FESTIVAL REVIEW: Knotfest Meets Hellfest 2019
What a difference a week, and change of country, makes. Download might have been a swamp as everyone trudged home on Monday, but over in Clisson, France, the weather is utterly glorious. Just as well, because Hellfest Open Air is upon the town and, for the first time ever, Knotfest has made its way to Europe, joining forces with the festival to present an extravaganza across its two Main Stages for sixty thousand lucky punters.
As the sun begins to make its descent, SICK OF IT ALL (7) get the party started with their usual mixture of bounce and abrasion. They’re not a seminal hardcore band without reason and the reaction that Bull’s Anthem and Us vs. Them receive is incredibly positive. They open up the first pits of the weekend with ease and look very much in their element. AMARANTHE (7) follow things up with forty minutes of fist-pumping, power metal cheese, but suffer a technical hitch when the soundcheck for the following band leaks into their own backline. They’re able to recover well though, continuing with their usual gusto and finishing with a belting Drop Dead Cynical. By complete contrast, MINISTRY (5) look bored out of their minds and Al Jourgenson bears the expression of a man who would rather be anywhere but on stage. True, they sound good, but by now Jesus Built His Hotrod, Thieves and Just One Fix could be played in their sleep and they more or less prove it. If they were on later in the evening with less sunlight they might have proved more effective, but the same can be said for BEHEMOTH (8) and they’re on bruising form. The Satanic overlords of black metal continue to go from strength to strength and their songs are becoming real anthems of extreme metal perfection. Whether it’s the sprawling Bartzabel, the magnitude of Ov Fire and The Void or the destruction of Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel, there doesn’t seem to be anything the Polish outfit can’t seem to achieve.
PAPA ROACH (7) surprise everyone by opening their set with mega hit Last Resort and then following it up with Blood Brothers from debut record Infest. The newer material might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but you can’t deny that the Californians don’t put everything they have into their performances and even a somewhat mawkish cover of THE PRODIGY’s Firestarter doesn’t derail them. POWERWOLF (8) bring the cheese back to the forefront, especially during a raucous Demons Are a Girl’s Best Friend and the utter silliness of We Drink Your Blood, but their commitment to the cause is what makes them impervious to hate. Besides, even though they don’t play it tonight, who can hate a band that has a song in their arsenal called Resurrection by Erection?
ROB ZOMBIE (8) is his usual brash and colourful self, throwing out huge balloons and leading a now well-warmed up crowd through Living Dead Girl and Well, Everybody’s Fucking in A UFO with consummate ease. He even finds time to sandwich a cover of Blitzkrieg Bop in the middle of Thunder Kiss ’65, which goes down a treat. AMON AMARTH (8) are riding a very big wave crest in their Viking longboat right now and it’s shining through in their live performance. Amidst the massive flames, inflatable serpents and fighting Norsemen, they’ve got some properly massive songs, no less than Twilight of the Thunder God which gets bigger every time it’s played. Crack the Sky from latest album Berserker looks set to become a fan favourite in no time at all and the same applies to Raven’s Flight which quite literally soars across Knotfest thanks to the superb speaker systems.
And so, to the whole reason Knotfest is here in the first place. It’s quite incredible to think it’s been a full twenty years since SLIPKNOT (9) released their chaotic, bludgeoning debut album, but they’ve rightfully earned their place as perhaps the most important metal band of the 21st century. Judging by the reaction as the curtain drops and they plough straight into People = Shit, it’s a strong argument. Having such a rich back catalogue that you can afford to leave out the likes of Wait and Bleed and The Blister Exists is mental, but it helps when the two new songs – Unsainted and All Out Life – are just as brilliant and sound monolithic. Corey Taylor sounds ferocious behind his meme-tastic, milk carton mask and yet the boyish smile that appears behind it is genuine; he’s having a hell of a lot of fun out there. The stage show, with its varying levels and in-built treadmills is brilliant and by the time they’re closing with the timeless one-two of Spit It Out and Surfacing, they can consider this another festival truly laid to waste. All that’s left is for SABATON (8) to close the night in typically bombastic style with the best military history lesson you’ll ever receive and a tonne of fire to boot. Fields of Verdun gets a big cheer with its links to the French army and sits nicely alongside the more established tracks of Shiroyama and the thunderous Primo Victoria. As they leave following To Hell and Back, SABATON could pat themselves on the back and prepare for Graspop in three days’ time. But how the drama would unfold on Friday morning…
And that rounds out our coverage of Knotfest Meets Hellfest! Stay tuned to Distorted Sound as we bring you our coverage of Friday, Saturday and Sunday of this year’s Hellfest in the coming days!