Welcome to Hellfest! Hellfest returned to Clisson on Thursday June 15 for 4 days of extreme music, good humor and all kinds of madness! What's new on the site and the first favorites of this 16th edition of Hellfest... A look back at Thursday's thunderous shows by Candlemass and Behemoth !
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Hellfest festival-goers were pleasantly surprised to discover a few new items on the site on Thursday June 15, including a huge, beautiful silver sculpture in the shape of a skull, adorned with butterflies. The sculpture is by Philippe Pasqua, and VIP pass holders will be familiar with it, since another sculpture of the same kind, this one black, adorns the small water basin, this year enhanced by a few water lilies.
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Another new feature, and not the least, is The Sanctuary. Installed in place of the former Valley stage - moved opposite the Warzone - this huge official Hellfest merchandising stand did not go unnoticed, arousing the curiosity of a great many festival-goers. As soon as the site opened at 3pm on Thursday, it was impossible to count the number of brave souls lining up to discover this new space and purchase one of the new T-shirts, sweatshirts or goodies for the 2023 edition of Hellfest. The queue continued throughout the first day, discouraging many.
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Charon's Wheel: yet another novelty that intrigued Hellfest festival-goers on Thursday June 15. Created for Burning Man, this monumental work of art is currently on tour in Europe, and will be at Hellfest for 4 days. And festival-goers didn't hesitate to give their all, pulling on the big ropes to animate and make this imposing Wheel of Death spin.
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Hypno5e. The first band to inaugurate the Valley stage, now proudly installed not far from the Warzone. Hypno5e accepted the challenge of replacing Celeste, rescheduled to the Valley on Thursday evening following the cancellation of Soft Moon. And the French band Hypno5e delivered a successful set, thanks to their hauntingly effective ambient and post-metal, and the impressive voice of their singer. A great start to the 16th edition of Hellfest!
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Although the temperature was a far cry from the 41°C reached in 2022 during the first weekend, it was still hot in Clisson on Thursday June 15. So, to cool off, all methods are good, like running under the famous water curtains, solo or duo, but always with a smile on your face!
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As ever, Hellfest is all about masquerade costume. Zombies, cheerleaders, Elvis lookalikes and even make-up bearing the effigy of this Thursday's headlining band, Kiss! The New York band, still on their farewell tour, came to Hellfest for an ultra-successful 2-hour set. Unsurprisingly, many fans turned out to enjoy this epic musical moment!
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Under the Temple, at 6pm, Imperial Triumphant gathered a number of curious onlookers, eager to discover this masked American avant-garde black metal band. High energy and powerful tunes punctuated this thunderous set!
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Our first favorite of the day was Candlemass ' show under the Altar stage on Thursday! The doom metal pioneers delivered an impeccable set in the early evening of June 15, driven by Johan Längqvist's unique, hallucinatory vocals. The 5 current members of the Swedish band proved that they're still with us, despite several periods of inactivity and line-up changes.
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This Thursday, we chose to focus on the smaller stages, rather than the Mainstages. After Sweden's Candlemass, it's time for their compatriots Dark Funeral. This is Black metal, the real thing, the hardcore stuff. With their dark and sinister set design, enhanced by a number of pyrotechnic effects, Dark Funeral caused quite a stir under the Temple tent on the evening of June 15, much to the delight of fans of ultra-powerful sounds.
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We rounded off the first day of Hellfest 2023 with our second favorite: Behemot's breathtaking, flamboyant show. The Poles literally set the Temple alight at midnight on Thursday, with a rich, ultra-polished set design and a powerful, dynamic set, led by a very fit Nergal, happy to be back with Hellfest festival-goers once again.
The program continues on Friday June 16 with concerts by Vreid, Rancid, Flogging Molly, Def Leppard and SUM41!
Hellfest 2025: Linkin Park, Muse, Korn, Scorpions... the line-up by stage
Hellfest returns with four new days of concerts dedicated to extreme music. Mark your calendars: Hellfest awaits metalheads from Thursday June 19 to Sunday June 22, 2025. On the program for this new edition? Americans Linkin Park, Brits Muse, Germans Scorpions, as well as Korn, Judas Priest, Till Lindemann, The Hu, Falling in Reverse, Dream Theater, Ultra Vomit, Within Temptation, Electric Callboy and Heilung... Here's the program by day and by stage! [Read more]
Location
Hellfest website
Rue du Champ Louet
44190 Clisson
Official website
www.hellfest.fr
Hellfest 2025: Linkin Park, Muse, Korn, Scorpions... the line-up by stage
