Sparta (US) + Hammok (NO)

Sparta

Sparta formed in 2001 in El Paso, Texas, after At the Drive-In disbanded. While some members continued as The Mars Volta, Jim Ward, Tony Hajjar and Paul Hinojos chose a more structured, melodic direction. Their debut album Wiretap Scars (2002) remains a landmark in the genre, featuring angular guitar riffs, driving rhythms and Ward's emotional vocals.

With Porcelain and Threes, they confirmed their talent for anthemic songs that are vulnerable and explosive at once. After a long hiatus, they returned with Trust the River (2020) and a self-titled album in 2022.

Hammok

Hammok comes from the Norwegian hardcore scene and broke through in 2023 with a legendary performance at ESNS in VERA - voted by 3voor12 as the second-best show of the festival. This was followed by performances at Best Kept Secret, Arctangent, Core Fest and Indiestadt/Paradiso.

In 2024, the noisy power trio toured Europe and the United Kingdom with their debut album look how long lasting everything is moving forward for once. The band deliberately blurs genre boundaries - expect anything. J/D/F forever long lasting.