For its sixth edition, extreme metal festival Fire in the Mountains returns to last year’s location of Montana’s Red Eagle Campground in the indigenous Blackfeet Nation, pulling some historic reunions in the process.
I can’t lie – I didn’t think I’d be able to swing this. With a new job, airfare prices rising, and a home on the other side of the US, the opportunity to cover an event as stacked as Fire in the Mountains seemed out of reach entirely. Happily to say, in the year of our lord 2026, the stars aligned and the hype is real. How do I even begin?
Any big metal festival anywhere in the world is going to bring in heavy-hitters, new and old, to fill out its capacity. In this case, Fire in the Mountains, which runs from July 23rd to July 26th, has corralled some truly staggering reunions for its 2026 lineup: the continued run of shows being had since 2023 by American black metallers Agalloch, the alternative Goth country outfit 16 Horsepower, and the cult symphonic doom metal collective SubRosa. Although I’m not as familiar with 16 Horsepower, their first US performance in over 20 years is likely to go over splendidly in such an organic setting as this. The same can be said for Agalloch, one of my longtime favorites in the black metal genre (I have artwork from Marrow of the Spirit tattooed on me), with their implementation of folk and post-rock being not only groundbreaking for their time but especially sublime on 2006’s Ashes Against the Grain, which they will be playing in its entirety. SubRosa‘s 2013 masterpiece More Constant Than the Gods has continued having an especially deep emotional effect on me with every listen and, seeing their rehearsal footage online, I’m expecting to see quite a bit of that album played during their Sunday set – catch me sobbing hysterically in the audience during the plaintive opening moments of “The Usher”.
The bands I’ve seen live in the past – Baroness, Full of Hell, Wayfarer – will undoubtedly give strong, memorable performances, with Wayfarer in particular likely being a crowd favorite due to their black metal-meets-Wild West aesthetic. I’m very curious to see if Midwife, who I saw opening for Deafheaven several years ago, will use the same solo act setup with live looping in place of bass and drums, or if the project’s spearhead Madeline Johnston will have a full backing band behind her. This is nothing to say of the groups I’ve long admired but never had a chance to see live, namely The Ruins of Beverast and Enslaved, the former for their atmospheric blackened doom sound and the latter for their fun Viking metal prog. One group I’ve never gotten to see in the past but am extremely excited to bear witness to is the mighty Yob, whose back catalogue of sludge/doom/post-metal speaks for itself as high points in those genres; vocalist/guitarist Mike Scheidt‘s health struggles that nearly put an end to the band and his own life in 2017 led directly to the writing of Yob‘s astonishing Our Raw Heart, which any metal fan owes to themselves to listen to.
Perhaps most notable in this year’s line-up is the return of celebrated sludge metal legends Neurosis, who have more goodwill behind them than possibly ever before in their 40-year history. After the ousting of vocalist/guitarist Scott Kelly in 2019 (though not made public until 2022) after truly disturbing revelations regarding his domestic life, it was long believed the band was done and the remaining members would move on to other things – especially after drummer Jason Roeder claimed in 2025 that he would be selling his gear and retiring from touring. Lo and behold, they remained vigilant and pushed ahead with Isis‘ Aaron Turner in tow, releasing their surprise comeback album An Undying Love for a Burning World earlier this year that was celebrated the metal world over (we loved it, because how could we not?). A return – not a reunion, since they never actually broke up – such as this feels not only triumphant in the face of their former member’s dark and horrible shadow, but necessary for the healing process of the rest of the band. I anticipate the attendees will be rapt with attention during Neurosis‘ set, healing along with them; I know I certainly will.
To be completely honest, Fire in the Mountains is the first music festival I will ever attend. At the ripe old age of 33, it’s long overdue, but it’s set to be an unforgettable experience for those in the audience. To be able to attend this event at Blackfeet Nation – referred to as ‘the backbone of the world’ by the Natives – and as an initiative to shine a light on the plague of indigenous suicides, I predict a palpable sense of community will be present. Some opportunities are just too singular to miss out on, and I couldn’t be more grateful to be a part of it.
