With the promise of spring just around the corner, many metal-heads are already eagerly anticipating the upcoming festival season. And perhaps the perfect start to the year is RAGNARÖK festival, situated in Lichtenfels, Germany, and running from 21st to 23rd April. This festival is perhaps one of my highlights of the year: it's a small festival, typically filled with a bunch of cool and friendly people, and the lineup usually features a slew of Pagan/Folk/Black Metal bands.

Whilst the camping area already opens up at 4PM on Thursday afternoon, the festival itself only kicks off on Friday afternoon, with the first band scheduled to start at 2PM (read you only have to take one day off to catch this amazing festival!). One of the great things I love about RAGNARÖK festival is that you never have to choose between which bands you want to see. With no time overlaps in the lineup, you get to see every band you would like to. With a bunch of promising underground bands set to warm things up, must-sees from Friday's lineup include Black Metal beasts like FÄULNIS. And to cater to the more Pagan Metal tastes, be sure to catch great bands like FINSTERFORST and INSOMNIUM. Other bands not to miss include Italian Power/Folk Metal band ELVENKING and the Austrian Post-Black Metal leviathans HARAKIRI FOR THE SKY, as well as fellow countrymen DORNENREICH. MENHIR have unfortunately had to pull out of the festival for health reasons, but don't despair: the band are officially confirmed for next year's lineup.

Saturday's lineup is no less kick-ass, and features several bands you definitely don't want to miss. Starting up at 12PM, this day starts off with some of the best underground bands around today, and this is your chance to see them before they make it big. And as the day progresses, prepare to have your neck broken by epic bands like BLACK MESSIAH, OBSCURITY, HELRUNAR, and CRUACHAN, pioneers of the Celtic Metal scene. Headliners of the night include the almighty Black Metal legends DARK FUNERAL, as well as the one-of-a-kind Irish Pagan Metal masters PRIMORDIAL. One of the bands I'm most looking forward to seeing however is PILLORIAN. Formed by John Haughm, vocalist/guitarist of the now defunct band AGALLOCH, many fans are eager to see which direction this mastermind will take now. And this show is a particular must for fans of AGALLOCH, as PILLORIAN will be playing some old AGALLOCH songs. The final band of the festival will be TODTGELICHTER, a fitting conclusion. With this band currently on their farewell tour, this festival appearance will be the last chance for many fans to catch them one last time. Who can say no to a lineup like that?

Whilst each person is allowed to take a 500ml bottle of water or non-alcoholic drink into the festival area, there will also be a bunch of stalls to cater to your every desire, all the way from steak rolls to vegetarian options. Drinks will of course also be readily available, ranging from beer through to hard liquor, and of course to mead (because what would a Pagan/Folk festival be without copious amounts of the Viking's nectar?). And because the festival is so centrally located, there's no need to lug all your groceries with you. Everything you could possibly need can be bought at near-by shops, making this a perfect festival for the more lazily inclined among you.

Set in the cozy little town of Lichtenfels, RAGNARÖK festival takes place in the town hall each year. For the more adventurous among you, camping is provided adjacent to the hall, although you will need an extra camping ticket. However, camping out under the stars this early in the year can get a little chilly, so for those of you who prefer not to spend the night drinking vodka in an attempt to keep warm, there is also a sports hall located a stone's throw away from the hall which will also be open for camping. This also requires an extra ticket, but getting a warm night's sleep is totally worth it. And on the topic of keeping warm, hot water bottles are an absolute life-saver if you're not packing your significant other to keep you warm at night. But if camping is really not your thing, there are a bunch of hotels nearby to choose from.

And as if this festival isn't attractive enough, getting to the festival could not be easier; not only can the festival be reached by car, but for those of you wanting to come by public transport, Lichtenfels train station is a short walk away from the town hall. So there are absolutely no excuses not to come see the epic RAGNARÖK festival for yourself. Metal Temple looks forward to seeing you there!