Hyperspace Metal Festival has been a great power/prog/symphonic/melodeath festival in the Pacific Northwest since 2018, based in beautiful Vancouver, BC, Canada. I went for the first time last year and discovered so many new bands that I now love (Lunar, Solarus, and Crimson Shadows just to name a few). Last year was a tough year for many festivals, and Hyperspace was not excluded, and for awhile there was doubt whether the Fest would happen at all, and if it did, in what form. The positive news is that it did go on and even maintained the same 3-day format as 2025. The sad news is that organizer Joey said the Fest would not happen next year and is going on an indefinite hiatus. Knowing that this could be it, there was no way I was missing it!

The first two days take place at The Cobalt, with Day 3 getting an upgrade at The Rickshaw Theatre. Each day tends to have a loose theme, though not every band necessarily falls into the same genre each day. The Fest does a great job featuring Canadian talent while also bringing in bands from across the border and abroad. This year, every band was either from Canada or the US, with genres including traditional, power, symphonic, progressive, and melodic death metal. 

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 the “heavy” day, with all extreme metal bands sans one, featuring a heavy dose of melodic death metal with some prog and folk influences sneaking in, and one power metal band.

Vancouver-based melodic death metal band Kayas opened up Day 1 on Thursday. One of their guitarists, Jess, also plays guitar in Vancouver gothic death doom band Tribunal. I had seen Kayas once before when they opened for Tómarúm last year, and I enjoyed their set but was curious to see how they had grown since then. This set felt like both their confidence and overall tightness had improved significantly, and they truly sounded fantastic. They were high energy and did a good job engaging the crowd, and I quite enjoyed them. What a great way to kick off the fest!

Kayas surprised me by opening with an incredible metal rendition of the Halo theme, then delivered 6 more songs of blistering technical melodeath, including one brand new song not on their debut album. The setlist was:

1. Halo Theme
2. Span of Time
3. The Winter Curse
4. Deadwood
5. Division of Reality (new song)
6. Reflections in the Water
7. The Grand Magus

Nanaimo (Vancouver Island) based Ravensun continued the melodeath theme on Day 1 while also representing the local scene. They blended both blackened and thrash elements into their technical melodeath, making for some killer songs that were fast and furious and melodic. They were a complete unknown to me going into the fest, but their set made a fan out of me. I look forward to hearing more from them!

Ravensun played a fabulous 7-song set. They played all 4 songs from their 2016 EP “Heroes Demise” and 3 other songs that I hope indicate a new album is in the works! The setlist was:

1. Selfish Pride
2. Morning Star
3. Night Stalker
4. Voyage of the Lost
5. Heroes Demise
6. Fearless
7. Grave of Desolation

Seattle heavy/power metal band Hyperstrike played third on Day 1, the one band of the day not in the melodeath genre in some way. I had seen them a couple times prior, and their live energy is always fun. This set was no exception, with lead vocalist Adon bouncing around as best he could on the smaller stage, his trademark orange suit jacket glowing under the lights. The entire band was clothing coordinated, adding to their fun vibe, and played a super tight set that got the crowd going. 

Setlist

Hyperstrike played a 10-song set, blazing through with minimal stoppage as is common for their sets. They played all but one song from their latest full length, “High Risk,” as well as “Roadking” from “The Beast Inside” EP. The setlist was:

1. Warning Shot
2. Slug City
3. High Risk
4. Shadowbound
5. Meltdown
6. Roadking
7. Steel Heart
8. Leaving You Again
9. King of the Slain
10. Savage Sword

Bellingham, WA, melodeath band Inpathos played 4th on Day 1. I love their 2025 album “Apparitions”, with killer song compositions and a progressive feel amidst the brutality. I had seen them once prior when they opened for Be’lakor in September in Seattle, and they brought it hard. This night was no exception, as they tackled their complex compositions with furious energy, getting the crowd riled in the process. Unfortunately, the venue was having some issues with the sound mix, making it difficult to distinguish all the parts. The band had zero issues despite this and plowed through, delivering an impressive set!

Inpathos featured 8 songs from across their release catalog, including several of my personal favorites from “Apparitions.” The setlist was:

1. Sacred Unseen / Grand Design
2. The Silence Below
3. Forsaken Shores
4. Mea Culpa
5. Apparitions
6. Divinity
7. Balrog

Vancouver’s own Atavistia headlined Day 1, and the crowd was ready and excited. In December of last year, Atavistia released a “reforged” version of their 2020 release, “The Winter Way.” With most of it rerecorded and all of it remixed and remastered, it represented a reimagining that the band was happy with, and I, for one, can attest that it is a night and day difference, in a good way. This also paved the way for news of a brand new album in May 2025, “Old Gods Awaken.” I had never seen the band before and was excited for their brand of folksy blackened melodeath. Their energy from the outset was infectious, and the crowd was constantly going nuts. The band had such a presence as they performed, and they did such a great job engaging the crowd and infusing the entire venue with charged adrenaline. It was a fabulous set and a great finish to Day 1.

Atavistia played a 7-song setlist, starting with the 1-2 punch from their new album of “Raise All Thy Horns” and “Mystic Tavern.” These 2 plus 2 more songs are all from “Old Gods Awaken,” with all but one of the rest from 2023’s “Cosmic Warfare.” I was a little surprised they didn’t play anything from “The Winter Way,” but regardless it was an amazing set. The setlist was:

1. Raise All Thy Horns (intro)
2. Mystic Tavern
3. Ethereal Wanderer
4. To a New World
5. Divine Destruction
6. I skogens djup
7. Cosmic Warfare
8. Beyond the Meadows of Fire

Day 2 featured a more melodic/power/symphonic metal vibe. I went in mostly blind on 3 of the 5 bands and was excited to see what I might discover!

Edmonton-based melodic heavy/power metal band Valley of Despair opened things up. Outside of perhaps a quick listen to 1 or 2 songs, I was mostly unfamiliar with the band. I was immediately entranced by the vocals of Cheryl Leia, powerful and deliberate, with great melodies and some well placed growls. The music was also quite good, not traditional power metal but containing some elements, manifesting more as heavy melodic metal with great hooks and guitarwork. I very much enjoyed their set and would love to see them again. They were a great way to kick off Day 2!

Valley of Despair played 6 songs, four from their “Burn at the Stake” EP, and I believe 2 brand new songs. The setlist was:

1. Burn at the Stake
2. Rise from the Ash
3. Deathgrip on my Heart
4. Buried Alive
5. The Tide Turns Red
6. Edge of Time

Local Vancouver symphonic metal band Ophelia Falling played second on Day 2. They were the very first band to play Hyperspace back in 2018, making this a cool full circle moment. I was also only marginally familiar with them so was quite curious how they would hit. Well hit they did, and in a big way! Vocalist Chelsea Rose is a professional actor and an accomplished vocalist, and it shows in her incredible stage presence and charisma. She was clearly in command during the set, with an incredible vocal delivery and overall performance. The rest of the band was also quite good and played off each other quite well, delivering a great symphonic metal performance that was heavy and engaging. I quite enjoyed them and look forward to seeing them again in the future!

Ophelia Falling played a 9-song setlist, with 4 songs from their 2020 debut “Destroyed in Delight” and 5 brand new songs that I hope indicates a new album on the horizon! The setlist was:

1. Springtime in the Pit
2. Witigo
3. Succumb to Splendour
4. Faithless 
5. Find Your Light
6. Babylon 
7. You Kill Me
8. Savage Love
9. Anybody’s Daughter

Ottawa heavy/power metal band Lycanthro played third on Day 2. I reviewed their sophomore album, “Remnants of Rapture,” last year, and I quite enjoyed the melodic hooks and great guitar work. This would be my first time seeing them live, and it did not disappoint. The band was on the tail end of their tour and had a long drive the previous night, and they warned the crowd they were on the precipice of passing out bit excited to play the fest. Tired or not, they delivered a blistering hot set that was fantastic! James is an amazing frontman, constantly engaging with the crowd and his bandmates, and he was so fun to watch. The rest of the band was also great, ripping off crushing riffs and powerful drums resulting in an incredible set.

With exception of the closing song coming from their debut, every song in the set came from their latest release, including several of my personal favorites. The setlist was:

1. Intro / Far Beyond the Walls
2. In Demon Light
3. Cry Silver
4. Iris
5. The Great Masquerade
6. Lost Jerusalem / Solaris (Memories in Time)
7. Crucible

Canadian traditional melodic metal band The Scepter played fourth on Day 2. I knew absolutely nothing about them, though I immediately recognized vocalist JP, formerly of defunct band Traveler. The band has only released a handful of singles, so I admittedly found their placement in the order a bit odd, but the crowd absolutely loved them. The set was raucous, JP was very engaged with the crowd, and the band members were clearly having a blast. Transparently it wasn’t my thing, and it felt quite sloppy to me at times, but the crowd was energized and really got into it.

The Scepter played an 8-song setlist, covering all 3 released singles, what I assume are 3 brand new songs, and a cover each from Journey and Iron Maiden. The setlist was:

The setlist was:

1. Riding out
2. Protector of the skies
3. Drink on
4. Dunes
5. Taarakian Blood 
6. Shadows in the Tower
7. Separate Ways (Journey cover)
8. The Trooper (Iron Maiden cover)

California symphonic/industrial metal band Edge of Paradise headlined Day 2. I had seen them once before, in March 2025 right after the release of “Prophecy,” an album I also reviewed. I love the dystopian themes and world they have built, and the feel of the music matches it well. Margarita Monet is a great frontwoman, an absolute force on stage as she performs, with bonus points utilizing a bunch of different lighting effects. Unfortunately, there were some technical difficulties that hurt the flow early, including the guitar just ceasing to work altogether at one point, but these issues seemed to get mostly resolved. The band was also missing their lead guitarist Dave, so they had some extra tracking to compensate, but I know I missed his presence on stage. I would have liked to see them on a bigger stage and better venue than The Cobalt, but I enjoyed their set, and they closed out Day 2 in massive form despite some of the challenges.

Edge of Paradise played a whopping 12 song set featuring songs from across their albums and their special single “Requiem for a Dream.” The setlist was:

1. Prophecy Unbound
2. Hologram
3. Digital Paradise
4. Mind Assassin
5. Soldiers of Danger
6. Dark
7. Basilisk
8. Requiem for a Dream
9. Death Note
10. The Unknown
11. Martyr (Monster)
12. Falling Lights

Day 3 moved from The Cobalt to The Rickshaw Theatre, same as last year, and it never ceases to amaze just how much better shows are at The Rickshaw. Day 3 leaned a bit into the progressive side of metal while also featuring plenty of melodic metal, including power, speed, and thrash.

Ottawa old school metallers Witchkiller kicked off Day 3. The band was very active in the 80’s, went on a very long hiatus, and emerged again in the 2010’s. James of Lycanthro plays double duty as the frontman for the band, and he was fantastic, really having a knack for working the crowd! The rest of the band was fantastic, super tight and in the zone, blazing through their set. This style of metal is typically not my thing, but I thoroughly enjoyed their show!

Witchkiller blasted through a 5-song setlist, starting with crowd favorite “Rage of Angela” and then playing most of the “Day of the Saxons” EP. The setlist was:

1. Intro / Rage of Angels 
2. Beg for Mercy
3. Cry Wolf
4. Riders of Doom
5. Day of the Saxons

Montreal, Canada, progressive metal band Voidchaser played second on Day 2. I had never seen them live, and they were admittedly one of my most anticipated sets, even moreso since I conducted an interview with them the previous day. Their new album (read the review!) is fantastic, and I couldn’t wait to see how these songs translated to the live setting. Vocalist/guitarist Chad is an amazing frontman, and the rest of the band matches his energy. They were bouncing, jumping, engaging with each other and the crowd, and clearly having an absolute blast. Their music is quite technical, and I was blown away by how good each of the musicians were. It was an utterly phenomenal set and, in my opinion, one of the best of the entire fest.

Voidchaser played a 5-song set, though the first 2 songs were the first 2 from their latest and flowed seamlessly together as they do on the album. They originally only had 4 songs planned, but after hearing that the mymetaloftheday team’s favorite song was “Ivory Tower,” they reworked some things to close with it. This included almost no talking without playing during the set, and abbreviating some of Dogma (e.g. cutting out the saxophone, which was tracked anyway). They even dedicated the song to us! I found out later they might have gotten slightly in trouble for going too long, but I was super thankful for the extra effort made on our behalf! The setlist was:

1. The Grand Design / Welcome to Terra Corp
2. Dogma (abbreviated)
3. Trust
4. Hyperconverter 
5. Ivory Tower

California progressive metal band Artificial Language played third on Day 2. They were supposed to play in Vancouver for the first time ever this past November, and I was planning on coming to see them, but they unfortunately had to cancel. Thankfully, they got added to Hyperspace, and I was looking forward to seeing them. Musically, they were very technical but a bit more chill than Voidchaser, though they definitely had their heavier moments. They were quite mesmerizing from a musical standpoint, and I absolutely loved it. Other than the keyboardist, who was a blast to watch, the rest of the band didn’t move much, and I would love to see a bit more engagement throughout the set. That nit aside, it was a fabulous set, and I would love to see them again! Also of note is that the lead guitarist was a fill-in, but you never would have guessed based on how amazing he was!

Artificial Language played an 8-song set, with a handful from their older 2 albums and the rest seemingly from either their recently released singles or perhaps brand new unreleased material. They haven’t released a full length since 2019, so hopefully this is an indicator that something new is enroute! The setlist was:

1. Two-Faced Star
2. Rain Follows
3. These Aren’t Mirages
4. Pulses
5. Stranded
6. Trauma
7. House of Hoarded Sands
8. Skinwalker

Traditional/power metal band Owlbear played fourth on Day 3. On paper, the Dungeons & Dragons and video games nerding should be so up my alley, but I have just never been able to get into their music. Talking with folks who were at the venue, however, indicated Owlbear was one of the most anticipated acts of the night. Music is cool that way, as it can hit folks differently. The band had 2 fill-ins, Rob Stoneway (Glyph/Greyhawk) on guitar, and Lucas Moore (plays in a few Florida-based bands) on drums. Rob infused so much energy to the stage that translated to the crowd, and he was literally running all over the place, constantly interacting with the other band members. It was easily the most energy during any of the Owlbear sets I have seen, so kudos to Rob! Much like what I mentioned about The Scepter, a number of the songs felt a bit sloppy. The crowd either didn’t notice or didn’t care, as they were raucous throughout. It was cool seeing the audience having so much fun!

Owlbear played a 9-song setlist spanning their 2 released albums. The setlist was:

1. Chaos to the Realm
2. The Night Below
3. Shadow of the Dragon
4. As Arrows Hail
5. Crawl from the Carcass
6. Song of the Grey Witch
7. Altar of Earth
8. Fiend of Fire 
9. Fall on your Blade

Seattle-based power/speed/thrash metal band Sanctuary headlined Day 3 of Hyperspace. Their set was special, featuring a full play-through of their 1990 full length, “The Mirror Black.” I was so excited for this set, and holy crap was it a great way to end Hyperspace (both this year and, hypothetically, the Fest, if this is indeed the last one). Vocalist Joseph Michael, who impressed me when I saw him late last year with Witherfall, is an absolutely phenomenal vocalist and frontman. He was effortless with his notes, showing off his great vocal range. All the instrumentalists were phenomenal, and I just loved hearing these songs live, particularly with the band’s older releases sounding dated production-wise on the album. The live setting breathed new life into these amazing songs, and it was an absolutely incredible show. I am already looking forward to seeing them at Soldiers of Steel in Seattle in August!

Sanctuary played a massive 14-song setlist. The first 2 songs were from the “Refuge Denied” album. The next 9 songs were the featured play-through of “The Mirror Black.” Next they played a Jefferson Airplane cover (“White Rabbit”), also from “Refuge Denied,” and they closed out with two songs from the 2014 album “The Year the Sun Died.” Of note is that their brand new single, “Not of the Living,” was on the printed setlist but sadly wasn’t played. I assume they probably ran out of time, so hopefully I will get to hear it at a future show. The setlist was:

1. Die for My Sins
2. Battle Angels
3. Future Tense
4. Taste Revenge
5. Long Since Dark
6. Epitaph
7. Eden Lies Obscured
8. The Mirror Black
9. Seasons of Destruction 
10. One More Murder
11. Communion
12. White Rabbit
13. Arise and Purify 
14. The Year the Sun Died

Edition VII of Hyperspace Metal Festival was amazing, and I sincerely hope it is not the last. It is nice having festivals early in the year ahead of what becomes a very crowded season, and the quality of this fest has been consistently high throughout its life. It was cool hearing festival organizer Joey get up and speak briefly before Owlbear on Day 3, opening up about why he needed the break. Running a festival is so hard, and running it well is even harder. Joey has always done a great job, and I hope the break is good for him to reset. As I said, I hope this isn’t the end, but even if this is the last one, it definitely went out with a bang. Here’s to hoping this is just a temporary hiatus.