After more than a decade in hibernation, one of Richmond’s most revered underground metal gatherings is clawing its way back to life. Heart Of Winter, the black metal and doom-heavy festival that helped define an era of the city’s DIY extreme metal scene, is officially returning January 8–10, is officially returning January 8–10 at The Canal Club and it’s shaping up to be the biggest incarnation yet.
Born out of backyard conversations, several Coors Banquets, and the momentum of a burgeoning underground scene, the original festival emerged in late 2008 at the hands of Bastard Sapling bandmates Drew Goldy and Gregory Ernst, also known as Elway.
“That period coincided with the early days of several other local bands in a thriving DIY underground scene in Richmond,” Goldy and Ernst said, citing the HCPMF community and nodding to spaces like Bonezone and Nara. “Along with Battlemaster and Inter Arma, and several others, we were building friendships with bands across the East Coast, especially in Philadelphia and New York.”
The idea itself was simple and pure: organize a black metal festival in Richmond and bring together friends and collaborators from across the region.
“It was super DIY and it all came together rather quickly,” Goldy recalls. Within a few days, they had their initial list of local bands and decided to expand the sound by adding death and doom metal into the mix. All that was left was a name, which became obvious one night while listening to Immortal’s At the Heart of Winter. And just like that, the festival was born.
The first Heart Of Winter proved to be a success, and that momentum carried into a second installment in January 2010, one that quite literally lived up to its name when a blizzard rolled in on night one. A third festival followed, but life eventually intervened. As bands from those early lineups gained wider recognition within the underground, the focus shifted toward touring, work, and personal commitments. Heart Of Winter didn’t end so much as go dormant.
Until now.
The spark for the festival’s return comes largely from Goldy, whose creative energy has remained anything but dormant. Alongside his deep roots in extreme metal, he has spent recent years building Ghostwolf Pepper Co., earning a devoted following for his hot sauce Elder’s Revenge. That renewed sense of community, forged through another passion-driven subculture, helped reignite his desire to bring Heart Of Winter back. This time, bigger and better.
Planning began in earnest earlier this year with a clear goal: do it right, honor the past, and bring things full circle. The 2026 lineup reflects that mission, blending familiar names tied to the festival’s origins with newer acts pushing the sound forward. Highlights include black metal standout Hulder, One of Nine, Richmond heavyweights Inter Arma, and many more across three nights of bleak and brutal performances.
Despite how much has changed since 2008, the spirit remains intact. Many of the same contributors and participants from the first three festivals are involved once again, helping preserve the communal, DIY-driven ethos that made Heart Of Winter special in the first place. The response so far has been overwhelmingly positive, with strong support rolling in from Richmond, the East Coast, and beyond.
And if this return goes as planned, the organizers are already looking ahead.
“With a successful and well-attended return of Heart Of Winter in January 2026, we’ll immediately get to work on Heart Of Winter Festival V next year,” the organizers said. “We already have some big things in the works. Richmond, the East Coast, and beyond: REPRESENT!”
Main image of Hulder
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