Hellfest Festival 2024. Friday. Machine Head. Their headline set tonight has simply staggering energy, and tonight Machine Head are on fire, both figuratively and literally. Their stage is surrounded by a constantly rising wall of fire.
Machine Head
Combined with the fires along the Hellfest walls and towers, it feels like Machine Head are playing in the centre of Mordor as they hammer through songs like Imperium, Locost and Bulldozer. It’s almost as if they are redefining what heavy is with an almost endless series of circle pits moving in the crowd.
It’s clear Machine Head have pulled out all the stops and come to impress and they certainly do tonight.
Before Is There Anybody Out There? frontman Robb Flynn expresses his gratitude to the crowd again. “Thanks to each and every one of you who has come out to join us tonight,” he says.
Flynn and touring guitarist Reece Scruggs trade solos and riffs on crushingly heavy numbers Now We Die and Davidian.
Even though Machine Head are pounding Hellfest with an all out sonic assault, their set never gets boring or samey, and there are even some slower moments.
Dedicated to Robb Flynn’s mother, who would have been 84 today, the ballad Darkness Within starts with a Flynn solo on acoustic guitar and vocals. It draws the entire crowd close in before the rest of the band joins in, and it builds to a brutal climax. 
Ending their set with Halo and a massive fireworks display, Machine Head leave the assembled masses equal parts delighted and exhausted. After watching their set at Hellfest, it seems to me that there are only two kinds of Death Metal bands around: Machine Head and those who want to be at the same level as Machine Head.
Tonight’s set proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that not only do they deserve the headline slot, but they are arguably the reigning kings of aggressive Metal.
Corey Taylor
The Slipknot frontman is one of the busiest men in rock ‘n’ roll. If this afternoon’s solo set is anything to go by, Corey Taylor is enjoying pulling songs and memories from all different eras of his rather impressive back catalogue. The Slipknot anthem Before I Forget is followed directly by the theme song of Spongebob Squarepants. If that’s not a metaphor for the eclectic brilliance of Corey Taylor’s music, then nothing is.
“Here’s a song that’s been requested for a very long time, so we’re going to play it for you now,” Taylor says, by way of introducing the song he did in collaboration with Dave Grohl and Rick Nielsen for the Sound City movie. From Can To Can’t is an outstanding song and a real highlight of a varied set that includes a good deal of newer material as well.
Taylor also takes the time to address his own personal struggles and challenges in the last year. “I want to take a second to thank everyone for the support that, after more than 25 years, I still get to do this in front of all you amazing people.” Dedicated to his wife, Home is Corey solo, acoustic and bare to the bone
Ending on a bang with Slipknot’s Duality, Taylor takes an extremely well-deserved bow.
HELLFEST 2024
Prepare to be consumed by the relentless energy of the most influential bands in Heavy Metal as they ignite the Hellfest stages with blistering performances. The immersive atmosphere of Clisson will immerse you in a dark, captivating experience like no other.
With its unparalleled lineup and unwavering commitment to the spirit of metal, Hellfest 2024 promises an unforgettable journey into the depths of sonic mayhem. Read all the Heavy Metal News at MetalTalk.
MetalTalk Hellfest 2024 coverage can be found at https://www.metaltalk.net/tag/hellfest-2024.
This year’s MetalTalk team is:
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For Hellfest 2023, visit https://www.metaltalk.net/tag/hellfest-2023.
For Hellfest 2022, visit https://www.metaltalk.net/tag/hellfest-2022.
