Written by:	Ansercanagicus
Published:	August 26, 2024
Event:	Motocultor Festival 2024 (Website)

This article contains general information about the festival, along with short concert reviews. Each time it's specified whether I know the band, the time spent and where I was. The article covers the following bands:

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It's here, in my hometown, the fifteenth edition of Motocultor. I wrote last year telling how the festival took place, so it was time to see what has changed. Although appreciated and visited by 54,000 persons, a record for this small festival, many complaints were raised towards the festival, like the poor crowd management, the camping conditions, or the sound quality for my concern. I can't speak for the camping since I'm living nearby, but all past issues have been solved, as far as I can tell.

As stated on the official page, the camping site is extended, and it now has showers and more toilets. The parking capacity has been extended too, and is on the outside of the city. As the barycentre of people moved towards the fields, it's just like any day in town and I can park anywhere. Expecting 3 to 4 hours of queuing to enter the site, I went in the beginning of Thursday's afternoon, and I was pleasantly surprised to only have 15 minutes to wait. I can't say the same for the campers, whose queue is way longer, but at least they rethought the process, and now you don't have to get in queue once to get the wristband, and another time to pass security. Now all is done in one go, creating less confusion and being more efficient. The camping also directly connects to the festival, so no more security checks once you are in.

There are more security agents and more volunteers to help people. Once I entered the site, my eyes fell directly on the water spots, which do exist this time (this was one of my complaints last year). I also discovered that they changed the layout. Now it feels like there’s a little less open space, less room for everyone, but it's better organized. We have 4 stages, two in the open field, side by side, taking advantage of the terrain's slope (they did not think about that last year), and two big tops. Now we have more banks and hills to sit on and have a view. There is a platform in height for the VIPs to see both big stages, and of course the now-usual platforms for disabled people. I'm surprised to see fewer bars and food trucks, but they have been moved to a special food zone. It's now easier for them to get supplies, and also the main space is not cluttered with people queuing.

I tried the Lebanese, but ended up with warmed-up industrial stuff. For the same price I could have a fuller plate and actual cooked food at the Senegalese traiteur, Nature&Compost, which I already highlighted last year, and that's what I was going to stick to from now on. As a result, I won't be able to talk about the fries, the cheese, the fondue, the potatoes, the ice creams, the crepes, the Thai, the pizzas, the burgers or the hotdogs. I know the Japanese stall is selling an almost empty cup of noodles in hot water with three bits of vegetable.

There were I think 3 bars situated here and there, plus one automatic self-service. Last year, Bad English asked me to talk about the beers, and I cannot fulfil his expectations since I'm not too much of a booze person, and I don't have my drunkard friend with me. (He's here somewhere around, the "obvious stunning lad in kilt" like it's said, but I didn't find him in four days). This year, Motocultor broke its contract with '86 beers, to team up with the local breweries. So, we have Coreff, Armoria, La Mordue, etc. Definitely a good point when you have such things in town.

I won't talk too much about the vendors either; we have black shirts, patches, CDs, leather, horns, fur, etc. - the usual metal stuff, I guess. I stand to learn Britton. There are booths for alcohol prevention, sexual violence prevention, information, ear protection... It's good to have that too. The entrance is decorated with some sculptures, maybe a bad omen for those resenting that Motocultor may take the Hellfest route... A lot of people are coming here because they don't like the Hellfest spirit and its loads and loads of people; we don't want it to become a sensation park. We also have a catapult on a roof. It's the symbol of protestations for our hospital. There's a sign that reads "Urging for an hospital". Yes, at Carhaix, village of 7000 inhabitants in the middle of the countryside, we do have a hospital, and we are numerous in the fight for it to carry on. It's about to close, and protesters are raising a voice. The festival also invited the nurses and workers who have been arrested for their struggle.

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Squid (full, from afar, not knowing)

Since I'm here way earlier than I thought I would be, I don't know what to see. I'm hearing trumpets, so let's sit in front of the big top where Squid is playing. When you hear trumpets in metal, you generally know where this is going: jazz and prog touches to give a texture to the music. I say metal, although that's not really what it is, more like rock and noise. The band is led by the drummer, doing the vocals as well, sided by a synth and a guitar. I like the concept, but overall I think it's too repetitive. There were long sections of only noise (and not really in a musical way), as well as long sections with only a drum beat and the same two words of lyrics looping over and over. It started raining, in spite of my hopes for lenient weather; may the ground stay dry.

Havok (full, pit, knowing)

On the next big stage is Havok. It's thrash; I always kinda like thrash in live settings, as it's good for headbanging and stuff. I'm not disappointed, they delivered proper material. I know the band, but not really their songs, which doesn't stop me from following the beat. Mid-tempo, fast, faster, d-beat: there's everything you want. I'm amazed by the vocal abilities of the singer, screaming in a high pitch like Vektor, although I don't remember Havok for this gimmick. It was a pretty fun and solid concert, and made up for Warbringer, who I missed last year.

Emma Ruth Rundle (1st half, pit, knowing)

I know her music, and I was expecting the atmospheric vibe and stretched songs, but she appeared really all alone on stage, with just an electro-acoustic guitar. On the first notes I remember (or I think I do) the opening song of “Dark Horse”, which I haven’t come back to in ages, and it quickly feels that the music is very bare. On two chords for minutes and minutes, helped by a drench of reverb, and her vegetative vocals. Not that they were bad, I like her voice, but the whole piece just lacked momentum. After three songs I got bored; it feels like watching myself when I play in my room. Maybe it would have been better with other songs, or with a few more instruments.

Alan Stivell (2nd half, from afar, knowing)

So this is our 'national' singer and harp player, I mean regional one, mixing Celtic music and rock since the seventies, and I think I haven't seen a Motocultor edition not featuring him yet. Maybe for once I'm gonna give a listen, but frankly I don't praise this music; I think it's ill-conditioned, with mediocre performance, songwriting, singing... I don't want to be too harsh with the star, who is very popular amongst people here, but I'd rather go grab lunch. From the meal zone I hear the eternal cover of the folk song “Tri Martolod”, which some know as “La Vallée De Dana”, or “Inis Mona” for Eluveitie fans.

Sacramentum (1st half, from afar, not knowing)

I guess from such a name that it's a black metal band, and I'm right, and it's really not my thing: not a lot of things to say. On a sidenote I would have preferred Uada to play instead, but they were early in the afternoon. So let's see what other band is playing.

Bob Vylan (2nd half, from afar, not knowing)

So we have a muscular lion, bare chest and sport pants, jogging on the scene, with his friend on the drums. A rapper with a strong English accent. The song ends and he asks the crowd to make room for the women, reminding everyone to share the space in a safe manner. Next speech is about the racist violence in the UK, and the song is against xenophobia ("You want me to go back to my country - well, I wish I could too, but you started a war other there" or along those lines). The next speech is a legitimization of violence as a protest means; I think it contradicts the previous speech but whatever. Let's not dwell on politics, we were talking music. So, rap and drums, over prerecorded heavy guitars. The backing track is somewhat hard rock, punk, slightly meta:, not my cup of tea but the whole piece works really well and is not unpleasant. Also, this singer has a great energy, constantly smiling and jumping around: seems like a nice guy. He finishes the concert from the crowd, singing on one of the spectator’s shoulders. Bold move I think. He ends with the dates of his next concert in Paris, but everyone hates Paris here so he gets booed. Nice discovery.

Magma is a legendary band that I was really hoping to see again live; it was a real treat at Motocultor 2019, and also the main reason why I bought my ticket. Unfortunately, the leader Christian Vander broke his elbow and the band had to cancel, to my utter disappointment. I wish him well. They are replaced by Ange, also a legendary band of French prog rock, but not for my taste.

Deicide (full, from afar, knowing)

Let's go for Deicide. Well, they do the job; everyone is playing well, and the solos are impressive as always. Now that the stage is set up in another place, it feels really weird to see my hometown cinema just behind Glen Benton screaming 'Satan' in red spotlights. No, I couldn't see that coming years ago. It's funny how easily he switches from guttural lows to high muppet scream. Maybe the sound would be a tad better if it wasn't for the big bass and big voice. A solid concert, and my favourite moment is when then played “Satan Spawn, The Caco Daemon” and its funny riff (and the goats, of course).

Venom (first minutes, pit, knowing)

I thought it would be funny to witness a Venom concert, and even more to stand in the front row, but the concert opened on the loudest and lowest noise I ever heard. I'm painfully withstanding it, waiting for the band members to appear. Then it starts: the kick drum is so loud that it's all that penetrates my eardrum. I barely hear the guitars cutting in and out at each kick hit. I don't know if it's a technical issue or an actual physical phenomenon of the kick wiping other frequencies like wind. Cronos can't even be heard. I tried to find another place, but the problem seems to be everywhere. I cowardly bailed at the first song, but I needed to take care of my ears and health for the rest of the festival you know. On a side note, although I have no complaints about the sound mix this year, it seems that this stage (Supositor) is prone to having lows way to loud.

Sorry Kvelertak, I have to go and rest.

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Liturgy (full, pit, knowing)

A friend of mine was poking fun at me because I was going to see Liturgy live; he expected it to look like nothing. Well, it actually rocks. They had to strip a bit of the oddities: no midi trumpets, no glitching sounds, no flute, and the band stands as a standard rock four-piece. The singer wears a nice dress looking like my grandma's napkins but pretty, and starts with a reverbed a cappella in a nice voice. Then the orgy of tremolo picking and blast beats begins. It's all noise and controlled chaos, but I like the noise of Liturgy. It's like I'm hearing a harmonious version of Portal.

At 40 minutes in, they played an actual riff and it was wonderful. I'm really pleasantly amazed by this concert, but I have a remark on the singer. Her alone singing is beautiful, but her role on other tracks is just to scream the same two notes devoid of lyrics over and over, to punctuate the rhythm. On the records it sounds like a high black metal shriek, but here it's more like a girly scream of someone surprised by a spider in their hair. Moreover, the poverty of melody and notes quickly gets grating. Either she didn't want to strive too much (even if her voice got tired in the end), or they forgot to add distortion on vocals. Anyway, here's also the second remark: how good the drumming is. It's just raw power and rhythm playfulness. Dynamics, crescendos, shifts in tempo, the whole band is alive with members following one another and it's great to see music played this way!

Nova Twins (1st half, from afar, not knowing)

What do we have here? A three-piece band, playing over a backing track, a female singer once again rapping over hard rock music. This kind of modern mix of pop and metal, you know, clean radio production with edgy lyrics and fry screams, this kind of thing I don't really like. It seems to be a theme today, with Bambie Thug playing afterwards.

Widilma (2nd half, from afar, not knowing)

And what's here under the big top? People are disguised, so I guess it's pagan music. Indeed, with an unusual setup. We have no drummer, but two percussionists with timpanis on the sides, a synth, a female singer, and four people with masks just standing still for the decorum. The music incorporates industrial elements, a bit bothersome when I expected folk. That's a complaint I often have with folk metal bands; most of the time they are a combination of bad folk with bad metal, making it twice as terrible. The band is playing to a backing track full of atmospheric sounds and other things. I suppose the synth guy playing the pipe was fake, since it didn't sound live, and sometimes you can hear that they are not in sync with the recorded hi-hat. I think it's a shame. You have attitude, you have a great singer, you have two percussionists and it sounds so robotic and dead. Drop the backing track please, drop it, we don't even feel what's going on stage, everything seems to be mimicry (while it's not). You are failing to do a cover of your own studio track. With that setup you have the power to play great music, so please do it. Take notes from Liturgy (and Myrkur too).

Myrkur (full, pit, knowing)

Due to an schedule conflict, I have to sacrifice Beast In Black to see Myrkur. The stage is setting up and I watch the small long-haired woman bringing her bass, synth, and adjusting the mics to her size. I think she's very cute. She has all these roles in the band, just like Myrkur having vocals, piano and guitar in charge. There's also a full-time guitarist and a drummer. They open with songs from the new album, which I really liked, giving away most black metal elements to focus on a more pop approach. Here live, they decided to drop the harsh vocals. The music is as delightful as it could be, and I like to see them changing instruments on every song, giving a good dynamic to the concert. The few blast beats I heard were the softest ever; I think he uses a feather mallet instead of a stick.

Myrkur looks mystifying, helped by the limelight, a fancy dress and the fan blowing her hair. She sings really well, the other girl to, and eventually had me singing along for the tunes I knew. The best moment was when they sang a folk aria a cappella, responding to each other. The melodies and underlying harmony were beautiful, always trading minor for major or conversely. Same for their voices and their technique of singing in front of their hands, either to amplify harmonics or hear themselves better, I didn't quite figure out. The crowd was really happy, them too.

Left To Die (full, from afar, not knowing)

Apparently it's a tribute band playing old school death metal, songs from Death and Entombed. I must say that the singer does sound like Schuldiner, and they did a really good job. I wasn't paying too much attention, I was talking to an old friend I met; I just picked up the sounds of "Zombie Ritual" and "Pull The Plug".

KK's Priest (full, pit, knowing)

The concert starts with a cinema teaser and fireworks. Fire and flashes, with their signature hit opener. Downing is doing guitar noise for the sake of it, as usual; Owens is in shape and delivers his habitual high-pitched vocals. This concert had me singing along, and I think it was the purpose considering the band's attitude and the choice of songs. This time I'm familiar with the setlist so I can talk about it: "Hellfire Thunderbolt" - "Sermons Of The Sinner" - "Another Shot At Glory" - "The Ripper" - "Diamonds And Rust" - "Night Crawler" - "Hell Patrol" - "Green Manalishi" - "Breaking The Law" - "The Sinner". Not a lot of original material I must say, and I'm surprised they did nothing from "Jugulator". All songs are played at a tempo slower than necessary, and although the concert goes well with good energy, it feels a bit sluggish. Meanwhile, the screen behind them tells you that you can buy their latest album, and shows a documentary on Downing's life (excerpts of concerts from the 70s/80s). It suggests megalomania, and same remark for Owens aggressively asking the crowd, "You know who I am? I'm the Ripper!" Downing is nicknamed "The Sinner". I enjoyed a good concert, singing the songs I knew, but overall the show seemed a bit mechanical. They just come, do the show, gets praise, say whatever, then leave with the money, and despite all the good I think of Owens’ vocal he lacks a sincere connection with the crowd I think. The fireworks were nice though.

Myrath (1st half, from afar, knowing)

The Franco-Tunisian folkish prog metal band: as a fan of Orphaned Land, I should say that this band never managed to move me. The prog elements are less well incorporated, and I don't like the power/symphonic edge that is underlaying the songs’ atmosphere. No folk instruments on stage whatsoever, the bouzouki is either played by synths or prerecorded. A woman is dancing in the background. They are pro musicians, the do the job well but I find this performance rather rigid and unappealing.

The Amity Affliction (2nd half, from afar, not knowing)

On the open field is a hardcore band: emo screams and clean singing, harshness transitioning into melodic choruses, you know the recipe (and super heavy breakdowns, of course). It's not bad; it relies on all modern special effects, like tweaks and sub drops, but it's backed by solid musicianship. It was not as unpleasant as the guy grumbling "what is this shite" behind me every minute.

Opeth (full, from afar, knowing)

Yes, I'm well aware how important and popular Opeth is, but this band never left an impression on me. I listened to most of their albums, only to be amazed by their talent and then completely forget about it. Here it's the same; I can tell I've listened to great prog death, the growls are superb, the guitars are superb, the drums are superb, the sound is very clean, everything should be 20/20, but in the end I simply don't care. Åkerfeldt took time to make an intermission and threw a couple of jokes, in a nonchalant tongue-in-cheek way.

Aura Noir (full, from afar, not knowing)

I'm just waiting for Igorrr, and have to sit through this black metal act. It's 1 am, I'm trying to sleep in my brain. The music is ok; there's a lot of crust punk elements, and also a strong Celtic Frost influence (at one point I thought they were playing “Circle Of The Tyrants”, but no). Compared with Opeth, the sound and playing are pretty dirty (I mean, like black crust punk).

Igorrr (full, from afar, knowing)

Igorrr is totally explosive and I'm hit by both the synthetic drums and the real ones. The band stayed silent as members to only let the show live on, they don't need to speak for the crowd to greet them at the first sight of their figures anyway. I don't remember if there were flames involved, but the light show was really nice too. It's not the singers I'm used too, but they're outstanding too. I just regret a tad the absence of the magic timbres of Laure Le Prunenec, as well as those of the previous male singer.

People seem really amused by the crazy music, I guess it's always special when you discover Igorrr. The press talked a lot about this performance afterwards, but I should say that despite how good the concert was, I have some reservations. The prerecorded tracks: yes I know, I can't imagine Igorrr without them, but they were a bit too low in the mix compared to the kick and snare blasting like a shotgun, creating a feeling of weakness from time to time. I also didn't like that the concert ended on just Gautier Serre mimicking some stuff on the console while it was only the studio track of "Cheval" playing on its own in the background. On the same topic, I know he can't invite like 20 different instruments on stage, but I would really have appreciated if he hired a bass player. Other than that is the scenic presentation. They headbanged hard and did the show, but kept the rule to only be on stage when they were needed, meaning sometimes you have 5 people on the stage and sometimes only 2, and you realise how sporadic their appearances are. The singers (mostly the lady) are sometimes there only for a shout or a couple of notes, and then leave, leaving me wanting for more (in a bad sense). My grain of salt, on the (delicious) cake.

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Damn there's a lot of people today; it's Saturday and it's sunny. There's not a lot of bands that interest me, so I was inclined to just wander about.

Toxic Holocaust (full, pit, not knowing)

A three-piece thrash band, once again nice for headbanging, but past the kick/snare/kick/snare, I find nothing interesting in the music. I don't mean boring, but still... Havok was better I think, maybe not as musicians but at least in songwriting.

Crypta (full, pit, not knowing)
Four ladies playing death metal: it's good, there's a modern approach to it, while still sounding like death metal should sound. It reminds me a bit of Horrendous (not a precise comparison). All instruments are playing interesting parts, I think it's a nice discovery. At one point the frontwoman began a thank speech in French with an accent, so I thought they were from Quebec, but apparently they are Brazilian. My Metal Storm collection tells me that I didn't like their album back when it was released: time to re-evaluate. The scenery was the same as the cover art, with red daggers everywhere.

Exodus (full, pit, knowing)

Exodus is one of those bands I know is a classic of thrash, and I keep reading everywhere that they are great, but despite all my attempts at listening to their albums I really never liked them. In a live setting, I might have more success. Well, you know, thrash, headbang, etc. - it works well, better than Toxic Holocaust, if I need to put another nail in that casket. The whole crowd seem to be die-hard fans, singing the lyrics of all the songs. After some kind words of security from the charismatic singer, the circle pits are going strong. They all play well. The concert ends on a wall of death, and I also have the surprise to see the singer bringing the kids of a fan on stage. The guitarist hands his instrument to the 6-year-old girl and has her strum the final noisy-noise to finish it all. First, she seems not to understand, but quickly feels delighted, as am I from this impromptu dream-come-true sequence.

Broken By The Scream (full, pit, not knowing)

Now I have to leave the open field because Emmure is about to play and I resent this. Let's see what is ... OH NO it's Babymetal! And OH NO they are 4! Four girls in front of bass/drums/guitar instrumentalists wearing masks in the back. One is doing high shrieks, another deep growls, one has normal clean voice and the last has a girly anime voice. They respectively wear a dress, trousers, a miniskirt, and shorts: great charadesign (not a precise analysis). The songs are transitioning from harsh screamed verses to more melodic clean choruses. After two, they introduce themselves and announce that they are Japanese and play Kawaii-metal: no shit Sherlock.

People and mostly elders seem perplexed at what they have before the eyes. Lots of blast beats and technical playing of the guitar, screaming and singing, while the girls are constantly unfolding choreography. Everything seems worked out and well-rehearsed. They have a lot of energy, and I find myself in a bliss just watching them. My only complaints would be that with the live noisy mix and the high technicality of the music, it's sometimes hard to make sense of what is heard, and also the fact that each girl is holding a mic, and during their dances they point them everywhere, causing numerous Larsens. Also, the clean vocals were too often covered by the screamed ones. Apart from that it's a pass.

Jinjer (full, from from afar, knowing)

Like Opeth, I'm only mildly familiar with them; I think they are great musicians playing great music, but it doesn't really touch me. They thanked France for the help brought to Ukraine, and stood for world peace. I don't have a lot to say, I'm just enjoying the math parts of their songs, leaving aside the beautiful yet unappealing harmonies, and the great singing. (Meanwhile, Bernard Minet is singing "C'est La Dernière Merguez Party" on the other stage, it's quite a contrast.)

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Night Verses (full, pit, knowing)

A progressive metalcore instrumental band, three-piece with a huge guitarist, huge drummer, huge bassist. Everyone arounds me just looks at one another with a face testifying their impression and respect for the incredible musicianship. The drummer jumps up his kit to cheer the crowd. The guitarist is nailing solo after solo. Yes, it's easy with all the effects he has on, you might say. But still, he's tight. Night Verses' music is good as always, from energetic to contemplative, and the reverb and pitch pedals are making up a great atmosphere. My only complaint would be the clean tone, which isn’t heard easily. I'm also disappointed that the only words they know are "We are Night Verses from Los Angeles, California, and we sell merch, you can buy our T-shirt". I didn't need to hear it three times.

Plini (full, from afar, knowing)

Nice transition from Night Verses. The music is beautiful and Plini plays really well, challenging the previous guitarist maybe. On the other hand, the drummer slightly lacks precision, and missed some of his breaks. He also plays very technical stuff, so I'm not blaming him. Plini did several jokes about how he was the least brutal act of the festival, and his only purpose was to drive people towards the beer stand. He also attempted to launch the "most pathetic wall of death in history", inviting both sides to walk slowly towards each other. I repeat, good concert, very nice shredder, all musicians are talented, and the music is good.

Exumer (full, pit, knowing)

First I thought I didn't know them, but then I recognized their logo and cover art. Once again something I don't like on CD but may appreciate live, and they deliver. But we're strangely only a few down here, maybe 300 people in front of the stage. Where are the others? It grows little by little, but this didn't stop the band from unleashing violent music and spawning the most energetic pogos of the festival.

Sonata Arctica (full, from afar, knowing)

I'll admit I had a beer at this moment and quickly got drunk, I wasn't really paying attention to the music. I already knew I didn't like the band; I don't like the voice of the singer, and the symphonic elements are pretty dumb if you ask me. From the little I heard from them, I also don't like the constant double-pedal kick: relentless, but nauseous and widely used in power metal. They did well nonetheless.

I won't talk about Born Of Osiris or Decapitated, because the beer naturally fell on my bladder, and since I don't live too far I would just go home and come back, but on the road it got really urgent and I had to jump the banks and find a tree, but the neighbour caught me trespassing the property, so I just did my thing, said sorry, and had to leave for good not to look like an idiot. Now I'm an idiot still, because I have to go all the way round and find the other festival entrance (plot twist, there's only one). It ended in witted wandering. This brave adventure took me a good 25 minutes.

This was also my time to spend my money on some CDs. I'm visiting the metal market, looking for a music retail amongst all T-shirts, leather and mugs. I'm also carefully avoiding the seller from last year; I don't want to bring any money to his business. The other discs around don't really speak to me. But on the outside of the building are some more vendors. And I find one who sells mostly patches, but there are discs in the back of the stand, and I'm pleasantly surprised by the collection, it looks like my Metal Storm; I even found Cirith Ungol's Frost And Fire. I leave happy with Theatre Of Tragedy's self-titled, and Orphaned Land's El Norra Alila; this I can put on in the car with my parents, I think.




Red Fang (1st half, pit, knowing)

It was the anniversary of the band or something like that; the press talked about it and there's a real lot of people under the top. When I think about Red Fang, I think of vocal harmonies; I don't know if I've been imagining things. But here, their voices are barely heard, and they sing one after the other. I'm a bit disappointed, but their sound is massive and warm, and they are simply blasting the crowd, who is really into it. They know the songs, they move, they sing. Good concert, they play great. But I'm bothered by the numerous smokers around, I need some air. The alternative is Terrorizer, but I don't have much to say: it's death and thrash. That's a lot of thrash metal in this edition, I think.

Rotting Christ (full, from afar, knowing)

I don't like Rotting Christ. It's like black but also death, thrash, indus, symphonic... I don't know what this music wants from me. I'd rather listen to The Black Dahlia Murder elsewhere, but I figured I should stay and claim my place already for Meshuggah, while it's still possible to get somewhere round the sound booth. Meanwhile, Rotting Christ is just vomiting lows on me; their toms are particularly aggressive so I have to cover my ears on top of wearing earplugs. I'm not even that close. It's the Supositor stage once again. Sorry for my reviews being mostly sound-oriented, but I don't think a lot of Rotting Christ's music.

Meshuggah (full, pit, knowing)

A lot of people are gathering, even 40 minutes beforehand, and I try not to be trodden on while I'm seated. It's Meshuggah. Of course, everyone already knows how good it's going to be. The sun sets, the suspense is held by a pleasant low noise. They come, stand still, and then it bursts! To my surprise, their sound was not as loud as I imagined. Quite the contrary, they are the quietest of the festival, and I feel like loosening my earplugs. But they also have the best sound. It's not mindblowing, but it still questions everything I heard since then. No noise, no pain, no masking frequencies, just the studio quality fierce and alive. I don't feel oppressed, I don't feel loudness, it's just my clothes vibrating at Haake's will.

The explosiveness is extreme, kick, bass and guitars perfectly punching me in the musical dimension. The lightwork is just as amazing, going from total darkness to total lighthouse, blinking in all colors, but I'm not blinded even staring at it. Meshuggah song after Meshuggah song, everything is perfect. It feels like an alien abduction. Sometimes I got hypnotised and woke up. Sometimes I paused and pondered, realising "they're actually playing this stuff?" Me and other people were calculating the songs’ lengths to compute the remaining time of the concert, hoping it to be as far away as possible. The band left early; I could not believe it. All the crowd was clapping together to bring them back. I said "hey! if you clap in sync they won't come back!" But they did, and played two more songs (it was just so they felt desired). However, every good thing has an end.

I thought I could stay at the festival a bit longer, as it's only 11pm. But what should I see after this? I kinda want to stay in the magic. So I'm leaving, a bit sad that this is over, it's the end of my last holidays as a student and I have to work tomorrow.

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TL/DR:

It was a great edition there was nothing to complain about this year, they solved everything. I've seen 31 bands out of 110, and enjoyed my time. Maybe the weather could have been brighter, and I'm sure that in the next days I'll be hearing about problems that I myself didn't encounter. But it seems to be a really good year for the festival, second time in this town, and once again at financial balance with the same 54000 participants. The next edition should be just as good or even better.

Best moments: the transcendantal experience of Meshuggah, the magic atmosphere of Myrkur, the full of life noise of Liturgy, the powerful and quirky show of Igorrr, the violence and generosity of Exodus, the energy and surprise of Broken By The Scream, and the pure headbanging on Havok's riffs.