It has been a while, but I want to write down some of my experiences and thoughts from Wacken 2025. What bands stood out, what pissed me of, and why we decided that this would not be our last visit to Wacken … for at least one more year.

If you want to skip my whining, and just read about the music, go here.

The Weather

Sooo, Wacken, rain or shine, right? Well, it was another rainy one this time, and it suuucked. While a lot of the actual concerts did not have any rainfall, the ground was absolutely soaked. Especially the pathways in the camping were in a miserable state, with every well travelled part being permanently covered in ankle or knee deep mud. Any effort from the organizers to improve the situation, if there was any, did not help and was not noticeable. The one exceptions was the way to the shuttle busses, which was freed of the worst mud on Sunday morning.

I’ve been going to Wacken since 2012, and while there have been several rainy and stormy years, it does seem to be getting worse year by year. If that is a failure of organisation and mitigation, or if it is actually getting worse, I can not say. However, a friend of mine who actually knows about these things, it actual does get worse over time, when organizer do not take the necessary precautions. Check out her post about it (and maybe give her a follow):

The weather is also why we had pretty much decided to not return the next year (more on why we will anyway later). Everything takes longer and requires more energy, all the while you need to return to camp more often, since there is almost no place to sit and relax between concerts. It is really quite miserable. We’ve been coming to Wacken for ages, we know how to handle bad weather, and we are physically capable enough to still go and watch the bands we want to. And yet, while a mostly dry Wacken is a wonderful experience that is well worth the expenses, the large chance of it being a year like this, when it really isn’t worth it, really makes us not want to return.

The People

This one annoys me greatly, and also makes me very sad. We always go to Wacken by train, and camp together with a few friends on the campground. This puts us in the minority, as most people seem to arrive by car or camper. Luckily, the organizer have put several camping-only grounds close to the festival grounds, so we are not disadvantaged in that way.

BUT

The way the other campers trample through other peoples camps, including ours, is disgusting. Walking as close as possible to tents, where the ground is still somewhat solid, which then turns the place people are trying to live and sleep into a swamp, and pulling tent poles from the ground. Drunkenly stumbling into tents or other constructions, or just straight up destroying them on purpose. Some people seem to realize what they’re doing once you shout at them, but so many just do not care about anyone else. Sure, if the main roads were not in the miserable state, this would probably not happen, but come on, you’d think people would actually think about these things since they are also experiencing them firsthand.

The Travel

Hot damn, it all went to plan. Well, not to plan, as it was when we organized the trip, but at least how it was announced by DB a week before travelling. We made it from Zurich, to Hamburg Hbf, to Hamburg Altona, to Itzehoe, to Wacken, and back. Yeees, there were delays, yeees, one train had to turn back for mysterious reasons, but we didn’t have to change trains at unexpected places or had to storm across the stupid Hamburg train station to catch a train that forgot which platform it was meant to be at.

The Music

Ah, the important bit! Let’s go and see what stood out to me (meaning, what do I remember, 2 months later).

Cypecore

I don’t think I’ll ever get bored of these guys. Heavy riffs, soaring leads, incredible vocals, and a wonderfully immersive outfit design. Just, Wacken, please, give these guys a bigger stage! Sure, they seem destined to play the Wasteland stage, but they deserve so much more!

Floor Jansen

Floor Jansen is one of my favourite personalities in music right now and this show was wonderful. She catered it a bit more to the metal audience, but wasn’t afraid to lean into the more pop and folk side of things, as well as her own history. The rendition of Nemo was a joy to experience.

Gojira

These guys are so talented, and a bit insane. Insanely talented I guess. We mostly stood to the side, because we had to conserve energy, and because of that the animated stage background combined with their overpowering sound almost broke me. In a good way? Somehow?

Guns N’ Roses

lmao

31 songs, 3 1/2 hours

We listened to maybe 2 or 3 songs. The sound was horrid. Axl really can’t sing anymore.

Just, why?

Machine Head

Heeell yeah, it was time to see these guys on the big stage again. They were the last band I watched, alone, with very few people around me. I didn’t have the energy to push all the way into the crowd at the front, but I stood in between the massive sound towers, Wacken skull above me, free view to the stage, and it felt like it was 2012 again, feeling that overwhelming power of this band and this place.

Miracle of Sound

I spent most of this gig trying to flag down the medics together with the crowd around me, as someone had collapsed. They seemed to be alright in the end. Sad for me, but so it goes. What I did hear seemed fun. Hope he comes back around these parts sometime.

Setyoursails

Mmmhhh, sorry, they probably played a perfectly fine show, but the constant teasing about the weather, while themselves staying perfectly dry, just did not meet the moment.

Static-X

I heard they were making music again … I didn’t realize they were doing it with a stand-in for Wayne Static, who wears something like a death mask of his face. With glowing eyes and everything … Nah, thanks, too strange for such an average sounding band.

Walls of Jericho

Only caught these guys in between other bands, but hot damn do they go hard. It was very cute for Candace Kucsulain to bring her daughter on stage to sing a song with her.

Metal Battle

Unfortunately, I was bedridden for on part of the Metal Battle, but I still managed to catch a few. Here are the once I think you should check out:

  • My Own Shiva from Kyrgyzstan
  • Refore from Czech Republic
  • Deadline from Poland
  • Halvar from South Africa

And that’s about it, right?

Hmmmm

Oh right, there’s the little thing of

EXPELLOW WON THE FUCKING METAL BATTLE

If you know me, you know that I think Expellow is the best band from Switzerland. Over the years, I’ve also had the pleasure of getting to know them personally, and I’ve worked with Gudi from the band to release my own music.

So when they sent me a picture, of them being crowned the winner of the 2025 Wacken Metal Battle, I was elated! Their show was a banger as usual and they work super hard, so they definitely deserve it in my eyes.

And, since the winner of the Metal Battle gets a slot at next years festival, we’ve reached the reason why, after all these years, we will be going to Wacken one last time (for the foreseeable future), to watch one of my favourite bands tear that place to pieces.

Let’s hope the weather is better then.