The wait is nearly over. Blacken Open Air – to be held from September 19 to 22 – Australia’s most unique heavy music festival, has dropped its full line-up for 2025, featuring an electrifying mix of international icons, exclusive reunions, and homegrown heavyweights.
This is not a rehashed, derivative or template event, it is a reinvention. We are building on what we’ve done in the past, while reinterpreting the reason for doing it. In 2025, we’ve searched the globe for artists that bring the extreme, the inspiring, the outrageous and the absurd, representing the real diversity of voices in the heavy music space. Not just across Australia and New Zealand, but from America, Europe and Asia as well.
And what better way for you to know what to expect than a personal, up close Q & A session? Today, we get to know Witchskull.
BAND NAME: WITCHSKULL
BRIEF HISTORY: Same 3 blokes for 11 years, released 4 LPs
LATEST RELEASE: The Serpent Tide (Rise Above Records)
GENRE: Traditional Doom Metal, I guess?
WHY PEOPLE SHOULD CHECK YOU OUT AT BLACKEN OPEN AIR: We have been told we look like a trio of homeless wizards. Surely that’s worth a look?
THREE THINGS PEOPLE MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT THE BAND: Our bass player Big T is from New York, Marcus and I were in a band together in 1985, and we live in Canberra.
BLACKEN OPEN AIR 2025 is approaching fast. Are the nerves kicking in yet?
To be honest, we don’t really get nervous. We are old and only play because we like it, so there is nothing to get nervous about.
What does it mean to you to be playing at BLACKEN?
We are really excited, we have been working on getting on the bill for the last couple of events, and it hasn’t worked out until now. It’s gonna be a blast!
BLACKEN has been called Australia’s most unique music festival. Do you agree?
It would have to be. It’s probably one of the most unique metal festivals on earth.
Who are you most looking forward to playing with and why?
There is a heap of people we know that we are looking forward to catching up with and seeing live. Fooz from Blood Duster is one of our favourite people, so hanging with him is always entertaining.
It’s a long day of music. What will you be doing to make sure you will still be standing come your set time?
Drink sensibly until we go on, then get loose.
Give me your Top 3 Festival survival tips.
Don’t get too smashed too early. That’s the only survival tip I have.
Which band – other than yourself – do you think will get up to the most mischief on the day?
Blood Duster are bringing Jonny Handgrenade with them. What could go wrong?
What song do you think the crowd would want you to play to finish your set?
Breathing Blue Light?
What song are you going to play?
Not sure yet? We have all 4 albums rehearsed, so it could be anything?
What one song would you tell festival goers to listen to of yours if they haven’t heard you play before?
We are more of an album band, so maybe check out our 3rd album, “A Driftwood Cross”
Finally, what plans does your band have for the rest of 2025?
We are in full writing mode, so after Blacken we have one more show at The Bendi in Melbourne, then back to writing.
