Soilwork, 25th June 2026, Pandæmonium, Copenhell Festival, Denmark

Photo: Goran www.urbanmescalero.com

It’s hard to understand why it took until the fifteenth edition of Copenhell for Swedish melodic death metal pioneers Soilwork to make their festival debut. Not only have they been one of the defining bands of the Scandinavian metal scene for almost than three decades, but they also come from just across the Øresund. Yet, despite never having played Copenhell before, their arrival felt less like a debut and more like a long-overdue homecoming.

That feeling became apparent almost immediately. Taking to the Pandæmonium stage in the melting afternoon heat, Soilwork needed little more than two songs to win over the sizeable crowd. They did so by showcasing the quality that has defined the band throughout its career: balance.

Balance between crushing heaviness and infectious melodies. Between towering riffs and soaring guitar solos. Between technical precision and songs that never lose sight of the hook.

Björn Strid embodied that same balance. Having struggled with vocal issues at times, he sounded outstanding throughout the set, effortlessly shifting between savage screams and soaring clean vocals. As a frontman, he struck the same equilibrium, commanding the stage one moment before making fun of himself the next. Unlike many Swedish artists performing in Denmark, he wisely avoided addressing the audience entirely in Swedish. Instead, he sprinkled in a few remarks in Danish before switching to English, acknowledging that Copenhell has become an increasingly international festival.

Ironically, the only place where that balance occasionally slipped was the sound mix. Throughout the show, different elements of the band’s sound took turns dominating, with the backing vocals – an essential ingredient in Soilwork’s layered songwriting – sometimes getting buried. Fortunately, Strid’s exceptional vocal performance ensured that the issue never became more than a minor distraction.

As the set approached its conclusion, Soilwork leaned even further into their melodic side, prompting some of the biggest singalongs of the afternoon. It was another reminder that melody has never been a compromise for Soilwork, but one half of the formula that has made them one of melodic death metal’s defining bands.

Perhaps that’s why this performance felt so natural. Soilwork may have been making their Copenhell debut, but nothing about it felt like a first visit. Instead, it felt like a band finally arriving where they had belonged all along. After waiting fifteen editions for their first appearance, hopefully Copenhell won’t make the same mistake twice.