After the rock‑driven sounds of As Everything Unfolds, it was time to move from the small tent to the big one. On the large stage in the Marquee, everything was already shrouded in fog to present the Spanish band Bloodhunter in proper style. They’ve been making music since 2008, though they’re still relatively unknown overall. All the more surprising that they were able to showcase themselves in this setting.
From the blazing sun, the day continued over in the Metal Dome across the way, where the British outfit As Everything Unfolds was warming up. The band had been shaken by tragedy just last year when their drummer Jamie Gowers passed away, but this summer they’re back on the festival circuit with Louis Doran filling in as their live drummer.
The second day began at noon on the smaller Jupiler Stage with Static Dress from the UK, who are still essentially newcomers. The group around vocalist Olli Appleyard consists of guitarist Vincent Weight, bassist George Holding, and drummer Sam Ogden.
Powerwolf were actually supposed to start their show at 11:00 p.m. on the North Stage, but since the old masters of Iron Maiden were in the mood to play - and the organizers are huge fans - Maiden were allowed to celebrate their 50th stage anniversary for an extra 15 minutes. Powerwolf are still quite a way from reaching such a milestone, and having to perform after such an outstanding band is anything but easy. Yet they handled it brilliantly.
If Dream Theater’s 40th anniversary was already impressive, the evening still had more to offer: Iron Maiden made a stop in Belgium on their “Run For Your Lives” tour celebrating their 50th band anniversary, performing on the fields of Dessel. The gentlemen are all of a more advanced age by now, and drummer Nicko McBrain had already played his final live concert of his own choosing back in December. But none of that was noticeable on this night.
The contrast could hardly have been greater: just moments before, the fun-loving pirates of Alestorm were rocking the North Stage, and right afterward, next door on the South Stage, came the finest progressive metal from the veterans of Dream Theater. Forty years of band history squeezed into a 75‑minute set. Those were the conditions for this performance.
After the rather gentle sounds of Charlotte Wessels in the Metal Dome, it was time to head back out into the sunshine at the South Stage to catch the much heavier tones of the American band Motionless In White. It wasn’t their first appearance at Graspop, but it was their debut on the Main Stage.
I was very curious to see Charlotte Wessels. After her split from Delain, I had somewhat lost track of her, but in the Metal Dome - in front of a rather sparse crowd - she took the stage with her live musicians to present her current work "The Obsession".
After the humid, heavy power metal on the North Stage, I quickly headed back over to the South Stage, where the guys from Landmvrks were getting ready. The band from Marseille, France brought along an outstanding mix of varied metalcore bangers, mainly drawn from their last two albums: "Lost In The Waves" from 2021 and "The Darkest Places I’ve Ever Been", released this year.
I had only known the band Warkings from a few music videos so far, but on this day I finally got to experience them live. The musicians from Austria, who always perform anonymously under masks representing different Warkings from various eras, brought along some enjoyable power metal.