Six years since its inception and Desertfest London is one of the most exciting and versatile dates on the UK music calendar. A celebration of all things stoner and doom, acts including Sleep, Electric Wizard, Corrosion Of Conformity, Kvelertak and Red Fang have graced its stages over the years. With the full lineup yet to be revealed, 2018's edition already has a wealth of phenomenal acts ready to tear up venues throughout Camden. We've taken it upon ourselves to dig deep and decide on the five acts you simply can't miss.

Church Of Misery

Tokyo’s premium purveyors of psych-tinged Sabbathian grooves make a return to the Desertfest lineup having previously headlined the first ever edition back in 2012. Revolving around sole original member and songwriting powerhouse bassist Tatsu Mikami, with lyrics focusing on morbid topics including serial killers like Ed Kemper, John Wayne Gacey and Ted Bundy, their live presence is both hypnotic and intense, akin to catching a much darker, mescaline fueled Led Zeppelin in a tiny basement venue during their heyday. Their raw musicianship and granite heavy grooves aren’t a surprise considering Mikami has been sharpening his skills since 1995. You’d be a real psycho to miss them.

Elder

Boston, Massachusetts psychonauts Elder have moved away from the heavier end of the stoner metal spectrum of late, but their winding, incredibly intricate take on the genre has been winning acclaim from critics and fans alike. 2017’s ‘Reflections Of A Floating World’ was a spiraling, grandiose trip through neon coloured hazy dreamscapes and walls of guitar noodling, and featured on many a ‘top albums’ list throughout the rock and metal press. Headphones recommended, others might recommend that Elder are best experienced after a little bit of the Devil’s lettuce, but obviously we can’t comment.

Weedeater

If there’s an act which embodies the danger, chaos and reckless fun of sludge metal North Carolina’s Weedeater are that act. With their razor edged, fuzz drenched riffs hitting harder than a shotgun blast to the foot (something which bassist/vocalist Dave ‘Dixie’ Collins knows a thing or two about) the trio regularly sell out their all-too rare UK appearances. Their grooves are molasses thick, and you can guaran-goddamn-tee that whatever venue they descend upon will explode into anarchy to cuts like ‘Wizard Fight’ and ‘Hammerhandle’ as Collins howls out his raw throated, glass gargling vocal fury.

Napalm Death

If you’re a fan of heavy music (or of former political leaders and their disastrous stints on BBC radio) then you know who these Brummie stalwarts are. Running on for forty years now, they’re as much of a British institution as cream teas, glum chats about weather or meals with two types of carbs, minimum. Probably slightly faster than most Desertfest attendees will be used to, their blistering, politically acerbic grindcore assault peaks with the 1.316 second long ‘You Suffer’, but more recent material like ‘Passive Tense’ and ‘Smash A Single Digit’ sees them pushing themselves into ever more twisted forms and adventurous territories. Who knows, maybe we’ll get treated to some new material too.

High On Fire

Matt Pike may have headlined twice before with revived masters of stoned-out doom Sleep (who probably caused both Koko and The Roudhouse to smell distinctly of kush for a few weeks afterwards) but 2018 seems long overdue for his other baby, High On Fire, to take the top spot. The trio may well be concocting something special to mark their ten year anniversary, and with a seven album discography jammed full of more riffs than any four bands put together, you can rest assured that you won’t want to miss their flurries of guitar pyrotechnics. Powered by the criminally underrated rhythm section of Des Kensel and Jeff Matz, their tribal, pounding grooves coupled with Pike’s searing solos might just see them steal the band of the festival title belt. (FYI, the intro riff to ‘Snakes For The Divine’ is one of the best riffs ever.)