AoniaFest IV Featuring: Luke Appleton, Serpentyne, Cadence Noir, Final Coil, Ashes of Ire, Izengard, Walk in Coma and Aonia!

Taking place on June 25th, 2022 and long overdue (as so much has been because of COVID), AoniaFest returns to the Corporation in Sheffield. An all-day rock and metal festival, tickets cost the absurdly low amount of £12 (advance) and can be bought here.

Need reasons to spend your hard-earned cash? Well, AoniaFest have provided 8 damn-good ones and we’re going to give you the rundown. So, in no particular order…

Luke Appleton

A name that should need little introduction, Luke Appleton is the guitarist of Absolva and Official Blaze Bayley. Alongside that, he also performs acoustically, touring all over the UK and Europe supporting his two releases ‘How Does It Feel to Be Alive? and ‘Snake Eyes’. The latter of which, we reviewed here and really enjoyed.

Find out more about here.

Serpentyne

Cut from the same cloth as the hosts but a different beast all-together too, Serpentyne are a symphonic/folk metal group that mix operatic and orchestral styles with powerful riffs and dramatic themes about historical figures and legends.

They’ve played extensively around the UK and the rest of Europe supporting the likes of Tarja Turunen, Stratovarius and Soulfly.

Find out more about here.

Final Coil

An alternative and progressive rock band, Final Coil are on of the most unique bands on this line-up and a band that has been on our ‘live bucket list’ for a while now. Happily, AoniaFest provides and we get to tick that one off soon.

Their latest release is Somnambulant II, a successor to the band’s experimental EP Somnambulant, a reimagining of some of Final Coil’s most remarkable songs. An album that we simply loved.

Find out more about here.

Ashes of Ire

Looking for something heavier? Something more ferocious? The Sheffield-based, modern metalcore band, Ashes of Ire will deliver. A hard-working, up and coming band. Think Trivium, Sylosis, Gojira, and you’re in the right ballpark for Ashes of Ire.

Find out more about here.

Walk In Coma

All the way from Essex, alternative metal band Walk in Coma will be making their Sheffield debut at the Fest. Which is crazy when you consider they’ve been around for more than a decade and have supported the likes of Cancer Bats and Heart of a Coward.

Find out more about here.

Cadence Noir

Goth and roll! How much fun does that sound? If you’re new to the Cadence Noir party then you’re going to have a good time with this band’s unique sound.

Having been around since 2011, they’re staples of the UK scene but have spread much further afield too. Think The Cure blended in a pot with Dropkick Murphys with a dash of Sisters of Mercy thrown in too.

Find out more about here.

Izengard

Influenced by the likes of Magnum, Nightwish, Rush and many others, Izengard have a story to tell in their music, played with all the energy and emotion their sound portrays. Having formed in 2011 and have graduated through the years from social media and rough demos to local music venues to festival appearance slots (including “Oktoberfest”) to supporting Demon at Eleven on the eve of their first single release.

Find out more about here.

Aonia

The hosts of the festival, Aonia are a progeratic (prog/operatic) metal band that really exploded on the scene with their debut album, The Seven. A memorable appearance at Bloodstock 2018 put them on our radar and we’ve not looked back.

A sound that can simply be called ‘massive’, Aonia thrill and captivate in equal measures and this is going to be such a triumphant return.

Find out more about here.

It’s a great line-up of established scene veterans and up and comers, exactly as you would hope it to be. It’s going to be one hell of a day. Get down or up to Sheffield. Support a ton of bands and support the scene.