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The Chaoszine Hellfest 2024 Report, Day 2: Hotter than Hell!

Author David A – 20.7.2024

After a good night’s sleep, Friday morning at Hellfest was very sunny and bright again, and although I got up early, I realized how ridiculously long the lines for the showers and official merchandise were, so I decided to skip those and head to the VIP/press area. The organizers made sure that the media covering the festival had a great experience, with their own bar, exclusive toilets and restaurants, plus Alternating current/direct current Yes Kiss-themed pinball machines that were free to use. There were also plenty of places to sit and relax, as well as the ability to charge your devices and use the free wifi. These are nice touches that will make all the difference if you’re considering visiting the festival again in the future. Thumbs up to Hellfest for that!

Around noon I got to witness the first real highlight show of the festival for me and one of the reasons why I travelled all the way from Finland to France. Japanese power metal stars Love Bites don’t tour Europe that often, so this was a once in a lifetime chance to see them, regardless of the early and short time they got on the main stage. In just thirty minutes they delivered a tight set consisting mainly of songs from their last two full length albums “Judgement Day” and “Electric Pentagram” and I couldn’t stop smiling at how talented and passionate these girls are. Of course it would have been great to see them play a longer set in a smaller venue, but this was enough to cross them off my bucket list. A dream come true.

Then I went to the temple to see Coasts of Nullan Italian gothic doom band that I discovered thanks to the festival. Their music reminds me of lost paradisewith lots of melancholic vibes and a very minimalistic stage set, but they let the music speak for itself. Back on the main stage it was time for one of my most anticipated shows of the festival. The prog metal titans of Australia Carnivorous have been on my list of must see acts for years and it was finally my chance to see their absolutely masterful live performance. They focused on their magnum opus “Sound Awake” and despite the short time on stage I enjoyed every second of it and I will cherish this opportunity for years to come. I really hope they release a new album soon and do a more extensive European tour with a full set.

In the afternoon the temperature kept rising so I had to take a break and enjoy some cold drinks and delicious ice cream. French act Cloning, Einar Solberg‘s solo band and virtuoso instrumental outfit Polyfie provided a nice proggy soundtrack on this summer day. The all-star band Wild Lands (with members of Tombstone, Napalm death, The meeting, Death toll (among others) played a set that also included messages about environmental issues. Steel panther was the next act on the main stage and regardless of what you think of their lyrics, it’s always an interesting live show to watch if you don’t mind their very apolitically correct sense of humor. They claimed to have broken the Guinness Book World Record for the largest “Wall of Pussy” so you get an idea of ​​what was going on on stage.

The icing on the cake of the second day came from one of Finland’s biggest exports in the field of contemporary metal bands. Amorphoses has gained wide recognition over their three-decade career and I have seen them many times on Finnish soil, but it was interesting to see how much attention they can draw for an international audience. The Finns are still touring with their latest studio effort “Halo” and their setlist was somehow predictable, but very efficient and technically perfect in execution. My last show of the day was Norwegian black metal legends Emperorwho played to a packed Temple stage, which is a remarkable feat considering Machine head performed simultaneously on the main stage. I think this speaks to the variety and quality of the acts chosen to perform at primetime at Hellfest.

The concerts lasted until 2am, but after another long day of standing in the crowds under the sun, it was time to recharge my batteries for what would be the biggest day of the festival for me.

To be continued …

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