Pandemonium Over Lugano III

Description

„PANDEMONIUM OVER LUGANO“ is an indoor festival that brings together the best of emerging metal in its various forms and expressions. With a special focus on the underground scene in Switzerland and Italy, this third edition will present a lineup of absolute value. The headliners of the evening are the Turin-based Ponte del Diavolo, a band that creates a targeted mix of Doom, Black Metal, Post-Punk, and Wave. Building on the wave of their second, celebrated album “De Venom Natura,” the band continues their rise with a series of prestigious dates in 2026, including Hellfest. Co-headliners are the established Genus Ordinis Dei with their Symphonic Death Metal. Active since 2015 and with five albums under their belt, the band can look back on various significant collaborations and important European tours. For thrash metal fans, XENOS A. D. offers inspirations from genre giants. The trio has released three albums and played on renowned stages like Wacken, and is coming to Lugano for the second half of the "Oppressor Over Europe," which began in May 2026. From the local scene, Noise in Myself returns with a new lineup and new material, maintaining their typical Alternative-Progressive Metal sound. To start, The Giant Baba, a Milanese trio, offers an interesting instrumental Djent/Prog Metal and leaves a great impression. Times - 20:00: The Giant Baba (Djent/Prog Metal, I) - 20:45: Noise in Myself (Alternative Prog Metal, CH) - 21:30: Xenos A. D. (Thrash Metal, I) - 22:30: Genus Ordinis Dei (Symphonic Death Metal, I) - 23:35: Ponte del Diavolo (Blackened Post-Punk, I) THE GIANT BABA An instrumental band from Milan, founded by Joe and Jackson, fans of Postrock, Metalcore, and experimental music, who tried to create a music project based on Progressive Metal and Djent. 8-string guitars, rhythmic jazz-rock elements, post-metal influences, reverb, delay, distortions, and polyrhythms create a web of spacey and dreamcore-like sounds, where time, logic, and rules dissolve. They have released the album “Apocalypse” and the single “The Northern White Sun” (2024). The band is currently working on a new album, expected in 2027, announced by the release of a single. NOISE IN MYSELF The band has released their self-titled debut album (2022) and the concept EP “Answers…” (2023), both on Wanikiya Record. After intense live activity and some lineup changes, the band will end their journey at the end of 2024. The new lineup, including soprano and singer Arianna Bellinaso (Aexylium), will release the first single of the new course on June 25, 2026. The alternative progressive metal sound of NIM combines haunting melodies, powerful riffs, and complex rhythms, creating a personal and recognizable sound. Influences from progressive and post-metal blend with ethereal atmospheres and references to spiritual and primal sound worlds, alternating intense emotional moments with introspective passages. XENOS A. D. In the technical thrash metal of Sicilians XENOS A. D., influences from Slayer, Megadeth, Kreator, Coroner, and Testament meet. The band has released the albums “Filthgrinder” (2020) and “The Dawn of Ares” (2021), but it was only with the release of their album “Requiem for the Oppressor” (2025) that the band truly took off and gained recognition and awards. The band’s extensive live experience, having played on renowned stages like Area 53, Into the Grave Fest, Agglutination, and Wacken alongside genre giants, makes XENOS A. D. a reliable act and promises a show that thrash fans should not miss. Despite the band’s young age, each member has previously shared stages with many big artists in the scene such as Iron Maiden, Slayer, Megadeth, Destruction, and others. GENUS ORDINIS DEI The Italian symphonic death metal band debuted with The Middle (2015) and, through the encounter with Marco Coti Zelati (Lacuna Coil), who produced the following EP. The second album, Great Olden Dynasty, featured Cristina Scabbia (Lacuna Coil) on the song Salem. The band then participated in the Delirium World Tour as a support band for Lacuna Coil and Forever Still, playing 31 concerts across Europe. With a contract with the US label Eclipse Records, the band shared the stage with bands like Dark Tranquillity, Suffocation, and Jinjer. After another European tour in 2019, the band took part in the Metalitalia Fest in June 2020, alongside Arch Enemy and others. The third album, Glare of Deliverance, is the world’s first metal music series: a story in 10 parts, told through 10 songs and 10 cinematic music videos. In 2023, they released their fourth album, The Beginning, a second metal music series consisting of 12 tracks and 4 videos. In 2024, the band released the single Eternal Cycle featuring Ambre Vourvahis (Xandria). The last album, “The Land East Of Eden,” features the outstanding voice of Roy Khan (formerly Kamelot, Conception). PONTE DEL DIAVOLO Ponte del Diavolo creates a targeted mix of Doom, Black Metal, Post-Punk, and Wave – an aesthetic they call “Blackened Post-Punk.” The female voices with wave influences anchor the fiery core of the project, supported by a rare double-bass setup, which emphasizes the rhythm.