ARMSTRONG METALFEST is proud to announce their most devastating lineup to date for 2026 with co-headliners RIVERS OF NIHIL and DYING FETUS, along with CYBORG OCTOPUS, INTO ETERNITY, FERVENCE, VINTERSEA, LYCANTHRO, IRON KINGDOM, ODINFIST, ART OF ATTRITION and many more!
The loudest and most extreme music festival returns for its 16th year of delivering British Columbia, Canada’s ultimate mountain mosh pit on July 17 and 18, 2026, at the Hassen Arena in the Okanagan town of Armstrong. Fans can look forward to two full days of moshing, headbanging, thrash wrestling, and camping.
AMF 2026 Promo Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5swgrnrVExs
Check out the festival Spotify playlist – https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0jvJmitxkamWl1FaGxcUmr
Early bird tickets have already sold out, with advance pre-sale tickets now available until midnight (PST) on July 9th.
Festival passes are available at: https://www.armstrongmetalfest.ca/tickets/
All prices apply to full weekend passes and are subject to applicable taxes. Each weekend pass grants general admission and access to the festival grounds, camping area, and arena from 9:00 AM on Friday, July 17, 2026, until 10:00 AM on Sunday, July 18, 2026. Free camping is included.
(Tickets will be mailed starting after March 9th if you have chosen the “Ticket Mailed” option.)
Headlining opening night, Friday, July 17th, Reading, PA progressive/technical death metal juggernauts Rivers of Nihil bring their blend of crushing heaviness with atmospheric and experimental elements to the Okanagan. They’ve become one of the most forward‑thinking acts in modern extreme metal. Their breakthrough album, Where Owls Know My Name, charted on the Billboard 200, cementing their reputation for pushing genre boundaries. The band has released five studio albums, including their most recent self‑titled record, Rivers of Nihil (2025), which marks a new era with a refreshed lineup and an evolution of their sound.
Music Video – Water & Time – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZC2hfkdf2A
Joining them on opening night is San Francisco’s Cyborg Octopus, a genre‑bending force blending progressive metalcore with jazz, funk, electronic music, and experimental rock. Known for high‑energy performances and boundary‑pushing musicianship, they’ve become a standout act in the Bay Area metal scene. Their acclaimed releases Between the Light and Air (2022) and Bottom Feeder (2024) showcase their mix of technical precision, sci‑fi themes, and adventurous songwriting, making them one of the most exciting and eclectic bands in modern progressive metal.
Music Video – Defective Immediately – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fjrAfa5lVU
A highlight for Friday night is up-and-comers Fervence, a progressive metalcore band originally from Reno, NV, now based in Austin, TX. Their sound blends atmospheric ambience with heavy, emotionally charged intensity, drawing on influences like Deftones and Architects. After lineup changes and the addition of vocalist Stevie B, the band entered a new creative era, leading to their signing with Metal Blade Records in 2025. Their debut album, Ghost (2020), established their cinematic, immersive style, and they continue to build momentum through dynamic live performances and evolving songwriting. Fervence stand out for their mix of technical precision, lush soundscapes, and raw emotional weight.
Music Video – Age of Aquarius – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsBAkPwXIb0
Headlining Saturday, July 18th, and closing night is legendary Dying Fetus, considered one of the most defining acts of American extreme metal. They bring decades of legacy, unmatched heaviness and nine studio albums under their belt. Their performances are known for precision, intensity, and crowd‑moving power, making them a cornerstone act for any extreme‑metal‑focused event.
Visualizer – Into The Cesspool – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKcxI6qaZh8
Supporting day two of AMF is Into Eternity, the Canadian (Regina, SK) progressive/melodic death‑metal veterans whose nearly three‑decade career is defined by technical precision, soaring clean vocals, fierce growls, and dramatic, forward-driven songwriting. Currently, they are finishing their long‑awaited new studio album, their first with vocalist Stu Block (ex-Iced Earth) since his return to the band. Fans will feel the emotional intensity and a powerful blend of old‑school roots and modern, boundary‑pushing metal energy that this band projects to the masses.
Stream – Suicide Drone – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xH4bB76VpUY
Also featured on day two of the festival is Vintersea, a band whose identity is shaped by the Pacific Northwest and a blend of extreme and atmospheric metal elements. They bring a distinctive mix of melodic death metal, blackened textures, post‑metal atmosphere, and intricate musicianship, rooted in their origins in Portland and Corvallis, Oregon.
Music Video – Become The Wave – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2R9Rcat6GOM
Other standout attractions at this year’s AMF include a return from festival alumni and Vancouver heavy‑metal champions Iron Kingdom, performing in support of their upcoming sixth studio album “Shadows and Dust,” arriving in June. The Okanagan’s own Odinfist will mark their 20th anniversary with a special set featuring fan favourites from across their catalogue. Also on the bill are Nott, the Seattle‑based deathcore/sludge duo known for their bleak atmosphere and Alaska‑to‑Washington roots, and Edmonton’s genre‑defying force The Judge The Juror, whose sound blends elements of PsyDeathTechProg into something entirely their own.
Armstrong MetalFest 2026 Lineup:
Friday, July 17th
Rivers of Nihil (Reading, PA)
Cyborg Octopus (San Francisco, CA)
Fervence (Austin, TX)
Nott (Seattle, WA)
Iron Kingdom (Vancouver, BC)
Lycanthro (Ottawa, ON)
W.M.D. (Vancouver, BC)
Syryn (Calgary, AB)
Nameless King (Vancouver, BC
Frosthymn (Calgary, AB)
Die Another Day (Calgary, AB)
Pharm (Kelowna, BC)
Storm the Empire (Kelowna, BC)
Shotgun Divine (Nelson, BC)
Skeksis (Vernon, BC)
Saturday, July 18th
Dying Fetus (Baltimore, MD)
Into Eternity (Regina, SK)
Vintersea (Portland, OR)
Odinfist (Okanagan, BC)
Wych (Calgary, AB)
Art of Attrition (Red Deer, AB)
Fallen Sun (Prince George, BC)
The Judge The Juror (Edmonton, AB)
Brain Stem (Edmonton, AB)
Gregorious (Kamloops, BC)
Empalement (Victoria, BC)
Broken Crow (Kamloops, BC)
Daniel Martin & The Infamous (Edmonton, AB)
The Collapse (Kelowna, BC)
In addition to the performing bands, Armstrong Metal Fest will have the following on-site activities: Yeti Games, Metal Madness Market, and Thrash Wrestling.
Please Note: Camping – RV / Non-Hookup RV / Vehicle Passes: Make sure to reserve your vehicle spot to get the best location on the grounds. A fee is required for a weekend pass per vehicle in addition to your day or weekend pass. RV hookups include water and power. If you park your vehicle outside the camping area in the main parking lot, a vehicle pass is not required.
For more info:
https://www.armstrongmetalfest.ca/
https://www.facebook.com/armstrongmetalfest/
https://www.instagram.com/armstrongmetalfest/
https://x.com/amfcanada
About:
Since its inception in 2009 (with a brief hiatus in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic), West Metal Entertainment and Armstrong MetalFest have championed hundreds of local bands while welcoming renowned international acts to the quiet town of Armstrong, British Columbia.
Every year, metalheads from across Canada and the U.S. converge on the scenic Okanagan Valley for three days of camping and two days packed with heavy metal mayhem. Under the blazing summer sun, fans revel in live performances, wrestling spectacles, scavenger hunts, and reconnecting with their extended metal family.
Armstrong MetalFest has hosted legendary headliners such as Kataklysm, Cattle Decapitation, Archspire, Nekrogoblikon, Origin, Warbringer, Fallujah, Striker, Beyond Creation, Born of Osiris, Havok, The Browning, Virvum, and rising stars from across North America and Europe. And when the final riff fades, the festival vanishes without a trace, leaving the landscape as untouched as it was before.
West Metal Entertainment, a non-profit society, not only produces Armstrong MetalFest annually but also supports the regional music scene by organizing performances at various venues, including all-ages shows, to inspire musical passion in both youth and adults.
Partners:
PABST BLUE RIBBON
WCMFA
Askews Foods
Rancho Vignola
Staggs Head
AlumaPro Welding & Fabrication Ltd
Shepherds Hardware
Sunbelt Rentals
E B Horseman and Son
Mastodon Equipment Repair
The Higher Path
Asher Media Relations
Monashees Outdoor Armstrong
ACE Containers
Bravewords
V13
Metal-Rules
Absolute Underground Mag
Broken Neck Radio
Ghost Cult Magazine
This Day In Metal
Valstar Electric
Voets Coffee
Brazen Magazine
You must be logged in to post a comment.