Milwaukee Metal Fest 2025: A relentless weekend of riffs, community, and chaos

Milwaukee Metal Fest 2025 roared back into the Midwest from May 16–18, bringing three days of unrelenting heavy music to The Rave/Eagles Club in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Under the stewardship of Hatebreed’s Jamey Jasta, the festival draws fans from across the globe to celebrate the genre’s rich diversity and unrelenting mosh pits. With a stacked lineup of icons, emerging talent, and a deeply rooted DIY spirit, MMF 2025 proved itself, once again, as one of the most vital festivals in metal. From circle pits to craft beer, intimate meet-and-greets to massive headlining sets, this year’s edition was a festival masquerading as a full-spectrum celebration of heavy music culture.

At the top of the bill, metal legends and genre-pushing veterans brought the thunder.

Down – Phil Anselmo, Kirk Windstein, Pepper Keenan, Jimmy Bower, and Pat Bruders reunited for a rare Midwest performance, conjuring their brand of heavy Southern sludge that left fans in awe. One people were talking about all weekend.

Chimaira made a triumphant return to a headlining slot, igniting a frenzy with a crushing career-spanning set. Their reunion energy was raw, cathartic, and unforgettable; a personal highlight of the entire weekend, with it seems there will be something to look forward to on the horizon? Whatever that may be, fans of Chimaira can't wait!

Black Label Society – Zakk Wylde and crew delivered with a blistering set, reaffirming their status as guitar royalty. Truly unbelievable skills.

S.O.D Tribute – featuring Danny Lilker, Jamey Jasta, Scott Ian and his 13 year-old son, Revel, on drums; it was a rousing tribute to the OG’s of S.O.D., from the "best tribute band in the world!"

GWAR – Celebrating 40 years of chaos, GWAR unleashed their signature theatrical mayhem of blood and absurdity, like no one else could.

The Dillinger Escape Plan – Performing Calculating Infinity in its entirety, their set was a chaotic and wildly energetic journey, a classic TDEP performance, and one of the best of the weekend.

Arch Enemy – Fronted by Alissa White-Gluz, they delivered their melodic metal anthems with a deliberate and focused ferocity after spending the prior few weeks on their headlining tour.

Exodus, 3 Inches of Blood, Devin Townsend, Suicide Silence, Between The Buried and Me, Death Angel, The Acacia Strain and so many more bands rounded out a roster that spanned everything from melodic death metal, progressive madness, old-school thrash, to modern hardcore, deathcore, and grind. Over 70 bands graced the three different MMF stages over the entirety of the three-day festival, including the legendary “Eagles Ballroom Sumerian Records” stage, the second “Blue Grape Music” mid-level stage, and the “Copycats Media” barroom stage, in a 250 cap room of the venue that was easily exceeded or at full capacity for most of the weekend. If unrelenting stage diving and the real feel of DIY shows is your thing, this was definitely the room for you!

Outside the venue, the Eagles Craft Beer Garden became a bustling hangout spot where fans could recover between sets:

A large cast of food trucks served everything from Korean street food, vegan tacos, assorted chicken dishes, and a to-die-for tater tot truck that offered their assorted and tasty spin on tots, all the way to classic festival fare like smash burgers and pizza.

Local breweries set up shop with curated tap lists — cold pours of stouts, IPAs, sours, and seltzers were clutched by metalheads trading set recaps and show stories near the outdoor bars.

Assorted tables and seating provided the ideal spot to hang out, meet fellow fans, and soak in the electric atmosphere.

There was also a special weekend appearance/merch trailer set up in the outdoor Garden from “Dimebagz Hag,” Rita Haney, the soulmate and partner of Pantera’s Dimebag Darrell Abbott. Since Dime was so tragically and senselessly taken in 2004, Haney has dedicated her time, energy, and passion to keeping the flame of his memory and legacy burning brightly. Inside the venue’s basement and corridors, a bustling market scene unfolded:

Vendor booths offered vinyl, band patches, rare CDs, handmade jewelry, underground zines, beard and skincare products, and even a mobile tattoo studio. Official MMF merch was flying off shelves — limited-edition prints, posters, flags, and apparel designed just for 2025, along with all of the official merch for all of the bands of MMF 2025.

All of the Nuclear Blast Records sponsored meet and greets were also located in the basement area, with dozens of bands and artists doing signings, taking photos, and meeting with fans. It was a very organized and well-run bonus for many participants.

Another highlight of a more intimate festival venue like The Rave/Eagle’s Club is the occasional encounter with artists from other bands strolling around the grounds, enjoying the atmosphere, or even just posted up in the crowd watching the show from GenPop. You never know who you might see! The magnitude of a festival like Milwaukee Metal Fest isn’t possible without a passionate team making it all happen:

Massive shoutout and respect goes to Jamey Jasta, whose relentless drive has resurrected and evolved MMF into a modern metal institution. Without him and the outstanding team he has assembled, Milwaukee Metalfest would still be lying dormant and not thriving towards an even more brutal future.

The crew at The Rave/Eagles Club — from the stagehands and lighting techs to security and bar staff — worked tirelessly all weekend to ensure the festival ran like a machine.

Shoutouts are also due to all the bands, tour crews, sound engineers and LDs, techs, volunteers, vendors, food truck operators, and everyone else behind the scenes who made MMF 2025 a flawless experience.

The collaborative spirit of all involved made MMF 2025 a resounding success and set a high bar for future festivals.

Milwaukee Metal Fest 2025 was a celebration of the metal community. From the explosive performances to the camaraderie shared among fans, the event underscored the enduring power of metal music. As Jamey Jasta has aptly put it, “Milwaukee Metal Fest IS community.”

With the success of year three in 2025, the future of Milwaukee Metal Fest looks brighter than ever. Fans can look forward to more headbanging, more chaos, and more memories in June of 2026, and for the years to come!

Visit the official festival website here

check out all of the festival galleries here