Live Review: Copenhell 2026 · June, Copenhagen, Denmark

Four days of thunder, discovery, and unapologetic heavy metal in Copenhagen. Each summer, the industrial landscape of Refshaleøen transforms into a meeting ground for metal fans from across the world. At Copenhell 2026, crushing riffs, towering stage productions, and roaring crowds set the rhythm, while unexpected discoveries and shared experiences gave the festival a life beyond the music. From legendary performers and rising names to the creative worlds surrounding the scene, Copenhell once again proved that its identity is built on more than volume and spectacle - it is a celebration of belonging, individuality, and the powerful community that brings metalheads together.

A four-day journey through metal, memories, unexpected discoveries, and the moments that make live music unforgettable.

Every June, Copenhagen’s industrial island of Refshaleøen transforms into a gathering place for metalheads from across the world. From June 24 to 27, Copenhell 2026 brought four days of heavy music, spectacular performances, old favourites, new discoveries, and the kind of shared experiences that make a festival much more than a succession of concerts.

This year, some of the most meaningful moments happened with my camera down. I finally got to see A Perfect Circle after more than twenty years of considering them one of my favourite bands. Papa Roach took me straight back to my adolescence, and Iron Maiden delivered the kind of monumental performance that reminds you why some bands become legends. There were also discoveries, surprises, and a small accident that made the final day more difficult than expected. Copenhell 2026 was a reminder that being a photographer at a festival means working hard to capture the experience - but being a music fan means knowing when to put the camera away and simply live it.

The Stages: Four Fixed Portals & The Mobile Stage

Copenhell’s staging strategy in 2026 blended scale and intimacy.

• • Helvíti – the main stage and the beating heart of the festival; this is where the biggest productions, pyro and massive sing-alongs lived.
    
  • Hades – large but slightly more intimate than Helvíti; a stage that suits bands who need atmosphere as much as size.
    
  • Pandæmonium – the modern metal and hardcore hub of the festival: breakdowns, pits, and bands hungry to wreck the floor.
    
  • Gehenna – the underground altar: black metal, grind, doom — rawer, closer, more confrontational.
    

Plus — the Mobile Stage. Bringing music directly into the festival grounds, the Mobile Stage added an element of spontaneity to Copenhell 2026. This compact, wheeled setup brought performances and unexpected encounters beyond the main stages, creating opportunities for fans to discover something new while moving between concerts, food stalls, and gathering areas. Its informal character offered a refreshing contrast to the festival’s larger productions, making music feel closer, more immediate, and woven into the everyday flow of the event.

Whether stopping to watch a brief performance, catching an impromptu musical moment, or joining a crowd that had gathered almost by accident, visitors could experience a different side of Copenhell. The Mobile Stage helped turn the festival grounds themselves into part of the entertainment, encouraging people to pause, connect, and share experiences outside the usual concert setting.

For photographers and press, this format also offered a different kind of opportunity: less predictable scenes, closer interaction between performers and audiences, and moments of genuine spontaneity. Rather than relying on elaborate staging, the appeal lay in capturing the unexpected — the small performances and shared reactions that gave Copenhell 2026 some of its more intimate, human moments.

Copenhell CON 2026: Exploring the Creative Side of Metal Culture

Copenhell CON continued to offer a different perspective on the festival in 2026, opening a space where heavy music met art, storytelling, gaming, and community. Away from the intensity of the main stages, it provided an opportunity to explore the wider culture surrounding metal — a reminder that the scene is shaped as much by imagination and creative expression as it is by sound.

Bringing together comics, illustration, tabletop and role-playing games, film, podcasts, discussions, and cosplay, Copenhell CON offered a varied programme for those interested in the worlds that intersect with heavy music. It was a place to discover visual artists, explore independent creative projects, exchange recommendations, and engage with the ideas and influences that have helped shape metal's distinctive identity.

The appeal of the CON lies in its ability to connect different creative disciplines through a shared passion for the darker, stranger, and more fantastical sides of culture. From graphic art and horror-inspired imagery to gaming, fantasy, and conversations about music and creativity, the space highlighted how metal extends far beyond the stage. Its aesthetic and values continue to inspire artists, writers, designers, and storytellers working across a wide range of mediums.

Just as importantly, Copenhell CON offered a welcome change of pace within the festival. With four days of performances, crowds, and relentless musical energy, having somewhere to slow down, browse, listen, and talk added another dimension to the overall experience. It created room for conversations and encounters that can be difficult to find amid the volume of the main stages, bringing fans and creative minds together through their shared interests.

Rather than functioning simply as an alternative attraction, the CON helped reveal the many layers of the Copenhell community. Metal is not just about the bands on stage; it also lives in the artwork on album covers, the stories behind the music, the games people play, the films they love, and the independent creators who give the scene its visual and imaginative character.

In 2026, Copenhell CON remained an important reminder of this broader cultural landscape. It showed that the spirit of metal can be loud and confrontational, but also thoughtful, playful, collaborative, and endlessly creative. Beyond the riffs and spectacle, it is this shared world of ideas, expression, and community that helps make metal culture so enduring.

DAY-BY-DAY BREAKDOWN

Day 1 - Wednesday: Legends, Heavy Riffs, and a Monumental Opening

Copenhell opened with a day full of contrasts, moving between contemporary heaviness, classic rock theatrics, and the kind of established metal power that can command a festival crowd without needing to prove anything.

My day in the photo pit began with Dogma, followed by Mammoth and Thrown. Each offered a different kind of energy, but Thrown particularly stood out for the sheer force of their performance. Their sound felt direct, aggressive, and physically powerful — the kind of set that makes you understand immediately why their music works so well in a live environment. Photographing a band with that much intensity means constantly looking for the split second when the movement, expression, and sound seem to collide.

Mammoth brought a different flavour, balancing hard-rock immediacy with a strong stage presence, while Dogma helped establish the day's varied musical character.

Later, Tom Morello brought his unmistakable guitar personality to the festival. His approach to the instrument has always been distinctive, and a live performance is a reminder that a guitar can be much more than a vehicle for riffs: it can become a source of noise, rhythm, texture, and experimentation.

Six Feet Under delivered a dose of death metal, before Alice Cooper brought the theatrical side of rock into focus. Cooper's live identity has always been built around the combination of music, character, and spectacle, making his performance a natural fit for a festival that embraces the dramatic side of heavy music.

Then Suicidal Tendencies, whose crossover energy and hardcore attitude offered another shift in pace. Their music is made for movement, and the connection between the band and the audience is an essential part of the experience.

But one of the most anticipated moments of the day for me came with Iron Maiden.

I was there to see the concert, although photography restrictions meant I couldn't take pictures. That was disappointing from a professional perspective, but the performance itself more than made up for it. Iron Maiden delivered a huge, commanding show, drawing on the band's extraordinary catalogue and turning the main stage into a celebration of heavy metal history. The combination of musicianship, atmosphere, and the crowd's response made it an incredible concert to witness.

Sometimes, not having a camera in your hands is a gift. Instead of thinking about angles, shutter speeds, and the few minutes available in the pit, I could simply watch one of metal's most iconic bands doing what they do best.

The day ended with Mastodon, a band I had been particularly eager to see again. It had been more than ten years since I last saw them live, and I wondered whether the memory of that experience had become more impressive with time. It hadn't. My memory was right: Mastodon are tremendously good live. Their combination of progressive complexity, heaviness, and sheer musical authority remains captivating, and seeing them again after such a long gap was one of Wednesday's most satisfying moments.

By the end of the first day, Copenhell had already delivered both the photographic material I had hoped for and a reminder that some concerts are best experienced without a viewfinder between you and the stage.

Day 2 - Thursday: Theatrical Chaos, Heavy Modern Sounds, and Teenage Memories

Thursday offered an especially varied mix, from modern metalcore to groove-driven heaviness, classic hard rock, and performances built around theatrical spectacle.

My photography schedule included Lightchapter, Black Label Society, Gatecreeper, (0), Ice Nine Kills, Kublai Khan TX, and Rival Sons. It was a day of very different stage personalities, and several performances stayed with me for different reasons.

Black Label Society was a personal highlight. I was genuinely happy to see them again after more than fifteen years. I am a big fan of Zakk Wylde, and his playing is a huge part of what makes the band so distinctive. His guitar tone, phrasing, and larger-than-life presence have a character of their own. Watching him perform again was a reminder of how much personality a great guitarist can bring to a band, beyond technical ability alone.

Gatecreeper brought death metal weight and a punishing live sound, while Kublai Khan TX represented the more confrontational side of modern heavy music. (0) offered a darker atmosphere, and Lightchapter formed part of the day's varied opening stretch.

One of the most visually demanding sets to photograph was Ice Nine Kills. Their theatrical approach meant that there was almost always something happening on stage. It was not simply a matter of finding the vocalist and waiting for a good expression; the performance was full of movement, dramatic details, and visual distractions competing for attention. At times, I genuinely didn't know where to look or which moment to prioritise. That is both the challenge and the pleasure of photographing a band that treats a concert as a complete theatrical production.

Rival Sons were another important discovery for me. Their performance made me want to explore them further, which is one of the great things about festivals: even when you arrive with a carefully planned schedule, you can leave having found a band you hadn't fully appreciated before.

Later, I went to see Sepultura, Papa Roach, President, and Bring Me the Horizon. Photography restrictions meant I couldn't shoot these performances, but I was still able to enjoy them as a member of the audience.

Sepultura brought the weight and intensity you would expect from a band with such an important place in metal history. Their legacy is inseparable from the evolution of heavy music, and seeing them live is a reminder of how much influence their sound has had on generations of bands.

Papa Roach, however, hit a much more personal nerve. Their performance transported me straight back to my adolescence. There is something special about hearing songs that formed part of your younger years, especially when they are delivered live with the energy needed to make them feel immediate again. For a while, it wasn't about the festival, the schedule, or the work waiting for me. It was about remembering who I was when I first discovered that music, and how some songs stay with you long after the period of your life in which you first heard them has passed.

President offered another opportunity to experience a performance without the pressure of photography. Sometimes, simply being present allows you to focus on the atmosphere and the audience rather than constantly searching for a frame.

The day culminated with Bring Me the Horizon, another performance I watched without taking pictures because of the restrictions. Their modern, high-impact approach to live music combines heavy riffs with a production designed to keep the audience engaged from beginning to end. The set moved between aggressive passages, big choruses, and dramatic transitions, creating a performance that felt as much like a large-scale spectacle as a traditional metal show. 

Thursday was a good example of the different ways to experience Copenhell. There was the concentration required to work in the photo pit, the excitement of discovering a band like Rival Sons, and the unexpected pleasure of being able to reconnect with music from my own past.

Day 3 - Friday: New Discoveries and a Long-Awaited Dream Come True

Friday was a particularly memorable day, combining the practical demands of festival photography with one of the most meaningful concert experiences of the entire weekend.

My day in the photo pit included Defecto, Pustulant Flesh, Jakob Stegelmann and Aarhus Symfoniorkester, Imminence, Trivium, P.O.D., Neckbreakker, Morild, and the 15 Years in Hell - All Star Show.

The range of performances was striking. Defecto and Pustulant Flesh offered different sides of the heavier underground, while Imminence brought a more melodic and emotionally charged approach to modern metal. Trivium delivered the kind of seasoned, muscular performance that comes from years of playing on major stages, and P.O.D. brought their recognisable blend of alternative metal, hard rock, and infectious hooks.

Neckbreakker were one of my discoveries of the festival. Their live performance made a strong impression, showing how exciting it can be to encounter a band in a festival setting before you have fully explored their music. Morild also stood out as a discovery, adding another name to the list of acts I wanted to revisit after the weekend.

One of the most unexpected and entertaining experiences came from Jakob Stegelmann and Aarhus Symfoniorkester. The combination of orchestral music and the festival's metal-minded audience created a wonderfully unusual atmosphere. Seeing people crowd-surfing as if they were Superman while an orchestra performed was genuinely incredible. It was funny, surreal, and completely in keeping with Copenhell's ability to bring very different worlds together. Moments like that are difficult to plan or reproduce; they happen because the music, the crowd, and the setting come together in just the right way.

The 15 Years in Hell - All Star Show added another celebratory dimension to the day, bringing together the spirit of the festival and the musicians who make its community so distinctive. A festival anniversary is not just about looking back; it is also about recognising the people and performances that have helped build its identity. 

But the concert that meant the most to me on Friday was A Perfect Circle.

There was a restriction on photography, so I couldn't take pictures. From a professional perspective, that was a shame. As a fan, however, I couldn't have cared less after the music began.

A Perfect Circle have been one of my favourite bands for more than twenty years, and somehow I had never managed to see them live until now. That made this concert feel very different from the rest of the festival. It wasn't simply another name on the schedule or another performance to review. It was something I had wanted to experience for a huge part of my life, finally happening in front of me.

Their music has a particular emotional depth, balancing atmosphere, melody, tension, and intensity in a way that feels both intimate and expansive. Hearing those songs performed live after so many years of listening to them was genuinely incredible. There is a difference between loving a band's recordings and finally standing in front of the musicians who created them. When that moment has been delayed for more than two decades, the emotional weight is difficult to describe.

I didn't get photographs from the show, but I got something else: the memory of finally seeing a band that had been part of my life for so long. No image could replace that experience, and I wouldn't trade it for a few frames.

Unfortunately, Friday also brought a small accident that injured the finger I use to press the camera shutter. It may sound minor, but when your work depends on repeatedly operating a camera with precision, even a small injury can become a serious practical problem. I had to bandage the finger, and I knew that Saturday would be much harder than planned.

Still, there was no way I was going to let that completely take the festival away from me.

Day 4 - Saturday: A Party, a Sore Finger, and the Joy of Being There

Saturday was supposed to be another full day of photography. Instead, the injury I had sustained on Friday forced me to change my plans. With a bandaged finger, operating the camera was uncomfortable and much more difficult than usual. I ended up photographing fewer bands than I had originally intended.

I did, however, manage to photograph Warkings, Alestorm, and Saxon.

Warkings brought a dramatic, battle-ready approach to heavy metal, with a performance built around big gestures, strong choruses, and an atmosphere that encouraged the audience to get involved. Their style suits a festival setting, where theatricality and direct audience connection can turn a set into a collective celebration.

Alestorm were an absolute party. Their irreverent pirate-metal attitude, playful energy, and knack for turning a concert into a giant singalong made them one of the most enjoyable performances of the day. There is something wonderfully liberating about a band that understands exactly what it is there to do: entertain, get the crowd moving, and make the whole place feel like one enormous, slightly ridiculous celebration. Alestorm delivered precisely that.

Saxon brought the perspective of classic heavy metal, with the confidence and authority of a band whose music has been part of the genre's foundations for decades. Their performance provided a fitting contrast to Alestorm's party atmosphere, reminding the crowd of the enduring power of traditional heavy metal when it is played with conviction.

But my Saturday wasn't limited to the bands I photographed. Despite the finger injury, I also went to see Social Distortion, Bury Tomorrow, Katla, Volbeat, and BABYMETAL.

Social Distortion brought a different kind of attitude to the festival. Their punk-rock roots and direct, streetwise approach offered a welcome change of pace from the weekend's heavier extremes. There is a particular honesty to their sound: it doesn't need elaborate theatrics to connect with an audience, relying instead on strong songs, character, and the kind of energy that comes from decades of playing live.

Bury Tomorrow delivered the intensity expected from modern metalcore, with a sound built for big reactions, powerful vocal contrasts, and the physical release of a festival crowd. Their performance provided a reminder that metalcore remains one of the styles particularly suited to the scale and energy of an event like Copenhell.

Katla offered a darker and heavier atmosphere, bringing a different mood to Saturday's varied schedule. Their performance was another example of how the festival moves between different shades of heaviness without losing its identity.

Then came Volbeat, one of the major names of the festival. Their combination of hard rock, metal, rockabilly influences, and memorable choruses makes them particularly effective in front of a large audience. The crowd had plenty of opportunities to sing along, and the performance carried the celebratory feeling that a Saturday headliner should bring. Their set also demonstrated the connection Volbeat have built with their home audience, turning familiar songs into shared moments rather than simply reproducing the studio versions. 

Finally, BABYMETAL brought their distinctive blend of heavy music, precision, choreography, and pop-metal spectacle. Their live performances are built around the contrast between the weight of the instrumentation and the tightly coordinated theatrical elements, creating a show that stands apart from more conventional metal acts. In a festival full of different musical identities, BABYMETAL offered something immediately recognisable and unapologetically their own.

Saturday was frustrating from a photographer's perspective. The finger injury meant I couldn't work at my usual pace, and having to reduce the number of bands I photographed was disappointing. But I was still there, still watching great music, and still able to enjoy the festival even when I couldn't approach it in the way I had planned.

Sometimes, the circumstances force you to change your expectations. I would have preferred to finish the weekend with a full photographic schedule, but I was grateful that the injury didn't stop me from seeing the bands I wanted to see.

FINAL REFLECTIONS

Copenhell 2026 was four days of contrasts: aggressive modern metal and classic heavy-rock anthems, theatrical performances and raw underground energy, familiar favourites and unexpected discoveries. It was also a festival that reminded me why I continue to return both as a photographer and as a music fan.

From the photo pit, I was able to capture Dogma, Mammoth, Thrown, Tom Morello, Six Feet Under, Alice Cooper, Suicidal Tendencies, Mastodon, Lightchapter, Black Label Society, Gatecreeper, (0), Ice Nine Kills, Kublai Khan TX, Rival Sons, Defecto, Pustulant Flesh, Jakob Stegelmann and Aarhus Symfoniorkester, Imminence, Trivium, P.O.D., Neckbreakker, Morild, the 15 Years in Hell - All Star Show, Warkings, Alestorm, and Saxon.

But the story of the festival extends beyond those photographs.

It includes Iron Maiden delivering a monumental performance that I could watch without a camera; Papa Roach taking me back to my adolescence; Bring Me the Horizon and Sepultura bringing their own intensity to the stage; and President giving me another opportunity to enjoy a concert without worrying about shooting restrictions.

Above all, it includes A Perfect Circle. After more than twenty years of being one of my favourite bands, finally seeing them live was one of those experiences that makes all the waiting worthwhile. I couldn't photograph the concert, but I was able to be fully present for it. That is something I will remember long after the festival galleries have been edited, published, and archived.

There were new discoveries in Rival Sons, Neckbreakker, and Morild, the theatrical challenge of photographing Ice Nine Kills, the joy of seeing Black Label Society again, and the sheer fun of Alestorm turning a festival crowd into one enormous party. And there was the surreal image of people crowd-surfing like Superman to the sound of an orchestra- a moment that could only happen somewhere like Copenhell.

The injury to my finger was an unwelcome ending to the working side of the weekend, and it was disappointing to photograph fewer bands on Saturday than I had planned. But it also reminded me that a festival is not just a professional assignment. It is a place to discover music, reconnect with old favourites, share experiences with thousands of other people, and occasionally let go of the camera.

For four days, Copenhell once again brought together the music, the spectacle, and the community that make heavy music such a powerful experience. I left with photographs I was proud to take, bands I wanted to hear again, and memories that no camera could have captured.

And perhaps that is the best way to sum up Copenhell 2026: some moments were meant to be photographed, others were meant to be remembered - and the best festivals give you plenty of both.