I mean, you’ve got hometown Athenian heroes Planet of Zeus at the top of the bill with no less than Colour Haze immediately beneath, so yes, Heavy Psych Sounds Fest Athens 2026 basically looks like a party from the word go, since as the first lineup announcement, this is the word go. Those two names will surely catch the eye, but Witchthroat Serpent from France and Greece’s own 1782 remain monsters, and I don’t know Dismiss, but I bet you’ll see the name around again before April gets here, and bluesy rockers Fuzzrider provide further hometown representation in this initial lineup.

Can’t help but wonder if Colour Haze touring in Spring means their new album is or will be done by the time they head out, though either way that they’ll be on a stage someplace, somewhere, at any time, is always good news for the planet in general. Interesting mix of some darker sounds here, and the Sab-worship riffing of 1782 is welcome anytime, but of course there’s still more to come so we don’t have the complete picture either. I have a hard time keeping up with HPS Fests around Europe and the US, since I believe the Italian label/booking agency is up to a baker’s dozen of them (not really, but maybe; let me know if you want to do one in the absolute heavy rock hotbed that is Parsippany, NJ) as they admirably spread the good word of heavy vibes and blowout times, and between fest and label news sometimes it feels like the press releases don’t stop, but when I can cover, as here, I want to, because this is an important era in the heavy underground, and gatherings like these are worth celebrating.

That’s my two cents. I know, no one asked. You’ll find the actual information you came for below, courtesy of the PR wire:

HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS FEST – ATHENS 2026 – FIRST CONFIRMED BANDS ANNOUNCED

THE HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS FEST is landing in Athens again on April 3rd and 4th 2026, bringing with it an unstoppable rock earthquake! For two electrifying nights, ARCH Club and Universe will transform into hotspots for the stoner, doom, and psych rock scene, hosting some of the genre’s most legendary names.

Today Heavy Psych Sounds Records in cooperation with TMR Entertainment Group is announcing the FIRST CONFIRMED BANDS !!

– HPS FEST ATHENS 2026 –
3rd April @ ARCH Club
4th April @ Universe

– FIRST CONFIRMED BANDS –

PLANET OF ZEUS
COLOUR HAZE
WITCHTHROAT SERPENT
1782
DISMISS
FUZZRIDER
+ more TBA

TICKETS PRESALE: https://www.more.com/gr-el/tickets/music/heavy-psych-sounds-fest-2026

Artwork made by Mirkow Gastow

www.heavypsychsounds.com
heavypsychsoundsrecords.bandcamp.com
https://www.instagram.com/heavypsychsounds_records/
https://www.facebook.com/HEAVYPSYCHSOUNDS/

Planet of Zeus, Afterlife (2024)

This is the first Orange Goblin date I’ve seen for 2025, and surely won’t be the last fest the UK troupe headline as they continue to support this year’s Science, Not Fiction (review here) in Europe and beyond. At Heavy Psych Sounds Fest in Athens — the first time Italy’s Heavy Psych Sounds has put on one of its branded festivals in Greece — Tuber, Belzebong, Black Rainbows and Acid Mammoth will join in the fray of the two-nights/two-clubs event set for March 7 and 8, plus more names still to be unveiled. Of those, Tuber and Acid Mammoth represent the fertile native Greek underground, and it’s unlikely they’ll be the only ones to do so by the time the lineup is done. There’s no lack of bands to choose from between now and the end of winter.

The announcement came through today with what’s probably ultimately about half the bill — unless they’re really packing them in, which is always possible; I don’t know if Arch Club or Universe have more than one stage — but it’s a strong start either way and a way to let the heavy heads of Athens know that a thing is happening as tickets go on presale. This may be the first time in Athens, but it’s not at all Heavy Psych Sounds‘ first time branching into new territory, and you’ll note the partnership here with local producer TMR Entertainment Group, which continues a thread of aligning with regional promoters to ensure things go off with no more hitches than one might generally encounter in stoner-anything.

Another killer two-dayer, and that this sentence started with “another” should be taken as a sign of how utterly spoiled the world is for heavy festivals. Think about where you were and weren’t four years ago.

From the PR wire:

HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS FEST ATHENS 2025

– FOR THE FIRST TIME IN ATHENS – 7th and 8th MARCH 2025 –

FIRST BANDS ANNOUNCED TODAY

THE HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS FEST is landing in Athens for the first time on March 7 & 8, 2025, bringing with it an unstoppable rock earthquake! For two electrifying nights, ARCH Club and Universe will transform into hotspots for the stoner, doom, and psych rock scene, hosting some of the genre’s most legendary names.

Today Heavy Psych Sounds Records in cooperation with TMR Entertainment Group is announcing the FIRST CONFIRMED BANDS !!

– HPS FEST ATHENS 2025 –
7th and 8th March
@ Arch Club
@ Universe

FIRST CONFIRMED BANDS

ORANGE GOBLIN
TUBER
BELZEBONG
BLACK RAINBOWS
ACID MAMMOTH
+ more TBA

WEEKEND TICKETS PRESALE:
https://www.more.com/music/heavy-psych-sounds-fest-athens-2025/

heavypsychsoundsrecords.bandcamp.com
www.heavypsychsounds.com
https://www.facebook.com/HEAVYPSYCHSOUNDS/
https://www.instagram.com/heavypsychsounds_records/

Orange Goblin, Science, Not Fiction (2024)