Bloodcrypt

Opening a festival is often a thankless job. People are still walking in, grabbing beers, greeting friends they have not seen in months and slowly shifting from everyday life into festival mode. However, for this festival it seems people were eager to show up early as a good amount of people were already around. Bloodcrypt, was the first to hit the stage today.

From the first riffs onward, Bloodcrypt delivered exactly what an early afternoon crowd needs: heaviness without unnecessary complications. Their set did not feel overly polished or clinical. Instead, there was a rawness to it that suited the music perfectly.

The band brought some friends along to get the energy started within the crowd and that certainly had effect.

Bloodcrypt may not have stolen the entire day, but they laid the groundwork effectively.

Mourning High

Mourning High operates somewhere in the space where modern thrash, groove influences and classic heavy metal attitude collide. Their latest release, Luck of the Draw (2024), continued building on their energetic approach: sharp riffs, hook-driven songwriting and enough punch to make their material translate naturally to a live environment. We saw the band previously at Willemsfest, Arnhem.

The youngsters of Mourning High showed themselves eager to perform. It was the last show of their European tour and they seem to have won the hearts of some visitors quickly.

Musically, the band struck a good balance between aggression and accessibility. The riffs had enough bite to satisfy fans wanting something heavier, but there were also memorable hooks and grooves that gave people something to latch onto immediately. Even listeners unfamiliar with the songs could find themselves nodding along after only a few minutes.

What perhaps worked best was the chemistry among the members on stage. There was movement everywhere: guitarists crossing paths, constant interaction, and a sense that they were genuinely enjoying themselves rather than simply executing a rehearsed set. That kind of enthusiasm tends to spread quickly into a crowd.

Some Metallica and Exodus got embedded into their set and this gives the first time viewers a good reference point to what these guys are up to. An interesting act, that with their enthusiasm alone already won half of the crowd.

Throwing Bricks

Operating in the intersection between sludge, post-hardcore, black metal and emotionally charged atmospheric heaviness, Throwing Bricks is not a band that fits neatly into one category. Their latest full-length release, Oud Zeer (2024), expanded on their already distinctive sound: crushing heaviness mixed with moments of tension, melancholy and explosive release.

Rather than attacking immediately with nonstop speed and aggression, they approached the audience differently. Their set felt more like a gradual build-up of pressure. Dense walls of guitars slowly unfolded while quiet moments and atmospheric passages created a tension that hung over the crowd. It demanded more attention from the audience than the previous bands had required.

That also made the reaction interesting to watch. Some people appeared almost hypnotized, standing still and absorbing every detail. Others initially looked unsure about what to make of the band’s more layered and emotionally driven approach. But gradually the performance pulled people in.

When the heavier moments finally landed, they landed hard. The contrast between fragile passages and crushing explosions gave the songs a lot more impact than a constant barrage of heaviness would have achieved. The band seemed completely in control of those dynamics, understanding exactly when to hold back and when to unleash chaos.

A band that does things slightly different and yet make it all work here tonight.

Bark

Belgian groove/thrash powerhouse Bark has been building a reputation as one of those bands that somehow still feels criminally underrated despite years of relentless touring and consistently strong releases. Their sound combines thick groove-oriented riffs, hardcore attitude and the kind of sharp thrash energy that turns a crowd from passive observers into active participants, something we also saw happening at Alcatraz last year. If some bands simply play a festival, Bark arrived looking like they intended to take ownership of it.

The biggest strength of the performance was not technical complexity or flashy stage theatrics. It was pure impact. The riffs hit with ridiculous force, the drums felt massive and every song seemed constructed around making bodies move. You could almost physically see the reactions ripple through the audience. Heads were banging everywhere and movement in front of the stage became increasingly unavoidable.

What made Bark stand out even more was the absolute conviction with which they performed. There was no hesitation, no awkward searching for crowd interaction and no moments where energy dropped. The band carried themselves like veterans who knew exactly what they were doing and exactly how to control a festival audience.

The vocalist played a huge role in that. Rather than simply delivering songs, he seemed locked in a constant conversation with the crowd, pulling people further into the performance and feeding off the reactions coming back. It created a feeling that the barrier between stage and audience had almost disappeared.

By the end of the set there was a strong sense that Bark had become one of the defining performances of the day.

Bodyfarm

Dutch death metal veterans Bodyfarm have spent years refining a sound rooted firmly in old-school death metal traditions while adding enough modern aggression to keep things from becoming a nostalgia exercise. Fast, sharp riffs, relentless drumming and a constant sense of forward momentum have become part of the band’s identity. Their latest release, Malicious Ecstasy (2024), further reinforced that approach with a collection of songs built for impact rather than unnecessary complexity.

Because if Bark ignited the festival, Bodyfarm detonated it.

By the time they walked onto the stage the atmosphere had already reached a different level entirely.

There was no slow introduction, no careful easing into the set and no theatrical buildup. The opening moments landed like a blunt-force impact. Riffs came flying out of the speakers with ridiculous intensity while the rhythm section drove everything forward with an almost mechanical precision. What made it impressive was that despite the aggression, nothing felt chaotic or sloppy. Everything was incredibly tight, a quality we got to know Bodyfarm has mastered through the years.

The biggest strength of the performance was balance. Extreme metal can sometimes become a wall of noise where individual moments disappear into a blur. Bodyfarm avoided that completely. The songs remained recognizable, riffs stood out and every transition hit exactly where it needed to.

The crowd reaction told its own story. Movement near the stage became constant.

As the final notes disappeared, there was a feeling lingering around the festival grounds that many people probably shared:Bodyfarm had not simply closed the festival.

They had finished it properly.

AFTERPARTY show: Radeloos///Ziedend

After a full day of metal, beer and great energy the evening was not over. An afterparty delivers one final surprise: the kind of performance that suddenly makes people forget they had already mentally called it a night.

Radeloos///Ziedend became exactly that moment.

The Nijmegen-based band combines crust punk, black metal and grindcore into something that feels raw, hostile and emotionally charged all at once. Their latest full-length release, Doodsverachting, arrived in late 2023 and further developed that blend of aggression and atmosphere into something uniquely their own.

The band played this town before so for many visitors this band was not a stranger.

Walking into Café Holly after the festival itself felt like entering an entirely different environment. Gone were the larger festival grounds and open spaces. Instead, everything suddenly became close, loud and intense. Radeloos///Ziedend thrives in exactly those conditions. Their music does not politely ask for attention; it grabs people by the collar and drags them into its world whether they planned on entering it or not.

What immediately stood out was the urgency behind the performance. Every screamed vocal line felt desperate and furious in equal measure, while the guitars shifted between bleak atmosphere and complete chaos. The beauty of the band lies in those contrasts. One moment there is almost a hypnotic quality hanging over the room, and seconds later everything explodes again.

Unlike many afterparty performances where people casually drift in and out while continuing conversations at the bar, Radeloos///Ziedend created something different. Attention moved toward the stage naturally. And perhaps that says everything.

After a day packed with strong performances, they still managed to become one of the moments that stayed in your head afterwards. Sometimes the final band of the night quietly steals part of the show.