Stagepass presents a two-day celebration of heavy metal music on Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 July at Maximum Uniq Açıkhava, headlined by German heavy metal legends Accept (July 25) and Swedish melodic death metal pioneers In Flames (26 July). Bringing together two of Europe’s most influential metal acts across consecutive nights, the event highlights distinct eras and traditions within the genre, from classic heavy metal to the melodic Gothenburg sound that reshaped extreme music in the 1990s. There will be opening performances by Destruction and Saints and Sinners on Saturday (July 25) and by Napalm Death and Employed to Serve on Sunday (26 July). Tickets are available via Passo.
Formed in Solingen in the late 1970s, Accept helped define the vocabulary of European heavy metal through landmark albums such as Restless and Wild, Balls to the Wall and Metal Heart. Their combination of razor-sharp riffs, anthemic choruses and technical precision became a blueprint for generations of metal bands. While the group’s lineup has evolved over the decades, Accept have remained a prolific recording and touring act, with more recent releases including Blind Rage, Too Mean to Die and Humanoid demonstrating that their songwriting continues to balance classic traditions with contemporary production.
In Flames emerged from Gothenburg in 1990 as one of the architects of melodic death metal, fusing the aggression of extreme metal with intricate guitar harmonies and memorable melodies. Albums including The Jester Race, Whoracle, Colony and Clayman became foundational releases for the genre, while later records such as Come Clarity, Sounds of a Playground Fading and Foregone reflected the band’s willingness to evolve without abandoning its core identity. Their influence extends well beyond Scandinavian metal, shaping countless modern metal and metalcore acts over the past three decades.
Together, Accept and In Flames represent two different but equally significant chapters in European metal history. Across this weekend bill, audiences can expect performances that draw on extensive catalogues spanning decades, offering everything from enduring heavy metal standards to melodic death metal classics in a programme that reflects the diversity and continued vitality of the genre.
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Uniq İstanbul, Huzur, Maslak Ayazağa Cd. No:4, 34485 Sarıyer
