It’s Sunday and the last day of the Graspop Metal Festival in Belgium. Another day filled with some awesome bands that are rocking out on a sun filled festival field.
You could argue that the day started already hours before with some good old beers and new made friends in one of the many venues. Either way, it was a short night that was even shorter by waking up at 6:30. It was gonna be a hot day, and I was already burning out of my tent. Feeling fresh after a shower, it was time for breakfast, a beer and an amazing day filled with some of my all-time favourite bands.
After a day of metal yesterday, today was more about some good old rock on the Graspop fields in Belgium.
FM
The day started with FM. Formed back in 1984 in London, the band has been around for a while. Their biggest commercial success came with the Though It Out album (1989), but have been releasing new material ever since they reunited back in 2007. The line-up we see today has been together since 2008 and has been releasing 5 new (killer sounding) albums.
We were treated to a 45-minute set which was killer from start to finish. I love this band, and I had a great spot on the second row to watch this band. The mixture between the new material and the classic stuff from the 80s was spot on. Steve Overlands vocals are on point and prove that not every single 80s rock star has a shot voice. If anything, his voice seems stronger than ever before. Jim Kirkpatrick laid down some great riffs and solo’s with Jem Davis joining him on the keyboard. Drummer Pete Jupp and bassist Merv Goldsworthy kept the rhythm strong and tight, making this the perfect start of the day.
FM rocked, and I really can’t wait to see the band live again. They deserve to be so much bigger than they are, as their new materials sounds absolutely amazing. Like fine wine, FM became better and better by the years.
INGLORIOUS
I was excited to see Inglorious. Lead singer Nathan James put together a great band and released their 3rd album Ride to Nowhere earlier this year. It comes with some great songs like I Don’t Know You and Where Are You Now? and I was stocked to hear it live. I made my way to the second main stage and was threated on a mega set. The band sounded great, although I do felt there were some sound issues. It didn’t stop them to bring a good time.
The British band has been around since 2014 and are the “newest” band I will see today. That said, you can see the band is filled with entertainers that know how to work a crowd. Even the 19-year-old guitarist brought a good vibe to the band. It is one of those bands I would think twice to buy a ticket for a show. But being able to see them on this festival made me chance my mind. They rocked and brought some great energy in the heat.
LITTLE BREAK
At this point, the heat became a bit too much, so I decided to give it a quick break. I love seeing bands and I have never been a big fan of drinking too much during sets as you miss stuff quickly, so I can’t blame the beer for the headache. Sitting in the shade and watching a DIO cover band was fun whilst chucking an awful lot of water. We still have a long day ahead that won’t end after KISS will finish their set at 1am.
WHITESNAKE
I love Whitesnake and I only saw them a few weeks ago in Tilburg, the Netherlands, so I will the review short. They rocked Tilburg, but seeing my favourite band live in front of 50,000 people was something special. Honestly, at points I the crowd was singing louder than the band and they were loud.
We got a full Whitesnake show, with 13 killer songs. Promoting their latest album Flesh & Blood, we had several of this album’s songs in the set. But it is songs like Slide It In, Is This Love and Here I Go Again that got the crowd going wild. Seeing metal fans sing along with Is This Love like it is a national anthem is something special.
David Coverdale and his band sounded great and seemed to have a blast on stage as well. The energy that came off them was mega. Whitesnake pulled it off again and left the crowd wanting more.
ROB ZOMBIE
Another band I have never seen before was Rob Zombie. The Graspop sun was still shining bright. Rob Zombie is a renowned figure in both music and film. As the frontman of White Zombie, he pioneered a blend of metal and horror aesthetics. In a way, it is a harder sounding Alice Cooper (although I’m sure that’s a controversial statement). He loves a bit of macabre, and it does add to a fun show. The whole band was dressed in creepy masks or makeup, which just added to the experience.
The band sounded great. A personal favourite was a cover of Helter Skelter, but overall I’m not sure what to say about the band. It had something cool, but it just wasn’t fully in it. That said, it was great to see him and John 5 live after hearing so much about them.
DEF LEPPARD
It’s been only a few months since the last time I saw Def Leppard live in London. That show was mind-blowing, so I was stocked to see them again. However, it felt that tonight’s show fell a bit flat. Don’t get me wrong, the band sounded great, but it was missing something.
That said, it was great hearing some different songs live. Two Steps Behind, brought back memories to 2015 when I saw them for the first time. Bringin’ On the Heartbreak sounded killer, and the obvious hits Pour Some Sugar On Me and Rock of Ages got the crowd going, but still the Brits couldn’t convince the Graspop crowd.
SABATON
I knew the name, and knew a few songs of Sabaton. However, I was not ready for the amazing show I witnessed today. I was standing in front of the left stage, whilst the band was playing on the right stage, but still I had a great view of it. This Swedish band surprised me so much, and they might be one of my favourite shows of today, and the competition is though.
The songs of the band are mainly war themed, and they are currently promoting their upcoming release, The Great War. Today’s set was killer, they power metal tunes were awesome to listen too and see. The raw energy that came from the band was incredible, and I became an instant fan.
Not only did the band sound great, the stage looked like a proper war zone. Barbwire covered the front of stage, and the mic stands for the band members were all decked out with a soldier’s helmet. A great addition was the Great Choir joining the band on stage for several songs, adding so much dimension to the music.
Sabaton absolutely rocked and I loved their set. I can’t wait to see this band again! They came, rocked and conquered Graspop!
KISS
To end a perfect day in the sunshine, KISS had the honour to close the event. The hottest band in the world is currently on their farewell tour and made a stop in Dessel for a sold out festival show. I’m a big fan of the band and had a blast seeing them live.
Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer brought the big guns and kicked off a flawless performance. For me, it was clear why they are the headliner tonight. The makeup and characters, great songs and a bombastic show completed a perfect day. Some highlights for me were Detroit Rock City,
An intriguing shift from previous tours was the infusion of novel visuals seamlessly woven into the songs, alongside a wholly reimagined stage arrangement! The dazzling LED pods suspended overhead added a mesmerizing dimension to KISS’s already grand production. As anticipated from such a seasoned outfit, the sound was nothing short of perfection. Vocals soared with clarity, and the instruments melded together in perfect equilibrium. Now, the topic of live vocals can be touchy. Although Paul Stanley doesn’t deliver every song entirely live, it seamlessly melded into the fabric of the performance.
Throughout today the crowd was absolutely amazing, but during the KISS set it became a bit too much. The heat and the crowd closing into the stage meant space was non-existent at the front of the stage. Combine that with massive flames that the band put on display, and we saw a few people pass out. I was struggling for a bit, but thank god, someone passed me a bottle of water. That was a lifesaver.
KISS rocked and put on a mega show. The whole show was on point, and experiencing the farewell like this was bitter-sweet. After a hot and sweaty show, it was nice to get a bit of space as the fireworks lit up the sky. Thankfully I see them again in a few days with my dad so that’s going to be good.
GRASPOP METAL FESTIVAL
This Graspop night didn’t end after the KISS, as I still had a lot of fun at the after party and on the campsite. This festival is awesome.
My journey started 4 days ago in London, United Kingdom, seeing unexpectedly metal giants Metallica. The Friday I saw Bon Jovi, before having a very early train to Dessel, Belgium to experience Graspop. Having done smaller one day festivals in the past, Graspop was a completely different beast. From the moment I got here and pitched my tent, I felt at home. The people are all so friendly and a lot of fun.
Everybody is everybody’s friend, and the amount of times I had a good old beer with new friends can’t be counted on 2 hands. The atmosphere is great and seeing so many artists was just a big bonus. Fingers crossed one day the opportunity comes again to visit this (or another) festival again, as I had a blast. I have to say, I was always a bit sceptical about festivals as it felt like it was a bit of nothing. Shorter sets, big stages with a lot of people and not always having the best spot. Turns out I was so wrong about this. Yeah, the sets are shorter, but it does give you the chance to see many bands in one day. Finding a spot was easy, and the crowd was lovely. Arms around and singing on the top of your lungs. Was everything great? Meh, I could have done without the sleeping in a tent, but hey, it’s all part of the festival experience. And it was only for 3 hours.
The journey isn’t done yet. From Graspop, I travel by train to Amsterdam to see KISS again, but this time with my dad. Let the good times rock!
