Festival: Hellfest, Clisson, France

Artists: Fear Factory, Sepultura, Infectious Grooves, Finntroll, Negura Bunget, Evile    

Date:  18 June 2010 

Bonjour mes amis! It’s time for us to hop across the channel for France’s annual metal festival and despite its rising popularity over the last couple of years, Hellfest is still regarded as one of Europe’s best kept metal secrets, attended by just 20,000 fans (roughly one fifth the size of Download) yet still boasting a quality line-up of bands, many of whom would not be out of place at Donington (take note Live Nation!). In fact there are many things about this festival that, regardless of the difference in size, Download could learn from.  As soon as we arrive through the gates, we spot a clearly marked info point where we have the option of picking up a free program (including stage times) and free ear-plugs. It’s worth noting that none of these things are available at Download and if you want ear-plugs and stage times, it’s going to cost you the best part of a tenner.

Despite the festival being much smaller than Download, there are more water points, a big metal market with stuff you’d actually want rather than the crappy over-priced emo-wear on display at all of about 4 stalls at Donington and although the food is roughly the same price as back home, you get much more variety and value for money here. 

A special mention must also go to the pit security as well who do a fantastic job all weekend and never once look like they’re being inconvenienced by actually having to do some work and all through the festival they’re friendly with everyone. They go out of their way to help people and they treat the punters with respect and not once do you feel an ‘us and them’ vibe like you sometimes do at Download with a lot of the unnecessarily aggressive, Neanderthal-like job’s worths that seem to be able to get a security badge by just being able to spell their own name. 

All of these things add-up to a feeling that the festival-goers here are treated like part of the festival and dare I say it, customers, rather than the walking cash-cows that we seem to be viewed as over at Download.

Anyway, onto the bands and first order of the day over on main stage 1 are local thrash heroes Evile.  Despite a very bass-heavy sound emanating from the stage’s PA, Evile go down a treat and are a fine way to start the day and the festival off.  The French respond well but it seems that a large crowd of not only Englishmen but indeed Yorkshiremen, have gathered to watch them as a large chant of “Yorkshire!” goes up in between every song which amuses band and fans alike.  

New bass player Joel Graham seems to be fitting in nicely and the band blitz through a half an hour set of thrash like they used to make it back in the ‘80’s. Good job lads! 

Setlist: 1.Infected Nations, 2.We Who Are about to Die, 3.Thrasher, 4.Time No More, 5.Bathe in Blood, 6.Enter the Grave

Next we head over to the Terrorizer tent for Romanian multi-instrumentalists Negura Bunget.  The band play an unconventional mix of black metal with traditional folk influences and are incredibly difficult to pigeon-hole such is the diverse nature of their songs.  Make no mistake however, this is a good thing and it makes for a very interesting live show including (among other things) a plank solo!  Though atmospheric black-metal isn’t usually my thing, Negura Bunget certainly make for an entertaining 40 minutes and for those looking to branch out and seek something different within extreme metal, then they are definitely worth checking out.

In true festival style, best laid plans always go awry somewhere and it appears that Walls of Jericho are running late so as we head back into the main arena we find that Finntroll have just started their set on main stage 2.

The band are firmly at the top of the folk-metal league and every song, including those from new album Nifelvind, gets the crowd jigging along but none as much as their signature tune ‘Trollhammeren’ which gets everyone here in the festival mood and bouncing along as far back as the food stalls.  Always a great experience at festival, dancing and drinking in the sunshine to Finntroll is one hell of a way to spend an afternoon and is strongly recommended!

Hellfest has always prided itself on the diverse range of music on show throughout the weekend and indeed, this is one of the festival’s main selling points as no band should be viewed as out of place on the bill.  The general attitude of the organisers is that if a band is here, then it’s because they should be, but despite this pledge of musical variety, there are always a few choices that can raise the odd eyebrow and one such band this weekend is Infectious Grooves. 

For those who don’t know, this is the funk alter-ego of thrash legends Suicidal Tendencies and it is a pretty rare sight to see.  So whether it’s purely out of interest or not, an incredibly large crowd gather to witness this event and within the opening song the band dispel any doubts about their place at this festival and the entire crowd are jumping and waving their hands in the air and for the next hour, nobody stands still. 

Frontman Mike Muir looks like he’s having the time of his life on stage as do the rest of the ST alumni who now complete the current Infectious Grooves line-up.  Gargantuan drummer Eric Moore pulls off one of the best drum solos of the festival, the bass work of Steve Brunner is without doubt the finest you’ll see all weekend and we even see a cameo appearance from Suicidal Tendencies guitarist Mike Clark for a funked-up cover of the Led Zeppelin classic ‘Immigrant Song’. 

The highlight of the set however, and one of the highlights of the whole festival is the enormous stage invasion at the end with literally hundreds of the audience joining the band on stage and it’s worth noting the great vibe that is created by the trusting and laid-back attitude that is taken to the whole thing as opposed to the negative crowd reactions provoked last weekend when the over-safety conscious organisers at Download pulled Five Finger Death Punch off stage early for trying the same thing at Donington. 

Setlist: 1.These Freaks are Here to Party, 2.You Lie...And Yo’ Breath Stank, 3.Turtle Wax, 4.Punk It Up, 5.Stop Funk’n with my Head, 6.Boom Boom Boom, 7.Rules go out the Window, 8.Immigrant Song, 9.Get United, 10.Monster Skank, 11.Violent and Funky, 12.Therapy, 13.Subliminal

Continuing the ‘90’s revival that seems to be the main theme of the two main stages today is Brazilian legends Sepultura.  Since the departure of Igor Cavalera from the band in 2006 and his subsequent reunion with his brother Max a year later for the critically acclaimed Cavalera Conspiracy record, the debate about Sepultura’s current relativity has raged louder than ever.  The group’s output since this (and indeed since Max’s departure some 14 years ago) though very good at times, has been of varying quality and has failed to match that of their pre-1996 heyday.  If however you’re someone who accepts change then there are many positives about the band in 2010.  

Their most recent album A-Lex is an intriguing take on the Clockwork Orange story and certainly worth checking out, Igor’s replacement behind the kit Jean Dolabella is a great drummer and has fitted into the band nicely and live, the band are still very much a force to be reckoned with.  Of the new songs, ‘What I Do’ is clearly the stand-out track and is fast becoming a live favourite, proof that Andreas Kisser can still pen a killer riff or two and although he will be seemingly forever known as ‘the new guy’ (despite a 14-year and counting tenure) Derrick Green remains a commanding frontman and does the old songs a great justice.  And of course it is the old songs that provoke the biggest reactions – ‘Troops of Doom’, ‘Arise’, ‘Refuse/Resist’, ‘Territory’, ‘Ratamahatta’ and the anthemic set-closer ‘Roots’ are all timeless metal classics that there will always be a call for, it’s just whether or not, with the upcoming second album from Cavalera Conspiracy, this call will be answered by Sepultura or Max & Igor. Only time will tell but for now, Sepultura remain a damn good live act and one that you should definitely check out.

Setlist: 1. A-Lex IV, 2. A-Lex I, 3. Moloko Mesto, 4. Arise, 5. Refuse/Resist, 6. Dead Embryonic Cells, 7. What I Do!, 8. Convicted In Life, 9. A-Lex II / The Treatment, 10.Troops Of Doom, 11.Septic Schizo, 12.Escape To The Void, 13.Sepulnation, 14.Territory, 15.Inner Self, 16.Ratamahatta, 17.Roots Bloody Roots

Rounding off the first day are recently revived cyber-metallers Fear Factory.  The last time I saw them was 4 years ago and they were dull and lifeless, supporting the weakest album of their career and they had seemingly lost the plot.  Tonight, it’s a different story and indeed, a different band.  The missing link from 4 years ago has returned and having just released new album Mechanize, the band are operating with a new sense of purpose and a new line-up with Burton and Dino having reconciled their friendship last year.  The band is completed by Strapping Young Lad alumni Byron Stroud on bass and Gene Hoglan on drums and this new rhythm section is as much a driving force behind the band in 2010 as anything else.  

It’s not surprising that the reformation of Bell and Cazares has re-ignited interest in the band again, with the duo having penned some of the last decade’s most well-known metal anthems and as with Sepultura before them, it is of course the classics that provoke the biggest crowd reactions.   Tunes from the seminal Demanufacture album (and there’s quite a few of them tonight) such as ‘Replica’, ‘Self-Bias Resistor’ and the awesome title track go down a storm as do mosh-pit favourites ‘Edgecrusher’ and ‘Linchpin’ but it’s worth noting that Fear Factory are very much about the here and now and the new songs from Mechanize mark a true return to form and go down pretty well also.

All in all it’s a good set and a welcome return from a band many thought had disappeared into the ether for good and while admittedly it did feel like the one and a quarter-hour set dragged on a little, this is probably just due to my lack of stamina these days rather than anything else! 

Setlist: 1.Shock, 2.Edgecrusher, 3.Smasher/Devourer, 4.Acres of Skin, 5.Linchpin, 6.Mechanize, 7.Powershifter, 8.Fear Campaign, 9.Martyr, 10.Demanufacture, 11.Self-Bias Resistor, 12.Zero Signal, 13.Hunter Killer, 14.Replica

Review and Photos by: Adam Grindrod

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