The final day of a Metal fest is always one where you wake up with new bruises and questions bouncing around your brain. The main one being, what sort of fuel is left in the tank? For SonicBlast 2026 attendees, the answer was plenty.
SonicBlast 2026 – Day Three
Viana do Castelo, Portugal – 6-8 August 2026
Words And Photography: Tim Bugbee
The day started with a late fill-in for Levitation Room, another band from Portugal called Summer Of Hate. They hit all the right notes of bands like Spacemen 3, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Mazzy Star and even Shiva Burlesque, the obscure band that predated Grant Lee Buffalo.
Proof that dark, moody material can indeed work just fine in the blinding daylight hours. Solid set, but someone needs to do some sartorial coordination, as the six-piece looked like they were from three different bands.
It had been eleven years since I last saw Fuzz, the off-the-rails garage rock trio where Ty Segall takes the drum seat and hands over guitar duties to Charlie Moothart.
I had no idea that Primitive Ring was his new band, along with members of Hooveriii, including Jon Modaff, who saw action on Friday playing keyboards for Frankie And The Witch Fingers. Moothart is a completely underrated guitar player, cranking out killer riffs with interesting twists and no wasted movement.
The next three bands were vastly different from each other but made it work like the tastiest BLT sandwich. Margarita Witch Cult brought Doom Metal and uptempo rhythms together like long-lost cousins.
Necrot was old-school Death Metal that did not blink in the blazing sky, and 1000 Mods stoked the riff machine that bands such as Kyuss and Clutch do, probably the best Greek band at the moment.
After the thunderous electro-punk rock action of duo Teen Mortgage, the main stage served up the heavy hitters of Saturday. “After a couple of days of loud Metal, thanks for putting up with our prog bullshit,” Nick DiSalvo self-deprecatingly stated from the stage.
No need for any sort of excuses. The people showed up to see a band that, while always super tight, are arguably in their prime. Adding touring keyboardist Fabien de Menou was a great decision, allowing guitarists DiSalvo and Michael Risberg plenty of room to lock in together or let each other roam out into the outer reaches of the cosmos.
Not a single wasted note, anchored by the steadfast rhythm section of Jack Donovan and Georg Edert. They played a few from their most recent record, Through Zero, and when Halcyon brought a close to their set, DiSalvo’s offhand prog comment made perfect sense as the song’s ending was reminiscent of Würm, the final passage from Yes’ Starship Trooper.
I have watched this band since their days of playing tiny clubs in Boston in the late 2000s, and the progress they have made has been remarkable. Get on the train while the getting’s good.
The last band to grace the main SonicBlast stage was High On Fire, the familiar tattooed torso of Matt Pike throwing frenzied fretboard runs out while Jeff Matz and Converge’s Ben Koller kept a steady hand on the tiller.
While their last record, Cometh The Storm, is their strongest effort in a while, they also dug deep into their past with some nuggets from the first three records, such as Baghdad, Hung, Drawn and Quartered and 10,000 Years. The familiar riff of Snakes From The Divine used to signal the close of their set, but Darker Fleece is a worthy replacement as a finale.
It is tough to follow that sonic assault, so it’s a good thing that ADULT. did not try to fight fire with fire. This duo consists of partners Adam Lee Miller behind the keyboard banks and Nicola Kuperus manning one or two mics.
Throbbing Gristle mixed with HEALTH? I could be way off here. Gotta say it has been a while since I have seen someone walk into a hair stylist and ask for Die Antwoord.
By now, it had been dark for hours, and a gentle, insistent rain began to fall when Early Moods took the stage, befitting their dark, Doom-tinged songs. Albert Alcaraz definitely has the best hair, and it was a miracle that his headbanging did not cause his sunglasses to fly off his head immediately.
If you like Pentagram but would rather not have the baggage that comes with Leibling, get yourself a healthy serving.
My energy levels were dipping dangerously low, and while I was bummed to miss Jon Davis’ closing set as Ungraven, I was not about to stay up to 4:30 AM.
It is a marathon, not a sprint, and you have to call the race when you see fit. But I will be lacing up the track shoes and plan on returning next year.
SonicBlast Festival mastermind Ricardo Rios and his partner Telma have put together quite the special event in a tremendous location, and I can see why so many pilgrims make the annual trek out to the seaside every August.
Count me in.
SonicBlast Fest 2027 marks the 15th anniversary of the festival. It will take place 12-14 August 2027, with a traditional warm-up party on 11 August 2027, at Praia da Duna do Caldeirão in Caminha, Portugal. For more details, visit here. You can read all our coverage from SonicBlast 2026 here.
