Extreme music fans are in heaven! Hellfest is back in Clisson for another four days, with a new 18th edition running until June 22. Here's a look back at Friday June 20, 2025, with a 100% all-female line-up on Mainstage 2, including Kittie, Spiritbox, Sun, Within Temptation and Epica. And let's not forget the legendary Pentagram's incredible performance on the Valley, and Nervosa's angry set on the Altar!
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Like every year, Hellfest is an opportunity to admire some festival-goers in offbeat outfits. Bioman costumes, bloodthirsty butchers, Saylor Moon or even a gang of leeks crossed in the aisles and sometimes unidentified disguises... all with one and the same objective: to make us smile, and it works!
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After hypnotizing festival-goers last year, La Gardienne des Ténèbres returns to the Hellfest site to our delight. The incredible creation, conceived by street theater company La Machine, strolls around Hellcity Square every day, in close proximity to festival-goers. With its female bust, scorpion-like abdomen and 8 legs, the machine is as impressive as ever, and as photographed as ever!
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The Swiss also know how to make heavy metal. Burning Witches is proof. This 100% all-female combo really electrified the Altar stage on Friday June 20 with their effective heavy metal tunes and infectious energy. A vintage soundtrack, some would say, but delivered with passion and drive by each of the 5 members, who are particularly happy to be on the bill at this year's French festival!
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And a third for the SPA! Once again, the Société Protectrice des Animaux has been invited to the Hellfest site. For the occasion, the association is offering exclusive merchandising in Hellcity Square (t-shirt, bowl, patch, bracelet, cap, banana...) and informing festival-goers about its missions and the adoption of our beloved four-legged fur balls.
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This Friday, women took over Mainstage 2. Hellfest had the great idea of inviting all-female bands to the second main stage on June 20, including the excellent Canadian band Kittie. Buoyed by singer Morgan Lander 's powerful vocals and a dynamic mix of heavy metal and nu metal, Kittie really seduced our ears and those of many festival-goers.
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Another stage, and another all-girl band! On the Altar stage, Brazil's Nervosa delivered a blistering, overpowering set on Friday afternoon. Offering a skilful blend of thrash metal and death metal, Nervosa shook the tent with tracks as hard-hitting as they were devastating, carried by singer Prika Amaral 's indisputable charisma.
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The folk and black metal scene was well represented this Friday at Hellfest with the arrival of Månegarm. Known in the early days for their use of traditional instruments such as the fiddle and flute, Månegarm are now one of the leading bands on the Nordic scene. A number of curious onlookers flocked to the Temple on Friday, clearly won over by the Swedish band's melodic pagan metal and their distinctive Erik Jurken Grawsiö vocals.
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Spiritbox at Hellfest again! And what a pleasure it was to see these Canadians from Vancouver Island live again. With a style that blends metalcore, post-metal, djent, progressive metal and alternative metal, Spiritbox had no trouble gathering fans in front of Mainstage 2 and creating several circle pits and walls of death! It has to be said that the overpowering voice of singer Courtney LaPlante was enough to surprise and impress! With a cap on her head and sunglasses screwed on her nose, the singer played a succession of old and new songs, notably from"Tsuanami Sea", to an audience already won over!
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Unsurprisingly, the Valley was packed to the rafters on Friday evening for a live performance by Pentagram, the leading band on the doom metal scene. Inspired by the legendary Black Sabbath, the American band took the opportunity to present several tracks from their excellent latest opus,"Lightning in a Bottle", released earlier this year.
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And one thing's for sure: Pentagram frontman Bobby Liebling, now 71, still looks as possessed as ever! The whimsical septuagenarian still has that crazy look in his eyes, but also that unique voice and inexhaustible energy. A real musical and stage favorite for this early evening!
And let's not forget the bewitching set by Mongolian band The Hu and the eagerly awaited Muse. The British band were at Hellfest for the very first time in their career. Despite the criticism voiced by some festival-goers when the line-up was announced, fans and curious onlookers flocked to the set. For the occasion, Muse offered a rocking setlist packed with timeless hits (and even a Gojira cover!). But the set was disappointing overall, due to the quality of the sound. The guitar was almost non-existent. A real shame.
The program continues this Saturday, June 21, 2025 with concerts by Scorpions, Judas Priest, Savatage, Audrey Horne and Leprous!
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 returns to Clisson from Thursday June 19 to Sunday June 22, 2025 with another explosive edition. As always, the extreme music festival has pulled out all the stops, with a host of talented artists to keep festival-goers hopping and hollering. So, who are the must-see acts on stage this Saturday? Judas Priest, Abbath, Savatage... Here are 5 bands not to be missed this Saturday, June 21, 2025, at the 18th edition of Hellfest in Clisson. [Read more]
Location
Hellfest website
Rue du Champ Louet
44190 Clisson
Official website
hellfest.fr
Hellfest 2025: complete program and concert times
Hellfest 2025: 5 bands not to be missed this Saturday, June 21
