It all started with Haken, a progressive rock/metal band from London that I heard about not so long ago. Their music is quite unique and hard to describe, as it encompasses diverse progressive rock and metal elements, as well as some weird jazz influenced bits. Ok, they may not be the only band mixing different genres but Haken manages to create unpredictable melody driven songs, sometimes introducing an almost pop-like structure - oh you didn't! - avoiding to fall in the pit of endless technical complexity (cf. UneXpecT).
That being said, these guys are also amazing live! The issue with really technical music is the capacity of the musicians to reproduce it live, and they really nailed it! The vocals were spot on and there is absolutely nothing to reproach to the rest of the band.
See for yourself with this small extract, even though the sound quality is quite dreadful, or you can check them live on September 17.
Black goth clothes, makeup and horror mask, here comes the American metalcore band Motionless in White! I think Metalcore bands, a fusion genre of extreme metal and hardcore punk, are usually either absolutely great (Trivium yay!) or an utter disgrace (Attack Attack!, a perfect example of crabcore).
Well without revolutionising the genre, Motionless in White is quite enjoyable live, especially with a dynamic crowd.
Isn't he cute?
Change of scenery, direction the Valley for a bit of funeral doom (ice cream not provided), with German band Ahab.
I didn't know the band but it can be summarised by: slow tempo, typical stoner distorted sound and a German dude growling about something that seemed to be super sad. Extremely relaxing and enjoyable actually.
One of my most awaited act of the Hellfest 2015! After a jaw-dropping concert in 2012, Slash is back to Clisson!
For those who may not know, Slash was the lead guitarist of the legendary hard rock band Guns N' Roses! After leaving the band due to artistic differences with singer Axl Rose and several side projects (Velvet Revolver had its great songs too!), Slash released his first solo album in 2010.
A couple of years and 2 albums later, the solo formation turned into a collaboration between Slash, Myles Kennedy (Alter Bridge vocals and rythm guitar) and the Conspirators (slight shortcut to mention the rest of the band).
My opinion is most probably a bit biased, but this new formation is absolutely rocking it! Even though their latest album "World on Fire" can be a bit lengthy (17 songs!) compared to the previous ones, it already has several rock anthems!
But nothing can beat a hit from the Guns N' Roses era!
If you like old school stuff, you should have enjoyed the rest of the night!
After 46 years, ZZ Top blues rock is almost predictable: "Same three guys, same three chords" said Billy F Gibbons. But their blues has a real flavour, from the characteristic voice to the guitar tone, and not to forget the half-stroll to the mics. Simple but effective!
This edition of the Hellfest was really special: it was the 10th! To celebrate, the organisers came up with a 15 minute firework in music, while displaying photos from the previous editions.
Lead by Slayer's South of Heaven, the finale lighted the sky, followed by the cheers of the crowd. What an amazing moment!
The German band, formed in 1965, is an absolute master of melodic hard rock. They proved it once again with a setlist incuding their best rock ballads, such as Send me an Angel, Wind of Change, Still Loving You... metalheads can be soft-hearted too.
The concert was concluded by the rock Anthem "Rock you Like a Hurricane", backed up by a few more fireworks!
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