Tons of Rock has wasted no time making its intentions clear for 2027!
The Norwegian festival has announced the first 17 artists for next year’s edition, and there is plenty of weight behind the opening line up. MÖTLEY CRÜE, JUDAS PRIEST, TURNSTILE, LYNYRD SKYNYRD and HELLOWEEN lead the first announcement, with a mixture of metal veterans, modern heavyweights and some of Norway’s best known names joining them.
Tons of Rock returns to Ekebergsletta in Oslo from 23rd to 26th June 2027, and if this first announcement is anything to go by, there will be some serious competition for space at the front of the stages.
MÖTLEY CRÜE RETURN TO NORWAY
Few bands arrive with quite as much history as MÖTLEY CRÜE. The Los Angeles rockers have spent more than four decades building a reputation around huge riffs, larger than life performances and a catalogue packed with songs that have become staples of hard rock. Dr. Feelgood, Kickstart My Heart, Girls, Girls, Girls and Shout at the Devil are just some of the tracks that have kept Mötley Crüe firmly embedded in rock culture, making their appearance one of the biggest draws of the first Tons of Rock announcement.
JUDAS PRIEST BRING THE METAL
Then there is JUDAS PRIEST, a band whose influence on heavy metal is difficult to overstate. With Rob Halford at the helm, the British metal institution has spent decades helping shape both the sound and image of the genre. Breaking the Law, Painkiller, Living After Midnight and You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’ remain instantly recognisable, and their inclusion alongside Mötley Crüe gives the first announcement a distinctly old school edge.
TURNSTILE SHAKE THINGS UP
TURNSTILE bring something very different to the bill. The Baltimore band have helped push hardcore into new territory, attracting a much wider audience while retaining the intensity that sits at the heart of their music. Their live performances have become a major part of their reputation, making them an intriguing addition to a line up otherwise packed with established metal and rock names.
LYNYRD SKYNYRD provide another change of direction. Few bands are more closely associated with Southern rock, with Sweet Home Alabama and Free Bird having long since become part of the wider rock soundtrack.
Meanwhile, HELLOWEEN bring their distinctive brand of German power metal to Oslo.
A BILL THAT GOES MUCH DEEPER
The announcement certainly does not stop with the biggest names.
Swedish metal favourites AMON AMARTH join German thrash legends KREATOR, while MOTIONLESS IN WHITE and I PREVAIL represent the more contemporary end of the heavy music spectrum.
There is also a strong Norwegian presence, with SATYRICON, SEIGMEN, GÅTE AND ONKLP & DE FJERNE SLEKTNINGENE all included in the first wave. Rounding things off are WATAIN, GWAR, BLUE MEDUSA and NECKBREAKKER, giving the opening announcement plenty of variety without ever straying too far from the festival’s heavy foundations.
And this is only the first announcement!
For now, Tons of Rock has already put some serious names on the table. Four days in Oslo, 17 artists announced and plenty more still to come. The 2027 line up has only just started taking shape.
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