NEWS RELEASE
Montreal, QC – July 7, 2025
Reminder – July 11-12 – ARMSTRONG METALFEST 2025
w/ BORN OF OSIRIS, HAVOK, GLYPH, RIOT CITY, THE BROWNING, VIRVUM and more!
Armstrong, BC, Canada – 15 Years of Mountain Moshing In The Okanagan!
“It’s one of the premier festivals of its kind in Canada, showcasing the biggest names in local, national, and international heavy metal music.” – Vancouver Sun
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Celebrating 15 Years of mountain moshing in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley, Armstrong MetalFest’s conquering 2025 lineup with BORN OF OSIRIS, HAVOK, GLYPH, RIOT CITY, THE BROWNING, VIRVUM, and lots more from across Canada and beyond will descend on Armstrong, BC on July 11th and 12th at the Hassen Arena, for two days of moshing, headbanging, and camping.
Video – Celebrating 15 Years of Armstrong MetalFest 2025 – https://youtu.be/47QjFrOHLv8
Armstrong MetalFest 2025 Spotify playlist – https://spoti.fi/4i4u2OV
AMF Weekend Passes are available at https://armstrongmetalfest.ca/tickets
All tickets provide general admission and grant access to the festival grounds, camping area, and arena from 9:00 AM on Friday, July 11, 2025, until 10:00 AM on Sunday, July 13, 2025. Free camping is included.
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Headlining opening night, Friday, July 11th, Denver thrashers HAVOK are no strangers to the mosh pits, these veterans have unleashed five studio albums – Burn (2009), Time Is Up (2011), Unnatural Selection (2013), Conformicide (2017), V (2020) – and recently surprised fans this past November with the EP “New Eyes”. Music Video – Death Is An Illusion – https://youtu.be/hkUgz-DeFAo
Also supporting the Friday night stage, the Pacific Northwest’s Glyph (ft. members from Gatekeeper, Greyhawk, Hjelvik), which is not just a heavy metal band, they are a crew of intergalactic mercenaries escaping a dying planet in their spaceship, the VSS Dragonlord. Clearly, Glyph isn’t just writing songs, they’re building worlds and they bring it forth in their latest album “Honor, Power, Glory” released in March 2024. Lyric Video – March of the Northern Clan (feat. Nathan Harrison) – https://youtu.be/htSyUb25wD4
Another highlight for Friday is the screaming heavy metal from Calgary’s speed demons Riot City, who bring forth their steel, spikes, and leather! A youthful band that represents the new face of Canadian metal. An amalgam of ripping and hot heavy metal, created in pure and youthful madness, their bullet belts feature two full-length albums, “Electric Elite” (2022), “Burn The Night” (2019), and their latest live album, “Live in Newcastle” (2023). Album Stream – Electric Elite – https://youtu.be/j3hA1nrG7M0
Saturday, July 12th will be headlined by international tour de force, progressive deathcore titans, Chicago’s BORN OF OSIRIS. The group is signed to Sumerian Records and has released seven full-length albums and two EPs. Their album, A Higher Place, reached number 73 on the Billboard 200. Their second full-length album, The Discovery, debuted at 87 on the Billboard 200. The band unveiled their latest single “In Desolation” this past August. Visualizer – In Desolation – https://youtu.be/9OyMRRAq9fI
Also featured on Saturday is AMF alumni Kansas City’s THE BROWNING who will be unleashing their unique eclectic blend of electronicore and deathcore. This past November, they released their sixth album, “OMNI,” which features 10 powerful tracks, including collaborations with Nik Nocturnal and the eponymous song with THE DEFECT. Music Video – OMNI (feat. THE DEFECT) – https://youtu.be/VhyuduP3MdY
Performing for the first time at AMF and adding to the nostalgia of Saturday night, VIRVUM, progressive/technical death metal all the way from Zürich, Switzerland, that many in Canada have been waiting a long time to witness. There’s no better place to see them along with the backdrop of the Canadian Rockies than at AMF 2025. The Cypher Supreme – https://youtu.be/9W9Kp38I9yY
Other treasured highlights of this year’s fest not to miss are Montreal, QC up-and-coming thrashers DROWNING IN BLOOD, who are notorious pit mongers and have made quite a name for themselves in Eastern Canada. Vancouver’s GRAVEMASS might be a new band, but they feature some seriously experienced metalheads from Zimmers Hole, The Golers, Punch Drunk, 3 Inches of Blood, and Revocation. Switzerland’s technical death/black metal Stortregn delivers a mix of charging riffs, blast beats, and brutality that leaves the listener begging for more. The Defect is an electronic rock/metal project created by husband and wife duo – Jonny McBee (The Browning) and Moon McBee. Their debut album “Death X Destiny” was released on February 7, 2025, under the record label FiXT. From the Salish lands of Spokane, WA, Hísemtuks Hími•n introduces their Indigenous melodic black metal of hard-hitting riffs, fast-paced drumming, and a lot of melody. This project has strong roots in the Spokane Tribe/Nez Perce. Most songs are about Native American mythology, history, and folklore.
AMF 2025 Lineup:
Havok (Denver, CO)
Born of Osiris (Chicago, IL)
Glyph (Seattle, WA)
Riot City (Calgary, AB)
The Browning (Kansas City, KS)
Virvum (Zürich, Switzerland)
Atavistia (Vancouver, BC)
Drowning In Blood (Montreal, QC)
Convictions (Fremont, OH)
Scalding (Vancouver, BC)
Syryn (Calgary, AB)
Stortregn (Geneva, Switzerland)
The Defect (Kansas City, KS)
Gravemass (Vancouver, BC)
Lover (Calgary, AB)
Yegg (Vancouver Island, BC)
Hísemtuks Hími•n (Spokane, WA)
The Spruce Moose (Edmonton, AB)
Volt (Fort McMurray, AB)
Jisei (Vancouver, BC)
Nomad (Okanagan Valley, BC)
Planetkiller (Kelowna, BC)
Shackled To The Throne (Edmonton, AB)
The Cadavor Dog (High River, AB)
Famous Strangers (Edmonton, AB)
Valley of Despair (Edmonton, AB)
Naitaka (Kelowna, BC)
FloodGate (Kelowna, BC)
In addition to the performing bands, Armstrong Metal Fest is bringing back the following on-site activities: Yeti Games, Metal Madness Market, and Thrash Wrestling.
Please Note: Camping – RV / Non-Hookup RV / Vehicle Passes: Make sure to reserve your vehicle spot to get the best location on the grounds. A fee is required for a weekend pass per vehicle in addition to your day or weekend pass. RV hookups include water and power. If you choose to park your vehicle outside the camping area in the main parking lot, then a vehicle pass is not required.
For more info:
Armstrongmetalfest.ca
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Instagram
Twitter
About: Since 2009 (minus pause years 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid pandemic), West Metal Entertainment and Armstrong Metalfest have not only fostered the talent of hundreds of local bands, but have imported well-known, international acts to the quiet, little Canadian town of Armstrong, British Columbia.
Each year hundreds of metal music fans from Canada and the USA descend into the picturesque Okanagan Valley and under the blistering sun, they spend three days camping, taking in a tonne of heavy metal fun over two days, spectating wrestling events, participating in scavenger hunts, and catching up with their extended metal family.
The festival has seen such renowned headliners as Kataklysm, Cattle Decapitation, Archspire, Nekrogoblikon, Origin, Rivers of Nihil, Warbinger, Fallujah, Striker, and Beyond Creation as well as emerging artists from across North America. At the end of the revelry, the festival disappears without a trace, leaving the landscape as pristine as it has always been.
West Metal Entertainment is a non-profit society that not only puts on the Armstrong Metal Festival every year in Armstrong, B.C. but also gives bands opportunities to play at different venues throughout the region including all-ages shows, to encourage musical passion in kids as well as adults.
Partners:
WCMFA
AlumaPro Welding & Fabrication Ltd
Vox and Hops
Rancho Vignola
Creative BC
Province of BC
Shepherds Hardware
Askews Foods
ACE Containers
Asher Media Relations
Staggs Head
Sunbelt Rentals
Bravewords
V13
Metal-Rules
Absolute Underground Mag
Broken Neck Radio
Ghost Cult Magazine
This Day In Metal
Valstar Electric
Voets
What the press is saying:
“Armstrong Metalfest brings aggressive music to the North Okanagan” – Global BC News
Kelowna Now: Armstrong Metal Festival Co-founder reflects on a decade of metal – Video Interview here.
CHBC – Global Okanagan: Metalheads celebrate a decade of gathering in Armstrong – Video Interview here.
Global Okanagan – Armstrong Metalfest brings aggressive music to the North Okanagan – Video here.
“In the past, metalheads had to travel to Germany to experience the rush of a big festival, such as Wacken Open Air. But local headbangers decided to bring that feeling home with Armstrong Metalfest.” – Vernon Morning Star
“Go Big or Stay at Home: Armstrong has that welcoming feeling for a rock show.” – The Valley Voice
“To witness such a gathering of talent is an absolute privilege, and for that fact alone, I will certainly be returning to Armstrong Metal Fest.” – Beatroute BC
“This festival is now going to be my yearly must-go-to event and if you’re a metal head that hasn’t attended or a curious metal voyeur, do yourself a favour and check it out, you will not regret it.” – Abort Mag
“The Armstrong Metalfest is one such event and has grown from its initial, humble beginnings seven years ago to be a regular mainstay, with its south-central BC location making for a popular summertime destination for fans and bands alike.” – Decibel Mag
Named one of the out-of-town music festivals worth the trip by The Vancouver Sun
“For metalheads, this is a great vacation where groups of all sizes can enjoy their favourite musical genre in a fun, energized environment. Not to mention, the camping!” – The Permanent Rain Press
“From farm to stadium: Armstrong Metal Fest’s humble beginnings” – Info News
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ASHER MEDIA RELATIONS
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