Wacken 2026: The Traditional Ritual of Dust, Fire and Distortion

The name Wacken Open Air has long stood for more than just a festival; it represents a cultural brand on a global scale. Every summer, it brings together tens of thousands of metal fans in Wacken, a tiny village in northern Germany, transforming it into one of the biggest and most passionate heavy metal gatherings on the planet. But what makes Wacken unique is not merely its sheer size or the number of people attending; it is the festival's ability to bring together the past, present and future of the genre on the same stages, spanning everything from black metal to power metal, death metal to doom, while, much like metal music itself, bringing together people from different countries, backgrounds and walks of life. Sometimes rain, sometimes sunshine, sometimes mud, sometimes dust, and an endless marathon of concerts have become an inseparable part of the festival's identity over the years.

Beyond unforgettable stage performances, Wacken offers a unique experience where metal fans from all over the world share the same passion, new friendships are formed, and the borderless spirit of unity within metal culture becomes tangible. For this reason, the festival is not merely one of the major events marked on the calendar; it is regarded as a living metal legend, rewritten every year by heavy metal itself.

In the end, I finally got to experience the festival I had wanted to attend for a very long time, but had been forced to postpone for years because of the pandemic, work and life getting in the way. Throughout this festival review, I can't wait to share these unforgettable days with you. Let's get started!

The Pulse of the Holy Ground: Wacken 2026 Organization

This year, as always, Wacken devotees began settling into the festival grounds at the beginning of the week. From Tuesday onward in particular, party stages in the smaller areas had already kicked off the festival. Taking the running order into account, my wife and I set off early on Wednesday morning and, with a little luck, reached the press accreditation location without getting caught in Hamburg's weekday morning traffic. Taking advantage of having set off early once again, we completed our accreditation without waiting in line and, after picking up our press wristbands as well as the "Photo" wristband, which offered additional advantages for photography, we headed towards the festival grounds. After roughly ten minutes of driving, we arrived at our accommodation area. It took some time to carry our belongings from the car to our camping spot, but I had already expected that, because Wacken's camping grounds, stages and everything else are spread across a total area of 3.6 km². That's the equivalent of around 500 football pitches, which actually makes the comparison even more striking: the area I'm talking about is roughly 1.7 times the size of Monaco.

The gear was unpacked, the coolest T-shirts came out, and carefully stitched battle jackets were donned. Now we were ready for Wacken. As luck would have it, looking at the two-week weather forecast, there was no rain during the dates Wacken itself was taking place. The weather was generally sunny, with occasional very light showers. On the first day, we experienced İzmir weather in all its glory. We had obsessed over this so much throughout the entire year that Father Thor heard our prayers and adjusted the weather for us:) With temperatures climbing above 30°C and the sun blazing in the sky, we headed towards the stages.

Luckily, our accommodation area was quite close to the stages. Even so, there were times when we walked for more than ten minutes. There were so many stages that, despite the festival having an app that answered practically every question you could have, I still prepared an Excel spreadsheet showing which band was playing when, on which stage, and for how long. But of course, that alone wasn't enough; the app was extremely helpful when it came to locating the stages. As I mentioned above, this is a gigantic area, and if you're hopeless at finding your way around in the dark to the point of being practically night-blind, the Wacken App is your only solution.

Our first stop at the festival was the Wackinger Stage, because Wacken Firefighters, the local volunteer fire brigade band, were performing there. Wacken Firefighters have been a festival tradition for a long time. They are the first band on the running order and officially open the festival. Maybe one of the vocalists doesn't listen to metal, but they are all incredibly happy to be part of this organization. We enthusiastically sang along with thousands of people to a setlist made up of metal classics and well-known staples of German musical culture, and the frantic pace of running from stage to stage at Wacken had begun.

Since I've already mentioned a stage name, I should say a little about this year's main stages. Music thundered across a total of eight stages: Louder, Harder, Headbangers Stage, W:E:T Stage, Wackinger Stage, Wasteland Stage, Welcome To The Jungle and LGH Clubstage. The Infield area, home to the Faster, Harder and Louder stages, was where the heart of the festival was beating. From Judas Priest and Running Wild to In Flames, Arch Enemy and Emperor, the heavy hitters took these stages. The W:E:T Stage hosted hugely important names such as Misery Index and Craft and was located a seven-to-ten-minute walk from the Infield. The Wackinger Stage was ten to twelve minutes away from the Infield and hosted some seriously fun and energetic shows. Thousands of people filled the area, decorated around a medieval theme, to watch important acts from the genre such as Vogelfrey, Cruachan and Faun, as well as bands like Dubioza Kolektiv.

This was also an indication of the festival's approach to increasing the stylistic diversity of the bands it wanted to put on stage. Located twelve to fifteen minutes from the Infield, Wasteland Stage was another strikingly colorful area. The Mad Max theme was spread throughout the entire site. Wasteland Warriors, an independent collective made up of post-apocalyptic artists, performers, vehicle designers and show crews from Germany, was responsible for organizing the area. This area has existed since 2013, and Wasteland is now considered the largest post-apocalyptic festival area in Europe, with the team determined to push its boundaries further every year. Throughout the festival, there were fire shows among rusty vehicles, cage fights and motor shows. The costumes and the entire Mad Max aesthetic were designed and staged by Wasteland Warriors. Another stage that caught my attention was LGH Clubstage. In addition to tribute bands for acts such as Megadeth and Danzig, Heaven Shall Burn's "Pay with your Blood Show!" was the festival-scale manifestation of the band's long-standing commitment to social responsibility, drawing attention to the chronic shortage of blood donations in Germany and encouraging people, particularly first-time donors, to donate.

To be honest, we spent our first day getting to know this enormous area. We figured out the essentials: food areas, toilets, showers, merch areas, distances between stages and so on. Every time we discovered another new point, the sheer size of the grounds continued to shock us. Distances of seven to fifteen minutes may not sound particularly far, but when you're among 85,000 people, with stop-and-go walking, taking photos, waiting in line for beer or food, or queuing at the official merch tent, you lose track of how quickly time passes. That's why even very short distances could sometimes stretch to ten or fifteen minutes.

had caused chaos the previous year had been taken very seriously. Reinforced roads connecting all the different areas, a comprehensive signage system, and toilets that were easily accessible everywhere you went — and there was not only an adequate number of toilet cubicles, but also enough variety. In addition to flush toilets with sinks where you could wash your hands, located both near the stages and very close to the tents and sleeping cabins, there were easily accessible toilet cubicles everywhere, generally referred to here as Dixi Klos. Goldeimer also attracted quite a bit of attention with its waterless dry toilet / composting toilet concept; however, as someone with very little camping experience to begin with, the prospect of using a waterless toilet scared me:) We skipped that one.

The security system reinforced by the wristband system was highly impressive. It was possible to check very quickly and smoothly who could enter which area and when. Thanks to the chip embedded in the wristbands, we made all our purchases using them. We had ours activated at the same point where we completed our press accreditation, while visitors picked up their wristbands at a huge wristband collection point before entering the festival areas. Their festival ticket was quickly checked, whether they had it in digital format, as a printout from an email, or as a hard ticket, and they could immediately collect their wristband and load money onto it for the first time. Money could also be added to the wristbands quickly and easily at top-up points located throughout the festival grounds. In my opinion, it was a fantastic experience thanks to how simple and secure the system was. When you're three sheets to the wind and thinking, "I'll have one more beeeeer," there's no chance of loose change or crumpled bills falling out of your pocket. You don't have to wonder, "Did I get the right change, broooo??" You don't have to worry, "Should I bring cash with me, how much should I carry, where can I keep it?" And that nagging thought of, "What if someone nicks it?" is gone, too. Again in connection with security, the metal safety deposit boxes that could be reserved through Wacken's official website were another great quick solution. Visitors left valuables they didn't feel comfortable leaving in their tents, but also didn't want to carry around for fear of dropping them, in these metal lockers.

Aside from these methods of keeping our belongings secure, the presence of a very adequate number of police officers who were almost invisible was also noteworthy. The police point set up before the wristband collection booths was essentially a huge police station, but as I said, they remained out of sight unless necessary, which was a considerate detail that avoided creating the suspicion of, "Is there some serious security incident going on?" Alongside these measures, private security, fire crews, the German Red Cross (DRK), and a fully equipped first-aid station resembling a complete hospital, staffed by volunteer doctors and nurses, ensured the safety and control of all participants flawlessly from the beginning to the end of the festival.

I should also say a little about the camping area, which essentially lived like a small city throughout the festival. The festival supermarket located along the roads leading through the camping areas was a fantastic shopping option for everyone. This fast-moving supermarket stocked practically everything you could buy at a regular grocery store, from daily products such as eggs and milk brought in from the villages around Wacken to drinks such as beer and Coke, all at regular supermarket prices. The supermarket came to our rescue once the ice in our cooler had melted. With hot running water on cool mornings, showers with a sufficient number of cabins, free drinking-water stations, countless food stands and info points where you could get answers to every question, these camping areas hosted thousands of participants without leaving anyone to end their day with a head full of unanswered questions.

Performances and Stage Assessment

I know I've spent quite a while on the introduction, but simply running through the bands' performances would have made this review a little bland. So now let's focus on the performances. I already mentioned Wacken Firefighters, the first band we saw at the festival. We actually thought we might not make it in time to catch the band, given our concerns about traffic, but as I said, luck was on our side and we arrived much earlier than expected. After Wacken Firefighters' performance, we checked the running order and Wednesday looked like a fairly quiet day for us. Although my wife has a much broader genre range, I'm a classic '90s extreme metal fan, and naturally, that attitude influenced my stage choices for Wacken 2026, making Wednesday a relatively calm day.

Wednesday

There were two bands that caught my attention on Wednesday: The Gathering and Vanir. I first heard the name Vanir when the bands were announced; somehow, they had never crossed my radar before. In the run-up to the festival, as I listened through the bands that seemed suited to my taste one by one, I gradually started warming to Vanir. The Gathering are a band from my era, and Anneke is an unforgettable figure for many of us, someone who fundamentally transformed the band's identity and played a hugely important role in both doom metal and the increasing diversity of female vocalists on the global metal scene. But those who know me know that I always worry about the live performances of bands whose careers peaked in the '90s. I always think, "What if it doesn't sound like the live performances from those years I loved so much?" I have this fixation that it would be deeply upsetting for me to see the fatigue and wear of the years reflected in them. So, just as the thought of drifting over towards Vanir was beginning to gain the upper hand now that Sister Anneke had started sounding like Mustafa Sandal, my wife cut the discussion short with, "Are you sick or something? Come on, The Gathering. Come on, you've dragged this out long enough," and we took our places at the Louder Stage.

The weather was scorching, the beer was ice-cold, and we were at Wacken... Whether we liked it or not, with the body already conditioned to expect that this road would end in debauchery, witnessing such atmospheric music as our first performance was an interesting contrast. My wife got a little bored, but in the end we witnessed historic moments. As part of the concerts continuing to celebrate the 30th anniversary of "Mandylion", the band played the album in its entirety and delivered some unforgettable moments. The performance of "Leaves", in particular, was nothing short of mesmerizing.

As the day progressed, names such as Lacuna Coil, Kadavar and Hämatom were also drawing attention. However, we decided to spend the rest of the day getting to know the grounds. With the warm weather on our side, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to take a shower in the evening either. The warm weather was nice, and the lack of rain was fantastic, but the heat also brought dense clouds of dust with it. Within a short time, our mouths and noses had been introduced to the agricultural soil of northern Germany. Once again, congratulations to the German farmers; I can confirm firsthand that you use organic fertilizer:)

Thursday

Thursday was busier than the previous day. We started the day at the Wackinger Stage area, which also turned out to be a fantastic place to have breakfast. At 3:00 p.m., Vogelfrey took the stage. I remember these guys from around 2010. Back then, their music was exactly what you would expect when someone said Viking folk metal. Over the years, however, I drifted a little further away from the band. It wasn't really because of anything the band or I did; so many new bands emerge over the years, there is so much music to listen to, and sometimes, whether you want it to or not, your connection with certain bands simply grows weaker.

The band still uses traditional instruments such as violin, flute, bouzouki and bagpipes (rauschpfeife), as you'd expect from a band operating in this genre; but the core of their music has evolved towards what they call "Mittelalter Dance Metal", a style built more around groove and energetic riffs, with historical themes sharing space in their lyrics with humor, drinking culture, fantasy stories and contemporary social criticism. If I hadn't drifted away from the band, I probably would have gradually moved away from them anyway. But I have to give them credit for their live performance. In the middle of the day, in that heat, they managed to take everyone who had gathered there under their spell. It was a highly successful stage performance. Of course, I'm still stuck in 2010, in the "Waffenbruder" era. I would have loved to hear that song performed live, but it was pretty obvious that neither the band nor the audience were in that headspace:)

Vogelfrey's performance lasted exactly one hour. Fifteen minutes later, Craft were due to take the stage at W:E:T Stage, so we made our way there without wasting any time. For me, Craft are one of those vicious black metal bands that fall squarely into the "Evil Black Metal" category. I had never seen the Swedish lads live before. There were undoubtedly people in the audience who had seen them previously, but for those fans too, this was a fantastic opportunity to see the band with their new vocalist, Markus. The level they reached with the band's performance, particularly Markus's, combining an almost amateurish quality with the authenticity that comes from that amateur spirit, was enough to transmit Swedish black metal to the audience at 100 percent.

One of the guitar amps was changed before the performance, so the show started a little late. But the guitar problems continued once the performance began. While the guitar sound came through without any issues for those watching the band live on screen, the audience could barely hear the guitar during the first three songs, while the bass guitar was overwhelmingly loud. I imagine the problem somehow affected the band as well, because it took them a little while to warm up to the stage. They frequently turned around and signaled to each other and the crew. Thankfully, these little glitches were overcome fairly quickly, and the band went on to deliver a magnificent performance. Markus has also fitted very well into the band's sound. I think that once he spends a little more time with the band, the Evil factor in his stage presence will increase even further. Their performance of my favorite song, "Again", was also fantastic.

After Craft, we had another fifteen-minute break; next up were Firespawn. Thankfully, we didn't have to walk very far this time, because the Headbangers Stage was right next door. While we were still making our way to secure a spot for Craft, I had already noticed Firespawn setting up on the neighboring stage. Seeing a giant L.G. Petrov poster hanging behind the band instead of one of their own banners had already got me in the mood before they even started playing. As I shuttled back and forth between the two stages, different genres of Swedish metal were being poured over me. Jörgen Sandström opened with, "Are you ready for Swedish Death Metal?" and that familiar tone we've known since his Entombed years came crashing down on me like a sledgehammer.

Following the death of founding member Petrov, the band had waited a long time before finding a new vocalist. Eventually, after an extended search, Jörgen Sandström, one of the important names on the Swedish death metal scene, joined the lineup. It was particularly striking that the band's Wacken performance was billed as "In Memory of LG Petrov". The band expressed their respect and love for Petrov throughout every moment of the performance.

Around the middle of the performance, Alexander Impaler (Bass) gave a brief speech in tribute to Petrov, referring to him as the "True Emperor". Towards the end of the band's set, Sandström placed Petrov's Battle Jacket at the very front of the stage, beside the microphone stand, and performed most of the remaining songs with his arm draped over the jacket as if he were resting it on Petrov's shoulder. All of these moments were incredibly emotional and deeply special.

There was one annoying detail amid all these beautiful moments: this time, the entire sound from the band was cut off three times. Each interruption lasted somewhere between five and ten seconds, and I found it both frustrating and strange that this happened immediately after the Craft performance. Come on, guys, this is Wacken. The same sound crew is handling both stages. This many mistakes back-to-back just isn't normal. You're going to get one hell of a bollocking from the boss, I'm telling you now.

After that, Spectral Wound and Blood Red Throne were scheduled to play these two stages respectively. I had seen Blood Red Throne before in Hannover. Spectral Wound, on the other hand, was pretty tempting because I had never seen them live before, but guess what? We didn't watch the band, folks. Because you simply can't run to every single band; neither your body nor your time is enough for that:) If you want to make it out of here alive, you have to make time for yourself and sacrifice some bands. My personal advice is to choose younger bands when deciding which ones to skip, so at least you'll have another opportunity to see them later. We made the same decision and saved ourselves for Europe. Towards the end of the day, we followed the same logic and went with Savatage and Def Leppard.

You might be ready to beat me up and ask, "Broooo, so you skipped Anaal Nathrakh and Misery Index?" But folks, as I said, there may be another chance to see these bands, whereas I would never have another opportunity to see Europe, Savatage and Def Leppard back-to-back on the same day. Just listing those names one after another already sounds like you've witnessed the history of the world heavy metal scene. Using the same logic, after Firespawn we switched into food-and-rest mode and saved ourselves for Europe.

I'm not exaggerating when I say that, like probably half of the people watching the band, the only Europe song we could name in one go was "The Final Countdown", but that didn't matter. We said we'd watch the old boys from beginning to end, and that's exactly what we did. At the same time, we followed the concert while checking the song order from the band's most recent show on Setlist.fm. Guess what happened? Of course, "The Final Countdown" was the final song. The moment those opening keyboard melodies kicked in, I'm not exaggerating, dozens of people around me simultaneously shouted, "Finally!" and we all sang along to the song together, as one.

After Europe's performance, we hurried over to the Faster Stage. We had missed the opening of Savatage in order to catch "The Final Countdown", but I had no doubt that Savatage would save their best songs for the end. We'd missed a reasonable chunk of the set, but we still witnessed a fantastic show. When they started playing my favorite song by the band, "Edge of Thorns", I completely lost my mind. I discovered the band during my university years. Back then, my roommate and guitarist in my band, Çağdaş, recommended that I listen to them. Despite all the tragic events they've been through, they're still touring and still delivering a rock-solid live performance. I must have been 21 when I discovered their music, and a few days ago, at the age of 42, I finally got to see them live. Better late than never:)

You should have seen my wife's face while I sang along to "Edge of Thorns" from beginning to end. The woman has spent years seeing me do nothing but growl, so she was completely shocked to see me singing along to Zak Stevens' monstrous voice. The Savatage experience was simply unparalleled. Fifteen minutes later, without having to travel very far again, we waited for Def Leppard at the Harder Stage. According to Joe Elliott's explanation, his fascination with music began after a friend played him his record collection at a house party in the late '70s. He then convinced his friends to bring Def Leppard to life, and eventually, we got to see the band live. They played a delicious setlist made up of classic and relatively newer songs, along with two fantastic covers — Depeche Mode and David Essex. "Animal", "Hysteria" and "Rocket" were just some of them; naturally, our favorite, "Pour Some Sugar on Me", brought the night to a close as the final song.

Friday

And finally, Friday arrived! Friday was the busiest day of the festival for us. Luckily, we're a couple who are used to getting up early. After waking up early and getting through the process of coming back to life, followed by getting ready, having breakfast and downing the first drinks, we were standing in front of the Faster Stage at 12:30 p.m. for Gutalax. I'd heard countless times that the band had a fun stage show, but this was our first chance to see them. After properly briefing my wife about the band before the concert, the band finally took the stage. They came out in their classic sanitation-worker coveralls, carrying dozens of toilet brushes in their hands. Toilet paper and brushes were flying through the air, naturally joined by fans who hadn't forgotten to bring their own.

Under normal circumstances, if you had as much of a nasal obstruction as Maty, you'd be having surgery in no time, but our brother Maty has turned it into an advantage. To be honest, it's difficult to put on a Gutalax song and listen to it depending on your mood, whether you're having a beautiful summer day or a depressive winter evening. (At least that's how it is for me; maybe you do it. No Judge.) But no matter how far out on the most marginal wing of the metal scene their sound may be, these guys are damn good at entertaining everyone.

The way Maty chatted with the audience and introduced the songs between tracks — for example, before one song, saying, "We know you really love our next song, you already know the lyrics by heart," then looking at us with an expression that demanded confirmation, immediately getting the reaction he wanted and moving on — were small but important nuances that strengthened his dialogue with the audience. Another detail I particularly loved was the fact that after the first half of the performance, before his announcements following each song, he kept telling us that there were "two songs left", only for them to play roughly ten more songs. It was magnificent.

When I considered everything individually — the band's backstage banner, the stage decorations, the visuals on the kick drums — I kept thinking, "I wish Gutalax and Lombak magazine had crossed paths somewhere in their careers." I think they could have created something magnificent together. The band's stage performance, the way they engaged with the music, and details such as the circle pit that formed throughout the show created an atmosphere that could have made Obscene Metal Fest jealous.

Gutalax will also be performing at Reload, the other festival we will be attending as Pit-Stop, and according to the announced running order, they are scheduled to take the stage at 9:30 a.m. To the band's fans and those who are going to discover them there, I think you should start putting pressure on the festival organizers now. That is way too early for Gutalax. Putting Gutalax on stage at the hour when people are only just waking up and contemplating going to the toilet is, above all, a pretty risky move:)

Later in the day, we were leaning towards watching Paradise Lost. Before that, Vreid were playing at the Harder Stage. We didn't watch the band, but we really should have. Chris Pontius, whom we know as Party Boy from the Jackass crew, jumped onto the stage while the band were playing in that famous, magnificent thong costume of his and completely turned the place upside down. The collaboration surprised me, but I later learned that the band and Pontius had actually been working together on something for a while. You can also see Pontius as the president in the band's "Loving the Dead" video, released five months ago:)

Anyway, as it approached 2:30 p.m., we took our places at the Faster Stage. Paradise Lost made a fantastic entrance. Opening with "Serpent on the Cross", the band continued with "One Second" and "The Last Time", while hearing my favorite Paradise Lost song, "As I Die", made me insanely happy. Their cover of Bronski Beat's "Smalltown Boy" was another interesting detail in the setlist.

Nick Holmes, our man, didn't miss the opportunity to land a few subtle jabs with dry humor despite the band's unmistakably autumnal sound. At one point between songs, he took a sip of Budweiser, the festival's American beer sponsor, pulled a sour face and said, "Doesn't taste much like German beer, does it?" Then he looked back at the can and added, "No, it doesn't," accompanied by a slight grin — a subtle and vicious jab on a level we're used to seeing in Marvel comic books:) Because this is a subject of debate, particularly among German metal fans. Beck's was the festival's main beer brand for a very long time and, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say, had become synonymous with the festival. In 2022, the festival continued with Krombacher, whose taste I personally enjoyed quite a lot, but now we've got Budweiser, brewed in the USA. Sponsoring a festival this large isn't easy. The American supplier has chosen the right partner to meet the demands and enter the European market, but they'll need to work a little harder if they want to find a place in the German palate.

As the day continued, Black Label Society, Mantar and Saxon were among the bands I was interested in seeing, but Hatebreed were coming up, and we needed to save our energy. To be honest, I really wanted to see Saxon. The first record I ever bought for my collection was Saxon – "Solid Ball of Rock". Those old boys will always have a special place in my heart. But when all is said and done, huge festivals like Wacken require a tremendous amount of energy. There are so many bands and performances we want to see, but it's impossible to catch them all. Sometimes you have to make these painful decisions. So after Paradise Lost, we conserved our energy for Hatebreed, took a little time to rest, and eventually took our places at the Louder Stage.

They came out with a magnificent setlist, and it is impossible to describe the energy the band transmitted to the audience. Folks... even if you're one of those people who says, "Hardcore has nothing to do with me," you absolutely have to give this band a chance at least once. I'm not particularly into the genre myself, but there are a few bands I listen to, and Hatebreed are one of them. They are one of those bands I've followed and listened to for years, somehow present at the beginning of countless great moments and the end of countless bad days in my life. I'd even bought a ticket to see them once before when they came to my city, but I couldn't make it because of health problems.

If I'm not mistaken, they opened the concert with "I Will Be Heard". The song is already one of the most vicious tracks on "Perseverance", one of my favorite albums. Naturally, the hits from "Supremacy", the album that helped establish the band on the main stage, started coming one after another as the performance continued. I completely lost myself during "Immortal Enemies". During the performance, I first called our Hüs and then my brother. Thanks to the advantage of being able to make video calls, I shared the sheer brutality of the concert with them and, at least to some extent, we experienced these moments together.

By this point, we were halfway through the concert and I'd also finished taking photos and videos. In the middle of the crowd, there was a gigantic circle pit resembling a meat grinder. My wife is always worried about me throwing myself into this kind of action, and of course she didn't want me getting in there at this concert either. But during "Destroy Everything", I handed her anything I had on me that could potentially get lost or broken within two seconds, said, "Sorry about this," and threw myself into the boiling cauldron. It was an incredible experience, an indescribable rush, a show that sucked all the negative energy and stress out of me like a magnet. A concert I'll never forget for the rest of my life. From now on, whenever Hatebreed play anywhere near me, I'll be there.

After the Hatebreed performance, I had my eye on Judas Priest, but we were done. After putting ourselves on standby for a while, we started moving back towards the Louder Stage. The Judas boys were already well into their set. But knowing that we'd be seeing them at Reload, we slowly made our way towards the Louder Stage. While keeping an eye on Judas Priest from the corner of our eyes, we started waiting for Emperor.

Emperor are at the very top of my list of favorite black metal bands. For a long time, they were locked in a merciless battle with Marduk for a place in my top three, but I gave the number-one spot to Emperor a long time ago, and it still belongs to them. The first recording of theirs I ever heard was "In the Nightside Eclipse". I listened to that album on a dubbed cassette tape on a friend's recommendation, and I couldn't understand it for a long time back then. The terrible sound quality of the cassette certainly played a part, but it sounded like nothing I'd ever heard in black metal before, and I couldn't get my head around the flow, the arrangements, basically any of it. Yet somehow, there was something pulling me towards those songs, something that's still difficult to describe even today.

After that, I became passionately devoted to this music in a way words can't describe. "Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk", "IX Equilibrium"... my limited collection was gradually taken over by this band. And of course, the "Emperial Live Ceremony" live recording I acquired thanks to Studio Ümit elevated Emperor to an unforgettable place in my heart. Emperor were also the reason Wacken's lineup was a must for me, no matter what.

The bad feeling I had before The Gathering's concert took hold of me again before this one, because after the band's 2006 performance, announced years ago as a one-off reunion show at Wacken, we'd gone on to see many Emperor live performances. Some of those performances had genuinely failed to satisfy old fans like me. But when Wacken first announced Emperor, the detail in the information — "Emperor – Best-of Set + As the Shadows Rise Set with original lineup" — had already been enough to blow my mind.

You have to admit that there seems to be a particular method between Emperor and Wacken that works when it comes to preparing special performances like this. In that sense, you also have to accept that the band aren't your typical festival act. An unforgettable performance was about to take place that evening, and luckily for us, we had secured our spot.

The first lineup to take the stage was the current live lineup: Ihsahn, Samoth, Trym Torson and Secthdamon. They took their places onstage like monumental statues. "Into the Infinity of Thoughts", "In the Wordless Chamber", "With Strength I Burn", "The Loss and Curse of Reverence" and "An Elegy of Icaros" shook the night one after another, bringing the first part of the performance to an end. Then two legendary members came onto the stage; Faust took over the drums, while Mortiis moved to bass. What followed was another barrage of hit after hit, raining down on us one after another. Songs that had blown my mind for years through the "Emperial Live Ceremony" performances, such as "Inno a Satana", "I Am the Black Wizards" and "Night of the Graveless Souls", were played one after another onstage. I sang along to every one of them until my throat was shredded. After the concert ended with "Cosmic Keys to My Creations & Times", there was one thing I knew for certain, something that will put a smile on my face every time I remember this show: I had witnessed a truly unique concert.

After this unforgettable concert, we were physically destroyed and barely managed to drag ourselves into our sleeping cabin. We had nothing left in the tank for either Running Wild or Sepultura's final German concert. And when, on top of all that exhaustion, we realized that the humidity from the entire day had seeped into the pillows and everything inside the cabin, our mood took such a nosedive that I can't even write the words to describe it here:) Thankfully, somehow, we managed to survive the night.

Saturday

And then came the final day, Saturday. Despite all the exhaustion, I got up very early. I've always loved mornings, and I particularly enjoy making the most of them. My wife woke up after me, and coffee was organized immediately. Together, in the light of the early-rising sun and with the help of coffee, we shook off the humidity and cold of the previous night, along with all the discomfort that naturally came with these two relentless factors. Then something happened that saved our entire day. My wife had lost her wedding ring inside the sleeping cabin the previous day. By some incredible miracle, we found it right at our feet, in the grass surrounding the cabin. We'd been a little down because of the loss the previous day, but starting Saturday morning like this was absolutely fantastic. Its material value aside, its sentimental value to us is of course priceless, and finding it again felt wonderful. We started the day with fantastic energy, jumping around for joy like Gollum first thing in the morning.

With that morale boost, followed by coffee and breakfast, we headed towards the Harder Stage around noon to see the band Heavysaurus, which I'd discovered thanks to my wife's recommendation. Some of you might be asking, "Bro, what are you doing with this Muppet Show crew?" Let me explain: this is a band that plays heavy metal aimed at children. We're talking about an audience between the ages of five and thirteen here. But there's an important distinction: the band's aim isn't to make children's music, but to interpret heavy metal through the world of children while still producing genuinely serious heavy metal. Heavysaurus is the modern German incarnation of an idea that began with Finnish THUNDERSTONE drummer Mirka Rantanen, who was looking for something for his five-year-old son in 2009. The German version of this concept was born in 2017, and the band members officially perform under cartoon-character names:

Mr. Heavysaurus – vocals,
Raifi Raffi – guitar,
Muffi Pufi – bass,
Komppi Momppi – drums,
Milli Pilli – keyboards

What matters to the band isn't "getting children to listen to metal", but making children love metal itself. There is a reality in Germany: children aren't strangers to rock and heavy metal, both because of their surroundings and, most importantly, because of their families. So from the very beginning, the band's aim has been to bring the genuine rock/metal energy children already enjoy together with lyrics suited to their world and a visual universe of their own.

One of the most important factors behind the project's continued success is how strongly this concept has resonated. For example, HEAVYSAURUS played 120 shows in 2023, selling more than 100,000 tickets; their 2024 album "Pommesgabel" also reached number 11 on the German charts, which is by no means an achievement to take lightly. The people involved in the project are also genuine professionals. Looking at the members individually: Michael Voss – Mr. Heavysaurus, is known for his connection to MAD MAX; Christof Leim – Riffi Raffi / guitar, is a member of THE NEW BLACK; Jürgen Steinmetz – Muffi Puffi / bass, is connected to SONS OF SEASONS; and Frank Beck – the vocalist who takes on the Mr. Heavysaurus character during live performances, is connected to GAMMA RAY.

There is one detail the band insists on at every concert. Towards the end of the show, the vocalist always says, "Do you know why we do this? So your children don't listen to Helene Fischer!" (Helene Fischer is a pop icon famous in Germany and the German-speaking world.) That statement alone makes for a pretty compelling headline for heavy metal-loving parents with children. It's obvious to all of us that metalheads with children in Turkey now have the same desire. They play them Metallica, Queen and so on, hoping it will work. But the journey of music touching a person's character in the right way doesn't really follow the plans we make for it. HEAVYSAURUS, however, at least in Germany, clearly knows how to reach children's hearts.

I realize I've given you a lot of information about this band, but I wanted to go into detail because I thought a project like this would be interesting and surprising to many of you. After starting our Saturday with HEAVYSAURUS in the spirit of the weekend children's programming of our childhoods, we began preparing ourselves for Orbit Culture. As on the previous two days, we spent the break resting, eating and drinking, while also getting the chance to see and hear Kim Dracula on the giant screen. Although I wouldn't exactly call it a lucky break. I'm not saying the band are bad, but this is definitely not music that appeals to me. Clean-scream vocals, guitar-drums-bass, plus saxophone, a sound built around constantly shifting styles, familiar contemporary melodies popping up here and there... Thousands of the band's followers packed the area in front of the stage, went wild and had fun, but like the music fans standing next to me, we couldn't make head nor tail of this sound. Let's just say they're not a band of my generation:)

At 1:45 p.m., Orbit Culture appeared on the Harder Stage. After a grand intro and opening, guess what happened? There was another problem with the sound, and the band played the first song again. Witnessing these technical issues with three different bands on different days and at different times at an organization as big as Wacken could only happen to me, but considering the scale of the festival, this really wasn't normal. Putting that aside and getting back to the band, Orbit Culture delivered a performance that practically tore the Harder Stage from its foundations, demonstrating just how much impact a band playing early in the day can have. Despite the technical problems I mentioned earlier, they took control within a short time and quickly pulled the crowd into their own atmosphere with their crushing grooves, modern melodic death metal textures and overwhelming stage energy; the mosh pits in particular and the intensity of the crowd's response proved that the band has grown into a force that is expanding not only through its studio recordings but also through its live performances. Their interaction with the audience is, in my opinion, not yet at the level of experienced festival headliners, but Orbit Culture's Wacken performance was an extremely powerful show that clearly demonstrated the band's potential on the big stages, with even the technical flaws unable to disrupt its momentum.

We'd started the day brilliantly, witnessed two fantastic performances, and of course our energy was through the roof. Riding that wave, we took our places at the Faster Stage, fully charged and ready for NEVERMORE, a performance that was particularly special for metal fans like us. Berzan and Semir's presence in the band is naturally a source of pride for many Turkish heavy metal fans. We absolutely had to witness these unforgettable moments.

NEVERMORE returned to the stage in 2026 after an approximately fifteen-year hiatus and arrived at Wacken with a new lineup. The enormous expectations surrounding the reformed lineup were, I can say without hesitation, met. What we witnessed was a performance that successfully combined technical proficiency with emotional weight. While Jeff Loomis and Van Williams preserved the band's characteristic backbone, Berzan Önen demonstrated that rather than being crushed under the weight of Warrel Dane's legacy, he could establish his own vocal identity through his powerful voice and stage charisma, while Jack Cattoi and Semir Özerkan likewise made it clear that they were more than merely supporting players in the new lineup.

The ten-song main set, beginning with 'Ophidian' and continuing with 'Beyond Within', 'Inside Four Walls', 'Engines of Hate', 'My Acid Words', 'Born', 'Believe in Nothing', 'Narcosynthesis', 'Moonrise (Through Mirrors of Death)', 'Enemies of Reality' and 'The River Dragon Has Come', leaned heavily on the legacy of the "Dead Heart in a Dead World" and "This Godless Endeavor" eras while demonstrating that NEVERMORE's technical complexity still translates impressively to the live environment. The fact that they were able to make such an intense impact despite playing early in the day in front of 85,000 people at Wacken was an incredible experience for me, both as a fan of the band and as someone witnessing Berzan and Semir deliver such a powerful performance.

Of course, the new lineup needs time to fully establish its own identity after Warrel Dane. But Wacken 2026 was an important performance that strengthened NEVERMORE's new era, demonstrating that the band has the genuine potential to carry its legacy forward rather than merely reproduce its past.

After a fantastic NEVERMORE performance, we took advantage of our position and barely moved from the area, taking up our places at the Harder Stage for Lamb of God. After a fifteen-minute break, the band stepped onto the stage. I'm not a die-hard Lamb of God fan, that's obvious. But as someone who witnessed all the developments and changes that took place in metal music in the early 2000s and the first decade that followed, Lamb of God are a band I'm familiar with, a band that wrote songs many of us know by heart. That alone made seeing them live a special occasion for me.

The band delivered one of the most destructive performances of the festival, using their sixty-minute slot with almost no downtime. Taking the stage at the Harder Stage immediately after ORBIT CULTURE, the American band transmitted the physical weight of groove metal directly into Wacken's enormous crowd, particularly with songs such as "Walk with Me in Hell" and "Set to Fail"; the crushing riffs, aggressive drumming and Randy Blythe's still extremely powerful stage presence were the payoff of years of live performance experience. Moreover, given that the set was limited to just one hour, it wouldn't be wrong to say that Lamb Of God turned the concert into an intense assault rather than allowing the pace to drop. The minimal gaps between songs and the crowd remaining in constant motion demonstrated just how well the band adapted to Wacken's massive festival atmosphere. Following the rising energy of ORBIT CULTURE, Lamb Of God didn't merely take over the stage; they raised the bar considerably and delivered an extremely controlled yet devastating show that deserved to stand out as the best performance of the weekend in the overall assessment of Wacken 2026.

After Wacken 2026

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, after this performance, Wacken was essentially over for us. Municipal Waste, Arch Enemy, Powerwolf, Sabaton, Fit For An Autopsy and Alestorm all took the stage later that day and delivered incredible performances on the festival's final day. We, however, chose to head back after Lamb of God. Of course, some of you might be thinking, "Mate, you haven't even made it halfway through the day yet. What's the rush?" Well, several factors came together and we decided we'd simply run out of gas:)

Between the lack of energy, the fact that some of the remaining bands would also be playing at Reload, which gave us some peace of mind, and the fact that we weren't planning to watch bands like Alestorm anyway, we decided it was time to pack up and hit the road. At large-scale events like this, leaving a little early is always an advantage, because although leaving the festival grounds after the final concert — or even on Sunday morning — wouldn't necessarily be a problem in terms of how long it takes, it was obvious that traffic would be heavily congested considering that most of the attendees would be heading south. And that's exactly what happened.

Looking back at the festival as a whole, when I ask myself who delivered the best performances, I would definitely say Emperor. Their energy and their ability to carry the entire atmosphere of the past into the present, using the language of today, was genuinely incredible. From an objective standpoint, Hatebreed obviously managed to get everyone's blood pumping. Orbit Culture delivered a highly successful show and raised expectations for the future even further. If this band plays its cards right, they'll go very far.

One of the bands that played early in the morning, Gutalax, managed to draw an even larger crowd to the front of the stage than I expected despite their very early slot. Speaking of early morning, I'd like to move on to the festival's surprises after one final great band performance. For me, the biggest surprise was Heavysaurus managing to draw thousands of people to the front of the stage at 11:30 a.m. We actually watched the concert from the very back because there was no chance of getting any closer. We experienced something similar with Def Leppard; you can imagine the size of that crowd. I recommend the band's song "Kaugummi ist mega!" (roughly meaning "chewing gum is awesome"):)

Another surprise was that Wacken is still Wacken! The man who always makes me smile whenever I see him, and perhaps the only referee in this life whose performance I actually enjoy, was naturally one of the festival's most colorful surprises. The guy handed out red cards without mercy to everyone, myself included:)

As you know, the perception of the festival, particularly in Turkey, has evolved from that of a gigantic metal gathering into a problematic organization where you're stuck battling mud. But the reality is exactly the opposite. It's very difficult to say something like, "I couldn't find this," or, "They were missing that." At least in terms of organization, accommodation and basic needs, everything was there. I said it was like a small city at the beginning of this article; a city with its own hospital, post office, police station and even its own church. There was even a couple who had arranged months in advance to hold their wedding ceremony at the church on the Wacken festival grounds. The attendees were able to experience Wacken to the fullest, genuinely enjoying the festival.

Of course, there were negative surprises too. Although they were nowhere near enough to overshadow the festival's positive aspects, I do need to mention a few details. The private security staff were sometimes somewhat disconnected from what was actually going on, and they got on people's nerves with their "I don't know, nobody told me that" attitude. We repeatedly heard instructions such as, "You can't go through here." Well, my good man, we literally just came through here and your colleague said "OK". "He was wrong, I can't let you through," was the kind of contradictory response we occasionally got from security staff who contradicted one another.

We didn't encounter this ourselves, but some security guards' stance that patches such as FCK NZS, which protest far-right political views, could not be brought into the grounds was met with an immediate and intense backlash. Those affected by the issue went directly to the police to complain, and their problems were resolved. The organizers even issued a statement on the matter. They stated that what happened did not reflect the festival's position, but was the result of some private security employees misinterpreting and misapplying the festival rules. Wacken has not incorporated anything associated with far-right ideology into the festival for years anyway. Apparently, the sensitive feelings(!) of a few private security employees had been hurt.

Moving towards the end of my overall assessment, there is one final detail that I would call another surprising development. The fact that there were very few death and black metal bands on the 2026 lineup was striking. Big headlines such as "100 bands will take the stage, 35th anniversary" raise expectations very high, but when you scan the lineup from top to bottom, what you see is that extreme metal has been visibly squeezed out. In this context, I should also mention the Metal Battle initiative, which occupied a considerable amount of space on the festival lineup. The bands that performed there were of course highly valuable. Thirty important and promising bands from the underground scene took the stage and competed on this stage. But in my eyes, Wacken isn't a place where bands of this caliber should be competing against one another. If a competition is going to happen, it should have been an event where the winners of a defined competition process performed.

At an event featuring more than 100 bands and artists, having 30 bands participate as part of Metal Battle created an area that, in my opinion, simply wasn't interesting to most attendees. At this level, those 30 bands may have eased the festival's budget, but they weakened the impact of the 35th-anniversary headline. Craft and Emperor, as powerful representatives of black metal, kept the festival's black metal side alive. Aside from Firespawn, and apart from Blood Red Throne and Misery Index, there were very few bands that death metal fans could point at and say, "Now that's what I'm talking about!" To give one example, Deicide played at numerous festivals across Europe throughout the summer, and if they had played Wacken, they would not only have been a perfect fit for the festival's 35th anniversary but would also have strengthened the death metal side of the lineup.

It seems that this is the direction Wacken has chosen to take. More mainstream metal, less extreme metal. Looking at the bands already announced for 2027, we can see this clearly. Although the name Children Of Bodom generates excitement, when we look at the headliners and see Five Finger Death Punch, metal fans like me naturally respond with, "WHAT?!"

Metal is a constantly changing and evolving form of music. It is never static. It's a genre that continuously creates new subgenres or sees previously obscure subgenres rise and come to prominence over time. A huge organization like Wacken can't survive on heavy metal alone, or solely on death and black metal. For a generation accustomed to seeing Iron Maiden and bands of that stature in the headliner section of the poster, seeing Electric Callboy there is naturally difficult to digest. But no matter how little sense it may make to us, when those bands take the stage, regardless of how late they play, they will receive tremendous audience support. There is also a nice little upside to all this: if you're an '80s or '90s metal fanatic like me, thanks to these bands you can leave the festival grounds early, without having to wait for the final act and without getting caught in traffic:)

It's been a very long article, I know. And these days, another question is who would even read a festival review this long. But I couldn't possibly describe one of the world's biggest metal festivals in a page or two. I know that, from a distance, the perception among fans, particularly in Turkey, is often, "It's not what it used to be..." But Wacken is now far more than a festival with tents; it is quite literally a city that lives and breathes metal.

It is clear that following its 35th anniversary, the organization is determined to keep this city alive by making it bigger and stronger every year. Wacken has been a festival I've looked at ever since I saw the 2004 poster and thought, "I wish I could have been there," and I'm incredibly happy to have finally experienced it. We had four magnificent days, saw some fantastic bands, lost our wedding ring and found it again:), and came away with countless memories that we'll be talking about for years to come.

If you have the opportunity, you absolutely have to experience Wacken for yourself. And of course, it helps enormously if you have someone like my wife by your side, someone who thinks about the little details and makes preparations in advance. Wacken would be a hugely enjoyable experience on your own too, but having that kind of support beside you makes everything easier and more meaningful.

That's all from me, folks. See you in another festival report.

WAACCKKKKEEENNN!