Braving The Storm, And Why It Was Worth It: Furnace Fest 2026 Review!
Article by Preston Hooks
Whew! When I first saw the (insanely good) lineup drop for Furnace Fest, I never could have imagined what was to come. Two hits from the same hurricane, two long travel days with no AC, a lot of mud, and a few hundred bucks later, I can honestly say it was all worth it.
October 9th, 2026, did not bring good fortunes for the southeastern United States. With Hurricane Isaias looming offshore, it looked certain that at least some portions of the Sunshine and Wiregrass States were going to take a blow, including Birmingham, AL, home to Furnace Fest.
After hunkering down in Tallahassee for what turned out to be a lot of rain and not much else (fortunately), my crew and I packed up and set sail for Alabama. Only to arrive Saturday and realize we were gonna get wet again… really, really wet.
Neither the festival nor the fans were going to let a little sky water soak out our good vibes, though. Furnace Fest spent the wee hours of Saturday morning making adjustments, and by noon Central Time, we had a reworked schedule.
That’s pretty quick work to have to do while a hurricane is happening during the transition from day zero to day one of a festival. Big-time credit is due to festival organizers for getting the gates open and most, if not all, of the bands shifted into new time slots so everyone still got to play.
There’s a long list of notable sets that happened at this festival. I think Furnace Fest really encourages bands to dig deep and put together something unique due to its long-held status as an underground fest that is just turning the corner toward having more mainstream acts.
A Day To Remember headlined night one in the rain with an “Ass Beaters Only” set featuring some super-deep cuts. I’m a major ADTR fan, having seen them five times in less than a year alone. This set dug out tunes I had never heard live and had never even thought I might hear live. Beatdown tunes like “Violence,” “The Danger in Starting a Fire, “Sticks & Bricks,” and “Last Chance to Dance” adorned a setlist that offered little to no reprieve for those hoping for a “chill” ADTR set.
Other notable performances on the day included Underoath celebrating 20 years of Define the Great Line. Chiodos, who are always a festival smash hit, laid down a great set in the rain. See also: We Came as Romans (one of my faves for the day), Hatebreed, Gideon, and Spite.
By day two, the skies had cleared, allowing us to bask in the glory of both the sunshine and a laundry list of legendary beatdown bands. My day kicked off with fellow Floridians Bodysnatcher. Jesus, what a wake-up call! Immediately followed by Chelsea Grin and Thrown! One of the many things Furnace Fest did consistently well over the weekend was maintain short set changes.
Then, my ears were greeted with the immense wall of sound generated by Suicide Silence. I’ve been a fan since the early days, and I cannot recall a single live experience where I wasn’t blown away by those guys. This time around was no exception. They are legends in the game for a reason. A $20 quesadilla and a trot around the merch area unfortunately pulled me away from Norma Jean, who brought insane energy by all accounts.
Rolling later into day two, modern metalcore, deathcore, and hardcore shined on. The Plot in You have quickly built a long list of great sing-alongs and crowd participation moments, which they (rightly so) flexed hard. Shouting the bridge to “Forgotten” so loud my voice just disintegrates will never get old!
Kublai Khan TX delivered banger on banger on banger that served as nitro for the mosh pits. Slaughter to Prevail demonstrated yet again why they are one of the top names in deathcore today. The crowds were especially rowdy for the group hailing from Russia, who may very well have had the largest pit of the weekend. Alex Terrible and crew provided an unrelenting outlet for physicality to anyone with a deep love for the mosh.
As we drew in on the end of the night, Motionless in White brought their night show to life. I’ve been fortunate to witness it on multiple occasions, and they are a band you always hope plays at night. Their lighting and pyro techs get a great chance to shine, and the night performances carry an entirely different energy for MIW. As with many of the main stage bands, MIW dug deep to bring out older and deeper tunes from their catalog, especially leaning on 2010’s Creatures.
Now… a whole paragraph (or more) to talk about Bring Me the Horizon playing Count Your Blessings in full. Because they deserve it.
BMTH have skyrocketed in popularity over the course of their career. They’ve done so by delivering unique, heartfelt performances with well thought out and well delivered production. They’ve also been one of the most, if not the most, diverse sounding bands in heavy music across the last decade.
All of that was on display at Furnace Fest. All the experience, all the time put in, all the learning they’ve done over the years. Applied to one of their greatest albums of all time, accompanied by bangers from across their discography. It was truly a privilege and an unforgettable string of moments. From the first notes of “Pray for Plagues” to Oli jumping in the pit toward the end of the set, and every single note in between.
I don’t know if I can legally, morally, or ethically write an article about Furnace Fest and not talk about the Shed Stage. It is undoubtedly the most iconic part of the Sloss Furnaces venue. The massive structure was once used to pour molten iron into molds using the large overhead crane. The exposed trusses and industrial platforms give the inside of the shed a monolithic feel. If you are a fan of bands like Emmure, Gideon, Spite, etc., this was probably your spot all weekend. Which is probably why it was packed to the rafters all weekend.I can’t say I’m mad at it. Every band that played that stage was giving it 100%. You could see and hear it just walking past.
The Shed is just one of many things that make Furnace Fest special. The overall venue of Sloss Furnaces, located in Birmingham, AL, is a gorgeous spot for a festival in October. The furnaces’ history as an ironworks undoubtedly lends itself to the “cool” factor.
Booking for Furnace Fest is top-notch, bringing today’s top tier of metalcore, deathcore, and hardcore together with regional and national powerhouses that are only just getting their due, in part because of this festival. Even under new ownership, the fest seems to have maintained its interest in bringing the underground acts of today into the limelight while simultaneously creating extremely special and enjoyable experiences for fans at an affordable cost.
All in all, Furnace Fest this year came with some struggles, many of which were no fault of the festival. At the end of the day, a $120 ticket got me a weekend filled with great heavy music. Bands that I’ve loved for ages pulled out the material that first made me fall for them. Bands I had never heard of sparked new interests in me.
I think (even if there’s a hurricane) Furnace Fest will undoubtedly be on my list in 2027!
