Symbtomy probably had one of the longest journeys of the day. The Czech band sounded quite promising based on the festival announcement. But first, they had to be patient: technical issues prevented their set from starting on time. Only after a 15-minute delay did things finally get going. Like Rotting Demise before them, they were invited to Grafschafter Metalfest by Necrotesque, who were scheduled to play after them, and, as they put it themselves, they brought old-school death metal to the stage.
The barely readable band logo already gave it away: things were about to get dark. Rotting Demise pulled out all the stops of classic black and death metal in the style of Behemoth and Cradle of Filth. With corpse paint, monk robes, inverted crosses, and a pentagram, the guys from the Ruhr area also offered plenty of visual flair. In their eight-year career, they had already released two full-length albums, showcasing an exciting mix ranging from slow, slightly doom-tinged tracks to faster, more aggressive songs.
After the crushing soundwaves of Abrupt Demise, things were about to get more melodic again. Up next were Chiffre, a band that can only look back on a fairly short history. Founded in 2018 in Osnabrück, they’ve released just one album and several singles so far. Still, their performance felt as if they had been making music together for much longer. Their musical style blends metalcore with 80s-inspired synths and slightly pop-tinged elements.
After the fairly melodic metalcore opener, things continued, following a short changeover, with classic death metal from Abrupt Demise from the Netherlands. The five guys formed in 2010 and have since released several EPs and one album. Vocalist René Brugmans didn’t need much warm-up time before hurling his growls at the audience, matching the sheer force of the music that rolled over everyone instantly.
Today was a premiere for me: Grafschafter Metalfest took place for the third time on March 14th, 2026, and opening the lineup was the metalcore band A Place To Fall from Lingen. Since their formation in 2013, the guys have gone through quite a few stylistic and lineup changes. By now, they’ve firmly settled into metalcore and released two albums (“Resilience” from 2022 and “Lost Myself” from their early days in 2016).
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 Graspop Metal Meeting 2025 was on the home stretch. Only one act remained, and for me personally, it was the most controversial of them all. None other than Till Lindemann and his band were set to close out the fourth day and thus this year’s festival. Surprisingly, the area in front of the stage was still extremely full. I couldn’t see the South Stage very well, but even there, many people had stayed after Judas Priest.
As empty as the huge Marquee tent sadly had been for Triptykon just before, the smaller Metal Dome was already packed early on for Alcest. The festival was rapidly approaching its end, but shortly before the finale, the French band offered a moment of calm with their atmospheric blackgaze sound.