Following its first edition in 2025, Les Foudres will return on Thursday, December 10, 2026, to the Bataclan to once again celebrate the French metal scene. This year’s ceremony will be broadcast in prime time on France 4, a first for the event conceived by Paris Entertainment Company and the Federation of Metal Music!
Four acts will take the stage to showcase the diversity of the hexagonal metal scene. Igorrr, the project led by Gautier Serre, will unleash an unpredictable fusion of extreme metal, breakcore, Balkan music, baroque and classical. Ashen will defend its cinematic and immersive metalcore, while Sun will sound its “brutal pop,” having notably shared the bill with Shaka Ponk and Hanabie and graced the Hellfest stage. Finally, Alta Rossa, hailing from Besançon, will bring sludge, post-metal, hardcore and black metal in a dark yet cathartic explosion.
The 2026 edition will also expand the awards with two new distinctions. The International Artist of the Year Award will honor a foreign artist who has left a mark on the French scene during the season, while a new trophy will recognize the best French live performance at Hellfest 2026, as voted by the festival’s programming team.
Three categories will also be opened to public voting: Editorial Project of the Year, Societal and Environmental Engagement of the Year, and Artwork of the Year. This will broaden the perspective on a metal scene that goes beyond its bands and albums.
In 2025, nearly 100 projects were selected and 13 trophies awarded, with four live performances at the Bataclan. Hosted by Thomas VDB and broadcast on France 4, the inaugural ceremony lasted 2 hours 17 minutes. For this second edition, Les Foudres now aim to take a new step by moving to prime time, with the goal of giving greater visibility to French metal among the general public.
So mark your calendars for Thursday, December 10, 2026 at the Bataclan in Paris. Tickets will go on sale on September 21 at 11:00.
