Jan-Martin Jensen, the founder and organizer of Inferno Metal Festival in Norway, died after a long-time fight with cancer!
Born in Bodø in 1963, Jan-Martin was one of the first to embrace Punk as a musical movement in the city. He became a key figure in the local scene as a concert organizer, curator of a book café, sound engineer, and manager for various bands. He helped create the fanzine Gakk and served on the board of Bodø Rockeklubb.
Later, he moved to Oslo, where he worked as a concert organizer and sound engineer, including at the Blitz Youth House. In the 1990s, he co-founded the record and booking company Zone Productions, which released albums and organized concerts and rave parties across the country. Eventually, Jan-Martin founded the alternative club Mars, which hosted bands such as EMPEROR, TULUS, OLD MAN’S CHILD, MAYHEM, DIMMU BORGIR, UNION, MORBID ANGEL, and many others.
In 1999, Mars closed its doors, and just a year later, Jan-Martin founded Radar Booking, which organized countless concerts and tours in Norway and abroad. It would be hard to find any metalhead in Norway who hasn’t attended concerts organized by him. Radar Booking provided Oslo’s audience with an excellent selection of underground concerts featuring top international artists. The concerts promoted spanned a wide range of metal and beyond, including artists such as MAYHEM, MANOWAR, CANNIBAL CORPSE, DEVIN TOWNSEND, LEPROUS, and hundreds more.
Since 2001, Jan-Martin was also the founder and organizer of the Inferno Metal Festival, which takes place every Easter in Oslo. Over time, the festival has grown into one of the most significant gathering points for extreme metal in the world.
The following message was posted on the official Inferno Metal Festival website:
“With heavy hearts, we announce the death of Jan-Martin Jensen of the Inferno Metal Festival, after a fierce battle with cancer. This is an extremely difficult day for all of us in the Inferno family. Jan-Martin meant so much to so many, and to all who loved music in Norway.
His memory will live on through the joy he brought to countless people by organizing thousands of concerts and the Inferno Metal Festival. Jan-Martin Jensen will be deeply missed. His loss leaves a massive void. We will remember him forever for the incredible person he was and all that he did for us.
Eternal be his memory, Jan-Martin.”
The Inferno Metal Festival Norway 2025 is scheduled for April 17-20, 2025, in Oslo, Norway.
Jan-Martin was kind, sincere, hardworking, always positive, and played an invaluable role in Norway’s alternative music scene. Even after being diagnosed with cancer, he continued working with music, ensuring the best for his concerts and the Inferno Festival. He remained optimistic until the end.
Our warmest condolences to his family and loved ones.
