Written by:	Darkside Momo, Deadsoulman, Ivor, wrathchild, Marcel Hubregtse, Baz Anderson, Bas, Moocher
Published:	July 10, 2009
Event:	Hellfest Open Air 2009 (Website)
Location:	Complexe Du Val De Moine, Clisson, France
Organizer:	HellFest Productions
Galleries:	Hellfest Open Air (Misc) - Clisson, France,19-21 June 2009 by Moocher (70) Hellfest Open Air - Clisson, France, 21st June 2009 by Moocher (188) Hellfest Summer Open Air 2009 - Clisson, France, 21.06.2009 by Ivor (123) Hellfest Open Air - Clisson, France, 20th June 2009 by Moocher (195) Hellfest Summer Open Air 2009 - Clisson, France, 20.06.2009 by Ivor (116) Hellfest Open Air - Clisson, France, 19th-21st June 2009 by Baz Anderson (237) Hellfest Open Air - Clisson, France, 19th June 2009 by Moocher (249) Hellfest Summer Open Air 2009 - Clisson, France, 19.06.2009 by Ivor (107) Hellfest Summer Open Air 2009 - Clisson, France, 19-21.06.2009 by Ivor (63) Hellfest Open Air... a few more... by Darkside Momo (80) Hellfest Open Air 2009 by Deadsoulman (24)

Hellfest Summer Open Air Festival, Clisson, France, 19/20/21 June 2009







Saturday 20th
(Momo) The second day, starting once again at 11 AM for the valorous (and the sober). The festival is in full swing, a lot of shows were not to be missed, and the audience, already explosive. The dust of the mosh-pits will rise in the air today...







Trepalium 11:00/11:30, Mainstage 2

(wrathchild) Perhaps some of you remember one of my first review on Metal Storm. The last words were "they [Trepalium] might surprise the world one day!"
This was about their first album, "Through The Absurd", which has now been rendered obsolete by the two marvelous records they released afterwards, "Alchemik Clockwork Of Disorder" and "XIII". For those who still haven't checked them out, they play a sort of groovy brutal death metal that can become jazzy at times. Live, they're just as good as they are on CD and again they are even better performers than what they used to be a few years ago back when I discovered them in some more intimate venues. And believe me, they were already good (and already touring with Gojira)!

(Momo) I already saw Trepalium opening for Gojira a few months ago, and I was pretty sure this would be a good set, as their groovy, jazz-influenced death metal is pretty good and catchy on stage.
Well, I was mistaken. It was not only good, it was REALLY good, as they were much, much better than in Toulouse. They were full of energy and aggression, and the fans and metalheads who woke up early this morning had their first mosh-pit of the day (and not the last, that's for sure).

(Collin) As I had already seen - and not been very impressed by - Trepalium in February when they opened for Gojira, I didn't really plan on getting early at the festival site. But the heat woke me up and I had nothing better to do and there's a limit to the volume of brutality I can handle in the morning (so I didn't try to see Offending). What was intended as an alternative plan turned out to be a good idea: Trepalium killed! They had so much more energy than in February that it made me wonder if it was the same band. All that groove and dynamism were really heart-warming and lifted our spirits pretty high. A really good start for the second day.



Band Gallery by Moocher


Offending 11:00/11:30, Rock Hard Tent

(wrathchild) You haven't heard of Offending yet? Well, they're pretty unknown as of now but you should learn more about them in an interview, due later. What you have to know is that this French death metal band won the Sin Cession battle of bands and thus were granted the privilege to open on the Rock Hard Tent this Saturday. Although I couldn't catch their set in its entirety (blame Trepalium!) I can say they didn't disappoint. The sound, the songs, the performance on stage, there was nothing wrong and nothing to distinguish them from the other "professional" bands, except perhaps the size of the audience but that's to be expected in such conditions (yet their death metal was worth a dozen morning coffees).



Band Gallery by Moocher


Grand Magus 12:10/12:50, Rock Hard Tent

(Baz Anderson) Grand Magus are one of the best wake-ups you can have. Nothing overly speedy or extreme, just a super-solid heavy metal band to get the juices flowing once again. Grand Magus had a brilliant reception from the French audience who probably have not had chance to see the band for many years. Great band, solid set.

(Marcel) Actually, I had only planned to check out a couple of songs of these Swedes, but ended up staying for the entire duration of the set. Grand Magus delivered their brand of heavy metal with some very slight doom influences with such fervor that everyone in the tent was totally awestruck. First thing that caught everyone's attention was the incredibly heavy bass sound, as if an earthquake had just hit Clisson. Grand Magus proved that if done properly nothing can beat the classic power trio line-up. So, all in all a great wake-up call to all headbangers. One of my discoveries during the weekend.



Band Galleries by Baz Anderson and Moocher


Dagoba 12:55/13:35, Mainstage 1

(Collin) When French nu/thrash metallers Dagoba hit the main stage, the crowd was already quite massive: their shows have a good reputation of tightness and mesmerizing power. Having seen them a few years back before they released their debut album, I remembered they were like a relentless war machine that devastated everything on its way. They've lost a bit of their brutality but they've obviously learned a lot in terms of stage presence and tight execution. I was afraid they would include their boring power ballads but instead they focused on the thrashiest songs of their last two albums, which allowed the singer to display his much improved vocal abilities. It should be noted that the songs off "Colossus" sound a lot less messy than on album, probably because in a live environment the band concentrates more on immediate assimilation than on adding symphonics, samples and multiple layers of sound to their music. Altogether, a very enjoyable show to go with the tartiflette (Bas knows what I'm talking about).



Band Galleries by Ivor and Moocher


Vader 13:40/14:20, Rock Hard Tent

(Baz Anderson) If you're craving a death metal band then Vader are going to be one of the best choices you could make. But if you want something a bit different and something a little more cutting edge, then Vader aren't very good on that scale. Crushing death metal, the sound system was fantastic at conveying the blistering blastbeats from drumkit to eardrum, Vader sounded just as they always do, which, given the nature of Vader, is never a bad thing.

(Momo) Vader plays some pretty classical death metal and as such it was nicely aggressive, and of course quite catchy too. I was told it's always the same, but it's the first time I actually manage to see them! So, boring? Not one bit if you ask me.
They played songs from all eras of they discography, which was quite pleasing; the moshpit itself was not small, but it hadn't already swelled to the huge proportions we would witness later this week-end...

(Collin) How could they do that? After their blistering set on the mainstage in 2007, how dare Vader propose such a bad performance? The musicianship and the vocals were so sloppy that they rendered the whole show completely lifeless and utterly boring. There was none of the intensity and anger that usually characterize a Vader show. The band did not seem to care that much either. It was all so bad that I left before the end in frustration.



Band Galleries by Baz Anderson and Moocher


Skinless 15:10/15:50, Rock Hard Tent

(Bas) After the huge disappointment that was Repulsion, I was actually a bit reluctant about seeing Skinless. Luckily I did though. They put up one of the best shows of the festival for me. Their pretty brutal American death metal turned up the crowds' energy level quite a few notches and in no time there were heads and hair flying around all over the place. After multiple pits had materialized under the hard rock tent, the band decided it was time for a huge wall of death. Not a normal wall of death though, no, that's not Skinless. This was a zombie wall of death. Basically that meant that the two parties had to advance at each other really slowly and no one got hurt. Next to the fantastic music, the hilarious interlude recordings also helped in making this band stand out. Please allow me to quote the intro of the song Tampon Lollipops: "She had no legs! I guess Jerry had remembered that my ultimate fantasy was to fuck a girl with no legs! Jerry started feeling up her big tits, he slowly rotated Audrey around on my love muscle until she was literally spinning around on my dick like a record on a turn-table! Unable to contain myself any longer I released a huge load of spunk into her."


Devildriver 15:55/16:35, Mainstage 1

(Baz Anderson) Circlepits are Devildriver's signature it would seem these days. Devildriver seem to have shaken off any cynical minds still connected to Coal Chamber or the next manufactured metalcore band. Devildriver are getting the chance now to show Europe they mean business with their extreme alternative almost-death metal sounding metal. The arena had a long soaking from the sun and the floor was very dusty. At some point then it would be impossible to see the band on stage as the dust rose from the circle-pit in the centre. Great set.



Band Galleries by Baz Anderson, Ivor and Moocher


Heaven Shall Burn 16:40/17:20, Mainstage 2

(Collin) All dressed in red, the German veterans of Heaven Shall Burn took the whole of 40 minutes to explain, not very patiently nor kindly, what metalcore should be like: fast, reckless, vicious and brutal. I have always liked this band's dynamism on album, and they absolutely don't lose it on stage. Judging by the surprised stares all around, a lot of people weren't actually expecting this band to be that good. Needless to say that such anthemic songs as "The Weapon They Fear" or "Endszeit" launched decently chaotic circle pits, thus creating a massive cloud of dust that blinded, well, everyone and the musicians. In the end I totally didn't regret not seeing Aura Noir, because Heaven Shall Burn's was maybe the most intense show I've seen at Hellfest 2009.



Band Gallery by Moocher


Aura Noir 16:40/17:20, Rock Hard Tent

(Bas) As I had heard a lot of good things about this Norwegian band I definitely wanted to check them out. So far I had had some fantastic experiences with thrash-influenced black metal and concerts. Not this time though. Unfortunately their riffs were a lot less catchy and headbangable than I had imagined them to be and the whole show completely failed to impress me. I had had higher expectations for them, but the band failed to meet them.


Cradle Of Filth 17:25/18:10, Mainstage 1

(Baz Anderson) "Lock up your daughters, King from Gorgoroth in on the loose". Dani Filth has a lot of critics for whatever reason, but he can make everyone laugh when he wants. One of England's finest Cradle Of Filth was set free on stage, and kicking off with the powerful "Shat Out Of Hell" followed by "Guilded Cunt", it was clear the band aren't messing around any more. The new drummer shunner to the far right of the stage didn't give him much credit as his injection of the band has surely propelled them into their winning ways once more. "The Principle Of Evil Made Flesh" is absolutely hair-raising live, "Honey And Sulphur" from the new album also sounds mighty fine live. Cradle Of Filth are back ladies and gentlemen, and they are going to kick you up the arse.



Band Galleries by Baz Anderson and Moocher


Clutch 18:15/19:00, Mainstage 1

(Collin) Clutch, or how to own the mainstage at a big metal festival when you're more rock than metal, don't have any lights, don't try to set a weird, epic or spooky atmosphere, and use only a small fragment of a huge scene. Clutch or how to touch people with nothing but music. In other words, Clutch made everyone at Hellfest - everyone that was watching the show, that is - rediscover the fundamentals of music: never mind all the unnecessary flourishes, all you need for a good show is good music made by talented musicians. Clutch have both, plus a über competent singer. And so, discreetly, they imposed their southern rock as one of the most interesting sets of the festival.



Band Gallery by Ivor


Moonsorrow 18:15/19:00, Rock Hard Tent

(Baz Anderson) This was Moonsorrow's 200th show ever, and what a way to celebrate than putting on a splendid and epic show at Hellfest. Moonsorrow never disappoint as they take the audience to a land far away with their songs about their own grim and frostbitten lands. Moonsorrow can only be described properly by the word "epic", so take that thought and leave.

(Momo) I didn't know the band beforehand, just heard a few good critics about them, so I decided to give them a try.
Was it the glass of wine I drank just before? I don't think it explains everything. But I was quickly swept away by the music into an epic, rugged world full of finnish warriors.
Yes, their music is really evocative, and the epicness of their long, flowing songs just adds to the atmosphere. Even the finnish folky Finntroll-esque parts were nice, but they clearly weren't the highlight.
The musicians themselves seemed really happy with the crowd's enthousiastic response; enthousiastic seems even a bit dull a description. A really pleasurable moment indeed.



Band Galleries by Baz Anderson, Momo and Moocher


Soulfly 19:05/19:55, Mainstage 1

(Bas) Soulfly is one of the bands that got me into metal. Primitive was the very first CD I enjoyed that can be called heavy for the inexperienced ear, after also hearing 3 for the first time; they were officially my favourite band for a while. Although all of this was many years ago, they are still one of the nu metal bands that I really like, even though I don't actively listen to them anymore. I never heard their latest three releases and Prophecy only one time a few years ago, so I didn't really know what to expect. After the show I still had mixed feelings about it. They played a varied set, so I knew a couple of the songs they played. However I had expected some more energy from the band. Of course, Max isn't the youngest anymore, but other seasoned musicians still manage to pull it off as well. During one of the songs Max was joined by his son, who sang a duet with his father and of course they also played Sepultura's signature track; Roots Bloody Roots.



Band Gallery by Moocher


Betrayed 19:05/19:55, Terrorizer Tent

(Collin) Time for the little hardcore punk session of the week end! Soulfly bored me after two minutes so I went with the other 20 guys who didn't want to see Cavalera and co. to check out this band I had never heard of. Well, what can I say, this was typical hardcore punk, fast and angry music, short songs, lots of energy, bald and dynamic singer. The music was decent, nothing really memorable but certainly not bad either. Even though I didn't know the band I was in the front row cheered and screamed like a horny groupie at every question ("Who here is straight-edge?" "Yeah!" - "Who here is not straight-edge?" "Yeah !" - "We've got a new album out" "Yeah !"). Mindless fun, but fun nonetheless. Much better than being bored at Soulfly in any case.



Amebix 20:00/20:45, Mainstage 2

(Collin) Being able to see Amebix live is already an improbable event per se. Being able to see Amebix live in France is close to a miracle. This band had been dead and buried for so long that no one could have imagined they would resurrect and stand before us stronger than ever. For those who don't know this band (for shame!) Amebix play some weird and creepy kind of crust punk mixed with doom, thrash and heavy metal. Their "Arise!" album has some of the most deranging and gloomy music I've heard. So how did all that go live? Really well, thank you very much. They certainly didn't sound creepy at all, somehow Amebix came across as a mix between Mötorhead and Killing Joke. The passage to live playing made them lose their dark edge but their songs were so good, twisted and catchy that it really made up for the loss of atmosphere. In other words, it was definitely not as I expected but a brilliant show nonetheless.



Immolation 20:00/20:45, Rock Hard Tent

(Bas) There really isn't very much I have to say about these guys. Thing is that they were simply totally unspectacular. Death metal is generally not regarded as the most varied metal genre anyway and Immolation seemed to make a point of proving that point. There's no need to describe their sound because it was the same as that of thousands of other death metal bands.

(Momo) Brutal death veterans Immolation were as powerful, brutal and precise as one could expect. Ross Dolan's grunts were just as deep (and articulate) as on album, and Rob Vigna's parts are just awesome; strangely enough, he doesn't seem to have any difficulties to play these twisted solos... The setlist was equally drawn from old classical stuff and newer songs.
The show itself was classical, as far as death shows go: four unmoving guys banging and playing awesome stuff. So no, if you don't like it at first, I suppose seeing them live won't change a thing; the fans were all freaked out, however! And so was I.



Band Galleries by Momo and Moocher


Gojira 20:50/21:50, Mainstage 1

(Marcel) As expected these Frenchmen were welcomed as long lost sons by the predominantly French crowd. And did they deliver the goods? Yes, and no, if you ask me. They delivered their brand of modern death metal as tight as a duck's ass but did come across a little nervous at times. Maybe due to this being a home match? Or is it once again the jaded and saturated Marcel's conscience speaking up again? The one hour long set list mainly focused on songs from their last two albums: From Mars To Sirius and The Way Of All Flesh. All in all a proficient good set which failed to sparkle but nonetheless left the crowd wanting more.

(Bas) In front of the first main stage there was a huge crowd waiting for this French extreme metal band to get started, and even though I had never heard them yet (like most bands I saw at Hellfest), I was part of it. Although the music is very hard to place, it sounded really cool live. The band put on a good show too and seemed to be very high on energy, always a good thing. I liked the instruments of Gojira, but unfortunately the vocals didn't suit me in the least.

(Collin) No surprise. That's all I can say against Gojira. This is not a negative comment: I've seen Gojira eight times now, and every time they were charismatic, tight, impressive and heavy. Guess what, this time around they were charismatic, tight, impressive and heavy. The passage from clubs to the main stage of a big festival didn't particularly seem to impress them, as they did what they always do, and that is crush the audience with their massive rhythmic section and fat riffs. The French audience is all devoted to worshipping this band, and Joe Duplantier knows how to play with the people's reactions. The setlist focused on the best songs from their last two albums, with "The Art Of Dying" being the real highlight - and looked forward to by almost everybody - and the lights were as good as always. For the people who hadn't seen them before, a blistering set that left them agape and wanting more. For me, just another great Gojira show, like always.



Band Galleries by Ivor and Moocher


Enslaved 21:55/22:45, Rock Hard Tent

(Marcel) Time for some atmospheric progressive black metal by these Norwegian masters. It isn't so much a question of: will they deliver? Because that's what they always do. It's more a question of: How will a festival crowd react to it all? No need to have worried becomes clear right from the start. The crowd lapped up every single note like a bunch of thirsty dogs.
However, it took about two songs for the sound to become all crystal clear. The soundman apparently had quite a hard time getting it all right, but eventually did manage to. Unfortunately the clear sound also made it clear that the clean vocals were off most of the time. The delivery of the clean vocals and the duration of the set were the only gripes I had with this 50-minute SHORT set.
Classic Enslaved once again. And once again delivering the goods.

(Bas) Seeing that I was never a fan of progressive black metal, I hadn't actually planned to watch Enslaved. But there wasn't much else to do at the time and after the hype surrounding Vertebrae I decided to just go for it. Their stage-acting was top notch, I won't deny that. The music however didn't captivate me at all. I like my black metal fast, raw and primitive. Considering that that's pretty much the opposite of what these guys do, it wasn't all too surprising that their set only evoked lukewarm feelings in me at best.

(Momo) Well, it's the third time I see them, and it was as always a great moment: both aggressive and hypnotic, raw and delicately atmospheric... It's really, really terrible, but these guys just seem to be unable to put on a bad show!
The setlist was globally the same as the one did during their last tour in Europe, so there were no real surprises (the use of videos always has this consequence of pretty rigid setlists). So, again, Path To Vanir was sorely missed, but after that all eras of the band's history were revisited.
Enslaved? A great live band, not to be missed if you like at least a bit their music.



Band Gallery by Baz Anderson


Machine Head 22:50/23:50, Mainstage 1

(wrathchild) I've never liked Machine Head... Just like I never liked Sepultura (though to be more accurate, I never liked Max Cavalera). Yet I saw Machine Head opening for Metallica in April and they truly had a shitty sound, so I had to give them a new chance hoping that this time, the sound would be decent. And it was. And I didn't like it that much anyway but I have to say the performance was good, same with some of their riffs and leads. I guess fans weren't disappointed at all.

(Bas) Machine Head were just heavy as fuck to put it short and simple. Something that quite annoyed me though, was that the guitarists - perhaps accidentally, perhaps on purpose, I have no idea - produced some damn loud really high-pitched screeching sounds a few times. Apart from that they put on a nice show though, and they also showed that with their modern-sounding thrash metal they can easily blow most death metal competition a few hundred yards away in the heaviness department.

(Collin) To be honest, I wasn't expecting Machine Head to be so heavy. I don't know what I was thinking. A lot of things can be said about this show, but I'll keep it short and make a boring list: a) even if Phil Anselmo and Joe Duplantier are charismatic, Rob Flynn clearly is out of their league. He is a good dozen levels above the rest. People are almost grovelling at his feet when he says something, a bit like David Vincent last year but less physically frightening. And his vocals are great; b) in a live show, the most recent songs sound heavy as hell, much more than on cd, but "Old", "Davidian", "Ten Ton Hammer" and "Take My Scars" are just crushing, like a massive fist punches you in the stomach over and over again; c) Dave McClain should be arrested for molesting his drum kit so hard; d) "Descend The Shades Of Night" may be boring on album, but there it almost made me weep like the little wimp (leave the hall! alright, alright) I am; e) I have no regrets I missed Vision Of Disorder because this was one of the best shows of the festival. Conclusion: Machine Head live is really something to experience.



Band Galleries by Baz Anderson, Ivor and Moocher


Killing Joke 23:55/00:55, Mainstage 2

(Baz Anderson) What a breath of fresh air as Killing Joke hijacked the second stage and confused and bewildered the entire French audience. The songs from these industrial giants don't come over perfectly at a festival, and it also seemed like most people were more interested in getting a good place for Marilyn Manson, but for the ones who watched, they got a perfect lesson on how to dance like a robot - and that is the most important thing in life. There are lights out there that haven't been explained.



Band Galleries by Baz Anderson and Ivor


Sacred Reich 23:55/00:55, Rock Hard Tent

(Momo) The dreaded time where I had to split myself in two was finally upon me.
Well, I couldn't (split, I mean). I had to make a choice. Sacred Reich or Killing Joke, or both. I started with SR, hoping to catch a bit of the end of KJ's show. Then I realized that Surf Nicaragua would end the set, and I just couldn't miss that. So I stayed under the Rock Hard Tent?
As I said last year, a thrash show is a simple pleasure, and Sacred Reich were of course no exception. The interview with Phil Rind earlier this day just hinted at the mood of the show: happy thrash fun! The audience was, at least in the front rows, a bit older than usual (I guess the age average was around 30 years old) but no less active, as the most-pit was active from start to finish. The setlist was good, covering most albums, with both classics (The American Way, Who's To Blame) and unusual songs (sacred Reich); the final songs were nothing but explosive, as Death Squad & Surf Nicaragua just provoked a nice frenzy in the pit!
And then there was the proverbial icing on the cake: Dave McClain, former SR member and now in Machine Head (who, remember, played just before), came in during the show to play on the song Independent!
So, maybe Killing Joke's show was great, but I don't regret a thing at all.
And don't forget your surfboard.

(Marcel) When was the last time I had seen these Arizonean thrashers? Not on their reunion tour of two years ago. I unfortunately missed them at the time. Digging deep into the confines of my mind, I came to the conclusion it must have been when Atrophy opened for them in October 1990. So, a long, long time ago.
Expectations were high cause Phil Rind told me prior to the show that they would play a song they hadn't played for around 20 years (i.e. Sacred Reich). But seeing that Phil had filled out like me was it really fair to expect the fireworks of yore?
Hell, once again, I needn't have worried. I don't know where the band gets the energy and stamina from. But the out-performed a lot of younger bands this weekend.
What the audience got was a set comprised of only songs from their first two full-lengths and their Surf Nicaragua ep. Plus a special festival rendition of Independent.
Hell, opening with The American Way and closing with Surf Nicarague and in between also a flawless performance of Crimes Against Humanity nothing much can go wrong.
It was quite typical that when Sacred Reich blasted into The American Way the entire front row was the oldest front row I have ever witnessed at a gig. Damn, the youngest person there must have been 30 and the oldest, well, far over 50. Old people who have lost the stamina to mosh or crowdsurf but still had the neck muscles to bang away like mad.
Surprise of the show came, though not entirely unexpected seeing Machine Head had just finished their set, when Dave McClain joined Sacred Reich on drums (leaving Greg Hall to catch some much needed fresh air) for a blistering rendition of Independent.
A great gig which showed that old thrashers can still thrash with the best of them. Hopefully Phil will keep his word and Sacred Reich will just play shows and not record anymore.
One of my personal true highlights of the weekend.

Setlist: The American Way, One Nation, Administrative Decisions, Love/Hate, Crimes Against Humanity, Who's To Blame, Independent, Ignorance, Sacred Reich, War Pigs, Death Squad, Surf Nicaragua.



Band Gallery by Momo


Marylin Manson 01:00/02:00, Mainstage 1

(Baz Anderson) Controversy follows this man like the plague. Surprisingly, or perhaps from the morbidly curious onlookers point of view, unfortunately not much of this controversy followed him to France. He was intoxicated in some way but not to the level he has been at on stage before, and so this confortable state allowed him to actually perform some songs and put a bit of effort into it. The new material didn't sound great but the older songs such as "Irresponsible Hate Anthem" sure as hell did. Two covers in a row of "Sweet Dreams" and "Rock 'n' Roll Nigger" provided fantastic entertainment and ultimately "The Beautiful People" finished off a show that a lot of people probably expected not to enjoy, but actually did. Great set.

(Bas) Well, the most famous American grandma-shocker of all was at Hellfest too. Guess what? He sucked. Even though he was one of the headliners, a huge amount of the Hellfest visitors decided to just leave the festival grounds now. Of those that stayed, most just wanted to drink something, or went to watch Cro-Mags. The ones who did want to watch Manson was mainly a younger audience that had come to the festival on this day solely to see the "shock-rocker" anyway. Next to that he didn't seem to make any kind of effort for the crowd, his voice was so laden with effects that he could just as well have done the whole thing playback. And he didn't even do anything shocking!

(Momo) One of the worst shows of the fest... But I can't speak of the whole set because I only saw two songs before leaving, disappointed (well, not that much as I wasn't expecting a lot). First off, the 'show' started with five minutes of eurodance bullshit (or some horrible stuff like that) blasted through the speakers, with no one on stage.
And after that, no show, no shock, Manson just seemed bored. A sure sign, the audience, so reactive during today's different shows, was now cold as ice.
So, as I knew Nanowar Of Steel were playing in the metal corner, I left the festival grounds with no regrets.



Band Galleries by Baz Anderson, Ivor and Moocher


Nanowar Of Steel around 01:00/02:00, Metal Corner

(wrathchild) Hehe, now that's time to write about the only band on the bill that I really wanted to see. Seriously, none of the bigger names was important to me, I was being merely curious about them but Nanowar Of Steel... It's different you see. That's why I can't forgive myself for I have missed the first song - "Tricycles Of Steel" - because I was curious to see what Manson would look like, and the bastard took the time to appear on stage! Once he did I hurried up to the Metal Corner and was in front of the band when the final notes of the mythic song were played. Again, the crowd was ridiculously small at first but a few songs later the tent was packed with Nanowarriors!
The show was sort of theatrical, and featured a genius, a warrior, a dragon, a sword, an ass, and a few more objects and characters in hilarious situations.
Highlights were "The Power (Of The Great Sword)" and the final song "The Number Of The Bitch", but the overall fun I had with them is probably my #1 moment of the fest.

(Bas) Definitely more interesting than Manson were the totally crazy Italian guys of Nanowar. Almost more of a comedy than a metal concert, most people watching them got a real blast out of the party the band gave us. Making fun of Manowar, Rhapsody Of Fire, fantasy stories, star wars and dropping soap bars (?), their show was thoroughly enjoyable. There's no doubt that Nanowar would have been worthy of playing on the festival grounds too. Now excuse me. I'm off to kill a few dragons.

(Collin) I don't know why I let the other Metal Storm guys convince me that I should go see Nanowar instead of Marilyn Manson. Not that I cared about Marilyn Manson, but Nanowar was just stupid and boring. They are very competent musicians and singers and they sometimes have funny ideas musically speaking (the inclusion of the Lambada during a power metal song was really good for example!), but most of the time they are just crap. And the story-telling was not funny at all in my holy opinion. I mean, call me a humourless prick, but hearing someone say "dick" or "put it in his ass!" doesn't really amuse me. I find it childish. And so what if it's a metal band making fun of other metal bands. It's just a childish metal band and I don't see why I should find them funny just because they are metal. Anyway, I think the idea of being a parody band is good, there definitely is a lot of material to work on, but Nanowar totally fail at it.

(Momo) Stupid, stupid metal comedy fun.
That's the simplest way to describe Nanowar Of Steel, who are as much about theatrics as they are about music. And well, fun it was. Maybe gross sometimes - as when the mighty sword had to be put in the singer's ass, with the crowd cheering - their fun show was parodying Manowar, Rhapsody Of Fire, Star Wars and so much stuff that I just can't remember or cite everything.
And so this was a funny great moment, infinitely better than Mr Manson's soulless set. Nanowar Of Steel really deserves to come back next year.



Band Gallery by Momo


Saturday bonus recap by Marcel
Just like on the Friday I only managed to see four shows in their entirety. Of course there other bands I did catch one or two songs off.
Gama Bomb even though they played at the ungodly hour of 11:35 and in front of a tiny crowd on Mainstage 1 they came across as vibrant as if playing for a sold out venue. Nice retro thrash from these Irish lads.
Clutch Why did they have to interfere with my daily free Jack Daniels hour? So I only saw about two songs, but did manage to hear the rest of their set from the press area. Clutch plays perfect music for a sunny setting like Hellfest's. Nice Southern rock which boogied like a madman.
Amebix A classic crust punk band which mixes it all up with some pure metal. Not expecting anything from these guys I was actually happily surprised by their original mix of crust punk and heavy metal with vocals reminding me of Lemmy. Certainly have some catching up to do on this band soon.


Saturday conclusion
Once again a day of perfect shows, the only thing to whine about would be Marilyn Manson's set; and even then, as you've read before, not everyone agrees with this statement... But if Saturday was the day for the Nanowarriors, Sunday will sure be the one for the Manowarriors and their flags, right?





Previous:
Introduction

Friday 19th
featuring reports about: Orakle, Karma To Burn, Melechesh, Eyehategod, Soilent Green, Pentagram, Misery Index, Torche, Voivod, Samael, Papa Roach, Kylesa, W.A.S.P., Entombed, Down, Anthrax, Repulsion, Heaven And Hell, Saint Vitus, God Seed, Mötley Crüe

Next:
Sunday 21th
featuring reports about: Black Stone Cherry, Hacride, Adagio, ADX, Aborted, Keep Of Kalessin, Wolves In The Throne Room, Pain Of Salvation, Kataklysm, Dragonforce, Ufomammut, Destruction, Pestilence, Stratovarius, Queensrÿche, Mastodon, Europe, Suicidal Tendencies, Moonspell, Dream Theater, Electric Wizard, Amon Amarth, Manowar, Brutal Truth

Conclusion

Acknowledgements


Want some pictures of bands we haven't written about? Check Baz Anderson's gallery, Ivor's gallery and Moocher's gallery!

Photos by Baz Anderson, Darkside Momo, Ivor and Moocher. All right reserved, do not use without permission.