Bokassa

Formed in Trondheim, Norway, in the early 2010s, Bokassa develops a sound at the crossroads of stoner rock, hardcore punk, and direct heavy rock, which the trio has itself described under the label stonerpunk. With Jørn Kaarstad on vocals and guitar, and Olav Dowkes on drums, Bokassa first drew attention with the EP War on Everything in 2015 and Make Music Great Again in 2016, before releasing the album Divide & Conquer in 2017. The band then followed with Crimson Riders in 2019, then Molotov Rocktail in 2021 and All Out of Dreams in 2024. In this discography, Bokassa blends massive riffs, punk accelerations, collective choruses, and a sense of skew that also runs through the lyrics, often built between black humor and darker themes. The band’s trajectory took on another dimension in 2019 when Bokassa toured Europe as the opening act for Metallica on the WorldWired Tour, while continuing to defend its own club dates. Since then, Bokassa has circulated between venues and rock and metal festivals, with appearances on stages such as Download, Hellfest, Wacken, Tons of Rock or Resurrection Fest, as well as tours in support or co-headline with bands like Mastodon, Baroness, Judas Priest, Therapy? or Clutch. In 2024, bassist Ole Vistnes joined the lineup, prolonging the evolution of a band rooted in a compact and nerve-wracking formula.