HELLFEST 2015
Thursday, 06-18-2015, Metalcorner
The Metalcorner is the first point in front of the camping ground and is a Hellfest institution for French groups, which can play on a large stage with an equally great technique. And the Metalcorner is the meeting point for all the Turbojugend chapters at the Hellfest.
This big top has a capacity of 5000 spectators and it has been 2000 there. Each group can play 30 minutes. So we have heard a french MOTÖRHEAD version one a bit of Napalm DEATH, the other one sounds like Sonic Syndicate ...
The best one were Malkavian. Fast, accurate, with a lot of style changes (thrash, death, heavy, punk) in just one song, with two voices and a crazy audience because Malkovian are some locals. A strong kick off!! The festival has not started, it was the framework program!
Friday, 06-19-2015 This festival knows no borders. What makes a festival with the best conditions for spectators and groups in the year of retirement? Quasi everything much better than last year.
More decoration, paved road, solid grass and watering, planned terrain, artificial turf in front of the bars, toilets and water fountains in each corner of the terrain, skate park and a bar with World of Warcraft, pavilions without pillars with a free view for all 12 - 15,000 spectators who can watch a group in the Altar, Temple and Valley. And for the others who cannot admire the groups there is an LED screen in front of the pavilions.
The rich and tasty food cost from 6 to 12 € and were lots for workers, the beer had the same prices, it depends on the jug.
GLOWSUN
The three French played a mix of instrumental Progrock, Stoner and Blues and the song "Dragonwitch" was the first climax of the day. Johan on guitar created pictures of sound by his larga variity of effects. The progressive parts ranged from Metal to Blues. Great concert, nice guys.
1. Death Face
3. Dragon Witch
BÖLZER
Can a drummer and a guitar with a voice play interesting music? Karma to Burn can but the two Swiss with words of Black metal cannot. After listening to a limited voice, a lot of Black Metal clichés in their lyrics and the not coherent rhythm, we left the Altar and rejoined the Valley for the Midnight Ghost Train.
The Midnight Ghost Train
5 minutes apart from Bölzer played The Midnight Ghost Train, from Kansas City, United States. What madness on the stage! Stoner, Blus, Hardrock, Metal, with a strong voice like Lemmy, a drummer with 8 arms and ten sticks and 10,000 crazy spectators in the trance. Good concert.
Samsara Blues Experience
Those Germans continue the tradition of Krautrock, Jam and improvisation, based on Blues, combined with high levelled lyrics, sung by Christian Peters´sinister and diabolic voice. A holy mass of sensations, a sangria with Blues, Psychedelic and Stoner and with goose bumps on goose bumps.
Truckfighters
We have seen the three Swedish 2013 at the Hellfest and from this moment we loved them for their crazy show and their sympathic appearance on stage. Each show is an orgasm of sound, celebrated with crazy jumps and the typical Truckfighters madness. I mean, to start the concert with “Desert Cruiser” it´s like to start a concert with “Ace of Spades” or “Reign in Blood”.
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2. Mastodont
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3. The Chairman
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4. Mind Control
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5. Gweedo-Weedo
Armoured Saint
I have seen the vocalist John Bush with Anthrax, 15 years ago and with this group his extraordinary voice fits better with the Anthrax music than the traditional Heavy Metal of Armoured Saint. The compositions were very simple and John Bush was not at his limit of voice. And that's why, Armoured Saint subtract a special recommendation of Heavy Metal.
3. Nervous Man
4. Pay Dirt
5. The Pillar
6. Mess
10. Can U Deliver
Orchid
The group we have attended after three years. This young group is the intersection of Black Sabbath´s riffs, Candlemass´ Doom Metal with the in between of Ozzy´s an Dan MacCafferty´s voice. The climax: the song "Capricorn".
1. Helicopters
4. Capricorn
5. Silent One
7. He who walks alone
High on Fire
What do you expect from "High on Fire", the group of Jeff Matz, ex-bass player from "ZEKE", the fastest group of Rock and Roll, and Matt Pike, guitarist from “Sleep”, the heaviest and slowest group of Stoner and Doom, with its 12 amplifiers on the stage and a drummer of top speed? Yes, a bastard of Heavy Metal, Stoner, Speed Metal and Sludge, with a lot of sweat and headbanging. Fuck, what a concert!
Oathbreaker
Their music fits much better in a cemetery, during November in England, a sinister and emotional music, quasi Emo-Doom-Core or Post Metal. The vocalist with a wall of hair in front of her face, screaming, suffering, and crying, two boys play crazy rhythms (11/8 or 9/4) with bass and guitar. Guys, we have a festival of joy and rock and roll! But, nonetheless, one of the most exciting concerts.
Bloodbath
Nick Holmes from “Paradise Lost” is one of the most boring frontmen. But his voice fits perfectly to this Deathmetal supergroup. And it was a joy to see and hear him what he knows best: giving the dark and gothic colour to this exquisite band.
Mastodon
Their setlist composed with the last two albums, which manifest a radical change in the simplest direction - by the Mastodon scale - and together with this virtuos group, consisting of four vocalists, this concert was the best of the last five years. Mastodon is a group like the German team in the 2014 world championship; all the members are no stars but highly inspired workers who are able to play great songs and incredible rhythms. Point.
3. Blasteroid
6. High Road
8. Halloween
9. Bladecatcher
10. Black Tongue
11. Megalodon
12. Crystal Skull
Saturday, 6-19-2015
Zuul FX
This French group was quite inspired by "Dagoba" and "Fear Factory". For that reason, the cover of "Demanufactured" was logical. But when this music was not played precisely and the sound is not clear, the concert fails. What a pity!
Guida
The five Italians began the day of traditional Hardrock with authentic dresses of the 70s. We thought that this group is a clone of Hello, The Sweet, T. Rex. I was listening to this music with the age of 8 years, in 1974, because it was the best music of this time. Great authentic music and fun, early in the morning.
Elder
Three guys from Boston played a fusion of "Led Zeppelin," "Black Sabbath" and "Hendrix." Sure, nothing special, because there are many groups that decide this direction of music. The difference was, that the three guys were not three, he was just the guitarist in his own world of riff and solo, the others were a little more than decoration or the basis of rhythm.
Vitamin X!
Hardcore and Punk from the old school, songs of 1 minute 30 or 2 minutes, jokes on stage, pogo and crowdsurfing. Nothing more or less than pure fun.
Doctor Livingstone
The name sounds like Punk, but it was Black Metal with two priests of the Holy Mass of Black Metal, it can be with a message. A sound like an electronic saw, two voices shout like other saws. I hate Black Metal
Ghost Brigade
A little angry aside from this morning, a morning without a climax, Ghost Brigade from Finland was the first surprise of the day. The group conceived 20,000 spectators in front of the Mainstage at two and a half with its Melodic Doom- and Deathmetal. This was a concert with a lot of atmosphere and a vocalist with an incredible voice.
Merauder
This group lack many things: the second guitar to be heavier and a rhythm for more Groove like "Pro Pain" to move the spectators. Not bad, not good.
ASG has recorded many different albums, one in the style of "Aerosmith", the other one like "Black Label Society", and this concert consisted only of the last disc that sounded like Southern Rock à la "Molly Hatchet". A good rock concert.
Onslaught also belongs to those 80% of all Heavy Metal groups calling "sympathetic but without success". Listening to their first record 30 years ago and it was a bit exotic, this mixture of Crustpunk and Metal. But after 30 years of rehearsal, the boys can play like all Thrashmetal groups and the music is not nice because the songs last two minutes too much
Brant Bjork consists of Stoner and of all the deserts in the world. Each song has at the same tightness, coolness and a irresistable groove.The girls danced and the boys banged their heads.
Orange Goblin
We have seen this group in October 2014 in front of 300 spectators in Munich. But now the pavilion was filled with 12,000 fans of Orange Goblin knowing and singing each song, although there were some sound problems. Orange Goblin are the successors of Motörhead!
Faith No More
Sure, it's not a pure Heavy Metal band, but Faith no More filled up Heavy Metal with Rap, Hip-hop, Funk, Soul. And to sing this style, a group needs five vocalists. No, Faith No More has Mike Patton, a boy so ironic that it's possible that it's arrogance. The stage in white, the group also, the stage with a flower fence. Is it a Baghwan concert? No, we are Faith no More, we are different and we make jokes of the spectators and we play our successes. We liked just two or three parts in each song.
I have to admit: For me, Scorpions were important from "Tokyo Tapes" to "Blackout"; four years with very intelligent lyrics and albums with different styles. After this period, groups like "Venom", "Discharge" were more important to me. Scorpions play rock and roll but they take care for themselves. This fact is may be boring, but to start a concert with "Make it Real", "The Zoo", "From Coast to Coast", a medley with "Top of the Bill", "Steamrock Fever" and "Speedy is coming" showed, that this group has a repertoire with 100 hits and Klaus Meine and Rudolf Schenker are 28 years old. Both.
The climax during the night was the huge fireworks with a metal choreography.
Sunday 6-21-2015
Iron Reagan
Music descends from the period of President Ronald Reagan (1980 - 1990), Iron is symbolic for Metal in the Thrashmetal of the 1980s. The lyrics are not political correct. But: in each song we had a "Circlepit", five or ten "Crowdsurfer", it is 11 in the morning and we have spent a good time with Thrashmetal without solos of guitars, short songs and punk and others: "Maggots for the Scum" of Cannibal Corpse
Lost Society
This band is incredible talented, authentic and hungry. Thrashmetal and Speedmetal with a lot of chaos on the stage and precision and technical ability of the musicians. A show seems to me of the young "Anthrax" and "Metallica" in 1985.
ETHS
We have seen this French group in 2008 with 50 spectators in Munich. But here was a home game with 10,000 metalheads. They mix Gothic Metal and Screamo to a very dynamic Metalcore because the vocalist Rachel Aspe replaced Candice Clot in 2013. Rachel has a more variable voice. Image: a girl with an opera voice accompanies a staccato guitar and a double bass thunderstorm with crying, whispering and screaming. What A Concert!
The Haunted
This group needed half hour to convince the public. There were ten minutes left to celebrate. This was the work of his singer Marco Aro. The music was not special, a little more punk than metal, but Thrashmetal.
Sofy Major
Incredible, how many of such good groups exist in France? The three boys played a very dynamic Stoner with hardness and silence. We had to watch them instead of watching The Haunted.
Russian Circles
Their only show in Europe and the Valley Pavilion was filled with 15,000 spectators. The difference between this style of Postrock and Stoner? Stoner creates an environment, Postrock promises images in your head, a cyme in your head. But when the song parts are too short, there will be no atmosphere and there are no pictures in your head. What a pity! And that's why this group was traveling from Chicago to Clisson, France?
Hollywood Undead
This band is Body Count for whites with a masquerade of the children's carnival of San Juan de la Rambla. A cheap copy of Body Count without having a message like Rage against the Machine.
Exodus
I have seen Exodus with Venom in 1985 and Exodus they were just a blast. In 2015, five very serious and very routine kids played an hour until the apotheosis "Strike of the Beast".
Grave Pleasures / Beastmilk
Some different styles during this day. Grave Pleasures has a voice like Lux Interior of "Cramps" or Elvis that accompanies a mixture of New Wave à la "Joy Division", Punk and Rock´n Roll with a bit of Metal. The music I loved but the group seems to me that the members come from five different groups. Climax: "Death reflects us"
Cavalera Conspiracy
Of course, this group is half "Sepultura" and half "Soulfly", but in fact, Max Cavalera and his brother Igor want to play their favorite songs, it will be Sepultura, it will be one of their favorite groups. And, finally, Max wants to play with the audience and the public wants to dance in the circle pit. "Inflicted", "Sanctuary" were the only songs of "Cavalera Conspiracy". A defect in the PA finished the concert. And the magic brazilian words "porqué paró? paró porqué?" out of the crowd made them to return.
Life of Agony
For me, "Life of Agony" was not interesting; the music with the roots of Hardcore, a trunk of Heavy Metal and with branches of Doom did not interest me very much, except for "Weeds". The attraction of the group was the vocalist Keith / Minna Caputo. It's Minna, a human, half and half. And his group knows that this is a vocalist with a strong voice and feminine movements. And each viewer in front of the stage felt the courage of Keith / Minna to be a complete human with great songs and parables.
Apart from this concert, we have not won to see "In Flames", "Limp Bizkit" and others. This concert was the best and most consistent in my life.
