Holy crap. Just when you thought things couldn’t get better, Wacken adds a huge bunch of bands to an already stupidly strong bill. With so many genres being given the nod (Slayer and Black Stone Cherry on the same bill? I’m sold), this looks set to be one that lucky attendees can look back at in years to come and say “I was there…”!
The event, which has been awarded as “Best Major Festival” at the renowned European Festival Awards for its previous edition and which runs from August 1st to 3rd, will among others welcome Uriah Heep for the first time. With massive hits such as “Lady in Black” and “Easy Livin'”, the British hard rock legends are counted among the pioneers of heavy metal. Another premiere at the worldwide biggest metal festival will be the appearance of US space rockers Monster Magnet with their charismatic fronter Dave Wyndorf.
It is about to become a cherished tradition in Wacken to pay tribute to the punk roots of modern metal, which will be continued this year by the inclusion of English punk rock veterans The Damned. Yet, the Wacken Open Air is not just a place for chart topping acts, but also embraces the underground scene. In that vein, Tom Warrior’s Triumph Of Death will perform the classic and highly influential material of Hellhammer, which can also be seen as a tribute in honour of the sadly late friend and collaborator Martin Eric Ain. Also underlining the international character of the festival is the booking of China’s black metal mystery Zuriaake. “The Middle Kingdom” already won last year’s Wacken Metal Battle with its contribution to the competition: Die From Sorrow. Complete lists of all newly as well as previously confirmed bands can be viewed below.
The promoters of the Wacken Open comment:
We are stoked to have achieved a blast of a billing. As promised, we are delivering something for everybody’s taste in hard music. Established acts mingle with young and exciting newcomers, which gives the latter a great chance to conquer the hearts of the fans. On top of this, our running order is still not yet complete, so stay tuned!
An alphabetical list of all 26 new bands:
Aborym, Angelus Apatrida, Asrock, Baby Face Nelson, Crazy Lixx, Crobot, Deathstars, Dirty Shirt, Eclipse, Hellhammer (performed by Tom Warrior’s Triumph Of Death), Lucifer Star Machine, Monster Magnet, Nachtblut, Nordjevel, Prong, Savage Messiah, Skew Siskin, The Damned, The Lazys, The New Roses, The Quireboys, The Wild!, Uriah Heep, Warkings, Wiegedood, Zuriaake
