After Bush left the stage, preparations for the evening’s headliner began in earnest. To avoid further “distractions,” a massive banner was raised in front of the stage. The tour is part of the release of their latest album “God Of Angels Trust”, and is cheekily dubbed the “GOAT – Greatest Of All Tours.” As such, the goat motif is omnipresent.
After the very disappointing start, I was now hoping for improvement. I still remembered Bush from the '90s and was really looking forward to their performance. Founded in England in 1991, they reached their first career peak in the late '90s with their alternative rock sound, riding the wave created by Nirvana. Since then, they had somewhat disappeared from my radar, though they remained consistently productive.
Originally, GEL were supposed to be the first opening act for Volbeat, but even before the tour began, they had disbanded due to internal disputes. So a quick replacement was needed—and that came in the form of Witch Fever from Manchester.
The finale of the third festival day was approaching, and it came with a premiere: for the first time ever, Nine Inch Nails were performing at Graspop. Unfortunately, after Korn’s phenomenal show, the crowd had thinned out noticeably. A shame, really. The two guys from the USA would have deserved a much larger audience. At exactly midnight, the first notes of “Laura Palmer’s Theme” echoed through the speakers, and a stage completely shrouded in fog was slowly illuminated by the first spotlights.
For the first time that day, it was time to head to the main stages. The sun had set, the area was packed, and the next band was one I had long wanted to see live. Korn from California were headlining the evening, bringing plenty of old material and very little new.
The third day of Graspop Metal Meeting moved steadily along, and it was time to head back into the Marquee, which was already packed to the brim. Unfortunately, that also meant the tent was noticeably hotter and stuffier than the blazing afternoon sun outside. The reason for the crowd was the Mongolian band The Hu, who spice up their metal with traditional Mongolian influences.
The day of contrasts continued. From the dark atmosphere of Primordial, it was back out into the sunshine at the Jupiler Stage, where it was time for more hard rock, this time from the Australian‑American band The Dead Daisies. The only remaining founding member is guitarist David Lowy, who surrounds himself with a rotating cast of genre heavyweights.
It was still very warm, so after Sylosis I stayed in the shady Marquee tent. With Primordial, things shifted stylistically into even harsher territory. They are one of the pioneers of Celtic Metal, blending black and pagan metal with folk influences, and have been spreading their message since 1987. What’s remarkable is that despite nearly 40 years of history, the lineup has barely changed.
Back in the large Marquee tent, things got heavier again. Sylosis from the United Kingdom were ready to show what they could do with their blend of thrash and melodic death influences. From the original lineup, only guitarist and vocalist Josh Middleton remains — but with his massive growls, he absolutely tore the stage apart.
From the pop‑infused sounds of Self Deception, it was time to head back out to the Jupiler Stage, where some good old classic hard rock awaited. Dirty Honey from the USA were on the bill, kicking off an entertaining journey through the ’70s and ’80s that brought to mind bands like AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones, or Aerosmith.