Summer is arriving in full force, so the festival season is creeping nearer. One of the biggest metal and rock festivals in Belgium is the internationally known Graspop Metal Meeting in Dessel. Every year you get bands and artists from several branches of the heavier music scene for you to pick from. With 100+ bands spread over 5 podia it can be a daunting task to figure out what bands are a “must-see” and which are to be traded for some beer and/or food time. So here we are… we put our heads together and every member of our team pushed forward 1 or more bands of which they think it’s a definite “must-see” and try to convince you in a few lines.
Have a look at “The GRIMM editors’ pick”!

Thursday

Jonathan Davis: 19:40 – 20:40 on Main Stage 1 (written by Vaim)

Who doesn’t know Jonathan Davis? The all too famous charismatic and dreadlocked frontman of Korn is releasing his first ever solo album and apparently this has a tour attached to it. For fans of the typical sound of his vocals and Korn-style music, this is definitely the place to be for about an hour to make your life peachy!

Ghost: 20:50 – 21:50 on Main Stage 2 (written by Céline)

Ghost is one of those bands you either love or hate. Even if you’re not a fan of their ‘shtick’, you still have to acknowledge their rapid rise from the underground. The still masked, but no longer anonymous band will present their new album ‘Prequelle’ (released on June 1st). Papa Emeritus Nihil, his protégé Cardinal Copia, and the Nameless Ghouls will bring a spectacular diabolical show that pleases all your senses! For those of you who don’t know the band (under what rock have you been living the last couple of years?), Ghost is a vintage-sounding and devil-worshiping hard rock band from Sweden. Their concerts are also called ‘rituals’. They’re Satanic sermons, led by the anti-pope Papa Emeritus and since recently by his replacement Cardinal Copia.

Heilung: 22:00 – 23:00 in the Metal Dome (written by Lorin)

My best mate sent the first album by Heilung when he discovered 2 years ago it because of the similarities to the amazing Wardruna. I gave it a listen, but the poems in between the music kind of took away the atmosphere for me. Fast forward to the first Saturday of august 2017 when Heilung made their live debut (!) as headliner of Castlefest. The way they swept up the crowd in an ecstatic trance blew everyone off their socks that evening and ranks up there as one of the best pagan shows I’ve ever seen. Right next to the best Wardruna show I’ve seen to date. If folk (metal), vikings and/or shamanism interest you at all, you can’t miss this! They will transform the metal dome into their own temple and make you forget where you are. Witness their prowess:

Kataklysm: 23:30 – 00:20 in the Metal Dome (written by Gary)

For the deathmetal fans amongst us, Canadian band Kataklysm is a definite must. With their very successful 25th anniversary tour of last year, they showcased they still have what it takes to get a crowd going. And, with their new album “Meditations” released on the first of June, Kataklysm is going to take the world by storm once again.