The summer is coming to an end and finally the season of fireworks, Ferris wheels, beer at 4 times the price and those theme parks that metal festivals have become during the summer season is over. All this thanks to the big investment groups that spread their tentacles in every direction where they can smell profit. Did you think your ‘underground’ niche was really underground? Then find out where the money for Arte.tv to film Dying Fetus at Hellfest comes from. Metal festivals have become so prostituted that they are just another canned, plastic experience. Just another one. We have less and less of the real thing left, always in order to squeeze every last cent out of our pockets.

What remains halfway free and out of reach of the turbo-capitalist tentacles that require products to be discounted, bleached and neatly packaged to appeal to the maximum number of customers? Because you have become just that, a customer of a service; a service that offers an experience and seeks to connect emotionally by offering two, three or four days of ‘freedom’ in order to gain your loyalty.

For me, after years of photographing festivals, the answer is clear: private initiative. There are a number of festivals where a number of people put their private wealth at risk, their economic future at stake, out of pure devotion and true love for underground metal.

If I have to spend money, I want it to be spent on something worthwhile. Projects where getting all the tickets doesn’t even guarantee you won’t lose money. Projects that don’t involve an oil company, an energy drink, the European public television conglomerate or vulture investment funds as your capital investors. Because that’s a long way from the underground scene, and as you may have noticed by now, the mainstream feeds on the ideas of underground movements and scenes. It kills the ethos, repackages ideas and aesthetics into a mindless merchantilized blob accessible to everyone.

This time, and for once, I have set my sights on a very tiny one-day festival in a country where I have yet to photograph as a music journalist. Oddly enough, my own home country. A country with an internationally underrated extreme metal scene, despite having given us some indisputable cult albums. I’m talking about everyone’s favourite country to holiday in: Spain.

This time, and for once, I have set my sights on a very tiny one-day festival in a country where I have yet to photograph as a music journalist. Oddly enough, my own home country. A country with an internationally underrated extreme metal scene, despite having given us some indisputable cult albums. I’m talking about everyone’s favourite country to holiday in: Spain.

So why not forget about the cheap booze, shitty beaches full of wallet thieves and tourist trap paellas that would make anyone with a pallate puke, and if you follow my travel advice in this guide you might end up visiting Spain like you never imagined.

Black Templar Extreme Metal Fest

Held in the small town of Monzón, in the heart of Huesca, a very interesting area that contains both a desert and the second largest mass of trees in Spain, many natural parks, medieval castles and Pyrenean peaks.

Black Templar will see its second edition on the 14th of September and although this text was supposed to be published a month ago for promotional purposes, life got in the way and delayed it. It is still not too late to promote the festival properly and make a quick travel plan. You may be wondering why I set my eyes on this one-day event in, say… “the middle of nowhere”. Two main reasons, usually “middle of nowhere” is where people are usually more grateful and friendly, the food is excellent, nature can be crazy good, is less concentrated with tourists and I honestly believe that Black Templar has the potential to become Spain’s Under The Black Sun, Steelfest, Throne Fest or Eternal Hate Fest. And you want to be there when the wheel starts rolling before a logical growth and expansion. After the first edition, with a line-up made up exclusively of Spanish bands, this second edition goes international with top names from Finland, Norway or Colombia, plus another showcase of Spanish bands that will demonstrate what is brewing.

Monzón, Huesca as a festival destination, but why there? Ouija is our answer.

Ouija is a long standing Black Metal band from the very same Monzón, still around since their 1997 debut LP (Riding Into The Funeral Paths – recently reissued on LP via Negra Nit Distro), and I tracked down Midgard (vocals) for a quick interview over the phone to get a better picture of Black Templar Extreme Metal Fest.

The idea came from Asociación Pasión por el Ruido, who told us that they wanted us to play Ouija in Monzón at the first event last year. As a result, I told them that if we played, we could create a small festival, which ended up getting out of hand, in quotes. We had a big festival, a big festival with the best black metal bands in Spain.

So the creators of the idea were Diego and Sergio from the Asociación Pasión por el Ruido and me, I became a member of the association because it’s in Monzón. Sergio and I got more involved this year and, realising that the event was growing, we contacted Mario and Chus from Quintessence from the Madrid association and Quique and Luis from Manguales Stream from the Barcelona association. Because we needed logistical support and help with other aspects such as contacting bands, promotion, etc.

This year, between the three associations, we got involved and created this festival. And then there’s Leonardo Ávila, who handles the graphic designs, artworks, merch designs and so on. You know he’s a great artist and he creates everything. The City Council of Monzón, they are providing us with the facilities, a number of beds for the bands to sleep in and they also take care of the cleaning and so on. They provide us with a lot of things but not any kind of financial support. To be honest, the facilities like the stage and so on are top level and this year the city council have been very helpful and supportive with our project, understanding the festival attracts people to our city, people who will spend money here and help Monzón get known.

Monzón, from Dark Medieval Times

You’d think Satyricon’s youngsters read Monzón’s story in 1993 and called their debut album Dark Medieval Times. I doubt it, but it would be very appropriate. For any lover of medieval history, Monzón is one of the places to be.
As you enter the fertile plains of the Cinca River, the first thing that catches your eye is the castle of Monzón. Standing on the top of a hill, it has been dominating these lands for centuries. Its walls have been besieged countless times throughout history. Its towers have seen epic defences and its rooms have sheltered illustrious figures.
It is recorded that El Cid passed through this castle. One of the lords of the castle was Don Ramiro, who was married to one of El Cid’s daughters. Ramiro’s son was García Ramírez, who later became King of Navarre.

The castle, located in such a strategic position, passed into the hands of the Order of the Temple. It was in this castle that the Templars kept the famous Tizona, El Cid’s mistical sword. Jaime I the Conqueror, one of the greatest kings in the history of the Kingdom of Aragon, was raised by the Knights Templar. He reconquered the Balearic Islands from the Muslims, but his greatest success was the conquest of Valencia in 1238. The stay of the young Jaime I in the castle of Monzón is still celebrated nowadays. In spring, the “Homage to Guillem de Mont-Rodon” is celebrated, a Templar master who was King James I’s tutor. On this day, a colourful medieval procession is held in which villagers dressed as Templars march from the village to the castle.
Originally a Muslim castle, after it was given to the Templars and turned a fortress and later belonged to the Order of the Hospital. It was later rebuilt (17th and 18th centuries) to make it more resistant to artillery attacks- hence some of the walls were built on a slope-.

We should not limit ourselves to visiting the inside of the castle, as most visitors do. After following in the footsteps of King Jaime I through the rooms of the castle, it is highly recommended that you take a short walk to the hill of Santa Quiteria, from where you will have the best views of the castle. This hill takes its name from the hermitage that once stood on it, which has now disappeared. The hill is crowned by a geodesic point and there are still remains of the old fortress that completed the defence of the castle. This hill was dangerous due to its height and made it easy to attack the main castle with artillery, which is why it was decided to fortify it in modern times. We can still see the remains of the walls on the west side and a large moat on the south side.

Another attraction that many visitors to Monzón Castle overlook is the ruins of the church of San Juan. It is located outside the walled enclosure and there are signposts leading to it. This church was once of great historical importance, as it was the church that King Sancho Ramírez ordered to be built after the conquest of the castle on the day of San Juan (24.6.1089). Sancho gave this small temple the title of Royal Chapel. In 1149 it passed into the hands of the Order of the Temple. It is certain that the young King Jaime I visited and prayed in this ancient church, of which today only the remains of its floor plan remain.

Following the path that leads to the ruins of the church of San Juan, we come to the gun emplacements dug into the rock of the hill. These are artillery positions that controlled the strategic Cinca passage during the Civil War (1936-1939). Beneath the castle are ancient corridors, underground passages, galleries, mines and countermines created during the sieges to which the castle was subjected. One of the most famous was during the War of Independence, when a garrison of 100 French soldiers under the command of an engineer held the castle for five months against two regiments of Espoz y Mina’s Division of Navarre. The castle was finally surrendered after the fall of Lérida.

El Cid, the Order of the Temple, Jaime I the Conqueror, battles, sieges… There is a lot of history to be remembered in the castle of Monzón…

The fine art of the bon vivants: eat, accomodation and how to get to Monzón

Part of the magic of travel is the enjoyment of good food, indulging in the local culinary magic. City rats, accustomed to food chains and franchises, tend to look for what they already know, an easy answer to a basic need, without considering the cultural and historical philosophy behind eating and drinking. Local cuisine is the historical and cultural evolution of our ancestors and for me it is an inseparable part of my travels.

A habit I always had, before Google Maps and modern online tools, was to travel with a destination, an address to go to, and very little else. I liked knowing where I was going without having a very good idea of how to get there, because it forced me to find my own way, most of the time interacting with strangers. This led to all sorts of conversations that are best had with crazy people: what to do, what not to miss and, above all, where to eat well. The only trick to finding the right places is to strike up conversations with the locals and ask them for their favourite and best places in the area. That’s all it takes.

For that, I asked Midgard – Ouija, vocals – about the best places to eat and sleep in the area during the interview and i did a research on my own following his advices

Let’s start with the food. Although Monzón is a small town, it has a decent, high-quality cuisine that pays tribute to local products. So we can expect flavours and food that actually has a taste.

Hello northern Europe and its bland food.

Most of them work with quality meats and we can find a good lamb shank or braised oxtail at Delicioso, a very tasty chuletón at La Amistad. Wait, you’re in Spain and you don’t know what a chuletón is? You really have to go and get one. They are also the to-go place if you want to eat snails.

Last time I had them, in a French bistro in Oslo, they were badly done. Still unbeatable are the snails in biscaine sauce I had in the mighty Basque country.

For meat lovers, the Plaché restaurant is in the best tradition of Argentine steakhouses. The restaurant Rogelio is also very good at grilled meats, and these are just some of the places to eat in Monzón, as there are many places in the area where you can enjoy a good meal.

As far as accommodation is concerned, despite being a relatively small village, there are several hotels and within a radius of 10-15 km there are more in the neighbouring villages. There are also many AirBnB options and rural houses throughout the area.

booking info

In terms of transport and access, Monzón can be reached by bus or train. It is also only two hours away from Barcelona, which is the ideal airport for those who are brave enough to fly in from abroad. Madrid is a little further away, 4 hours. However, buses have been organised from different cities: Madrid, Bilbao, Barcelona or Valencia, which will stop in other cities on the way. We want to facilitate access to the festival from the peninsula.

Huesca, an unknown province.

If you’re coming from outside Spain, as any sun and beach seeker; you probably won’t have much interest in a mountainous inland province, but for winter sports enthusiasts, the province of Huesca has two of the most visited ski resorts in the country. Moreover, the second highest peak of the Iberian Peninsula is located in the Aragonese Pyrenees, the Aneto. Therefore, this province of the Autonomous Community of Aragon has many options for those who like dynamic and active tourism. You can stay in museums, but I prefer to climb mountains and visit castles from times gone by.

Speaking of castles, and given that the main theme of the festival is the former Templar fortress, I have prepared a little recommendation. It is a relatively short trip, less than 250 km and 3 hours by car, and will take you to some of the Templar fortresses still standing in Spain.

Another option, which requires more time and which I do not have, but which I guarantee I will return to with my family in the future, is to visit one of the many natural parks in Huesca.

In particular, I have been wanting to go to the marvellous Ordesa-Monte Perdido for many years and do the Faja de las flores trail

As I will have just enough time, I will try to visit some points on my way to Monzon, as I will be making a road trip from Bilbao. So on my itinerary is a visit to Loarre Castle and the Gorges of Guara, as we recently went to the south of Aragon to visit the Gorges of the River Mesa and it was incredible.

Huesca has a large number of castles, in various states of conservation, which can be visited, of course, and which also offer the possibility of organising trips around their visit(2). Another of the curiosities that I have discovered in the course of documenting the places to visit is the large number of abandoned villages, where a visit is usually a curious, strange and spooky experience. One of the ones that caught my attention the most was Fet, in an incredible landscape. this website compiles all the abandones places(3).

Yeah, but what about the bands

Let’s get down to business, we travel to see the groups and alternative activities are secondary. Is it worth the effort to get there, especially from abroad? Like myself traveling from Norway…

We are going to see the debut of the Finns Horna and Sargeist in Spain. For me that alone justifies the trip. If you’ve been following my site for a while, you’ll have noticed that I’m a big fan of both bands. Colombians Masacre, Norwegians Ancient playing a setlist from their ’96 album The Cainian Chronicle, Finns Convulse and a setlist from World Without God, Acherontas from Greece and some highlights from Spain that I’m looking forward to, Hrizg, Empty or Regent Death. It’s going to be fun.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

• 1 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpcw9hzTFSE
• 2 – https://issuu.com/diputacionprovincialdehuesca/docs/castillos_siglo_ix
• 3 – http://www.despobladosenhuesca.com/