Hellbotn Metalfest is a two-day metal festival held at Kolben Kulturhus in Kolbotn, Norway. Established in 2014, it takes place in late August and has become a regular gathering for metal fans just south of Oslo.

The festival is closely tied to Kolbotn’s unusually strong rock and metal history. Darkthrone, Aura Noir, Nekromantheon, Obliteration, Lamented Souls, Infernö, Beyond Dawn, Gouge and several other bands have roots in the area, while Mayhem recorded “Deathcrush” at Creative Studio in Kolbotn in 1987.

Kolben Kulturhus sits in the centre of Kolbotn, close to the train station and Kolbotn Torg. Hellbotn began in 2014 as a much smaller festival in the basement of the building, where the concerts took place in a very compact room with a single stage. This gave the early editions an intimate and almost club-like atmosphere.

As the festival grew, it moved upstairs into the larger parts of Kolben. Modern editions use two stages inside the cultural centre, giving Hellbotn room for a considerably bigger audience while still keeping the indoor, close-to-the-bands feeling that has been part of the festival since the beginning.

The programme has since grown, while keeping a strong focus on black metal, death metal, thrash, doom, heavy rock, punk and hardcore. Recent editions have featured bands such as Enslaved, Sodom, The Haunted, Tsjuder, Deströyer 666, Aura Noir, Negative Plane, Murder Squad, Skitsystem, Obliteration, Hexvessel, Dead Void and Gouge.

Hellbotn is run with a community-minded spirit and a close connection to the local scene. The festival has included DJs, warm-up events, kick-off concerts, art exhibitions, live tattooing and collaborations with local businesses, giving the weekend more of a small metal gathering than a conventional venue programme. Kolbotn’s location gives Hellbotn a slightly unusual position: it is outside Oslo, but still only a short train ride from the capital.

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ADDRESS:
Kolben, Strandliveien 1, 1410 Ingieråsen, Norway

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