The second edition of Metal over Malta Festival is returns on Friday and Saturday at Chateau Buskett, Buskett. This second edition of the festival sees 11 established acts hitting the stage, with Weeping Silence – a growing strength in the international gothic and doom metal scene, and themselves no strangers to large foreign metal festivals and– hosting the event.

The bands taking part in this year’s festival are as varied as their countries of provenance and genres range from gothic rock, to symphonic, melo-death, doom and prog metal, with the bands hailing from six countries.

The organisers strive to put up a yearly event with bands leaning towards the melodic vein, from an increasingly broad music spectrum. The aim is also to book acts that are riding a wave of popularity in the international underground scene to make their debut on the islands at the festival.

This year’s line-up boasts widely revered acts such as Thurisaz (Belgium), Eyes Wide Open (Sweden) and The Foreshadowing (Italy), the latter scheduled to release a new album in April. The festival comes to a close with this year’s headliner Septicflesh (Greece), undoubtedly one of the metal titans of our time.

Weeping Silence will also be performing during the festival, in their fourth show this year, though only their first one locally. Other engagements this year include Metaldays in Slovenia, which will also feature local band Victims of Creation; Gothoom Open Air in Slovakia; and VOTS Fest in Malta. The band released their fourth album Opus IV Oblivion last October on the reputable German record label Massacre Records and has since garnered an array of great reviews including on Orkus, Legacy and Metal Hammer. Those attending the festival can expect to hear a repertoire that draws mainly from this latest release.

Day and combi-tickets are at the door.

www.metalovermalta.com