Kolben Kulturhus, Kolbotn
22–23 August 2025
Hellbotn began in 2014 down in the basement of Kolben Kulturhus. Back then it had a tiny stage, and six bands played across two days. One thing was guaranteed: the fire alarm would go off. Now, eleven years later, the fire alarm has long stopped being part of the festival tradition, and a full twelve bands play across two stages.
Most Norwegian metal festivals have their own unique charm, but Hellbotn might just be the coziest, friendliest one in the entire country. It’s a small festival, and half the audience consists of old friends who’ve been part of the metal scene since the ’90s. For some people, that might actually feel a bit intimidating—after all, it’s mostly underground bands and a crowd that largely knows each other already. But Hellbotn is absolutely a festival for everyone, a place where you can easily meet new people and discover new bands. The biggest challenge is simply getting people to realise it’s only a 10–15 minute train ride from Oslo S to Kolbotn.
FRIDAY
Swedish band Obnoxious Youth hit the main stage with their lively mix of heavy metal, speed metal, and black metal. The band proudly sports stage names like Coffin, Shit, Fuck, and Semen. The last two are former members, but still funny enough to mention. The young guys celebrate their 20th anniversary this year, and last year they released their third album, “Burning Savage”—a solid record well worth checking out.
There’s something extremely Swedish about this band—something about the clothes and the way they blend heavy metal with black metal. Leather vests all around, and the vocalist wearing silver boots and a spider-shaped belt buckle. You know instantly they’re not Norwegian. But they sound great, especially in the more heavy metal-leaning sections. That’s where they shine.
I also love that they decorated the stage with chains and neon upside-down crosses. It’s cheesy in all the right ways, and it feels intentional and fun. Great job!
Black thrash act Infernö from Kolbotn is one of Norway’s more overlooked gems. The band started in the mid-90s and swore allegiance to the German thrash tradition—think Kreator, Destruction, and Sodom. They released Utter Hell in 1996 and Downtown Hades in 1997, followed by several splits and compilations.
The last time I saw them live was at the Bunker Festival at Parkteatret in 2013—which, as far as I know, was also their last show. Now the old gang is back together, and this Hellbotn performance was announced as a “one show only” return.
The lineup features seasoned veterans: Necrodevil (Einar Sjursjø) on drums, known from Beyond Dawn and Lamented Souls; Aggressor (Carl-Michael Eide) on guitar, best known from Aura Noir; Bestial Tormentor (Olav Knutsen) on bass, of Lamented Souls and Coffin Storm; and Hazardous Pussy Desecrator (Tore Gjedrem) on vocals, from Beyond Dawn and Sex Judas.
A legendary roster, really. And even though this was just a one-off concert, they sounded fantastic. The riffs hit hard, the vocals were raw and commanding. Necrodevil had some technical problems along the way, but thankfully that got sorted out quickly. What an underrated drummer—he plays so steadily you could set your watch by him.
This show truly kicked ass. Too bad it was a one-time thing; I’d happily watch this band many more times. Let’s hope we won’t have to wait another twelve years.
Deströyer 666 from Australia play sinister, blackened thrash metal. Saying they’re “from Australia” is a bit misleading these days, since none of the current members actually live there anymore—they’re scattered around Europe, including Sweden, from what I understand.
Their Hellbotn set is… fine. Not super tight, and at times it feels like “just another day at the office.” But even an average day at the office can be good, and they deliver what they’re known for. They have some great songs on rotation, including “I Am the Wargod (Ode to the Battle Slain),” which is one of their best. Hard to complain.
This is Abhorration’s third Hellbotn appearance—they also played here in 2022 and 2023. In fact, their very first gig was at Hellbotn, which makes perfect sense since several members are local. The band plays old-school death metal, and they remind me a lot of Morbid Angel.
Since last time, they’ve released a full album. Demonolatry came out last year and received glowing reviews. On the negative side, the kind of music they play peaked about 35 years ago. On the positive side, they play this kind of music ridiculously well. Abhorration keeps getting better every time I see them, and they’re now tighter than ever.
They’ve also updated their stage outfits—now all three stringed-instrument players wear matching studded upside-down-cross armbands. Very cool. A shame they didn’t exist 35 years ago—they could’ve been huge.
Walking into the main hall to see The Haunted play to a quarter-full room is… strange. The biggest band on the bill, the one at the top of the poster, is performing to the smallest crowd of the night. Why? Hard to say. Maybe their melodic death metal doesn’t resonate with the Hellbotn crowd. Maybe their fans didn’t find the rest of the lineup appealing enough to buy a ticket.
Whatever the reason, it’s a shame. They’ve got a brand-new album, Songs of Last Resort, released this year, and they haven’t played in Eastern Norway since 2017. But the poor turnout doesn’t seem to bother them. Of course it doesn’t—they’re pros.
With Jonas Björler and Adrian Erlandsson from At The Gates, Patrik Jensen from Witchery, Marco Aro from Face Down, and YouTube giant Ola Englund (Feared), this lineup is stacked with talent. Unsurprisingly, they sound excellent. Too bad so few witnessed it, but those who did seemed to have a great time.
SATURDAY
Sykofant is probably the band that stands out the most at this year’s Hellbotn, with their ’70s-style prog rock. That also shows in the turnout—not many people show up for the first band of the day. It’s not my typical genre, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be impressed.
First of all: the sound is phenomenal. Every detail comes through clearly. With this kind of prog rock, where the instruments can be kept lighter in the mix, the clarity is incredible. If you’re in a death metal band blasting at 300 km/h, you don’t hear when the guitarist bends a note. With Sykofant, you do.
Of course, this works both ways—if you make a mistake, it’s very noticeable. But Sykofant are skilled musicians who don’t make mistakes, so no worries there.
When they drift into long instrumental passages, it gets a bit dull for me. I prefer them when there’s vocals. But like many ’70s-worshipping prog bands, they love their extended instrumental jams. Aside from that, Sykofant does a very solid job, and I think they’ll receive more attention in the coming years.
Black metal band Helvitnir released their debut album Wolves of the Underworld earlier this year, and the reception has been very positive. This is the new band from Ihizahg and Bjarkan—both formerly in Ragnarok—along with Vargblod from Sweden. Hellhammer played drums on the album, but since he’s busy with Mayhem, Arcturus, and The Kovenant, he obviously can’t join them live. Instead they brought in Leonid Melnikov, also of Koldbrann and Fleshmeadow, and he does a fantastic job. I doubt many even realised the drummer was different.
For a debut concert, Helvitnir performs impressively well. I really don’t have much to complain about.
Morax is a new band that started only a couple of years ago. Earlier this year they released their debut album, The Amulet, and they’ve already gotten a decent amount of attention. The band is essentially Remi André Nygård from Inculter—he plays all instruments and does the vocals on the album. Live, of course, he has a full band with him. And they’re good—really good.
Musically, Morax plays classic ’80s-inspired heavy metal. Sure, they’re about 45 years too late for that particular wave, but that hasn’t stopped them from becoming an underground favourite. Even Fenriz has praised The Amulet. The audience clearly enjoys it, and Morax has definitely found its crowd at Hellbotn.
Tsjuder has really made the rounds on Norwegian festivals this year: first Inferno, then Midgardsblot, and now Hellbotn. This time without Frederick Melander from Bathory, meaning we get a full Tsjuder set—nothing to complain about, especially on a smaller stage.
The band plays well and the crowd is into it immediately. Nag has bass trouble midway and ends up discarding it entirely, and the band plays two songs without bass. Strangely enough, it works fine—just a bit thin. He eventually gets it fixed, and the rest of the show goes smoothly. They absolutely deliver, even if I feel I’ve seen them perhaps one time too many this year.
After a short break, I catch the end of Swedish heavy metal band Tyrann. This is heavy metal drenched in Swedishness. It’s nearly impossible to be more “hairy” or deliberately tacky than Tyrann, which somehow gives them a certain charm. Sometimes it feels like a parody of heavy metal—but who knows, since so many Swedish bands embrace this Muskelrock aesthetic.
Tyrann also has some hilariously bad cover artwork. Both albums have plain white covers with the logo and some scribbling. Their new EP, The Slaughter House Tapes, is a parody of Iron Maiden’s The Soundhouse Tapes. Lyrics like “Don’t Make Fashion Of Our Heavy Metal Passion” only add to the fun.
But seeing them live, it becomes clear they’ve struck a nerve in the underground. Older dudes nearing retirement are headbanging, and young women in the front row are singing along enthusiastically. The band also sounds far heavier and faster live than on record, with much more energy. Honestly, I’d say Tyrann might have had the most energetic audience reaction of the entire festival.
It’s impressive that Hellbotn managed to book Enslaved. They’re not necessarily the band that pulls the biggest crowd here—they’re slightly outside the usual thrash/heavy/death/black profile Hellbotn tends to book—but they’re a major band with a long international career. Naturally, they deliver a professional show.
That said, it feels like one show among many in their long career, and I’ve definitely seen them better. I felt a certain detachment. Still, the setlist had highlights. Havenless got particularly strong audience response—it’s one of their most streamed songs with nearly five million plays on Spotify.
With 16 albums to choose from, they have a luxury problem, and with such varied releases there’s always material you’ll miss. Personally, In Times is one of their best, but they didn’t play anything from it—not surprising, given their enormous catalog. They did, of course, include tracks from their newest album, Heimdal. All in all, a good concert—but not Enslaved at their peak.
All photos by Diana Blajan.
About The Author
