Festival: Hellfest     

Artists: KISS, Motorhead, Stone Sour, Saxon, UDO, Primal Fear, Sabaton  

Date: 20 June 2010   

It’s our last in day in France and from the looks of the line-up, we’re set to go out with a bang and as soon as the gates open, the French chapter of the Kiss army are already descending on mass towards the main stage.

Setlist: 1. Ghost Division, 2. The Art of War, 3. Coat of Arms, 4.Cliffs of Gallipoli, 5. Saboteurs, 6. Primo Victoria, 7. Metal Machine / Metal Crue

Next up are German metal commandos Primal Fear. The last couple of Primal Fear albums have been distinctly average to say the least and this mediocrity seems to have rubbed off on their live performance. They remain a poor man’s Judas Priest and in the past, they have managed to overcome this by either supporting a decent album or putting a lot of energy into their live performances but today it seems that neither is the case. The band seem to be just going through the motions and look rather wooden on stage and when you realise that their biggest song is the rather uninspired and clichéd ‘Metal is Forever’, there isn’t much that’s redeemable about this afternoon’s set. 

Setlist: 1. Sign of Fear, 2. Chainbreaker, 3. Killbound, 4. Nuclear Fire, 5. Six Times Dead (16.6), 6. Riding the Eagle, 7. Final Embrace, 8. Metal is Forever

Saxon are up next and having only seen them a week ago at Download, it’s a pleasant surprise to find out that they’re playing a different set here at Hellfest and rather than the Wheels of Steel album all the way through, we get some of their greatest hits mixed in with songs from their last album, the fantastic Into the Labyrinth. The band open with a ferocious version of ‘Heavy Metal Thunder’ and steam right ahead into ‘Motorcycle Man’ as if every song is a statement of intent, an affirmation of the fact Saxon may well be the most METAL band on the planet. ‘Dogs of War’ serves as a reminder that their ‘90’s period wasn’t as bleak as the critics would have you believe, ‘Demon Sweeney Todd’ and ‘Live to Rock’ show that’s plenty of life in the old dogs yet and the second half of the set is packed chock full classics though ‘747’ is strangely omitted. Nibbs Carter’s rumbling bass and Nigel Glockler’s pounding drums complement each other perfectly and Paul Quinn’s solos are blistering. Biff remains ever the loveable and cheeky Englishman and works the crowd like the seasoned veteran that he is. Despite how unashamedly English Saxon are, they are proof that good music transcends geographical boundaries. 

Setlist: 1. Heavy Metal Thunder, 2. Motorcycle Man, 3. Dogs of War, 4. Demon Sweeney Todd, 5. To Hell and Back Again, 6. Live to Rock, 7. Princess of the Night, 8. Crusader, 9. Wheels of Steel, 10. Denim & Leather

You’d be forgiven for thinking that at a festival like this, on a day like this, an American band such as Stone Sour would be out of place alongside the likes of Kiss and Motörhead. It would appear however, nobody has told Corey and co. and they proceed to rip through an hour set with extra vigour and a renewed sense of purpose. Much of this is down to the fact that they are due to release a new album in a few months and the new songs sound just as strong as, as well as a little heavier than, the old ones but it’s an emotional set as well for the band (particularly Corey and Jim Root) having recently lost their bandmate and friend, Paul Gray. It seems to be this, as much as anything else, that spurs Corey Taylor on to give one of the most emotive and blistering performances I’ve ever seen from him. 

The guy goes at it like a man possessed and literally doesn’t stop for the whole hour and much of the same can be said for the rest of the band also, particularly ex-Soulfly man Ray Mayorga behind the kit who is beating the crap out of his drums like they just said something bad about his mother. Of the new songs, the stand-out track is clearly new single ‘Mission Statement’ which lives up to its name and is a furious headbanger that will surely be filling rock club dancefloors in the months to come. Given that it’s Hellfest, the band keep the set metal and decide to omit the famous ballads ‘Through Glass’ and ‘Bother’ and after a furious closing treble of ‘Get Inside’, ‘Hell and Consequences’ and ’30-30/150’ those in the pit finally get a rest. Their upcoming European co-headlining trek with Avenged Sevenfold is surely not to be missed if they’re going to be putting in performances like this. 

Setlist: 1. Mission Statement, 2. Reborn, 3. Made of Scars, 4. The Bitter End, 5. Blotter, 6. Your God, 7. Idle Hands, 8. Digital, 9. Come What(ever) May, 10. Get Inside, 11. Hell and Consequences, 12.30-30/150

Motörhead never fail to put on a good show and go down very well with what is so far the biggest crowd of the day but one problem with Lemmy and co. is that it could be reasonably argued that once you’ve seen it once, there’s not a lot that will the draw the casual fan back again soon. Motörhead don’t vary their set as often as they should and having only seen them last week at Download, this good show fails to become great and unless you’re a big fan, it all becomes a tad samey. Once again, it’s good to hear such rarely heard gems such as ‘Going to Brazil’ but it’s unfortunate that this seems to be at the expense of classics like ‘No Class’ or ‘Damage Case’. The band do play well and they’re always entertaining and I defy you not to go crazy to the classic one-two punch of ‘Ace of Spades’ and ‘Overkill’ no matter how many times you’ve heard it. 

Setlist: 1.Iron Fist, 2.Stay Clean, 3.Be My Baby, 4.Rock Out, 5.Metropolis, 6.Over the Top, 7.The Thousand Names of God, 8.Cradle to the Grave, 9.In the Name of Tragedy, 10.Just ‘cause you got the Power, 11.Going to Brazil, 12.Killed By Death, 13.Ace of Spades, 14.Overkill

If anything proves that this year Hellfest has risen to among the best of European festivals and left their elitist-metal past behind them, then it’s the choice of the hottest band in the world to close the festival. For the last 35 years there hasn’t been a band that has even come close to matching Kiss live and in 2010, their show is just as good as ever and make no mistake, this tour is just as much about their critically acclaimed new album Sonic Boom as it is about knocking out the ‘hits’. The band open with a bang (quite literally) as only they can, with ‘Modern Day Delilah’ and prove that they can still pen a good tune when they have to. Although the set is made up mostly of Sonic Boom cuts and songs from the Alive! 35 set, we do get some gems from Kiss’ underrated ‘80’s period, including a surprise rendition of ‘Crazy Nights’ that gets dusted off for the first time in almost two decades, the band’s enjoyment of which seems to surprise them as much as it does the audience. 

Amidst the large amount of fireworks and pyros, we get an Eric Singer drum solo on a hydraulic drum riser, rockets shooting from Tommy Thayer’s guitar (‘Shock Me’) and a fire-breathing, blood-spitting Gene Simmons sprouting wings and performing about 20 feet in the air for ‘I Love It Loud’. But the apex of the show is without a doubt seeing Paul Stanley flying over the crowd on a zip-wire to the mixing desk for ‘I Was Made For Lovin’ You’ – this truly is the greatest show on earth and love them or hate them, you can’t deny the show they put on. The fans really do get value for money with Kiss and this is something that can’t be said about many arena bands these days. Yes, songs like ‘Lick It Up’, ‘Calling Dr. Love’ and ‘Love Gun’ are as cheesy and over-the-top as the names suggest but if you’re willing to suspend your disbelief and leave your stiff upper lip at the gate, then seeing Kiss is one of the most fun experiences you can have without breaking the law. 

Review by: Adam Grindrod

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