Written by:	Darkside Momo, Deadsoulman, Ivor, Jeff, White Winter Sun, wrathchild
Published:	July 24, 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

Saturday


Table Of Contents

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
Black Dahlia Murder
Judas Priest
Korpiklaani
Electric Wizard
Therion
Ozzy Osbourne
Dark Tranquillity
Hawkwind
Opeth
Cradle Of Filth
Kyuss Lives

And next we've still got some stuff to say :

Conclusion
And now??
Acknowledgements

---

Already the last day? Time flows so quickly when you're in a fest like this. However, the audience as a whole was starting to show signs of tiredness (and Momo was still sky high with his 'four-in-a-row awesome shows' [Hey! Try to get down to earth after Septicflesh, Kreator, Bolt Thrower and Coroner!]), but seeing today's bill, with none other than grandpa Ozzy as the headliner, we had to be awake and kicking!
This day, the bands we didn't check are: Morne, KEN Mode, Last Days Of Humanity, Grave (who sounded powerful but samey - as usual indeed), and Grand Magus (hadn't they played at the time as Anathema, a few of us sure would have checked them - considering that their 2009 performance was awesome).


Audrey Horne 10:20/10:50, Mainstage 2

wrathchild: I wish I had seen them, from the camping ground it sounded like Green Carnation but with a more heavier edge.



Band Gallery by Moocher


Zuul FX 10:55/11:25, Mainstage 1

White Winter Sun: I missed them at the Fury Fest in 2005, so these Frenchies were on my must-see bands list. Steeve Petit (vocals) was very talkative to the audience. Supported by a powerful sound, the band delivered a solid show for the great pleasure of the doughty people who were in front of Main Stage 1 on this third morning. After "The Torture Never Stops" (title track of the band's latest album) and "Behind The Light" (taken from their first album) it was finally "I8U" which concluded their set. Then the band left the stage under the acclamations of the pit. Nice appetizer!

Collin: Zuul Fx is a perfect way to start a day. It is dumb and obnoxious enough so you don't have to actually wake up those last braincells, and it's so full of groove and bust-your-neck breakdowns that by the end you're all warmed up for the rest of the journey. They didn't invent cold water, but they're efficient at what they do.



Band Gallery by Ivor, Moocher, White Winter Sun


Impureza 10:55/11:25, Rock Hard Tent

Momo: I only saw the end of their set, and I regret being late. Indeed, soft classical guitar intros and flamenco breaks in a classic brutal death metal band sound good! And yes, they really do that. I'll have to check them more thoroughly (like, on their myspace)?



Band Gallery by Moocher


Turisas 11:30/12:00, Mainstage 2

Collin: For some reason they started 15 minutes late so they gave quite a short show. It was fun, but I thought the guitars were completely muffled and the folk instruments were way too prominent, thus making the whole let lack a lot of power. Their performance of "To Holmgard And Beyond", "Battle Metal" and a couple of other catchy tunes was actually good, but it all felt sort of anticlimactic.

Momo: What a disappointment! This had nothing to do with the band I saw before? They started late, had no energy, and this was so distressing I left almost immediately. What I saw later on the screens in the VIP area didn't do anything to change my mind? OK, granted, playing at 11:30 can be a bit early and not the most fitting for partying, but still.

White Winter Sun: The sound was not really good during the set of these Finnish metallers. Several times the singing from Mathias "Warlord" Nygård was inaudible for a few seconds. It was the same case for the folk instruments, but the loss of the singing was clearly the most troubling, particularly on the first song, "To Holmgard and Beyond". Anyway the audience was active and the ambiance was pretty festive. Finally the set ended on "Battle Metal" marked by the return of a decent sound. This set was clearly too short and I can easily understand that the fans can be disappointed by the performance and in regards of the sound drawbacks.

wrathchild: Battle metal in the morning sounds more like a beer festival than a total war assault, especially when one can't hear the guitars a lot. But actually, this made it more enjoyable to me, turning Turisas show into a real folkish break. A bit short unfortunately (if my memory serves me well, they started late).
To my surprise, they didn't play "Rasputin" and finished with "Battle Metal". And to my surprise again, the true finish for me was that they blasted "Nyan Cat" over the PA when leaving the stage



Band Gallery by Ivor, Moocher


S.U.P 12:05/12:45, Mainstage 1

Momo: S.U.P., a very peculiar and unique band, with their own sound and dark atmosphere. So peculiar, in fact, that they're not well known even here in France, their home country. OK, their music isn't of the 'mass appeal' kind, and that explains that not many people were in front of Mainstage 1 to catch their set. The fans who were there had a good time, however, enjoyed this rare band and some little gems like "Room Seven". On a personal note, I would have preferred a different setlist, but hey, I'm not complaining!

White Winter Sun: It was the first time that I saw the band on stage. I have appreciated their work on CD, so it was with great expectations that I came to the Main Stage 1. The speeches between songs were minimalist, leaving essentially place to the music, which is not fundamentally a bad point. But more words to the fans could have been appreciated, maybe? The whole set was solid, their music well-executed and served by a good sound. Also the band was filmed by S.A.S de l'Argillière (Misanthrope) himself. Maybe can we expect some video footage or stuff like that in the coming weeks? Who knows? Anyway this set was very pleasant. Second nice appetizer for me on this morning!



Band Gallery by Moocher, White Winter Sun


Red Fang 12:30/13:00, Terrorizer Tent

Another stoner band, another nicely heavy sound. The kind of stuff that should have pleased Collin or Marcel.



Band Gallery by Ivor


Atheist 12:50/13:35, Mainstage 2

Collin: Atheist's passage at Hellfest in 2007 was a blast. It reminded us of who was the daddy. It showed that you can be away for a good 15 years and still be miles above your closest competitors. What about this time then? Well, it was good, that's for sure. Kelly Schaefer is still the charismatic and funny (begging for weed all along the show) frontman I remembered, the new bass player is awesome (but not as facially talented as Tony Choy), both the old and new songs were really cool (especially "On They Slay", one of my favourite songs ever, by any band). But - yes, there is a but - even when the bass player is that good, not hearing the guitars in a technical death metal show is sort of a turnoff. You can't fight a bad sound, and this is unfortunately what we'll remember from this Atheist show.

Momo: The band was in place, tight and all, but there was a little spark missing. Was it because there was no Tony Choy (his successor is as good, sure, but can't make the funny faces Tony did)? Or because the new songs, while good, sound weak compared to the awesomeness of, say, "Retribution" or "Mother Man"? Add to this a recurring sound problem on the Mainstage 2 this day (where were the guitars?), and that made for a so-so show. Not a bad set at all, but it was far from 2007's sheer brilliance.

White Winter Sun: I just saw some songs of their show, but from what I have heard, I am a little bit disappointed by their performance. I do not know exactly if it was due to my position in front of stage, but the sound was pretty horrible. Thankfully, this band knows how to play and demonstrates how technical their music is. No doubt of that, these musicians clearly know how to handle their instruments. On the other hand, the band seemed to be in an automatic way, and not really convincing in their attitudes. Anyway this show was not bad at all and it was all the same a pleasure to see the band evolving at Hellfest.



Band Gallery by Ivor, Moocher


The Ocean 13:30/14:10, Terrorizer Tent




Collin: I've seen only a couple of minutes of The Ocean, and while I found them lacking a bit in the energy department compared to the last time I saw them, I really enjoyed the flow of music and the quality of the clean vocals. Too bad it was tartiflette time, otherwise I'd definitely have tried to catch a bit more of their set.

Momo:And well, I made the same mistake than Collin? It seems I left before the real fun began. See, the show started all mellow, but afterwards, the band went nuts, with the singer crowdsurfing (at least twice), Robin Staps too? Another awesome moment I've failed to catch!



Band Gallery by Ivor


Firewind 13:40/14:25, Mainstage 1

wrathchild: Power metal definitely isn't represented a lot at Hellfest, but - take it from a former power metal aficionado - one Firewind can make up for quite a number of other power metal bands.
They have talent, good songs, and their performances are always nice to follow. And that's more or less what we got at Hellfest, even though the overall effect was not as strong as what you can get in a traditional venue, with a full show. And on this third and last day of festival, the crowd was not as reactive as what it would normally be. Nevertheless, the band went on with their set and surprised me with having an encore - not very common for a 45 minute show in the morning.


Arkona 13:40/14:25, Rock Hard Tent

White Winter Sun: For this show, it was a festive atmosphere under the Rock Hard tent. Clearly the band was expected here and the fans must have been pleased in regards of the band's performance. Their mix of Pagan and Folk metal worked very well. Masha "Scream" Arhipova was very active on stage, the audience responded well and was rather crazy, especially the first rows in the middle. A really good set which was very pleasant to follow.



Band Gallery by Moocher, White Winter Sun


Orphaned Land 14:30/15:10, Mainstage 2




Momo: Great as always - maybe slightly less compared to last year's French tour - Orphaned Land were once again all about communion between band and audience, communion and peace between different cultures, as evidenced by the presence of one friend of them, a female dancer from Lebanon. Two little things did disappoint me, the first one was of course the bad sound on the Mainstage 2 this day, and then Kobhi did have some slight problems with his clean vocals. This didn't prevent me - or anyone for that matter - to enjoy the show, to sing along and generally have a great time!



Band Gallery by Ivor, Moocher


Knut 14:40/15:20, Terrorizer Tent

Collin: I think no one ever told Knut that metalheads can be sensitive, quiet, easily scared people. I don't think they were aware that they just served the most violent set of the whole festival. They just shoved their calmer, more moody moments in a place that, while space-saving, limited their exposure to sunshine, and just focused on methodically deconstructing the face of every member of the helpless, unsuspecting audience. They filled the Terrorizer tent with gloom, darkness and an unbelievable rage. I have rarely witnessed such fury onstage. This was the sort of show that changes your perception of music.



Band Gallery by White Winter Sun


Duff Mc Kagan's Loaded 15:15/16:05, Mainstage 1

Most people were obviously here to see the ex-Guns'n Roses, despite the singer's effort to remind everyone this was a band called Loaded?



Band Gallery by Moocher


Tsjuder 15:15/16:05, Rock Hard Tent




White Winter Sun: Do you want some black metal now? Yes? Ok direction the Rock Hard tent where black metallers Tsjuder are ready to invade the stage. Even though the sound was not at the top (once again under this tent I would say), this show was very intense, savage and cold, just as black metal must be. The band was well in place, ready to fight and has delivered a set full of aggressiveness. In short, a really good show from frosty countries.

Collin: Black'n'roll baby! Well not really, more like uncompromising trve evol black metal, but with an awesome rock'n'roll edge. Has true BM ever been so groovy and catchy? Have true BM musicians ever enjoyed themselves so much onstage? I'm not sure. In any case, the corpsepainted Tsjuder guys seemed to be having about as much fun as their audience and probably didn't regret choosing Hellfest for their reunion show. Tsjuder's a dish best served ice cold, they just froze everyone in awesomeness. One of the very good moments of the weekend.



Band Gallery by White Winter Sun


Ghost 15:50/16:35, Terrorizer Tent

White Winter Sun: I have missed them on the Paris date in Paradise Lost's "Draconian Tour" due to a line-up change (indeed they were replaced by French metallers Arkan on this date - [url= http://www.metalstorm.net/pub/concert_reviews.php#912]link[/url]). So it was time for a catch-up session. The band appeared totally masked, except their frontman Papa Emeritus. The show started with "Con Clavi Con Dio" and my first impression was: waoow! What a fucking great music! The whole show was simply splendid, atypical and unconventional. The audience was convinced too in regards of all the acclamations which have punctuated the band's performance. A nice discovery for me.



Band Gallery by White Winter Sun


Pain Of Salvation 16:10/16:55, Mainstage 2

wrathchild: I had to skip 2/3 of their concert (the pain) because of enjoying a hot shower (the salvation). Too bad since I was more familiar with the first songs than with what they played at the end, but what I saw was good, with a good sound. Only this time they didn't act very emotional, so they just focused on delivering only good music and they were great at that.

Ivor: Words of Daniel himself pretty much describe how I feel about their performance: "We're Pain Of Salvation - the pinnacle of the festival!" Maybe not the pinnacle but definitely one of the pinnacles and one of the bands I was waiting for. I still want to see their headlining show some day but haven't yet managed. This is the third time I've seen Pain Of Salvation, each time at this very same place, and it gets better and better, as if the band gets more used to metal festival stages. I know it's weird but that's how it feels. I think the songs chosen this time worked well for the crowd. And an ironic "And now for the prog-heads" thrown in before "Idioglossia" made a lot of faces smile.





Band Gallery by Ivor


Cavalera Conspiracy 17:00/18:00, Mainstage 1

Momo: Max should really take a break. He sounded so tired, missing two words out of three... Plus, what's the difference with Soulfly anyway? Live they sound the same. It was boring and lifeless to my ears. That said, most of the audience didn't care and moshed anyway (like on "Roots Bloody Roots").



Band Gallery by Ivor, Moocher


Kylesa 17:05/17:50, Terrorizer Tent

Collin: The first two times I saw Kylesa, they were sloppy, unfocused and looked bored and really unhappy, as if some Central American drug overlord put a gun to their families' heads and forced them to play one hour in front of a few hundred people. This time though, they were much tighter, they seemed concerned and I even saw Phil Cope and Laura Pleasants smile a little. That and the setlist, mostly based on the very great Spiral Shadows (with the inclusion of the even better "Scapegoat"), made for a much better show than usual. There's still a bit of sloppiness around the edges, but let's say it complements the rough side of their sludge metal. In any case, I had a very agreeable hour with these guys.

Ivor: As The Melvins, Kylesa was a total surprise for me. There weren't any expectations other than the genre tag. But when I was there, they totally blew my mind. The sheer power and energy of the performance was astounding. I can't say I remember much of it because it all seemed seemed to operate on a somewhat different level. I loved being there listening to it. And while Kylesa was the discovery of the festival for me, I have to admit that I am yet to listen to one of their CDs. I feel like I'm afraid of breaking the spell of it not being as good as live.



Band Gallery by Ivor, White Winter Sun


Anathema 18:05/18:55, Mainstage 2

Ivor: It seems that an Anathema performance in broad daylight can be a hit-or-miss kind of experience. Three years ago playing at this very stage they left me with a bland feeling. Sure, that was a great show but somehow it didn't click with me with sun shining and all. This time, however, while it wasn't all that much different weather-wise, the band on stage felt excellent. It was all there and as it should be.

Momo: I love seeing Anathema onstage. These guys live their music with a passion that makes each of their show a great moment? And this time was no exception, as it all started with Vinnie physically struggling with the cameraman that wanted to film him, while Vinnie wanted him to film the audience instead!
Music-wise, this was good as usual, mellow yet intense, with three songs only from their latest album We're Here Because We're Here. And once again, "Closer" was different from all the previous times they played it. Classy!

wrathchild: Awesome, as always, despite the English-speaking girl behind me doing weird things like tapping to the music on my back with her fingers.
If you've never seen them live, do yourself this life-changing favor. Granted, it's not metal... it's so much more!





Band Gallery by Ivor, Moocher


Mr. Big 19:00/20:00, Mainstage 1

wrathchild: I missed half of it... and goddamn, the other half was excellent, with perfect mastery of how to incorporate shred moments within songs. Great attitude. Mr Big were huge



Band Gallery by Ivor, Moocher


Morgoth 19:10/20:00, Rock Hard Tent

White Winter Sun: The German strictness is not a legend, as the performance of Death metallers Morgoth easily demonstrated. Indeed, the band delivered a solid show with no place for approximations. Furthermore the sound was pretty good (yeah, a miracle occurred under this tent [end of joke]) reinforcing the impact of the music played by the band. A really good moment.

Collin: And the award of best stage presence of the fest goes to... Marc Grewe! Morgoth's set, mainly based on the Cursed album, was already awesome in itself, the second best death metal show of the weekend after Bolt Thrower, just before Severe Torture and Hail Of Bullets. The sound had enough oldschool edge and was clear enough to fit the band's own type of death metal. But their frontman really took things to a higher level. Beyond his impressive vocals, he showed more than enough communicative energy to get the crowd really wild, and was the attraction of the set. He single-handedly turned a very good concert into a great one. Well done sir.

Momo: Like Bolt Thrower and Hail Of Bullet, this was another catchy, groovy, excellent DM show. Having a frontman can indeed change a lot for a death metal band. And just like Martin Van Drunen and Karl Willetts, Mark Grewe was aggressive, energic, pacing onstage like a caged animal, plus he had this weird look with his colored lenses. And, OMG OMG OMFG, they played "Resistance" out of Odium! Another sonic orgasm.



Band Gallery by White Winter Sun


Goatsnake 19:35/20:20, Terrorizer Tent

Collin: From an awesome show to another. It never stops. I managed to catch the last twenty minutes of Goatsnake's set and regretted that they overlapped with Morgoth. Those who think that stoner is boring and sleep-inducing should really treat themselves to a Goatsnake show. It's for their own good. What I saw was an energetic, fast, good-natured monster ripping through the Terrorizer tent with evident rapture. Mental note to self: try to catch Goatsnake again for a full set, it seems really worth it.


Doro 20:05/20:55, Mainstage 2

wrathchild: I had heard the tales of a legendary woman warrior, whose chanting was so powerful it chased evil away, and so magical it gave her eternal youth and a dedicated army of fans. Can you imagine how amazing it is to see that the legend was true? My right ear does still remember the dedicated fan nearby screaming to (my) death, he was real, as real as Doro and her legend.
She was really pleased to be there and it showed in her performance. She told us that for her very first show in France, she had the chance to open for one of her favorite band: Judas Priest.
It's amazing to compare how age hasn't affected her as much as it has on Rob Halford! And to this regard, I must say I agreed with the guy holding a sign that read "Doro = MILF Power" even though he was somewhat annoying, trying to have his sign shown on the screen throughout all the show. Also, I wouldn't have drawn a dick on the said sign... But I ceased to be distracted by this when my right ear alerted me that Doro had started the very last song of the show: "All We Are".



Band Gallery by Ivor, Moocher


The Black Dahlia Murder 20:50/21:40, Terrorizer Tent

White Winter Sun: This band is a blast on stage and it seems that many people moved to the Terrorizer tent to see them. Just before the beginning of the show, the atmosphere was already electric and when the first notes of "A Shrine To Madness" resounded under the tent, the first rows became crazy. The sound was powerful and Trevor Strnad was without any doubt the most active on stage, while the rest of the band being surprisingly rather static and a little bit in the background. Anyway the set was solid and the audience seemed to be pleased, seeing its restlessness during the whole show.



Band Gallery by White Winter Sun


Judas Priest 21:00/22:25, Mainstage 1

Collin: I've seen the first Priest half-hour before Electric Wizard and it seemed much better than the last time I went to one of their shows (it was in 2009 and they had been ripped apart by Testament and Megadeth). Judas Priest was in much better shape at Hellfest and even Rob Halford seemed to have recovered most of his range. They treated us to a couple of well-performed old songs ("Rapid Fire", "Metal Gods", "Starbreaker", "Victim Of Changes") that allowed the new guitarist to show that he's got nothing to be jealous of KK Downing, not even in the sartorial department. Anyway, from what I've seen, this was a good Priest show that rekindled my faith in the band.

wrathchild: The real headliner for me, waaaaaay above Ozzy... But even before the departure of founding member K.K. Downing, the band's ability to provide a good show was questioned - mainly because age seemed to have got the most of Rob Halford's talents. For instance, I wasn't very impressed when I saw them 2 years ago in Paris (along with Megadeth and Testament, a great tour).
Well, let it be said that the metal gods didn't disappoint on their Epitath tour Sure, Rob was a bit slow and some of his screams weren't perfectly adjusted but the overall performance was better than what I had previously experienced. We got our share of classics and I see no reason to be disappointed regarding the setlist. What seemed more important to me was that the new guy, guitarist Richie Faulkner, proved to fit perfectly and I got the feeling he had brought new strength to the band.
It could well be the last time I see Judas Priest on stage, but if so I can say it ended on a high.



Band Gallery by Ivor, Moocher


Korpiklaani 21:35/22:25, Rock Hard Tent

White Winter Sun: Are you thirsty? Yes? Ok go to the Rock Hard tent and have a drink in honor of Korpiklaani in a very festive atmosphere. The audience was very massive for this show, heralding that an upbeat mess was going to occur under this tent. Clearly it was the case and this show was very festive and marked by a real communion with the band; indeed, the audience never stopped to sing with the band during the whole set. Korpliklaani 1 - Beers 1.



Band Gallery by Moocher, White Winter Sun


Electric Wizard 22:10/23:00, Terrorizer Tent

Momo: Mesmerizing, crushingly heavy stuff. Just close your eyes, headbang, and let yourself loose in this ocean of noise. The 'only' problem is that you wouldn't see the movie - Jess Franco's Exorcism (French cover) that way.

Collin: In 2009, Electric Wizard played the best show of the festival, a monument of crushing heaviness that made you feel as if you were repeatedly colliding with New Zealand's rugby team. So there was no way I was going to miss them now. Well, the setlist was similar to 2 years ago and Electric Wizard played one of the best shows of the festival, a monument of crushing heaviness that made you feel as if you were repeatedly colliding with New Zealand's rugby team. Unlike in 2009 they communicated a bit with the audience, which unfortunately sort of disrupted the hypnotic flow of their set. Like Neurosis or Ufomammut, Electric Wizard are better off not interacting with the crowd. It doesn't suit their atmosphere. Anyway, there's one thing that made this show slightly less good than what it could and should have been: they projected an 80's bondage erotic movie on a screen behind the drumkit. That's ok per se, only it didn't complement the music at all, it didn't bring any sort of extra layer of atmosphere, all it did was distract the eyes and take the mind off the music. I still haven't understood the purpose of showing this particular movie. It just didn't fit and it turned an otherwise great show into a very good one only.



Band Gallery by White Winter Sun


Therion 22:30/23:20, Mainstage 2

wrathchild: Therion already played at Hellfest in 2007, and Christofer Johnson said then that "in 20 years of Therion, this is the worst organization I've ever seen", or something like that. I hope he can now echo some other bands that took the opportunity to play Hellfest again to say how much they were glad and impressed that the festival was now among the very best in the world.
The show went on untroubled. Basically, it was a fairly typical Therion show. We got newer material and classics ("To Mega Therion", "The Rise Of Sodom And Gomorrah", "Ginnungagap", etc.) as well as the ABBA cover "Summernight City" (which I hate...). The stage wasn't really decorated - perhaps due to the fact they were playing a relatively short set in between two big names (Judas and Ozzy) - apart from some of the musicians (though not a fan of the hat Christofer wore, and the fact he cut his hair). At one point they welcomed the belly dancer Orphaned Land invited on stage earlier and at that moment the show got worse for me... I was already struggling for a good view because of one tall guy and an amateur maniac photographer when the crowd became more compact, after realizing that a lovely female was dancing on stage. It eventually cooled down when she got out and I could enjoy the last minutes of the gig without wanting to start a killing frenzy.
Although it did not feel like a full-fledged Therion live experience and could have been better, it was good enough.

Ivor: Therion is a band that has to be seen live. And a 50 minute set for Therion is nowhere near enough. It'll always leave you wanting for more. Since I had seen them half a year ago on their own, at Hellfest I could basically revisit that awesome experience that was Therion, a brief glimpse to refresh my memories. The interesting thing was that they ended their show not with "To Mega Therion," which is their usual choice, but with a cover of ABBA's "Summernight City." I didn't even know they did it that way.





Band Gallery by Ivor, Moocher


Ozzy Osbourne 23:25/00:55, Mainstage 1




Collin: Ozzy Osbourne is an old man. Seriously, he looks like he's just been lifted from a nursing home, put on a wheelchair, then brought on stage on one of those Stannah lifts and delivered in front of the microphone. When he grabbed the mic stand, he reminded of these old people you see in movies and TV series, of the sort that wander around chained to a mobile perfusion unit. But none of this really matters when Ozzy Osbourne plays this setlist:

Because let's face it, even if he lost about 70% of his voice, how cool is it to have THE Black Sabbath singer perform "War Pigs", "Rat Salad", "Iron Man", "Fairies Wear Boots" and "Paranoid"? And when he adds his great solo things like "Bark At The Moon" and "Crazy Train", all you can do is watch and cry. When the setlist is that good, the execution and anything surrounding the music becomes superfluous. Even if seeing Ozzy in that shape was a little embarrassing, this show was magical. What do you mean "fanboy"?

wrathchild: I've never liked Ozzy, and throughout the first 2 songs all I could hear was some average music and a boring frontman, who kept on saying "I can't hear you!" so many times that I thought maybe he was announcing a song called "I can't hear you" and couldn't remember he played it already, thus explaining the repetitiveness of the music to my ears.

Ivor: While I don't much care about Ozzy's performance, I wasn't going to skip photographing it. Hey, the guy is fun enough for that. All the photographers were warned that Ozzy would be using a foam gun on stage and we were advised to prepare accordingly. While I didn't think it mattered much, when I saw every other photographer lining up wearing rain-coats, I had to involuntarily dig out mine... which only proved to be a right decision. When Ozzy suddenly grabbed a foam gun during the second song I almost got the first blast head on into my camera. Only my Matrix-like reflexes saved me and I got it all over my back and head instead. After that it was the game of hide and peek - whether you shoot a photo of Ozzy, or Ozzy shoots your photo gun full of foam and you're done for the day. In the end leaving the photo pit we all looked like snowmen. It has to be the most fun I've ever had taking photos of any artist. Thanks, Ozzy, for including us in the fun!





Band Gallery by Ivor Moocher


Dark Tranquillity 23:25/00:25, Rock Hard Tent

Momo: The day when these guys will fail us live isn't upon us soon, that's for sure. Once again, just as usual, the band were happy to be there, and delivered an energic show. Maybe Mikael's voice wasn't as perfect as usual, but I can't say if that was just a trick of the sound or not.
Moshing was pretty difficult this time. See, at the end of such a fest, you're so tired that it can even become painful to move; so we weren't that many in the pit, something like 20 or 30 crazy, dead-tired guys. But well, it was time to draw on our last, unsuspected strengths, and share a happy violent time with those awesome musicians. Perfect ending, the last shows will be time to unwind a bit?

wrathchild: I try to attend all Dark Tranquillity shows I can since a few years despite owning none of their albums, simply because they have the power to make the shy me headbang like few bands ever managed to. And here I was again, giving my hair a good taste of the fresh air blowing through the Rock Hard tent. The gig was more or less the same as the last time I saw them [url= http://www.metalstorm.net/pub/article.php?article_id=838]in Paris[/url], so nothing special musically wise, but more importantly the band shared their enthusiasm to the crowd, thus creating a virtuous circle.
I was just hooked and I'm glad I was since this was the last show for me, closing a rather pleasant 2011 edition of the festival.

White Winter Sun: Seeing this band on stage is always a great pleasure. Many people were here tonight, ready and prepared to headbang during one hour. The band was very active on stage, especially Mikael Stanne who never stopped to stride the length and breadth of the stage during the whole set, cheering the fans at the same time. Furthermore, and as often I would say, Mikael was very talkative with the audience. He also has raised his glass to the fans, claiming: "This Hellfest beer is pretty good. Cheers!". The whole set was intense and classics were played tonight "Therein", "Misery's Crown" or "Final Resistance", all of them covered by the singing from the whole audience. Finally the band left the stage under long acclamations from the fans. A great show (even though it was not their best to date), with a fun atmosphere. This set completes the podium of my three favorite concerts of the festival.



Band Gallery by Moocher White Winter Sun


Hawkwind 23:30/00:30, Terrorizer Tent

Ivor: While Ozzy was playing on the mainstage, and Dark Tranquillity in the RockHard tent, Terrorizer tent featured Hawkwind. You might consider the legendary space rockers kind of out of place at a festival like Hellfest but truth be told, they fit in nicely among the other bands that played there within the tree days of the festival. Sharing crowd with two other big acts left the tent rather empty but those that were there were really enjoying the trance-like space rocking vibe that rolled over them, songs that - if you warped time into distance - kept going on and on and on and on for hundreds of miles with exotic dancers occupying your field of vision for the time being. Since I managed to recognise some of the songs, and saying I'm vaguely familiar with the material is an overstatement, I presume some classics were thrown at the crowd. I might only add that Hawkwind seemed to be just like I pictured them, no more, no less.



Band Gallery by Ivor


Opeth 01:00/02:00, Mainstage 2

Momo: A not-too-extreme band to close the fest? Well I dunno if that was such a great idea? Mark me, Opeth totally deserves their headliner status, but the mellow moments of their music almost made me fell asleep, as I was too tired to properly enjoy their set. Too bad, as it was a pretty good one, with a nice sound and the love-it-or-hate-it homor of Mikael Akerfeldt. Who easily gets the 'best joke of the fest' award with his "Did you like our support band, Ozzy Osbourne?"



Band Gallery by Ivor Moocher


Cradle Of Filth 01:00/02:00, Rock Hard Tent

Momo: I just went under the tent to see if Cradle were as bad live as usual? Once again, their sound wasn't great, and Dani was still butchering the music with his goblin screams. I couldn't help but laugh? and get out to check Kyuss.

White Winter Sun: To be completely honest with you, this band is far to be my cup of tea. But as I never saw them on stage, I thought it was a good opportunity to see the Cradle phenomenon. The Rock Hard tent was far for being full for this last show of the day and of the festival. I just saw the first two songs (just the time to take some pictures for the fans of the band here on MetalStorm) because I have found the sound to be pretty horrible, totally messed-up or whatever you want. Also, the band seemed to be out of place, which finally decided me to leave the tent. Definitively the kind of band for whom I would not pay a ticket to see them.



Band Gallery by Moocher White Winter Sun


Kyuss Lives 01:00/02:00, Terrorizer Tent

Momo: Some things weird to happen at festivals. Like this: I enjoyed the two or three songs of Kyuss I listened to - hey, remember that I utterly dislike stoner and Kyuss on albums. Sure, the sound, really heavy and hypnotic (totally unlike their studio recordings), had all to please me. Weren't I so tired, I would have stayed longer...

Collin: Is there any better way to close a festival than a live best of Kyuss? I don't think there is. Even if at that point I was so tired and aching that only sheer willpower could prevent me from collapsing and that I left midway through the set, I couldn't help but notice Kyuss is even better and more energetic onstage than on album. Well helped by a brilliant sound, the band went through all their best songs, for the greatest pleasure of a very devoted crowd. Those 35 minutes of intense pain were well worth it.

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Well, you see it coming: "we're sad it's finished, blabla, 'twas awesome, blab bla, coming next year blabla". It's a nice way to summarize it all, but that's really it indeed: it was awesome, we all had a fucking good time, we'll try our best to be there next year!

Momo: While this was not my most extreme Hellfest so far (2007 still holds the title, with all the mud and rain, and the physical exhaustion that came along), it was pretty close. First there was this fucking migraine that destroyed all my Friday evening. Then Saturday. I mean it, four fucking awesome and intense shows in a row do get you sky high for a looooooong time. Right now as I'm typing these words, just thinking about this Kreator set makes adrenaline running through my veins, with a stupid smiling crossing my lips. And no, I'm not usually the kind of guy than moshes a lot, but this year I went more than beyond my usual limits. An aftereffect of the migraine and frustration, I guess.

Once again, living something to its fullest - especially something as physically and emotionally intense as a metal festival - was very enlightening, to say the least.

Hey, I'm ranting about my feelings, but what about the Hellfest staff?




So, yes, this was once again a great festival. One of the best of all Hellfests, for sure? Most of the bands delivered great sets, there were no real problems? See you next year indeed!




The HF organizers are pretty closemouthed about it? But what's sure is that the fest will be held on what was the campsite up till now. So, the move is not big, metalheads won't lose all their landmarks (something the Leclerc supermarket head manager was pretty happy about)? And we might have the first band names in September...

So yeah, let's get ready for this "new battlefield"!






Once again, thanks to the Hellfest Team, for the huge work they put into this really successful sixth edition!
Also thanks to our friends and fellow MSers who were her with us!

Momo: I'll use this opportunity to extra thank all people I've spent some time with, chatted with, or with whom I had a good time. That includes, but is not limited to, my fellow MSers, friends and family, Martin LeMar (Mekong Delta), Jason Holloway (Atheist), Danny Cavanagh (Anathema), all the SUP team?