Elements of Rock Festival took place March 13 – 15 at Stadthofsaal in Uster, Switzerland. It started in 2004 and has run annually since, with exception of a few years during COVID. I have only been once before, in 2007, when two bands from my label, Bombworks Records, performed: My Silent Wake and Illuminandi. I really enjoyed the fest back then, and I was excited to return 19 years later, particularly with bands like Extol, Pantokrator, and Narnia on the roster.

Elements of Rock is a metal fest run by Christians and hence tends to have a heavy focus on bands connected in some way to Christianity, ranging from true ministry-oriented bands to bands that have one or many members who profess to be Christians but otherwise are just playing metal. The Christian association may be a turn off to some, but discounting it because of this would be a mistake. The quality of the fest is high and has featured some pretty big names in the past., including bands outside the Christian metal scene, such as Majestica, Gloryhammer, In Vain, and Eluveitie. And in true European fashion, you can buy beer at the fest!

Musically, the fest tends to feature a variety of genres including hard rock/traditional metal, melodic/power/symphonic metal, gothic rock/metal, and various flavors of extreme including thrash, death, and black. Band numbers seem to typically be in the 10-12 range across 2 days, including both lesser known bands and true headliners from all over the world. This year featured 10 bands from several European countries, including United Kingdom, Switzerland, Sweden, and Norway. 

I can’t speak for previous years, but this year’s format featured 3 bands on Day 1 and 5 on Day 2, and both days post midnight featured an additional band after the headliner, for a total of 10 bands. It was an interesting format I had not seen before that made for 2 very late nights, and I am not sure what motivated this approach. The last band of the fest, Bloodcrown, even commented that Day 2 headliner Extol was “a really good band to play after,” and they were thankful that folks stayed after the headliner. Despite the somewhat strange approach, I had zero issues staying late to ensure I saw all the bands perform, and both nightcap bands had great audiences.

Elements of Rock is a small fest, but it is very well run, with something for every taste in metal. I didn’t care for every band equally, but I quite enjoyed the variety of bands, and some of the bands were absolutely phenomenal to experience live and made the fest worthwhile on their own. The venue, Stadthofsaal, is fantastic, with a big stage and incredible sound, along with plenty of room for merch from all the participating bands. I wish more venues had the quality of sound that it did. Also of note is that the fest is advertised as family friendly, and you don’t see many metal festivals where kids feel safe to roam freely and rock out as hard as the adults. This aspect was refreshing and quite cool to see. Switzerland still tends to operate as a cash first country, and if you want food or drinks at the venue, cash is a requirement. Some of the band merch also preferred cash, though most seemed OK with either credit cards or digital payments such as PayPal or Venmo.

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

Swiss hard rock band Mud Slick kicked off the festivities. I wasn’t familiar with them prior to the fest, but they have been around awhile, starting out in 1993 and getting critical acclaim for their debut album, “Keep Crawlin’ in the Mud.” They hung it up in the early 2000’s after releasing an EP and a second full length, but they recently reformed with two original members (Heinz Baumann on drums and Serge Christen on guitar), adding bassist Daniel Schmid and vocalist Fabio Chiodi. Hard rock is not typically my thing, so I wasn’t expecting much to be honest, but this quartet blew me away. Christen is an incredible guitarist, mixing a bluesy hard rock sensibility with some killer guitar solos. I can’t compare to the original vocalist, but Chiodi was fabulous, with great stage presence and a powerful voice. The bass and drums were also great, and the various band members contributed nice backing harmonies too. It was an energetic act that kicked off the Fest well!

Mud Slick played a 10-song setlist, with the majority from their debut album. The others from the setlist didn’t appear to be from their other albums, so I don’t know if they indicate new material or not. The setlist was:

1. License To Touch
2. Girls Are on Fire
3. Money (extended version)
4. Power to the Music
5. Back on Track
6. Queen of the Night
7. Slow Down
8. Manhunt
9. Liberta
10. Under Pressure

UK thrash band Detritus was the second band for Day 1. The band released a couple albums in the early 90’s that carried a lot of Metallica influence while mixing in some light progressive elements. They were lesser known in the Christian metal scene than bands like Tourniquet, Deliverance, or fellow UK thrashers Seventh Angel (which vocalist/bassist Mark Broomhead was also a member), and ultimately split after their second album, “If But for One.” Fast forward to 2019, and they reformed, releasing a new full length, “Myths,” in 2021, which biased more toward a doomy feel while still retaining the progressive elements, perhaps not surprising given Broomhead’s connection to Seventh Angel and that band’s similar path with their early 2000’s Bombworks Records release.

I was admittedly never a huge fan of Detritus, but I had also never seen them live and was excited to see them for the first time. This was their first show outside of the UK in over 30 years, having last played in May 1992 with Seventh Angel and Decision D. Broomhead was clearly excited for the return of the band and had a lot of passion on stage, bouncing around and delivering his trademark snarl with laser focus. The rest of the band played their instruments well and sounded tight, though they did not match Broomhead’s energy, and the commentary between songs fell a bit flat. As a result, the performance left a lot to be desired for me. I would love to see the band improve their stage presence as they play more, as we all know that thrash and energy are synonymous! Regardless, I was quite happy to finally see Detritus live, and I am curious to see what they do next.

Detritus played a 12-song set featuring songs from their two 90’s albums as well as their most recent one. Perhaps to maximize song coverage, they played a medley later in the set combining parts of 3 songs from their first album “Perpetual Defiance” that all worked really well together: “Morbid Curiosity,” “No Mercy,” and “Point of No Return,” with the combined name of “Morbid Point of No Mercy.”

The setlist was:

1. Intro / Subliminal Division
2. Masquerade
3. Myth of Redemptive Violence/Bright Black
4. The Game
5. Let Peace Begin with Me
6. So Far Away
7. Pharisee
8. Morbid Point of No Mercy
9. As it Rains
10. Call Me Human
11. Taste the Blood
12. If But for One

Swedish melodic/power metal band Narnia was the headliner for Day 1. The brainchild of guitarist extraordinaire CJ Grimmark and led by incredible vocalist and frontman Christian Liljegren, Narnia has been playing for nearly 30 years, with only a small break from 2010-2014. Despite a name inspired by The Chronicles of Narnia and lyrics that are unabashedly Christian, Narnia has seen a lot of success outside of the Christian scene. They have secured major record deals from Nuclear Blast and Japanese stalwart Pony Canyon, received great album reviews from a variety of metal publications, and have played tons of big shows and festivals across Europe and South America, including opening for bands like Stratovarius. Yet I had never seen them live, and I don’t believe they have played the US (though I could be mistaken), and I was excited for the opportunity to finally see Narnia live. 

When vocalist Christian Liljegren caught wind I wanted to video their show, I got the chance to meet him before they went on and talk for a bit. He was so nice and down to earth, and he was excited for the support, particularly since they will be releasing a new album later this year. And wow, is he an amazing frontman! He is so energetic, running all over the stage and engaging the audience and his other bandmates while delivering absolutely killer vocals. He is passionate about the meaning behind each song he performs and isn’t afraid to share with the audience, and whether someone agrees with him or not, his tenacity and zeal is admirable. The rest of the band matched Christian’s energy, with plenty of their own interactions with themselves and the crowd. Grimmark is incredible to experience live, showcasing technical prowess and passion as he commands his guitar to paint musical art at will, fingers flying over the fretboard. The bass and keyboardist were a lot of fun to watch as well, and both were impressive. The drummer was phenomenal whether playing fast or slow, also fun to watch as each song developed. Narnia was obvious headliner material, and they put on an amazing show!

Setlist

Narnia played a massive setlist comprising 15 songs, ranging across their huge discography. Christian introduced the vast majority, generally providing additional context and tying it to his Christian faith. The band even treated the audience to a brand new song, “Ocean Wide,” which will be on their new album coming later this year (and is featured in the linked video below).

The setlist was:

1. Intro / Inner Sanctum
2. The Mission
3. Thief
4. You Are the Air That I Breathe
5. Rebel
6. Ocean Wide (New Single!)
7. Time of Changes
8. Shelter Through the Pain
9. Descension
10. The War That Tore the Land
11. MNFST
12. No More Shadows from the Past
13. Long Live the King (with band intros and audience participation)
14. I Still Believe 
15. [Encore] Living Water

Italian goth rock/metal trio Nefesh Core played the first post midnight set of the Fest. I had not listened to them at all prior to attending, so I really had no idea what to expect. The band began in 2018 and has released a handful of albums via Rockshots Records. Their keyboard heavy approach mixed with heavy guitar riffs and trademark deep goth vocal delivery gave me serious Unto Others & The Awakening vibes, and I found myself drawn in to the band’s dark melodies. The songs were super catchy, and I thoroughly enjoyed the band’s energy. One thing that struck me as odd was how the drumset was set up, appearing to me as unusually imbalanced. The drummer was phenomenal, and imagine my surprise when the other band members brought him up to the front at the end of their set, in a wheelchair! His unique setup was clearly catered to how he played, and you would never have guessed he had limited mobility in his legs. I also realized about halfway through the band’s set that the keyboardist/vocalist and guitarist also play in Metatrone, one of my most anticipated Day 2 bands.

Nefesh Core played an 11-song set covering their various albums and singles. The setlist was:

1. Getaway
2. Stormraven
3. Try To Climb
4. Scandal
5. Dove Il Mondo
6. Fortune Lies
7. Lullaby 
8. Otherside
9. Mafia Mentality
10. Unerasable
11. The Loser

Swiss hard rock band Rainforce kicked off Day 2. As I previously mentioned, hard rock is not my thing unless it is exceptionally well done, and I was curious how they would compare to Day 1 opener Mud Slick who I was quite impressed with. Since they were the two most similar bands genre wise, it is easy if perhaps a bit unfair to compare, but I did not feel like Rainforce measured up.

I personally found the songs straightforward and a bit repetitive, and with exception of the bass player, I found the overall stage presence to be lacking. The bass player, on the other hand, was one of the most energetic bassists I have seen live since Siebe Sol Sijpkens, formerly of Blackbriar. He was literally like Tigger, bouncing all over the stage and just having a blast, interacting with his bandmates as well as the crowd. He was so much fun to watch and garnered a lot of my attention throughout the set. The rest of the band was tight and had no issues playing each song, they just lacked the extra oomph I would have liked to see live. I also don’t know the story behind the vocalist (one disadvantage at times of being an English speaker in a non-native English speaking country means I sometimes have no idea what a band is saying in between songs), but I got the impression he was either new or a fill-in. Regardless, he was reading off a tablet during each song, which many vocalists do as a “just in case,” but it became a distraction during the set due to his apparent lack of comfort with the lyrics. Regardless of my lack of interest in the band’s material, better overall stage presence would have improved my enjoyment of the set greatly. 

Rainforce played an 11-song set, with the last 2 songs connected together by an extended guitar solo section by the lead guitarist, and the last song being a slightly abbreviated version. The setlist was:

1. March of the Saints (Intro) / I Believe
2. Rockin’ Through the Night
3. In the Fires
4. In Good Hands
5. Almost Holy
6. Fortress of Hope
7. Rock and Roll
8. Feed Me (I’m Hungry)
9. Just Another Song 
10. He Came To Set the Captives Free
11. Stay Strong / Guitar Solo / My Rock (beginning only)

Norwegian epic power doom band Zebulon played second on Day 2. I only became familiar with them in mid 2025, particularly since they created a stir by winning Norway’s Metal 2 the Masses, providing the opportunity for them to play the massive UK metal fest Bloodstock. They released their debut full length album, “Come Day of Reckoning,” in November 2025, 6 tracks and over 41 minutes of crushing melodic epic doom melding influences of bands like Trouble and Candlemass. I absolutely love this album and was quite excited to see them for the first time, curious as always how it would translate live.

For starters, lead vocalist Kristian Nessa is the real deal. He sounds incredible recorded, and he effortlessly pulls it off live. Add to that an insane amount of hair that is constantly helicoptering like it is 1988 (just check out some of the pics below!) and he was as much fun to watch as he was to listen to. The entire band was impressive, delivering crushing riffs, thunderous drums, and big melodies in powerful fashion. A key component of the slower forms of doom like this is creating atmosphere that captivates the listener while pulverizing your auditory senses, and Zebulon does this amazingly well while crafting melodies that stick with you. They were fantastic live, and I can’t wait to see them again! I also had the chance to meet and take a picture with them after their set, and they were super nice and fun to talk to.

Zebulon played a 7-song set, featuring all but one song from their debut full length, one song from their 2-song EP, and a brand new song, “Fall from Grace” (featured in the video below!). The setlist was: 

1. Intro / Reap the Fruits of Famine
2. Number Number
3. Where Dead Hands Linger
4. Headstone
5. Fall from Grace (new song)
6. Deathless
7. Day of Wrath

Swedish progressive death metal band Pantokrator played third on Day 2. I vaguely remember seeing them once before, way back at my only other attendance of Elements of Rock in 2007, but they have produced a lot of material since then. I have particularly loved their most recent full length, “Marching Out of Babylon,” and I was excited to hear this material live. Frontman Karl Walfridsson is terrific, not only delivering a brutal growl with serious passion, but keeping the audience engaged as he shared a number of stories. It was cool hearing his perspective on several songs, particularly one of my favorites from their latest, “Wedlock,” which apparently was written a very long time ago but just never fit thematically on any album until their latest. He also shared a funny story about the music video release for “We the People,” which had the unfortunate timing of being released only two days after the Capitol riots in the US in January 2021. He shared that a fan turned former fan called the band fascists for releasing the video, and Karl said sarcastically that it was clearly a compliment that someone thought they could write, record, mix, master, come up with a video, produce the video, and get it all released in a mere 2 days! After the song, he asked the audience if it sounded like a fascist song to them, which of course it is not in any way! It was cool to see Karl bring some humor as well as some transparency to an otherwise sad situation.

Enough about Karl, how was the rest of the band? Needless to say, they were fantastic. The guitars and bass were absolutely crushing, with hair flying and bodies liberally swaying as they played their powerful riffs and solos. The drummer was phenomenal, thunderous and mighty behind the kit as he exacted painful precision on each head and cymbal, while also occasionally contributing clean vocals to go along with Karl’s snarl. The band played so well together and were a tight unit, keeping the audience engaged and raucous, with not only moshing but also a row pit, the likes of which I have only seen at a Visions of Atlantis show. It was pretty wild seeing this at a death metal show!

Pantokrator played a 9-song set, featuring quite a few from their latest album as well as a handful of older songs going all the way back to their 2003 album “Blod.” “We the People” was the song that had the fascist accusation story, and “Milennium in Chains” featured the row pit. Once they finished “Milennium in Chains,” they thought they were out of town, but the audience was not agreeable and kept chanting for one more song. Technically, they did have one more song on their setlist, “King of Babylon,” and after confirming they had time, they closed out with that song, almost like an unintentional encore that was quite crowd pleasing. It was so cool seeing how much the crowd loved them, and it was no secret why, as the band was amazing!

The setlist was:

1. Marching Out of Babylon
2. Crossroads
3. Sammath Naur
4. Blod Ropar från Jorden
5. The Order of Melchisedec
6. Wedlock
7. We the People
8. Milennium in Chains
9. King of Babylon

Italian progressive/power metal band Metatrone played fourth on Day 2. I only recently became familiar with them and really enjoy their blend of speedy power metal with progressive and even light melodeath elements. They are signed to Rockshots Records, a label that has released a number of albums I have reviewed at this website, including Hypersonic, Canvas of Silence, Beriedir, and Karu, and I already have a few on the docket for this year (including the brand new one from Metatrone!). Metatrone last released a full length 10 years ago, “Eucharismetal,” in 2016, and as I have mentioned in a number of my reviews, this trend of long breaks between releases seems to be fashionable lately. I had only heard a couple of songs off the new album (which was released the same weekend as Elements of Rock) and really liked them, so I was quite excited for the show.

Not many bands utilize a dueling guitar / keyboard mechanic well, generally coming off as gimmicky or focusing too much on one or the other. Not only does Metatrone do it well, but both instruments are treated as first class citizens, getting plenty of air time throughout the course of a song. Keyboardist / growler Davide is literally an ivory wizard, his fingers flying over the keys in frenetic fashion. Guitarist Stefano “Ghigas” Calvagno lays down some nice lead work to go along with his crushing riffs, and the 2 in tandem were a lot of fun to watch and hear, which also included the previous night when they played together in Nefesh Core. The bass was phenomenal, with lots of finger tapping and deft bottom end licks complementing the work of the keys and guitars. The drumming was fast and furious when needed but also adept during the less speedy sections. And vocalist Jo Lombardo was utterly amazing, soaring to the rafters with absolute power regularly while also delivering an aggressive punchy metal vocal. All the band members did a great job engaging with each other and the crowd, and they were so energetic and fun to watch! I also had the opportunity to meet them later in the evening and get a pic with them!

Metatrone played a 12-song set, featuring a bunch from their March 2026 release, “Sangueacqua,” including the 2 recently released singles and a cover of Helloween’s “I Want Out.” They also played several from 2016’s “Eucharismetal” and a couple from their older material. The setlist was:

1. Intro / Alef Dalet Mem
2. Emmaus
3. In Spe Resurrectionis
4. Salva L’Anima
5. Facsimile
6. I Want Out (Helloween cover)
7. Una Parte di Me
8. Latest News from Light
9. Uomo Nuovo
10. Cuore di Donna
11. Fuori dal Tempio
12. Molokai

Norway’s Extol headlined Day 2 of Elements of Rock, bringing their unique brand of progressive blackened thrashy death metal to the stage. I will never forget the first time I saw Extol, at a smaller club in Fort Worth, TX, in I believe 1999, and they absolutely blew me away. This was with their original lineup while still supporting their debut full length, “Burial,” and I knew every word and growled right along and headbanged like crazy. Every band member had helicopter capable hair and would spin their locks throughout their set, matching the energy of the music with their own stage presence and charisma. They grew in popularity, with a handful of tours and fest appearances in the US while playing all over Europe, including opening for Opeth on a European tour in 2005. Their sound also evolved over time, adding more progressive elements to their brand of extreme metal. After taking a break from 2007 – 2012, they released their self-titled album, easily their most progressive album to date. Not long after releasing this album, they took another long break, leading many to believe they were done for good. To the joy of many, the band resurrected in 2023, beginning to play a number of larger fests again, including ProgPower Europe late 2025. They seem to be working on new material and have teased a new album for later in 2026, and I know I am exited to see what else they come up with!

This was my first time seeing the band perform since the early 2000’s, and would be lying if I said they were not one of the primary reasons I chose to attend Elements of Rock this year. Since reforming in 2023, they have not secured a full time vocalist as original vocalist Peter has been focusing on other projects. For Elements of Rock, they secured the incredible services of Drottnar vocalist Karl Fredrik Lind, and he was fantastic. Ole delivered fabulous clean vocals on a number of songs along with some killer guitar work, pairing nicely with second guitarist Christer and the powerful bass. The guitars plus bass are always a highlight of Extol, as there is a ton going on with plenty of technicality. David crushed the drums, pulverizing power with plenty of his own technical prowess on display, with backing vocals as well! The band gave some fun anecdotes throughout the set and shared their appreciation for the crowd, performing an incredible set that was an absolutely perfect festival headliner!

Extol played a 10-song set spanning all of their albums, and it was cool hearing the variety in their sound in the song selection while still being able to hear the trademark tone that is present throughout. I was of course happy to hear one of my all time favorites, and first song I ever heard from the band, “Celestial Completion,” and it sounded as good live as it did the first time I heard it on “Burial.” It is also featured in the video below.

The setlist was:

1. The Things I Found
2. Undeceived
3. Of Light and Shade
4. Celestial Completion
5. Grace for Succession 
6. Renewal
7. A Gift Beyond Human Reach
8. Burial
9. Labyrinth of Ill
10. Inferno

Swedish speedy brutal death metal band Bloodcrown played the nightcap for Day 2. These days I don’t tend to listen to quite as much of the more brutal death metal (even though I used to during my Bombworks Records days), but I did check out Bloodcrown ahead of the Fest and really liked what I heard. The band is a bit of a supergroup, featuring members from other extreme metal bands including the likes of Pantokrator and Crimson Moonlight. The music is fast and furious, thunderous blasting drums supporting speedy crushing riffs and ripping solos. The vocals are absolutely brutal, ranging between gutturals and higher screams. Live, the band absolutely delivered, an intense wall of sound that raced at light speed and pummeled the audience’s ears. They were a terrific way to end the Fest, and I would love to see them again!

Bloodcrown played about half of the songs from their debut full length, “Sound of Flesh and Bone,” and they also played a Nailbomb cover, “Wasting Away,” which included a vocalist losing a shirt! The song “Paralysis” features guest vocalist Jocke Svenssin of Birdflesh on the album, and since he wasn’t at the Fest, they had Karl Walfridsson from Pantokrator join on vocals, which was super cool to see!

The setlist was:

1. Top Gun Intro / Other I
2. Sound of Flesh and Bone
3. Sword Cut
4. When Wolves
5. Wasting Away (Nailbomb Cover)
6. Hypnotized in Chains
7. Paralysis (featuring Karl Walfridsson from Pantokrator)

I really enjoyed this edition of Elements of Rock. It is such a well run fest (kudos to organizer Mike Hauser!), with many quality bands and a fantastic venue with incredible sound. It is unusual to go to a metal festival that can truly be touted as “family friendly,” but Elements of Rock executes this perfectly, making it super appealing for families who love metal. The Christian aspects could scare some people away, but they really shouldn’t, and it was actually refreshing seeing the community and positive outlook that was very much part of the fabric of the fest. I am so glad I chose to attend, and the fest comes highly recommended to anyone who wants an early festival start to the year with a broad genre variety of great metal!