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Vagos Metal Fest 2026: The first day welcomed Lamb Of God and more

Filipe Gomes 15/08/2026 Festivals, Reports Comments Off

The 2026 edition of Vagos Metal Fest was the longest in all its History. Five days seem like a lot (and they are), but the fans showed resilience and endured the whole festival with amazing and seemingly endless energy. Throughout five days, bands of all genres visited Quinta do Ega at the Vagos municipality and helped one of the biggest metal events in Portugal take place.

Full photo gallery at the end of this article.

The first surprise of the day came with the band entrusted with opening the 2026 edition of Vagos Metal Fest. Hailing from Osaka, Japan, extreme metal band Ethereal Sin, led by Yama Darkblaze, took to the stage with painted faces and an initially reserved presence. During the first few minutes, the sound still appeared to be finding its balance, but the situation quickly developed into an overwhelming wall of sound. As the performance progressed, the quartet gradually won over the audience with an intense and heavy sound, demonstrating that, despite still being relatively unknown to much of the crowd, they had more than enough to hold their attention.

The set included tracks such as “Millendium – Nostalgia”, “Into the Misty Rain”, “999 Swords” and “Setsuna”, featuring some of the more recent compositions from the albums Time of Requiem Part. 1 and Time of Requiem Part. 2. During “Setsuna”, the connection with the audience became particularly evident, with the chorus being accompanied in unison by the crowd through a contagious “oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh”. The intensity remained until the very end, with Ethereal Sin closing their performance with “Blaze Dancing”, leaving a strong impression after the first concert of the day. Although they succeeded in gradually winning over the audience, there was a distinct feeling that their Vagos Metal Fest debut deserved a longer set.

For many, Ethereal Sin were an unknown quantity when they walked onto the stage. By the time they left it, that was no longer the case. The Japanese band thus became one of the first surprises of the 2026 edition, demonstrating that discovering new names remains one of the strengths of a festival on this scale.

Ethereal Sin (Photo: Filipe Gomes | @filipegomes.photo)

Another welcome surprise came in the form of Melodius Deite, an international group based in Thailand that brought to Vagos Metal Fest a style in which power metal intersects with progressive metal influences. Led by the charismatic Anira Sinebryukhova, Melodius Deite delivered a visually striking and musically solid performance, quickly capturing the audience’s attention. Anira took to the stage wearing enormous wings, adopting the persona of a fallen angel in an image that perfectly complemented the atmosphere created by the band. Above all, however, it was her vocal performance that stood out. Possessing an impressive five-octave vocal range, the singer demonstrated remarkable ability and versatility, moving between different registers throughout a performance in which image and voice complemented each other effectively.

The set included tracks such as “Vainglorious Pride”, “Warrior’s Heart and Soul”, Anira’s favourite song, “Lucifer (The Fallen Star)”, “Saint Gabriel” and “Novelist”, with the band displaying a sound that was both powerful and melodic. The connection with the audience became particularly evident during one of the concert’s most intense moments, when Anira asked the crowd to raise their arms and slowly clap along to the rhythm of the guitar. The anticipation continued to build until the music accelerated and triggered a circle pit, with the audience immediately responding to the vocalist’s challenge. The positive reception continued until the very end, with Melodius Deite closing their performance with “Song for Good Fellows”, in front of an audience that responded enthusiastically to the energy and theatricality brought by the group.

Once again, there was a feeling that the band’s set could have been longer. Melodius Deite thus proved to be another of the welcome surprises of the opening stages of this year’s Vagos Metal Fest, delivering a performance that combined vocal quality, visual impact, strong melodies and an excellent ability to connect with the audience.

Melodius Deite (Photo: Filipe Gomes | @filipegomes.photo)

Hailing from the Canary Islands, Spain, An Endless Path brought a combination of metalcore and deathcore to Vagos Metal Fest, marked by strong influences from 2000s nu metal. The performance began with some technical difficulties, with the vocals initially not coming through the sound system, but the issue was quickly resolved. The band’s sound revealed clear influences from Korn, both instrumentally and vocally, making the connection difficult to overlook. Nevertheless, the band delivered an energetic performance, with the frontman constantly jumping across the stage and challenging the audience with a “I want to see your fucking hands up”.

The set opened with “Pray for Salvation”, “Afraid of Darkness”, “I Can’t Fail” and “Gallows”, followed by “Nothing Matters to Us”, the band’s new single, before they closed with “Betrayer and Fault”. Despite the troubled start, An Endless Path quickly regained control of the situation and delivered an intense performance, demonstrating the strength of their blend of metalcore and deathcore without concealing the influences that have shaped their musical journey.

An Endless Path (Photo: Filipe Gomes | @filipegomes.photo)

Almost Dead were another fine surprise. The Anerican thrash metal band, with plenty of groove and some death metal influences, delivered a strong performance. Led by Tony Rolandelli, the band had little to no difficulty winning over the audience. Dust began to rise shortly after the first riffs, as the crowd enthusiastically responded to the groove-heavy riffs coming from the stage.

The band arrived with their 2024 album “Destruction Is All We Know”, a particularly fitting title for their performance. However, demonstrating a high level of productivity, four of the seven songs performed were new tracks that will feature on the band’s upcoming album, whose title has yet to be announced. The songs taken from the 2024 album were “Commandments of Coercion”, “Warheads in the Sky” and “Where Sinners Cry”.

Almost Dead (Photo: Filipe Gomes | @filipegomes.photo)

Cro-Mags are a band that needs no introduction to anyone who has paid attention to the American crossover scene over the past 30 years. The New York veterans brought their explosive blend of thrash metal and hardcore punk to a stage where many appeared unfamiliar with the band, while a significant number of older members of the audience clearly knew exactly who they were watching.

Harley Flanagan, known for his tough demeanour both on and off stage, appeared to be in good spirits, and the concert unfolded with energy and enthusiasm. The performance was almost entirely devoted to celebrating the 40th anniversary of the album “The Age of Quarrel”, from which the band played iconic songs such as “Hard Times”, “Malfunction”, “Show You No Mercy”, “Street Justice” and “Survival of the Streets”.

There was also time for a speech from Flanagan, who dedicated a song to the victims of current conflicts, criticising the fact that “thousands suffer and die because a wealthy elite is trying to become a little richer”. “Hard Times” was the song chosen to close this excellent concert.

Cro-Mags (Photo: Patrícia Veludo | @patriciaveludo_photo)

With the first day of Vagos Metal Fest sold out, iconic Seixal band R.A.M.P. stepped in to replace Ill Niño and quickly won over the Vagos Metal Fest audience. The performance opened with “Insane”, immediately sending the crowd into a frenzy, followed by “How” and “Down”. The set continued with “The Number One”, “Clear” and “Blind Enchantment”, keeping the energy at a high level.

One of the most memorable moments came when guitarists Ricardo Mendonça and David Mendonça, father and son, played face to face, exchanging smiles on stage. “Those We Cannot Blame”, “Follow You”, “The Cold” and “Insidiously” followed, in a performance that also featured pyrotechnics, plenty of energy and a visibly good-natured atmosphere. Frontman Rui Duarte was constantly urging the audience on, displaying an excellent stage presence, while bassist Apache Neto stood out through his facial expressions and commanding presence throughout the performance. On drums, João Gonçalves demonstrated complete control of both sticks and pedals, providing a powerful rhythmic foundation.

With “Anjo da Guarda”, a cover song of António Variações, the connection with the audience remained strong, but it was during “Hallelujah” that the crowd reached one of the concert’s high points, jumping and repeating the chorus, while some members of the audience engaged in crowdsurfing and others kept time with their hands. The concert ended with “Drop Down”, bringing an energetic and very well-received performance to a close.

Called upon to replace Ill Niño, R.A.M.P. showed that they were more than capable of rising to the challenge and left their mark on this edition of Vagos Metal Fest.

RAMP (Photo: Patrícia Veludo | @patriciaveludo_photo)

Lamb of God were the most eagerly anticipated band of the first day of Vagos Metal Fest. Regarded as one of the leading names in groove metal and metalcore, the American band from Virginia delivered a highly intense performance, showcasing the experience accumulated over more than two decades of their career.

Led by the charismatic Randy Blythe, alongside Mark Morton and Willie Adler on guitars, John Campbell on bass and Art Cruz on drums, Lamb of God took to the stage for a tight and explosive performance. Blythe seemed like a tiger in a cage, constantly moving across the stage and maintaining an impressive level of energy throughout the concert. The set began with “Ruin”, “Laid to Rest”, “Blood Junkie” and “Into Oblivion”, the latter accompanied by pyrotechnics. “Resurrection Man”, “Die For”, “Hourglass” and “Descending” followed, with constant jumping, raised arms and crowdsurfing in front of the stage.

After praising Portuguese cuisine, Randy Blythe asked the audience if they were ready before launching into “Walk with Me in Hell”, one of the most eagerly anticipated moments of the night, once again accompanied by pyrotechnics. The euphoria continued with “Parasocial”, “Omerta” and “11th Hour”. An intro preceded “Memento Mori”, another of the night’s most anticipated songs, again accompanied by pyrotechnics. Before the final song, Blythe called on the audience to make some noise and open up a huge circle pit. “This song is Redneck!”, announced the frontman, before the band brought the concert to a close in an explosion of energy and pyrotechnics.

With an excellent performance, extensive stage experience and an emphatic response from the audience, Lamb of God confirmed in Vagos why they remain one of the major forces in contemporary metal.

Lamb Of God (Photo: Filipe Gomes | @filipegomes.photo)

Hailing from Italy, Kenòs brought a death metal approach to Vagos Metal Fest, built around complex structures and technically demanding compositions. However, the sound conditions were not ideal at the beginning, which ultimately affected the band’s performance, although the situation gradually improved as the concert progressed. The set began with “Rigor Mortis”, “Majestic Persecution”, “Black Hand”, “Ninive” and “The Craving”, in a powerful and technically demanding performance. The band also attempted to engage the audience, using gestures to encourage the formation of circle pits, but communication with the crowd remained limited.

Overall, Kenòs delivered a heavy and powerful performance, although it was somewhat difficult to follow from the audience. The sound limitations and relatively restrained interaction with the crowd ultimately prevented the Italians from reaching the full potential that their music and technical ability could have offered.

Kenòs (Photo: Filipe Gomes | @filipegomes.photo)

Stepping in at the last minute to replace Jeremy Harry Harris, Porto-based Chaosaddiction showed that being ready to perform at short notice can be invaluable in such circumstances, taking the Vagos stage by storm. The size of the Vagos stage did not intimidate them, and the band displayed the kind of stage confidence normally associated with acts of a considerably higher calibre.

Over the course of just over 30 minutes, they dragged everyone present “Into Chaos” (pun intended), delivering a violent surge of energy in the form of groove-heavy metal in the vein of bands such as Machine Head and Pantera, whose influence was unmistakable. The singles “Sinto Muito” and “Fuck You, Next”, among others, convincingly showcased their debut album “Kintsugi”, released this year by Mosher Records.

Led by Rui Alexandre, aka RuiDaMosher, the Portuguese Chaosaddiction proved to be an excellent last-minute addition to the Vagos Metal Fest line-up, demonstrating that they are a very strong national act. A gamble that paid off completely. It is reassuring to see Portuguese bands with such considerable potential shine on large stages under excellent conditions.