Day One of Sheffield’s Cosmic Vibration Festival started at 13:05 on the Ant and Leki stage with a hearty dose of crossover thrash courtesy of home town heroes Manic Aggression. They have a song about “cunts” and one about “having no money”. Which sort of sums up the two sides of modern society: the “Have Nots” and “Cunts”. Fortunately, what Manic Aggression have in abundance are energy, a sense of humour and a set full of catchy songs. A good start.
A short descent downstairs to the Martin Bedford stage and Nottingham duo Big Biffa. The absence of a bassist didn’t hinder The White Stripes or Black Cobra and also proves no impediment to these lads who hammer out a distinctly “throwback”- infused set of their self-described “stoner fuzz”. They have a song about beer (yaaay!) which sounds a bit like Mudhoney’s Touch Me I’m Sick and they throw in a beautifully ugly rendition of I Wanna Be Your Dog. Me like.
Back upstairs we go in time to catch another two-piece: Coldfall. It’s a warm, oppressive day in Sheffield but Coldfall channel the spirit of icy Nordic wastes with their take on black metal. It’s more “2nd wave” black than the punky, speed-metal style of their other outfit Final Dose, but no less enjoyable.
Back downstairs for a band I was eagerly anticipating, having missed them at May’s London Desertfest: Lust Ritual’s Forbidden Rites EP has been a playlist constant for me in 2025. Part doom, part swaggering 70’s rock, all power: this lot are addictive. What sets them above the herd of similarly accomplished peers is The Voice. Singer Ieva is a star. Think vintage Danzig, bred with a dash of Ozzy and manifested in a diminutive female. The absurdly catchy ‘Countess Hell’ and ‘Babylon Whore’ from Forbidden Rites are joined here by a trio of new, longer numbers. A triumphant set. Watch out for this mob – they’re awesome.
Following Lust Ritual’s slightly more sedate, rock-infused style the festival hurtles into an adrenaline-fuelled tsunami of speed metal and thrashy-punky magnificence for the remainder of the day.
Ancient Rage hail from Oakland, California. Channelling the spirit of Motörhead, shredded through a mixer with hints of Bewitcher, Goatwhore and others who infuse their ferocity with groove and hooks, Ancient Rage function like a well-oiled machine. They lob some hardcore punk attitude into the blend and detonate like Sick Of It All did in the 80’s with ‘Injustice System’ yet retain the swagger of prime hair metal in an intoxicating mix of styles that works emphatically. Ancient Rage are a potent cocktail of metal magnificence and induce the first circle pit of the day, long before the sun has had the remotest thought of setting.
What’s the best thing about small festivals? The very best, for me, is finding that passionate and tasteful curators have invited awesome bands I may not have discovered otherwise. Cosmic Vibration scores another horns-aloft “hail” for including Sweden’s Razorvoid on the bill. My initial, lazy observation during the first couple of their numbers was “ah yeah, Sweden, Genocide Superstars and Disfear influences….” and, while that’s no bad thing in my book, it does Razorvoid a disservice because they have their own voice and their own distinct place in the continuation of the Scandinavian D-beat lineage. Fantastic stuff. D-beat-tastic, to be precise.
Next up for me, after a brief respite from the heat inside, were Antwerp, Belgium heroes Butcher. They rip into their set at a frantic pace and that pace does not relent throughout a breakneck performance. Vocalist R. Hellshrieker is a charismatic presence, leading the evil sonic invocations with a broad grin. Butcher brings a black metal edge to their speed but remain true to the classic metal heritage of Priest and the best of thrash.
Rounding off “official” Saturday proceedings (there are DJ sets and a fantastic Motörhead cover band by way of “after party” fare) are Scotland’s Hellripper. This writer enthusiastically reviewed their debut album Coagulating Darkness for this site in 2017. Fast forward eight years and the outfit’s stellar trajectory has seen them spend what seems like the entirety of 2025 playing major European festivals. A record label transition to Peaceville and, very recently, to Century Media merely serves to emphasise Hellripper are going places, in every respect. From signature opener ‘All Hail The Goat’ to old-time classic set closer ‘Bastard Of Hades’, Hellripper are an absolute joy to behold live. It was hot, perspiration was shed in abundance, pits were circled, horns were raised aloft. And James, being Scottish, said “cunt” a lot. In short, a perfect end to a perfect day.
Sunday starts… sedately, after the excesses of Saturday. Fortunately, this adroitly planned event collated a more laid-back collection of acts for its second day.
I’d witnessed Brighton doom trio Outback’s brand of Electric Wizard-y, downtuned crunch in May at Desertfest. Appearing at Cosmic Vibration during a UK tour, the band demonstrates the benefit that comes from honing their craft onstage. There’s a near-telepathic rapport between members Will, Jet and Archie as they look, outwardly, to be isolated in their own, separate (other) worlds yet the coherent whole is a manifestation of how doom should be played: claustrophobic, creeping, cacophonous.
Next up, another outfit from the fecund UK south coast doom scene: Black Groove describe themselves as “chaos sludge” and Louisiana swamp influences are readily discernible in their Eyehategod-esque moments but ample chaos is infused via the faster passages which feature plentifully. Guitarist/vocalist Jake Packham embodies the chaotic himself, putting on a performance that delightfully verges on the unhinged. Black Groove prove to be a day 2 highlight.
The remainder of my Sunday was spent between chatting to fellow festival goers and a splendid trio of acts: Acid Mammoth, Wode and Baba Naga.
Italians Acid Mammoth are on a UK tour and delight the audience downstairs with a set that encapsulates the best of what the current doom scene has to offer.
Manchester’s Wode are another mob I managed to miss at Desertfest so I was delighted to catch up with them here. They play a style that fuses black, doom and classic metal with the latter having become a more prevalent component since 2021’s Burn In Many Mirrors album. The evolution seems to suit them well and I can only see good things on the horizon for these chaps.
Baba Naga provide a perfect denouement to the festival. Their trippy, Eastern-influenced, atmospheric rock serves as a perfect come down after two full days of music heaven.
I can’t praise Cosmic Vibration Festival highly enough. Every aspect of it was overwhelmingly positive: a fantastic venue; a lineup packed with quality from opening slots to closing; good food and drink; a great vendor presence with art, clothing, jewellery and more….and a wonderfully friendly vibe. My two days were punctuated by lovely chats with performers, vendors and fellow fans. This event deserves to go from strength to strength. Organisers Chris and Dan clearly pour their hearts and souls into it and I, for one, can’t wait for next year’s event.
Do yourself a favour: make space for Cosmic Vibration in your own plans for 2026.
