NANOTEAR

Nathan Carson was raised on a goat farm in the backwoods of Mid-Valley Oregon, but has called Portland home since 1997. He is an accomplished horror/science fiction author, music journalist, FM radio DJ, and a Moth StorySLAM Champion. Carson has toured and recorded internationally as a drummer and co-founder of the long-running doom metal band Witch Mountain. By day, he is the owner of the renowned boutique booking agency Nanotear, with roster artists including Agalloch, YOB, Oranssi Pazuzu, etc.

TALENT NATION / HOUSE OF GODS

Ruben Barros is a music industry executive with more than three decades of experience in artist promotion, touring, and merchandise. He began in the mid-1990s publishing the underground music zine Flagrum and later founded HardNews magazine after completing his journalism studies.

Recognizing a shortage of international live shows in Ecuador, he worked as a promoter from 1999 to 2009, organizing concerts for major acts including Megadeth, Deep Purple, The Doors of the 21st Century, Morbid Angel, Napalm Death, Anathema, Deicide, Moonspell, Therion and many more. In 2008 he also began working as an independent booking agent for bands such as Mayhem and Fear Factory.
He founded TALENT NATION in 2010 and has since served as an official booking agent and tour manager across Latin America—and for select clients in the USA and Canada—for bands including Mayhem, Leprous, Rotting Christ, Destruction, Watain, Marduk, Batushka, Ne Obliviscaris among an extensive roster.
During the COVID‑19 pandemic he launched HOUSE OF GODS, an official merchandise webstore producing and distributing licensed merchandise in Latin America for artists such as Darkthrone, Venom, My Dying Bride, Abbath and more.

Ruben combines strategic vision, an extensive international network, and deep market knowledge of the region’s music industry.

INCANTATION

John McEntee is a foundational figure in the American death metal scene, best known as the founding guitarist and later vocalist of the legendary death metal band Incantation. With a career spanning over three decades, McEntee has been a relentless force in extreme music, helping define the "East Coast Death Metal" sound through seminal albums and a DIY touring ethic that has taken him to nearly every corner of the globe.

McEntee’s influence extends through a variety of notable musical projects. He is a primary member of the horror-infused death metal supergroup Season of the Dead witch oners the ol work of his long time friend Frank “Killjoy” Pucci. His extensive discography also includes work with Beast of Revelation, Tribe of Pazuzu, Funerus and his formative years in Revenant, alongside guest appearances with genre titans like Mortician and Immolation.

Beyond the stage, John is a veteran of the music industry’s frontlines. He founded Ibex Moon Records and continues to manage the complex logistics of international touring and festival organization, including the Carolina Chainsaw Massacre Fest. At this year's Inferno Fest, John joins the panel to share insights from over 35 years on the road from the underground tape-trading days of the early '90s to navigating the complexities of the modern global touring circuit.

FIRE IN THE MOUNTAINS

Jeremy Walker is the Owner, Co-Founder, and Festival Director of Fire in the Mountains (FITM), an internationally recognized heavy music and cultural experience held at the Backbone of the World — the Blackfeet Reservation in remote northern Montana. He founded FITM with a vision rooted in Music, Culture, Wilderness, and Revelry — creating an experience that transcends a traditional festival and reflects how people can come together to build deep-rooted communities. Since its origins, FITM has become a global destination that honors the land it inhabits, supports the Blackfeet Nation, and strives to leave a lasting impact on both attendees and community.

Fire in the Mountains works alongside Firekeeper Alliance, the festival’s nonprofit counterpart, to support youth suicide prevention, mental wellness, and strengths-based community resilience within the Blackfeet Nation and Indian Country. Through this collaboration, Jeremy views Fire in the Mountains as a vehicle for tangible, long-term impact — using heavy music as a catalyst for connection, healing, and purpose beyond the stage.

A&P-REACTS

Co-founded A&P-Reacts YT channel in July 2017 and what started as a reaction channel quickly grew into a metal channel that provides reviews, interviews, vlogs, and all-around metal coverage. Not having a journalism or music degree was never a handicap in the growth of the channel and the coverage provided, having established himself as a respected voice in the metal world and a knowledgeable interviewer. Featured in Metal Hammer Germany 2022 Nov edition as one of the new voices of metal in the new media world with interesting and engaging interviews with bands like Sepultura, Mayhem, Nightwish, and Sabaton among others, has allowed the channel to be at the forefront of what metal coverage looks like in 2023.