Necrosonic Festival is back for year three, and this one already feels like it is shaping up to be something seriously unmissable for the Australian heavy scene.
On Saturday 22 August 2026, the gates reopen at Mansfield Tavern in Brisbane as Necrosonic returns bigger, darker and
more stacked than ever before. What started as a bold new gathering for the heavy, extreme, underground and unhinged has now become an annual ritual for those who like their music brutal, immersive and completely unforgiving.
This is not just another festival announcement. This is 30 bands across 3 stages, with more than 12 hours of heavy music, market stalls, food, resurrected bands, one off shows, international firepower and some of the most important names in Australian heavy music all converging in one place.
The altar demands more, and Necrosonic 2026 is ready to deliver.
At the top of the bill, progressive death metal visionaries Rivers of Nihil will make a rare Australian appearance, bringing their huge, atmospheric and technically crushing sound to the Necrosonic stage. Anyone who has followed Rivers of Nihil over the years knows they are a band that brings more than just brutality. There is weight, atmosphere, emotion and musicianship in everything they do, and having them descend on Brisbane for Necrosonic is a massive win for Australian fans.
Joining them at the summit are Tasmania’s own technical death metal force Psycroptic, a band that needs no introduction in this country or across the global extreme metal scene. Psycroptic have been flying the flag for Australian heavy music on international stages for decades, and their presence at Necrosonic brings another level of power, precision and homegrown dominance to the event.
That alone would be enough to make this a huge day, but Necrosonic has gone much deeper than that.
The 2026 lineup pulls together an absolute underworld of Australian heavyweights, cult favourites, grind merchants, doom bringers, pit starters and resurrected names that fans may not have thought they would get the chance to see again.
Lynchmada return for an exclusive One Last Time performance, which already feels like one of those sets people will be talking about long after the dust settles. Five Star Prison Cell are back from the dead, Minus Life return for an exclusive one off show, Helm make a one off return, M.S.B.I. rise again for a one off show, and Segression will mark a massive 30 year reunion.
There is also a special Dreamkillers ritual locked in, with the band performing their first two EPs, Poison in the Soup from 1992 and Carnival of Skin from 1993, back to back and in full. For long time fans of Australian heavy music, punk and the darker corners of the scene, that is the kind of set that gives this festival real historical weight.
Necrosonic 2026 is clearly not just focused on what is happening now. It is reaching back into the crypt, pulling out bands and moments that helped shape different corners of the heavy underground, and placing them alongside the next wave and current crushers.
The full 2026 lineup features Rivers of Nihil, Psycroptic, Gravemind, Lynchmada, Segression, Minus Life, Pestilential Shadows, Five Star Prison Cell, Wxrldfxcker, Witchskull, Dreamkillers, Helm, M.S.B.I., Barriers, Meth Leppard, Permafog, Destruktor, Gutless, F.U.C, RUN, John Lee Spider, The Matador, Body Prison, Growth, Grotesque Bliss, Vyrion, Neomantra, Nembutolik, Slaughtercult and Bruxa.
That is a seriously heavy lineup from top to bottom.
You have international progressive death metal, Tasmanian tech death royalty, resurrected Australian legends, South Australian chaos, Victorian brutality, doom, grind, hardcore, extreme metal, blackened darkness and underground filth all in the same place. It is exactly the kind of festival that gives heavy music fans something different from the usual touring cycle.
For CRANNK, this is the kind of event we love seeing continue to grow. Australia has always had a fierce heavy music community, but festivals like Necrosonic help give that community a real home. It brings together the bands, the diehards, the underground lifers, the collectors, the photographers, the writers, the punters and the people who live for that feeling of walking into a room and knowing the whole day is going to be loud, chaotic and unforgettable.
Necrosonic has quickly become more than a lineup. It is becoming a gathering point.
Year three feels like a statement. Bigger lineup. Bigger scope. Bigger sense of occasion. More bands. More stages. More hours. More reasons to get yourself to Brisbane and be part of it.
Tickets are on sale now, and if previous years are anything to go by, they will not hang around for long. ZipPay is also available, giving fans the option to pay nothing upfront and repay weekly, fortnightly or monthly.
Necrosonic Festival 2026 takes place Saturday 22 August 2026 at Mansfield Tavern in Brisbane.
30 bands. 3 stages. 12 plus hours. Market stalls. Food. Resurrected bands back from the dead. International heavy hitters. Australian chaos.
Secure your place before prices rise and the gates narrow.
Tickets are available now:
https://tinyurl.com/NECROSONIC2026
More info:
www.necrosonicfestival.com
Rivers of Nihil (USA)
Psycroptic (TAS)
Gravemind (VIC)
Lynchmada (Exclusive ‘One Last Time’)
Segression (30 Year Reunion) (NSW)
Minus Life (Resurrected – Exclusive)
Pestilential Shadows (NSW)
Five Star Prison Cell (Resurrected) (VIC)
Wxrldfxcker (VIC)
Witchskull (ACT)
Dreamkillers (Special EP Set)
Helm (Resurrected – One-Off Show)
M.S.B.I. (Resurrected – One-Off Show)
Barriers (SA)
Meth Leppard (SA)
Permafog (TAS)
Destruktor (VIC)
Gutless (VIC)
F.U.C
RUN (VIC)
John Lee Spider
The Matador
Body Prison (VIC)
Growth (VIC)
Grotesque Bliss
Vyrion
Neomantra (WA)
Nembutolik (VIC)
Slaughtercult (NSW)
Bruxa
