It wouldn’t be a proper underground metal festival without some chaos, and this year’s Metal Threat Fest (October 2–5 in Elgin, IL) is no exception. The fest has been hit hard with visa denials and last-minute cancellations, forcing a major lineup reshuffle.
Here’s the brutal truth:
And Oceans – visas denied.
Destroyer 666 – visas denied.
Grave Desecrator – visas denied.
Satanic Warmaster – visas denied.
Sinister – visa issues.
Horna – visa issues.
Sargeist – visa issues.
Desaster, Acheron – out due to health reasons.
In short: bureaucracy 8, extreme metal 0.
Festival organizers summed it up perfectly: “It fucking sucks is all that I can say, but the show must and will go on.”
The Good News?
Despite the carnage, Metal Threat Fest isn’t rolling over. The team scrambled to lock in new American bands to keep the lineup strong. Some substitutions are already in place, and they’re still looking for more reinforcements—especially for Thursday and Saturday slots.
The updated lineups for Saturday, October 4th and Sunday, October 5th are posted, and the fest promises the same level of chaos and extremity, even if it’s delivered by a slightly different roster than originally planned.
Why Does This Keep Happening?
Anyone who’s followed extreme metal tours in recent years knows the story: U.S. visas are expensive, complicated, and routinely denied for underground acts. If you’re a corpse-painted Finn with blast beats in your luggage, good luck convincing customs you’re here for “artistic exchange.”
The Bottom Line
Metal Threat Fest remains a pilgrimage for die-hards, and while the lineup looks different than expected, the spirit of the fest hasn’t changed: raw, extreme, no compromise.
Metal still triumphs over paperwork.
