Written by:	Darkside Momo, Deadsoulman, Ivor, Jeff, White Winter Sun, wrathchild
Published:	July 23, 2011
Event:	Hellfest Open Air 2011 (Website)
Location:	Complexe Du Val De Moine, Clisson, France
Galleries:	Hellfest Open Air 2011 - Clisson, France, 19.06.2011 by White Winter Sun (163) Hellfest Open Air 2011 - Clisson, France, 19.06.2011 by Ivor (223) Hellfest Open Air 2011 - Clisson, France, 19.06.2011 by Moocher (86) Hellfest Open Air 2011 - Clisson, France, 18.06.2011 by White Winter Sun (112) Hellfest Open Air 2011 - Clisson, France, 18.06.2011 by Ivor (158) Hellfest Open Air 2011 - Clisson, France, 18.06.2011 by Moocher (87) Hellfest 2011 - Just A Few (NSFW) by Darkside Momo (11) Hellfest Open Air 2011 - Clisson, France, 17-19.06.2011 by White Winter Sun (37) Hellfest Open Air 2011 - Clisson, France, 17.06.2011 by White Winter Sun (157) Hellfest Open Air 2011 - Clisson, France, 17-19.06.2011 by Ivor (44) Hellfest Open Air 2011 - Clisson, France, 17.06.2011 by Ivor (215) Hellfest Open Air 2011 - Clisson, France, 17.06.2011 by Moocher (83)

Previously on Metal Storm?

Friday


Table Of Contents

The featured bands are:
Lyzanxia
Whiplash
Mekong Delta
The Haunted -> Hemoragy
Municipal Waste
Destruction
Sodom
Kreator
Coroner

And also?
Headcharger
Arma Gathas
Crucified Barbara
Total Fucking Destruction
Angel Witch
Severe Torture
Hammerfall
Hail Of Bullets
UFO
Exhumed
Shai Hulud
Thin Lizzy
Skyforger
Comeback Kid
Apocalyptica
1349
Dancefloor Disaster
Black Label Society
DRI
Septic Flesh
Scorpions
Bolt Thrower
Hommage to Patrick Roy
Triptykon

---

Well Evile weren't here this year, but obviously Saturday was thrash day on Mainstage 2, with the big three of German thrash, and Coroner reborn!


Lyzanxia 10:35/11:05, Mainstage 2

The Potvin brothers and their buddies delivered their personal thrash to a relatively small audience. Some found it average, others liked it a lot.



Band Gallery by Moocher


Whiplash 11:45/12:15, Mainstage 2

White Winter Sun: Thrash metal hordes it's your day today on Main Stage 2. Simply have a look at the running-order, you probably will have an orgasm. Whiplash themselves remained pretty sober on stage (I mean they do not do tons and tons), preferring to be focused on the efficiency of their music. And it perfectly works. The sound was clear and powerful. With regards to the smiles on the musicians' faces, it clearly appears that the band was happy to play here. The most "damageing" point was the long speeches between the songs. I know it's always pleasant when a band talks to the audience, but when the set is only half an hour long, do keep it short! Anyway it was a good moment. The better is to come later at the same place.



Band Gallery by Ivor, Moocher, White Winter Sun


Mekong Delta 13:05/13:45, Mainstage 2




Ivor: I'm not a fan of Mekong Delta. To be perfectly honest, I'm only really familiar with the last album. Since I really enjoyed it, my expectations were high for the show. However, I was disappointed. Somehow Mekong Delta's music didn't translate to stage at all. At least for me it didn't. The balance was wrong, the setting they were in seemed wrong, the music they played seemed wrong. It's as if they spoke Chinese to me, if you get the analogy. Okay, it wasn't that bad but coming down from the expectations I had left me pretty much calling Mekong Delta a let-down of the whole festival.

Momo: Being with 4 friends as much Mekong Delta fans as I am (one even moreso, as he's the one who taught me all about this great band) sure colors one's experience. I must say that while I absolutely love the band's albums, I wasn't expecting much on a live setting. After all, the band almost never toured and the line-up changed pretty often around Ralf Hubert, so... And well, the band obviously wasn't great on stage, all were pretty hesitant, except maybe Martin LeMar (vocals)? But the playing was, of course, top-notch. And the setlist was absolutely fantastic, with only old stuff! Guess what? I enjoyed it a lot!




Band Gallery by Ivor, Moocher


Hemoragy 14:40/15:20, Mainstage 2

Hemoragy? Who the fuck?? Where are The Haunted?



wrathchild: The Haunted saw their show postponed to 1am at the Metal Corner (in the camping area), thus taking the slot of the French thrash band Hemoragy. I just passed by when they were on stage so the only two things I can say are 1) it sounded like good thrash metal 2) they have a female bass player (I know this point is lame but no one can deny that this is what most people will remember).



Band Gallery by Ivor


Municipal Waste 16:15/17:00, Mainstage 2

White Winter Sun: The grand slam for Thrash metal fans continues now on Main Stage 2. This show was a real pleasure for the fans and probably among the best performances of the day. The band has delivered a solid set, full of energy and aggressiveness. This furious attitude was communicative. Indeed, several mosh pits were a full part of the show and once again the dust rose in the air of Clisson.



Band Gallery by Ivor, Moocher


Destruction 18:00/18:45, Mainstage 2

More thrash, more aggression in your face, and more moshing for Destruction, who kicked off the German session of thrash. Violent!



Ivor, Moocher


Sodom 19:55/20:45, Mainstage 2

Momo: And thrash went on? So did the moshing. Sodom's set saw what's one of the most memorable moments of the whole 2011 Hellfest edition: a wheelchair crowdsurf, all the way from the sound towers to the photo pit! That's the kind of event that makes a fest so awesome. Oh? And Sodom themselves? Good, good, for sure, typical of what the band offers with their brand of hard-rocking thrash metal - even if the new drummer didn't have this rock feeling that Bobby Schottkowski had. As usual, the classics ("Agent Orange" and stuff) were welcomed more warmly than the new songs, but that didn't really calm the crazy dudes who headbanged and moshed.



Band Gallery by Ivor, Moocher


Kreator 21:55/22:55, Mainstage 2




Momo: Kreator grabbed everyone by the throat from the very beginning and didn't let us breathe for the whole set. That is unless you count "Voices Of The Dead" and "Phobia" as peaceful, restful songs, of course, but not bloody likely. See, Mille Petrozza and co. sure thought something along the lines of "we have to show everyone who's the best, most violent thrash band around", and so they served us a setlist full of their most violent songs (and with, fittingly, "Reconquering The Throne" too). And Mille himself was almost as pissed as A.A. Nemtheanga yesterday. The result was totally in line: we, the crowd, moshed with abandon, doing a circle-pit after another, utter violence all around. Hey, the widest of those was even larger than the mainstage! One awesome, exhausting hour of frantic, friendly violence. Only Exodus can compare in terms of sheer live thrash violence - and certainly not Slayer nowadays. One of my highlights this year!

wrathchild: In fact, I haven't really watched the show. I could only watch it through the big screen, since I was stuck in the middle of the crowd on the other mainstage, surrounded by Scorpions fans of a certain age who probably came just for their idols. So it was interesting to witness their reactions to the music of Kreator, especially given that Mille Petrozza was willing to prove his band was the most violent and aggressive ever. The cameras showed him screaming in between songs, and didn't miss the multiple moshpits that followed. This amused the people around me, and I write "amused", not "shocked", despite showing signs of expected misunderstanding. Still, when Kreator stopped, most of them took off their earplugs in relief.





Ivor, Moocher


Coroner 01:00/02:00, Mainstage 2

White Winter Sun: Coroner were a band who were ahead of their time so there is no need to introduce this metal monument anymore. Their show tonight was the same as their status: truly exceptional! Sadly, I missed the beginning of the show (in order to shoot Triptykon). Anyway, I saw more than half of their set and I was completely stunned by their performance. They are definitely metal masters. The sound was simply phenomenal. Pure gems were played tonight among them "D.O.A" or "No Need To Be Human", followed by an impressive "Grin (Nails Hurt)". They even played an encore, with "Reborn (Through Hate)", to conclude this wonderful set. Thanks a lot to Coroner and to the Hellfest organizers for making this night fucking special.

Collin: When the HF crew announced the presence of Coroner as early as June 2010, I knew that whatever happened, I'd be there for the Swiss thrash gods. Expectations were very high, and expectations were met. What a blast! I still don't understand how they can convey both the technicality and the fierceness of their music and not dumb down any of these characteristics. This was as powerful, as incisive and as catchy as I expected, and it perfectly translated the martial side of the band's compositions. It passed in the blink of an eye and ended with "Reborn Through Hate" as the encore. Coroner at Hellfest? Smart idea!

Momo: And yes, after Septicflesh, Kreator, and Bolt Thrower, that was another show full of pure awesomeness. Time to be really tired, maybe, but Ron Royce's aggressive vocals gripped you with an iron fist and didn't let you loose until the end of the set. No need, really, to rant on for hours about the awesomeness of it all. Perfect playing, perfect vocals, perfect music, perfect moment. Oh, yeah, as WWS mentioned earlier, we got two songs from No More Color, while in Lausanne (the first reunion show) they had only one ;P .



Band Gallery by Ivor, Moocher

---

OK, OK, all wasn't thrash in Hellfest this day. Some non-thrash shows weren't to be missed, as you'll see? Alas, just like yesterday, there are some bands we didn't check: Nasty, Your Demise, Deez Nuts, Raw Power, US Bombs, Times Of Grace, Terror (often considered to be the most violent set of the week-end), Converge (a shame, as by all accounts they played a fantastic set - but for us it was Bolt Thrower time), Bad Brains? and The Haunted.




Headcharger 10:00/10:30, Mainstage 1

Opening the fest on this second day at an ungodly early hour, Headcharger managed to draw in quite a few people to witness their hard-rocking, energic performance?



Moocher


Arma Gathas 10:30/11:00, Terrorizer Tent

Collin: A dash of German metalcore with your morning coffee? That's what I did with Arma Gathas, a band I had never heard of before and which frankly I might not hear of again since uninventive metalcore isn't really my thing, especially if it's ripping off Heaven Shall Burn. Because Heaven Shall Burn is so awesome. Anyway, that was certainly not the concert of the year, but I noticed that nothing lifts up the spirits like sipping coffee in front of a live band, any band. And so, in the morning light and with breakfast in hand, I found Arma Gathas rather enjoyable.


Crucified Barbara 11:10/11:40, Mainstage 1

wrathchild: At this time of the day, I mean, of the morning, bands have to do with a dispatched audience of people passing by. Unless they have a girl with them, and Crucified Barbara are 4 rather pleasant looking girls from Sweden so you guess that there was a rush forward and a lot of pictures taken! I'd like to thank the big screen for enabling me (and the rest of the crowd) to have a good view on the drummer, whom I suspected to be the cutest when I saw them at the MetalWay festival in Spain in 2006. She is. And her drumming improved a lot after 5 years - I can remember she played an awkward solo in Spain, to please the crowd while the others were busy fixing a problem with the bass guitar. Now in 2011, the band sounds tighter, they rock harder even though the core of their music is not very original. It's entertaining, and not just visually entertaining. They played a new and yet unrecorded song from their upcoming album: fans won't be disappointed.



Band Gallery by Ivor, Moocher


Total Fucking Destruction 11:10/11:40, Rock Hard Tent

Momo: Grindcore with Richard Hoak, Brutal Truth's drummer? Yeah, why not! Well, I managed to arrive late, but the last 10 minutes or so that I witnessed were all about grind, for sure. But also a lot about fun, with his "I Want To Be Alone", for example. Or the last song, "written by my dog", as he said. And yes, all the show rested upon his shoulders. Obviously this wasn't mindblowing, but mindlessly fun anyway.


Angel Witch 12:20/13:00, Mainstage 1

Back to the 80's with these veterans of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal?FTW? So it seemed!



Band Gallery by Ivor, Moocher


Severe Torture 12:20/13:00, Rock Hard Tent

Collin: Ok, if you like to be repeatedly pounded on with a really heavy, really sharp object, which is what any death metal show should feel like, go see Severe Torture and you're in for a treat. Thanks to the massive and powerful sound (great improvement over the previous day!), these Dutchmen delivered one of the fiercest sets of the weekend. At first I was afraid it would be repetitive but they proved they have enough talent, groove and variation to give an entertaining 40-minute long punch in the face. Like Tony would say, it was grrrreat!

White Winter Sun: No need to talk hours and hours about this concert, Severe Torture have simply delivered a pure blast of a show. They were very active on stage, the sound was powerful and no sound problems sullied the set. Dennis Schreurs was really impressive with his vocals parts and he did not stay in place during the whole set. His savagery was communicative! Indeed several crowd-surfers have contributed to the fest and some mosh pits have sprinkled the show too. Finally the band left the stage under long acclamations from the fans, and after a show which was too short. This performance was simply my first very huge punch on the face of the day.



Band Gallery by White Winter Sun


Hammerfall 13:50/14:35, Mainstage 1

wrathchild: HammerFall have quite a big fanbase and I could see that a few months ago at the PPM fest in Belgium. As I'm more of hater than a fan, I was quite happy that they performed an average show there... But I must admit it was really better at Hellfest. Since I don't exactly follow the band, I can't go into details as to what they played but they sure opened with the first song ("Patient Zero") of the new album (Infected) and it melt down very well with the older songs. Cans proved a decent showman as he took advantage of the extra space in front of him while the "new" guys - bassist and rhythm guitarist - were still stuck to the left side of the stage. There's still room for improvement but it was a nice surprise, and at least most power metallers got a fair share of "power" in a fest that usually lacks of it.

White Winter Sun: This band is not really my cup of tea and I never saw them live till now, so it was an opportunity to see one of their performances. I only saw a couple of songs, and from what I have seen and heard, it was a pretty festive atmosphere. The sound was pretty good and it seemed that their fan-base was here to support them... Indeed the two latest songs "Hearts On Fire" et "Let the Hammer Fall" were sung by the audience. Nothing memorable for me, but apparently a really enjoyable moment for the fans.



Moocher


Hail Of Bullets 13:50/14:35, Rock Hard Tent




White Winter Sun: Clearly one of my must-see bands of the festival. Once again it was a pure blast under the Rock Hard tent. The band hit the stage under the acclamations, and after quick embraces, the first warhead is launched with "The Eve Of Battle". The sound was powerful and correct (seems that the sound problems which happened yesterday are away, a good point or simply due to the presence of their own sound engineer: we are professional or not!). During the show the musicians were well in place, and they clearly know how to handle their instruments. The vocals parts from Martin van Drunen are simply a real pleasure to listen. Also, Paul Baayens was the most expressive, showing several times a happy smile on his face (as it was already the case last year during Asphyx's performance). Second huge punch on the face of the day.

Momo: Old-school, pounding death metal ruled during this Hellfest. With Hail Of Bullets, it was of course war onstage, war in the pit, no mercy was given, as expected. Martin Van Drunen, just like last year with Asphyx, proved that he is a great frontman. This was definitively more than an appetizer for Bolt Thrower, to whom a song was dedicaded.

Collin: Martin van Drunen definitely is one of my favourite death metal singers. Not only are his vocals totally decipherable and recognizable, but he also is quite the frontman. The audience dances like puppets in his hands. The rest of the band was on a par with him and totally delivered. Like Asphyx last year, HoB's special brand of oldschool, doomy death metal is totally transcended in a live environment. When they play "Ordered Eastwards", you get the impression of a big motherfucking tank mercilessly crushing the skulls and bones all the people present under the tent. And yet another slap in the face. Exhausting, but so good.



Band Gallery by White Winter Sun


UFO 15:25/16:10, Mainstage 1

Collin: Old people rock. UFO's a prime example of that. And I don't even like them... Hard rock is totally not my cup of tea but I decided to follow my friends so I could point out how this sucks and make fun of them in front of everyone. Instead I ended up like I almost always do during an old people show (see Y&T last year for instance): tapping my foot, headbanging a bit, humming along, totally enjoying myself and the band in front of me. I can't say which songs they played, all I know is that they delivered in a classy, gentle, elegant way. Old people really rock.

White Winter Sun: I just saw the end of their show. And with what I've seen, I've had an enjoyable moment: their music was very addictive and the sound was pretty good. Finally, it was the classic "Doctor, Doctor" that concluded the show.



Band Gallery by Ivor, Moocher


Exhumed 15:25/16:10, Rock Hard Tent

White Winter Sun: I just saw the first half of their show, but what I can say is that it was simply intense. Indeed there were no compromises, only a pure blast. The musicians have delivered a solid performance in terms of interpretation and in terms of scenic presence as well. I would like to congratulate the drummer: his parts were simply devastating!



Band Gallery by White Winter Sun


Shai Hulud 15:50/16:35, Terrorizer Tent

Collin: One of the very few disappointments of the weekend. I really enjoy their progressive brand of metalcore on album, but they completely let me down this time. It may be because I missed the beginning of their set (because of the surprising - for me at least - UFO show) and couldn't jump on the bandwagon, or it may be that they never could establish a flow, but they sounded extremely messy and all over the place, but not in a good way. I left before the end.



Band Gallery by Moocher


Thin Lizzy 17:05/17:55, Mainstage 1

Collin: Thin Lizzy without Phil Lynott will forever be a blasphemy. For me, it's as if there were a Rory Gallagher band touring at the moment. But, since old people rock, I have to admit that I rather enjoyed their set. Ricky Warwick did one hell of a good job handling the vocal duties and Thin Lizzy has a long history of writing memorable, dare I say it legendary, songs that totally worked on the rather cheerful crowd. Still, with all the competent musicians, the different singer and the very professional way to handle the songs, it left me with the odd impression that I was watching a Thin Lizzy cover band.



Band Gallery by Ivor, Moocher


Skyforger 17:05/17:55, Rock Hard Tent

White Winter Sun: Time for the folk tunes now. The mix of traditional instruments mixed to black metal was interesting. Indeed there were no samples but real musicians to handle them, an appreciable point to share their vision and their passion of their roots. The sound was correct and the musicians have delivered a solid performance too, while the audience responded well to the energizing shouts from the frontman. Not among the best concerts of the day but an enjoyable moment anyway.



Band Gallery by White Winter Sun


Comeback Kid 18:20/19:05, Terrorizer Tent

Collin: I'd like to know what the Hellfest people did to the Comeback Kids to piss them off so much? I like seeing hardcore punk concerts because they are usually so dynamic and full of energy, but these angry Canadians were past that. They just tore the place apart, with no regard for human life. Energetic? More like an atomic bomb. So much fury was rather unexpected, but honestly quite exhilarating. I left the Terrorizer tent feeling molested, but in a good way.



Band Gallery by Moocher


Apocalyptica 18:50/19:50, Mainstage 1

wrathchild: Every time I see Apocalyptica, it's never as good as the previous time. Unfortunately, they didn't improve since the last concert I attended. I mean, Apocalyptica is always a blast live, so the show was good but my main complaint comes from the singer. Yes, on this tour it seems they've always had a singer (Tipe Johnson) with them and it really kills the magic in their performance... Add to this a mediocre album to support, forcing those mediocre songs in the setlist instead of some of their own best material. Still, we had "Last Hope", "Inquisition Symphony", and "Hall Of The Mountain King", as well as other usual covers ("Nothing Else Matters", "Seek And Destroy", "Master Of Puppets", "Refuse/Resist") so don't focus too much on my complaints: their show was good and fun.
I guess fans around the first row were in heaven, and must have been in awe at the drummer's new mohawk haircut and at Eicca's improved spoken English.

Ivor: While it's a long lasting debate whether Apocalyptica is better with or without drums, I have to say a lot of the cello-charm has been lost. Over the years they have developed from a unique raw sounding cello band into a run of the mill heavy metal bands that fill the music scene. The only difference being - they still use cellos. Sure, they are great musicians and are excellent performers. But that ain't really enough. If you hadn't seen them before, it might have been great. But as the show confirmed, the more they try to employ singers and vary the music that they play, somehow, the less interesting they become.



Band Gallery by Ivor, Moocher


1349 19:00/19:50, Rock Hard Tent

White Winter Sun: Clearly, it was not their best performance to date and I was rather disappointed. Several factors can explain this: 1) the band did not play during the night (I mean, it was still full daylight) 2) the band did not appear very motivated 3) the sound was not really good. All together, these elements were damageable and I decided to leave the tent only after few songs.



Band Gallery by White Winter Sun


Dancefloor Disaster 20:20 and more, VIP area

Ivor: You know, some things stay bad no matter what you do to them. Trying to strike a nostalgic chord of the '90s, Dancefloor Disaster is a metallised impersonation of the disco and dance scene. Fun in very small doses, which I believe more or less amounts to just about one song. That's it. Anything beyond that is a tedious boredom. Playing during the Sodom set in the VIP tent of the festival for all the suits visiting, during the mild rain outside with free Jäger being served all around, it seemed to be a fun and popular past time, in short - a blast. Still, I miss Pastors Of Muppets or some equally awesome exclusive stuff to emphasize my less mortal access to the festival area.



Band Gallery by Ivor


Black Label Society 20:50/21:50, Mainstage 1

Collin: Zakk, oh, Zakk, why do you have such a massive ego? Why did you have to masturbate your guitar for 15 (yes, fifteen) minutes, thus completely killing one what have otherwise been one of the greatest moments of the fest? Because up to Mr Wylde's unexpected flip-out, this was one hell of a show. Much like Down the day before, Black Label Society had that distinctive fat, greasy, southern-y, powerful sound that made most people stare in awe. The setlist was not perfect, but the flawless execution and imposing presence of the whole band totally made up for it. Until Zakk Wylde sunk into his megalomaniac delirium and put thousands of people off guitar solos for a couple of years. Seriously, when your show starts 10 minutes late and you only got a 60-minute slot, you don't play a 15-minute solo. And a very shallow and uninteresting one at that. That really messed up the dynamic of the show, and it took an extraordinary performing of "Godspeed Hellbound" to make it an above average show again. I, like most people, left with a foul taste in my mouth and a newfound hatred for that bearded Jack Daniels fan.

Ivor: Personal note. If anyone ever calls any prog band on stage a wank-fest, I'll gag them and make them stand front row to see Zakk Wylde ridicule the guitar on stage during his ego trip with Black Label Society. Seriously, a dictionary's more fun to read than that. Sheesh, what a waste of time... Other than that, no complaints about the show, enjoyable stuff.



Band Gallery by Ivor, Moocher


DRI 20:50/21:40, Terrorizer Tent

The Mainstage 2 wasn't the only place to mosh on some crossover thrash, as scene legends DRI were here under the Terrorizer Tent. White Winter Sun barely had time to steal some pics before heading to see Septicflesh?



Band Gallery by White Winter Sun


Septicflesh 21:00/21:50, Rock Hard Tent

Momo: I've [url= http://www.metalstorm.net/pub/article.php?article_id=937]already said[/url] how Septicflesh are awesome live. No wonder they were awesome again: more people responding to Spiros's screams, more people for the wall of death during "Communion"? Septicflesh for the win!

White Winter Sun: Three years ago, I took a huge kick on my ass under the Terrorizer tent during the 2008 edition. So it was with a huge pleasure and great expectations that I went under the Rock Hard tent to catch once again Greek metallers Septicflesh. The band was clearly expected by hordes of fans here, as evidenced by the screams before the show. The setlist was mainly focused on the two latest albums, Communion and The Great Mass. When the first tunes of "Communion" resounded, the audience simply became hysteric. It was "Anubis" which ended this incredible show, followed by longs acclamations fully deserved. This set was a pure blast and for sure among my three favorite concerts from this 2011 edition.



Band Gallery by Moocher, White Winter Sun


Scorpions 23:00/00:55, Mainstage 1

wrathchild: I explained I was surrounded by fans who had come to Hellfest just for this night, just for Scorpions. I must report that they didn't go wild as I expected... They were rather shy, hardly singing, clapping or whatever. They weren't complaining either, as I would have been if I were a fan cause they didn't play one of their most popular song: "Wind Of Change" (Corrupt tells me they don't play the song at metal festival, as they don't consider it fit there. This would need to be advertised a bit more, but it's a wise decision - I myself wish Helloween would play "If I could Fly" only at pop festivals). Sure, we got "Still Loving You" but for many people, Scorpions can be summed up by these two songs only. I haven't paid much attention to the other songs (although I can say they played "Rock Me Like A Hurricane", "The Best Is Yet To Come", "Dynamite"), as I quickly realized I didn't like Klaus Meine's voice at all...
In the end, nobody can say this show was bad, but I doubt it met everybody's expectations, especially for the folks who choose Hellfest to see Scorpions one last time before they quit.

Momo: I only saw the encore, and well, they sounded not bad at all, but I felt they played it safe - Klaus Meine didn't overdo anything, for example. That said, I think his voice is still pretty damn good - on the safe side, but good.

Collin: Well, that unexpectedly sucked. I was really looking forward to finally catching one of the bands of my childhood onstage, I was even willing to miss Bolt Thrower if Scorpions proved to be any good, but seldom have I been so disappointed. I'll make it simple because it still hurts: no power, no emotion, shit sound and lousy vocals. Especially the vocal part was painful to hear. I didn't know Klaus Meine could be so nasal, as if a drunken idiot had taken his place. I was expecting a professional perfomance, instead they looked like amateurs that totally slaughtered Make It Real, Big City Nights, Still Loving You and Rock You Like A Hurricane. I left after the The Zoo carnage to go see Bolt Thrower (great idea!) and came back one hour later to find the exact same situation, so I doubt there's been any sort of improvement in between. The only good point is that I'm going to save 45 euros by not going to their show in November. I pity the people who bought their Hellfest tickets just to see this band. Scorpions, please retire already.



Ivor, Moocher


Bolt Thrower 23:15/00:15, Rock Hard Tent




Momo: I like Bolt Thrower for sure, even if I'm far from being an über fanboy? But they are now a rare live band, with quite an awesome reputation onstage. So, definitely, that was a show I didn't want to miss - thanks again to the organizers for the schedule change! (yes, at first they were planned at the same time than Coroner - to the outrage of many). And well, it's goddamn sure that their live reputation is totally deserved - and then some! While all the band remains pretty static while pounding you into oblivion, Karl Willetts was smiling, cheering, pacing on stage, a guy happy to be there, sharing with us the impact of this fantastic war machine? Definitely one of the best shows of the fest.

Collin: Oh shit, what the hell was that? One month later and my neck still hasn't recovered from the total killfest that Bolt Thrower was. I'm almost grateful to Scorpions for sucking so much so I could be a part of this monstrous battlefield. First, the sound: crisp, powerful, with just the right dose of oldschoolness, in a word perfect. Then, the show itself: there was so much charisma onstage that I don't know how I'm not blind yet, the execution and the vocals were perfect, there was groove all over the place and intensity reached a climax. I have no words for this show. It was almost too good to be true. Definitely in my top 3 of the fest. If only they toured more...

White Winter Sun: UK metal act Bolt Thrower is clearly a war machine and once again, they have won the combat tonight. The band has delivered an intense show, fully supported by hysterical fans on the first rows. It was "The IVth Crusade" which opened the hostilities; it was followed by a beautiful bunch of bombs, excuse me I wanted to say tracks, such as "When Glory Beckons" or "Anti-Tank". The pressure never stopped till the end of the show. Indeed the band continued to deliver its massive attacks, supported by an insane drumming and splendid rhythmic parts. An awesome show of brutality. UK 1 - 0 France.



Band Gallery by Moocher, White Winter Sun


Hommage to Patrick Roy about 01:00, Mainstages

Patrick Roy, the only French politician who stood up to defend Hellfest against Christian extremists, passed away earlier this year. "For Those About To Rock" was the song chosen on the Hellfest forum to pay him homage... Many a tear was shed in remembrance. Rock on in heaven, Mr Roy!





Triptykon 01:00/02:00, Rock Hard Tent

White Winter Sun: The Rock Hard tent was far for being full on this second night, due to the performance of Coroner on Main Stage 2 at the same time. Anyway a decent number of black metallers were present to see the performance of the band led by the cult Thomas Gabriel "Warrior" Fischer (founding member of Hellhammer and Celtic Frost). I only checked the first songs of this set in order to catch the end of Coroner. The show started with "Crucifixus" which was followed by a Celtic Frost song: "Procreation (Of The Wicked)"; the mood created by the music was oppressive, heavy and perfectly fitted with the time of night. Also, the light show reinforced this aspect of their music. In conclusion, it was a pretty good show from what I have seen.



Band Gallery by White Winter Sun

---

Next on Metal Storm?

Sunday 19th
The featured bands are : Audrey Horne, Zuul FX, Impureza, Turisas, SUP, Red Fang, Atheist, The Ocean, Firewind, Arkona, Orphaned Land, Knut, Duff Mc Kagan's Loaded, Tsjuder, Ghost, Pain Of Salvation, Cavalera Conspiracy, Kylesa, Anathema, Mr. Big, Morgoth, Goatsnake, Doro, The Black Dahlia Murder, Judas Priest, Korpiklaani, Electric Wizard, Therion, Ozzy Osbourne, Dark Tranquillity, Hawkwind, Opeth, Cradle Of Filth, Kyuss Lives.

Photos by Ivor, Moocher, and White Winter Sun. All rights reserved, do not use without permission.