Heavy Music Has Split in Two / A Thriving Underground And A Dying Mainstream

Heavy music has splintered into two non-overlapping cultures. A growing underground and a decaying mainstream.

Every few months, there seems to be an article about the collapse of concert tours due to rising costs of, well, basically fucking everything. A recent article by writer Bob Rose called Empty Seats, Rising Costs and Burnout: Why So Many Tours Are Suddenly Falling Apart had this passage near the top:

“In recent months, an unusually wide range of artists — from legacy superstars to younger streaming-era acts — have either postponed, downsized or outright canceled major tours, exposing growing instability inside an industry that once viewed touring as the safest revenue stream in music. What began quietly after the pandemic has now become impossible to ignore. Entire runs are disappearing. Amphitheater dates are shrinking into theaters. Arena tours are quietly being rerouted or abandoned altogether.“

Stop. Bob Rose exposed himself in the first sentence. He belongs, at least loosely, to the tribe of rock journalists who are mired in their own dad-rock gatekeeping. Sorry, but the phrase “unusually wide range of artists” with the example cited “from legacy superstars to younger streaming-era acts” doesn’t exactly scream the word wide.

It screams–ironically– the death rattle of some of the bands/tours that Rose implies are the only ones thriving in this economic and musical landscape.

Spoiler alert: That will all be dead soon. And, not to be morbid, but literally.

And, when it does, the myopic mainstream will write article upon article eulogising the lost culture of rock ‘n’ roll. As these false tears spill all over the world from people who stopped listening to new music soon after getting their high school diploma, rock ‘n’ roll concerts and festivals will still be happening all over the world.

Here is the deeper lament. The Bob Roses of the world do not want the world to change. They do not want to find new music. They do not want to know that the world moved on without them. They do not want to be in Alvin Toffler’s 1970 book Future Shock.

The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.

Alvin Toffler

The impolite term for Dad Rock is really Musical Illiteracy. Those who have been self-incarcerated in this rock prison simply cannot accept that rock ‘n’ roll moved on and grew without them–subversively and quickly.

They simply cannot learn anything new about the current status of it. They are unconscious laggards, swimming around in a stagnant pool of decaying rock music–celebrating like their high school prom is still happening.

Uh, fuck no.

What he and other people my age are unwilling to learn is that they are missing a whole, global scene of underground heavy music that, while not being completely immune from the current economic strife hitting the whole planet, is still having music festivals without any noticeable downturn in attendance.

Two heavy music festivals, on opposite sides of the world, concluded this past April. Roadburn, now in its 27th year and Heavy Underground Farm Report Fest in its first.

While Tilburg and Denver are more than 7800 km apart, their physical distance is dwarfed by their philosophical closeness. While one is international and held all over the downtown core of Tilburg, the other one was generally local with some healthy out-of-state support from bands like Blue Heron, Violet Rising, and Shadow Of Jupiter.

The motto for Roadburn for the last few years has been something they do better than any festival on the planet–constantly redefining heaviness.

And, the birth of a new micro-festival in Denver by S. Patrick Brooks had a great mix of bands that emphasised the new heaviness of this decade.

There is a lot of irony here to unpack.

The birth of heavy music redefined rock ‘n’ roll. Bands like Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Cream, Blue Cheer, MC5, etc, were the early pioneers of their unique brand of heavy. However, unlike today, they quickly rose out of their underground status to mainstream acceptance.

Much like in English Football, if you are good enough, you could get promoted to a bigger platform (higher division), having more exposure and prominence. 

That is no longer possible in heavy music. They have not only been abandoned by the whole music/streaming industry, but they have also been abandoned, for the most part, by the big bands that made it.

Those heavy bands that are successfully touring right now are not exactly bringing out the best of this underground. Iron Maiden and Metallica might be giants in Metal, but the days of them being on top of the heavy music scene are long gone. They got too busy making money.

Just look at the Back To The Beginning lineup last summer. All the bands that played were rich rock stars. Not one band who symbolises the sound and attitude of Black Sabbath from the underground were present.

Cough. None. Were invited. 

What is the mainstream of heavy left with 2026? Metallica at The Sphere and Monster of Rock Cruises hosted by Eddie Trunk.

Those My Generation lyrics did not age very well. “Hope I die before I get old”.

For me, the lyrics would be “Hope I die before I go sip drinks out of neon mugs on a ship with a Slaughter reunion.”

Enough of the depressing stuff about the death rattle of dad rock/Metal. What about the underground festivals that keep the youthful spirit and curiosity of rock ‘n’ roll alive?

Here is a list of what I think are the premier heavy music festivals in the world. They all have killer, evolving music, a deep sense of community, perfect size, and often a setting related to nature/water.

They are meticulously crafted to maintain intimacy with a chill, no ego vibe among bands and fans. The fact that bands mingle constantly with fans before and after the show–after all, they are fans as well–should not be lost here.

Those monster-sized festivals that have multiple headliners of millionaire bands are all glitz, no grit. The only way you get backstage to have the same vanilla experience as dozens of others is if you cough up generally hundreds of dollars to artists who do not need the money.

But they need the stroking of ego. Kill ‘Em All? Pfff. Fuck ‘Em All

Sorry. Not going to ever catch me at a festival where acts whose bank accounts are inversely proportional to musical relevance in 2026. In these economic times, it is not where your money should be going.

You should be going, if possible, to any of these festivals of heavy happiness!

Dunajam, Sardinia (est. 2009)

Anyone who has been anyone in the stoner/doom scene the last 15 years has played this multi-day festival in Sardinia. The exact location, bands playing, and how to get invited to this small gathering is a well-guarded secret. I finally got invited to the 2026 event, but have postponed my attendance until 2027.

The vibe and community–c’mon, it’s on the beach in Sardinia–is only rivalled by Roadburn.

Sonic Blast, Portugal (est. 2011)

Another great festival that takes advantage of the scenic coastline of Portugal to bring thousands every year for a consistently amazing lineup of the best of the old and new from the scene. If you have an Aftermovie, you are doing something right.

Freak Valley, Germany (est 2012)

Literally in the middle of nowhere, but every year, thousands make the trek to see some of the best stoner psychedelia bands on the planet. Some of the greatest sets by bands like King Buffalo and 1000mods have taken place here.

Their motto of No Fillers-Just Killers is now part of the stage branding. Also, they have a booth near the entrance for people to report any discrimination or feelings of being unsafe at the festival. 

Bear Stone Festival, Croatia (est 2021)

Even if you mute the music in the link below, you would want to come to the festival. Dogs, young children, turquoise water, great food, and a pop-up community of happy campers.

Up In Smoke, Switzerland (est. 2013)

This mini two-day festival in Prattein, just outside of Basel, has been running strong for over 10 years now. It maximises its one indoor stage and one outdoor stage to consistently draw a balanced lineup of big-name international artists and those that are more local to its geographic location.

Keep It Low, Germany (est. 2013)

There is no coincidence that this festival started the same year as Up In Smoke, as they are festivals all under the umbrella of the booking agency Sound of Liberation. Great name. The one-off album by Che (Brant Bjork), Sounds Of Liberation, is one of my favourite albums of all time. The company specialises in stoner/doom/psych.

Desertfest, Europe (London, Berlin, Antwerp, and Oslo)

Nothing screams the title of this article more than the now “franchised” Desertfest. Europe, as you can tell by now, is already jam-packed with festivals. 

But the ground zero for the growing demand for this subculture all started around 2009 with UK guitarist Reece Tee. He was promoting shows of bands in this scene, and one year later, was helped by the band Steak, which, not surprisingly, plays right within the core sound of the scene–fuzzy, gritty, bluesy rock and fuckin’ roll.

Through his company Desertscene, the first Desertfest was launched in London in 2012. A natural partnership with Sonic Liberation took place, and similar festivals in Berlin and Antwerp were launched by 2014. Oslo joined the party in 2024.

Welcome, Oslo! The Antwerp festival was in May, and the London one just concluded recently.

There are already over 100 years of festival history in the stoner/desert/doom scene. To say that the scene is growing was perhaps an understatement.

There was an adverb missing. It has been growing feverishly. And yet, somehow, none of this is known to supposedly the torch bearers of all that is heavy. People like Eddie Trunk.

And, no. I will never be able to write enough articles to keep throwing that man underneath the journalistic bus for his constipated knowledge of heavy music.

While over here in North America, we are not nearly as rich with the number of long-established underground festivals, we do have a few that draw artists and fans from Europe. Here is the absolute cream of the crop!

Planet Desert Rock Weekend, Las Vegas (est. 2018)

In terms of a festival that is limited to only one indoor venue, this is as good as they come. And, that is primarily due to the booking alchemy of founder/curator of PDRW, John Gist. The 2027 lineup is once again a great balance of International bands as well as those located here in North America. 

People should crawl on broken glass from where they live to Las Vegas, just to see Italy’s Black Rainbows, without a doubt one of the greatest bands of this century.

RippleFest, Austin, Texas (est. 2021)

Founded by Ryan Garney, lead singer of the high-octane and ridiculously well-travelled band High Desert Queen, this festival is regarded as one of the premier underground heavy festivals in the world–and rightly so!

The four-day festival is bookended by performances at the indoor venue Sagebrush, which hosts the pre- and post-party festivities. The main festival is held over 2 days at the super cool The Far Out Lounge, which has two outdoor stages–with zero overlap of band performances. 

I was there in 2024, and I still haven’t recovered from the awesomeness of the bands, fans, and overall love-in of the underground community!

The 2026 edition looks like it’s going to be a cracker!

Mojave Experience, Joshua Tree (est. 2026)

It only made sense that one day everything in terms of festivals would go back to the roots where it all began in this scene–the desert. And what better person to be behind it than Patrick Brink of the band Volume–a band that was part of the first wave of fuzzed-out and buzzed-out stoner bands from the early part of this century.

And, I could be wrong, but it’s the only stage set up I know where the band is surrounded by fans on all four sides, heightening the intimacy and overall fan and band experience. Look for this festival to grow considerably in the coming years, with many making the pilgrimage to the raw elements of the desert to connect, dare I say, spiritually to where it all began. 

Emissions From The Monolith, Youngstown, Ohio (est. 2000)

On a personal note, I saved this one for last. On May 27, 2004–having turned 40 on that day–I drove by myself to see bands I had never seen and people I had only known online through the now defunct stonerrock.com community.

Those four days changed my life. Forever.

So, the tenth edition is later this year. Yes, the math isn’t “mathing”. That’s because there was a long hiatus from 2010 to 2026, and the founder/curator of Emissions, Greg Barrett, to the utter joy of so many people, resurrected the festival for 2026.

I will be there, covering the whole event for Metal Talk.

Rock ‘n’ roll is alive and well. Support your local, underground bands. Buy their music and merch, and go to their shows. Help keep the history of this scene alive for a sustainable future of great music and great festivals.

In 1976, Rainbow released their album Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll.

It did, and maybe where it always belonged–to the eternally disenfranchised living forever in the underground.

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