Bands 2026

ROY KHAN (NO)

progressive metal

Roy Khan is the headliner of the 18th edition of Brainstorm Festival. The former singer of Kamelot will play an NL-exlusive with his ‘The Black Halo and Beyond’ show. A special moment, because Roy Khan was not active in the metal scene for years. With him we have confirmed a fantastic headliner, who will leave an unforgettable impression.

But let’s start at the very beginning. From 1997 to 2011, the Norwegian singer was the frontman of the successful band Kamelot, and his voice can be heard on great albums such as ‘Karma’, ‘Ghost Opera’ and top favorite ‘The Black Halo’. Tired from all the touring, he decides to find some peace and leaves Kamelot. He soon comes into contact with the Christian faith, takes an Alpha course and becomes a youth worker at a church. In the years that followed, images sporadically surface of Roy Khan enriching church services with his voice, and he himself wrote the beautiful song ‘For All’, which in fact contains his testimony.

Yet the metalscene does not let him go, and Roy Khan decides to work on a comeback under his own name. Shows in Scandinavia, Japan and South America prove that he still has a fantastic voice. In his show he sings hits from Kamelot, but there is also room for new songs. We will see exactly how this will work out during the upcoming Brainstorm Festival. Roy Khan closes the festival on Saturday-evening, but can also be found on our theaterstage for an interview. Enough reason to keep Saturday 7 November free in your diary and experience the show ‘The Black Halo and Beyond’!

SIRENIA (NO)

gothic-metal

With Sirenia, a well-known name returns to Brainstorm Festival and at a very special moment: the Norwegian band will celebrate their 25th anniversary in 2026, and we don't want to miss that party. Sirenia already headlined Brainstorm Festival in 2019 and this time the band will close the Friday-evening.

Logically, the story of Sirenia begins 25 years ago. The band was founded in 2001 by guitarist Morten Veland (ex-Tristania) and made its debut with the strong album ‘At Sixes And Sevens’. That record turns out to be a door-opener, and the career of the young Sirenia quickly takes off. The band provides their gothic-metal with influences from black-metal, death-metal and even classical music. The end result is a symphonic masterpiece, with which Sirenia is making a name for itself worldwide. However, the position behind the microphone turns out to be a difficult one, because several singers have succeeded each other over the years.

When Emmanuelle Zoldan joins the band as singer in 2016, peace returns and the line-up remains largely stable. That only makes the party that Sirenia is celebrating with us in Apeldoorn even more wonderful. What exactly we might expect remains a secret for now. But count on a mix of old hits and new work. Something for everyone and suitable for a wide audience, so to speak. So Sirenia’s anniversary show promises to be a concert not to be missed. Mark Friday 6 November in your calendar and join the party with Sirenia!

WYTCH HAZEL (UK)

hardrock

Another old acquaintance: Wytch Hazel is coming back! The English were with us in 2022 and have significantly expanded their success since then. The last album ‘V: Lamentations’ gave us the final push to bring the band back to Apeldoorn. Dressed in white with large crosses around their necks, these gentlemen revive the 80’s.

Wytch Hazel is formed in 2011 under the name Jerusalem. When the band members discover that there is already a band with that name in Sweden, they change the name to Wytch Hazel. The debut album 'Prelude' is released in 2016, but things only really take off after the second masterpiece ‘II: Sojourn’. The British band can be seen more and more in Europe. The band is steadily building on their success, with the help of excellent albums such as ‘III: Pentecost’, ‘IV: Sacrament’ and the aforementioned ‘V: Lamentations’. The trademark - the white clothing and large crosses - is and remains characteristic of the band.

We can now conclude that Wytch Hazel has become a permanent fixture in the metalscene. Interestingly, their 80’s hardrock, inspired by Wishbone Ash, Iron Maiden and Led Zeppelin, appeals to a much wider audience. While one person sees the christian image mainly as a joke, the other sees it as deadly serious. The English know how to embrace both ways. The years of touring and playing at festivals have turned Wytch Hazel into a great live-band. So we are very happy that the band has found its way back to Brainstorm Festival!

FELLOWSHIP (UK)

fantasy power-metal

In just a few years, Fellowship has become a tastemaker in the power metal scene. We got a taste of that a few years ago at Brainstorm Festival. Now the English band is returning: more experienced, more mature, more ‘’absolute bangers’’, as they like to call it.

Inspired by bands like Twilight Force, Rhapsody, and Majestica, Fellowship has been making impression since 2019. After an EP, their debut album ‘’The Saberlight Chronicles’’ was a smash hit. It instantly put Fellowship on the map, and as if that wasn’t enough, they followed up with a second fantastic album, ‘’The Skies Above Eternity’’. With that material under their belt, Fellowship toured Europe, and now they’re returning to Apeldoorn.

The English band knows exactly how to transform Brainstorm Festival into a party venue. This will be a show with a high singalong factor, and let's be honest: that’s a real treat at a festival. Or as Fellowship itself puts it: ‘Metal has never felt so good!’

SIGNUM REGIS (SK)

melodic power-metal

Signum Regis is returning to The Netherlands at a special time. A new album is being released this fall, and expectations are high. Moreover, the band is working on a unique lineup. It’s been announced that the Slovaks were left without a singer last year. A fantastic solution is in sight and will be presented by the band later this year.

Signum Regis promises to bring their best show to Brainstorm Festival, supplemented with hits and new songs. Over the years, the band has released a substantial catalog, so there's certainly no shortage of hit songs. We are therefore thrilled to welcome Signum Regis back to Apeldoorn!

NEPHYLIM (NL)

melodic death-metal

Brainstorm Festival can brace itself for a storm of melancholy and melody. Nephylim, hailing from the south of the Netherlands, is coming to treat us to a dose of melodic death-metal. This is no ordinary band. No, these gentlemen won the Wacken Metal Battle in the Netherlands in 2022. And at the international Wacken Metal Battle, they managed to finish in fourth place. That shows they have something to offer!

And it shows! Earlier this year, Nephylim toured Europe as support for Iotunn and In Vain; two bands that have already performed at Brainstorm Festival several times. Nephylim effortlessly got the crowd going. It is therefore not surprising that we are happy to add Nephylim to our list. Let your hair headbang during this performance. And don't forget to pick up their latest album ‘Circuition’ at the merch afterwards to enjoy it at home!

DARK AGES (IT)

progressive rock/metal

Dark Ages’ history goes back a long way, to the early 80s to be precise. Yet, we’re not dealing with an old band here. Almost all the band members joined much later, breathing new life into the Italian progressive rock/metal band. The result is an eager band that’s eager to make a name for itself.

We discovered Dark Ages through Angela Busato (keyboards), who toured The Netherlands last year with Marco Pastorino (Temperance, Serenity). We enjoyed our introduction to Dark Ages, so it was a logical next step to bring the band to Brainstorm Festival. Dark Ages will kick off on Saturday on our mainstage, and in the evening, some members will provide musical entertainment in the café!

NATUSSUMMORI (DE)

progressive rock/metal

Never before in the history of Brainstorm Festival has a band with so many members taken the stage. The ten-piece NatusSumMori is, therefore, more than just a metal band. In addition to drums, bass, and guitars, they bring along a violin, cello and flute. Furthermore, female vocals and male grunts alternate. On paper, this already sounds like an experience, let alone how it must sound live.

NatusSumMori has been around for a while, but has done few live performances in their career. We don't mind that, because it makes their show extra special. Call it symphonic metal, call it extreme metal, or whatever you want: there is something for everyone. The Germans will open the festival on Friday-evening on our mainstage. See you then!