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
Fallen Moon giving you 4 big reasons to take a trip to Bristol’s Metal Quarter™. If we had to pick two: atmospheric nu-doomgazers Root Zero and epically thrashy power-metalcore merchants These Foundations. Get ye to the Gryphon fans of Deftones, Alcest, Opeth, Gojira etc etc.
Thrash Metal/Heavy Metal at The Gryphon BS1
Mighty, mercurial Brighton quartet merging elements of punk, jazz and Maltese folk with big rumblings of nu metal + propelled by unsettling sprechgesang, like Life Without Buildings reanimated as neo-psych. Raw fun FFO: black midi, BODEGA, Black Country New Road, Grandma’s House, ARXX.
ĠENN live at Crofters Rights.
Sell out warning! Endlessly inventive bastions of that Bristol nu-jazz sound headline the Brew for one of their biggest hometown shows ever. Weaving jittery electronics around rhythmically dazzling jazz breaks to fry the minds of the most ardent Ishmael Ensemble, Move 78 and Ill Considered fans.
Bristol's fast-rising experimental Jazz trio play the hometown show of their new album tour
4-headed hellbeast! Distortion Gospel summons pure industrial pain and EBM angst with Trace Amount, Nailbreaker, ATC’s Monika Badly and sheet metal grindcore from your in-house band, Chewing Glass Collective. No-brainer / brain-melter FFO: Hide, Skinny Puppy, Author & Punisher, Godflesh, Street Sects.
Chewing Glass Collective take their 3rd Sound System fuelled trip into the darkest depths of electronic and extreme music.
What our editors say
“Unprocessed are firmly established as an innovative force in the modern and progressive metal realm, and are lauded for their unique approach that transcends genre barriers. Their latest album ‘...and everything in between’ is the most accomplished album Unprocessed have created. Beautifully melodic, intensely brutal, technically jaw-dropping and packed with hooks - it’s the album that firmly places them on the map as an act to watch.”
From: Unprocessed
“Abysmal Grief is a long-standing Italian obscure metal band, with thick roots in traditional doom metal and black metal. In over two decades they released albums, EPs and collaborations with relentless dedication, growing a true cult of followers.”
From: Abysmal Grief
“August 2023 saw UK ragga-metal legends Skindred fight a closely contested chart race for the UK Number 1 Album spot with their colossal eighth album 'Smile'. With the incredible support of the rock and metal community – including messages of support from Metallica, Rage Against The Machine and Disturbed as well as Kerrang!, NME and Metal Hammer – the band landed a career best of Number 2 in the UK Album chart, leading to a feature on BBC Breakfast.”
From: Skindred
“TÜSK and Hora join forces for a special evening of Fuzz, Riffs, and Doom. Hailing from Newquay, Cornwall, TÜSK will be bringing their ritual of heavy psychedelic riffage to Bristol for the first time. On the heels of the release of their EP 'Witch Trial Sessions Vol. 1', Bristol 4-piece Hora will set the stage ablaze with their crushing blend of doom and heavy metal. Legions of Doom arise.”
From: TÜSK + HORA
“Both bands are devoted to creating idiosyncratic forms that push music to its limits and break any genre and style boundary, ( you can call it prog-metal but it’s just scratching the surface). It was long overdue that they would conspire and collaborate at some point in history.”
From: RuinsZu