22.05.2025 Rise Of The Northstar

Graspop Metal Meeting

Dessel (Belgium)

I stayed right where I was in front of the Jupiler Stage. Today really felt like a Japanese day, even though the next band, Rise Of The Northstar, don’t actually come from the Land of the Rising Sun. Instead, they decorated the stage with Japanese motifs and manga imagery. Japan is a major theme in their music, and the band is deeply connected to the country in general, for example, through their social engagement after the Fukushima tsunami disaster.
Instead of metalcore, this time it was hardcore in the best tradition of bands like Body Count. Dressed in tracksuits and partly wearing masks, the guys looked like they had stepped straight out of a futuristic Parisian banlieue, and their aggressive presence and barking rap vocals immediately fired up the crowd. It didn’t take long after the opener “Nekketsu” from their 2018 album "The Legacy Of Shi" for circle pits to erupt and the first crowd surfers to fly toward the security crew. Frontman Victor Leroy, hidden behind sunglasses and a baseball cap, darted across the stage nonstop, hurling his rhymes at the audience. Guitarist Bryce Gauthier, his face concealed behind a Hannibal‑Lecter‑style mask, kept pushing the crowd to participate, as did Erwan Mendez on second guitar and Fabien Lehaye on bass. Only Phantom on drums remained mostly in the background, obscured behind his kit for the entire set. Midway through the show, they offered a preview of their upcoming album "C4: Red Falcon Super Battle! Neo Paris War!!!", performing the track “Neo Paris” as a teaser. Even though the band hasn’t been around as long (founded in 2008) and has gone through several lineup changes, with Leroy now the only remaining founding member, you could sense that age was starting to show a bit. Every break between songs was used to catch their breath (which, to be fair, applied to the audience as well, regardless of age).
In my eyes, they were a strong act with that unmistakable French touch. Classic rap metal that really heated up the crowd, even if it lost a bit of momentum toward the end. Still, a very solid choice for the slot. If you’re into this style of music, you should definitely keep an eye on this band. It could be interesting to see where they go from here.

Setlist:

Nekketsu
Welcame (Furyo State Of Mind)
Here Comes The Boom
One Love
Showdown
Neo Paris
Demonstrating My Saiya Style
Rise
Again And Again

Weblinks:

	Rise Of The Northstar Homepage of the French band Rise Of The Northstar.
	Graspop Metal Meeting Homepage of the Graspop Metal Meeting Festival at Dessel (Belgium).