I still can remember the feeling I had when I initially bought my ticket to this festival. The initial lineup was announced a few months after I graduated from college. Judas Priest, Amon Amarth, Mercyful Fate, Sodom, Death Angel; It was looking like a fantastic lineup from the get-go. So, I said fuck it and got myself a ticket, congrats to me on graduating college! As the days counted down, the COVID-19 pandemic really started to take hold of the world. About three months or so before the festival, Wacken was postponed. I was devastated, but was ultimately understanding; People’s health and safety are paramount. Wacken was ultimately postponed again, set to happen in 2022. Once announced, I began counting down the days once more. And, finally, after waiting for three long years, I got to set foot on the holy land of Wacken Open Air!
Arriving at Wacken Open Air
After spending a few days in Frankfurt, I took the MetalTrain from Frankfurt all the way to Itzehoe, Germany. From there, the festival attendees take a bus to the festival grounds. Some, depending on where they were coming from, would drive. But, regardless, you’d get to your tent and then check in at the wristband exchange. And, oh man, this was a long fuckin line!
This is one of the pictures I got while I was on the exchange line for about 45 minutes or so. Honestly, I kinda lost track the longer I was in line. But, the line curled around the grounds, and from what I heard, some people ended up waiting like 3 hours to get their wristbands. I was lucky to have gotten on when I did. Eventually, I got my tickets exchanged and I was free to go about the festival grounds.
The big difference about the festival this year though was the inclusion of Wacken Wednesday.
Wacken Wednesday was an extra day added to the festival, which required its’ own ticket. I wasn’t too thrilled by the idea of it initially. When it was first announced for the 2021 rendition of the festival, I remember that Till Lindemann was the main headliner. I remember thinking that if I’m going to pay for an extra ticket, then the headliner should be someone that warrants the purchase of a separate ticket. But, when the festival was postponed to 2022, the Wacken Wednesday lineup changed its headliner. The second I saw who it was, I didn’t care how much it was – I was getting that fuckin ticket. But, I’m getting ahead of myself a little.
Day 1
After getting my things settled and my wristband exchanged, I finally went to see some acts. The first one that I got to see was Mambo Kurt. Mambo Kurt is a consistent member of the Wacken lineup. I have heard many sing his praises, but was admittedly a bit hesitant to go to his set. It just wasn’t something that seemed too interesting to me. But, after seeing him live, I can safely say that I made the right decision. Mambo Kurt’s set was a ton of fun. People were crowd-surfing to his covers and generally having a ton of fun. I certainly enjoyed seeing him live. If I ever go back to Wacken (which I certainly plan to), Mambo Kurt is definitely on my list of acts to see.
Wacken is known for many things – One of which is the Metal Battle. This is a sort of worldwide battle of the bands, meant to give smaller bands a way to play for a larger audience and grow. Different countries host their tournaments and each country’s finalists perform at Wacken. Eye Tea, a sort of grungy, sludge metal act, represented Ukraine. I guess you could say they are like a Mastodon-type group – that kind of sludgy metal. Admittedly, I’m not the biggest fan of that kind of metal – at least, not as of when I’m writing this. But, I kinda liked Eye Tea’s set. It’s always good to give new bands a chance, and I’m glad I gave them a chance. If sludge is your thing, give these guys a listen!
I briefly caught the set for Orca, from the Phillippines. I, unfortunately, don’t remember much of their set, but they also participated in Wacken Metal Battle. Admittedly, I think that it’s awesome that bands like this are getting a chance on a bigger stage. That, to me, has always been a fantastic aspect of metal. You never know where some new act will show up. I always enjoy seeing these new bands pop up in places where metal may not be that well known. Give these guys a listen if you can; let’s see if we can help grow the Philippine metal scene a little bit!
After walking around a little, I came back to see The Iron Maidens. The Iron Maidens are an all-female tribute act to the legendary Iron Maiden! As someone who has enjoyed Iron Maiden since I started listening to metal, I thoroughly enjoyed hearing their set. These songs are always enjoyable and the group nailed each song without fail. The other fantastic thing about them is that they give more female representation in metal. That’s fuckin awesome!
After The Iron Maidens finished their set, Loudness took to the stage. Loudness is arguably one of the most notable bands in Japan’s history. They were one of the first Japanese metal acts to make it big in the west. I was excited to see them since I don’t see them touring America. In fact, I can’t even remember the last time that I saw them advertise a tour. So considering how rare it is for me to see Loudness, I was really happy seeing them here. They may not be my favorite band from Japan, but I certainly enjoyed this rare opportunity.
The last group that I saw on Day 1 was the Wacken Wednesday headliner – Tobias Sammet’s Avantasia! Avantasia is one of my favorite bands ever! I always enjoy listening to their songs; the energy and passion in each song is infectious. I was so fuckin happy getting to see Avantasia – in their home country nonetheless! Hearing songs like “Let the Storm Descend Upon You”, “Farewell” and “The Wicked Rule the Night” live was incredible! Since Avantasia has a lot of guest stars in the line-up, like Jorn Lande, Bob Catley, and Ronnie Atkins, it’s kinda tough for them to go on such a large tour. So, seeing them was hands down the highlight of Day 1. I don’t know when they will be on tour in America next, but I certainly can’t wait to see them again sometime soon!
Day 2
After the Avantasia show, I went back to my tent to get some sleep. However, I ended up getting food poisoning in the middle of the night – or at least I think it was food poisoning. I tried to power through my ailment during the day, but I eventually decided to get medical attention. One’s health has to take priority in situations like this. So, I ended up missing out on seeing some bands that I really wanted to see – namely Grave Digger, Udo Dirkschneider, and Cirith Ungol. But, I managed to find the strength to see two acts on Day 2.
The first band I got to see on Day 2 was the iconic Mercyful Fate, the Danish metal progenitors of the first wave of black metal. Mercyful Fate has gone through various lengths of time on activity and inactivity. If memory serves me right, Mercyful Fate reformed in the late 2010s for a few select shows and festivals. Since I’m not sure exactly how long they will be around, I certainly didn’t want to miss out on their set. Luckily, my body cooperated with me long enough to see their entire set.
Admittedly, I’m not the biggest fan of Mercyful Fate. Namely, I’m not a fan of King Diamond’s vocals. However, their sound has grown on me over time, and their 1984 album “Don’t Break the Oath” has become my favorite album of theirs. Even if I’m not the biggest fan of theirs, their set was entertaining. If you get a chance to see Mercyful Fate, do not pass that opportunity up! Besides, who knows how long they will be around together?
The other band that I got to see was Judas Priest, the legendary British heavy metal act! Celebrating its 50th anniversary, Judas Priest was one of the initial acts announced for the original 2020 lineup. They were one of the acts I was really excited to see. However, I couldn’t stay for their entire set. I lasted for about half of their set before my body told me to call it a night. I recall them playing “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin'” and I think they opened with “Firepower”. By the time I got back to my tent, I heard the iconic drumming of “Painkiller”.
It was upsetting, missing out on half of Judas Priest’s set. After looking forward to seeing them for so long, my body just couldn’t hold up. I know they are going on tour in America, so I’ll have to see if I can snag a ticket for one of those shows. If not, I think they’ll be touring again after that. I vaguely recall mention of an Iron Maiden/Judas Priest co-headlining tour in the works. Now that would be one fuckin killer tour!
Day 3
With food poisoning still taking its toll on my body, I didn’t get to see that many acts on Day 3. I still missed out on some acts that I really wanted to see. Mainly, I missed out on seeing Crypta, an all-female Brazilian death metal act, and Satan, an NWOBHM act that had reformed in 2011. It sucked missing out on them, but I’ll be able to see them in the future. However, I did manage to see a few really neat acts.
The first act I got to see was Black Inhale, a groove metal act from Austria. Having never heard of these guys before, I was interested in seeing their set. While I don’t remember any songs, I do remember the set having a lot of energy. And Black Inhale was on one of the smaller Wacken stages – the Wasteland Stage. Seeing this many people gathered at a stage this size was awesome! I hope that they tour America sometime in the future. If they can’t headline just yet, I think they’d make a fantastic support act. Maybe Enforced or Exhorder could use a tourmate.
After Black Inhale, the next act I saw was Einherjer, a Viking metal band from Norway. Just getting over my food poisoning, I stumbled on their set after getting some food. I thought their set was alright. Honestly, I don’t remember much of their set. Honestly, I don’t have much else to say about them beyond that.
The last act of Day 3 I saw was Burgerkill, an Indonesian death metal/metalcore band. I think that Burgerkill was announced in the original 2020 line-up. I decided that I’d give their set a chance then, so I stuck to my original intent. Man was that a good idea. I really liked their set. I’m honestly sure why these guys aren’t more popular; They know how to put on one hell of a show! I’d love to see these guys tour America sometime. Maybe Burgerkill and Black Inhale could co-headline something. Hell, why don’t they take Oxygen Destroyer or Hellripper with them? I’d absolutely go see that tour!
Day 4
Finally, over my ailment, I wanted to enjoy as much of my last day at Wacken Open Air 2022 as I could. I still wanted to take it easy, and not do more damage. But still, I had fun.
The first act I saw on my final day was Hardbone, a rock’n’roll act from nearby Hamburg, Germany. I remember hearing them get announced and not being too enthusiastic. I don’t mean that as an insult though. Simply put, other acts caught my intention better. But, when I saw their set, it was actually pretty entertaining. While I like more intense music, it’s nice to hear straight-up rock’n’roll every so often. I think overall it was a good thing seeing them. It was a nice change of pace of sorts.
At the same stage – the Wackinger stage – I saw the Wacken Firefighters. The town’s firefighters come together each year to perform orchestral covers of iconic metal songs. I was excited to see them since you don’t always see things like this. And since I missed out on their first appearance earlier in the festival, I was glad to get to see them before leaving Wacken altogether. For those who plan on going to Wacken in the future, do not pass up on seeing the Wacken Firefighters at least once. They come back year after year for a reason!
I later saw Striker, a heavy/power metal band from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. I was excited when I saw that they were announced. Even though I hadn’t heard about them before, I was willing to give their set a chance. Their description from the announcement seemed like their style would be right up my alley. And they fuckin delivered. Their set was energetic and fun! Hands down, they were one of the best acts I saw on my last day. I would love to see them on tour in America. (Hey: Spell, Unto Others – full North America tour with Striker?)
After Striker was Attic, a German heavy metal act. As if the stage presence didn’t make it obvious, these guys worship at the altar of Mercyful Fate. Now, as I touched upon earlier, I’m not the biggest Mercyful Fate fan. I enjoy Mercyful Fate, but not to a point where I’m looking for more music exactly like it. If Mercyful Fate is your thing, give these guys a listen. For me, they were just alright.
I next saw Hate, a blackened death metal act from Warsaw, Poland. Actually, I knew about these guys before Wacken. One of my friends and I send each other music recommendations every so often, and he sent me their album 2021 Rugia. I enjoyed that album and liked their set at Wacken. If the last act is worshipping at the Mercyful Fate altar, these guys worship at the altar of Behemoth. Now, I admit that I have been hard on Behemoth in the past. However, I enjoyed Hate’s set enough to begin reconsidering my opinion of Behemoth. I think that I’ll give Behemoth another chance in the future. I think that they are going on tour for their new album soon, so I’ll keep an eye out for tour dates. (Especially since I missed their set at Wacken due to sickness.)
After Hate’s set, I saw The Spirit, a German Black/Death metal band. I only caught like the opening 15 minutes of their set. I hadn’t eaten in a while at that point in the day, so I left to get something to eat. From what I remember, I thought their set was alright. I wish I had stayed around for more of their set, but after what happened earlier during the festival, I wasn’t taking any chances. If Black/Death metal is your thing, give these guys a chance.
I got some food near Wacken’s infield and happened to catch part of Arch Enemy’s set. I don’t remember any of the songs they performed, but I do recall that they were releasing a new album soon. And… in all honesty, I don’t like Arch Enemy. I’ve listened to some of their material before – songs like “The Eagle Flies Alone” and “The World is Yours” – and it never really interested me. I found those songs to just be stock Melo-death and yeah, even live, it still comes across that way to me. I know a lot of people like Arch Enemy, and to them, I say more power to ya. But I just don’t think they’re for me.
One of the later acts I saw was Brian Downey’s Alive and Dangerous. For those who may not know, Brian Downey was one of the founding members of Thin Lizzy, one of the most iconic hard rock bands. Getting to see a living legend like him is one rare opportunity, even if you’re not a big Thin Lizzy fan. Just like with Hardbone earlier in the day, seeing Alive and Dangerous was a great change of pace. And considering I may never get a chance to see this act again, I’m pretty glad that I got to see this!
With the day drawing to a close, I got to end my time at Wacken on a high with one of the bands I was beyond excited to see. The last band I saw was the criminally underrated German thrash act – Fateful Finality. The moment these guys were announced I was fuckin stoked! I don’t recall how I found out about these guys, but I enjoyed their stuff from the get-go. And since I’d never seen them touring America, I knew this was going to be my best chance to see them. I got a great space up along the barricade, and had a fuck ton of fun seeing them! They performed songs like “Fire and Brimstone”, “Dirt in the Closet”, and “Now More Than Ever”, and closed with “Intoxication”.
I know that Death Angel brought them along as a support act for their summer European tour. I hope that Fateful Finality gets more recognition from that tour. It’d be cool to see them touring America sometime.
Post-Wacken and Conclusion
After the Fateful Finality show, I started making my way back to camp. I had to catch the MetalTrain early, and there weren’t any other acts I was interested in seeing. So, I got my stuff and made my way to the train station to carry on with the remainder of my vacation in Germany. I went around to Essen and Dusseldorf before heading back to Frankfurt and then back home.
Overall, Wacken was fuckin awesome! Even with getting sick, I had a ton of fun, and can’t wait to go back. I saw some great bands, some of my favorite ones too. Wacken really showed me that it is undeniably metal’s holy land. While I won’t be going back in 2023 (they literally sold out in 5 hours), I hope to go back sooner rather than later.