Brisbane iconic heavy music and dark arts festival, Dead of Winter, will return on Saturday 27 June 2026 at the Mansfield Tavern, marking its first edition since 2019. Founded in 2009, Dead of Winter began as a home for heavy music, dark art and alternative culture, built for a community that lived outside the mainstream.

The kings of New York cool are returning Down Under. After 15 years, FUN LOVIN’ CRIMINALS are back with their seventh studio album A Matter of Time, bringing their signature blend of gritty rock, hip-hop, and cinematic soul to Australian shores in March 2026

GAYC/DC are not just a tribute band, they’re a bold reimagining of rock’s most masculine catalogue. Flipping AC/DC classics through unapologetic queer celebration, they deliver sweat-soaked, high-energy shows with serious musicianship, earning genuine respect across the rock world. For their first Australian tour, they bring glitter, grit and riffs that hit just as hard.

After steadily building momentum with their post hardcore and alternative metal edge, Gold Coast outfit HAMMERS kick off 2026 with the release of their debut album DEATH WOBBLES on January 23. To mark the occasion, the band will hit the road for an East Coast album launch tour throughout March and April.

In 2026, prepare to share even more space with Aussie rock icons Cog, with the band today announcing eight additional shows for the new year. Joining their two added Western Australian performances later this month, April will now find Cog heading to Gosford, Sydney's Northern Beaches, Canberra, Wollongong, Penrith, Hobart, Chelsea Heights and Barwon Heads. 

Sumac have announced Ambry Downs and JW Paton as supports for their upcoming Australian tour, hitting Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide. The run will see the band joined by two boundary pushing experimental acts, setting the tone for a dense and immersive live experience across all dates.

Gore Metal kings EXHUMED (USA) hit the blood-soaked road in 2026, announcing their long-awaited return to Australia and New Zealand in support of their brand-new album Red Asphalt, out February 20, 2026 via Relapse Records.The undisputed masters of “Gore” Metal rev their engines and prepare one of 2026’s most frenetic, unhinged slabs of sonic obliteration.

Hardline Media are stoked to announce the inaugural and triumphant Reckoning tour of VINDICTA. Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney & Brisbane, it’s your turn…
Born from the ruins of greatness, VINDICTA rise, more original and even greater than before. Australian believers, we heard your call…vocalist Grace Pasturini (Lilith) and guitarists Amber Maldonado (Lamia) and Patri Grief (Rusalka) will be descending down under in June 2026.

Finnish rock heavyweights The Rasmus will make their long-awaited Australian debut tour this January/February, with Melbourne’s Nth Rd confirmed as special guests on all dates.

Brazilian vocalist Marina La Torraca joins BATTLE BEAST, bringing powerhouse vocals and wide-ranging versatility. Best known for Phantom Elite and Exit Eden, La Torraca blends commanding melodies with fierce harsh vocals, alongside a background in musical theatre. Her first shows with the band kick off in March 2026 when BATTLE BEAST hit Japan and Australia.

Prolific metal band Fit For An Autopsy will return to Australia in January 2026. The New Jersey heavyweights will be joined by Florida’s Bodysnatcher, rising Australian force Volatile Ways and Pain Body – uniting for one of the most crushing line-ups to hit Australian stages in years.

Sepultura has reached the end of the road and has chosen to depart via a conscious and planned death. The band are marking 40 years together and have been saying goodbye at the same time with a farewell tour spanning the globe, which has included a slew of venue upgrades and sold out shows across Latin America, Europe, and the US. Now it’s Australia’s turn, with a run of capital city shows this March.

Lagwagon have unveiled their local supports for the HOSS 30th Anniversary Tour, rolling out stacked lineups across every city and ready to bring absolute chaos. Don’t wait until it’s too late

Australia, prepare for impact — American technical death metal legends ORIGIN are returning to obliterate stages across the country for the first time in over a decade. Being hailed as one of the most ferociously technical and forward-thinking bands in extreme metal; ORIGIN Return to Australia in June 2026 to obliterate stages in the cities of Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Frankston, Melbourne and Sydney.

Seminal Australian metalcore outfit The Amity Affliction have today announced an extensive regional tour set to kick off in February 2026. The band will be hitting 21 dates spread across Queensland, NSW, Tasmania, Victoria and South Australia, with support from In Hearts Wake (select dates) & Redhook (all dates). 

In early 2026, the beautiful chaos that is BETTER LOVERS, comprised of Greg Puciato (vocals), Jordan Buckley (guitar), Will Putney (guitar, producer), Steve Micciche (bass) and Clayton "Goose" Holyoak (drums), will head down under for their Aussie live debut in January, joined by special guests SPLIT CHAIN and BLIND GIRLS. And today, BETTER LOVERS have unveiled their local support acts for Brisbane, Newcastle, Sydney, Melbourne, Belgrave and Adelaide.

Wheatus return to Australia next month and make their long awaited New Zealand live debut in January 2026, performing their iconic self titled album in full. With several shows nearly sold out and Wellington already gone, fans can expect a special run featuring Thomas Nicholas on all dates except Napier.

Three time GRAMMY nominee YUNGBLUD has announced Brisbane punks Dune Rats as special guests on his IDOLS Australian tour. Fresh off the success of One More Time, his chart topping EP with Aerosmith, YUNGBLUD returns in 2026 for his biggest shows yet, with multiple dates already sold out and upgrades added due to demand.