Helicon Metal Promotions is back with the fifth edition of Helicon Metal Festival - a festival aimed at fans of old-school heavy, power, speed, thrash and doom metal, looking back to the idols of the 1980s.

At previous editions, the event has hosted bands such as Visigoth, Glacier, Crystal Viper, Sacred Steel, Destroyers, Stos, Atlantean Kodex, Smoulder, Venator, Evangelist and many bands from the young Polish metal scene.

The line-up for the fifth edition opens with Medieval Steel. In 1984, Bobby Franklin (vocals), John Ruth (guitar), Chuck Jones (guitar), Jeff Boydston (bass) and Bill Jones (drums) recorded their self-titled EP, a snapshot of the heyday of US power metal. After several line-up changes, the group broke up 1992; however, the EP gained cult status in underground circles overseas, leading to a brief reunion in 2004, as well as the release of archival compilation The Dungeon Tapes. Bobby Franklin reformed the group once again in 2011; the reunited Medieval Steel has released two albums of new music since, Dark Castle (2014) and Gods of Steel (2024).

The second item on the bill is the British band Toranaga. Forging together in the UK metal scene of the late-'80s, Toranaga was a band that seemed destined for big things. Not only was their bridging of thrash with traditionally-flavored heavy metal songwriting instantly irresistible, they also had the major label muscle of Chrysalis Records behind them. After their sophomore record God's Gift received some airplay but failed to take off, the band became increasingly unhappy with Chrysalis. With other problems surrounding the band, Toranaga parted company with the label by the end of 1991. The group continued touring in the following years, with several line-up changes; original members Steve Todd and Mark Duffy returned in 2010 and Toranaga released their third and latest LP, Righteous Retribution, in 2013.

For the moment, the line-up closes with this year's debutants from Portugal, Dolmen Gate - something for fans of Smoulder, Eternal Champion or Manilla Road - and Metallus, a Warsaw band formed in 2022 that plays epic doom metal, as they themselves write, majestic as a cathedral, slow as a mountain and barbaric as Conan's biceps.