Hellfest 2022 Review

 A hell of an experience. 

After 2 years of intermittent lockdown and virus spreading, it was time for the bands to hit the stage and for their fans to headbang in front of them and what a better place for that than Clisson, France, the small town of Hellfest, the biggest metal festival in France and one of the biggest in Europe. 

Even if the tickets are sold out in a few hours after their online offering, I had the chance to purchase a ticket through the official app 'Tickets Swap' months later and as I'm living 30 minutes away from Clisson, I couldn't miss the chance to go see many of the bands I love. 

I will mention in the following, some of the bands I've watched: 

• The Great Old Ones:  A Post Black Metal band from Bordeaux - France. Recommended. 
• Opeth: the great progressive metal Swedish band. Although, I'm not a big fan but I found their live show much better than album recordings. I thought that their music was more calm, but I was surprised by the growling of Mikael Akerfeldt.
• Rotting Christ: The Greek legends with their black metal infused with oriental melodies. Essential.
• Primordial: The best show for the first day was with the Irish black/folk (Celtic) legends, with their specific lyrical style, the hegemonic presence of Alan "Nemtheanga" and Irish flags in the crowd.

• Five Finger Death Punch: I like their groovy/alternative metal style, but I found their live show an imitation of Slipknot style. I didn't like their lead vocalist Ivan Moody and his wardrobe's changing constantly, but their guitarists are astonishing. 
• Deftones: I'm a big fan of this nu metal band, but I didn't find the live show as per my expectations. Chino has always his own performer style. 
• Heaven Shall Burn: The best show for me in the second day. In the afternoon with 40 Celsius degrees,  firefighters were spraying the fans who were in front of the stage. Circle pits, Walls of death and heavy riffs accompany the left-wing lyrics of this German metalcore / deathcore group. 

• Megadeth: One of the Thrash big 4 with their legendary lead vocalist Dave Mustaine's sound and his guitar playing.  To satisfy those  who couldn't watch Metallica in the 2nd weekend. 
• Sepultura: A great mistake by the organizers was to program the Brazilians on the Altar stage. This show deserves to be on a mainstage, as a respect to the history and the big crowd, as well as to the performance of Derick Green and his bandmates.
• Ghost: Not a big fan of the Swedish rockers and their pope/s, but their melodies and their eccentric on-stage presence is worth-watching. 
• Lacuna Coil: the Italian Gothic leaders with the beautiful Cristina Scabbia offered a good start of the 3rd day and up to the expectations. 

• Regarde les hommes tomber:  An emerging post black metal band from Nantes-France. Also recommended for those who don't know them yet. 
• Counterparts: While the Ukrainians Jinjer were playing the mainstage, my first trip to the Warzone was to watch this Canadian hardcore band and it seems I'm gonna be listening to their music more frequently. A fine discovery along with the Americans Knocked Loose. 
• Dying Fetus & Misery Index: Known for their technical death metal/ Grindcore and their left-wing lyrics, their shows were energetic with a continuous crowd surfing in the Dying Fetus show and an continuous Circle pit in the Misery Index show. 
• Korn:  As its my 2nd time, seeing them, I watched only some songs of the Korn show who was heavily crowded as expected and its always a great opportunity to see Jonathan Davis performance. 
• Walls of Jericho: In parallel to the French post-black metal band Alcest, I had to choose the Walls of Jericho breathtaking show. The metalcore band with their female led vocalist Candace Kucsulain ruled the warzone. Also, a fine discovery of the festival.  
• Gojira :  The final act of the first weekend was with the French most known metal band in history Gojira with their visuals show and their eco-friendly lyrics. 

Apart from that I couldn't watch  completely the Judas Priest and Deep Purple for older fans. But in the end, due to logistical reasons, unfortunately I missed final concert by the black metal legends Watain.

As a conclusion, Hellfest a pilgrimage that every metal fan should do. 

Sepultura - The Age Of The Atheist

What do you see depends of what you are looking for and what are you looking for, needs to be believed.
It needs to exist in your head, you need to believe to disbelief.
What do you believe depends on the idea planted in your mind, what type of seeds have been planted?
What do you believe depends on what you see!

Diversions are blocking our vision from the truth, the clear reality
Diversions turn our world to shit - must stop- DENY!
No Gods, no leaders, no prophets telling my future!
No heaven, no hell, not a messiah!

The needle of our medicine injecting poison vaccines
Our veins no longer carry blood – robotized- I DENY!
No news, no adds, no anchor telling us lies
No secrets, no war, there’s no savior!

It’s the age of the atheist!
It’s the age of the atheist!
It’s the age of the atheist!
It’s the age!

All your senses – Eyes wide open
All your senses – Eyes wide open
All your senses – Eyes wide open
All your senses – Eyes wide open

It’s the age of the atheist!

Brujeria - Marcha De Odio

Marcha de odio
Sardos de raza
Raza de odio
Grito de guerra!
"Siento ese odio que no sale, hasta tarde"
"Te meten lo maldito y no sabes, a tu madre"
"Odio a soldados que se crean, muy cabrones"
"Si matan a los pobres, yo te chingo!!"
MALDICIONES!
Sardos - Pendejos
No maten - Los indios
Porque - Brujería
Te mete - MALDICIONES!
"Ejército del Brujo son greñudos, son cabrones"
"Los sardos que nos buscan son mamones, maricones"
"Odio a la fuerza del gobierno, culeros"
"Si matan a mis ratas yo te jodo,"

[English translation:]

March of hate
Soldiers of race
Race of hate
Cry for war

I'm feeling that hate that don't appear, until later
They fill you with evil and your clue less, from your mother
I hate soldiers who think they're the shit, mother-fuckers
If you kill the poor I'll be fucking with you!
EVIL CURSES!

Soldiers - Morons
Don't Kill - The Indians
Because - Witchcraft
Will fill you with - Evil curses

The warlock's army are all longhairs, they're mother-fuckers
The soldiers who hunt us are pussies, faggots
I hate the power of the government, assholes
If you kill my rats I'll be fucking with you
EVIL CURSES!

Soldiers - Morons
Don't Kill - The Indians
Because - Witchcraft
Will drill you - Evil curses

March of hate
Soldiers of race
Race of hate
Cry for war

Arch Enemy - Rise Of The Tyrant

The end is near. Panic is closing in. Sick with fear they run
Watch freedom’s fall. What have we become? Cannon foder

[Lead – Christopher]

Reign of terror. Enslave the nations – devastation!
This is war – Pull the trigger. One nation under their control
Rise – The Tyrants rise! The enemy inside – The tyrants rise
The end is here – Feel it closing in
Blood runs red

Watch in horror – Our lives destroyed
We failed

[Lead – Michael]

The final holocaust
Enslave the nations – annihilation!

This is war – Pull the trigger. One nation out of control

[Lead – Christopher] [Lead – Michael]
[Lead – Christopher] [Lead – Michael]

War, pain suffering
The price we pay to stay alive
Blood, fire, death
His Glory come, his kingdom rise
This world will burn!

Brutal Truth - War Is Good

War is good
Can't you feel the prosperity
Breath success
Knocking on the door
Handing out all the blood soaked money
Our future world collapsing in the infrastructure

Killing survival

Killing survival
Once you drop and break your silence
Killing survival
Our future world will explode
Killing survival
A life based on random crime
Killing survival
Would you rather educate

Kill or survive it does not matter
As long you do not educate

Mumakil - Mass Murder Institution

Hundreds deaths per year,
That's not enough for them
And for their traditions,
They would do anything

Neutral country
But necessary war for you,
You're given warfare
That you keep at home

In spite of many warnings,
Our government denies any responsibility,
In the slaughter to be perpetrated.
A decimated family, Massacred citizens
That's not enough for them
To finally change that

Misery Index - Unmarked Graves

Lost in the annals of time long past over,
Deep in soil, shallow and unkempt,
Brothers and sisters, in ground hallowed sacred,
Their blood, this earth, we will consecrate,
Their eyes once boiling with life,
Their hearts bursting with passion,
With dreams they carried forever,
Through days that promised the world,
Then came the black winds burning,
The beasts with fire in their hands,
The execution squads surrounding,
And their children in pieces at their feet,
...and who stood watching?
From El Mozote to Amritsar,
From Nanking to My Lai,
From Srebrenica to Algiers,
From Wounded Knee to Sabra-Shatila,
From Tiananmen to East Timor,
From Warsaw to Darfur,
From Guernica to Halabja,
Their spirit lives in defiance of it all,
Graves of our fathers vanquished,
Entombed in their furrowed prisons,
Soldiers programmed, show no mercy,
Following their orders from tyrants that hide behind politics
...and the world stood watching,
Regret, nausea and rage,
"Never Again" was the phrase,
Lest not our conscience we betray,
...as we stand passive in our guilt.

Rotten Sound - The Guard Of The Paradise

A distressed mind
Takes over your head
The better one, the most beautiful
The raw shit

An insane dictator
The little Adolf Hitler
Is boiling your mind
Cooking your lamb wool brain

A distressed mind
Takes over your head
The better one, the most beautiful
The raw shit

An insane dictator
The little Adolf Hitler
Is boiling your mind
Cooking your lamb wool brain

An insane dictator
The little Adolf Hitler
Is boiling your mind
Cooking your lamb wool brain

Revocation - Dismantle The Dictator

The corpse master presides
Over congregation zombified,
Indoctrinating the populace.
A military nation.
Upon the eve of war.
Inflicts retaliation.
On enemies in distant shores.

Gripped by an iron hand.
Military industrial.
Exterminating the dissident voice.
A military nation.
Upon the eve of war.
Inflicts retaliation.
On enemies in distant shores.

The fog of propaganda. Instilled across generations.
Inhibits thought, Sapping vital motivations.
Proliferation instead of disarmament.
Destined to fail, meltdown is imminent.

Overlord overthrown.
(Overlord overthrown.)
A challenge to rise from the rhetoric,
(Overlord overthrown.)
Dismantle dictators and rancorous politics.

Gorefest - Revolt

The systematic rape of the way I am living
It makes me mad, it makes me sad, it makes me unforgiving,
I'm sick of being silent.
I'm sick of being numb.
Whatever war they think they're winning, fuck it,
We have just begun.

Revolt!
Regardless of the outcome,
Our future is untold.

Revolt!
Revolt!
Kill with rage, die in flames,
The future is untold.

Twenty million graves are dug by catholic religion,
It makes me mad, it makes me sad, it makes me unforgiving.
I come to one conclusion -
No room for absolution.
Someone ought to shout you in the name of retribution.

Revolt!
Regardless of the outcome,
Our future is untold.

Revolt!
Revolt!
Kill with rage, die in flames,
The future is untold.

[INTERLUDE (Radio crackling):]
[Voice:]
'And yes, I can understand that it was quite disturbing for the majority of the population when the world leaders, both political and religious, were taken out of their offices and shot on the streets.
But, looking back at that day, it was by far the best thing the 21st-century brought us.'

Revolt!
Regardless of the outcome,
Our future is untold.

Revolt!
Revolt!
Kill with rage, die in flames,
The future is untold.

Where's the voice of the intellectuals?
Where's the burning barricade?
All I see is conformation to the ongoing rape!

Where's the killing of the tyrants?
Where's the death of the state?
All I see is conformation to the stalemate!