In Demon Light
3. Iris
4. Solaris (Memories in Time)
5. Crucible

Vancouver-based shredding traditional heavy metal band Iron Kingdom was up next. Despite being in my backyard, I had never seen the band live. They released their latest album, “Shadows and Dust,” back in June (review coming soon!), with an album release show in Vancouver and follow on support tour with fellow fest band W.M.D. I sadly had to miss the album release show due to attending Mad with Power Fest, so I was quite excited to finally get to see them live. They were so impressive, with the twin guitar attack from Chris and Megan just absolutely amazing in person. And Chris’ vocals live are just phenomenal, effortlessly soaring to the rafters with plenty of background support from the rest of the band. I thoroughly enjoyed their set and already cannot wait to see them again! They played an 8-song setlist featuring several songs from the new album as well older ones from their discography. The setlist was:

1. Defenders
2. Eternal Emperor
3. Queen of the Crystal Throne
4. Line of Fire
5. Dreamless Sea
6. Sacred Fire
7. Voodoo Queen
8. White Wolf

2-piece Seattle/Vancouver atmospheric blackened sludge metal band Nott was up next. The band features amazing Vancouver-based drummer Julia Geaman, who also drums for gothic death doom band Tribunal, and Seattle-based guitarist/vocalist Tyler Campbell. I had seen them once before, and it was easily one of the heaviest shows I had seen, surprising considering there are only 2 live performers. Julia’s kit almost acts like a lead guitar with its constantly moving rhythms and fills, and Tyler’s wicked 8-string delivers the nastiest riffs possible. Add swirling atmosphere and killer dynamics, and you have a band that is disgustingly heavy and mesmerizing to experience live! The band played an intro plus 5 songs, including 1 song from their upcoming September full length. The setlist was:

1. Conference of the Arcane / The Wretched Sounds
2. Terminus II: Ashen
3. An Eternal Ache (new song!)
4. Stasis
5. Torn

Fervence was a brand new band for me, and I will admit that I almost chose to be late due to needing to grab food and being unsure how much I would like them. I am very thankful I wasn’t late, as this progressive metalcore quintet from Austin, TX, was incredible, tearing up the stage and getting the crowd energized. I got to meet the band later that night, and they were so sweet and kind, and it was fun talking about their music as a completely brand new fan! The songs were a great blend of in your face heavy and lush melodic, with plenty of progressive stylings weaved into the heavier metalcore framework. Lead vocalist Stevie is the energizer bunny on-stage, bouncing everywhere and exuding energy into the crowd. Unfortunately, there were some sound issues impacting her vocals for the first couple of songs, but thankfully they were resolved for the rest of the set. Fervence played 7 songs, including one brand new one from their upcoming full length. The setlist was:

1. The Age of Aquarius 
2. Ascension (new song)
3. Hezekiah
4. The Keepers
5. Oculum (new song)
6. Entropy
7. Zenith

Bay Area progressive metal band Cyborg Octopus was next, the second to last band of the night, bringing their brand of progressive insanity and fun to the stage. This was my second time seeing them live, and they are an absolute blast to experience. Their melding of things that shouldn’t work on paper but actually do is something else! The matching track suits and crazy antics on stage just add to the allure, and it is always fun to see the crowd immerse themselves into the show and project that energy everywhere. Everyone’s favorite metal saxophonist Patty was doing back-to-back double duty, with this being set #1, and his sax/keytar/vocals/dancing/facial expressions were just perfect. I also enjoy watching Bobby on guitar (who also plays in Dawn of Ouroboros), and the bass player is a never-ending frenetic ball of energy! It was such a fun set and a perfect way to prep the headliner for the night! The band played an 8-song setlist, including their latest released single. The setlist was:

1. Intro / Old Stories
2. Discobrain!
3. Shark Pit
4. 28 Songs Later
5. Dreamkiller
6. Afterburner
7. Baptism of Clay
8. Data_m1nefield

Pennsylvania progressive death metal band Rivers of Nihil headlined Day 1. This would be my third time seeing them, and I always enjoy their live set from both an energy and amazing display of technical proficiency standpoint. The arena was absolutely packed and raucous for this show, and Rivers really delivered. The 12-song setlist was very different than what I had heard from them previously, with a good variety from their older albums as well as several from their latest self-titled. They ended the regular portion of the set with the 1-2 punch of “Water & Time” and “House of Light,” my personal favorite Rivers’ songs, and then delivered an encore song with fan favorite “Where Owls Know My Name.” Patty played his second back-to-back set and killed it with the sax parts, and the entire band was just perfectly in sync and psyched to be headlining the night. The setlist was:

1. Rivers of Nihil
2. The Silent Life
3. The Void from Which No Sound Escapes
4. American Death 
5. Clean
6. Death Is Real
7. The Sub-Orbital Blues
8. Despair Church
9. Water & Time
10. House of Light
11. [encore] Where Owls Know My Name

Day 2 of Armstrong Metal Fest was on Saturday, July 18, with 14 more bands and a ton of additional activities! The 14 bands on Day 2 included: The Collapse, Daniel Martin & The Infamous, Broken Crow, Empalement, Gregorious, Brain Stem, The Judge The Juror, Nameless King, Art of Attrition, Wych, Odinfist, Vintersea, Into Eternity, and Dying Fetus. I only ended up watching 12 of the 14 bands on Day 2, missing Gregorious and Wych so I could get food and take a break, but I will cover the rest of the bands in detail next.

Self-proclaimed “heavy stuff from the Okanagan” The Collapse kicked off Day 2. They were only a trio, but they brought a lot of heaviness and energy to the stage. There were definitely elements of hardcore, prog, and sludge, and it all came together quite well. When I talked with them after their set, they biased toward “progressive hardcore” as a description, whereas I offered a made up genre of “lubricated progressive sludgecore”, lubricated because it was a bit faster than typical sludge. Regardless of what it is called, I enjoyed it! They played 4 songs with one being brand new. The setlist was:

1. Root and Branch (unreleased track)
2. SUFFER
3. SOLACE
4. NVMB

Edmonton band Daniel Martin & The Infamous played next, and as was the case on Day 1, continued the trend of many bands I was unfamiliar with. They describe themselves as theatric rock and brought a lot of influences to the stage, with a big cinematic sound that melded rock opera with symphonic metal, and plenty of cool lighting effects. Unfortunately, this was one of the only sets I saw that never seemed to fully address sound issues, and I couldn’t always hear certain parts (sometimes vocals, sometimes guitar leads) depending on when it was during the set. The music itself was multi-layered with a lot going on, and the playing was quite impressive. They were perhaps the most unique band at the fest, an exception to the majority being extreme metal or power metal, but they were very good and were a nice change of pace. I hope to see them again with better sound! They played a 5-song setlist:

1. Intro / AntiStar
2. Enslave Me
3. Say My Name
4. Villain of Your Story
5. All Goth Girls Look the Same

Kamloops, BC, melodic death metal band Broken Crow was next, and they came ready to get the crowd going. They had thick nasty riffs infused with melody and some great soloing, and the energy levels were sky high. Their bass player in particular was just having a ball bouncing all over the place! They played a 7-song setlist, with the first two seeing their live debut, smashed together as one longer song. The setlist was:

1. Moult / Moth to Inferno (live debut)
2. Trustfall
3. Two of a Kind
4. Voices in My Head
5. 13 Slices
6. Infected

Next up was Victoria, BC, melodic black metal band Empalement, who won the 2026 BC Wacken Battle and was one of the runner ups for Canada as a whole. This alone gave me high expectations for their show, and they did not disappoint. Their stage presence was absolutely massive, each band member getting into character and adding theatrics to the overall black metal vibe. The vocalist is an absolute beast, and the entire band was super tight and very good. I honestly felt like they were a bit early in the lineup and probably warranted a much later spot. They played a fiery 5-song setlist:

1. Blood Dance of the Dionysian Covenstead 
2. In Total Support Of Death
3. I Am Dust
4. Awaken, Idiot God
5. Celestial Perversion

I ended up leaving Empalement a bit early so I could grab lunch, and I ended up missing most of Kamloops band Gregorious. They played before a massive crowd who seemed super into their brutal form of metal, but I didn’t see enough to write formal coverage.

The next band was Brain Stem, with their brand of experimental death metal from Edmonton, Alberta. Their vocalist was all over the stage, constantly engaging the crowd while offering clumps of freshly pulled hair from his super long mane (I observed someone in the crowd take it and put it in his pocket!). That schtick aside, the band was very good, with lots of energy, heaviness melded with melody, and technicality, and I enjoyed their performance. They played a 6-song setlist:

1. The Blood Witch
2. Devoid of Life
3. Algorithmic Obsoletion
4. Digitally Enshrined 
5. Monarch Rising 
6. Intergalactic Cattle

Self-dubbed “psydeathtechprog” The Judge The Juror from Edmonton was next. I would definitely describe them as progressive technical deathcore with some experimental elements, including a fully electric bagpipe! Their vocalist was all over the place, very active on stage, and the bass player was a blast to watch as well! The band was a lot of fun and delivered a killer 5-song set. The setlist was:

1. Heliconian Optivisor
2. Dead Fish
3. Hypercube (Unfolding)
4. Empty Courtyards (Oubliette)
5. Your Vice Is a Locked Door

Video games and metal go so well together, and Vancouver-based melodic death metal band Nameless King demonstrated just how true this is as they took the stage next with their Dark Souls inspired lore. One thing of note is that the head of greater Vancouver area Journeyman Productions, Colton, plays guitar in Nameless King, and in addition to laying some crushing riffs, he allowed fest organizer Jesse Valstar to hit him twice with a steel chair to convince the crowd to go buy their merch! This ridiculous (and apparently painful) stunt seemed to embody the intense atmosphere of the entire band as they delivered plenty of heft, melody, and technical proficiency. The vocalist was super engaged with the crowd and his bandmates, bouncing around and so full of energy, and the band absolutely destroyed the crowd with 5 songs of melodic brutality, including 2 unreleased songs! The setlist was:

1. Amalgamated Kin 
2. A Warrior’s Death 
3. He Who Hath Devoured the Earth (unreleased song)
4. [Jesse Valstar hitting Colton with a steel chair]
5. The Fifth Queen (unreleased song)
6. Order of the Black Flame

Red Deer, Alberta, band Art of Attrition was up next, coming on stage wearing matching leopard print shirts and ready to party with the crowd. Their musical foundation felt like technical deathcore, but it was stitched together with blazing blackened tremolo pickin, resulting in a technical blackened deathcore assault that was heavy and melodic. Colton from Nameless King had called out how good the drummer was, and he did not disappoint, absolutely whipping that kit into shape. The entire band was fantastic and really had the crowd going through their 6 songs, including a Slipknot cover that had the entire crowd singing along, and a brand new song that I couldn’t quite catch the name of (listen in the video below!). The setlist was:

1. Intro / Drown in Fog
2. The Malthusian Catastrophe
3. [brand new song]
4. …And It Will All End Forever
5. People = Shit (Slipknot cover)
6. Vitriol

 At this point I needed dinner, and I ended up missing next band Wych, so I unfortunately do not have any coverage to provide.

The eleventh band of the day was Odinfist, the hometown band hailing from right there in Armstrong, BC. The crowd was very excited for this show and filled the arena up. I felt a bit out of the know since I was actually not familiar with the band, but I was clearly in the minority. Turns out that after a 20 year run, this was going to be their last show ever, and boy were they ready to party! They started the set by walking out to Eminem, and as the set kicked off, they unleashed a beach ball fury! An army of massive beach balls (like HUGE, take a look at the pictures below if you don’t believe me) were being bounced around the crowd, landing on stage, in the barrier gap, and nearly removing my phone that was videoing from my hand on several occasions (I am glad I have an iron grip). I also discovered that the bassist is none other than AMF organizer Jesse Valstar. The band played an 8-song set of power metal songs spanning their long history, with songs from every one of their albums, including their debut album “Thrash and Pillage.” They ended with an extended version of “We Are Gods,” getting the entire crowd to join in and sing along. It was a pretty great set, and if this is it, they went out in style. The setlist was:

1. Riffmaster
2. Mighty Hammer Force
3. Bringer of the Knife
4. Let the Gods Decide
5. Carnage and Darkness
6. Dark Eyes
7. Soul Surgery
8. We Are Gods (extended version)

I saw Portland extreme progressive metal band Vintersea at Mad with Power Fest in June, and I was absolutely blown away by their musicianship and stage presence. Lead vocalist Kayla Dixon in particular is a sight to behold, with haunting sinister snarls and blackened shrieks that can switch on a dime to soulful gospel-esque silkiness ala Whitney Houston or Cammie Beverly. She does such a fabulous job engaging with the crowd and her bandmates and just never seems to have her batteries run out. She is easily among the most versatile vocalists in metal, and she alone is worth the price of admission to see Vintersea live. Good news, the rest of the band is also phenomenal, flowing and playing so well together, and they utterly slayed this set! They played the same 6 songs they played at MWP, but there were no complaints from me, particularly since “Illuminated” is a personal favorite of mine. The setlist was:

1. Befallen 
2. Celestial Abscission
3. At the Gloaming Void
4. Illuminated
5. Devil’s Churn
6. Become the Wave

The second to last band of the night was Saskatchewan progressive melodic death metal band Into Eternity, a band I have been wanting to see live for a very long time. They were easily one of my most anticipated sets at AMF. I have also been a huge fan of vocalist Stu Block for awhile, loving his work in both Into Eternity and Iced Earth. Seeing him perform in person was otherworldly. He does insane things on album, showcasing ridiculous cleans range and then effortlessly switching to extremes, and I truly wondered how he would be live. Effortless translated to live, and it was such a treat! The entire band was incredible, with a triple vocal attack, double guitars and bass doing insane things, and the drummer just owning his kit. I was completely blown away! It was the 20 year anniversary of 4th full length “The Scattering of Ashes,” and the band performed a mostly album playthrough, only skipping the intro and last tracks from the album, and then ending with “Beginning of the End” from the album “Buried in Oblivion.” The setlist was:

1. Severe Emotional Distress
2. Nothing
3. Timeless Winter
4. Out
5. A Past Beyond Memory
6. Surrounded by Night
7. Eternal
8. Pain Through Breathing
9. Suspension of Disbelief 
10. Beginning of the End

American death metal legends Dying Fetus headlined Day 2. I had never seen them, and admittedly this style of death metal isn’t my thing, but I was quite curious to see them perform. The crowd was brimming with excitement, a very full house just ready to explode in anticipation. They came with props, too, bringing a massive inflatable from some of the Fest’s outdoor games into the pit. A number of people even climbed it as it made its way around the pit, lasting two songs before security put a stop to it. The crowd was raucous as the assault of Cookie Monster vocals, crushing riffs, and blastbeats filled the arena. The band really knew how to work the crowd as they pummeled through a brutal 9 song set, and they were super tight and quite excellent. The setlist was:

1. Schematics
2. Subjected to a Beating 
3. Raped at the Altar
4. Into the Cesspool 
5. Your Treachery Will Die with You
6. Grotesque Impalement
7. In the Trenches
8. Justifiable Homicide
9. Wrong One To F*ck With

I was quite exhausted by the time AMF was done, but I was so happy with my choice to attend the fest. It is very well run and planned, and I appreciate the sheer number of bands and accessibility for the smaller up and coming bands. Would I potentially like to see a few more bigger names? Sure, that could make my choice of attending in the future potentially more compelling if I am on the fence. But the mix this year was great, and I left the fest as a fan of quite a few more bands that will definitely be entering my listening rotation. AMF is definitely on my radar moving forward, and I would very much be interested in attending again. It is definitely high value for the cost!