The Roadburn experience is unique to every person who attends, whether that’s in terms of bands seen, how that band made the person feel or how that attendee approached new acts and much-loved favorites — no two people will have the exact same encounters with the music or the Festival. That’s the magic of Roadburn and why it’s held in such high regard the world over. Just taking a moment to stand still and soak in the atmosphere will allow you to hear many different languages being spoken around you while people meet friends both old and new over a love for heavy music.

The main principle of Roadburn in 2022 is “Redefining Heaviness,” and that energy flows through the Festival area as crowds make their way to the first shows of Thursday, perhaps already having been in Tilburg for a day or more in order to get their bearings and attend the Wednesday pre-show party, “The Spark.” The music on offer ranges from the rawest black metal to the most experimental and obscure sounds the world has to showcase and Roadburn embraces that with its whole heart. The team behind the Festival spend months and almost their entire beings on booking bands that line up with the values that Roadburn promotes, commissioning special projects and looking for the right visual artists to bring their concepts to life.

Immersion in Roadburn is key, at least for this attendee, and so full sets were a priority for those bands I really wanted to catch, while others were a “nice to see if I can manage it” vibe. It is definitely not possible to see everything unless you want to spend five minutes with a band before moving on, never eating and never sitting down. It’s not recommended but it’s also your festival experience, so you do you? For this traveler, Thursday started early with a 4am wake-up call and a 6am flight to Amsterdam and it was already in mind that perhaps the official start time of 2pm with Big Brave was pushing it slightly in regards to the mental and physical capacity to fully engage with the Festival straightaway. You can check out the preview that was posted shortly before the Festival and have fun matching up the bands mentioned with what was actually witnessed, but I’d decided to go with the flow, as it were, and see how my brain felt in the moment. And after arriving in Tilburg at 11am, my brain needs a nap.

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Thursday

For this reason, then, my first band of the weekend is a collaboration between Vile Creature and Bismuth with their commissioned piece, A Hymn of Loss and Hope on the Main Stage of the 013. Entering the space felt like coming home, in a way, the familiar sights and smells immediately brought back memories of vying for a good spot to see the band (as a short person this is vital) and to be comfortable in the crowd, the biggest many of us have seen since the Spring of 2020. The atmosphere is electric and a tangible feeling of anticipation fills the air as people begin to fill the floor and stare at the projected backdrop that proclaims “Roadburn 2022,” in simple but promising terms. As the lights dim and Vile Creature and Bismuth take to the stage, the expectant crowd welcome them as though heroes, the first to return to the hallowed halls of the 013 and the first band on the Main Stage for Roadburn 2022. It is a moment that sends chills down the spine as the reality sets in — we are here, watching live music, with people, in real life. It’s mind-boggling for a split second and as the two collaborators channel downtrodden doom and shiver-inducing screams, the haze begins to pass as thousands of people come to understand that this is really happening. It is wonderful to be in this moment and despite technically being alone in a physical sense, the knowledge that the people surrounding you are experiencing their own private moments brings us closer together. As A Hymn of Loss and Hope ends, there is a buzz in the air as the crowd exits the stage and seeks the next thrill.

De Koepelhal houses The Terminal and Engine Room stages, as well as being the main hub for merch and the Ladybird Skatepark (more to come on that). Areas for food and drinks and situated outside as well as the temporary Hall of Fame venue while construction is in progress on the old site. This new Hall of Fame is much bigger and honestly, should become a permanent fixture in the future or even a large cafe/restaurant type of place as while places to sit are plenty, sometimes there is little choice but to sit on the floor somewhere. Anyway, I digress, The Terminal is the next stop for this attendee and Year of No Light are already laying waste to the venue upon arrival. Their light show is mesmerizing as is their stunning take on instrumental post-rock. Their sound is crisp and deliciously heavy and the darkness of the venue allows for the audience to become fully absorbed in their performance.

After Year of No Light it is time to walk back to the Main Stage (this is a fairly quick walk if you’re lucky with the traffic but the renovations that are happening all around the city make the times slightly longer than usual) for Italian band Messa and their playthrough of newest album, Close. Captivating from the start, the band meld doom and Mediterranean influences to create a sound that inspires devotion, not least through vocalist Sara’s powerful voice and commanding presence. Messa’s set is one of the most talked about of the weekend and their not-so-secret set on Saturday – the band somehow accidentally let it slip in advance and it was a case of when it was happening rather than if it was happening – in the Skatepark was packed out due to this word of mouth.

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After Messa, a short break is required before heading into the evening programme. Word on the street is that Thou have been spotted arriving and there is a definite feeling of “what the hell is going on?” buzzing around the Festival sites. Roadburn are known for adding surprise shows and secret sets from bands you didn’t even know were coming, so this news is already heightening the tension of the day. The TimeSquare app (the app the Festival recommends to use which has the full timetables of each day, plus alerts fifteen minutes before your picks start as well as having the most up-to-date information on when and where bands are playing) fast becomes a close friend as you constantly check for new additions, replacements for those acts who unfortunately couldn’t make it and the much touted secret shows Roadburn keep mentioning to us to keep an eye on. Still, nothing much will stop me from catching 40 Watt Sun as Perfect Light has been a favorite since release. Patrick Walker leads the band and it’s his voice which carries much of the emotion they are known for while the music takes on the role of supporting act in order to create a delicate and engrossing hour on stage. Looking around the main stage crowd it is clear that many here hold 40 Watt Sun close to their hearts as heads are bowed and eyes closed, the stories of Walker washing over them as if they were their own. It is a powerful moment that only breaks once “Stages” ends and those present can finally exhale their own personal pain.

As the crowd spills out in the main street, the news comes that Thou are indeed at Roadburn and they’ll be playing at Ladybird Skatepark at 9pm. The capacity of the skatepark is limited due to the amount of fire exits available and it is important to arrive early to begin queuing for this venue. The skatepark hosted some legendary sets in 2019—Thou played their infamous Misfits cover set there and the energy of the park is much different to the other venues of Roadburn. There’s something about the DIY aspect that gets the crowd in the right frame of mind and as Thou appear on the stage for one of the heaviest sets of the weekend, the audience rightly goes wild and the momentum barely stops for the entirety of their set.

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Over on the Main Stage, Sólstafir are playing their 2011 opus Svartir Sandar and during the last song of the set, the visuals change from artwork of the album to the moving pictures of the film Valhalla Rising. This holds significance as this was a fan-made video of their final song from the album, “Djákninn,” accompanying visuals from the movie—to close the set using this is a beautiful nod to the dedication of their fans and the band to them and it is a visceral and dramatic end to a performance that encapsulates exactly why the Icelandic band’s legacy is still as strong today as it was upon the release of the album over a decade ago.

The evening still holds promise in its final acts of the day yet getting into the Next Stage for The Bug looks to be a lesson in futility. Still, Russian Circles are a perfect way to end the first day of Roadburn Festival 2022 as their heavy post-metal fills the Main Stage to the rafters, the sound swelling with each sweep on the guitar and strike of the drum as the trio bring Thursday to its close. Afterwards, there’s a choice of bars to hit on the affectionately named Weirdo Canyon strip that forms the main landing zone for many Roadburners, with favorite bars taking precedence for some, while others look for a cool place to have their final beer of the night, and a few hit their beds to get some rest before Friday starts.

Friday

The most intriguing prospect of Friday is the collaboration between Perturbator’s James Kent and Cult of Luna’s Johannes Persson, a commissioned piece entitled Final Light and the first musical port of call for me today. Accompanied by two drummers with Kent on synths/keys and Persson on guitar/vocals, the industrial leaning post-metal (this barely seems like the right description but words are not always found so easily) the duo create is some of the most insane of the weekend. Movement is mandatory and the atmosphere is lit up by the deep bellows of Persson who commands the audience from the outset. The high expectations of what Final Light would sound like are completely justified as the two musicians come together to mold their respective genres into an entirely new beast.

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Speaking of insanity, next is Wiegedood who showcase their most recent album, There’s Always Blood At The End Of The Road and pummel the audience with deadly blast beats and dour spoken word sections. This contrast plus the stark lighting choices give Wiegedood a dangerous edge as their music begins to take new forms in the spaces between songs. Time for introspection is in short supply both at Roadburn and in life, and the Belgian’s approach to this performance gives those moments to the audience in the vast hall of the Main Stage before once again launching full throttle into punishing, existential black metal.

Before the commissioned work of This Shame Should Not Be Mine from GGGOLDDD, there is the announcement that Lamp of Murmuur are playing a surprise secret show at the Little Devil bar. This is a tiny venue and a chance to catch the band before their Terminal set on Sunday and the lure is much too great (sorry, GGGOLDDD). A dash to the bar that lies 10-15 minutes walk away ensues to make sure entry is gained for the show and a prime spot is taken at the front once the gathered crowd is allowed into the stage area. The atmosphere is charged with excitement as the mysterious M. and his chosen band enter into the tiny stage. Cloaked in robes and smoke, the band begin a whirlwind of a set that only slows down when they notice some technical difficulties in the shape of an air conditioner leaking onto the amp stack. The band are professional about it, however, and despite a small argument with an audience member who apparently is very annoyed about the interruption (should the whole band die from electrocution for you to hear the rest of the set?), M. keeps their cool and makes sure the audience is aware of what is happening at all times. It’s not long before Lamp of Murmuur are able to continue and anyone who is here has the sense that they are witnessing something very special indeed. It is joyous and exhilarating to be a part of this audience losing their minds in unison as the band launch into “Heir of Ecliptical Romanticism” to end the show. Sunday seems very far away for another chance to catch thia group of musicians live.

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After Lamp of Murmuur finish, Alcest begin their performance of 2010s Écailles de Lune back at the 013’s Main Stage. The band are held dear to many and the audience fill the room from the front to the rafters of the balcony. Frontman Neige switches from gentle vocalizations to heightened screams – certainly one of the most recognizable voices in black metal – as the French band bookend the album with a handful of fan favorites to round out their stage time. The performance is magical both from a musical perspective and from the point of view that Neige is bringing to life a world he encountered as a child. The band emulates the majesty of the unknown in climbing guitar solos and serene passages while the fear of passing through into a new world is filtered through Neige’s shrieks and Winterhalter’s rich drums. As their set draws to a close the is a buzz in the air that is added to when the huge gap in the Main Stage’s timetable is revealed to be a collaboration between Thou and Mizmor.

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At this point, a rest is needed and while the plan is initially to see HEALTH over at the Engine Room, the possibilities of what Thou and Mizmor can create together is far more intriguing and so the Main Stage becomes the focus for many on this beautiful Friday evening. It turns out that the performance will be songs from a collaborative album, Myopia, recorded in secret and released to the public on this same day. The Main Stage is taken on a journey of cinematic proportions as the songs reveal the darkest depths of Thou’s sludge and the dramatic twists of Mizmor’s blackened doom. To say it is cathartic is hardly doing the music justice but there is a collective sense of release as the final notes wash over the room, that there was something powerful at play here and to be present is to be cleansed.

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Several deep breaths are required after the songs of Myopia and the choices for what to see next are between Swiss band Sum Of R playing their newest album Lahbryce in full or the psychedelic delights of TAU & The Drones of Praise at the Next Stage. Sum Of R wins out in this instance and the performance is captivating to say the least. Expanding the line-up is Marko Neuman on vocals (Dark Buddha Rising) and Jukka Rämänen on drums (also of Dark Buddha Rising) to complement the curious sounds of the band. Neuman is electrifying to watch as he possesses a terrifying energy that pulses out across the gathered audience and draws them into his circle. Lahbryce is hypnotic on this scale and it is the perfect close to Friday. The choice now stands at partying or bedtime and for this festival goer, it turns into a need to lie down as Saturday looms on the horizon.

We’ll continue our post-fest rundown of Roadburn 2022 later this week. Stay tuned!

The otherworld has long been a fascination for many and in the realm of music that attraction is unlocked and held within secret kingdoms and languages known only to the creators, personal to them and used to make sense of the reality they find themselves in daily or to navigate the magical domains they conjure through sound. Trhä is a key to pass through to the unknown and the architect of this world is the extraordinarily named Thét Älëf, detna hacëntara Trha Nönvéhhklëth, Jôdhrhä dës Khatës, Dlhâvênkléth fëhlätharan ôdlhënamsaran Ebnan, who uses their music to move through nostalgia and bittersweet memories, anger and difficulty as well as finding hope in the darkness.

While Trhä prefer to keep their location hidden and Thét Älëf’s identity a mystery, they did grant us an interview in which their magical dimension is discussed and their language and its creation is explained. Trhä’s music falls within the walls of black metal and includes nods to spiritual guidance and enchanted journeys on its path of discovery, however, the light is often contrasted by darkness as Thét Älëf’s voice shifts through screams and howls to create balance between soft serenity and dense despair.

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Your music often feels spiritual, I’m not sure if religious is the right word, but there is a sense of… reverence for that world in the musical motifs that appear–bells, organs, choral passages, for example on endlhëtonëg. Is that something that you experienced in your life? If so, how has that impacted you?

endlhëtonëg is a magical place in a distant world, and the song “endlhëtonëg” is literally the hymn venerating the potent indescribable magic of the land. The choral passage was added for this obvious reason. The bells were somewhat of an accident, since I was recording “endlhëturhën” and discovered this sound on my synth, though the use of this sound makes complete sense within the context of the rest of the album.

Is this distant world something that you feel connected to in a spiritual sense or in a more physical way? What does the magical aspect mean to you?

This connection is spiritual, and also in the sense that I am the creator. This world comes from me. The magical aspect means everything. In everything I do I aspire to touch and bathe in the purest most sense of magic.

In relation to the spiritual world spoken about above, does Inagape refer to the concept of unconditional love for god and his reciprocated feeling for mankind or is it more a general feeling of awe and respect? How would you describe it?

Inagape is about a deeply personal moment and connection and intense emotional overcoming in my life. It has nothing to do with anything else.

Do you feel a sense of nostalgia, or wistfulness, with Trhä’s music? It often seems as though it’s calling back to bittersweet memories or moments of the past, those that bring both joy and pain. There are moments in tálcunnana dëhajma tun dejl bënatsë abcul’han dlhenisë ëlh inagat, jahadlhë adrhasha dauzglën nu dlhevusao ibajngra nava líeshtamhan ëf novejhan conetsë danëctsë kin, ëf tu dlhicadëtrhënna bë ablhundrhaba judjenan alhëtangrasë shidandlhamësë inkom that carry both extreme happiness and dark despair – is that something you’re aware of when writing?

Much of what I do in general is very nostalgic. Oftentimes with trhä I’m alluding to juvenescent magic, even on the songs that don’t sound particularly whimsical or childlike. I am in love with purity and I refer to this perfection in many things that I do. “tálcunnana..” is about a very, very specific thing and I tried my best to capture it, so I was very aware of what sounds I wanted to use to capture this magic. While I don’t believe I could ever truly capture these images perfectly, I think the sound came very close. There is a very present youthfulness in the theme of the latest trhä release as well.

You seem to have created an entire language to use in Trhä. What drove the decision to create the language and are there any languages that you pulled inspiration from?

I have had a deep interest in creating languages since I was a kid, and when I was 16 I started creating my first real language. I am 24 now and that original language, although very evolved from the beginning, is still used in the word “trhä” and my artist name “Thét Älëf, detna hacëntara Trha Nönvéhhklëth, Jôdhrhä dës Khatës, Dlhâvênkléth fëhlätharan ôdlhënamsaran Ebnan”. Very early versions of this language are quite different and seem a lot more like its obvious influence which was German (language I was studying at the time), but over the years becoming overflowing my obsessed with languages it has become more complete and unique.

In 2018 I started creating an entire new language because this original one was absurdly complex and impractical and I wanted to create something that I could genuinely speak with fluidity, and this new language is what would eventually become what it is now, and what (most) trhä songs are written in. My intention with this language has also always been to make it as unique as I could, so it truly doesn’t draw much influence from any other languages, but rather my own intuition. This language (called hadlhaj) is deeply rooted in my own person and emotions. I can say it is almost entirely a pure creation directly from me, although the true lore is that it is spoken in a distant world (as well as other languages, including the one I started in 2013). There are many languages too, and many eras of languages (for example “ëpfêrhäth” is written in “middle” ryãvûln) but my main focus is always hadlhaj and it is the most complete of any of my languages.

Does the hadlhaj language then have its own rules for grammar and structure? This is a fascinating topic, in and of itself–would you ever offer translations or insight into how the language is constructed?

Yes. Some people think that it might be a cipher or that I’m just making up replacement words for English syntax or some other language, or that it’s even just gibberish. None of these are true. The language has its own unique and complete grammar and a constantly growing vocabulary. I have always been genuinely fascinated by languages and grammar so I definitely pay attention to all the minute details in the language to the fullest extent. I would love to offer a chance for people to learn the language or at least understand what some of the songs mean. I could translate anything, it would just be a matter of inventing words I don’t have yet in the vocabulary.

As ëpfërhäth is written in a language you term – “middle” ryãvûln – can you expand on that a bit more? Are there variations of this language and how do you decide which Trhä song fits which language?

In the same way any language evolved and changes over many generations, so do mine. In the same way “middle English” is basically just English from medieval times, “middle ryãvûln” is ryãvûln from far back enough that it’s not “old” ryãvûln but not quite new or early modern. All of these languages exist in the distant world I mentioned earlier.

Do you write in any other languages for your other projects?

Sometimes, there have been entire songs and albums in a language of mine or sometimes I will borrow words from “hadlhaj” for example because I like them more or they are better descriptors for what I’m trying to convey.

You seem to be quite prolific with several releases in a short space of time – how does the creative process work for you? Do you feel moved by outside forces during that process?

My writing process has always been just make songs and don’t think hard about it. In reality I just make things up as I go along. As far as the music goes at least, even if I know that there’s a true theme I want to capture it’s still easy for me to do so without being tedious. Thematically, it’s just my imagination spinning ideas, or the meticulous connection between themes in a grander theme which is this magical world I talk about in some trhä material.

The enigmatic approach works extremely well for Trhä, but are you involved in other projects and if so, why do you feel you need to remain behind the pseudonym of Thét Älëf for this band?

I have many projects but trhä is very removed from them all. The intention with trhä has always been to remain distant and unrecognizable in the “real” world, because this music and words come from somewhere else.

What does Trhä mean to you? Both the name and the concept?

“trhä” means key, the key to true perfect magic, true fantastic desires and pleasures, and this distant magic place.

If Trhä is the key to unlocking this magical place, do you find that it helps you to unlock something different within yourself?

As well as being the key to this place, it is also the key to in general, pure magic. Within me or exterior. trhä and the music allows me to capture and distill this magic so I can hold it in my hands.

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Follow Trhä on Bandcamp.

Trhä records and tapes are available from Ixiol Productions, Labyrinth Tower, and Babylon Doom Cult Records.

The scent of spring hangs in the air, a feeling of hope and renewal stands round the corner and the leading light of Roadburn Festival begins to fade into view as we near a weekend in Tilburg that is powerful enough to change your perception of reality and perhaps even your life. The aura that surrounds the festival is one that is spoken about with great reverence by all those who have had the opportunity to attend and those who still dream of heading to The Netherlands for four days of musical discovery in late April.

Now that the schedules are published, it is time to comb the line-up for “must-sees” as well as bands you would like to experience and bands you would be interested in catching live. Of course, most people’s best laid plans are thrown out of the window on the first day as they soak up the atmosphere of the 013 and the Weirdo Canyon – the affectionately named strip of bars and cafes that line the main street before heading around the corner to the venue that houses the Main Stage and the newly monikered Next Stage (previously known as The Green Room) – and find themselves going with the flow of the Festival rather than sticking to a predetermined timetable. That’s where the beauty of Roadburn lies, the discovery and the surprises. Sure, you could rigidly follow your plans but you may miss out on some of the most exciting and absorbing music the world has to offer.

In recent years De Koepelhal was an added as another larger venue and is the home to The Terminal and The Engine Room stages, while a short walk from there is Hall of Fame and a skatepark which has hosted secret shows such as Thou’s Misfits cover set in 2019. De Koepelhal is a brisk five minutes from the main area the Festival is set in and the route will become second nature by the end of the first day. If you’ve got time, stop off at the little ice cream shop on the way and get some delicious frozen treats and rest a while in the sun.

The Pandemic brought 2020’s edition to a halt but in 2021 we experienced the Festival in an online capacity as Roadburn Redux which was a glimmer of light in a world which is still recovering from some of the strangest years most of us have ever known.
The year 2022, though, brings the Festival screaming back into the limelight with acts both known and underground, handpicked curations and commissioned music as well as a brand new venue–Paradox–in which the most abstract and unusual performances can be seen. Curating this year is GGGOLDDD‘s Milena Eva and Thomas Sciarone who have chosen several acts to perform across the Festival such as Liturgy performing Origin of the Alimonies, Wiegedood playing their most recent opus There’s Always Blood at the End of the Road as well as a takeover of the Hall of Fame venue on Sunday 24th. GGGOLDDD will themselves be appearing on the Main Stage at the 013 in order to bring their Roadburn Redux commissioned piece This Shame Should Not Be Mine to a live audience for the first time. This is sure to be a performance for the ages and while their Roadburn Redux presentation was powerful, hearing Milena’s words in person and her transformational story is guaranteed to be a cathartic moment for all.

Commissioned works have been a staple of Roadburn for a number of years and in this year’s edition we finally get to hear the sounds created by Cult of Luna‘s Johannes Persson and Perturbator‘s James Kent which was originally to be played at 2020s Festival, titled Final Light. This pairing may seem curious on the surface but delve deep into their respective band’s and musical history, and there is a common thread of experimentation that will be found on April 22nd. Another 2020 piece which will see the bright light of day this year is Vile Creature and Bismuth’s work, A Hymn of Loss and Hope which promises to be both crushing and exhilarating given their work on their own projects – prepare to be annihilated on April 21st.

As well as curators and commissioned works, Roadburn also invites an Artist in Residence which this year sees Full of Hell play four times over the course of the Festival. They’ll play Trumpeting Ecstasy and Weeping Choir in full before joining forces with Nothing for a collaborative set and ending the weekend with Primitive Man‘s Ethan McCarthy, here performing as Spiritual Poison for a full rendition of new album Garden of Burning Apparitions. French trio SLIFT and Dirk Serries (himself a staple of Roadburn over the years) will expand the Artist in Residence side of the Festival with special performances and collaborations over the weekend.

If you’re lucky enough to be in Tilburg earlier than the “official” start of Thursday 21st April then you can check out Radar Men From The Moon at the pre-show party The Spark alongside Maggot Heart and Bad Breeding and if you like to sit down and listen to interesting talks then the Roadburn side programme has you covered. Here you can join in Q&A’s, hear about the industry and take in the knowledge of your peers. If art is something that piques your interest then there are several exhibitions held over the weekend featuring Roadburn’s artwork creators Valreza Collective, Manuel Tinnemans and William Lacalmontie.

For personal picks and recommendations, the list is too long to go into fully but there are some bands that have been high on the priority scale since they were announced, some that I am intrigued by and many I have never heard of but would like to check out. There is far too much to entertain the possibility of seeing everything on the list but the intentions are there, at least. For brevity’s sake I won’t mention every single band that appeals but the following, broken down by day, are certainly one’s to watch. So, let’s get into it and remember, it’s just my opinion, man.

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Thursday 21st April

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Essentially opening the first full day of Roadburn Festival 2022 is Canadian trio Big Brave, fresh off the release of two records in 2021, they are bringing their brand of slow burning amplifier worship to The Terminal stage at 1400. Sure to be a rousing beginning to the weekend, Big Brave offers the chance to experience a new kind of heaviness before Forndom channel ancient Scandinavian rituals over at Next Stage in the 013.

Vile Creature & Bismuth are the first band to grace the Main Stage on Thursday and will be premiering their commissioned collaboration A Hymn of Loss and Hope. While the piece had been written ready for the 2020 edition of the Festival, the two bands have been using their time since to refine their creation and this performance promises to be one that is intense in both emotion and sound. Switching back to The Terminal we find Year of No Light following up the release of Consolamentum with a set that forms part of a label showcase from Pelagic Records while a quick change of venues brings us to Messa playing their new album Close in full for the Main Stage audience. Messa’s atmospheric doom is catchy enough to carry you away into the next dimension as the Italian’s presence is as magickal as it is entrancing.

De Koepelhal’s Engine Room hosts Cloud Rat’s first set of the weekend which leans into the more extreme metal side of their catalogue, whereas on Friday they’ll play a set centered around their electronic work Do Not Let Me Off The Cliff after which there’s a choice to be made between The Devil’s Trade, Spiritual Poison and 40 Watt Sun. For this attendee, the latter is the most attractive of the three and it is certainly not possible to see all three and immerse yourself in any of them. A large part of Roadburn is making decisions and to be honest, it is better to watch all, or most, or something rather than stretching yourself too thin between venues, walking back and forth and being too tired to watch it anyway. So, The Main Stage wins out this time as 40 Watt Sun’s Perfect Light is already a favorite release of 2022 and Patrick Walker’s brand of emotional catharsis is one that has to be experienced in the flesh.

If you’re feeling adventurous then you can head to Paradox for a performance from Autarkh III, a special presentation of Autuarkh’s more ambient and experimental side that began to take shape after they were asked to be a part of Roadburn Redux last year. Now fully realized, Autarkh III are a band of their own and they will surely take you to new heights with their avant-garde structures of sound. Icelandic cowboys Sólstafir perform 2011s Svartir Sandar on the Main Stage on Thursday evening and if you can tear yourself away from the soaring melodies then Full of Hell will be waiting at The Terminal to blow your mind clean apart as they hit the stage for their first set of the weekend with a runthrough of Trumpeting Ecstasy. You’ll have a number of other chances to catch them over the Festival as they play every day in Tilburg so missing this one isn’t the worst thing that can happen if it means surrendering yourself to the atmosphere of Sólstafir or mesmerizing tones of Wyatt E. at the Hall of Fame. As long as you’re still on your feet and exhaustion has yet to set in then the last acts of this first day are sure to keep your head in the game. Russian Circles close out the Main Stage with The Bug featuring Flowdan & Logan bringing the Next Stage to its end, perhaps literally, as the legendary musician mixes dubstep, dancehall and grime to an explosive effect —the 013 may not survive the night.

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Friday 22nd April

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Friday starts strong with LLNN performing as part of the Pelagic Presents showcase with their latest album Unmaker. The Danish band are a heavy proposition on record and live they promise to throw down the gauntlet for most destructive band of the weekend. Primitive Man will surely challenge that crown, though, as a quick switch from the Engine Room to The Terminal brings us to the Denver trio and their claustrophobic energy.

Another of Roadburn’s commissioned pieces will see its debut on the Main Stage on Saturday as James Kent & Johannes Persson join forces to create a work that holds no genre boundaries and digs deep into the inspirations behind the two band’s the creators are a part of. Exactly what this piece will sound like is cloaked in mystery as Kent and Persson have shared little about the experience with the wider world yet it is this secrecy that entices the most. This exhibition of innovation clashes somewhat with the late addition of Svalbard to the line-up and a tough decision needs to be made at around 1530 on Saturday afternoon but regardless of the choice, both of these performances will be talked about for the rest of the weekend.

In 2019 many musicians belonging to the Dutch underground came together to celebrate the unique textures the local scene creates with a special commissioned performance that was known as Maalstroom, as a result of that collaboration the artists behind FREJA came together and Roadburn 2022 marks their debut live performance. Formed by C. of Witte Wieven and W. Damiaen of Laster, the duo will shine a light into the darkest corners of black metal in order to navigate the curious patterns of the world. If taking a break is far beyond the radar then the Main Stage hosts Wiegedood and a playthrough of this year’s incendiary full-length There’s Always Blood At The End Of The Road before GGGOLDDD perform This Shame Should Not Be Mine and Alcest step back to 2010 with a performance of Écailles de Lune that is set to be a highlight of the Festival for many (this attendee included). Their wistful black metal is filtered through the lens of an otherworld experienced by frontman Neige as a child and the imagination of its creator is laid over the music in delicate touches.

Heading into the dark of the night is Cloud Rat who bring their electronic set to The Engine Room, Karin Park at Next Stage and if you can get into the room afterwards then Gott make their live debut. Featuring a veritable who’s who of the Dutch scene (Farida Lemouchi provides vocals while the band boasts members of Soulburn, Dodecahedron and Radar Men From The Moon), Gott showcase the inner workings of the mind with a musical dance through contemplation and stardust.

De Koepelhal’s Engine Room and Hall of Fame host HEALTH and Faceless Entity, respectively and practically at the same time making this a tricky decision, although the close proximity of the two venues should allow for a taste of each band during their sets. If your brain hasn’t melted out through your ears by the end of these performances then Sum of R and their hypnotic new album Lahbryce on the Main Stage or TAU & The Drones Of Praise should certainly do the trick at the end of the night.

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Saturday 23rd April

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The largest piece of advice most Roadburner’s give, aside from giving yourself over to the flow of the Festival, is to take a seat when you can and wear some good shoes. The street that makes up the main run before heading down to the 013 is nicknamed the Weirdo Canyon for its collection of, well, weirdos, that inhabit the bars and cafes over these few days. The locals are always super pleasant and its often where attendees congregate in downtime and in the evenings. If you find yourself heading further out then make sure to keep in mind the location of the infamous Little Devil bar — this is where the occasional secret show happens and it’s worth doing some quick recon before the Festival starts.

Other secret/surprise shows tend to pop up over the weekend so keep checking the social media accounts for Roadburn as well as noticing the large gaps in the stage schedules — that big slot on the Main Stage on Friday looks interesting as well as the yet to be announced replacement for Lustmord on Saturday that was a part of Pelagic Presents that would see Karin Park join the performance before being followed by Årabrot on the Next Stage. Watch closely for whoever this band is because it is guaranteed to be a strong addition. While you wait you can begin the day at De Koepelhal as Midwife and Divide and Dissolve, both chosen by Milena Eva and Thomas Sciarone for their curation, play with their hearts on their proverbial sleeves for what will surely be enraptured audiences.

Jo Quail’s commissioned work The Cartographer is finally showcased on the Main Stage, having been originally announced for the 2020 edition of the Festival, and is followed by Emma Ruth Rundle and her new album Engine of Hell. One of the highlights of the year in terms of albums is A Loner from Frenchmen Hangman’s Chair who will be playing the record in its entirety before they join Regarde Les Hommes Tomber on Sunday for a collaborative project that premiered in 2019, was played once, and then given time to grow for reasons we don’t need to discuss here.

Another addition to the curated portion of the Festival is Liturgy and across the weekend the band will play twice. Saturday sees them run through H.A.Q.Q., while Sunday allows for a group of classical musicians to join the proceedings as Hunter Hunt-Hendrix and her band showcase Origin of the Alimonies and its celestial grace. Liturgy are either deeply loved or deeply loathed but having seen them on the tour that surrounded The Ark Work, the live show is something to be experienced, and indeed felt. Before joining Full of Hell much later in the evening for their much touted collaboration, Nothing play their own set on The Terminal stage while Silver Knife check into the Hall of Fame for their live debut. Composed of members of Wolvennest, Laster and more, the black metal they create is born from mystery and the darkness of the evening will be slowly settling in as they leave the venue breathless and praying for more.

A short walk brings you to the Engine Room and Icelandic “doom pop” magicians Kælan Mikla performing their latest work, Undir Köldum Norðurljósum, which, if we are lucky, could also feature a guest appearance from Alcest on their song together “Hvítir Sandar.” Indonesian experimentalists Senyawa follow them in The Terminal before the Main Stage is taken over by the electronic stylings of Ulver and their 2020 record Flowers of Evil. That album is forty minutes long and the proposed set length is over one hour so here’s hoping we hear a collection of “greatest hits”—I wouldn’t hold your breath for any black metal Ulver are masters of surprise, after all.

If your legs can still hold you up then next up are Swedish blackened crust maestros Dödsrit who are playing Roadburn after the release of their 2021 full-length Mortal Coil at Hall of Fame and the unusual partnership of Nothing X Full of Hell on the Main Stage. Whoever came up with that idea is either a genius or completely mad, but this is a show to stick around for and will likely be talked about until the next bonkers collaborative project is announced. After this KANGA’s dark synthpop brings the night almost to an end and should dancing still be on your mind then stay at the Next Stage for a DJ set from Jameszoo and plenty of moments you’d rather forget.