Photo Reports

Once again, Finland’s capital pulsed with the thunder of riffs, roars, and relentless energy as the second edition of Hellsinki Metal Festival took in the Nordis area. With a stacked line-up ranging from underground cult favorites to genre-defining heavyweights, the festival delivered two scorching days of pure metal mayhem. On day 2 of the 2024 edition we got massive shows from Havukruunu, Trelldom, and Mayhem on the third (indoors) stage!

Once again, Finland’s capital pulsed with the thunder of riffs, roars, and relentless energy as the second edition of Hellsinki Metal Festival took in the Nordis area. With a stacked line-up ranging from underground cult favorites to genre-defining heavyweights, the festival delivered two scorching days of pure metal mayhem. On day 2 of the 2024 edition we got massive shows from Insomnium, Abbath, and Hammerfall on the second stage!

Once again, Finland’s capital pulsed with the thunder of riffs, roars, and relentless energy as the second edition of Hellsinki Metal Festival took in the Nordis area. With a stacked line-up ranging from underground cult favorites to genre-defining heavyweights, the festival delivered two scorching days of pure metal mayhem. On day 2 of the 2024 edition we got massive shows from Blackbraid, Doro, Meshuggah and Kreator on the first stage!

Here we are again, one of Belgium’s or possibly even Europe’s best metal and rock festivals of every summer. Alcatraz festival in Kortrijk, Belgium is one of those place you want to go back to every year if you’ve gotten a taste of it once. The combination of an amazing atmosphere, solid line-up that has something for everyone who is into the heavier side of music and smooth organization has made it quickly to be the favorite destination of many. On day 1 we got a killer start on the mainstage, better known as the “Prison Stage” with hard rockers Audrey Horne, US metal institution Soil, the popular modern metallers Jinjer, another Finnish folk metal legend with Korpiklaani, a bit of hard rock jukebox with Gene Simmons Band and djent legends Architects!

Here we are again, one of Belgium’s or possibly even Europe’s best metal and rock festivals of every summer. Alcatraz festival in Kortrijk, Belgium is one of those place you want to go back to every year if you’ve gotten a taste of it once. The combination of an amazing atmosphere, solid line-up that has something for everyone who is into the heavier side of music and smooth organization has made it quickly to be the favorite destination of many. For the lover of the more extreme and dark side of metal, on day 3 we found on the “Swamp Stage” Mordkaul, Aborted, Dark Tranquillity and Opeth in front of our cameras!

Here we are again, one of Belgium’s or possibly even Europe’s best metal and rock festivals of every summer. Alcatraz festival in Kortrijk, Belgium is one of those place you want to go back to every year if you’ve gotten a taste of it once. The combination of an amazing atmosphere, solid line-up that has something for everyone who is into the heavier side of music and smooth organization has made it quickly to be the favorite destination of many. On day 3, the “Helldorado Stage” was the place to be for some proper rockin’, sludge and stoner with Eternal Champion, Green Lung, Orange Goblin, Baroness, Danko Jones and Clutch!

Here we are again, one of Belgium’s or possibly even Europe’s best metal and rock festivals of every summer. Alcatraz festival in Kortrijk, Belgium is one of those place you want to go back to every year if you’ve gotten a taste of it once. The combination of an amazing atmosphere, solid line-up that has something for everyone who is into the heavier side of music and smooth organization has made it quickly to be the favorite destination of many. For the lover of the more extreme and dark side of metal, on day 1 we found on the “Swamp Stage” Fleshgod Apocalypse, Benediction, Lord Of The Lost, and Watain in front of our cameras!

On one of the hottest days this summer in Germany, there was a truly scorching concert as part of their ‘New World Samurai Tour 2024’. Shortly before the start, a massive summer thunderstorm with a powerful storm raged outside the venue.

Both bands, CLUTCH and GREEN LUNG, carried this storm into a hall heated by the weather and the audience, transforming the venue into a kind of sauna where sweat and moisture dripped from the ceiling.

GREEN LUNG kicked off the show, presenting a musical blend of NWOBHM, classic heavy metal, and a few doom and death metal influences. They strongly evoke memories of Ozzy, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and other UK rock giants. Nevertheless, GREEN LUNG somehow maintain their uniqueness as a doom-stoner combo. Thematically rooted in paganism, the occult, and British history, they offer a wide spectrum and an intriguing stage setup. “Hail Satan!” chants lead singer Tom Templar, and the crowd responds. A successful start indeed.

Afterward, CLUTCH proves that it doesn’t need bling-bling, stage pyrotechnics, BBQ, or other gimmicks and special effects to deliver a fantastic rock concert. Amid their performances on European festival stages, they’ve incorporated a few club shows like this one, creating a summer tour. Bassist Dan Maines, drummer Jean-Paul Gaster, and guitarist Tim Sult position themselves in the back part of the stage, in front of the CLUTCH logo backdrop, leaving the stage space for singer Neil Fallon. Neil’s presence and movement fill the entire room, immediately connecting with the audience. From left to right, he maintains direct eye contact, and somehow, everyone feels like he’s looking right at them. He gives everything from the first note. Musically and vocally, it’s madness. With their blues-rock songs, almost all played at an up-tempo pace, they deliver immense energy. CLUTCH shows no weaknesses, leaving no room for criticism. The sound is fantastic. Despite the heat in the hall, there are no breaks, and the audience stays fully engaged until the end

Here we are again, one of Belgium’s or possibly even Europe’s best metal and rock festivals of every summer. Alcatraz festival in Kortrijk, Belgium is one of those place you want to go back to every year if you’ve gotten a taste of it once. The combination of an amazing atmosphere, solid line-up that has something for everyone who is into the heavier side of music and smooth organization has made it quickly to be the favorite destination of many. Besides the usual festival setup at the 3 bigger stages, Alcatraz every year also brings a bit of club show feel to the event through their 4th stage. La Morgue is a no barrier stage in what looks like a circus tent, where some of the most intense shows are to be experienced every day. Usually it’s a mix with promising local talent that gets to play a legendary set, and legendary acts that get to play a festival set to remember. And the success of this stage was proven even more this year because with almost every show the tent was packed to the brim with a high energy crowd. We still managed to quickly snap some pictures of the very first band hitting that stage, and winners of a sort of “battle of the bands” competition to win a spot on the Alcatraz line-up: X-pozed. And also one of the bands that has been much hyped this year, and plays the central role in a new digital project that was being showed off at the festival: Secondhandsaints!

Here we are again, one of Belgium’s or possibly even Europe’s best metal and rock festivals of every summer. Alcatraz festival in Kortrijk, Belgium is one of those place you want to go back to every year if you’ve gotten a taste of it once. The combination of an amazing atmosphere, solid line-up that has something for everyone who is into the heavier side of music and smooth organization has made it quickly to be the favorite destination of many. On day 1 we got a killer start on the mainstage, better known as the “Prison Stage” with Finnish folk metal legends Finntroll, modern metallers Spiritbox, a dedication to heavy metal icon Dio with Dio Disciples, a proper thrashing with Testament, Dutch symphonic metal giants Epica and hard rock mastodons Europe!