A round-up of Saturday’s mayhem at this year’s incredible Hammerfest 2!

Such is the way at Hammerfest, the only way to blast away the mother of all hangovers is to go and watch some jazz-inspired extreme metal, complete with saxophone accompaniment. Good job Norway’s Shining are on hand to deliver then. It’s a definite Marmite situation as there are as many folks baffled by them as there is people amazed by it but one thing’s for sure, it has to be seen to be believed.

If hard rock is your bag, Saturday afternoon was a complete win. The Sabbath-inspired riffage of White Wizzard suggests that big things will come from these guys and Godsized impress with their British take on Black Label Society’s beefy biker metal. Attica Rage also kick off the early evening with thick slabs of guitars and a cover of Iron Maiden’s ‘Fear Of The Dark’ that gets the first full-throated reaction of the day. Stunning work.

What more superlatives can we use for the mighty Skindred? They blew a hole in North Wales at last year’s Hammerfest and this year they turn up and do it all over again. Uniting every possible type of metalhead and inspiring some of the most serious dance-moves you will ever see from the metal community, Benji and the ‘Dred are once again one of the highlights of the weekend. Is there a more complete live experience in metal? Not on this evidence there isn’t.

With legendary status comes colossal expectations and that’s why we only bring bands that are capable of bringing the house down to Hammerfest. That’s exactly what Suicidal Tendencies managed for an hour this past Saturday. Deploying thrash anthems at will and with Mike Muir displaying energy and enthusiasm beyond his years, ST deliver a set that crushes all expectations. When people in the bar are still talking about the set 2 hours after its climax, that’s when you know you’ve seen something special. We’ll be talking about this one for years to come.

All that’s left to do is thank all of the bands that came, saw and slayed and to thank you for all of your unwavering support. The lunacy from the pit all weekend was on a different level throughout the whole event.

Same time next year? You bet your ass!