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Bristol's Metal Scene

The wealth of metal events in Bristol is drawn from a rich metal heritage in the city, classic local bands include: Onslaught, Gonga, Jaguar and Evita. A lot of the best events are in underground pubs like the Gryphon and Mother's Ruin where you can hear big riffs and roared vocals most nights of the week - with strong support from the metal scene elsewhere in the West of England.

As well as older cover-style bands at German boozer Bierkeller, you can see larger international acts at Bristol's bigger venues like O2 Academy and Colston Hall. The city's Old Market area is full of old biker-gang hangouts like the Packhorse - with various shops selling metal memorabilia and records - perfect for the morning after a big gig.

Buy tickets for metal events in Bristol

Our recent metal recommendations

Believe In Nothing's nihilistic sludge meets Stormo's ADHD post-post-hardcore jugular attack in the perfect soundtrack to your next ritual disembowelment. Desolate, foul, wretched, yet pulverising, pummeling and ultimately inspiring stuff in the Moor blender FFO: Chat Pile, Primitive Man, Raein, Converge. Believe in Nothing, Stormo, Chewing Glass Collective & Ritemaker at Moor Beer Co.

Local morbid metal cryptkeepers lead this live gore-puke vocal + necrotic pit dance workshop for OSDM cadavers, with guest blackened death practitioners Ceremonial Bloodbath and Wales’ most savage Sodomized Cadaver. It's war FFO: Autopsy, Undergang, Beherit, Conqueror. Homegrown death metal titans CRYPTWORM take on Moor Beer with CEREMONIAL BLOODBATH in tow

Atmoblack Ringwraiths finally storm the Avon stronghold! Rising from the over-saturated mass of blackened post-rock bogmen, few in UK metal can embody the epic, eldritch lore of these lands as gloriously as FEN. Bacchus be praised for this long overdue display of evil prog-excess FFO: Enslaved, Altar of Plagues, Agalloch, Wolves in the Throne Room. Post-black metal veterans FEN come to Bristol for an incredibly rare headline tour.

Silver Waves flies the flag for wonderfully damaged avant-garde music, fusing gnarled industrial attitude with warped contemporary pop. This WMH edition features: Evitceles’ dooooming metal and slow-mo distorted beats, Thea Grant’s swelling vocals, Reality’s hardcore punk distortion, and Henry Wilson’s absurdist performance art. Properly wild stuff! WEIGHTED MY HAND returns to The Cube Microplex.

What our editors say

“Subterranean Manifestation started in London back in 2019. After four successful editions with numerous exclusive performances the event now moves to Bristol. The performing artists are always carefully selected to perfectly fit the concept of the event and to provide a well curated underground black death metal line-up. ”
From: Subterranean Manifestation V

“Monochrome returns to once again celebrate ugliness and excess. Set in the heart of Bristol, you'll find a diverse lineup of weirdo metal, gnarled punk and ear splitting noise, in a welcoming and inclusive environment.”
From: Festival of Ugly Music

“HÆRESIS Embarking out from Germany, Hæresis are an unorthodox post-black metal band who create dark, emotional and atmospheric music. Their 2025 album, Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum, released to rave reviews on the esteemed Vendetta Records, lauded for its aggression and ethereal elements. Having played across Europe's festivals, they now set their sights on Britain with this tour.”
From: HÆRESIS / NIGHTMARER

“Blurring the boundaries between hard rock and alternative metal, BLACK | LAKES have a reputation as a captivating live act, with dark imagery and high energy at the core of their live show. The Broken Idols tour sees BLACK | LAKES playing songs from their first two albums (‘For All We’ve Left Behind' 2022 & ‘DEAD GODS’ 2024) as well as showcasing new music from their imminent and greatly anticipated third album!”
From: BLACK | LAKES

“The Berlin-based progressive metal quartet CHAOSBAY are back. With new music in tow, they will be hitting venues across mainland Europe and the UK in 2027 with a highly anticipated tour that promises to raise the bar once again. Entering a new era, CHAOSBAY promise a tour that brings together everything the band stands for: maximum energy, technical virtuosity, progressive songwriting, crushing riffs and a live experience somewhere between musical madness and complete ecstasy.”
From: Chaosbay