On a beautiful but chilly Saturday, photographer Mellow and writer JohannesV head to Alkmaar to indulge in an unlimited supply of decibels delivered by bands with a variety of hard-hitting music styles. HAL 25 is the place of unrest, where no fewer than 21 bands across three stages will fill you up with musical intensity.
HAL 25 is located right next to concert venue Victorie, where earlier this year Marduk performed. It’s a converted industrial hall now serving as an event center. The enormous venue is charmingly laid out with three stages, food options, and two bars scattered around, creating a playful impression. It sets a fun tone for what lies ahead. The hope is strong that things will heat up later because it’s freezing cold on location, a perfect excuse for a privileged fifty year old plus, to grab an authentic Analepsy hoodie. The tight schedule makes it challenging to catch every band. Apologies in advance for not covering the following acts: Braces, Bloodspot, Flaming Wrekage, Sugar Spine, Klakmatrak, Wegens Succes Geopend, Steven Seagull, Atrodese, Bliep Bloep. The choice stress is real today.
The band kicking off the festival is the young Dutch group Gutslasher. Playing to a respectable crowd, the guys dive into a solid dose of old-school death metal. There’s no hint that they’ve only been active for a year, neither in their playing, the death metal they produce, nor their stage presence. These young men have guts, and it shows. It’s great to see that in 2024, there’s still plenty of enthusiasm for the genre. Together with bands like Deadspeak, the future of Dutch death metal looks promising. A strong start, and the first pit is already underway!
The neighboring stage hosts Behind Bars, a Belgian band delivering aggressive thrash metal infused with plenty of hardcore elements. To rev up the crowd, the singer tosses black beach balls into the audience. A showman through and through, with unrelenting energy and dynamic stage antics that are impressive. The entire band is in constant motion, though the crowd isn’t fully engaged just yet. New to me, this band has me intrigued. I’ll be checking out more of their work after this heavy and powerful live set. Another great performance.
Returning to the first stage, the aptly named Rectum Stretchers from Dordrecht take over. My curiosity was piqued beforehand, so I checked them out on YouTube. My expectations weren’t high, so I approached this set with neutrality. The crowd has grown considerably by now. Their goregrind, laced with humor, translates well both musically and thematically—titles like Katheter Peter, Ik Zag Twee Beren Broodje Smeren, and the hit Ik Neuk Je In Je Stoma add a comical edge. To my surprise, I find myself smiling and enjoying their set immensely. A moshpit forms, especially when a Rompeprop cover kicks off. Who knew that a bit of Dordrecht culture could be so entertaining? A delightful performance that exceeded expectations.
Next up is Belgian technical death metal outfit Fractured Insanity, celebrating its 20th anniversary. Known for their high-caliber releases, they deliver an impressive set, balancing technical sections with explosive blast beats. Despite their early slot, which I feel doesn’t do justice to their established reputation, they captivate the audience with a top-notch performance. A must-watch, especially with their upcoming album release. Stay tuned for its review on Zware Metalen. Meanwhile, their previous work comes highly recommended! Check it and thank me later!
Sun of the Suns continues with their unique take on technical death metal. The band wraps their sound in a modern edge, with undeniable influences from metalcore. A recurring issue throughout the festival is the power outages that disrupt performances, cutting off instrument sounds and partially dimming the stage lighting. This also affects Sun of the Suns. After resolving the issue, the band resumes their set, showcasing a group of enthusiastic Italians with a hyperactive drummer who steals the show. The sound quality isn’t ideal, and a portion of the audience might be attending Braces, performing at the same time, as it’s not packed.
The Spanish band The Broken Horizon brings modern metalcore with a symphonic twist, delivered with an energy that commands respect. The vocalist storms across the stage like a true matador, offering an impressive performance. The sound is solid, and the band can look back on a successful set. Unfortunately, the bass cut out briefly, but this was quickly resolved. A band definitely worth exploring further.
Downfall of Mankind had already impressed me with their 2022 release, Vile Birth, and they take things up a notch with this performance. Their technical deathcore is delivered with passion and intensity. However, it’s unfortunate that their set is interrupted twice due to the aforementioned power issues. Could it be the earth-shaking breakdowns that overpowered HAL 25’s electrical system? Downfall of HAL 25 might just have begun! Despite these hiccups, the band resumes with an explosive performance that captivates the audience. Mosh pits are a constant, and even a wall of death makes an appearance. A highlight is when vocalist Lucas is lifted onto someone’s shoulders and carried through the crowd while delivering his raw growls. Already one of today’s top performances!
Time for a breather with the groovy death metal of Crown the Beast. The band performs without their drummer, who is absent due to broken ribs, possibly from previous shows. Considering the pace of the drum machine they used as a substitute, it’s understandable! The relatively straightforward death metal is delivered with enthusiasm, but the drum machine’s overly loud mix sometimes drowns out the other instruments.
Back to goregrind! It’s delightful how this genre doesn’t take itself too seriously, preferring to sing about private parts, bodily fluids, and absurdities. The next band’s name says it all: Clitgore. Their bassist, dressed in a bizarre black outfit and matching face mask, commands attention. The vocalist/guitarist uses this set as a warm-up for his later performance with Analepsy, one of the festival’s headliners. The crude humor blends well with the heavy grindcore, resonating with the audience!
Next up is Belgium’s Coffin Feeder. After wrapping up a two-week tour with Baest and Benighted, they conclude their run in Alkmaar. The band delivers brutally heavy deathcore, with every song aimed at demolishing the stage. Featuring Sven de Caluwé of Aborted, joined by members of Leng Tch’e and Fleddy Melculy, Coffin Feeder is a well-oiled deathcore machine of seasoned musicians. The sheer intensity of their performance is overwhelming, with the drummer being the standout force behind their wall of sound. Julien Truchan also joins for a guest vocal spot, creating a memorable moment as these two boldheaded metal legends share the stage. A stellar performance by a band I hope to hear more from soon.
The Dutch slam kings take the stage next. The highly regarded Korpse smashes through their set with relentless death metal and slams so heavy they might outmatch Russia’s infamous Oreshnik weapon. The unstoppable power once again proves too much for the venue’s electricity, leading to another outage. Impressively, the party doesn’t stop and Sven keeps the energy alive asking for an impromptu drum solo until the issue is fixed. By this point, the audience is fully energized, making it clear this was a standout performance.
Next, the Danish death metallers of Baest take over. Despite forming not too long ago, this band has made a name for itself with three critically acclaimed full-length albums, bolstered by a contract with Century Media. Like Coffin Feeder, they’re wrapping up their tour in Alkmaar. Aside from the bassist’s sloppy hair showing signs of wear and tear, the audience notices no fatigue. With flair and dynamism, the band delivers groove-infused death metal, blending catchy riffs and blistering tempo changes. A small technical hiccup with the bassist’s equipment is the only blemish on an otherwise flawless performance.
Vocalist/guitarist Calin Paraschiv, who performed earlier with Clitgore, returns to deliver a dose of slam death metal with the Portuguese band Analepsy. Transitioning seamlessly from goregrind to slam, the band impresses with their heavy sound. However, it feels like their set resonates less with the crowd compared to earlier performances. Perhaps the audience is feeling the effects of a long day or conserving energy for Benighted’s upcoming set. Who knows? Either way, the quality of Analepsy’s music stands tall.
And the aforementioned band is undoubtedly the proud finale of a long day filled with crushing metal. Benighted needs little introduction. The French band has been terrorizing our eardrums for almost 25 years with their unforgiving mix of grindcore and death metal. It’s indescribable how good this band is, and especially their latest album, Ekbom, which is rock solid. Naturally, a significant portion of the album is performed, but earlier works are also given attention. Just like with Benighted, there is no sign of fatigue as the bassist works hard on his step counter, showing off his acrobatics all over the stage. And of course, Julien Truchan, who keeps riling up the crowd barefoot. And it works! What a fantastic pit, and the audience is going wild. Incredible. What a fitting ending to this Herrie festival. We of course close with the sing-along classic Let the Blood Spill Between My Broken Teeth. Amazing!!
And with that, the last notes are played for most, and we can safely say we’ve had an incredible day. It was a long day, and I already know I’ll be sore for a few days from all the sweaty moshers who took a toll on my aging body. But the pounding never once managed to wipe the smile off my face. I’ve seen a great mix of bands, bringing different heavy styles, and some bands I didn’t know before. I’m very impressed with the festival’s organization, where everything ran smoothly with hardly any complaints to be heard. One thing that also stood out to me is how good the sound was overall. I think many concert halls would be hard-pressed to do better. This is simply an amazing festival, and I hope I can be part of it again next year. If the technical issues are solved by then, it will be nothing short of perfect! To make matters worse, the technical issues extended to our photographer Mellow, as one of the memory cards was damaged by the sheer intensity, resulting in the loss of photos of Baest, Analepsy, and Benighted. Thankfully, we were allowed to use shots from Kick Verhaegen of Sidekick Photography to complete the report.
Date and location
30 november 2024, HAL 25, Alkmaar
Photos:
Kick Verhaegen – Facebook