Written by:	Darkside Momo, wrathchild, Nefarious
Published:	July 20, 2014
Event:	Hellfest Open Air 2014 (Website)
Organizer:	Hellfest Productions
Galleries:	Hellfest 2014 II by martsepp (43) A few pics of Hellfest 2014 by Darkside Momo (26) Hellfest 2014 by martsepp (65)

Oh, by the way, the Arte video links usually work for only six months (well, five at the time of this article's posting), so be sure to check them before it's too late!





Table Of Contents

Part 1: Back to Clisson Rock City

Part 2: Friday the 20th

Detailing:
Death To All
Enslaved
Godflesh
Iron Maiden
Nightmare
Nocturnus AD
Rob Zombie
Rob Zombie's press conference
Royal Thunder
Satan
Septicflesh
Sepultura
Therapy?
And of course including bonus notes on other bands.

Part 3: Saturday the 21st

Detailing:
Benighted
Borgne
Deep Purple
Herder
Lez Zeppelin
Monster Magnet
Schirenc plays Pungent Stench
Skid Row
Shining
Skyclad
Supuration
With more included!

Part 4: Sunday the 22st

Detailing:
Angra
Annihilator
Behemoth
Black Sabbath
Blacklodge
Blue Pills
Dark Angel
Dordeduh
Emperor
Lofofora
Opeth
Powerwolf
Soilwork
Solstafir
Unleashed
With once again more stuff in-between!

Conclusion

Our galleries:

- by Darkside Momo (here)
- by Mart Sepp (here and there

---

Two years since I last left Clisson, and it just felt like yesterday. It seems nothing really changed in this peaceful town, who seems to weather relatively well now the affluence of tens of thousands of barely civilized people dressed in black (even the local press paints metalheads in a good light now). That, of course, doesn't take the Leclerc (biggest and closest supermarket) into account, as it still can't deal with the HUGE affluence - which is only natural. Oh well, after some queuing, as soon as I had my beers, I certainly didn't care anymore and went on drinking and eating with wrathchild and friends.

Hellfest sure spent a lot of money on visuals and decoration this year. As soon as one got his/her bracelet (same drill as usual, with the doors opening later than planned and so a very long queue), Hellfest City welcomed with its newly created plaza, giant skull and buildings. Some immediately dubbed the place as "Metal Disneyland" - yeah there are both cash machines (very useful) and stores.
And then, oh my god, the stairs. Willed by Clisson town to leave the road below free of festival-goers, this metallic nightmare could have been really dangerous with rain and mud - and a domino effect of falling metalheads. Thankfully, it seems nothing really dire happened there this year. Let's hope this stairway to hell will be replaced by something easier to navigate for everyone.




After that monstrosity, the Metal Corner (with a few food booths, some merch stuff, a small stage and a huge TV screen) and the campsite beckoned. Everything in there and in HF City were already opened, including the extreme market, so shopping was already in full swing this Thursday. BTW, many thanks to Kaoteon members for giving me (and others) their album Veni Vidi Vomui!

Oh, and just to finish on another positive note - just before coming to Clisson I checked weather forecasts, and by all accounts we were to have a mostly sunny week-end! Woot!

---

Preludium

As is the norm at Hellfest, access to the festival grounds on Friday is a long, protracted affair. Security is tight, searching on people is really long? Then almost inexistant on the other days (why too much, then nothing at all?). So, you see, it can be pretty hard to get in front of the stages in time for the first bands! We press people have an easier access to the fest - well, it's actually longer, but on Friday morning it's bloody damn useful. Still, I got up late, drank beers at the campsite, and missed Nightmare, unlike wrathchild...


Nightmare 11:05/11:35, Mainstage 01

I feared I would miss Nightmare because of the long wait to get inside the festival area on Friday morning but I could hopefully catch a good bit of their show. Nightmare is that French heavy metal band from the 80's that has always released very good albums, but that never stood out. They performed in front of a scarce yet growing crowd and focused on their last album, The Aftermath. It was not easy to drive the audience crazy given the timeslot, yet it was an OK and pleasant opener for these 3 days in hell.


Preludium part 2

A Conan pic?



While touring the festival grounds, I had the misfortune to be subjected to Doyle Airence. God that shit was awful! French metalcore of the lowest caliber that could make Miss May I pass for a great band. Adding insult to injury, they had some Pleymo-style vocals (the worst Nu metal abomination ever birthed in France).

I then met Mart, photographer extraordinaire, and went to check Caspian on his recommendation. The two songs I heard sounded like good post-stuff (note to self: check their studio work).



After that, maybe I heard bits of Crossfaith (a Japanese band), but I can't remember anything about their sound - and neither can wrathchild. However, Kronos, who played during the same time slot, were tight and brutal as we love them - but still, they're better in small venues.


Satan 13:35/14:15, Mainstage 01

First clash of the week-end for me, with Blockheads playing at the same time. I had to make a choice, and went with the non-French show, hoping to catch our grindcore masters later on in the Hexagon.
And well, while I dunno how Blockheads went, I certainly don't regret seeing Satan. Despite being an avid Skyclad fan, I never really checked Steve Ramsey and Graeme English's first band, with the exception of Last Sentence, and so I was unfamiliar with the older stuff. It didn't matter, as Satan's old-school heavy metal is really catchy, and it was impressive to hear Brian Ross still screaming those high-pitched notes.
But it was the audience's reaction that made this show so special. See, it was the first Satan show in France (like, ever), and between each song, people went shouting "Satan! Satan!"... The band was moved, that's for sure. As Brian Ross said: "overwhelming!"




Rob Zombie's press conference around 15:10, Press Area

Of course, a big festival like Hellfest is the place for a lot of press stuff to happen, like interviews, listening sessions or press conferences. I attended only one of those, and that was Rob Zombie's. And that was the place and time to learn - amidst many stupid questions - that Rob Zombie will start working on his new movie 31 as soon as the new album is finished (hopefully around october), that he has no big stage props in festivals because it's too much work and it enables them to do different things onstage. And to the question "do you have a ritual before getting onstage?", Rob answered that he'd "like to have some bullshit answer" but he hasn't found one yet (even if he's always asked this). And well, no, there's no ritual, no candles, just getting onstage and that's about it.

Some Toxic Holocaust pics too.




Royal Thunder 16:00 - 16:50, Valley

Having travelled from Nantes in the morning and spent some time exploring the festival grounds upon arrival, I was a little late seeing my first band at Hellfest. This ended up being Royal Thunder, who played a solid if unspectacular set which consisted predominantly of tracks off their debut album CVI. I felt that MLny Parsonz' unassuming, introverted personality left the band lacking in stage presence, but there is no doubting her great voice and overall they put on a decent performance to kick off my first day at Hellfest.



Also, check M.O.D. on Arte, who played at the same time.


Therapy? 16:55/17:45, Mainstage 01

Second clash I had to deal with, with Hail Of Bullets this time. I finally chose the band I never saw yet, even if Hail Of Bullets are great live (Martin van Drunen is quite the charismatic frontman).
Once again, a decision I didn't regret at all! Therapy? were very happy to be there and it showed from start to finish. While everything wasn't perfect, their set was packed with energy, and no-one really cared. Not surprisingly, they played 8 songs out of Troublegum, their most well-known album -certainly one of their best too. And starting with "Knives" was really a great idea! (Proof on Arte)




Interludium

I'm told Impaled Nazarene had a shitty sound; meanwhile, Trivium and Death Angel swapped places, with the latter now closing the day on Mainstage 02. And while they're still as boring as usual, I must admit that Trivium earned a bit more respect from me as they closed their show by blasting "One-Winged Angel" through the speakers.

For some Kadavar:




Rob Zombie 18:45/19:45, Mainstage 01

I had no plan to see Rob Zombie in daylight without stage props, but my two colleagues did.

This was my first time seeing Rob Zombie live and based on this performance I won't be rushing to see them again anytime soon. The sound was terrible and they seemed to spend more time playing covers than they did original material, so I quickly lost interest and used the opportunity to go get some food and find somewhere to rest.

Er well, I must say that that I saw parts of Rob's show and, while not a fan, I can only say it was waaaaayyyy better than the shortened show he did in 2011. He was surprisingly joyful, but in the end, the only thing I really liked was the "Am I Evil?" cover (not a fan, remember?).

Here's the Arte video.


Nocturnus AD 18:45/19:40, Altar

This year's Death metal bill at Hellfest was quite awesome, I think everyone will agree on that. And now was the time for a legendary (if slightly overlooked) band to play under the Altar tent: Nocturnus. Or well, Nocturnus AD, which is Nocturnus with only one original member (Mike Browning). OK, they were too static onstage. But who really cared, in the end? The sound was good (keyboard solos!), the musicianship outstanding... And it was so bloody damn good to hear all those songs out of The Key. Great stuff!

Next, back to reality. The plan was: "Rush out of the tent, navigate the crowd exiting Rob Zombie, and find a good place between the two mainstages to enjoy both Sepultura and Iron Maiden".


Sepultura 19:50/20:40, Mainstage 02

Pfew! The plan succeeded!

Sepultura once again did a great job, but I'll admit it was a bit less stellar than last February in Toulouse... I guess the problems came from a too short set for the featured setlist, which the same as during the winter tour... and so we had only the first part, mostly featuring new stuff from The Mediator... (messy as usual, not my kind of thrash). While great, this album is as surely not as well received live (even if "Manipulations Of Tragedy" or "The Vatican" are awesome) than the classics are - like "Propaganda". Anyway, Sepultura still blows Soulfly out of the water without even breaking a sweat - and one's gotta love Eloy Casagrande.

Just as a side note, Turisas played at the same time, and it seems they were great (even after that Turisas2013 dud).

Check both Sepultura and Turisas on Arte! And enjoy these Kylesa photos too!




"Scream for me Hellfest!" 20:55/22:55, Mainstage 01

Now was the time of THE headliner. The one which was asked for since the beginnings of Hellfest. The only headliner ever to see so many T-shirts in their name - that was quite a tsunami of Eddies all over the place!
Well, sure they took their time to come onstage - the show started ¼ of an hour late? But it was well worth the wait (Top 1 for me)! Hellfest was one of the last few dates of the whole Maiden England set, so we got it all: stage set, Eddies and pyrotechnics included. Only variation, "Afraid To Shoot Strangers" was replaced by "Revelations".
It's funny how 20000+ people can just be hypnotized by one guy - yeah, Bruce Dickinson is still that good. Without the rest of the band around him (amazing, all; no surprise here), he would be nothing, yet wherever he was on stage, he was in the center. And we French people were pleasantly surprised to hear him speak French all along - and oh my god he's progressed a lot since 2008! Another attention for the huge crowd of French fans in front of him, he spoke a lot about the football (soccer) match that was happening at the same time: France - Switzerland. Playing the seer the seer having visions, he told us regularly about the score (yeah, it really was 5 - 0 during "Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son" - and yeah, they DID play it!!). Sure it was a bit too much for those who, like me, dislike football, but it was fun anyway.

"Scream for me Hellfest!", indeed - and I think this fantastic set was better than the "Early Years part 2" show I saw in Paris in 2008.



Some bands did play during Iron Maiden's show. Like Watain, whom you can check on Arte.


Death To All 22:55/23:55, Altar

Quite an all-star line-up here, featuring previous Death members Paul Masvidal, Sean Reinart and Steve Di Georgio, with a few Obscura members as guests... This Death tribute pleased people on the whole (very good, but sadly I missed Flattening of Emotions), but I was slightly disappointed on the whole - too many blanks between songs (or weird interludes) not to mention some sound problems (on guitars particularly).

When I was finally sure I'd be attending Hellfest this year and was excitedly looking over the line-up to make my list of all the bands I wanted to see, Death To All was pretty close to the top. Seeing a talented group of musicians including former members of Death, play a whole set of classic Death songs should have been a great celebration of Chuck's legacy. Unfortunately, it was a bittersweet experience as although the band performed well, it just didn't sound or feel right without Chuck.

Indeed... There definitely was the magic of Death's songs, but without Chuck himself. I'm sure everyone secretly hoped for some kind of mystical event that would have returned him to us?



Meanwhile, it seems Slayer got some nerve back. Hearing Araya screaming again at the beginning of "Angel Of Death" is quite a good sign indeed!


Enslaved 00:00/01:00, Temple

While Enslaved played, so did Sabaton, whom you can check on Arte.

With Death To All finishing their set, I quickly turned my attention to the opposite side of the tent for the start of Enslaved's set and was able to work my way right to front and enjoy what turned out to be one of my favourite shows of the entire weekend. Being a big fan of the band and the musical journey they have gone on over the years, it was a pleasure to see Enslaved showcase their ever evolving sound with a varied set of 7 songs coming from a total of 6 different albums, starting with a track off RIITIIR and slowly working their way back through their discography to finish with a track from their first EP (and also, "Convoys to Nothingness"? Yes please!).

So, if you happen to like their very personal brand of progressive black metal, Enslaved are sure to please you live; this new Hellfest show was not different, and as good as always.

BTW, the exact same "good as always" comment applies to Electric Wizard who played under The Valley at the same time.


Septicflesh 01:05 - 02:05, Altar

Now I know that using a full orchestra would be totally impractical, so therefore Septicflesh must rely on a backing track for all the orchestral parts, but when these parts make up an increasingly large percentage of your band's overall sound, playing along to a backing track just seems a bit silly. When you then decide to include all clean vocals on the backing track as well it leaves the whole thing just feeling rather fake. I travelled all the way to Europe to see and hear bands play live, if I wanted to hear Septicflesh on CD I could've easily just stayed home!


Bonus band! about 01:25/02:00, Valley

A bonus band? Was that Death Angel? Nope (but check them on Arte). Septicflesh, then? Nope - see above. Kvelertak, maybe? Not really either; I planned to see them, but given the shitty layout of the Warzone stage, I couldn't get in and see anything. What I heard were two and a half catchy and energic songs that still failed to keep me awake, so I went back to the campsite.
Or well, was going that way. After finally (and by chance) meeting a group of friends (hi Miki and Etienne!), I noticed on the TV screen in Hellfest City that Godflesh's show was delayed? and rescheduled after Electric Wizard under the Valley tent. Something like "right now". OK, going back !

I entered the Valley when they finished the soundcheck, and the show itself started immediately after. And, man, that sound! It was so heavy you could swear the world was shaking around you. That, and all the anger and rage Justin Broadrick and CC Green channeled through their playing, made for a totally frightening experience - with Godflesh being what it was meant to be, an echo of a dehumanized, hateful world. And a world that can give birth to such music is not really one I'd like to live in. Oh, wait... Shit.
In one word: AWESOME! It totally erased the failure that was that 2010 Hellfest show.

---

Preludium

Morning in the campsite is synonymous with beers, and lazying a bit before going on the wargrounds, right? Well at least it is for me.
I still managed to see the end of Killers, who play some decent French heavy metal, with, well, those hit-or-miss French vocals and lyrics. Cool but quite outdated now (back to the eighties!), especially compared to Nightmare. Meanwhile, Nefarious submitted himself to some heavy stuff...


Herder 11:40 - 12:10, Valley

Herder where one of the bands I was most looking forward to seeing over the whole weekend, so I made sure I got myself there nice and early to get a front row seat in what turned out to be one of the best shows of the entire festival! The band has their own motto, "Herder is Harder", which is pretty apt as their brand of sludge/stoner metal is like a sledge hammer (or should that be sludgehammer?) to the face. Despite the relatively early set time, Herder's limitless energy and aggressiveness whipped the capacity crowd within The Valley tent into a frenzy. Halfway through the set, the lead singer Che stepped aside to allow Herder's old vocalist, Nico, to sing with the band as they played a couple of tracks from their first demo. This provided a unique opportunity to directly compare Herder old & new, and although Nico put in a good performance, there is no doubting that Herder are twice the beast when playing the newer songs with Che at the helm.


Benighted 12:15/12:45, Altar

Without surprise they were fucking violent as usual, and dust flew under the tent. I guess Julien (vocals) was looking for Niklas Kvarforth to invite him onstage, but that didn't happen. Anyway, whatever the line-up is, there's nothing like "seeing Benighted too many times"!


Lez Zeppelin 12:15/12:45, Mainstage 01

A cover band performing on a mainstage of such a big festival is hardly expected. But then again it was in the morning and this all-female band covers no less than Led Zeppelin, so hell, why not? Well... starting off with "Immigrant Song" was certainly ballsy but not wise as the first scream sounded just a little bit off to some people in the crowd - me included - who'd rather queue for another round of beer.

For a cover band to be playing on the main stage of a festival, I'd expect them to be damn good. Unfortunately with Lez Zeppelin, this just wasn't the case. Although they played their instruments proficiently, the vocals just weren't very good and the overall performance was pretty boring.


Borgne 12:50/13:30, Temple

I knew nothing of this industrial/ambient black metal band, apparently from Switzerland, but I had a hard time with the sound of the drum machine that eventually got the better of my curiosity.

At the same time, Miss May I played your average shitty metalcore - still better than Doyle Airence though.


Supuration 13:35/14:15, Altar

A kult concert if there ever was one! I mean, they played The Cube - their best and most well-loved album - in its entirety! And, after the half-success that was SUP's show back in 2011, I was a bit nervous before this Supuration show (one could say that SUP's is a gloomier, less-death driven and more electronics based alternate personality of Supuration).
Then I threw my preconceptions out of the window, as they proved really at ease in the gloom under the Altar; plus, The Cube felt surprisingly catchy and heavy live. Fact is, it felt good. Great stuff!


Skid Row 13:35/14:15, Mainstage 01

Meanwhile?

I don't know why they were playing so early, and thus only had a 40 minute set, but Skid Row made their fans happy by performing most of their hit songs from the first 2 albums, ending the show with "Youth Gone Wild".

A little bit of SubRosa, who played just after?




Skyclad 16:00/16:45, Temple




Before Skyclad, Incantation sounded tight on the other stage, I must say.

[fanboy mode]OMFG AMAZING!!!!![/fanboy mode]

Obviously, I was at Hellfest just for them - I somehow managed to never see them live before. And obviously too, as a fanboy I had an awesome time and loved each and every second of this show!
A bit more seriously now, I know this set wasn't perfect, but it did bring some great stuff on the table (a nice change, they should have been on a mainstage.). Dave Pugh's presence was a great surprise for sure, as it was his first show with Skyclad since the The Silent Whales Of Lunar Seas era. And, since he was here, the setlist featured a lot of old-school stuff - three songs out of The Wayward Sons Of Mother Earth, two from A Burnt Offering For The Bone Idol... but only one from Prince Of The Poverty Line ("Cardboard City") .
But this setlist, while awesome, showed the limits of nowadays Skyclad: while Kevin Ridley is really good on folk songs, he definitely has a harder time with the most violent and fast thrash numbers ("The Sky Beneath My Feet"). Truth be told, I feared I'd miss Martin Walkier much more than that, but my fears quickly went away; Kevin Ridley does put a lot of soul in his singing (opener "Inequality Street", "The Parliament Of Fools", "Cardboard City"...), and that's actually the most important in Skyclad's music. Right?

TL,DR version: HAPPY!

[fanboy mode]OMFG AMAZING!!!!![/fanboy mode] And here's the Arte video just to be sure.



I certainly didn't care, but We Came As Romans occupied Mainstage 02 at the same time. Check their set on Arte, while Witch Mountain played under the Valley tent




Pungent Stench 16:50/17:45, Altar

Or, more exactly, Schirenc plays Pungent Stench. And that was some quality old-school death metal. Heavy and aggressive, yet quite catchy too, this was some really nice stuff. Added bonus, the band was much better in the live department than Death To All or Nocturnus - they really had an infectious pleasure to be here!


Shining 17:50/18:40 18:25, Altar

I thought it was a dickhead-fronted black metal band. Sure, the worst part was when Kvarforth ranted in-between songs, but I must admit those songs were quite good and far from the cliché I had in mind.).
Then Niklas and co left quarter of an hour early, with a nicely put put "fuck off!".
Don't believe us? Check the Arte vid, then. Or the [url=concert.arte.tv/fr/dagoba-au-hellfest]Dagoba one[/url], who played at the same time.


Interludium

Oh poor me, now was the time to interview a band I love! Well, the questions I asked weren't that original, but you'll have to wait a bit before reading that.
Anyway, while chatting and drinking beers (thanks again Ben!) back in the VIP I missed either Gorguts (whom I already saw in Toulouse where they were great) or Protest The Hero, and heard Status Quo's bloody damn perfect sound - something impressive indeed (They're top 2 for me!).

Then I missed Clutch because the Valley tent was too small and packed full - one couldn't approach at all. Sadly, it was a band I wanted to see, given their live reputation. And it seems they once again didn't disappoint at all, as they sounded great and energic. I'll have to catch them another time, then. Maybe on some mainstage, now?






After all that it was time to eat, so I submitted myself to some bits of Soulfly. And well, for once it was slightly better than usual... but still pretty boring. I hate Max. I still do. I can't understand why he still gets more success live than Sepultura, especially when you can compare both during the same festival. Wanna try it on Arte?


Deep Purple 21:45/22:50, Mainstage 02

Well, surely it was a bit too slow, mellow and drawn out for Hellfest, but Deep Purple are legendary. Even if Ian Gillan had a thin voice and was obviously unhappy to be there, as the others enjoyed it, it was OK. One just had to close his/her eyes, and that were the 70's FOR REAL. But? No "Highway Star"?

Meanwhile, Tsjuder played and were filmed [url=concert.arte.tv/fr/tsjuder-au-hellfest]for Arte[/url].


Monster Magnet 21:45/22:50, Valley

Having not seen them live before, I wasn't sure what to expect as Monster Magnet took to the stage. It didn't take long to work out what I was in store for though, as the proceeded to positively blow the roof off the place! Playing material mainly from their back catalogue, Monster Magnet worked the crowd brilliantly as they put on an energetic, balls out rock n' roll performance that just got better and better as the show went on. Saving the best for last, they closed the show out with the crowd pleasers 'Powertrip' and 'Space Lord' which went down a treat. The only negative thing I can think of to say is that it was a shame their hour-long set seemed to be over so quickly, and that there wasn't time to squeeze in a few more tracks from their latest album, Last Patrol. Regardless of this, fun was had by all in what was one of the best performances of the festival.




Meanwhile and after...

Eluveitie played at the same time as Deep Purple and Monster Magnet - here the Arte video.

Then, Aerosmith elicited mixed bag reactions, while it seems Nile were awesome - contrary to almost every time I saw them. Meanwhile, Against Me! played?



...and Gorgoroth had no one crucified this time.



So, well, I went to sleep, and missed another fantastic Carcass set - I was told it was even better than their exceptional 2010 performance! But, this time, without sick penises.

---

Preludium

Less than 10 miserable minutes of rain during the whole fest? Yes, it happened today (note that I don't complain at all). The worst heat, too...
All in all, a normal Sunday in the festival of Hell - many shows to be seen, many beers to be drunk? I managed to get inside in time to see Blacklodge, but wrathchild and Nefarious were onsite earlier...


Blues Pills 11:05/11:35, Mainstage 01

Blues done right in 2014, by a young, international band that is yet to release their first full length... I regret not having stayed more since it sounded incredibly good, but in the early morning I needed food, beer and a place to rest in the shadows.

While I was wandering around near the mainstage, taking advantage of the small crowds at this relatively early hour to check out the band merch stall and buy a pitcher of beer for breakfast, I happened to overhear Blues Pills start their set which instantly caught my attention. Blues Pills are an American-Swedish-French quartet that play a bluesy form of hard rock (think Graveyard with female vocals) and let me tell you, Elin Larsson has quite a set of pipes on her! For a band that hasn't even released it's debut album yet, Blues Pills put on a great performance, as evidenced by the sizable crowd that had formed by the time they finished up their set.


Blacklodge 11:40/12:10, Temple

Seeing them on the running order replacing Aluk Tolodo was a pleasant surprise for me (no, I didn't keep up-to-date with the line-up changes beforehand), so I was eager for some industrial black metal to start this last Hellfest day. And well, I enjoyed it; it wasn't perfect, as the sound was a bit too noisy for its own good, but it was violent as needed. We wanted no less anyway.




Lofofora 12:15/12:45, Mainstage 01

That was half an hour of violent fun, mostly exploring the first album (with "L'oeuf" and "Justice Pour Tous") and the upcoming one (L'épreuve Du Contraire, to be released the 15th of September). As soon as the show started, so did the mosh-pit, and dust flew through the air almost constantly during 30 minutes, reaching an all-time high during Xavier Musca's appearance - the guy's a entertainer on the TV Show "Le Petit Journal", a show beloved by French metalhead as it's almost the only one to portray us in a good (if sometimes dumb) light, even during the controversy with Catholics extremists.
So, without doubts, that was great - just as expected even if I'd have preferred a different setlist - and I ate my share of dust (and temporarily lost my glasses while crowdsurfing). But honestly, it was abnormal to see them play so early. Maybe they're not well known outside of France, but here they are an institution both for the punk / hardcore and metal scenes (even considering their lackluster recent albums), and as such they should have had one of the biggest spots in the Warzone.


Ruins interludium

After that exhausting dust-chocked circle-pit, I could have gone in the press area to listen to the shitty new In Flames, but I went to sleep off my dust on The Ruins Of Beverast - which I actually wanted to check but didn't manage to interest me enough.

Oh, I must also add that at the same time, In Solitude sounded good on Mainstage, with their heavy/doom take on metal.



Zodiac also played at the same time.



And then?





Dordeduh 14:20/15:05, Temple

While waiting for them, I actually enjoyed the end of Ulcerate's set. They were tight, precise, and really good, far better than when I saw them a few years ago.

But indeed my reason to be under the tents was Dordeduh, the band featuring the two masterminds behind the awesome OM. And without surprise, their set was Negură Bunget trippy with these eerie and hypnotic soundscapes. Once again, if you closed your eyes, you left Hellfest to find yourself in some primeval land full of myth and folklore. Good stuff (and as an added bonus, the guys were more talkative than I thought they would)!


Powerwolf 14:20/15:05, Mainstage 02

Meanwhile, for the Powerwolf press-gang (that is, wrathchild and friends)...

I discovered them with Blood Of The Saints and the following tour, and found myself laughing at how stupidly good it was. Two years later they play on the mainstage at Hellfest - more or less the same show, same songs, same jokes - and it's still that good. A terribly catchy, entertaining and well executed power metal performance that didn't disappoint any fan and probably granted them new blood - in terms of followers. (Top 4 for me).







Interludium part 2

Some times in festivals like this you just can't run everywhere anymore, so I didn't go to Ben Barbaud (Hellfest's main man) press conference - it seems no names were announced anyway - nor to see Heretic replacing Urfaust (a last minute change). No Angra for me either, but wrathchild couldn't miss them...


Angra 16:00/16:50, Mainstage 02

It was about time for me to see Angra live again and this time it's for the 20th anniversary of their acclaimed debut album Angels Cry. Fronted by Fabio Lione and powered by their new drummer Bruno Valverde they delivered a setlist filled with killer songs ("Angels Cry", "Nothing To Say", "Lisbon", "Spread Your Fire", "Rebirth", "Carry On") but alas, the show was cursed with sound problems ranging from interferences to inaudible guitar solos and messy double bass drum passages.
Also, it was during this show that organizers started to pour water onto the crowd - a late but welcomed move.

Check it on Arte Live Web!


Unleashed 16:55/17:45, Altar

You can hardly get more basic stuff than the old-school Swedish death metal juggernaut that is Unleashed. Basic, yes (you've listened to one classic verse-chorus song and you've got it), but they really did the job; a huge and really active mosh-pit sent clouds of dust through the tent, testimony to the catchiness of those Viking hymns. A nice live no-brainer!

Meanwhile, there was Alter Bridge?




Annihilator 17:50/18:40, Mainstage 02

Annihilator don't cross the pond that often so it was a pleasure to see in them in Hellfest again (and the first time for me). And I had a blast, as it was good, violent and technical (of course) with both classic (the fantastic "Set The World On Fire") and rarities ("Human Insecticide", for real!). Wrathchild only saw the end (after "Alison Hell") and says: "it was the greatest I've ever seen and heard of Annihilator. Much thrash!"

Meanwhile, there was Equilibrium (here on Arte), and House Of Broken Promises:




Dark Angel 18:45/19:45, Mainstage 01

For old thrash fans, Megadeth's replacement by Dark Angel certainly was great news. Sadly, it all started in a pretty catastrophic way with an horrible "bass & drums only" sound, and so "Darkness Descends" was completely butchered. Thankfully, it got better, and the band, hesitant at first, took confidence and unleashed on us relentless technical thrash attacks.
That was some good stuff, with all guys being amazing (omfg Gene Hoglan!)? yet there was something amiss. I can't point my finger on what, but the final impression was sadly "decent but not great?"




Behemoth 19:50/20:45, Mainstage 02

That Behemoth show was... legendary, totally wiping out everything I had previously seen from them. The stage, the performance, the sound and even the filming by the HF/Arte crew were so great that I heard many non fans were in awe.They're top 3 for me!


Interludium part 3

At the same time slot as Behemoth, Vreid were also accused of being awesome (Arte video here). I'm guilty of missing Misfits...



? or Paradise Lost, who played a bunch of songs covering their whole discography, though not "As I Die", while on the whole Soundgarden disappointed more than they pleased.


Sólstafir 21:50/22:50, Temple

A shitty clash replacing a (for most people) shittier one : that Vreid / Emperor schedule conflict created quite a shitstorm on forums all across the interwebz. No choice for me but to catch parts of both bands. And I started with Sólstafir (then left to check Emperor before coming back to Sólstafir for the finish - "Goddess Of The Ages", no less. And contrary to 2012, their atmosphere was gripping from the very start; the band seemed much more happy to play and delivered a fantastic performance. Judge for yourself with the Arte video. Exceptional!




Emperor 22:00/23:05, Mainstage 02

And the word exceptional also easily applies to Emperor, who were as imperial and commanding as they were in 2007.

This was my fanboy moment of Hellfest 2014. Was I really about to see the mighty Emperor live? Were they really about to play one of my favourite black metal albums of all time, In the Nightside Eclipse, in its entirety? Damn right they were! Emperor put on a performance that matched the occasion as it was every bit as special as I hoped it would be. Awesome indeed. Black metal performed by pros, much to my liking.

The Arte video is here.

Oh, during that Emperor / Sólstafir battle of titans, Spirit Caravan also played.




Soilwork 22:55/23:55, Altar

I checked out Soilwork out of curiosity, as I like a few songs here and there in their discography. And let's be honest, this wasn't a bad set at all (quite good actually), if you're into what once was average Gothenburg metal - but now feels like grandiose stuff, given how far the style went awry.
Their set was marked, however, by the "shit happens" syndrome: Strid, while singing, actually went through the stage as the floor cracked open under him? He excused himself while crew patched the hole - but for sure he wasn't to blame for this. As far as I know it's the first time this problem happens here in Hellfest?

Some Flogging Molly to close the round of pictures?




Black Sabbath 23:10/00:55, Mainstage 01

Opinions differ widely about the performance itself, but most agree that Ozzy should definitely retire now.
I felt musicianship was outstanding (that drum solo!) - and on the whole it was decent, I guess...


Opeth 01:05/02:05, Altar

Before Opeth, I heard under the tents a bit of evil and violent black metal, in the acclaimed form of 1349 (check them on Arte). Under the tents? Yeah. With Iced Earth out of the equation, surely Opeth could have been on Mainstage 02? Well, that wasn't the case, and it looked quite like a "fuck you" to all people who wanted to see them and just couldn't because of this.

So with the curtains coming down on Hellfest 2014, it was left to Opeth to wrap things up. I'll be honest in saying that I had my reservations about the set being a mellow affair considering the musical direction they have taken on their latest albums. I needn't have worried.
Despite opening with a track from Heritage, it just so happened to be what I feel is the best song from that album, "The Devil's Orchard". I was actually impressed how well this song translated to a live setting and it was a great way to get everyone warmed up as they went on to play a set that was proggy yet surprisingly heavy. I've seen the good, the bad and the ugly of Opeth live over the years, but there is no doubting they were in top form tonight as Mikael entertained the crowd with his humour in between brilliant renditions of some their most classic tracks, including a truly epic end to the set with an extended version of "Deliverance" and "Blackwater Park" that left everyone in attendance picking their jaws up off the floor as they headed to the exit and wished Hellfest 2014 farewell.

Meanwhile, most reports insist on Turbonegro being all kinds of awesome too (with a guest appearance by Nick Oliveri).

And thus ended Hellfest the 9th...

---

"Let it be known that no Hellfest shall be free of rain." And it was proven true once again, with that negligible drizzle during Lofofora that lasted 10 minutes at most, and those few drop on Monday morning. Nothing to fret about, just a small reminder we're close to / in (pick one) Brittany.

Hellfest has changed a lot - for the best - since 2007, it seems quite a dream came true. As its growth is concerned, I honestly think it has reached its maximum, ideal size. The complaints about the site's size and the (way too) many people grew quite loud this year, especially under the tents; otherwise the site was quite navigable actually.


Issues

• Already mentioned was the Stairway-To-Hell between fest and camp.
  
• Not enough information on time or band changes - I only saw that kind of important stuff on the small TV in Hellfest City? WTF?! Why not use the big mainstage screens for that instead of stupid twitter shouts? And/or writing it on the big running order under the crow, maybe?
  
• Those stupid barriers in the pit halfway between Mainstage 01 and the sound tower - that thankfully were gone on sunday - could have been really dangerous in case of emergency or panic, plus they were a PITA to navigate around or above. Some suspect they were here because of Aerosmith, but I'm not sure at all.
  
• The Warzone stage was sometimes difficult to access due to the small access passage and a weird layout (which at least prevented sound interferences unlike the tent two years ago).
  
• The campsite, while decent once you were nearer (but no close to) the trees, had far less toilets than two years ago.
  
• The French Hellfest forum itself shows quite a few complains, and they're almost always the same: price and quality of the food stalls (honestly, I won't complain, I ate well during the three days), sound problems (found those far less jarring than before, honestly), lack of water (the water lances came far too late - and the dust in the pits was quite a problem), and?
  
• "TOO-MANY-FUCKING-PEOPLE", and too many mainstream people too. Old-timers who liked the intimate feeling of the first editions certainly aren't happy.

I'm sure that Hellfest wil say to people who complain about "too many people" that it is the price to pay to have headliners like these - but don't get me started on that, as headliners never have been Hellfest's strong point if you ask me. For the others, thanks to Hellfest's success, there are now a few smaller fests in France (like the Xtreme Fest, Sylak, and Motocultor, among others...), with some cool line-ups.


wrathchild's take on Hellfest 2014

Lots of improvements this year: first, more places to park your car, and more initiatives from the people of Clisson. Then, a bigger and better organized site, an additional big screen to watch the mainstages and finally with a decent amount of toilets. The decoration was amazing and sort of made me accept the price I paid for the ticket. Because yeah, the first issue was the price (190?) but I doubt it's gonna get any lower since the event was sold out anyway.
Next were the cancellations. Lack of onsite news was also annoying, especially since there we were handed two different schedules at the entrance.
Now, even though I was not very keen on going I must admit Hellfest 2014 was the best I attended so far. The thing I missed the most was the small but cool Metal Storm international community that used to gather at Hellfest; but now that the festival has reached such a good set up, let's hope next year's edition features an even greater mix of new bands, legends and surprises to get everyone excited again.


Nefarious' take on Hellfest 2014

Despite travelling to Europe every year to attend metal festivals, this was my first ever time making it to Hellfest. Overall I found it to be an enjoyable experience & would definitely do it again. The brilliant line-up, overall decent setup & organisation as well as the amazing structures and artwork throughout the festival really made it stand out as one of the best festivals around, although there were a few issues I hope they resolve for future editions. Firstly, and I know this will sound repetitive, but in the name of all that is unholy get rid of those goddamned stairs! Had it rained at any point during the weekend, those things would've become a death trap.
Some of the more minor issues I had were the result of the freakishly hot weather that persisted the entire weekend, but the lack of water points & intense cloud of dust that smothered everything was annoying to say the least. As was the lack of shade around the arena area which meant it was almost impossible to get into the stages under the tents during the day as it was always packed to the brim with people escaping the intense heat. I also found the layout annoying in places, such as the mainstages where the viewing angle was limited meaning it was difficult to see the stage if you were towards the back or on the sides. Having the band merch stand right next to the mainstage was annoying too as there was no way you could reach it when the crowds got big. But by far the worst issue I had was the major lack of organization on the final night for people trying to leave! The festival entrance at 2am was complete chaos as hundreds of stranded metalheads scrambled to find the non-existent transportation that would've taken them back to Clisson, Nantes or the Airport. For me personally I didn't get back to my hotel until about 5:30am, and I was one of the lucky ones. By that time I was so exhausted and pissed off, it was such a shame to end what was overall a great festival experience on such a sour note.


Next year?

This will be the tenth edition, but the date is still uncertain, as the newly constructed high school near the fest grounds (on the old site to be precise) well be an examination center for the baccalauréat. Three options exist so far: Hellfest happening one week-end earlier (and clashing with Download), one week-end later (clashing with Graspop), or maybe finding a compromise and staying in the same time-frame.
Then there's the question of the headliners? The list of "big names" that never made it to Hellfest yet would be AC/DC, Faith No More, Metallica, Nine Inch Nails, Rammstein, System Of A Down, and Van Halen. Only the future will tell, but there are very insistent rumors about AC/DC (remember that Ozzy's manager is also AC/DC's...). Well, If there's, say, Faith No More or Rammstein, count me in!
Anyway, let's hope it won't be TOO big. If it is, the public change (see complaints above) might be a final one...


In the end...

Well, it was great, of course! I came back home with quite a few fond memories to be told later around a fire...
Thanks and cheers to each and everyone I met during the fest, from friends (Moose, but also wrathchild & friends, Etienne & Miki & friends, Alban, Ben, FreakyMarge...), to Ian Cleary and Skyclad, to helpful people (you guy who found my glasses after Lofofora)...
See you next year!

All picture's copyrights as noted (either (c) Darkside Momo for Metalstorm or (c) Mart Sepp), except the "Stairs of Hell" pic (c) Nefarious