Another Hellfest and another unforgettable experience! It’s interesting how the moment you leave Hellfest on Sunday night, you start thinking about what to expect next year. Read below my Hellfest 2017 Review!

Hellfest became like the cliffhangers of our favorite TV shows such as Game Of Thrones and The Walking Dead, which leave us on the edge of our seats for a whole year, and it isn’t just the line-up. Because after many years of the festival, it is evident that each year, Hellfest will be packed with many great headliners and a line-up that is jaw-dropping.

It is also the many changes that happen on the ground of the festival, the activities, the decorations, the merchandise and the meet and greet sessions, the press area, which is the best press area among thousands of festivals around the globe.

As I entered the festival, the press area was transformed drastically comparing to last year; the area became a piece of Art, a luxury Heavy Metal lounge if I may describe it.

The weather was incredible and people were swimming in the small pool located in the press area.

The two main stages were mighty as always, gigantic screens to ensure over 100,000 meatlheads enjoy the whole experience even if they were far from the stages.

With 6 stages hosting 170 bands from all kinds of Metal, Hellfest is the leading Rock and Metal festival in the world.
The great team behind Hellfest has done a magnificent work in just few years to turn the festival to the top of the mountain.

What makes this festival special is that despite the grand success, festival founder Ben Barbaud’s ambition doesn’t stop there; the unholy land keeps expanding and developing in a way that every time we go, it feels like the first time.

DAY 1

The first day was packed with high profile bands such as Evergrey, Queensryche, Devin Townsend, Powerwolf, Obituary, Sabaton, Rob Zombie, and the list goes on.

Queensryche delivered a great show as usual and Todd La Torre continues to win the hearts of Queensryche fans and Heavy Metal fans in general. Fans headbanged to many classics including Operation: Mindcrime, Queen of the Reich, Empire, and Eyes Of a Stranger.

Devin Townsend’s performance was insane. He promised the fans a weird Canadian Progressive music and he delivered. His setlist included songs from his various projects with tracks such as Supercrush, Failure, March of the Boozers, and Higher.

This year, Hellfest bids farewell to some legends. First day headliners Deep Purple are touring for the final time and it was indeed great to witness such a moment at Hellfest. Band members delivered a classic performance with some tunes we all grew up listening to. But an honest word to say is that the band looked tired. I’ve seen Deep Purple many times but this one was different. It felt like goodbye and this is actually not a negative thing. Deep Purple gave us many years of incredible music and calling it a day on such a high level is wise.

After Deep purple, the two main stages got really busy, Sabaton, Rob Zombie, and In Flames played in a row while The Temple, Altar Warzone, and The Valley stages were busy with bands such as Alestorm, Marduk, Obituary, Autopsy, Rancid, The Damned, and Monster Magnet.

DAY 2

The second day had 52 bands over the 6 stages. On The Temple stage, I got the chance to see Igorrr for the first time. A French band that consists of a Dj, a Drummer, a Death Metal vocalist, and a symphonic female vocalist. The band mixes electronic music with death metal and symphonic metal. They’re unique and very loud, they deliver a heavy show with a twist. It was satisfying.

The second night witnessed another farewell, Aerosmith. The band decided to hang up their boots and graced the world with a gigantic tour which is still running till December this year. The band played an hour an a half with many classics such as Janie’s Got a Gun, Living on the Edge, Crying, Dude (Looks Like a Lady), before they come back to their encore: Dream On, Mother Popcorn, and Walk This Way.

The other stages had Opeth, Apocalyptica, Pain Of Salvation, and Suicidal Tendencies. And finally the night was concluded with a powerful, fast, and heavy show by Thrash Metal gods Kreator. An absolutely stunning performance that was worth headbanging until after 2:00 in the morning.

Another highlight of the day was Steel Panther playing Main Stage 1. These guys are on another level, a group that got really popular from one single track (Death To All But Metal). They have a pure love for heavy metal but also for boobs and vaginas. During the show, the band’s front-man Michael Starr invited over 30 topless females from the crowd who joined him on stage doing all kinds of performances. It was indeed a show to remember.

 

DAY 3

53 bands entertained us on the last day. The two main stages had great names such as Alter Bridge, Of Mice And Men, Prophets Of Rage, Five Finger Death Punch, Linkin Park, and Slayer, while the rest of the stages were busy with various genres.

Temple stage started as early as 11:00 AM with French black metal band Deluge. Later on, Ghost Bath, Equilibrium, Scour, and Emperor made sure the Temple was always full of worshipers.

Sanctuary played on Altar stage. The American Heavy Metal group delivered a classic heavy show, and later on the same stage, Metal Church was mighty. The old school heavy metal band had played some of their best tunes, their setlist included songs: Fake Healer, Start The Fire, Badlands, and The Human Factor.

Warzone and The Valley stages closed the night with Every Time I Die, Clutch, The Dillinger Escape Plan, and Hawk Wind.

Just like every year when the festival closes its doors, the party moves to the camping site until sunrise.

Now the Hellfest team goes on a well-deserved vacation and we are all looking forward to September to hear next year’s edition news.

This year, Hellfest took a different approach when announcing the line-up and tickets sales.

Hellfest dates were announced and tickets went on sale without one single band being revealed, it was a bold move that showed how much confidence Ben and his team have.

The festival was actually sold out, not even one single group was announced and tickets were gone, long gone.

This is another proof why Hellfest is now the leading, the first in line and the festival that everyone is following as an example.

The festival reached a point where fans became really loyal, they are willing to plan one year ahead and spend their money without even knowing who is going to play. Hellfest is all that matters.

See you at Hellfest 2018.

Hellfest 2017 Review & Gallery

Check out the full Gallery >HERE<