South africa has a new heavy metal festival - and it’s happening soon

Written By Dewald de la Rey

The underground is rising — and it’s bringing the noise.

South Africa’s heavy music scene is getting a brand-new homegrown festival, and it’s coming in hot. Slam Dank Fest Vol.1 is making its debut this August, and if the lineup, setup, and passion behind it are anything to go by, this could become the annual gathering for metalheads across the continent.

What Is Slam Dank Fest?

Slam Dank Fest Vol.1 is a three-day heavy music festival happening from 1–3 August 2025 at Tweefontein Melkery in Kempton Park, Gauteng. It’s a first-of-its-kind all-weekend experience created by the crew behind SlamDank Productions — known for bringing international bands to SA — but this time, the focus is 100% local.

Together with Black Rock Studio, Merch on Demand, Juggerknights, and Tweefontein Melkery, the team is launching a new legacy — and bringing the country’s loudest underground talent with them.

“This is one of the few, if not the only, all-weekend events empowering South African metal bands. It’s purely for the love of the music.”

The Lineup: SA Metal Royalty

Slam Dank Fest isn’t just a gig — it’s a celebration of local brutality. Expect a full spectrum of South Africa’s heaviest hitters, including:

  • Megalodon (Cape Town)

  • Swazi (Cape Town)

  • Eat The Elderly (Cape Town/Limpopo)

  • Mysanthrium

  • Ephraxis

  • Chaos Doctrine

  • Die Gemeente

  • Gutslut

  • NERVE ZERO

  • Tenacious 3

  • THE THR3 PROJ3CT

  • Thégøràth

Genres range from death metal to black metal, metalcore, and everything in between. There’s no elitism — just riffs, screams, and soul.

Bonus: keep an eye out for the “Party Slam” surprise set, a chaotic jam session featuring a mashup of band members from across the fest.

Beyond the Music: What to Expect

Slam Dank Fest is a multi-day event where most of the performances go down on the Saturday (2 August), but the full weekend is part of the experience. Think free camping, vendors, activations, and of course, enough decibels to melt your brain.

Food Vendors:

  • Blu Rabbit Bakery

  • Fanie’s Twister & Crispy Chips

  • Kev’s Boeries

  • Qzine Pizza & Grill

Merch Stalls:

  • No Reason Clothing

  • Rockio Clothing

  • All performing bands

Extra Activations:

  • Knight battles by Juggerknights

  • Tattoo station by Rudi’s Tattoos

  • Jumping castles (yup, we said that)

  • Black Rock Studios covering media & content

Stage & Production

SlamDank Fest is not playing around when it comes to production quality. With Jethro Harris on sound and Nicolas Strydom on lights (both from Cape Town), expect top-tier fidelity and a killer visual setup. All gear is in-house — no cutting corners.

This isn’t your cousin’s backyard braai gig — it’s a real festival with real infrastructure, built by people who actually know how to make a metal show feel right.

Why This Matters

Slam Dank Fest is a game-changer for the SA heavy music scene. With most metal events being short, one-night affairs, this is a rare opportunity for the community to come together, connect, and mosh under one banner for a full weekend.

“We want more events like this to happen. If you want something done, you do it yourself.”

By giving underground bands a real platform — and fans a real experience — SlamDank is doing more than hosting a festival. They’re reigniting a movement.

How to Attend

Dewald de la Rey
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