It’s been 30 years since the first-ever Stonehenge music festival was held in Steenwijk, celebrating extreme music with a barrage of bands playing as loudly as possible for metal-hungry audiences who keep coming back each year. This year, there were 25 bands and 14 hours of non-stop metal played between two stages, with God-tier time management and organization, as bands from all over the world united their voices and metal horns for what has been one of the best metal outings I’ve personally experienced.
Every band is given their time on stage to one of the most welcoming audiences possible, as the scent of beer fills the air and as screams, headbanging and mosh pits adorn the mass of people moving from one stage to another. There’s also plenty of merch, food and drink options to be had. A sight to behold and appreciate for anyone who loves metal and is not used to such meticulous organization (which happens to be my case).
Now to the music itself, but before starting with my personal highlights, I want to throw recognition to every act that played for the festival. It was a delight to witness so many bands giving it all and playing like there was no tomorrow, to such a passionate audience. Now without further ado, here are my top acts from the festival;
Invictus
As a metal fan from the so-called west side of the hemisphere, there aren’t many chances to witness extreme metal acts from Asia, so Invictus (founded in 2015 in Japan) was already something of a peculiarity. Showcasing great musicianship and spirit, they engaged with the audience immediately and provided some tight death metal with no fat to trim.
Burial Remains
If you are into that classic death metal old school sound a la Grave or Entombed (which I am), then this is the band for you. Great musicianship all around, with catchy riffs and slow-burning vocals.
Master
Just a class act all around (and one of THE classic Death Metal acts). A total delight to see that time has been kind to Master with Paul Speckmann killing it as always in the lead.
Massacre
I still remember the first time I saw a Massacre “From Beyond” patch on a friend’s denim vest, and thought: ‘The fuck is that? It looks fucking awesome”. It’s been 15 years since, and I they sound just as awesome as I remember.
