I started off my Alcatraz 2024 journey by making sure I got to the Funeral Dress set on the Helldorado stage. Being in my teenage years when they blew up on the then alternative music and youth radio with the single ‘Party On’, seeing the Belgian punk legends was all about youth sentiment. And honestly, they still very much got it, and the punk venom and rebel energy is still strong with them, no matter how long they’ve been doing this already, it feels like there is not really any slowing down for them. Plenty of songs on the setlist were getting sang along to at the top of the crowd’s lungs and darn, was it good!

From the one punk legend to the next… The Casualties were next on the Helldorado stage and I had been dying to see these street punks live for quite a moment already. They’ve been around for decades, and despite most of the line-up having been switched around, you wouldn’t have guessed there was anything different about them from when they started in the early 90s. Through and through punks, living, breathing, looking like what some people would deem the scum of the earth, and absolutely destroying with a boundless energy that is damnright infectious. More of this please!

Seems like today is filled with legends… On the Swamp Stage we got to welcome the East Bay thrash legends Sadus, who have been going strong ever since Darren Travis brought new life into the outfit a bit over half a decade ago. It was an old school thrash party we got slapped around the ears with, filled with high velocity riffs, tasty guitar solos and with Bobby Real on bass a pretty imposing figure stomping around on that stage.

Back to the Helldorado stage for another shot of hardcore with the NYHC icons Cro-Mags! Harley Flanagan is quite the character and probably one of the most well-known people of the hardcore scene, so catching their set was an absolute must for any hardcore fan. Together with the people he gathered around him as live band, he still hits it hard as if he’s just a youngling still and is pretty vocal about being in peak condition to kick anyone’s ass. The whole gig was a blast of energy and took us back for a moment to the legendary New York scene, how exciting it probably was and still is.

Taking a short break from all the hardcore violence we’ve consumed already today, off I went to the Prison Stage where NWOBHM icons Saxon took over the biggest stage of the fest. Every single time these guys get it going, you’re in for a set filled with heavy metal classics and one of the most consistently solid shows around. Biff Byford is still able to sing his lines to absolute perfection live, and the guitar duels between Doug Scarratt and last year joined Brian Tatler (Diamond Head) are so damn tasty! Opening up with the title track of their latest album ‘Hell, Fire and Damnation‘, quickly followed by the classic ‘Motorcycle Man‘, you almost wouldn’t have guessed the first was a new track as much as they’ve been sticking to their guns. But of course rebel rousing heavy metal anthems like ‘Strong Arm of the Law‘, ‘Heavy Metal Thunder‘, ‘Wheels of Steel‘ and ‘Princess of the Night‘ all came to pass. Saxon really never fails us!

Last year, Madball were forced to cancel their show at Alcatraz, but luckily for us they managed to make a return now. Another rather legendary band from the New York hardcore scene, with its origin as somewhat of an offshoot from Agnostic Front. I knew these guys could really rile up a crowd and bring the energy, but I was not prepared for the bombshell that explodes wherever Madball lands! Vocalist Freddy Cricien is a madman on stage, running and jumping around like there was no tomorrow, and kept it up from start to finish! And the crowd clearly fed on his energy, because they went even more wild than I had seen at any point of the day! Wild stuff!

Despite my tasting plate for the first day of Alcatraz being predominantly hardcore based, one cannot skip out on the headliner of today. The Swedish viking themed metallers of Amon Amarth were setting up shop there with the giant viking helmet that serves as the drum platform, 2 humongous inflatable viking statues and a shit ton of fire. Anyone who has seen these guys before on a big stage, knows that every time the bring the heat, good and fun metal music and heaps of theatrics. You can’t help but to nod along to the riffs or raise your fists in the air along vocalist Johan Hegg, who always is a delight to see on stage, looking at how much fun he has on there! The classics came by, fire and excited fans heated the air in front of the main stage and we all saw it was well. Putting a band like Amon Amarth as a headliner is simply a recipe for success any day, they can do no wrong here!

We returned one more time to the Helldorado stage for today, to catch another legendary band that has its roots in the New York hardcore scene. Life of Agony is quite the experience every time you see them live, and it always feels like coming home to your extended family whenever you get to a show of theirs. The whole band packs quite some energy, but especially vocalist Caputo is a force on stage. And off stage, because Caputo regularly dove into the security zone in front of the stage to go lean into the crowd while continuing to belt out their lines. It’s been about 3 decades since their highly influential debut album ‘River Runs Red’, so it made a lot of sense for them to open the set with the nice triplet ‘Through and Through’, ‘River Runs Red‘ and ‘My Eyes‘ and hearing quite a few more of the tracks from that iconic album come by in their set. What a way to wrap up our first day of the 2024 edition!