Gorerotted have issued a “Public Health warning” with the news that the band have been confirmed for Damnation Festival 2026 for their first live UK show in nearly 18 years. “It feels like the right time to exhume Gorerotted from the grave,” guitarist Fluffy said, “from the Dead to Damnation, see you there for our only UK show!” The band are one of the first 16 announced for the November festival, with a further 32 bands still to be revealed.
US Hardcore stalwarts Walls Of Jericho and sludge veterans Eyehategod spearhead the first wave of bands announced for this year’s Damnation. British Death Metal legends Benediction, and Belgian shoegaze standouts Slow Crush also join Europe’s biggest indoor Metal festival at BEC Arena, Manchester, on Saturday and Sunday, November 7 and 8.
“We’re absolutely buzzing to announce the first 16 bands, of which 14 are Damnation debuts, for this year’s edition,” Organiser Gavin McInally said.
“Having UK Extreme Metal legends like Gorerotted and Medulla Nocte dust themselves off to go again for a new generation of Metal fans (alongside us older buggers) is very special and we’re honoured they chose to do that at Damnation.
“Eyehategod are a band we’ve wanted to play our stages since 2005, but never managed to get our paths to cross, so it’s brilliant to finally have them in our 21st year, while Walls Of Jericho will turn BEC’s main arena into a sea of flailing limbs for their only UK show of 2026.
“Benediction are long overdue a return to Damnation after 18 years and to have the talents of Holy Fawn, Slow Crush, Rwake, Ultha, and Lamp of Murmuur involved is down to the sizable demand from our fans to have them play the festival.
“I want to give a special mention of Black Sheep Wall and Intercourse, who will both be coming to the UK for the first time, to play Damnation. Those who don’t know them should check both out now. Incredible bands.”
Gorerotted say they will bring “the unholy racket of Mutilated In Minutes and Only Tools And Corpses to Damnation.” Joining core members Goreskin (Vocals), Fluffy (Guitar) and Junky Jon (Drums) will be the Reverend Trudgill (The Rotted) on bass and screamed vocals, the natural successor to Wilson (RIP).
“We had a couple of beers backstage at Damnation,” Fluffy said, “spent about 30 seconds catching up, and then they said, ‘you played the first ever Damnation, you gotta reform and do it again’, before going on to threaten to ‘just announce us anyway’ and give us a year’s warning to put it together!
“It feels like the right time to exhume Gorerotted from the grave, from the Dead to Damnation, see you there for our only UK show.”
Danish deathcore outfit Cabal, US blackened shoegaze trio Holy Fawn, Swedish post metallers The Moth Gatherer, US progressive metallers RWAKE, German black metallers Ultha, US black metallers Lamp Of Murmuur, Dutch/Swedish D-beat group Dödsrit and French industrial exports Fange will all make their Damnation debuts this year.
Joining them, while making their way across the Atlantic for the first time for UK debuts, is the post Metal/doom of Black Sheep Wall and the noise Metal of Intercourse.
Finally, UK underground thrash/hardcore favourites Medulla Nocte, who will play 1998 cult classic A Conversation Alone in full, complete the first announcement with their return to the live circuit.
“It’s taken me years to feel comfortable about putting Medulla Nocte back together, but now is the right time,” Paul Catten of Medulla Nocte said. “Playing A Conversation Alone in its entirety, in tribute to the ones who have left us.
“And where better to conclude the story than Damnation? I’ve had the best times at this festival, and it’s an absolute honour to be asked to play again, and in the band where it all began. See you in November.”
“Although this is an opening salvo of artists we’re hugely excited about, it’s a fraction of our main stage bill,” Gavin McInally, “and all six headliners over the weekend have still to be announced.
“So the next 32 bands are also going to be very, very special.”
More than one-third of tickets are already gone for this year’s festival, which will be held on 7/8 November 2026 at the BEC Arena, Manchester. For more details, visit DamnationFestival.co.uk.
