Hellfest promoters are very consistent in maintaining their status as one of the biggest festivals in Europe, having fast become an institution, with this year’s event taking place over June 15th-28th, 2023. After the double 2022 edition, promoters had big shoes to fill in order to top the previous year’s special edition. Fortunately, they didn’t desperately try to jump over the bar they set for themselves; instead, they invited an eclectic bunch of artists to their lineup in Clisson. The second day of Hellfest included bands like BRITSH LION, NOTHING MORE, ELEGANT WEAPONS, SKID ROW, MOTIONLESS IN WHITE, ABORTED, PAPA ROACH, FLOGGING MOLLY, BELPHEGOR, GORGOROTH, BLOODBATH, and VENOM INC.
Hellfest‘s second day kicked off with some classic hard rock/heavy metal coming from Steve Harris‘ (IRON MAIDEN) side project, BRITISH LION, which headed more into hard rock territory with a groovier spin on it. The band was mostly still exploring material from their 2020 release, “The Burning.” If you’re hoping for something adjacent to IRON MAIDEN, you’re not likely to find it here, but their music is definitely refreshing (especially after the lack of promised solo albums from Bruce Dickinson and a rather lukewarm reception to IRON MAIDEN‘s latest “Senjutsu.”)
Next, we opted for the American rock band NOTHING MORE, although truthfully it’s really hard to label in one word what they are all about as, they kind of explore whatever they feel like. One moment they look like a progressive alt-band, another moment they move in the complete other direction by presenting us with some metalcore. That allows this band vast creative liberty and the potential to attract a varied audience with their diverse setlist. Singer Johnny Hawkins is a natural born stage animal and vocalist, making the audience eat from his hand – an excellent choice to properly kick off the festival’s second day!
ELEGANT WEAPONS, yet another all-star supergroup set to play, consists of Richie Faulkner, Ronnie Romero, Christopher Williams, and Dave Rimmer, and were only formed as recently as October 2022, with their debut album in May 2023. Yet, because of this savvy bunch, they’ve made their way to most of the stages on European festivals. When names like that are attached to a project, you can expect them to deliver a grand heavy metal show, and it totally met any expectations, no disappointments here! We are eager to know if they will keep up the same quality in other releases, as their debut album was more than excellent.
We traded something new for something classic and thus ended up checking out SKID ROW‘s show. Let’s get one thing out of the way first thing: just because Sebastian Bach isn’t singing, doesn’t mean this band cannot still exist. Erik Grönwall turned out to be a seasoned vocalist who lost some of his baby teeth in Swedish H.E.A.T. He was very engaging and enjoyable to watch, making this a really dynamic show, mostly playing songs from their latest release, “The Gang’s All Here.”
Up next, we opted for something completely different. The American quintet MOTIONLESS IN WHITE play an interesting blend of metalcore and industrial/synth music with heavy CyberGoth imagery. Younger fans seemed to be particularly excited about this, knowing all of their lyrics. The band was focusing on songs from their latest release, “Scoring the End of the World,” which was released in 2022. While we didn’t know their material, they certainly knew how to deliver a show.
Belgian deathgrind machine ABORTED are always a good choice at any festival. They rarely perform any flashy antics on stage, but not to worry, they made up for it nicely with their absolutely devastating wall of sound. They aptly named their summer tour through Europe the Summer of Terror Tour, go figure.
Spending your time at a summer festival and not going to see such a legendary rock act like PAPA ROACH is pure heresy. In fact, it’s just not done, especially for any kid that hummed “Last Resort” and “Scars” in the ’90s. Singer Jacoby Shaddix and the rest of the gang have enough energy on stage for it to rub off on some of the other metal bands. They played material from their latest album, “Ego Trip,” which was released in 2021. Naturally, they didn’t skip the classics and the whole festival was probably singing along to “Last Resort.”
One would think that Celtic punk is not typical music to make an audience absolutely crazy, but think again! It was definitely appropriate that FLOGGING MOLLY were scheduled to play at the War Zone stage. First of all, it wasn’t easy to get there and it also wasn’t easy to get out – the place was literally packed, highly unusual for an open air stage. Their vocalist, Dave King, started by saying that they were told by Alice Cooper that they’re not a rock band. They definitely proved him wrong. There was a continuous stream of crowdsurfers, so many that it almost qualified for the presence of the Baywatch team. The band was promoting “Anthems,” which was released almost a year ago.
Austrian blackened death metal act BELPHEGOR don’t often refer to their shows as gigs, they see them more as a kind of ritual, and it’s most appropriate to call them that – just take a look at all the skeletal sculptures, incense, and blood on stage. The band was celebrating their 30th anniversary this year along with the release of their latest album, “Devils.” Their shows are always top-notch, polished to the last detail, and they never disappoint, and this was yet another one for the books!
Norwegian black metal act GORGOROTH definitely chilled the atmosphere with their raw sounding black metal. The band was exploring some of their older songs, as they haven’t had any new releases since 2015, making this a show filled with classics. Their live vocalist, Hoest, is always a guarantee for a mesmerizing show, as he’s very charismatic and eye-catching.
Since we haven’t had enough supergroups yet on our schedule for today, we opted for checking out BLOODBATH, who consist of current and past members of KATATONIA, PARADISE LOST, and OPETH. To keep themselves balanced, these lads are exploring the heavier scope of their skillset, playing death metal. They were promoting their latest release, “Survival of the Sickest,” which meant that the live set truly included some gems. Nick Holmes is a very subdued frontman, if you remember that they are playing death metal. Nonetheless, it was a good contrast that also catches the eye.
The final act for us of the second day of Hellfest was VENOM INC. The band includes former members of VENOM, DEMOLITION MAN, and MANTAS, who joined forces and came back to the classic band lineup in 2015 as a one time act… that didn’t go as planned. The audience loved it so much, they decided to keep going. Rightfully so, they are another band that doesn’t care about complicated scenography or any other sort of gimmicks: what you see is what you get. The band is currently promoting their latest release, “There’s Only Black,” from 2022. This was the perfect kind of straightforward band to end the festival’s second day with: no nonsense!
Notes by Maria Sawicka, text by Laureline Tilkin
Photos by Maria Sawicka
