As someone who spent roughly five minutes not-at-all-surviving in the corporate sector working in something loosely related to marketing, I’m sometimes interested in moves like this. Obviously it’s a play toward a wider appeal, right? More people will be interested in Oblivion Access than Austin Terror Fest, which sounds like an extreme metal festival exclusively. A name like Oblivion Access — taken from the 2015 album of Lil Ugly Mane, who’ll be part of the 2020 lineup — also opens up the possibility of tapping into the kind of modern American post-Coachella emergence of the “festival experience,” which sometimes extends to art and other stuff and sometimes just means that if you pay more you get more. “Oblivion” connotes danger and “Access” connotes exclusivity. You could sit a team down in a brightly lit open office space surrounded by MacBook Pros and they’d be hard-pressed to come up with a more suitable banner to fly.

Swans, Converge, Anna von Hausswolff, True Widow, Despise You and Primitive Man are confirmed so far, in addition to the aforementioned Lil Ugly Mane, and badges are available now.

Details follow via the PR wire:

AUSTIN TERROR FEST ANNOUNCES REBRAND AS OBLIVION ACCESS MUSIC FESTIVAL CELEBRATES 2020 RETURN WITH INITIAL LINEUP REVEAL FEATURING SWANS, CONVERGE, LIL UGLY MANE, ANNA VON HAUSSWOLFF, DESPISE YOU, TRUE WIDOW, & PRIMITIVE MAN

— FOURTH ANNUAL HEAVY METAL, EXTREME ROCK, & EXPERIMENTAL MUSIC FESTIVAL RETURNS JUNE 5-7 TO MULTIPLE VENUES ACROSS DOWNTOWN AUSTIN, TEXAS —

— FESTIVAL BADGES ON SALE NOW WITH FULL LINEUP DROPPING IN JANUARY —

The founders of Austin Terror Fest are proud to announce the music festival has recently rebranded to become Oblivion Access. The heavy metal, extreme rock, and experimental music festival is set to return to the Red River Cultural District of Austin, Texas, on June 5-7. Additionally, the festival has revealed some of the first acts added to the 2020 lineup, with three-day badges on sale now for just $200 through the festival’s official Facebook event page.

Oblivion Access is an annual celebration of underground music and rock culture, which will take place across a three-day weekend from Friday, June 5 to Sunday, June 7, 2020. Each night of the festival, Oblivion Access will take over some of the most popular music venues in the renowned Red River Cultural District of downtown Austin—including returning fan-favorites like Barracuda and Empire Control Room & Garage, as well as a new location at Mohawk—to offer attendees performances from some of the most in-demand metal and experimental acts from across the globe.

The new name, Oblivion Access, is meant to serve as an homage to Lil Ugly Mane’s 2015 album of the same title. Still ringing true to the festival’s original identity, Oblivion Access will continue to provide fans with some of today’s most sought-after heavy metal, experimental, and punk rock music performances. The festival will also expand into new genres and sounds, continuing the transition that began during last year’s festival to make the event a more inclusive and encompassing celebration of both counterculture and experimental music.

In celebration of the festival’s new name, as well as its expansion to now include Mohawk, the festival team has decided to unveil several acts in this year’s lineup, including a very special headlining performance from Swans as the band reunites for the first time after going on hiatus in 2017. The oft-labeled “world’s loudest experimental rock band” just released their latest album, Leaving Meaning, and continue to be heralded as pioneers in the industrial rock scene.

The 2020 bill will also feature Boston-based hardcore punk band Converge; Lil Ugly Mane, a critically acclaimed rap project from the mind of Travis Miller, whose last album in 2015 is the namesake for the festival; and Swedish singer/songwriter Anna von Hausswolff, as she embarks on her first-ever tour across the US. Other notable acts include Los Angeles-based hardcore punk band Despise You, best known for their power-violence sound that combines extremely dissonant and fast metal; and Texas’ own doom rockers True Widow, hailing from nearby Dallas. Lastly, sludge metal trio and Oblivion Access’ artist-in-residence Primitive Man will be returning to perform several sets featuring never-before-played deep cuts.

The current music lineup is listed below, with the full lineup being revealed in January 2020:

OBLIVION ACCESS 2020 – INITIAL MUSIC LINEUP
Swans
Converge
Lil Ugly Mane
Anna von Hausswolff
Despise You
True Widow
Primitive Man

Three-day GA passes are on sale now for $200 through the festival’s official Facebook event page. Weekend GA passes guarantee access to all official festival shows at Barracuda, Empire Control Room & Garage, and Mohawk throughout the three-day festival weekend. These Weekend GA passes are in limited supply due to venue capacities, so those interested are encouraged to act fast. Single-show passes will also be made available for purchase online at a later time closer to the festival dates.

Oblivion Access (formerly Austin Terror Fest) was created in 2016 and continues to be independently produced by Austin-based entrepreneurs Dusty Brooks and Dorian Domi. Brooks and Domi are not only successful music talent bookers, but they are also metal enthusiasts who look to continue growing the new brand for years to come. Each year the event continues to grow, with last year’s festival hosting the largest number of attendees to date. The 2019 festival included 2,500 attendees and more than 30 music acts from Texas and around the globe, including Lighting Bolt, Pig Destroyer, Goatwhore, TR/ST, Alcest, Bongzilla, and more.

The official music lineup poster for Oblivion Access 2020 was designed and illustrated in collaboration with the talented Russ Goldston, an experienced calligrapher and digital artist based in Chicago. More of their work can be found on Instagram at @late.fate.

For more information, please visit the official Oblivion Access Facebook Event page and follow along on Instagram at @OblivionAccessFest for updates and special promotions. The Festival’s official hashtag is #OblivionAccess2020.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/oblivion-access-2020-tickets-82569635001
https://www.facebook.com/events/417718199127009/
https://www.facebook.com/oblivionaccessfest/
https://www.instagram.com/oblivionaccessfest/