Get ready to unleash the fury as Dark Down South III returns to Kirup this November 21 and 22, bringing two days of relentless metal mayhem to Western Australia’s South West. From Friday through Saturday, Jim McDonald Oval will once again transform into a haven for metalheads, showcasing a lineup that cuts across the full spectrum of heavy music. Headlining this year’s festival is a crushing lineup of extreme acts, featuring Mexico City’s unrelenting force Demente, the blistering grind chaos of Melbourne’s Nembutolik, the oppressive weight of Iniquitous Monolith, scene veterans Infected, and the raw, unfiltered energy of Melbourne’s Kunt Squad.
Backing them is a stacked undercard of Western Australia’s underground, including Psychonaut, DeadCode, Vanadium B.C., Oceans & Omens, Enforce, and Psytopia, alongside interstate chaos merchants like Adelaide’s Greedy Bunch of Parasites. Rounding out the lineup is a wave of emerging acts in Terror Adaptors, FistDead, Undeniable, Prophetic Execution, Deathcap Dinner Party, and Fuxion, each bringing their own flavour of noise, grit, and violence to the stage. Dark Down South III isn’t just about the music; it’s an immersive experience. With free camping, a BYO policy (no glass), and on-site food vendors, the festival delivers a full weekend escape built around community, volume, and connection. Designed as a family-friendly, all-ages event, it remains a rare space where generations of heavy music fans collide under one roof—or sky.
HEAVY sent out a list of questions to each band so we know what to expect before they set the stage on fire (not literally!), with ENFORCE taking the bait today. But first, get to know the band a bit better…
Every now and then, a band bursts out of the local underground with the kind of pure, unadulterated sonic swagger that leaves your jaw firmly pinned to the bloody floor. Enter Perth metal legends EnforcE. These boys don’t just play a gig—they lay down a total theatrical showcase of home-grown heavy that gets your neck snapping from the very first riff.
Since grinding their way out of WA rehearsal rooms back in 1997, EnforcE has stayed completely true to their old-school roots. Led by original vocalist and rhythm guitarist Guy Bell—affectionately dubbed the Grandpa of Thrash in the local scene—the four-piece delivers a ferocious, wall-of-sound mix that bridges the gap between classic European thrash and raw death metal power.
Their triumphant album Deep Blue proved they’ve still got plenty of venom left in the tank, packing enough measured aggression and dry, heavy tones to drag you straight down to hellish depths. With a massive 25th-anniversary celebration for their iconic debut Campfire Night, EnforcE shows no signs of slowing down. Crack a Jack, turn it up, and prepare for decibel-heavy chaos.
ENFORCE Q&A
HEAVY: DARK DOWN SOUTH OPEN AIR celebrates its third year as the only open air metal festival in WA this November. How excited were you to get the call up?
ENFORCE: Only a matter of time that we were asked and we Enforce are happy to be part of a successful growing event.
HEAVY: How important are festivals like this to the Australian music scene?
ENFORCE: It’s a hard industry to manage and especially at a profit so if there were no festivals or live music left in this country it would be a very sad place to live.So i would say it is very important to have this type of social event.
HEAVY: Have you ever been to DDS as a punter or playing?
ENFORCE: This will be our first time, you are always sceptical when festivals are born as this is the third addition. we are very happy to help build it to a success that we can attend many more.
HEAVY: If so, best memories of the day, or if not, what are you most excited for? .
ENFORCE: Putting on a good show that everyone can enjoy. Meeting old and new fans of metal music and witnessing new acts as there are few we have not seen ourselves.
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?
ENFORCE: lots of water and a camp chair wearing my sumbrero to protect me from the sun.
HEAVY: Give me your Top 3 Festival survival tips.
ENFORCE: water, toilet paper and fresh jocks and socks at least. 🙂
HEAVY: Which band – other than yourself – do you think will get up to the most mischief on the day?
ENFORCE: Vanadium for sure, not all the members but they have 2 members from dethlahem in that band and going by past experiences… do not add alcohol!!! 🙂
HEAVY: Run us through your typical live show and what punters can expect.
ENFORCE: We are a metal band that caters to a wide metal audience. There will be a song from “Enforce” you will love and the others you will like. Be prepared to headbang as stage diving is not allowed anymore.
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?
ENFORCE: Inquisition monolith to cover our song “Brutal” which is off our campfire night album (2000). give it there spin on it… i think that would be a classic.
HEAVY: How can fans find your music to get amped up for Dark Down South?
ENFORCE: we are everywhere, spotify,apple, youtube – stream away… \M/ or you buy us online at heavy metal merchant. https://www.heavymetalmerchant.com/
Tickets HERE
