Once again this year, France’s biggest metal festival, featuring over 180 bands over 4 days, could not be missed, and is less than 3 hours by train from Paris! So Sortir à Paris leaves the capital for a while, and brings you the 18th edition of Hellfest as if you were there! Thursday marked the first day of this 2025 edition of the extreme music festival. Here’s a look back at 10 selected moments from June 19, 2025.
The festival from hell has reopened! Hellfest is back in Clisson, with four days of extreme music, fury and good humor! What’s new and what’s hot for the 18th edition of Hellfest… Here’s a look back at Thursday June 19, 2025a day marked by ultra-powerful shows from Korn, Seven Hours After Violet and Jinjer!
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Like every year, Hellfest has a few new features in store for its festival-goers. For this 2025 edition, it all starts with a new guitar-shaped entrance arch. Forget the traditional giant amp, and make way for this huge bow in the shape of a stringed instrument, indispensable to any metal musician. It’s also an opportunity for Hellfest to welcome back its famous Guardian of Darkness, back in Clisson this summer to our great delight!
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The Purple House is THE new feature of Hellfest 2025. Located at the entrance to the Metal Corner, this new area replaces the traditional Fanzone. And the organizers have thought big for the occasion. Entirely free of charge and open to all festival-goers, the Purple House houses a 360° cage-shaped stage at its center, in which guest bands play. Open from Thursday to Sunday, 11am to 9pm, the Purple House offers a rich and varied program of concerts, as well as ” crazy ” performances by Medusa Hendricks and The Ember Dahlia, an Air Guitar losers final, arcade terminals and vintage games… all in a darkened room!
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What else is new? Hellcitythe new brewpub/restaurant inspired by the Hellfest atmosphere, open since last February. Gone is Looksor, with its famous pyramid at the entrance to the festival. For the duration of Hellfest, Hellcity is reserved exclusively for festival-goers and offers a unique menu. The price is 46 euros per person. While the restaurant, located on the first floor, is accessible by reservation only, the brewpub is open to all, allowing festival-goers to quench their thirst while enjoying a unique setting and a breathtaking view of Hellcity Square.
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Festival-goers were also surprised to discover the ” Pandemonium ” in Hellcity Square. Resembling a children’s playground, this work of art is the fruit of a collaboration between Hellfest and Nantes-based artist collective MONsTR. Featuring large sculptures made mainly of wood, the space will be freely accessible to all from July 2025.
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It’s never easy to open the festival on Mainstage 1. But Skindred managed to do it without much difficulty. With their catchy style, blending ragga and metal, the British band succeeded in gathering a large number of curious onlookers in front of the main stages from 4.30pm onwards. Communicative energy, a “ V” sign taken up by a large part of the audience, a message of peace, a microphone in the colors of the Rasta flag… Charismatic frontman Benji webs even got the whole audience to sit down before bouncing to the ultra-groovy sounds!
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The first highlight of the first day of Hellfest! Scheduled on Mainstage 2 from 5.15pm, the Americans of Seven Hours After Violet delivered a super-powered, over-the-top set for their very first appearance at the French festival. The nu metal outfit, made up of bassist Shavo Odadjian from System Of A Down, Alejandro Aranda and Taylor Barber from Left to Suffer, and Michael Montoya and Josh Johnson from Winds of Plague, seemed to have won over a good part of the audience, and us too! We loved the smile on Shavo Odadjian’s face, clearly delighted to be programmed at Hellfest, the ultra-efficient tracks and the perfectly harmonized vocals of Taylor Barber and Alejandro Aranda.
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We won’t lie to you. It was already very hot on the Hellfest site on June 19. So the organizers provided plenty of refreshment, especially in front of the Mainstages, where some festival-goers stayed all day to make sure they didn’t miss the big headliners of this 2025 edition. The water hoses were out in full force on Thursday, spraying the audience on numerous occasions.
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A fine tribute to Metallica! That’s what Finland’sApocalyptica came up with this Thursday, June 19 at 6pm on Mainstage 1. The Nordic band, known for having dusted off the Four Horsemen’s songs, showed that you can make metal with three cellos and a drum kit. Unfortunately, despite a quality set, the audience wasn’t really receptive to Apocalyptica’s songs. Many of them would have liked to hear the Finnish band’s own compositions that day.
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Each of his performances is an aural explosion. Ihsahnreal name Vegard Sverre Tveitan, was back at Hellfest on June 19 for his 10th appearance at the metal festival! An opportunity for the famous Norwegian musician and singer to show that he is, and remains, the true pope of black metal. Big sound, ultra-powerful beats and an ever-focused Ihsahn, with his glasses screwed on his nose, punctuated this particularly intense set!
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The Altar was packed to the rafters at around 9.50pm on Thursday for the eagerly-awaited Jin concert. The Ukrainian band, who played on the Mainstage in 2022 in the late afternoon, were this time scheduled to perform under the Altar tent in the evening. And it was hard to make your way through the crowds of festival-goers. On the live side, the Ukrainians really set the stage alight. Tatiana Shmayluk was in top form. With a smile on her lips, a lacy white top and an overflowing, communicative energy, the Jinjer singer put on a show of her own, occupying the stage to perfection and even indulging in a few flamenco moves. Her voice is as impressive as ever, making our insides vibrate! In short, an incredibly successful set that leaves us wanting more: to see them live at the Olympia in Paris in February 2026.
Let’s not forget Korn ‘s incredibly powerful and successful concert on Thursday evening on Mainstage 1. Bagpipes, Metallica covers, hits galore, ultra-careful lighting and Jonathan Davis in top form… Korn put everyone in agreement on June 19, proving once again that the American band remains THE reference in neo-metal!
The program continues this Friday, June 20, with concerts by Muse, The Hu, Heilung, Within Temptation, Spiritbox, Sex Pistols, Pentagram and Nervosa!
Hellfest 2025: complete program and concert times
Hellfest returns with four new days of concerts dedicated to extreme music. This year, Hellfest awaits metalheads from Thursday June 19 to Sunday June 22, 2025. On the program for this new edition? Americans Linkin Park, Brits Muse, Germans Scorpions, as well as Korn, Judas Priest, Till Lindemann, The Hu, Dream Theater, Within Temptation, Electric Callboy, Heilung and Abbath… Discover the complete program by day and by stage, as well as concert times! [Read more]
Hellfest 2025: 5 bands not to be missed this Friday, June 20
Hellfest returns to Clisson from Thursday June 19 to Sunday June 22, 2025 for a new, 18th edition. As always, the extreme-music festival has pulled out all the stops, with a line-up of talented artists that will have festival-goers banging and slamming their gums. So, who are the must-see performers on stage this Friday? Pentagram, The Hu, Heilung… Here are 5 bands you won’t want to miss this Friday, June 20, 2025 in Clisson for the latest edition of Hellfest. [Read more]
