When by:Larm kicks off on Thursday, September 11, the rock and metal program by:Larm Black is once again ready to infiltrate the festival with dark and uncompromising expressions. The concept, run by Celine Høie together with Linda Melsom, has in just a few years grown into an indispensable part of the festival. In 2025, a total of seventeen concerts will be presented over three days at Vulkan Arena and Pokalen in Oslo, in addition to panels featuring major industry names.

This year’s line-up reflects a scene in rapid motion, with more variety than ever before.

“I’m incredibly proud of this year’s line-up, especially the huge range of genres. The program showcases everything from punk, nu metal, and doom to metalcore, rock, folk punk, and black metal. It’s exactly this variation that makes by:Larm Black so unique, and audiences can discover bands from across the spectrum that both mirror today’s scene and point towards the future,” says project manager and head of booking for the Black programme, Celine Høie.

The initiative is also bigger than ever, with more bands and strong partnerships. In 2025, by:Larm Black collaborates with Inferno Festival (NO), Daniel P. Carter from BBC Radio 1’s Rock Show (UK), Mystic Fest (PL), Buktafestivalen (NO), The Spanish Wave (ES), and Radio Rock (NO). All of these partners are both presenting bands and participating in panels.

“This year we have fantastic partners onboard, which gives the program a new weight. It’s amazing to see how by:Larm Black has developed into such an essential meeting place for the heavy scene. When players like this stand behind by:Larm Black, it gives bands an incredible opportunity to be discovered, not just in the Nordics but also across Europe and the rest of the world,” continues Høie.

With Linda Melsom as part of the team, by:Larm Black has succeeded with putting together a program that showcases the diversity of the heavy music scene while also giving space to emerging bands.

“I’m very proud that we’ve put together a program that showcases the diversity of what’s happening in the heavier field, and it’s insanely cool to help lift new bands on Scandinavia’s biggest industry festival. The heavier genres are often underrepresented, but with by:Larm Black we’ve gained a unique opportunity to give emerging bands a real chance to present themselves to both fans and the international industry,” says Linda Melsom, who together with Høie curated this year’s line-up.

About by:Larm

Since its launch in 1998, by:Larm has established itself as the leading showcase festival in the Nordics, combining a music industry conference with a festival program that highlights the most promising new artists. The festival annually attracts over 2,000 delegates and has previously presented artists such as Girl in Red, Billie Eilish, Sigrid, Lewis Capaldi, Astrid S, Tove Lo, MØ, Icona Pop, Lykke Li, Todd Terje, Jenny Hval, and Aurora – all just before their international breakthroughs.

In 2025, by:Larm Black will be presented in full scale for the ninth time, and the concept has grown into a central part of the festival – for both fans and the international music industry. CEO of by:Larm, Tonje Andersen, says:

“It’s great to see how the by:Larm Black concept has established itself as a natural and strong part of the festival. This shows how important these genres are, and how much engagement they spark among the audience,” says Tonje Andersen, CEO of by:Larm.

Evening Program – Day Pass only 350 NOK

Thursday, September 11
 19:30: Metaltalks: Voices Behind the Volume with Spotify, BBC Radio 1 and Radio Rock
 20:30: Blindead 23 (PL) – Presented by Mystic Festival
 21:00: GRIN (DE) – Presented by Inferno Festival
 21:30: LUNA KILLS (FI)
 22:00: Feral Nature (NO)
 22:30: Heave Blood & Die (NO)
 23:00: Frozemode (UK)

Friday, September 12
 19:30: Metaltalks: From Underground to Main Stage with Inferno Festival, Mystic Festival (PL), Buktafestivalen, and The Spanish Wave / Live Nation (ES)
 20:30: Jordsjuk (NO)
 21:00: Håndgemeng (NO)
 21:30: Pushwagnergruppen (NO)
 22:00: JØL (ES) – Presented by The Spanish Wave
 22:30: LÜT (NO) – Presented by Buktafestivalen

Saturday, September 13
 20:00: Suncraft (NO) – Presented by Radio Rock
 20:30: Håndgemeng (NO)
 21:00: FAENIHÆLVETTE (NO)
 21:30: Feral Nature (NO)
 22:00: Rifle (UK) – Presented by Daniel P. Carter / BBC Radio 1
 22:30: MÍO (NO)

Conference – Requires Delegate Pass

Friday, September 12
 13:00: by:Larm Black: Breaking Stereotypes – Gender and Identity in Rock & Metal
 With: Matt Rushton (Knotfest), Kathrine Shepard (Sylvaine), Leoni Dowidat (Better Noise Music), Hennie Johnsen (MÍO)
Read more here

15:00: by:Larm Black: From Riff to Rave
 With: Daniel P. Carter (BBC Radio 1 Rock Show), Liam Carney (Download Festival / Live Nation), Dennis Moll (Century Media), Celine Høie (by:Larm Black / Indie Recordings)
 Read more here