Described as a “chapter of metal history” at the event, Bangalore Open Air 2025 (BOA) scripted a solid outing with their 12th edition on Feb. 8, 2025, at the Royal Orchid Resort and Convention Centre in Yelahanka.
While organizer and founder Salman U. Syed had just come from being forced to cancel a pre-festival show with Norwegian black metal act Mayhem (headliners of the 2023 edition), there was some indication that it was taking a toll on him to put BOA together each year. Out on the ground, there was plenty to indicate that each year, the festival is improving and becoming more diverse and inclusive.
This goes just beyond the modern metal of Jinjer, the trippy avant-garde of Cynic and the runaway hit of the festival, synthwave act Midnight Danger.
There were two stages this time – the Ronnie James Dio Stage and Halford’s Altar (also the Kadence Stage) – with an indoor ballroom turning into a changeover stage hosting a handful of acts for the day. There was another stage-like structure at the other end of the festival ground from the main stage and it turns out it was an elevated viewing platform for VIP ticket holders. It extended into an area for wheelchair-accessible attendees as well.
At the other end of Halford’s Altar (named after the Judas Priest vocalist) was a merch table making quick business from Syed’s other entrepreneurial venture, merch company Rock ‘n’ Roll Originals. The only grouse heard from a few attendees was the lack of a cloakroom/bag check inside the venue grounds, since re-entry was prohibited, which went plenty of folks were just walking around or wearing their new T-shirts. Perhaps a baggage hold within the premises could free up those hands of metalheads to raise the horns.
As much as there were some changes within BOA’s regular venue, it still provided plenty for the diehard metalheads, from the crushing thrash metal of Greek act Suicidal Angels and Pune’s Kasck (on the back of playing Wacken Open Air the previous year), Swedish black/death metal act Necrophobic and Mumbai extreme metallers Demonic Resurrection marking 25 years since the band’s formation.
It’s understandably not all grim and somber within BOA, and one sign of irreverence was seen just a little above the sound console tent. It had an anonymous quote: “No matter how great the band is, without a great sound engineer, they all suck.”
The show started at a sunny 2 pm with Hyderabad act Peekay – led by Los Angeles-based artist Pranati Khanna – showcasing exactly why they’re on the lineup. With heavier tunes (and growls), Peekay were there for more than just representation – they were a rising act showcasing a new direction on a big festival stage.
That was arguably contrasted with the nostalgic mood that veterans Demonic Resurrection (DR) traversed with songs like “Narasimha – The Man Lion” from their 2017 album Dashavatar. Joined by an all-new lineup of young instrumentalists, DR frontman Demonstealer stepped up like he’d never left the stage, feeding off the energy of the crowd for their 2022 single “Necromancer” and then ending with “The Unrelenting Surge of Vengeance.”
Suicidal Angels’ artwork for their 2024 album Profane Prayer unfurled as their stage backdrop as they marched on for a truly intense set. It was unfiltered, no-frills heavy metal from the Greek veterans, including new material like “Crypts of Madness” and “Purified By Fire.” Their classic breakneck metal was clearly included to balance out the more modern edge of the festival and the crowd was more than happy to oblige with circle pits. Vocalist-guitarist Nick Melissourgos asked the crowd at one point, “Should we go faster or go home?” Naturally, it was faster for Suicidal Angels, with songs like “Capital of War” making a powerful mark on their India debut.
An indoor stage was wholly new for BOA and while it took a little maneuvering sound-wise, Pune’s Kasck were there to make the most of their half-hour set, being every bit crushing. Performing off their 2023 EP Deal with the Devil, the title track got the moshpits in motion. So amped up was the crowd packed into the indoor stage that vocalist-guitarist Mayank Katare’s call to get different sides of the crowd in a chant-off just led to a wall of death, much to Kasck’s delight.
The only band that struggled with their sound a fair bit were Necrophobic, also making their India debut. With all artists only provided with a line check (as opposed to a full soundcheck), it took about half an hour until after their set time for the corpse-painted quintet to step on stage. Once they did, however, they sounding as destructive as ever, performing from their 2024 album In The Twilight Grey.
The sunset slot is always great for black metal bands, because it gets just a little chilly and the moon appears overhead, making it just right.
Over at Halford’s Altar, Inner Sanctum bore the brunt of delays but made the most of their time, playing to a packed audience including songs like “Wake of Destruction” and “Guardian.” Frontman Shashank Bhatnagar was in his element on the mic between songs. He said wryly, “Buy our merch, but even if you don’t, we’ll still love you, you cheap fucks.”
Over at the Ronnie James Dio mainstage, Cynic breathed an ethereal life into BOA, kicking off with “Evolutionary Sleeper.” It’s a band to behold rather than necessarily groove with. Founder Paul Masvidal made a reference to the last time they were supposed to play in India in 2010. “We made it to India finally!” he said to a cheer from the few thousands gathered. Joined on a couple of songs by friend of the band Joshua Leon on vocals for a couple of songs, there was an added heaviness with the surprise addition. From “Veil of Maya” to “Infinite Shapes” to Integral Birth” and “How Could I,” it was a career-spanning retrospective that sounded like outer-space as well as shapeshifting and cathartic.
Although they couldn’t really stick around to answer fans asking for an encore, there was more journeying music presented by Sweden synthwave duo Midnight Danger. Inspired by Eighties music and donning spooktacular costumes, the duo’s lighting and stage production made them an instant highlight. It was hypnotic and included guitars, synth and drums, with vocal passages between songs to tell a story all together.
As Midnight Danger ranged on and arguably paid off a gamble that BOA had made, so did the crushing, intense metal of Ukrainian act Jinjer. Arriving on the back of their new album Duel, Jinjer’s vocalist Tatiana Shmayluk had the best moves to breakdowns and blastbeats, which occasionally transferred to bassist Eugene Abdukhanov. While guitarist Roman Ibramkhalilov was an image of focus, so was drummer Vlad Ulasevich as he held the rhythm down effortlessly.
Ripping through songs like “Just Another” and “Fast Draw,” plus “I Speak Astronomy” and “Kafka,” Jinjer’s 13-song setlist was absolutely headliner-worthy, for anyone who would have doubted it. It’s dexterous at times and other instances, they switch into thrash and punk influences, with the crowd chanting for more between songs. With the penultimate song “Rogue” allowing for more onstage theatrics from Shmayluk, Jinjer closed with “Pisces,” one of their most popular songs to date. The vocalist said, “Thank you for the wonderful gift that is you. Hope to see you soon someday.”
With a 2026 edition already loading according to Bangalore Open Air, there are a lot of advantages that the festival is leveraging by being the only large-scale metal festival bringing international acts to India. They’ve already booked bands like Born of Osiris and Alcest in the past. Now, looking at metal-adjacent styles like synthwave, there’s proof that BOA doesn’t have to necessarily be the answer to the average Indian metalheads’ demand for massive bands like Judas Priest or Opeth or Gojira. They’re doing just fine by walking the fine balance between giving something for everyone.