Leeuwarden, Netherlands | Saturday 10 June 2023
Day two of the festival was a bit of a blur… not because I was hungover or anything like that – but I was still feeling a bit terrible from the day before and running around trying to get shots of every band across two stages with a very heavy camera was more tiring than I anticipated.
First order of the day was buying a hat! It was significantly cooler up in Leeuwarden than in Amsterdam on Saturday but the sun was out in full force and felt much hotter than the predicted 24 degrees.
I was running behind schedule for the day, determined to edit photos from the day before and pumping out a review of day one, unfortunately I ended up missing Orbit Culture on the Reaper Stage.
Next band on the mainstage was Vreid from Norway. Unavoidable of course – but I feel like I personally would have preferred seeing these guys in a darker atmosphere (aka indoors at a club show) rather than at 3pm in the blinding sun. I hadn’t heard of them before but they had a super tight sound. According to their bio – they’ve been around since 2004, formed by members of Windir after the passing of founding member and vocalist Terje ‘Valfar’ Bakken.
Next up was Haliphron, a female-fronted Dutch band with death metal vocalist, Marloes and bassist, Jessica stealing the spotlight. These two women kicked ass on stage, clearly loved by the locals – the band blew the crowd away with their intense set.
Next up was Scar Symmetry. I was working at Utopia Records when Pitch Black Progress was released in 2006 and heard it frequently spinning. I quickly became obsessed with the album (still am today) and remember reaching out to them on Myspace to tell them how much I loved the record. I remember Christian replied at the time with a thank you message in return.
Running close to ten mins late, it was clear they were having some sound issues. Later with an apology from Per Nilsson explaining their tech difficulties and for the sound which he said wasn’t so great in his in-ear monitors. I got to hear a few of my most-loved songs from the first two albums and it was impressive hearing some of Per’s backing vocals on stage – having a very similar tone to Christian back when he was in the band. It was a great show to watch – high energy and a lot of dedication to their craft.
From there, back over to the Reaper Stage for Psychonaut who were definitely my favourite to photograph. They’re a psychedelic post-metal 3-piece band from Belgium with a great vibe on stage, good lighting and thankfully weren’t too heavy handed on the smoke machine.
Something you normally wouldn’t see at a metal festival, was a song dedication from Bloodbath to Snow White. The guy dressed up as my most-loved Disney princess then proceeded to crowd surf to the front of the pit.
A few other highlights from the rest of the night included seeing Omnium Gatherum for the first time, and hearing Cradle of Filth play “Her Ghost in the Fog” – the goth child within was absolutely delighted. As always, it was a blast seeing Testament live, but I’m lucky enough to say I’ve seen them quite a few times over the years and even met Chuck Billy with Dad one time.
I also put together a very short Q&A for day 2 attendees. Check out a few of the responses and keep scrolling for the gallery below!
Name: Michiel
From: Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Who were your top 3 bands to see:
1. Psychonaut
2. Cradle Of Filth
3. Bloodbath
Highlight of the day: All my friends I got to see again!
If you could have brought any one item to the festival what would it be? Some proper veggie food.
What did you like most about the festival vibe? The coziness. And its location in the city center is just wonderful.
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Name: Dan
From: Sydney, Australia
Who were your top 3 bands to see:
1. Scar Symmetry
2. Bloodbath
3. Psychonaut
Highlight of the day: Hearing Per Nilsson’s solos.
If you could have brought any one item to the festival what would it be? Some seats and more shade.
What did you like most about the festival vibe? Everything was really chill.
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First name: Annelise
From: Sydney, Australia
Who were your top 3 bands to see:
1. Scar Symmetry
2. Testament
3. Cradle of Filth
Highlight of the day: Watching the security guard on the main stage high fiving the crowd surfers as they headed back into the audience.
If you could have brought any one item to the festival what would it be? Dessert – there were no sweet snacks at the festival!
What did you like most about the festival vibe? It was small enough to be fun and care-free but also big enough to pull some amazing bands over the 3 days.
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Name: Daniel
From: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Who were your top 3 bands to see:
1. Bloodbath
2. Jungle Rot
3. Omnium Gatherum
Highlight of the day: Seeing Bloodbath.
If you could have brought any one item to the festival what would it be? Nothing comes to mind, I brought everything I needed.
What did you like most about the festival vibe? The festival is small and cozy, you can see the shows well from any angle and smoke anywhere too.
The Heavy Corner 