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”!

Sunday

Powerflo: 15:35 – 15:20 on Main Stage 2 (written by Vaim)

It’s an exciting time for fans of so called “rap metal”. Some of the old school guys are getting back into the business with their old band (like Body Count with Ice-T later this day) and others form super groups. One of those super groups that might have flown under the radar of many people is Powerflo. They released their debut album last year and it simply rocks & grooves like rap metal is supposed to (check out our review here). The group made out of rapper Sen Dog (Cypress Hill), singer/guitarist Billy Graziadei (Biohazard), bassist Christian Olde Wolbers (ex-Fear Factory) and guitarist Rogelio “Roy” Lozano (Downset.) brings pure and honest music that blends music styles and crosses borders. Don’t miss out on grooving with these guys!

Knocked Loose: 14:55 – 15:35 on the Jupiler Stage (written by Elias)

This US hardcoreband is making their Graspop debut. If you’re into short songs and heavy brutality, you’ll dig this! The ingredients of this explosive cocktail are heavy breakdowns, barking-dog-vocals and lots and lots of anger! For our review of their debut full-length go here.
FFO: Terror, Stick To Your Guns, Code Orange.
Check them out for yourself:

Body Count feat. Ice-T: 16:30 – 17:20 on Main Stage 2 (written by Vaim)

If you didn’t get enough with Powerflo, there’s these old school legends to feast on. Ice-T is back with his metal outfit Body Count and they’re angrier than ever! Their anger, frustrations and social awareness delivered a bombshell of an album last year with Bloodlust (read our review here). Remembering how they blew the crowd away last time they came to Graspop, I can only expect it to simply destroy this time with a mix of their old and recent aggressive songs mixing the best of gangsta rap and thrash/heavy metal! Body Count‘s in the house, mothafucker!

Carnivore A.D.: 17:10 – 18:00 in the Marquee (written by Laura)

It’s true, the meat eaters are back after more than a decade. Four years before Peter Steele’s (Carnivore & Type O Negative) passing they performed for the last time in Europe at Wacken. In the eighties they released two albums, a self titled one and Retaliation. Both became underground crossover classics filled with cynical and politically incorrect lyrics. The current line-up exists out of two original members, Marc Piovanetti (guitarist) and Louie Beauteaux who shares drum duties with Joe Branciforte (ex-Merauder and ex-All Out War). They found the perfect Steele-lookalike, Baron Misuraca, which makes you almost hope for a Type O Negative reformation too. Luckily they’re still working on that with Silvertomb. Now if you’re into this, you better join the Legion of Doom and shout along about Sex and Violence because you’ll be going to a hate war! This might be your last chance to ever see them live, so I strongly suggest everyone to do so. Carnivore A.D. will be playing a fifty minute set at the Marquee on Sunday.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7RaVSAs-98

Tesseract: 17:30 – 18:15 in the Metal Dome (written by Tom)

Tesseract has been busy since 2003 and is seen in the scene as one of the pioneers of the djent movement. They have now evolved to a more progressive approach with polyrhythmic riffs supported by atmospheric layers . Their music sounds calculated but they state, we play what we feel fits the groove. If you have had enough of all the screaming of the other bands you can go for a beer , relax and watch Tesseract on Sunday in the Metal Dome around 17:30;

Skindred: 19:20 – 20:10 in the Metal Dome (written by Tom)

Who’s in for some danceable reggae metal should checkout the Welshmen from Skindred. With their grooves and the charismatic humoristic approach of frontman Benji you can shake your booty all the way and don’t forget to jump around.Their passage two years ago was for me personally the best of the Graspop weekend This is the ideal band to just let go of the rat race this life is and have some fun on Sunday in the Metal Dome. Be there at 19:20.

Hollywood Vampires: 19:40 – 20:55 on Main Stage 1 (written by Vaim)

If you want to talk about a monster of a super group, Hollywood Vampires might be the one to talk about. Featuring Alice Cooper, Joe Perry and Johnny Depp (yes, you read that right!), it’s probably the most expensive cover band in the world. Most of their repertoire are rock classics to honor those musicians who passed away too early, played with passion and skill, even though they have a couple of originals under their belt too. This is not just a gimmick, this is a band put together by legends who after a night at the bar just got together to do what they have in common: their love and passion for rock music!

Corrosion of Conformity: 20:10 – 21:00 in the Marquee (written by Hanna)

Since the band formed in 1982, Corrosion of Conformity switched members a couple of times, but in 2015 Pepper Keenan reunited with the band to play some shows in the US and record a new album. COC went over quite a lot of genres: starting off as a hardcore punk band, evolving to the heavy metal with southern rock they made on classics like Blind, Deliverance and Wiseblood. It’s this sound the band decided to pick up again with the brand record they finally released at the beginning of this year, ‘No Cross No Crown’, and they’re still as good at it as they used to be (for our full review of the album go here). For now they’re only playing festivals in Europe this summer and the band seems to be pretty unpredictable, so don’t miss out on this opportunity!

Perturbator: 21:20 – 22:20 in the Metal Dome (written by Lukas)

Humans are such easy prey when it comes to synthwave, especially the dark, industrial synthwave of Perturbator. If you think this act took the wrong exit and accidentally ended up at Graspop you’re wrong! Perturbator is no stranger to metal festivals. He’s visited Hellfest and Roadburn, only leaving a crowd longing for more. Synthwave turned triple six and upside down crucifix is what he does best. Expect it to be filthy, dark, sweaty, and the time of your life. Do yourself a favour and treat yourself to the wonderful sound of Perturbator. It’s finger-licking good.

Dead Cross: 21:40 – 22:30 in the Marquee (written by Vaim)

It keeps raining super groups! The most intriguing and interesting one to me, is definitely Dead Cross though. They profile themselves as a hardcore punk band and the combination of general Mike Patton (Faith No More, Fantômas) on vocals, Dave Lombardo (ex-Slayer, Fantômas, Suicidal Tendencies) on drums, guitarist Mike Grain (Retox) and bassist Justin Pearson (Retox, The Locust, Head Wound City) simply brings an eclectic, weird, visceral and powerful kind of music. The Marquee is definitely the place to be when you like a combination of out of the box thinking and pure, honest, raw music!

The Bloody Beetroots Live: 23:20 – 00:35 in the Metal Dome (written by Céline)

What?! An electronic act on a metal festival? Yep. Get over it and stop whining, you bunch of stuck up ‘trve’ metalheads. First of all, The Bloody Beetroots are an actual band (you know, with a real drummer and singer) and not just some DJ’s who push a few buttons on their laptop. Secondly, their music is not pure techno. It’s a mix between electro and rock, by the likes of The Prodigy. If Anders Friden from In Flames thinks these guys are bad ass enough to collaborate with, who am I to disagree? Go check out their awesome song ‘Irreversible’. Open your mind and give these guys a chance. You won’t be disappointed. One, two, WHOOP WHOOP!

A Perfect Circle: 00:10 – 01:25 on Main Stage 2 (written by Vaim)

And we’re not done with the super groups… though this one has in the mean time definitely risen way beyond that stamp. I don’t think that A Perfect Circle is seen as a super group anymore, but a proper band that proved its worth to the world. Although their sound is quite different from frontman’s Maynard James Keenan other band Tool, many people who are craving for new work of the latter, were already partially satisfied by the new release of A Perfect Circle. Get ready to get dark, melancholic and a little bit weird in the middle of the night with this impressive band!