Hellfest 2016: A Preview

As a person born in Florida, I routinely get to see some awesome tours and festival lineups. I really feel privileged to have seen most of my favorite bands. But the festivals here sometimes have trouble comparing to all the summer festivals that Europe gets – specifically France’s Hellfest. I mean, have you seen the lineup? Black Sabbath, Rammstein, Napalm Death, Korn, and a host of other bands large and small are playing this year. I know I’d be pretty keen to attend a festival like this one, as it’s generally pretty diverse and full of great musicians.

Our resident writer (from France!!!) Thomas Peyrache, has given some insight into some bands he’d love to check out this June. Will you be there? You probably should for the following bands alone.

Caliban

Another band that never received the recognition they deserved, is German metalcore band Caliban.
Despite being around for a couple of decades, they’ve never managed to become headliners, whereas their catalog is one that many bands would die for! They’re always trying to keep pushing their sound even further, and the band will crush the Warzone stage (the festival’s hardcore stage) on Sunday, with the loud, powerful sound that they’ve been developing for almost 20 years, and ten records.
Speaking of records, their newest one, Gravity, is one not to miss this year, with Caliban leaning towards a more modern sound, and also being as violent and dark as they’ve always been. The German act could be a great surprise, and with this new tour, they may reach even bigger goals, as they’ve never sounded bigger than this year.

Atreyu

Once again this year, French metalcore fans are going to be impressed with this lineup, unifying some of the most trending names in the scene – Bring Me The Horizon, Bullet For My Valentine, Architects, The Amity Affliction, August Burns Red, Heaven Shall Burn and also Atreyu and Caliban.

A few years after going on an indefinite hiatus, Atreyu are back on the roads, better and bigger than ever, as you can hear on their latest release, Long Live. For their first appearance at the Hellfest, and the first show in more than ten years in France, the Orange County crew will show us that they’re still one of the biggest acts around. Big hooks, killer riffs, the band’s discography is an invitation to live your teenager days over again, and their live shows are not to miss, as their presence and energy turn their sets into incredible moments! Sure, they never managed to make it big in Europe, but this year their time may come, as they are going to play in some of the biggest festivals (Download Festival, Hellfest, …), and their fanbase expands every day. They’re also playing the Warped Tour in the USA again, which in a way, is where it all began for them.

Bring Me The Horizon

Arguably the biggest band in the scene right now is Bring Me The Horizon, it’s natural that they finally managed to make it to the top of the biggest festivals’ lineups. Like them or not, one can surely agree that they’ve managed to recreate their sound on each album, every record being a staple in their career, and a source of inspiration for many bands in the metalcore genre.
Moreover, Oli Sykes’ bad days seem to be gone, and on stage, the band has also reached a point that they couldn’t have imagined five years ago, when the leader used to leave the stage at the half of a show, for example. Now, their gigs are more monstruous than ever, the rage from the beginning still being here, but coupled with an ambition that seems to be limitless. The next step of the band : a concert with a symphonic orchestra at London’s Royal Albert Hall. This may be enough to make you want to step by and see their hour-long set – which may be streamed online. Though 2013’s Sempiternal is most likely the highwater mark in their career, last year’s That’s The Spirit catapulted the band to even greater heights. More hooks, more choruses, and a generally more accessible sound helped the band arrive where they’re at now.

Deftones

Their new album Gore doesn’t necessarily tread new ground, but it’s a refining and retooling of the alternative metal band’s signature sound, which draws from dream pop, metal, shoegaze, post-metal, and electronic soundscapes. Have you heard “Phantom Bride” yet? It’s seriously one of the best songs you’ll hear all year.

What bands are you stoked to see at Hellfest 2016? Sound off in the comments.