Padded Cell Productions and BMF Productions present Metal in the Mountains 2026. To be held at Beechworth Historic Precinct, 100 Ford Street, Beechworth, Victoria, from November 13 to 15, this dose of alternative, underground culture proudly stands behind the Historic Precinct buildings of Beechworth.
Returning for a massive seventh year in the centre of Beechworth with a full range of heavy bands, ready to pummel the granite foundations into sand, this year’s show will not hold back. The peaceful citizens of the quiet historic township of Beechworth will be shaken from their vintage homes. The earth itself will quake, and the cockatoos will scream from the trees. All within earshot will know that Metalhead Ned is back in town.
The full line up is Segression, Elm Street, PistonFist, Kitchen Witch, Hematemesis, Helluloid, Virulent Invocation and Raise The Fallen. HEAVY has sent out Q&A’s to all of the bands to find out more about them and what to expect, with Segression the focus of todays session.
HELLULOID
If you love your music fast, filthy, and dripping with enough fake blood to make Dario Argento blush, then Melbourne’s Helluloid is your new favorite obsession. Emerging from the underground metal scene, this blistering speed/black/thrash metal outfit doesn’t just play songs; they slice their way right through your speakers. Their debut full-length masterpiece, Slash Metal, dropped and immediately set the local heavy community on fire. The concept here is pure genius—a head-on collision between old-school thrash velocity and classic slasher cinema. The tracklist reads like a beautifully twisted horror curriculum with killer tracks like Stalk Like an Egyptian, Death by Hydrophobia, and Aquatic Necrotics. It’s a magnificent cocktail of top-tier riffs and horror puns that absolutely delivers the goods.
Musically, they steer clear of generic splatter clichés. Instead, Helluloid serves up a curated tour of horror subgenres backed by a raw, aggressive energy reminiscent of early Slayer, Possessed, and Toxic Holocaust. There is an absurdly assured confidence to their songwriting. It feels like thirty years of heavy metal history is backing up every single pick-scrape and double-kick assault.
They are fast becoming one of the most exciting acts to catch live in Melbourne, recently tearing up stages at local institutions like Shotkickers. Helluloid is the real deal—capturing that elusive Wes Craven vibe where the music packs genuine menace but remains a hell of a lot of fun. Keep your eyes glued to this band, if you can see anything in the dark!
Q & A
HEAVY: METAL IN THE MOUNTAINS returns to Beechworth this November. How excited were you to get the call up?
HELLULOID: With Helluloid still in its relative infancy, this will be the first festival type of show for the band, and we’re pumped for that opportunity. On a personal level, it has been many years since I’ve performed at an open air event, so I’m excited for that.
HEAVY: What does it mean to your band to be playing MIM?
HELLULOID: It’s a great chance to reach a broader audience and spread our music to some folks in rural communities, who might not have otherwise been exposed to it.
HEAVY: Have you ever been to MIM as a punter?
HELLULOID: Not yet, but it sounds like a blast and I can’t wait for it!
HEAVY: What were your best memories of the day?
HELLULOID: Ask me next year!
HEAVY: It’s a long day of music. What will you be doing to make sure you will still be standing come your set time?
HELLULOID: I believe we’re playing pretty early, so provided I don’t hit the breaky beers too hard, I should be good to go. If I do happen to topple off the stage, I hope the punters are nice enough to cushion my fall.
HEAVY: Give me your Top 3 Festival survival tips
HELLULOID: Speaking from experiences at European festivals, I’d have to say make sure you pack painkillers, wet wipes and something to keep your beer cold. The sensible response probably includes something about safety, hydration and plenty of sunscreen, but sensible is boring.
HEAVY: Which band – other than yourself – do you think will get up to the most mischief on the day?
HELLULOID: I’ll take a wild stab and say PistonFist, but challenge accepted!
HEAVY: Run us through your typical live show and what punters can expect.
HELLULOID: A relentless, horror themed speed thrash onslaught!!!
HEAVY: If you could get one band on the line-up to cover one of your songs who would it be and what song would they cover?
HELLULOID: It’d have to be Elm Street covering Retrospectre, given our mutual appreciation of horror movies and the nod to Freddy Krueger.
HEAVY: What’s your latest release?
HELLULOID: We released our debut album Slash Metal earlier this year, which is available on Bandcamp as well as most streaming apps. We also pressed a limited edition CD run and released it in a VHS case (keeping with the band’s retro horror theme) complete with patch, pin & bumper sticker.
HEAVY: Finally, what plans does your band have for the rest of 2026 into 2027?
HELLULOID: We’re about to release a video clip for Retrospectre which is basically a short slasher movie complete with b-grade acting and literally bucket loads of blood. More gigs will soon be announced and we’ve already begun work on our second album.
Metal In The Mountains 2026 will be held at Beechworth Historic Precinct, 100 Ford Street, Beechworth, Victoria, from November 13 to 15. Tickets HERE
