This September will see Scotland’s oldest metal festival, Hordes X, return for its 16th edition. On Friday 18th and Saturday 19th, the event will takeover the Hidden and Music Hall Dundee venues, for two days of extreme and old school metal. The first three bands for this year are already confirmed; De Profundis, Cnoc An Tursa, and Owlcrusher. Keep reading below for more information.
Get tickets here:
https://www.eventim-light.com/uk/a/64e4bd9fe21f656bd75a0c93/e/69ef7d2904285c8ef6d9dbcb
Returning for their third Hordes, De Profundis say:
“It’s been a decade since we last played Hordes. Four releases later, we’re back and spreading the Gospel of Rot further north than ever before, this time for a headliner set at an exclusive Scottish show for 2026. We have prepared a set from the depths of our career, bringing to the stage some of our some of our old favourites from over 20 years of extremity. See you at Hordes!”
London’s death metal masters De Profundis are back for a third Hordes X appearance! Having headlined the second stage in 2013 and 2016 the band now return, after a decade away for a Scottish exclusive, bill-topping appearance. Having celebrated their 20th anniversary in 2025 with a rejuvenated line-up and a stunning new EP, The Gospel Of Rot, the band are looking forward to celebrating with the Hordes X crowd.
Joining them will be returning Scottish black/folk metal legends, Cnoc An Tursa. After nearly a decade away from the spotlight, Cnoc An Tursa have signed with the Apocalyptic Witchcraft label and are back with a new album, the incredible A Cry For The Slain. The album has been garnering plaudits from across the metal world, picking up rave reviews from Australia to Norway, Germany to the UK, Canada to Austria and all points in between. Their appearance at Hordes X will be a Dundee debut for the band and their set is bound to be a highlight of the event.
“We are pleased to announce we will be performing at Hordes X Festival on the 19th September 2026 – this will be our first ever show in Dundee! See you there!” – Cnoc An Tursa
The final name in this first trio of announcements is that of Northern Ireland’s blackened doom/sludge metal monsters, Owlcrusher, who will be making their first ever live appearance in Scotland. Poised to release their second album, the band are promising a set of devastating heaviness on the Hordes X stage…
“As wheels slowly turn on our much delayed second album, Owlcrusher return to live performance, after a prolonged absence, for our first ever Scottish shows. Expect gut-rupturing low end, subterranean vocal utterances, and an overwhelming sense of disquiet and unease…” say Owlcrusher.
From established names to new bands starting to make waves on the scene, there will be Scottish exclusives, Scottish debuts, Dundee debuts, and more, all making Hordes X an unmissable event. Early bird tickets are on sale now for a mere £15 – This covers the warm up event at Hidden on Friday 18th and the main event on Saturday 19th, across both stages with no clashes. For those unable to attend the full event, a limited number of Friday only tickets will be available on the door, but priority will be given to full ticket holders.
Partners/sponsors:
Very Metal Art
Ghost Cult Magazine
Moshville Times
Scotland Rocks Radio
Moshville Radio
Imperative PR
Breakout Studios
Angus Voice
Follow Hordes X:
https://www.slowdragonmusic.com/features/hordes-x/
https://www.facebook.com/hordesx/