Festival Area Second Part


Concerts Thursday, 06-23-2022

Lili Refrain (Altar)

Lili Refrain constructed an acoustic burger with each and every song she performed. The bread was a drum loop, the salad a guitar loop, the cheese was a synthysizer loop, the meat the vocals, and back to the covering bread, she changed the loops. It was interesting for 15 minutes and predictable for the rest of the concert.



Los Dissidentes del sucio Motel (Valley)

Still the same try to perform compromised music as in 2017. And why to put the monitors as obstacles in the middle of the stage and why is the frontman at the side and walks between the limelight and his keyboard which he used altogether for 5 minutes? Why does this band plays for the second time in 5 years in the Valley?



Zeal & Ardor (Temple)

Nothing has changed with Zeal and Ardor: it remains a calculated music as it did already in 2018. This doesn´t come out of the soul although it pretends to be soulful music. It´s a commercial idea behind this band and their music. I´m happy that our friend Lukas Kurmann plays bass with them and so he can feed his family.



Insomnium (Temple)

Boring Death Metal just until they played their melodic songs at the end of the set. 



Solstafir (Temple)

The soundtrack turned out well, without any problems. But the concert itself was a continious flow of technical issues, be it Adalbyorn´s guitar, monitor sound, the not well balanced volume between the instruments, the missing or the over the top volume on the vocals. We never heard and saw that many problems during a concert since 2011. We left, because we couldn´t stand and wouldn´t see one of our favorite band fail that much. It was sad for us to see them suffer on stage. "Fjara" seemed to sound well so we returned to leave after this song.



Concerts Friday, 06-24-2022

Fauxx (Mainstage 1)

We know Joby as Tagada Jones´ and Le Bal des Enragés´drumer and his music what he actually plays. Fauxx showed us what an incredible good drummer he is and that his vision of music is much more broader than just playing punk rock songs. A surprisingly good concert with a music that unites a groovy drumming with synths and deep Death Metal growls.



As a new Revolt (Valley)

RATM with a lot of Samples and Playback sounds. Very cheap concept which leads actually on the Valley stage.



Yarotz (Altar)

This band was more Napalm Death than Napalm Death. It was like a flashback in 1987, when I discovered Napalm Death. Nothing new, nothin special, just friendly violence in the morning on stage and in the audience.



The Baboon Show (Warzone)

I saw this band on a US-Vintage-Car exhibition and I felt in love with their punky way to play Rock´n Roll and in the pure joy to play Rock´n Roll on stage. Actually the first Rock´n Roll band at the Hellfest. I screamed my soul out by "Radio Rebelde", so the day was saved by a small Swedish band.



Okkultokrati (Valley)

It´s not only growling vocals, it is not only Space Rock, it is not only Death Punk, it is not only Stoner, it´s Okkultokrati, hailing with all the possible musical influences from Norway.  This band unites all the music we like so this concert turned into a great surprise and this band turned in one of our new favorite bands. 



Fractal Universe (Altar)

we were attracted by the name of the band and scared away by their music. Death Metal of the poorest and oldest way.

Stöner (Valley)

This band is like batch engineering. Two famous guys and appearently iconic figures in the Stoner scene with obviously no more ideas how to rock are the publicity for their music. If only Brant Björk or Nick Olivieri are in a band, that has to be cool or so. Nah, it wasn´t cool, it was boring. With a view back you have to admit that Josh Homme did the more interesting music after the Kyuss split.



Dirty Shirt (Altar)

This band beat the official Hellfest record: 20 band members on stage. And the sound tech beat the record that each and every voice and instrument could be heard. So we enjoyed some Balkan Gypsi Death Metal Polka for around 30 minutes. It was very funny to watch this band.



New Model Army (Valley)

After some three hours of pouring rain, New Model Army was our re-entry into the festival. Wasn´t a good choice. This band was, is and will be a club-band for intimate stories and wisdoms Justin Sullivan tells in his lyrics. And: don´t blame the French that only two things matter in France: Food and Love.



Enslaved (Temple)

The lights were dynamite, the music not. We passed by for  the Warzone.



Bad Religion (Warzone)

After hearing them since the "Suffer" and "No Control" in 1989 and their gig in a full pack Beatbaracke in Leonberg in 1989, I regained my passion for Bad Religion. Greg Graffin and Brett Gurewitz wrote lyrics for these two records which explained and prophesied the men-made crisis in the last 30 years. And now, me as a retired teacher and punk rocker, I felt very close to those lyrics and of course to this incredible tight, powerful and melodic music which they performed here at the warzone. Fantastic concert, more fascinating than in 2018.



Concerts Saturday, 06-25-2022

Dätscha Mandala (Valley)

On this day, we deceided to stay the whole day at the Valley. Best decision ever made. So this young Frenchies offered us the essence of 70s rock: a bit progressive, a bit protopunk, a bit protometal and a drumsolo in a 40 minutes set and big smiling musicians. What a great start into the day.



My own private Alaska (Valley)

Never heard about this group. Ambitious urban poetry, supported by an e-piano and a synthisizer, which reminds me on Anne Clark, strong and emotional lyrics and an impressive voice. It was good for us for around 20 minutes, but in fact, there was too much suffering and pain which we were forced to listen.



Hällas (Valley)

This band blended some Uriah Heep fantasy and vocals with Thin Lizzy harmony guitars, galopping Iron Maiden rhythms, Yes lyrics into unique and non-predictable songs. The concert passed in two minutes and we were blown away by such a lot of harmonic lines in their songs. Stunning concert!



Slift (Valley)

The three French guys of Slift played Spacerock heavier and faster than Monster Magnet or Hawkwind, Doom Metal which is heavier than Electric Wizzard and the lightshwo was crazy enough to turn our brains into mud. The volume was around 15/10 so the rest of a working mind was blown out of our heads. Great!!



Villagers of Ioannina City (Valley)

We saw this band three times in 2022. The first gig took place in a small cellar bar in Salzburg´s Rockhouse, the second one was the Werk at Munich´s Backstage, which offered a bit more space for their music and the band. Hellfest´s Valley was the right place with the right audience which eagerly waited for them. And the band didn´t fail after 6 weeks on tour. Despite all the routine this band gained on the road, the band looked like "This cannot be true, that our music moves such a lot of people throughout Europe and especially here at the Hellfest." We were glad to see them on different stages and in fact, they don´t care were they play, they will always deliver a fantastic concert.




Monkey 3 (Valley)

Usually I cry only during "Icarus" due the beauty of the composition. This time, I cried during the whole concert. The band had obviously a great stage sound and a lot of fun to compete with the class of the previous concert. I couldn´t imagine that they could top their 2017 performance at the Valley. And indeed, they did. Wonderful



Kadavar (Valley)

Great sound, great show, great setlist. The best concert we saw of this band, just getting on stage, a firework of riffs, beats and lights which was far beyond any imagination. An absolutely fantastic concert.



Concerts Sunday, 06-26-2022

The Atomic Bitchwax (Valley)

Some Monster Magnet, some MC5 and some Motörhead at 11 a.m.? Yes, The Atomic Bitchwax nailed it early in the morning and the rest of my ears restarted to ring. A full-packed Valley that went crazy in the early morning.



Bokassa (Mainstage 1)

It was a pity that this band had to perform at the Mainstage1. It would have been better to put them into the Valley and blow the last fuses out of our heads. A mix that we really liked. Punk, Stoner, Metal, almost like Smoke Blow. We will get them in a clubshow or so.



Alien Weaponery (Mainstage 2)

The Maori elements were just used to perform a small haka before the concert. The band should integrate more Maori elements and some more folclore in their songs. The short magic flushed after 10 minutes



Destruction (Altar)

Okay, there will be some fans who won´t accept that Mike left Destruction after almost 40 years. Honestly said, I prefer this band with two guitars which really fit well to Schmier on bass. The sound was way better than with only one guitar and same with the stage acting. And if half of the audience start a circle pit throughout the whole concert, so it was a great concert. It´s interesting that the same band with the same setlist didn´t move any of the spectators on last year´s Alcatraz Festival.



Ignite (Warzone)

It was a pity to see this band without Zoli Teglas, one of my favorite voices in Punk. The band managed to find Eli as a support, but it´s not like it was before. Anyway, great show, unbeatable vocals and harmonies. But.... Yeah, it is never my band I used to listen and to like.



Pentagram (Valley)

A surprisingly good concert without fooling around, just old school Hard Rock with a fascinating voice and a well greased band. Never thought that occultism could be that funny and catchy.



Mercyful Fate (Temple)

I missed them to see in 1984 during wintertime. Now, almost 40 years later, this band is still fascinating with their musical skills, King Diamond´s voice and the biggest production in the Temple for years. Just take a look at the setlist and these songs will remain classics. Oh my god, I went totally insane during this concert and my wife got scared by seeing me that exhausted.



Orange Goblin (Valley)

After their concert in 2018 here at the Valley, we couldn´t believe that this concert could be exceeded. Orange Goblin made it, despite Metallica on the Mainstage. Circle Pits, Wall of Death, Slamers and divers and we couldn´t cope with this sheer power after that day. We left after "Acid Trial" to calm down a bit.