For the Hellfest edition of 2019, people were treated to a “little” extra. On the same festival grounds as where Hellfest was gonna start the day after, Knotfest took over the field for a day! As the name already suggests, Knotfest is the festival created by Slipknot.
We had a really great time at Knotfest. The lineup was a good mixture of different genres, and the bands did one hell of a job. Overall it was a great festival by itself, but also a nice addition to the Hellfest weekend, to start things off.

Behemoth (****)

There is something about a dark, occult show that always tends to intrigue its public. This is no different with Behemoth, which brings the underworld to live by the echoes of some truly heavy guitar work and an unstoppable force of drums. Yes, we all know them and we all know what they do.

There is something about a dark, occult and sun-kissed show. Although the band brings the night, they didn’t let the light of our universe’s giant lightbulb ruin the show. Their theme and vibe seemed immune to nature’s glow, bringing the heat themselves with impressive fireworks to accentuate the already hellish surroundings of the terrain.

They brought mostly more recent songs, which might make the old fans a tad envious but their more brutal and sophisticated newer tracks did seem to coexist with the visuals and costumes very nicely. Their sound was clear and at not one point a mishap was heard. This band has been around for so many years, playing all across the globe. And at Knotfest, they showed their experience once again. It’s difficult to find a bad Behemoth show, and today we didn’t find one either.

Ministry (***)

The story of Ministry has always been a rollercoaster, and this goes the same for their appearances on the stage. At Alcatraz festival in Belgium last year they blew us away with a furious show and lots show. At Knotfest it’s like they feel irrelevant and are not content to be playing on this hour of the day. The setlist was comprised with a mixture of the old and the new and small highlights we could count among the public was at the intro of “Just One Fix“.

A small fix indeed at Knotfest, but we urge you to check out Ministry when they play late at night on a stage build for them..

Amon Amarth (***)

It is still a strange sight to see a Viking Death Metal band get so big like Amon Amarth has gotten, we got to see a ‘standard’ show from them with all the necessary classics and the obvious songs they want to put forward. With stunning visual backdrops and no time to waste between the songs we got a very enjoyable show. We do feel they have reached the top of their game.

You can not blame Knotfest for bringing a very eclectic set of bands on the bill, we are glad that the Viking/Death Metal scene was not forgotten!

Papa Roach (*****)

Wow, what happened here? Nobody thought Papa Roach would be the one to put up one of the best shows of the weekend! It was a really strong set, performed with a lot of energy, power and passion. Often we get the most famous songs at the end of the show, but Papa Roach started off without hesitation. “Cut my life into pieces!” roared over the Hellfest terrain and everybody got in the right mood instantly. Of course we partied on with “Between Angels and Insects“, but when I heard the words to introduce “Scars“, the teenager inside me screamed (and I suddenly did out loud as well). With tears of joy running down my face, shouting those powerful lyrics, and feeling every teenage emotion once again so it seemed,.. this really was a show to remember.

[…] just want to be – want to be loved, and we’re 100% sure Papa Roach were more than loved at Hellfest!

Rob Zombie (****)

Flashback to the end of the 90’s where we saw the very first Matrix movie, and most of us heard Rob Zombie for the first time. Their song ‘Dragula‘ took the western world like a storm and ever since we’ve been blessed to see this American outstanding performance on European soil.

Their performance on stage is even more chaotic than most expected, but there is order in that chaos. While our front man keeps us entertained and tried to create a close connection to the public, he brought some amazing musicians to accompany him on stage. Most notable a guitarist named John 5, who brought amazing riffs and solos while keeping a humble demeanor.

Now we all know Rob Zombie is creative in different areas, which he combined well in the show mixing his musical unique take on metal with visuals from his movies. A little unwarranted trailer for his upcoming movie notwithstanding, the overall performance was a treat for the ears and eyes alike.

Slipknot (***)

Now this is the first Knotfest in Europe, and since this is Slipknot‘s festival it would be quite astounding if we didn’t get a glimpse of the masked figures. Well, in stead of a glimpse, we got a long and welcoming show which prepared the people perfectly for another three days of scorching sun and Bacchus-like drinking!

With an amazing stage setup and a mix of pyrotechnics & light works, the audience immediately knew whats up with their opening act. While tens of thousands of people were jumping and chanting on the chorus, this reporter can not help but think the people of the nearby town of Clisson would agree for a second that people indeed equal shit. Nonetheless, the mood was set and throughout their show, they didn’t stop amping up both their amps and the public.

We were thinking to see something special, since this is their first very own festival in here, yet we can’t help but feel a little disappointed due to our own expectations. The Slipknot show was exactly that, a very well rounded and perfectly executed Slipknot show. They brought what they are known to bring, and the people loved it.

Sabaton (****)

It takes a lot of power to play a show after Slipknot on Knotfest, who else than Sabaton, the Swedish powerhouse to give this day of Knotfest a last kick in the balls. Whether you are for or against Sabaton, they sure know how to give a show and make a connection with the fans.

This show is all about the new album “The Great War” and the stage was a true beauty to behold, with a tank, sandbags and all the visuals and light you can expect for the main stage.

Although we would see Sabaton a bit sooner than we would think (they replaced Manowar after the dubious cancellation) the peoples of Knotfest and Hellfest brought it all to life!

Check out the photoreport as well!

Hellfest 2019 – Check out the review ( Day 1 – Day 2 – Day 3 ) and photo report (Day 1, Day 2 – Day 3 ).