Similar to Saturday at Hellfest, during the last festival day I was very selective with the acts that I would shoot versus the acts I would attend to simply watch. Finally I ended up enjoying acts like Killswitch Engage, Arch Enemy, Amorphis, Septicflesh, At the Gates, Exodus and Nightwish. It was an honour to be right there in front of them, even for one song.
[If you’re just tuning in now, catch up on our reviews of Hellfest – Day One and Day Two.]
I was very impressed by the performance of At the Gates and, I need to say, their latest album To Drink from the Night Itself sounds very intense live.
Arch Enemy was also a first time for me. As I imagined, their show is also outstanding, especially singer Alissa White-Gluz, who exuded an unrelenting energy while running back and forth on the stage – banging her head with her trademark blond-blue mane, interacting with fans, all while singing and growling with real passion.
After three days of hard decibels, melting heat and legends across six stages time, the came for Nightwish to put an end to the 13th edition of Hellfest. Still full of energy and enthusiasm, the crowd was extremely supportive with the band. This has definitely to do with the unique way Floor Jansen interacts with the public. Nightwish offered an amazing show, a set list of 13 songs, including most of the band’s popular songs like “End of all Hope”, “Elan”, and “Amaranth”.
Final thoughts
Hellfest is one of the best-run and most organized festivals I have ever attended. The food was great, the bartenders walked around carrying kegs, so beer was easily accessible no matter where you were on the grounds. And the cashless cards were a great way to not be carrying around stacks of cash for drinks.
The Metal Corner town had great vendors, art galleries, wrestling, barbers, street signs, street sculptures. Everything you would expect from an actual town.
Hellfest went beyond being just a festival with great bands: it was a hometown for metal heads. Thank you for having me Hellfest and see you next year!
