With the warmer weather well on its way, it's time to start slowly dusting off the tents and double checking that all the camping equipment is ready for the upcoming spate of festivals. And one of the first really noteworthy festivals of the season is Ragnarök Festival, Germany's renowned Pagan Metal festival. Not only is there the festival area itself as well as a camping area, but there is also a Metal Market area where all sorts of band merch, Viking food, and mead will be on sale, including the notorious "Viking's Blood", a mixture of mead and cherry juice. The camping area opens up on Thursday afternoon, almost a day before everything else, promising a debaucherous warm-up party which already has fans stocking up on booze and grill ingredients. Can it get any more epic?

The short answer is yes, it can: I haven't even started on all the amazing bands that will be playing. Friday 25[sup]th[/sup] of April sees a dozen of some of the finest German and international Pagan and Black Metal bands take to the stage, with the headliners of the night being none other than the well-beloved fiends from Finland, FINNTROLL. Some of the other bands to really keep an eye out for on Friday include GRAVEWORM, BORKNAGAR, ARKONA, and KAMPFAR. Then there's Saturday, which also promises to be an incredible day, with a total of 16 top-notch acts. Headliners of this night are none other than SATYRICON; their tour through Europe a few months ago was by far one of the best live shows I've ever seen, and they will undoubtedly blow the audience away this time as well. As an added bonus, AGRIPNIE will be holding a special and exclusive 10 year anniversary show; something that is definitely not to be missed. Other gems to look out for on Saturday include TROLLFEST, MANEGARM, TODTGELICHTER, and NEGATOR. All in all, this year's Ragnarök Festival has an absolutely outstanding lineup that should have all fans of Pagan and Black Metal salivating in anticipation.

And if this unquestionably phenomenal lineup still isn't enough to convince you, there will also be signing sessions organised, so be sure to bring along anything you want your favourite bands to sign, or even better, use the signing session as an excuse to splurge at the merch stands! If you still haven't ordered your tickets, don't worry, full festival tickets will be available at the event itself for the absolute bargain price of 60 €, with day passes also being available at the doors for just 30 € per day.

Stay tuned to Metal Temple for more info on Ragnarök Festival, and see you all there!