LAS VEGAS — A new entrant to the North American heavy music circuit is staking its claim in 2026, as VEGAS UN ALIVE FESTIVAL prepares to debut with a two-day lineup aimed at re-energizing Las Vegas’ extreme metal community.
Billed as rising “from the ashes of Las Vegas Deathfest,” VEGAS UN ALIVE FESTIVAL has announced its inaugural roster featuring DECREPIT BIRTH, THE CONVALESCENCE, CASKET ROBBERY, PESSIMIST, CLAUSTROFOBIA and more than 20 additional acts spanning the global death metal and deathcore scenes.
The festival will take place Friday, March 20, and Saturday, March 21, at the Divebar, located at 4110 S. Maryland Pkwy. Organizers say the venue will be transformed into full-scale festival grounds, complete with two stages and 25 bands, alongside custom cars and bikes, tattoo artists, freakshow performances, firebreathers, and food and beverage vendors.
The event is spearheaded by JJ Jackson of Moonshine Bandits and Dave Oshann of Trip to the Morgue. Together, the pair aim to fill what they see as a gap in Las Vegas’ heavy music calendar.
“Rising from the ashes of Las Vegas Deathfest, VEGAS UN ALIVE FESTIVAL is bringing extreme metal back to the city with full force,” organizers said in announcing the event. “Answering the call of local metalheads hungry for brutality, JJ Jackson (Moonshine Bandits) and Dave Oshann (Trip to the Morgue) have united to launch the most debaucherous mosh pit to hit Vegas.”
Headlining the Death or Glory Stage on Saturday, March 21, is Santa Cruz, California’s DECREPIT BIRTH, appearing as part of their 2026 “The Uncreation of Civilization West Coast Tour.” The technical death metal band has built a reputation for complex musicianship and high-intensity live performances.
According to the festival announcement, DECREPIT BIRTH “continues to push forward as one of technical death metal’s most enduring forces.” Organizers added, “With their signature blend of hyper-technical riffing and cosmic brutality, the Santa Cruz veterans continue to uphold their reputation as one of the genre’s most formidable live acts.”
Co-headlining the Death or Glory Stage is THE CONVALESCENCE, a symphonic deathcore act currently touring under the banner “Celebrating 10 Years of Poison Word Tour.” The band recently released a music video for “Bloodletter,” described as a dark, cinematic production featuring a guest appearance by Ricky Myers of Suffocation.
Saturday’s programming extends across two stages. On the Divebar Stage, Wisconsin-based CASKET ROBBERY will headline with its horror-infused take on death metal. The group’s sophomore album, Rituals Of Death, was mixed and mastered by Cryptopsy guitarist Christian Donaldson and has received critical attention within the genre’s media outlets. The band has toured alongside Cannibal Corpse, Suffocation and Psycroptic, and has appeared at festivals including Milwaukee Metal Fest.
Co-headlining the Divebar Stage is Baltimore’s PESSIMIST, a veteran act rooted in the early 1990s death metal underground. The band is preparing to release “Keys to the Underworld,” its first full-length album in more than two decades. Early previews, according to organizers, suggest it “may be their most uncompromising and extreme material yet.”
Opening night on Friday, March 20, will be headlined by CLAUSTROFOBIA. Originally formed in Brazil in 1994 by brothers Marcus and Caio D’Angelo and now headquartered in Las Vegas, the band has built an international following over nearly three decades. With seven full-length albums and a DVD release, CLAUSTROFOBIA has toured globally and shared stages with Iron Maiden, Slayer and Anthrax.
Friday’s lineup also includes Rottenness, Scattered Guts, Lacabra, Anubis, Papsmear and Last Rites. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Saturday’s schedule begins at 2:30 p.m., with the Death or Glory Stage featuring Decrepit Birth, The Convalescence, Hunt the Dinosaur, Lazarus Casket, Trip to the Morgue, Embryonic Devourment, Skeleton Crew and 187. The Divebar Stage will host Casket Robbery, Pessimist, Gravehuffer, Abolishment of Flesh, Cerebral Desecration, Mantra of Morta, Blistering Rot and The Brown Sound.
Organizers say anticipation is high as Las Vegas’ metal community looks for a new flagship gathering. “Anticipation is sky-high, and a metal-hungry crowd is expected as this new chapter begins with two stages and 25 bands of punishing and relentless death metal,” the announcement stated.
Weekend and single-day passes are currently available through Ticketor.
As live music continues to rebound and niche genres seek stronger regional anchors, VEGAS UN ALIVE FESTIVAL positions itself as both a cultural revival and a commercial bet on the enduring draw of extreme metal in the U.S. Southwest. For Las Vegas, better known for residencies and mainstream touring acts, the festival marks a renewed investment in its underground music economy.