The metal event of the weekend began this Thursday, June 27 in Clisson (Loire-Atlantique) with 70,000 festival-goers, guests included, and a very warm newcomer, the Gardienne des Ténèbres. The 17th edition of Hellfest is held until Sunday evening with more than 200 bands scheduled on 6 stages. And already some beautiful memories in pictures.
1. “Stage diving” or “slam”, diving into the audience, is one of the favorite practices of metal fans. Some spectators let themselves be carried for long minutes by the crowd, like this fan of the Japanese group Babymetal.
2. For this particularly hot first day, there’s nothing like a good shower before jumping into the deep musical bath.
3. The Clisson SNCF train station immediately puts you in the Hellfest mood with its devilish horns borrowed from the group AC/DC and the festival logo.
4. The big new feature of this 17th edition is the “Guardian of Darkness” who watches over festival-goers looking for a bit of peace and quiet in the small woods of the “Muscadet Kingdom”. When night falls, she comes to life and breathes fire.
5. Many spectators come disguised, like this evil monk probably a fan of black metal, a genre which mixes dark atmospheres and voices from beyond the grave.
6. Successful performance for the first appearance at the festival by Khemmis, an American group led by singer-guitarist Ben Hutcherson.
7. The Japanese Babymetal set the crowd alight with their powerful and highly choreographed music, mixing the worlds of J-pop (Japanese pop), manga and metal.
8. The Hellfest audience isn’t just metalheads. It also welcomes other fans of extreme music like this punk with the splendid crest.
9. A little gentleness (and friendliness) in this brutal world. Cheers!
10. Two guitarists are not too many, nicknamed “Zacky Vengeance” and “Synyster Gates”, to enhance the sophisticated music of the American group Avenged Sevenfold, the headliner of this first day.
