PRESS/DIRK JACOBS/WOA FESTIVAL GMBH
HORDES OF COSTUMED performers known as the Wasteland Warriors laid siege to German mega-fest Wacken in August, complete with pyro performances and apocalyptic vehicles.
With nine stages, a capacity of around 85,000 fans and a site so big it has its own metal church and swimming pool, it’s hard to argue with Wacken’s claim on the title of The World’s Biggest Heavy Metal Festival, and the Wasteland is just one of the special themed areas that add an extra sense of immersion to the event. That doesn’t mean the festival can relax when it comes to assembling massive line-ups, though. After Amon Amarth’s headline set on the Saturday, Wacken announced the first names for its 2025 bill, with a stunning show that included a specially made movie – featuring the Wasteland Warriors, of course – and an army of drones in the sky. The drones created striking images including an all-terrain vehicle, a UFO and a person touching lightning, before forming themselves into ‘Machine Head’, ‘Gojira’ and more, as additional names such as Within Temptation, Hanabie and others flashed up on the big screens. Talk about a message from Heaven…