Quite different from last year, this edition of Graspop Metal Meeting takes place on a sun-drenched Stenehei in Dessel. Although there’s still room for the old guards with, for example, headliner Iron Maiden, the biggest metal festival in the Benelux has clearly done some rejuvenation. With success, because this edition is once again completely sold out. Performances by Orbit Culture and Signs of the Swarm stood out above everything else. This time Ruben was present on behalf of Zware Metalen for the entire festival to report, and Birgit takes on the role of guest editor to help out. The photos are from the Graspop press team.
Psychonaut 12:00 – 12:40 (Marquee, Ruben)
Let’s kick off this Belgian festival with a Belgian band. Psychonaut starts its set with heavy grooves, but soon moves on to the more psychedelic sides of their music. There are enough people who, like me, choose the tent over the main stage, and it’s not hard to see and hear why. The trio, who share vocals between the bassist and guitarist, showcase captivating instrumental pieces that build up to a solid crescendo. They already play the single that was released only last week, Endless Currents from the new album due in October. A fine performance for an opening act. The men can look back proudly on a world-class performance in their homeland.
Signs of the Swarm 13:15 – 14:00 (Marquee, Ruben)
Outside the temperature is rising, and under the Marquee’s canvas even more. The deathcore of Signs of the Swarm gets bodies moving. The crowd eagerly responds to everything the band wants from them, which results in a few more degrees we have to endure. The guys deliver one of the better shows of the day with uncompromising breakdowns and a ton of energy on stage. They promote the new album that’s coming. We hear Hell Must Fear Me and the not-yet-released Natural Selection. That’s a solid teaser to keep an eye out for the next album. Amidst all that heaviness, there’s also room for a wink with a cover of Rob Zombie’s Dragula. It’s 45 minutes of circle pits and walls of death, so even though it’s only the second band of the day, the shirt is already sticking to the body. Unfortunately, I have to miss the killer closer, because the next band has already started on the main stage.
The Raven Age 13:20 – 14:00 (Metal Dome, Birgit)
The first band I have marked in fluorescent is The Raven Age. I head down to a well-filled Metal Dome for a band I actually know from the beginning, back when they still had their previous singer Michael Burrough. Since then, I haven’t really seen them again, so I’m curious how they do nowadays. Guitarist George is the son of Steve Harris from Iron Maiden and you can almost always find them together at GraspopMetal Meeting. The musical influence dad Harris had on his son can also be heard in the music of The Raven Age.
They start with Forgive & Forget from their latest album Blood Omen, which already dates back to 2023. From the first note, the audience is fully on board, and even in the early afternoon you can see quite a few heads nodding. Singer Michael James is in a good mood and rushes from one side of the stage to the other. The voice of this Michael has a significantly wider range than that of the previous Michael, and the high notes are (almost) always hit very smoothly. A little later, the singer announces that the next day a new single called Hangman will be released, and of course they’re happy to play it to win even more hearts. The Raven Age plays a fun set, which earns lots of applause and sing-alongs from the audience that turned out in good numbers. They close with fan favourite Fleur de Lis. A good start to the weekend!
Landmvrks 13:55 – 14:45 (South Stage, Ruben)
Outside the tent it’s immediately quite a bit cooler, although the sun is still beating down hard. On the Main Stage Landmvrks, plays: a French emocore band that probably wouldn’t describe itself that way. There are also elements of modern hardcore, but the topics of the songs still call for an excessive amount of eyeliner. Last month, their fourth album The Darkest Place I’ve Ever Been came out, and that title says enough. Frontman Florent Salfati really does have those hardcore vocals, but also raps a bit of French in the track Visage. It’s a coming together of styles and genres that sometimes fit better than other times. In the last song Self-Made Black Hole there are even some slams to be heard. So something for everyone from this act on the main stage.
Beast in Black 14:55 – 15:45 (North Stage, Ruben)
We stay at the main stage, because possibly the best power metal act of the moment is about to play there. Beast in Black is working hard to make up for lost ground, because the band around guitarist and songwriter Anton Kabaanen had to catch up after he was unceremoniously kicked out of his previous band Battle Beast. Thanks to him, the banner waving behind the musicians is entirely dedicated to the manga series Berserk. A large part of the songs he writes is based on that. Recently his dream came true: an official collaboration between the band and the manga. Enter the Behelit is the soundtrack for the Berserk DLC in Diablo IV and is played here.
Unfortunately, frontman Yannis Papadopoulos isn’t in great voice. It could also be the sound system, but it doesn’t get better as the set goes on. The normally so sharp vocalist doesn’t perform at his best here. Another new song is Power of the Beast which should set the tone for the new album due later this year. With the eurobeat twist we hear here, that record should become quite something special. I’m curious!
Motionless in White 15:55 – 16:55 (South Stage, Ruben)
Who really can be called emocore are the guys from Motionless in White. Therapy for your tortured teenage soul, carefully drummed out with blast beats and breakdowns. The most recent album Scoring the End of the World from 2022 is featured prominently here, and the band doesn’t go earlier than 2017. This editorial team isn’t from that generation, but we can definitely understand the appeal. It’s not the band we listened to back then, but with THX and Universal Studios intros we also hear nostalgic sounds. With songs like Masterpiece the genre is kept alive and even I feel young again for a moment. The first crowd surfers are already sailing over the audience, and despite the tormented lyrics, the mood is now great.
Alestorm 17:05 – 18:05 (North Stage, Birgit)
For the 7th time already the men of Alestorm get to take the stage on the sacred grounds in Dessel. This time once again on the main stage, which they’ve decorated with three giant rubber ducks and where practically everything is in their signature bright green.
Once the band hits the stage (also wearing bright green accents in their clothes and instruments) and the first notes of Keelhauled boom across the field, the party is on. The band plays tight, Christopher sounds clean vocally and is also sober, and the whole field sings along loudly.
Alestorm does what Alestorm does: get the crowd roaring, jumping and dancing to their catchy songs about alcohol, piracy and related topics. When it’s time to row during Nancy the Tavern Wench, Christopher points out that NOW is the time to row, instead of the too-early attempt made before. Happily, the crowd sits down to row back and forth, side to side for the entire song as if they’re really at sea. Way too soon the set is over and we’re asked to raise all middle fingers in the air. On stage appear bright green (what else) inflatable letters spelling FUCK YOU. Cheerfully we all sing along about anchors being stuck in dark places, and to loud applause the band leaves the stage after a smashing performance.
Paradise Lost 17:35 – 18:25 (Marquee, Ruben)
We flee back into the big tent, because on the main stage, next to the three ducks from Alestorm, there are now also the inflatable letters ‘Fuck You’ on the North stage, and that does feel like a personal attack. Fortunately, Paradise Lost is here to offer an alternative program. And more people are up for that, because it’s quite packed here. This British progressive metal group also brings captivating melodies from its 35-year career. However, the first new work in five years, the single Silence Like the Grave, is missing here. What we do hear are the strongly distorted bass lines on Ghosts and the tempo shifts in Embers Fire. The music doesn’t lend itself to the movements we’ve already seen today, but these seasoned veterans still deliver a solid show. Unfortunately, I can’t stay for the entire show, because another progressive band is already playing on the main stage and I want to catch some of it.
Dream Theater 18:15 – 19:30 (South Stage)
It’s a bit lame of the organization that the only prog metal bands of today overlap, but if you had to pick one, Dream Theater is worth a visit. The group is back in the spotlight since original drummer Mike Portnoy reclaimed his place behind the immense drum kit. This editorial team usually doesn’t want to judge bands based on three or four songs from a setlist, but we’ll make an exception here, because the songs usually run quite long with this band. Portnoy’s drumming on songs like Panic Attack remains impressive with the different time signatures between the kick drums and the rest of the huge number of drums and cymbals. We also see the overwhelmed audience sitting on the grass to take it all in. The superb drumming we still hear on Midnight Messiah from the new album Parasomnia that came out earlier this year. But an hour of calmly sitting isn’t in the cards for me, because the Marquee beckons again.
Orbit Culture 19:10 – 20:00 (Marquee, Ruben)
Possibly the best performance of today comes from Orbit Culture. The Swedes only need fifteen minutes to convince everyone of their qualities. New singles The Tales of War and Death Above Life prove that they’ve found their sound and are far from done writing. Add Strangler to that and the aggressive melodic death metal produced here crushes everything and everyone. Tight guitar work, harsh vocals and cutting cleans make Orbit Culture one of the better rising bands of recent years. Every time I see these guys I’m impressed again. And so is the rest of the crowd. The tent echoes with the pounding sounds of the band and with ringing ears we get to give back a deafening applause. Visually there’s still some room to grow, but this sounds like a world-class act. The new album comes out in October, and I’m already looking forward to it.
Perturbator 20:05 – 20:55 (Metal Dome, Ruben)
For something completely different we have to head to that other tent on the grounds. Eight in the evening is actually much too early for an act like Perturbator. It’s still light outside and that doesn’t benefit the fully instrumental music we might call brutal synthcore. Here, lasers and strobes are supposed to disorient the crowd until the pounding beats are the only thing that gets through. The duo on stage splits responsibilities between drums and everything else behind a keyboard and mixing console. The riser the gentlemen stand on splits apart twice while they energetically play, but the attention is mainly drawn by the Roman iconoclasm happening on the screen behind them. It seems like the visuals from the album cover of Age of Aquarius coming later this year, and both singles from the upcoming album are played here too. This is a vibe band you just have to get into. And the audience in the crowd does that with all sorts of dance moves. An addition to the line-up that breaks the tempo between all the other acts. It’s appreciated before we head for the headliners.
Iron Maiden 21:00 – 23:00 (South Stage, Ruben)
The first headliner of the festival is the British Iron Maiden. The now fifty-year-old band plays here for two hours, (according to them) performing all the songs fans want to hear. This is also the first tour with new drummer Simon Lawson; he sits behind a remarkably small drum kit that we’re not used to anymore after all those years of Nicko McBrain. According to frontman Dickinson, he’s a drummer you can actually see, and he has a point there. After the opening numbers Murders in the Rue Morgue and Wrathchild, Dickinson wants to address the audience but is distracted by a balloon stunt from Studio Brussel wishing the British gentlemen a happy birthday.
The Run For Your Lives tour focuses on the older songs of Iron Maiden and in particular the album Powerslave. From this, the title track and the hits Aces High and 2 Minutes to Midnight are played. Also the full Rime of the Ancient Mariner which takes up nearly fifteen minutes. We probably won’t hear that one again on a next tour. The years are noticeable on stage: the tempo has been higher. But that’s understandable with band members pushing seventy. The show they put on, however, is still fresh and dynamic as we’re used to from them. New Eddie puppets and other props are used by an ever energetic Bruce Dickinson to give the performance a theatrical twist. Iron Maiden can still hold its own as an absolute world-class act in the genre.
Powerwolf 23:10 – 00:40 (North Stage, Ruben)
The closer of the first day is Powerwolf. We saw them a few days ago at Into the Grave, but here they get to play a bit longer. The setlist is pretty much the same, because in all the extra time they have here, they play only one extra song. 1589 just about fits, along with the prop that has to come on stage for that song. Entirely in theme, keyboardist Falk Schlegel is burned at the stake and set on fire. That wasn’t on the stage in Leeuwarden, but here it is. Powerwolf also goes bigger here with the fireworks show and a confetti cannon.
It’s still a lot of talking and asking for interaction between songs, although the tempo seems a bit higher despite the extra time the gentlemen have. Here too, everyone already knows the sing-alongs from Armata Strigoi, so less time is spent on that. With a bigger audience, the band comes into its own. As always, we get a smashing show from the Germans who really do make fun music. The showmen manage to give a worthy ending to the first sun-drenched day at the Stenehei.
Date and location
19 juni 2025, Stenehei, Dessel
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