Three years after its last gathering beneath the jagged silhouettes of the Tetons, Fire in the Mountains returns—reignited and reimagined. Set against the staggering backdrop of the Red Eagle Campground on the sovereign lands of the Blackfeet Nation in Montana, July 25–27, the 2025 edition marks not just a continuation, but a powerful new chapter in the festival’s ongoing evolution: one shaped by collaboration, cultural connection, and the enduring power of music as ritual.
This year’s lineup threads the needle between primal force and spiritual grace. Norwegian legends Wardruna and Old Man’s Child will each command a headlining night, embodying two poles of FITM’s spectrum: sacred Nordic folk and apocalyptic black metal. They’re joined by a genre-defiant slate that includes the ferocious hardcore legacy of Converge, the raw emotional flood of Emma Ruth Rundle, the folkloric psychedelia of Hexvessel, and Blood Incantation, who will deliver both a traditional death metal set and a rare ambient performance of Timewave Zero.
Elsewhere, the bill dives into regional mythologies and radical sound: Tzompantli conjure doom rooted in Nahua tradition, Blackbraid channels indigenous fury and pride through atmospheric black metal, and Pan-Amerikan Native Front offers a rare set on sovereign ground, their presence symbolically—and literally—reclaiming space. FITM mainstay Panopticon returns to perform Autumn Eternal in full, its blend of Appalachian folk and black metal echoing the terrain’s emotional resonance. Add in Steve Von Till, Lindy-Fay Hella & Dei Farne, Krallice, Inter Arma, and rising voices like Sonja, Majesties, Witching, and The Keening, and you have a weekend that transcends genre to form a living ritual.
“It is an honor to be a part of this and to watch it grow from a small gathering in the mountains of Wyoming, to this partnership with the Blackfeet, a truly beautiful surrounding, and a lineup that we feel is matched so perfectly to what the experience is,” says organizer Shane McCarthy.
But it’s not just the bands that make FITM singular—it’s the sense of pilgrimage. The trek has always mattered: across state lines, up dirt roads, into thinner air and thicker meaning. That spirit is only heightened in 2025. After the festival’s long hiatus and the loss of its Jackson Hole venue, the invitation from the Blackfeet Nation to hold FITM on their land sparked something deeper. The move wasn’t just practical—it was transformational.
When the organizers traveled together to Red Eagle Campground, they weren’t simply scouting a location—they were answering a call. Standing on that land, surrounded by history and welcome, they found not only a new home for the festival but a new purpose.
That purpose has taken shape in partnership with community leaders like Charlie Spiecher and cultural stewards like Robert Hall, both of the nonprofit Firekeeper Alliance. Together, they’ve built a framework that goes far beyond the weekend itself—supporting youth engagement, suicide prevention, cultural exchange, and a brand-new elective course on heavy music for local students. This isn’t just a festival—it’s an offering, a gesture of mutual respect and reciprocal growth.
And yet, for all its transformation, the festival’s core remains gloriously intact: wild landscapes, a curated lineup that fuses the transcendent with the confrontational, and a community that values intensity, introspection, and shared meaning. It’s still DIY. It’s still off-grid. It still asks something of you.
“I am excited to see this mix of artists come to this place, take part in this event, and share their music here,” says McCarthy. “From the U.S. debut of Old Man’s Child, to a group the caliber of Wardruna coming into this with such intent, to artists like Pan-Amerikan Native Front who have approached the event with such focus and buy-in—it feels nothing short of something special about to happen. I hope to be able to soak it all in.”
Whether you’re coming for Chelsea Wolfe’s Friday night catharsis, Krallice’s brain-warping technical chaos, or to bear witness as Pan-Amerikan Native Front amplifies their voice on ancestral land, FITM 2025 promises something more than a weekend of music. It’s a fire stoked from both ends: past and future, grief and growth, tradition and rebellion.
The climb is steep. The air is thin. The signal might drop—but what you’ll find there might stay with you for the rest of your life.
Tickets are still available at fitmfest.com. The mountain’s calling. Will you answer?
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