Neck Deep, much like SUM 41 or Blink-182, embodies the vibe of a teenager in baggy clothes skateboarding. Thousands of metalheads were transported back to the early 2000s, seeing themselves, acne and all, listening to pop punk.
Singer Ben Barlow performed nine high-energy songs to the delight of the crowd-surfers. The accessibility of their music made this concert a unifying experience, where young and old, men and women, “true metalheads” and newcomers alike enjoyed the celebration together.
As a fun note, drummer Matt Powles wore a jersey from the French football club Olympique Lyonnais. Is he a fan of the team? Or was it just a nod to the French audience? The mystery is on!
Urban punk on a Hellfest mainstage might seem out of place, but the two artists of Nova Twins delivered—and may have won over some new listeners.
From the first track, Fire and Ice, they brought serious energy, and the crowd was quick to join in the vibe. Nova Twins showcased their latest album Supernova, with nearly the entire setlist (except for Taxi) from it. The album’s live performance clearly struck a chord with an enthusiastic audience.
Therapy?, the best-known band from Northern Ireland, came to Hellfest to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Troublegum.
The crowd knew what to expect, and the Valley tent was packed. They opened with Turn, the first of five tracks from the anniversary album out of a total of 11. Even though Andy Cairns’s voice seemed a bit fragile, he gave it his all, putting out energy in spades.
Although the concert might not have been unforgettable, it would have been a shame to miss Therapy?’s Hellfest appearance.
Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes love Hellfest—and the feeling is mutual.
He opened the set with Can I Take You Home, a slower-tempo track, wearing a suit jacket that covered his tattooed chest. This was a surprise for many, especially for those who remembered his performance here two years ago.
True to form, by the second song, Frank shed the jacket, descended into the crowd to sing in the middle of the pit as he often does with Self Love. Despite the apparent chaos, he stayed in control, climbing onto the shoulders of festival-goers to continue singing, far from his fellow band members.
For the third track, Wildflowers, Frank launched a mosh pit exclusively for women. Then he returned to the stage for a few minutes—before diving back into the lion’s den for The Drugs, right in the heart of a massive circle pit.
The concert kept up its intensity, ending with I Hate You (a message that obviously wasn’t directed at Hellfest, given the wild energy of the atmosphere).
Metal is a celebration, and Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes are among its most fervent champions.
The programming for this final day of the festival was a bit unusual. We saw that not all the bands were strictly metal, and Royal Blood was among them.
However, despite any doubts, Out of the Black and Boilermaker immediately ignited the crowd, sparking mosh pits all over the place. A first wall of death formed, with another breaking out during Little Monster.
After a series of circle pits, the concert concluded with Figure It Out—a full ten minutes ahead of schedule.
Just like Bruce Dickinson the day before, Corey Taylor arrived this year solo, after headlining last year with his band Slipknot.
Given his charisma, voice, and personality, it’s hard to imagine having a bad time with him on stage. Far from the masked, almost possessed character he plays in Slipknot, Corey delivered a setlist that included songs from his band Stone Sour, his own compositions, Slipknot classics… and even the SpongeBob theme song.
In this concert, the spectacle was both on stage and in the crowd. The wild metalheads engaged in all the classic metal concert activities, while adding their own personal touches—like slow dancing to Through Glass, which amused Corey a lot. Corey, who was in a romantic mood, kept throwing knowing glances to his wife backstage and made a beautiful declaration of love to her before that song.
The concert ended in the best way possible with the intense track Duality.
Following a memorable performance two years ago, The Offspring returned to Hellfest with the aim of delivering just as strong a show.
They stuck to a winning formula: out of the 15 songs performed this year, only three weren’t part of the 2022 setlist.
With iconic hits like Come Out and Play, Self Esteem, Pretty Fly (for a White Guy), and The Kids Aren’t Alright, along with plenty of crowd interaction and a confetti launch during their latest single, Make It All Right from their new album Supercharged released in October 2024, the concert took on a village festival vibe, with smiles on every face.
When Foo Fighters were announced as the closing act, there were some boos, with some fans feeling that the lineup was straying too far from “true metal”, but judging by tonight’s show and the crowd’s reaction, either those critics stayed home or they had a change of heart.
All My Life instantly got everyone on the same page, setting the tone for what lay ahead.
With Taylor Hawkins sadly no longer with us, Josh Freese took over on drums with a laid-back confidence, even allowing himself a cigarette during No Son of Mine.
Classics like The Pretender, Breakout,” and Learn to Fly were mixed with lesser-played songs like White Limo” and “The Teacher.”
During My Hero, Dave took a moment to introduce each musician one by one, giving them each a short solo: Chris Shiflett on guitar, Pat Smear on second guitar, Rami Jaffee on keys, Nate Mendel on bass, and the aforementioned Josh Freese on drums—the true heroes of the night.
An epic rendition of Everlong wrapped up a concert that fulfilled all expectations (for those who believed in them).
Without flashy production, just a few amps, a setlist full of unstoppable hits, and the boundless energy of the musicians, this concert closed the festival in epic fashion, reminding us that, yes, Foo Fighters were more than worthy of headlining one of the world’s biggest metal festivals.
On this final day, we also got to see +++ (crosses), the band of Chino Moreno (Deftones’ frontman), though their set was unfortunately cut short after three songs due to an amplifier failure. They resumed 30 minutes later. Other acts included English punk veterans Cock Sparrer, Polish black metal band Batushka, Rival Sons, who traded their previous Mainstage spot from two years ago to headline the Valley, Canadian rockers Simple Plan and the iconic Norwegian symphonic black metal band Dimmu Borgir.
And so concludes this year’s Hellfest, which stirred up plenty of conversation with its more diverse lineup but still captivated the thousands of festival-goers present.
It’s now clear that including some more “accessible” acts (without resorting to overplayed radio bands) wasn’t necessarily a bad move, as their live performances were often more intense—for example, Shaka Ponk and The Prodigy offered wilder sets than Tom Morello or even Metallica.
If you’re interested in coming to Hellfest next year, mark your calendars for June 19–22, 2025.
However, you’ll have to use the official resale platform, as all tickets sold out within 25 minutes— without anyone knowing the lineup, which is expected to be announced around November 25, 2024.
See you in hell.
