TIAMAT and TOWARDS THE SINISTER to Shake the KILKIM ŽAIBU Stage

The biggest extreme music and Baltic heritage festival in the Baltic States, KILKIM ŽAIBU XXVII, is set to deliver a powerful double dose of Gothic and doom metal. Joining the festival lineup are Swedish dark music legends TIAMAT and British project TOWARDS THE SINISTER, bringing together the creative core of the cult band MY DYING BRIDE.

A Monument of Swedish Darkness and Gothic Metal – TIAMAT

For the first time ever, Swedish heavy music masters TIAMAT will take the stage at Kilkim Žaibu. Active since 1989 and led by Johan Edlund, the band has carved its name in gold into the history of heavy music. Starting out with dark death/doom metal on now-classic albums such as The Astral Sleep, Clouds and Wildhoney, the musicians later boldly ventured into the depths of Gothic metal.

Although TIAMAT have never shied away from experimentation or crossing genre boundaries, the Swedes remain timeless to this day, while their live performances stand as a testament to their enduring cult status. Festivalgoers can look forward to an extensive retrospective spanning the band's career – from the crushing heaviness of their early material to their softer yet instantly recognisable Gothic anthems.

The Roots of British Gothic Doom – TOWARDS THE SINISTER

Joining the Swedes in shaking the festival stage will be British project TOWARDS THE SINISTER, making their Lithuanian debut. The project brings together the architects of MY DYING BRIDE's legendary 1990s era: vocalist Aaron Stainthorpe, guitarist Calvin Robertshaw, bassist Ade Jackson and drummer Rick Miah.

The project's name is no coincidence – it was also the title of the band's legendary first demo, released in 1990, which helped lay the foundations for the entire Gothic death/doom metal movement.

The musicians have prepared a special set for Kilkim Žaibu audiences, taking listeners back to the band's purest and earliest era with material drawn from its first four albums: As the Flower Withers, Turn Loose the Swans, The Angel and the Dark River and Like Gods of the Sun. This is the genre in its purest form, shaped by boundless melancholy, crushing guitar riffs and Aaron Stainthorpe's unmistakable voice.

The 2027 festival lineup is shaping up to be truly exceptional. Alongside the farewell ritual of WATAIN, audiences will have the chance to experience the very pinnacle of 1990s melancholy and dark metal. Both TIAMAT and TOWARDS THE SINISTER bring the genuine, unfiltered history of the genre to the stage. Our audience has always known how to appreciate authenticity, and this double bill of legends will undoubtedly be one of the highlights of the entire three-day celebration at the President Antanas Smetona Manor.

The fortress of extreme music, set to thunder for three days and nights, has already assembled an impressive lineup: from Swedish black metal titans WATAIN, who have announced the end of their career and will perform a farewell show, to Canadian death metal powerhouse KATAKLYSM, Dutch cult veterans SINISTER and Norway's BLOOD RED THRONE. The dark aesthetics and Baltic spirit at Smetona Manor will also be brought to life by YOTH YRIA, CLOAK and scene legends NAHASH, THARAPITHA and ROMUVOS.

The 27th edition of Kilkim Žaibu, a festival celebrating ancient traditions and extreme music, will take place on June 24–26, 2027, in the picturesque grounds of the President Antanas Smetona Manor in the Ukmergė district, Lithuania.