BEHEMOTH / DIMMU BORGIR / DARK FUNERAL - Mainstage, Den Bosch (2026)

Mainstage, Den Bosch, Sunday 18 October 2026

Nergal promised something “historic… biblical”. Bold words, but look at the bill: three bands that each shaped black metal in their own way, on one stage, on a Sunday night in Brabant. Few tours this year carry that kind of weight. Pics by Slashley

Dark Funeral
The Swedes don’t waste time. No long speeches, no frills, just a wall of blast beats and razor riffs delivered at full speed. What impresses most is the clarity: for music this fast and dense, the mix holds up, and every instrument keeps its place. Around half an hour, brief thanks, gone. It’s also a farewell of sorts, as this tour closes the We Are The Apocalypse cycle before the band heads into the studio for album number eight. If this is the energy they’re taking in with them, 2027 looks promising.

Dimmu Borgir
After years of rare European appearances, Dimmu Borgir arrive with the brand-new show they promised. The focus is on staging and monumental symphonic arrangements, more theatrical than either of their tourmates, yet the riffs never get buried under the orchestra. Shagrath remains a commanding presence, and the band reminds everyone why they defined symphonic black metal in the first place. For fans who’ve waited years to see them again, this is a reunion with the grandeur they remember.

Behemoth
Then the main ritual. Behemoth come armed with I, Scvlptor, released in early September, and a set built on the backbone of The Satanist and The Shit ov God. Bartzabel, Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel and Chant for Eschaton 2000 hit like they always do, while the new title track slots in without losing momentum. What sets Behemoth apart is precision: every move, every flame burst, every beat from Inferno feels rehearsed to the millimetre without ever turning sterile. And the tour’s namesake, their Venom cover In League With Satan with Shagrath joining in, is exactly the kind of moment a co-headline tour exists for.

Verdict
Three bands, three faces of black metal: Dark Funeral’s speed, Dimmu Borgir’s grandeur, Behemoth’s discipline. The co-headline format works because nobody tries to be the other. If there’s a winner, it’s Behemoth, simply because no one in this genre stages a show with more control. But the real winner was anyone who bought a ticket.