Live photos - Graveland

- Graveland at Metal Threat Fest 2025 -

Breaking Boundaries and the Return of the Spirit of Freedom

A week ago, Graveland had the honor of taking part in the great four-day metal festival Metal Threat Fest 2025, which took place in Elgin, USA. It was our first performance on American soil, after many years of playing concerts. We had already played close to the U.S. before, in South America and Canada, but even though we’ve been performing regularly since 2015, only now did the moment finally come to play before the American audience. This event can already be called historic.

As a representative of uncompromising, underground Black Metal, Graveland was given a unique opportunity to present its music among other renowned and outstanding metal bands. I won’t hide the fact that I felt the pressure of this event, but it was a kind of pressure that did not weaken us; instead, it motivated and strengthened us in our conviction that we had to do it the best we could. Many people were counting on us, including the countless legions of our fans in the United States, and we could not let them down!

Unfortunately, our drummer Ahrin could not join us on this journey due to his professional duties — he couldn’t get enough days off from work for such a long trip. However, we decided not to give up. We performed with a replacement drummer, with whom we had our first rehearsal… on the very day of the concert, just a few hours before the show! Those few hours of practice had to be enough to prepare for the set.

On that historic night, we played for over an hour, cutting only one song “River of Tears.”

The audience welcomed us with immense enthusiasm, fully aware that they were witnessing something special. Together with our fans, through our music and performance, we tore down the symbolic “Berlin Wall” of Cancel Culture that had tried to limit us for years. It was a moment of triumph for the true spirit of metal, the spirit of freedom, unchained from censorship and political correctness. To me, this is the very essence of this music.

Graveland was received in the United States with great respect, and this experience will remain in our memories forever. It was only a pity that some other excellent bands, especially from Finland, whom I hold in high regard, could not perform due to visa issues. Recent turbulence in the U.S. administration caused significant delays in granting artist visas, which particularly affected Metal Threat Fest, as well as other festivals in the country. However, we believe these difficulties are only temporary, and that everything will soon return to normal, as the country has now set itself back on the right path, freeing itself from the destructive ideologies that have poisoned its spirit in recent years.

Despite all the obstacles, the festival took place and gathered a large number of metal fans from various subgenres. For me, it was also a time of discoveries, I was surprised to learn that my music is also listened to by musicians from well-known, leading metal bands, legends of the genre. I won’t mention their names, since, unfortunately, there is still a risk that leftist extremists infiltrating the metal scene could attack them for that.

I want to thank everyone who believed in us and stood with us during this exceptional event.

My thanks also go to the organizers and to all our friends who supported us throughout these days.

Together, we have proven that metal music is a symbol of freedom, beyond all divisions.

And that is how it should remain.

This is the spirit and the power of Metal!

Graveland - Metal Threat Festival 2025

Graveland – Finland, Gathering 2025

Lately, much has been said about our show at Metal Threat Fest 2025 in the USA, but few remember another special event that took place about a month earlier in Finland, during the first edition of the Gathering Festival, held between September 5th and 7th, 2025. That performance carried a spirit that words can hardly capture.

Graveland doesn’t play live very often. Every concert becomes something far more than just a musical event, it’s a meeting with the spirit of ancient times, with the eternal flame that still burns in the hearts of those who remember their ancestors. Though our setlist has remained similar over the years, new warriors and followers keep joining us, eager to experience this ritual for the first time.

The Gathering took place in a truly magical place surrounded by Finnish lakes and forests, where the mists of night hide the ghosts of ancient battles. There, in the heart of nature, as we raised the Thor's Hammer, we called upon the spirits of our forefathers and gods to stand beside us. Our music is about them and for them in the name of the old faith that will never fade.

The sounds of Graveland echoed through the woods and across the waters like ancient incantations. I believe they will remain there forever in the air, in the earth, and in the hearts of all who were present. I hope that the Gathering Festival will continue to grow and attract more worthy bands who can awaken your spirit and strengthen your will.

Raise the Thor's Hammer! Glory to the ancient gods!

Photos by Evan T., Lena P., Dariusz "Shadow", Gronn Gronnland.