Twenty names, thirty performances and three days inside a mountain forest: “Darkness Guides Us” returns after eight years. The organizers D.G.U Productions have so far announced twenty bands for the three-day event from Friday, September 10 to Sunday, September 12, 2027, at Dicheimarro Voïou, in the mountains of Kozani, dedicated exclusively to black metal. We’ve written all the practical details (venue, camping, buses) here; in this article we present one by one the bands that have been announced so far.
The details
- Date: Friday, September 10 – Sunday, September 12, 2027
- Location: Dicheimarro Voïou, Kozani (Northern Greece)
- Performances: 30 in total, at strictly limited capacity
- Camping: free, inside the festival grounds
- Transport: free buses from the airport and the city of Thessaloniki and from Kozani
- Extras: acoustic performances after the concerts and an afterparty until morning
The bands that have been announced
Twenty bands have been announced so far and, as the organizers have stated, ten more names will be added to the lineup. The list covers the whole spectrum of the genre: from classic Norwegian black metal to the atmospheric and the more extreme paths, with three Greek bands in place. We start with the big name of the announcement.
1. Taake (Norway)
Hoest started Taake in Bergen in 1993 as Thule and renamed them two years later. On the albums he plays everything himself, with a permanent band only for the live shows, while his lyrics are written in his dialect and printed in runes. Their ninth album, “En Skog av Nidstang”, was released on July 31, 2026 by Dark Essence Records, with four long tracks.
2. Akitsa (Canada)
A duo from Quebec, active since 1999, with O.T. and Néant sharing all the instruments and vocals. The lyrics are in French and their sound stands out from anything else in the Quebec scene, while O.T. also runs his own label, Tour de Garde. Their latest release is “Devenir le diable” (October 2023), with six tracks.
3. Minenwerfer (USA)
From Sacramento, California, they started in 2007 as the personal project of Bret Tardiff and are now a duo together with Nick Liuzzi. Their name is the German word for the World War I trench mortar, and war is their main theme. Their latest album is “Feuerwalze” (March 2023, Osmose Productions). The appearance at Voio is their first in Europe.
4. Horna (Finland)
One of the oldest acts in Finnish black metal: they formed in 1994 and their name is the Finnish word for the abyss. Guitarist Shatraug is the only constant member from day one, with Spellgoth on vocals since 2009. “Nyx – Hymnejä yölle” (2024) was their tenth album, with themes of Satanism, paganism and death.
5. Destroyer 666 (Australia)
K.K. Warslut formed them in Melbourne in 1994, shortly after leaving Bestial Warlust, with a sound that rests on both black and thrash metal. Since 2001 the band has lived in Europe, with lyrics about blasphemy, nihilism and war. Their latest album is “Never Surrender” (December 2022), with “Guillotine” among its tracks.
6. Ljå (Norway)
Their story begins in Stavanger in 1992 as Knøfflihei and continues as Ljå from 2002 — “ljå” means scythe. Their sound keeps the tradition of Norwegian black metal with acoustic guitars and melodic motifs, in few and measured releases. “Til avsky for livet” (2006) was followed by “1943” (2023), while founder Ciekals passed away in February 2025. At Voio they will appear for the first time in Greece.
7. Wyrd (Finland)
They started in 1997 as Hellkult by Narqath, who played everything, and were renamed Wyrd a year later — the word is the Old Saxon word for fate. Narqath is also known from Azaghal, while since 2015 Wyrd have been a proper band, with folk and doom passages in their sound. “Vandraren” (2021) was written and played entirely by him.
8. Thy Darkened Shade (Greece)
An Athens act centered on Semjaza, with a sound that moves between orthodox black metal and more technical, melodic passages. Their themes are occult and ritualistic, while “Liber Lvcifer II: Mahapralaya” (January 2023) was recorded with V. Santura as producer. Before that they had released “Liber Lvcifer I: Khem Sedjet” and “Eternvs Mos, Nex Ritvs”.
9. Sarkrista (Germany)
A German act from Schleswig, active since 2011, with Revenant as the sole founding member on vocals and guitars. The name evokes the church sexton and the lyrics move in blasphemy, occultism and Satanism. Their latest album is “Sworn to Profound Heresy” (March 21, 2021, Purity Through Fire).
10. Order of Nosferat (Germany / Finland)
A duo from Germany and Finland: Count Revenant handles vocals, guitars, bass and keys and Anzillu the drums, with albums released by Purity Through Fire. Their sound is slower and more vampiric than the other names on the list. “Towards the Nightrealm of Orlok” (December 2024) is their latest release.
11. Nightside (Finland)
A Finnish act from Turku, formed in 1996, that disbanded in 2004 and returned in 2021. The debut “The End of Christianity” (2001) remained their only full work for years, until “Death from the North” (May 2024), which brought them back with the frozen sound of the Finnish scene.
12. Fuath (Scotland)
The personal project of Andy Marshall, known from Saor, active since 2015 — “fuath” is the Gaelic word for hatred. He plays all the instruments himself and his sound is atmospheric black metal, inspired by the early years of the genre. The third album, “III”, was released on January 2, 2026, while the appearance at Voio is his first in Greece.
13. Destruction Ritual (France / USA)
A transatlantic act: Frenchman MkM (Antaeus, Aosoth, Temple of Baal) on vocals, TerrorReign on guitar, bass and keys and American Arafel on guitar. They started in 2021 with a self-titled demo and in 2025 released their first full-length album, “Providence” (September 12, 2025), via Norma Evangelium Diaboli: six tracks between the violence of black/death and melodic passages.
14. The Spirit (Germany)
A German act from Saarbrücken, active since 2015, with a sound that unites black and death metal. The debut “Sounds from the Vortex” (August 10, 2018) put them on the map, and at Voio they will play it in full, as has been announced. Their discography also includes “Cosmic Terror” (2020) and “Of Clarity and Galactic Structures”.
15. Sanctvs (Canada)
The personal project of Mortheos (Xavier Berthiaume, known from Atramentus and Gevurah and a member of Akitsa’s live lineup) from Montreal, active since 2019. The lyrics are in French and the sound rests on riffs and blast beats. His second album, “De l’Abîme au Plérôme” (January 30, 2026, Osmose Productions), came after the debut “Mors Aeterna” (2019).
16. Blood Countess (United Kingdom)
From Darlington, in northern England, with vocals by Nina “The Countess” Blackwood and a theme that declares their name: Countess Elizabeth Báthory. They formed in 2018 and already have three albums, the latest being “Imperatrix Sanguinis” (April 24, 2026). At Voio they will play their first live show in Greece.
17. Hail Conjurer (Finland)
A one-man act from Helsinki, active since 2017, with raw and ritualistic black metal about flesh, death and occult rites. His releases are many and short, among them “Erotic Hell” (2019) and “Order of Disgrace” (2025). “Abyss & Ekstasis” was released on September 23, 2026, with six tracks.
18. Infernal Storm (Greece)
A Greek act with a sound that moves in atmospheric and symphonic black metal. The EP “On Thorns Ov Hell” (2021, Askio Productions) was among their first releases, while their list also includes “Light Infernal” and “XVII.IV.XX”. “Winter of the Ancient Wrath” was released on March 19, 2026, with five tracks.
19. Noxulifer (Greece)
An Athens act since 2022, with Noxul on vocals and guitar, Winter on guitar and Nebel on drums. Their sound is raw, orthodox black metal, without label backing — the releases come out on small labels or by themselves. The split “Nocturnal Necrosophik Mysteries” (2023) and “Towards the Thorny Path” (2024) were followed by the EP “Black Light Renaissance” (May 22, 2026).
20. Invoketh (France)
A new French act, active since 2025, playing black/death metal. Its first demo, “Sabbatikal Obsession” (2025), came out on cassette, while “Hell’s Black Vomit” (2026) came from the collaboration of Messe Noire Productions and Obscurity of Error Records. Abroad it has already appeared in Germany, in Oberhausen, in March 2026.
Tickets
Tickets for “Darkness Guides Us 2027” have not been announced yet. As the organizers state, the ticket will cover all three days, the free camping and transport with the festival’s buses, while prices and the on-sale date are not yet known.
See also
See also: Darkness Guides Us 2027: The 13 bands that have been announced and Black Temple Six Productions: 18 nights at Black Temple.