DEAD OF WINTER 2026

29 June

Written By Tom Wilson

Metal Is For All Of Us

Saturday 27th June 2026

Written by Tom Wilson
Photographed by: Rashid AlKamraikhi

All Ages, Accessible and AMAZING

After months of lead up, the day is finally here, and the resurrected DEAD OF WINTER Festival kicks off as RORONOAH take to the Sense Music Media stage at the Mansfield Tavern and unleash a clattering torrent of blast beats and filthy lows. A Brisbane five-piece taking the blunt savagery of deathcore and pushing it into the technical death metal space, they showcase tracks from their recent EP Shores of Desolation, and frontman Kalani Weeks is firing on all cylinders, even if mic issues rob us of some highlights. They put a lot of effort into their stage show, with matching outfits and some great makeup (special mention to bassist Corie’s black dress and moustache combo) but don’t forget to make crushing music. I’m excited to hear more from them.

From there, we head into the Mansfield’s cavernous main room to see an army of hooded musicians clasping brass instruments, like a police lineup of Grim Reapers who have been rounded up on suspicion of crimes against jazz. This veritable rogue’s gallery is VALTOZASH, Australia’s first ever jazz-metal big band, and in the midst of their set we witness a true crime against jazz as Simon takes a hammer to a trumpet, smashing it flat and then trying to play it. This hooded army pays tribute to another hooded army, as they launch into a bombastic cover of The Gears by DETHKLOK from Metalocalypse, before the unmistakable riff of PANTERA’s Walk gets heads banging … until Cam starts singing the lyrics to ARETHA FRANKLIN’s Respect over the top of it. Two very different songs about demanding respect, working perfectly together. Impressive stuff!

We catch some of ZZADE’s set on the Sense stage, impressed by her massive voice stretching out over propulsive drumming and distorted guitar riffs, before we head into the main band room to see HELLTRIPPERS knocking out some hard-edged punk-infused rock-n-roll. Combining the swagger of rock with the bite of punk and the brawn of metal, the Brisbane hellraisers are a sight to behold tonight, with two leather-clad performers joining them onstage as backing singers and their hype squad, mounting the barrier to whip the audience into hysterics. They are joined by one of the coolest drummers in Australia, the mighty Todd Hansen, and they storm through tracks that sound like they were purpose-built for burnouts. Awesome.

Up next are local punk crew GRIZZLYSHARK on the Sense stage, who seamlessly shift from SoCal punk to blistering hardcore and back again, showcasing Sean Puxty’s furious drumming, and Andrew Taylor’s vocal versatility, and the crowd laps it up, particularly set closer Jurassic Narc. We head back into the main room to see SYDONIA throwing down as hard as they did years ago, and writing this review the next day has given me new appreciation for a lyric in their song Incoming – “My neck hurts!” No one is safe from the pain, particularly on the Sense stage, as BOOF HEADS introduce themselves as “the worst cunts you’re ever going to meet” and drop into BUMRUSH. Hard, sneering nu metal, I called them “eshay-core” in my Good Things review, and their performance tonight reminds me of BODY COUNT, combining rap flows with pounding riffs and seething aggression. They promised to “bring back the biff”, and they do, with the two brothers donning boxing gloves and going for a round in the middle of the set.

WITCHGRINDER are having a great time and don’t care who knows it, and even though their material can crush on its own, they take the time to pay tribute, and the crowd roars as they recognise one of the most famous breakdowns of all time, PANTERA’s Domination, and they nail it. Dimebag would be proud. I know I am. After enough witches have been ground up, we pivot to see PIZZA DEATH cooking up some piping hot thrash metal with extra cheese. Due to inflation (or disorganisation), there is no pineapple prop tonight, so we won’t have a repeat of their last Brisbane show where a caveman from the crowd ate almost a whole pineapple sideways. Fast, furious, and most importantly fun, PIZZA DEATH are a guaranteed good time, with or without pineapple.

Next on my list is SPACE X DRAGON, who I’ve never heard, so I duck into the smoking area to take care of business before their set. In handing someone a Sense business card, I get told that they thought I was selling gym memberships because of the size of my arms, and I’ll need 2-3 business days for my ego to return to normal. In the midst of this, we’re distracted by a booming voice, and we turn to see a man dressed like a Warhammer Space Marine, carrying on about something in a tone worthy of Shakespeare. Whatever he’s saying, it works, because we follow him into the sports bar and watch SPACE X DRAGON dominate the Sense stage, as the man I now know as Captain Aegis takes us on a voyage. Awesome. Unfortunately we can’t stay, because we have a date with NICOLAS CAGE FIGHTER in the main room, and we enter to see them throwing down in a slightly unusual way. They’re a man down, and between songs they explain that their guitarist broke his foot, and their bassist has stepped up in a big way, laying down his bass tracks on a laptop so he can take over guitar duties. Their performance is crushing, and they even get a laugh when their vocalist tells us, “Give it up for the Macbook!” Metal isn’t for everyone, but metal is for all of us, and no one should miss out on it. Both DEAD OF WINTER and the Mansfield get top marks for accessibility. Have you ever seen a man with one leg do the pit in a wheelchair? Because I have now!

Life is a hell of a thing. When we first interviewed BLACK RHENO in 2022, it felt like we had a readership of about twenty people. Now they’re playing on a stage with our name on it! Tonight they are filming for a new music video, and as camera operators orbit around the stage I do some things to my neck that I now regret. First World Bitches is an absolute blitzkrieg of down-tuned riffage and Kieran Smith’s propulsive drumming, and it proves to be thirsty work, with frontman Ryan Miller stealing a sip from my water bottle. Realising that the band are dying of thirst on a stage with our name on it, I race to the bar and yoink a pitcher of water, and the band take a sec to re-hydrate before picking up the rest of their set and smashing us over the heads with it. Awesome.

Up next on the Sense stage are the mighty ASTRODEATH, and their music will make you feel like you can move mountains. I’m not kidding – the most weight I have ever lifted was done to their track Permafrost. Such is the power of the riff! Tim Lancken has some issues with his guitar signal, but the boys are in fine form tonight, and Ceremonial Blood is absolutely crushing, before their traditional cover of BLACK SABBATH’s Children of the Grave brings the house down.

I take some time to inhale some food in the media area, making conversation with a bloke who is astonished at how fast I can eat, completely unaware that I’m talking to Shane from DZ DEATHRAYS (who I interviewed but don’t recognise because I’m a space cadet). Later on in the day, I find out that I’ve made the DZ socials, as a photo of the back of my shirt – “TONIGHT’S TALL GUY IN FRONT OF YOU IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY SENSE MUSIC MEDIA” – winds up on their Stories. That will never not make me smile. I head to the Sense stage to take in a bit of Kiwi four-piece DARTZ, who had a big start to the year opening for FOO FIGHTERS back in Aotearoa, and the singer has already entered the crowd and made himself at home. From here, I head into the main room, and get my first taste of the performance art that has been interspersed amongst the bands, as dancers in fetish wear twirl fire and draw us into their dark world. From there, we pivot to the mighty LO!, and as they crush our heads we can’t take our eyes off flamboyant frontman Sam Dillon, who deftly switches between masculine and feminine, brawn and beauty, PANTERA and Priscilla. The sheer weight of their sound is impressive, and this is their best performance I’ve seen yet.

Up next are resurrected Sydney rockers BRACE, who are almost immediately derailed by sound issues as a faulty mic robs us of my favourite track, Colours of Decline. It’s frustrating as hell, but they’re consummate showmen, and fortunately the crowd has no problem singing every word for him. “We meant to do that,” vocalist Jamie Thomas says with a grin, and they plough through a great set, even showcasing a new track. They are tight as a drum, and I already can’t wait to have them back in Brisbane, if only to hear the non-karaoke version!

We are summoned back from the smoking area by the squeal of feedback that tells us one thing: it’s hammer time! Rock beasts HAMMERS take no prisoners on the Sense stage as they showcase tracks from their brilliant new album Death Wobbles, blending rock swagger with a taste for heaviness (guitarist Lucas Stone is wearing a CONVERGE Jane Doe shirt, if that tells you anything), and fans of bands like DREADNAUGHT will find a lot to love. Whether you’re sinking tinnies in the backyard or beating the shit out of people in the pit, HAMMERS have the soundtrack for you.

We head back into the main arena as TOE TO TOE get the two-steppers moving. I’m a mere tourist in the world of hardcore (possibly a poser, I’m not sure), so I had no idea just how respected these Sydney brutes are, but they throw down hard, dedicating a track to the straight edge folks in the crowd, and the pit karate reaches fever pitch. Brutal.

Considering I once saw him take a swig of unmixed cordial during an interview, Zeke has always been an open book with his struggles with diabetes, but after a recent emergency room visit, he’s not yet back to his fighting shape. As each MAMMAL track starts, he snaps into action and gives us his all, but by the halfway point in the set he’s looking rough, and in need of a pick-me-up. I yell “YOU’RE CRUSHING IT ZEKE”, and it seems to have the desired effect. He’s not the only one in the wars, mentioning that his drummer Zane is also on the bounce-back, but in truth they all crush it, and new guitarist David Bleus fits right in. Up next, JAY & LINDSAY take to the stage with acoustics in hand, and what follows is forty minutes of cracking banter and merriment as they dig into the FRENZAL RHOMB and SELF-RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS songbooks, dig into each other, and even take a swipe at the graphic of their name projected behind them which is only two steps away from Comic Sans. They are joined by Janey Heart on violin and Will Helmscrim from THE NEPTUNE POWER FEDERATION on keys, turning a punk classic like I Miss My Lung into a thing of beauty, and they relish in some of the edgier SRB material, with Now You’re Gone taking the rare honour of “Most Beautiful Song I’ve Ever Heard About Necrophilia.” Don’t worry – I don’t have a list.

I want to take a minute to highlight a really cool moment towards the end of the night which showcases what I love about the Mansfield Tavern. Some big rig in the audience has clearly had a big day, and is lurching around with his shirt off. One of the Mansfield’s regular guards approaches to talk to him, and having worked security in venues before, I can recognise that he’s being asked to follow them outside to send him on his way. Big Rig appears to admit defeat, but as he’s being led out, he suddenly dodges left and runs back into the crowd. There’s a moment where I can see the guard decide whether or not he’s going to give chase, and to my surprise, decides against it, and goes to wait by the door. The song finishes, and Big Rig decides to give himself up, and walks out playfully raising his hands to the smiling security. It was a really good example of positive crowd control, and not letting your ego or emotions get the better of you when you’re working (believe me, I know it’s not always easy). So huge props go to the seccy with the flowing blonde hair. Nice one.

It’s the end of the night, and I have a choice to make between Brisbane dance-punk trio DZ DEATHRAYS and resurrected Melbourne grind legends BEANFLIPPER. They’re both incredible bands, but I’ve already seen DZ, so I settle in to watch the mighty BEANFLIPPER headline the Sense stage, and holy shit. In my recent interview with drummer Matti Harrod, he mentioned that they used to be considered too metal for the punk scene and too punk for the metal scene, and that dynamic gives them something really special. Sweat is pouring off vocalist Richard as he screams his head off at the front row, and the crowd is in the palm of their hands. Having been brought back from the dead, it’s only appropriate that they pull the necromancer himself, Kent Bartley, onstage to belt out a furious rendition of Holy Stain with the band he resurrected, and it’s a beautiful sight.

DEAD OF WINTER’s return was absolutely fantastic. Huge props to the organisers for all their hard work. The turnout was great, the bands were all superb, and I never had to wait longer than three minutes for a hot feed. Seriously, what more could you ask for? Here’s to DEAD OF WINTER 2027!

Photos by: Rashid AlKamraikhi

FULL GALLERY COMING SOON

Dead of Winter

Tom Wilson

DEAD OF WINTER 2026

Metal Is For All Of Us

POISON THE WELL: Live In Brisbane

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