Destruction and Tankard will perform as part of Metal Weekend 2027, organized by Blue Hills! More bands are yet to be announced—acts hailing from different countries but united by a single scene: extreme metal. The first of these is the all-female metal band Nervosa!

We will see Destruction perform on Friday, June 4! The band’s frontman, founder, and a heart—Marcel “Schmier” Schirmer (bass and vocals)—has been the face of Destruction from its inception in 1983 to the present day. Now, ten years after his band’s last concert in the country, this titan returns to Bulgaria. In 2025, the band released its 16th album, titled “Birth of Malice”, and naturally supported it with a world tour. Their discography prior to that is extensive. Destruction’s debut album, “Infernal Overkill”, was released in 1985. Just a year later, it was followed by their second major project, “Eternal Devastation”. Both albums are absolute classics of Teutonic thrash, forming the core and essence of one of the most recognizable bands in the scene where Teutonic thrash developed its unique sound forty years ago. In 2026, they are celebrating the anniversary of these recordings with special concerts featuring a setlist drawn primarily from that era—so we already know what to expect!

On Saturday, June 5, Tankard will perform as part of Metal Weekend 2027! The Frankfurt-based “beer metal” band has played here several times, but their very first show in Bulgaria was a historic one. Back on March 29, 1992—when they were still just fresh-faced youths—Tankard made history in the country’s live music scene with a legendary performance. This took place in the early 90s, shortly after Sodom had decisively lifted the “Iron Curtain” with their 1991 Sofia concert alongside Stormwitch and Talion. That is likely why Tankard holds a special place in the hearts of Bulgarian fans. This bond has endured over the years; every encounter between Andreas “Gerre” Geremia and the rest of the band and the Bulgarian audience feels like a reunion of the class troublemakers—guys who share the same mindset they had 44 years ago, back when they would gather to drink beer disguised in empty milk cartons right inside the classroom where the Tankard story began. This remains true to this day, as evidenced by playful song titles like “Beerbarians”—a track from “Pavlov’s Dawgs”, their eighteenth full-length album released in 2022. Now—four long years after that release—they are back in the studio working on new material for their next album, which is slated to drop later this year. This means their setlist for the upcoming June show in the capital will feature new songs alongside everyone’s favorite classic “drinking anthems.”
For over four decades, these German party-starters have focused their music on frothy, hop-filled beer, celebrating alcohol and the easy life while quietly building a musical career. And a successful one at that: alongside Kreator, Destruction, and Sodom, Tankard is often hailed as one of the “Big Four” bands of Teutonic thrash metal.

We will be announcing more names for Metal Weekend 2027 in the coming weeks! We kick things off with the all-female metal band Nervosa. Catch them live on Saturday, June 5th, 2027. Originally from Brazil but now based in Greece with an international lineup, Nervosa is a powerhouse act that makes no compromises. We are delighted to introduce the ladies currently playing in Nervosa—the ones we will see on stage in Borisova Gradina: founder and sole leader of the all-female group Prika Amaral (guitar and lead vocals); Helena Kotina (guitar); and Hel Pyre and Emmelie Herwegh, who share bass duties depending on their respective schedules—both being considered integral members of the lineup. And, last but certainly not least, our source of pride: the petite yet fierce drumming powerhouse Mihaela Naydenova.
Your voices were heard, and we will once again see Mihaela behind the kit with the thrashers on home soil. She has been part of the band’s lineup since 2023. Hel Pyre is also known for her work providing backing vocals and keyboards for King Diamond (2017; 2025–present) and live backing vocals for Kamelot (2017), as well as for her involvement with the Greek metal band W.E.B.
The sixth album under the Nervosa banner—recorded with the musicians listed above—is titled “Slave Machine” and was released in early 2026; with it, the band announced a new era, marking a fresh start as they shifted into a thrash/death metal sound. A year prior, the band celebrated its 15th anniversary. We highlight this milestone because the ambitious Brazilian musician Prika Amaral’s seemingly rapid, meteoric rise—taking her from a rehearsal room in São Paulo to the stages of major European festivals and global tours—actually spans a full 15 years. That is a long time, even if we sometimes lose track of exactly when we stopped calling Nervosa a “young prospect” and began regarding them as a serious player on the contemporary metal scene.
So far, we have a triple thrash metal invasion. Stay tuned for more!
Tickets are available via the Eventim system. Choose between single-day tickets and the more cost-effective option—a combined two-day pass:
For both days:
https://www.eventim.bg/artist/metal-weekend/
Destruction:
www.eventim.bg/artist/metal-weekend/destruction-4258060/
Tankard:
https://www.eventim.bg/artist/metal-weekend/tankard-nervoza-4258061/

More about the event:
https://fb.me/e/d6FMbv0XS