October 17, 2026 | The Hook and Ladder Event Center | Minneapolis, Minnesota 

Valhalla Fest is a relatively recent addition to Minnesota's recurring music-focused events. Starting only three years ago under the direction of Greg Moog (Black Flood Diesel, White Crosses, Oversoul), the festival was eventually passed into the hands of Tempest Crane (Harsh Reality, Chick Singer, TS RockDoll Productions). Previous years saw the event hosted at Bloomington's VFW and The Lyric/Studio B.

This year, Valhalla Fest received a well-deserved upgrade to the Hook and Ladder Event Center on Minnehaha Avenue in Minneapolis. Located near the heart of the George Floyd protests in 2020, the surrounding community maintains an activist spirit that has come to be a defining characteristic of Minnesotans. That sense of community was certainly present throughout the event.

Originally, I had other commitments on the day of the festival. However, after receiving an invitation to provide press coverage, I made the time to attend, and I'm glad I did!

Arrival and First Impressions

Parking is always an issue with venues like this, and the Hook and Ladder Event Center was no exception. Available parking was taken for blocks around the venue, making things mildly annoying. However, this is my own personal gripe and a plea to the City of Minneapolis, not a criticism of the venue or event itself.

Signs and posters clearly identified what I was walking into: a high-energy evening of metal featuring some of the best local and national acts available.

Along with the dual stages and café, there was also a local bazaar featuring arts and crafts from independent vendors. This provided a great variety of options for attendees who might have dropped in for more than just the music.

Since I arrived after the event had already started, I unfortunately missed several acts, including Electric Snake Oil Circus, Witch Syndicate, Murder Curious, Rust Bucket, and MotorcityHead. Social media posts featuring these earlier performances suggested that they all delivered impressive sets and helped establish the tone for an amazing evening.

Once I had my credentials sorted out, a painless process thanks to the Hook and Ladder staff, I was ready to experience what Valhalla Fest III had to offer.

Domidium

The first act I was able to catch was Domidium.

Domidium describes its sound as carefully engineered through years of experience, featuring nasty riffs, piercing solos, powerful drums, thundering bass, and fierce, soaring vocals.

All of this proved true.

Their presentation on the Zen Arcade stage made it clear that they belonged in this setting and could excel alongside the other performers on the bill.

While watching their set, I ran into the entire crew of Witch Syndicate: Danimae Vlossen, T-Rev Hawley, Susanna Mae Schannigan, and their new bassist, Ani Macy!

It was another opportunity to witness the sense of community surrounding Valhalla Fest as the evening progressed.

Glutton for Punishment

Next up, taking the main stage, was Glutton for Punishment, bringing an impressive offering of Minneapolis death metal.

This performance marked a memorable turning point in the evening as the crowd really began opening up the pit.

While enjoying their set, I ran into Will Maravales (Plague of Stars, Caustic Abyss, 1459 Studios) and Aaron Lannik (Plague of Stars, Ysilik, Kobb).

Having some of our local music scene's stewards in the crowd is a crucial part of building events like these into something with a lasting presence.

VolsungaSaga

Returning to the second stage, VolsungaSaga reminded everyone that we were, after all, attending a Viking festival.

With growling vocals and soaring guitar themes, the band delivered a performance that truly represented the epic nature of their saga.

Their sound and presentation reinforced the festival's thematic identity while continuing the evening's momentum.

Harsh Reality

Back on the main stage was a band I was already familiar with and always look forward to seeing: Harsh Reality, Tempest Crane's own contribution to the festival.

With cutting refrains of "You're not special" and the grinding sparks of Tempest's flare, Harsh Reality didn't disappoint.

During this set, I spotted Tank Davidson (Outlaw Saint) moving about and had an opportunity to speak with him.

For this event, Tank had been brought in to assist with direction and operations. You couldn't ask for a better hand to have on deck.

Chad Erickson (The Untimely, Polydemonic) was also contributing his talents. Chad has consistently proven himself a reliable stagehand and supporter of the local scene, helping ensure that large events like these have the operational support they need to succeed.

These are the kinds of contributions that audiences may not always see but are absolutely essential to making a festival work.

Oversoul

Following Harsh Reality was a pleasant change of pace with the debut of Oversoul, the new project from Greg Moog and Dee Wyatt (Leaving Hope).

Presented as an acoustic duo, Oversoul offered spirited commentary on who we are and what it means to be human.

After an evening dominated by heavy riffs, aggressive vocals, and pounding drums, their performance provided a welcome opportunity to experience something different.

Running technical support for this set was Ewan Leask (Granite Peak), making sure the equipment was in proper performance condition for Oversoul.

It was another reminder of the collaborative efforts that make these performances possible.

Derecho

Back on the main stage, the festival entered its home stretch with Derecho.

Having survived through the namesake itself, the band eventually found its calling in death metal.

Their set brought stirring riffs and crushing beats that would resonate throughout the remainder of the evening.

With a guest appearance from Greg Moog, Derecho delivered a must-see performance that helped set the stage for the night's final acts.

While waiting for the next changeover, I bumped into John Wheeler (Screaming Monkey Boner, My Zero, Blue Felix, and his new project Electric Snake Oil Circus). John is always on the move, planning for whatever comes next.

Reaping Asmodeia

When the house music stopped and the lights went out, we were treated to the appearance of one of Minneapolis' gems: Reaping Asmodeia.

Wrapping up their Terminal Lucidity tour at Valhalla Fest, the band delivered an engaging performance that kept people moving in the pit.

With heavy riffs, commanding stage movement, and plenty of smiles along the way, Reaping Asmodeia demonstrated why they continue to be such an important presence in the Minnesota metal scene.

Their performance was a powerful addition to an already impressive evening.

Between sets, I encountered several other notable contributors to the Minneapolis music community, including Lindy Gabriel (Gabriel and the Apocalypse), Jendeen Forsberg (Harsh Reality, Chick Singer), and William McLeod (The Minnesota Music Note).

All are pivotal contributors to promoting and supporting the continued growth of the Minneapolis music scene.

Anders Colsefni

Then came Anders Colsefni.

While typically billed as the "original Slipknot vocalist," I have no doubt that what Anders brings to the stage can stand on its own without relying on that designation.

This was a performance I appreciated in ways I hadn't expected.

The variation and range of the band were a welcome evolution of everything the previous sets had been building toward.

Anders and his crew brought a stage presence that helped communicate the larger artistic vision behind their performance.

This wasn't simply a collection of musicians performing songs together. It was a carefully crafted presentation designed to fuse traditional metal and rock concepts with a high-art aesthetic.

The arrangements, presentation, and musical diversity created something that felt deliberate and cohesive.

There was an obvious attention to the overall experience rather than merely the individual songs.

For me, that distinction made Anders Colsefni's performance a particularly memorable conclusion to the evening.

More Than Just a Music Festival

Throughout the evening, I had the opportunity to reconnect with numerous musicians, organizers, and contributors who have helped shape the Minnesota music scene.

Many of the staff members and performers involved with Valhalla Fest have also been guests on the Manifest Brutality interview series, and it was a genuine pleasure to see them in their element onstage and behind the scenes.

These interactions reinforced something I've come to appreciate through my years of working with independent musicians.

A successful music scene isn't built exclusively by the artists standing onstage.

It's built by the people organizing events, handling production, managing equipment, promoting performances, supporting one another, and showing up when it matters.

Valhalla Fest brought many of those people together under one roof.

That alone is worth recognizing.

Why Valhalla Fest Matters

Valhalla Fest represents an important addition to the Minnesota music scene, filling a role that our community genuinely needs.

For the next generation of musicians to have something to aspire to, they need to see what achievement looks like.

They need stages worth working toward, audiences worth earning, and communities willing to support them along the way.

Between the major festival stages across the border in Wisconsin and smaller emerging venues like the Art House Theater, there needs to be room for growth.

We need events like Valhalla Fest, and we need midsized venues like the Hook and Ladder to take on those challenges.

These events provide opportunities for emerging artists to perform alongside established acts, build relationships, expand their audiences, and experience the professional expectations of larger productions.

They also offer national performers an opportunity to connect with the regional communities that help sustain independent music.

Valhalla Fest has the potential to become a staple of the Minnesota music calendar and a meaningful milestone for aspiring local acts.

More importantly, it can serve as connective tissue between emerging talent, established regional performers, and nationally recognized artists.

This year's festival demonstrated what can happen when dedicated organizers, capable production crews, talented musicians, and an engaged community work toward a common goal.

And if this year's event is any indication, there's plenty of reason to be excited about what comes next.

Until then, look forward to Valhalla Fest 2027!

For the past three years I’ve been running a podcast interview project focused on underground/undiscovered/or otherwise unknown musicians.
I began this project because I wanted to give something back to music after decades of my own personal relationship with music. I found that most mainstream podcast/music shows focus on big name artists or industry recognizable names. I wanted to go the other direction, to find people recording in their bedrooms, or people playing instruments on the street, or just people who learned to play an instrument for the love of music.

Over the past three years I’ve conducted over 200 interviews with people all over the country and world at various levels in their career and with various levels of participation in music. It's been a truly humbling experience and infinitely motivational.

What I’ve learned from everyone I’ve interviewed is that although we all have our own passionate relationship with music, everyone has a unique perspective on what that means to them and how they’ve allowed it to interact with their lives. Some people have casual participation that allows them to express themselves, and that is their concept of being successful. While others are driven to reach into the stars and have a definition of success that puts the bar so high they may never reach it, just to keep themselves motivated to keep going.

Although everyone has their own relationship with how they define success, there is a consistent message that resonates across these interviews. You are never too old, too young, too inexperienced, too incapable, or too “successful” to begin learning an instrument or making music. All you need is motivation.

As with anything subjective, sometimes you won’t like what you make, sometimes others won’t like what you make, but the consensus is the same. If you want to do it, you should, and do it unapologetically, you should feel empowered to explore your own creativity to the very depths of what that means to you. That may seem like an obvious trope to some, but some people need to hear that, and need to be told it's ok to make music that only they like. Not all music is made with the intention of being a commercial success. In fact most music is made out of catharsis as a form of therapeutic release. It is all valid, and it is all “music”.

This project has truly been amazing! To speak to so many talented musicians, and hear how music has impacted their lives has been an honor they all trusted me with. I’m not very good at social media postings or podcast marketing, but I wish I were so I could get more traffic to these people that have taken the time to participate in this project.

I’m not adding any links to this post because I don’t want it to be viewed as self-promotion and get flagged. So, if you want to listen to these interviews, you can find them pretty much everywhere. There are links on my profile to Youtube and Spotify. I also post them to r/ManifestBrutality
With that being said. I intend to continue these interviews with musicians who wish to share their stories and experiences across the world. It really has been an amazing journey since I started. My goal is to be able to work on this project full-time, and I’m hoping to make that a reality.
If you have any questions about this, or anything else. I’m happy to have a discussion.
In closing, keep making music, keep exploring what music means to you.
Don’t give up, don’t let anyone tell you you’re not good enough or to stop.