Program Content 2022
THURSDAY ROOM 01
Opening speech by Music Norway
The War Of Art II: SITREP from 1914
Where death becomes absurd and life absurder. Pre-recorded interview with blackened sludge\death band 1914 from Ukraine about their current situation in a war-torn country. How it’s been for them, share their story and give a stage to their own poetry of the war.
Mod: Frank Godla (Metal Injection, US)
Dmytro Kumar (1914, UA)
Keynote interview with Achim Ostertag (Summer Breeze Open Air, DE)
Managing a company that is fueled by live events, refusing to sit down and put your feet on the table but taking the matter into your own hands. Achim Ostertag, managing director of Summer Breeze Open Air, ticked the boxes and was the first that launched a concept with rapid antigen tests in early 2021 when event promoters were left without clear guidelines from the German authorities. How a company director inspired politicians and promoters locally and even internationally, and was able to rally their loyal fanbase behind them despite cancellations. Achim and the Summer Breeze team played an important role in strengthening the integrity of international and national metal promoters through shouldering responsibility and spearheading working groups in times of crisis (EMFA, UFF). An in-depth interview with a very adaptive company director whose eyes are set on the horizon, always looking for the best solutions in any given situation, to provide the best festival experience possible.
Interview by Merle Doering (Black Harbour Entertainment, DE)
Achim Ostertag (Summer Breeze Open Air, DE)
Black Metal in 2022: The Search for Trve Kvlt
Ivar Bjornson once said: ‘Norwegian black metal is like a marathon. Everyone started in the same place but all went in different directions..’ The sound of the Norwegian black metal has changed in many ways over the last decades. But the search for the purest form always stayed the same. Or has it changed over the years? A band from the twenty-first century that sounds like 1992, is that digging up an old corpse or the ultimate search of trve kvlt?
Mod: Frank Godla (Metal Injection, US)
Harald Fossberg (NO)
Singles vs Albums
Dive into the number-crunching world with our panel, discussing singles versus albums. We are curious about the revenue of a band that releases more singles than a band that focuses on a traditional way of album releases. And what different strategies need to be taken into account?
Also, what variables do you need to take into account when you are planning a release 6 months ahead in time? A lot can change due to digital developments and changes in how music is consumed.
Mod: Mark van Schaick
Markus “Bart” Grasseck (Metal Blade, DE)
Laetitia Abbenes (Season of Mist, NL)
Nele Buys (Consouling Sounds, BE)
THURSDAY ROOM 02
The Academic Path to an Underground Revolt
Does it really help musicians to build and maintain a career by receiving a formal education in music theory? Or will the academic path take away from the artists' raw creativity and only lead to conformity? Should a rising star of the metal scene other to learn how to read and write notes? Is it possible to improve a sound born from an underground revolt through standard musical education? This panel will revolve around craftmanship and the professional pathway to success vs. attitude and gut feeling.
Mod: Mark van Schaick
Kevin Quilligan (Metal factory, NL)
Arnt Obsidian Gronbech (Morningstar Music, NO)
Kim Dylla (Kylla Custom Rock Wear, US)
Social Media marketing: chasing the shorts - With Joe Saw
Instagram reels? YouTube shorts? With more platforms inventing new ways of facilitating their users, social media consumption shifted from picture orientated to short video-based content. With all of these developments, algorithms adapt as well. On the back of the 2021 IMC Online presentation about TikTok, Joe Saw from Fanbytes will host a presentation on how to chase and utilize these new options on social media.
Joe Saw (Fanbytes, UK)
Buying Yourself On A Tour - What's It Worth?
With touring becoming one of the few ways for a band to actually make money, the budgets on the road are getting tighter and tighter. Especially with halls getting bigger and ticket prices higher, the value of exposure on tours gains somewhat the same. However, taking a band on tour you like because their latest album reminds you of a childhood song doesn’t mean the ride on the tour bus is for free. And a good slot is definitely worth something, right? Or should we approach support slots as how it’s meant to be, give a band you believe in a good slot how others treated you in the past? Let’s give the word to the pros.
Mod: Merle Doering (Black Harbour Entertainment, DE)
Jacopo de Simone (District 19, IT)
Alexander Obert (Doomstar Bookings, DE)
Romain Monereau (The Link Productions, FR)
THURSDAY BAR
Metalheads Against Bullying
Metalheads Against Bullying's main purpose is to help engage, in making the metal and rock community specifically, grow more awareness concerning bullying in any shape or form. Bullying is not restricted to any age group and many of us have experienced harassment and still do, maybe some of us have even been the perpetrator and may still do it to others - sometimes even not being aware of it?
MAB has taken a firm and rigid stand in this matter and is of the opinion that it is extremely important we start to focus on this issue now. Those of us who live and breathe for metal has become synonymous with being a little different. Many of us know the feeling of being treated disrespectfully simply because of how we dress or the way we share this strong passion for music and a certain lifestyle. We are a true symbol for not following trends - therefore it's important that we turn our backs on the trend that is bullying!
Leif Munkelien (Metalheads Against Bullying, NO)
FRIDAY ROOM 01
Career talk - Separating the act from the artist with BØLZER
In-depth interview about their growth and evolution as an artist, highlights, and what keeps the band motivated. Where did it begin with the Eros At Arms Festival? What are some of the myths or misperceptions about this career? What was awful at the time but I can laugh about it now? What have you learned and what should others avoid?
Mod: Mark van Schaick (NL)
Okoi Thierry Jones (BØLZER, CH)
Fabian Wyrsch (BØLZER, CH)
Know Your Audience
Entitled “Know Your Audience”, this talk will explain how to make the most of the modern music media, drawing from their wealth of experience in securing mainstream coverage and delivering major radio playlists for heavy acts. Topics covered will include; when to start thinking about press and publicity, building a campaign through specialist media to branch out into more mainstream coverage, how to approach the various media outlets, and a couple of case studies to show the process in action. This is a must-see for anyone hoping to secure magazine/media and radio coverage.
Mod: Frank Godla (Metal Injection, US)
Adam Sagir (The Noise Cartel, UK)
Celia Woitas (Metal Hammer, DE)
Katy Irizarry (Season Of Mist, US)
Academic Metal Studies - what’s it all about?
Heavy metal music has been around for more than 50 years. Finally, and quite recently, the music, cultures, and practices of metal have also been increasingly welcomed as credible phenomena for academic study in universities all over the world. During the last 15 years, in particular, there has been an increasing number of metal-headed professors, researchers, Ph.D. candidates, and other people studying the field. Tens of conferences, courses, and other events have been arranged. A vast variety of books, articles, and other publications have also been put out, showcasing the multiple sides and characteristics of metal.
The session reviews this fascinating development and shows some examples of the topic, events, and publications of this multidisciplinary inquiry. We get to discuss what this is all about, why and for whom we study metal, and what is the interaction between academia and the artists, the fans, and the metal industry at large.
Mod: Mark van Schaick
Dr. Toni-Matti Karjalainen (University of Arts Helsinki, FI)
Camille F. Béra (National Coalition of Independent Scholars, FR)
FRIDAY ROOM 02
Louder than Hell: The Rise of Latinx and Native American Metal
Rock ’n’ roll has been the soundtrack of youth rebellion for almost eight decades. It is one of the United States’ most powerful cultural exports to the world. It may seem cliché to say rock ’n’ roll is not just about music, but the moment it gripped a post-war generation of American teenagers, its anthems became words to live by—and future generations would never be the same.
Kids questioned the establishment and decided they did not need to follow parental rules and expectations. They stopped accepting the status quo, and their outside-the-box thinking contributed to accelerated technological advancement. Talented Latin And Indigenous musicians who crossed cultural boundaries played a big role in the rise of rock ’n’ roll, and all that came with it.
Luis F. Zapata (Rock Lectures, US)
Greener touring: word to the production
More and more artists prefer to make greener choices on tour. But what does this exactly mean for the facilitators involved?
What do artists prefer on tour, besides consuming a plant-based diet and avoiding airplanes and plastic straws? What challenges and choices will you encounter when making decisions in producing a stretch of (international) shows? And what experiences should be taken into account? Do greener choices always press on your budget and need more detailed advancement? Or does it mean you’ll have extra options? What are the possibilities and solutions around the globe? And how can we educate people, so more promoters know how to offer greener options? Let’s give the word to the ‘men in black’, the people with the overview and knowhow, the producing panthers.
Mod: Merle Doering (Black Harbour Entertainment, DE)
Patrick Häberli (Solver Productions, CH)
Tomasz Ochab (Mystic Festival, PL)
Roundtable Discussion: Change in the Face of Challenge
Solutions on pivoting to success for live events in the wake of turmoil and times of uncertainty. Touring has changed for good, whether we like it or not. Now is the time to stand together and find ways to continue to make live events a source of income and enjoyment alike, without the stress and burden of continuous risk assessment both from the consumer and the artist’s team.
Please join Erin Lynch (FlyingFox AB, SE) and Roman Hödl (District 19, AT) for a round table discussion on solutions. This is an idea-sharing discussion with the audience on how we can continue to work together to save a live events industry that continues to get hit from all angles.
Erin Lynch (FlyingFox AB, SE)
Roman Alexander Hödl (District19, AT)
FRIDAY BAR
My Business Is Metal
In this workshop, Keep Of Kalessin founder and frontman, Arnt Obsidian will talk about the mindset you need to develop to become an entrepreneurial artist as well as topics like new digital distribution models, the value of digital fan clubs and data collection, and how to tap into the potential using «influencer techniques» to monetize your fanbase and set up multiple residual income streams.
He will also touch briefly on the new and emerging market of NFTs and S-NFTs and how you as a label or artist can position yourself for the new and coming paradigm shift in music tokenization.
If you want to be in the BUSINESS of Metal, this is the workshop you should attend!
Arnt Obsidian Gronbech (Morningstar Music, NO)
Sindri & Kiki plays horror music and nihilistic metal shanties
Sindri (Dog Almighty, Farout Fishing) and Kiki (Mirramaze, Vederkvegelse) will once again team up for Inferno and play creepy horror movie music and acoustic metal. With an acoustic guitar, a cello, and their voices they will make your skin crawl and your darkness delight. With them they have Arunas Mazeika (Mirramaze) on percussion and Mathias Eriksson (Thunderbolt, Swärdh) on bass.
SATURDAY ROOM 1
Drum Clinic with Daray
Dariusz „Daray“ Brzozowski (Dimmu Borgir, PL) is one of the most recognized drummers in the metal scene. Well known for his extreme drumming, blast beats, precision, and supersonic speeds, he earned his reputation through the years and was repeatedly valued for his achievements. Extensively touring the world with his bands. He played over a 1000 shows. Born in 1980, he got his first kit at the age of 14. His story began with the band Vesania, and was continued in Vader, Masachist, Hunter, and Black River. He’s also a session musician for multiple bands. Today, Daray is the drummer for Dimmu Borgir, Hunter, Black River, and being an active clinician and educator, he remains in the lead of the worlds‘ uncompromising drummer. Sponsored by: Meinl Cymbals Tama Drums Wincent Drumsticks Remo Drumheads Jerry Harvey Audio Klotz Cables
SATURDAY BAR
Inferno Metal Auction
Tore Bratseth (Bömbers) is once again ready to present legendary items from the glory days of extreme metal.
The Inferno Metal Auction has a long tradition and has auctioned away many items that have brought tears to the eyes of the collectors. Mentionable items during the years include the First Edition of the Burzum – Burzum album on vinyl, Burnable stave church candle of the Fantoft Stave church, Abbath`s leather boot (signed) from the Fuck Christ tour of 1993, Old Funeral fully signed original “Abduction Of Limbs” demo, Cymbal used on “De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas” and Fenriz`s acoustic guitar.
Who knows what will be brought to the table for the 2022 auction