From October 23 to 25, 2026, Issoudun hosts the 6th edition of Firemaster Convention. Three days around a hybrid concept unique in France: free daytime convention (talks, workshops, marketplace, exhibitions), and metal/rock concerts at night. This year’s theme is « Metal and Cinema. » Rotting Christ, Ultra Vomit, Klone, and Cage Fight headline the lineup. band.stream has joined the 2026 partners, and here’s why.

Firemaster Convention 2026 at a glance

  • Dates: Friday October 23, Saturday October 24, Sunday October 25, 2026
  • Venue: Parc des Expositions et des Sports d’Issoudun (PEPSI), rue Georges Brassens, Issoudun, France
  • Edition: 6th (FM26)
  • Theme: « Metal and Cinema »
  • Organizer: Tonnerre Productions, non-profit association
  • Concept: daytime convention (free admission) + evening concerts (ticketed)

A unique hybrid concept: convention by day, concerts by night

What sets Firemaster apart from a classic festival is its dual identity.

By day, the convention is open to everyone and free. You’ll find talks about metal and rock culture, workshops, a marketplace (indie labels, record shops, craftspeople, specialty brands), exhibitions, and industry meet-ups. Hours: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday.

By night, it’s ticketed concerts: 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. PEPSI shifts into live configuration to host international acts and French metal/rock headliners.

The format sits somewhere between Hellfest Open Air (pure concerts) and a pro conference like MaMA Festival or Reeperbahn (networking, panels), without the strict B2B angle. The vibe stays community-driven and fan-first.

2026 lineup: bridging extreme metal and alternative rock

The concert program reveals the convention’s editorial line: deliberate coexistence between scenes that usually stay separate (death, black metal, parody, alternative rock, dark electro).

Friday October 23 (7 p.m. – 1 a.m.)
  • Ultra Vomit: French parody metal institution. Massive stage energy, a dedicated fan base.
  • Bukowski: French alternative rock, heavy riffs, well-known stage presence on French festivals.
  • Heart Attack: French metal, active for over 15 years.
  • Cage Fight: thrash metal, project from Rachel Aspe (ex-Eths) and James Monteith (Tesseract). International credentials.
  • Triple Dose: dark electro DJ set to extend the night.
Saturday October 24 (7 p.m. – 1 a.m.)
  • Rotting Christ: Greek black metal legend, formed in 1987. International headliner.
  • Klone: French progressive rock, critically acclaimed.
  • Destinity: French melodic death metal, over 20 years of career.
  • Monolyth: French metal, recent rise.
  • NZGL: French extreme metal.
  • Triple Dose: closing DJ set.
Sunday October 25

The Sunday program will be revealed gradually by the organizers. The convention concept (marketplace, exhibitions, workshops) stays active in the morning from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Rotting Christ, Ultra Vomit, Klone: the headliners

Three headliners, three distinct positions.

Rotting Christ is the international signature. Athens-based, active since 1987 (Wikipedia entry), over fifteen studio albums, regular world tours. Their presence anchors Firemaster on the European black metal map.

Ultra Vomit is the French crowd-pleaser. Parody metal institution, known for a high-energy live show and a deeply engaged fan base. Their Friday slot (usually the most packed evening) isn’t coincidence.

Klone represents the progressive and atmospheric rock side. Including them widens the target audience beyond metalheads alone, toward fans of sophisticated instrumental rock (Opeth, Gojira).

A 6th edition rooted in Issoudun

The 2025 aftermovie gives a concrete sense of the atmosphere:

Firemaster Convention was born in 2020, originally in Châteauroux (first edition recap on Metal-Eyes). The first edition, held during the pandemic, was a « beta version » of the concept.

The event has grown step by step. In 2022 (3rd edition), Chris Holmes (W.A.S.P. guitarist) joined masterclasses. In 2024, the convention moved to Issoudun and settled at PEPSI. The 2025 edition (5th) had the theme « Metal and Engagement, » with Lofofora, Les Tambours du Bronx, and Chris Slade (ex-AC/DC) as marquee guests. See France Metal’s historical recap for past-edition details.

The 2026 edition marks maturity: international lineup (Rotting Christ, Cage Fight), strong cultural theme (« Metal and Cinema »), venue stability.

For reference, the 2024 aftermovie (first Issoudun edition):

Why band.stream joined the 2026 edition

band.stream joined Firemaster Convention 2026’s partners because both projects share the same values.

The convention gives stage and community visibility to indie artists. Our platform gives them the SmartLink infrastructure to drive their releases, full tracking, and conversion analytics. Concretely: an artist playing Firemaster 2026 can, in the same day, finalize their release SmartLink for the next single and promote it on social. One doesn’t replace the other, they stack.

Partnership details will be announced as the event approaches.

Practical info: access, hours, tickets

Access and address

Parc des Expositions et des Sports d’Issoudun (PEPSI), rue Georges Brassens, 36100 Issoudun, France. The city sits in the heart of Berry, between Bourges and Châteauroux. Estimated travel time from Paris: about 2h30 by car (see city’s official info).

Convention hours (free admission)
  • Friday October 23 and Saturday October 24: 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
  • Sunday October 25: 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Concert hours (ticketed)
  • Friday October 23 and Saturday October 24: 7 p.m. – 1 a.m.
Tickets

Official ticketing goes through billetweb.fr, accessible from the official ticketing page. According to recent communications from the organizers, Friday night is selling fast, best to plan ahead.

Around the festival

The organizers also encourage attendees to discover Issoudun during their stay (heritage, local cuisine).

Official resources and useful links

Related band.stream resources

Article published in April 2026 before the festival edition. Sunday programming and any further announcements will be added in a later update.