On Saturday 27 July, I was in Ramsel, in the Flemish Region, for the Asgard Rock and Metal Fest. The event is held over two days (Saturday 27 and Sunday 28) and features no fewer than 20 bands from Belgium, of course, but also from the Netherlands and Germany. Unfortunately, my personal schedule doesn’t allow me to attend the whole festival. Here’s my summary of the first day on the battlefield.
After a little over two hours on the road, I arrived at the venue to a cheerful welcome from the moment I entered the car park. The weather was uncertain but it didn’t spoil the party for this second edition of the Asgard Rock Metal Fest. The entry ticket, worth around 15 euros, enables the organisers to count the number of festival-goers, and is reimbursed in tokens for use at the food stalls. A good compromise, given the quality of the line-up and the infrastructure in place.
It was to the sound of Catharsis that I took my first steps into the Asgard. The Belgian death metal quartet had stepped in at short notice to replace Echoes of a Dying World, who had to cancel their performance for medical reasons. So it falls to them to open this 2024 edition of the festival in front of a crowd that’s still a little shy at the start of the afternoon.
After a forty-five minute set, it was Epitome‘s turn to take to the stage. The second Belgian band of the day, their style is a little softer than their predecessors, but just as energetic.
Next up was Neverus, a Majestic Death Metal band from the Netherlands. They were one of the bands I was particularly looking forward to seeing live after listening to a few tracks from their album “Burdens of the Earth”, released last year. The temperature went up a notch as the Dutch took over the stage with their majestic presence and the battlefield slowly filled up in front of them.
The stage at the Asgard Rock Metal Fest is great, big enough and with some really interesting lighting effects. The organisers even had the luxury of adding two large confetti cannons and four flame-throwers at the front of the stage, which clearly had a surprise effect.
After a short break, I returned to the venue during Gore Force V‘s performance. The atmosphere had changed to one of party and what I saw left me perplexed. On stage, a giant beer and its sidekick in Mexican costume wander among the musicians. “We have no idea who these guys in suits were. They just wanted to get up on stage at some point during the day and chose us,” comments Gore Force V. And then a giant inflatable pink flamingo arrives and takes two little girls on board to join the stage, carried by the crowd. In short, an eventful concert for the Antwerp band, which is sure to have left a lasting impression.
The mood changes as Fat Bastard make their entrance. The four Belgians offer up compositions with a rock’n’roll feel, reminiscent of Motörhead. Despite this, the crowd stayed with the festivities begun in the previous set, starting a farandole. The Asgard Rock Metal Fest is definitely full of surprises.
Then it was the turn of Germany’s Divine Zero to take to the stage and lull us into a melodic death metal sound with a particularly enthusiastic bassist. The sun finally peeks out over the battlefield and the crowd grows ever denser.
Then came THE theatrical slap of the day. The set change took a little longer than the other bands, but was clearly worth it, as InHuman put on, in my opinion, the best performance in terms of sound quality. With three women on stage, the Belgian-Dutch band exceeded the day’s female quota. Discovered earlier this year at Damned Soul Fest V, this is already the fourth time I’ve seen InHuman live, and they’re in particularly good form here at the Asgard. The six musicians have all the space they need to express themselves and tell their story. Because InHuman isn’t just a concert, it’s a show in its own right. We met keyboardist and narrator Astrid earlier this year, who explained the concept in an interview available here.
We’re slowly coming to the end of the first day of the festival with Changing Tides. The quintet have come from the Netherlands to add a touch of metalcore / deathcore to this Saturday’s proceedings. Unfortunately, I don’t get to enjoy the show for very long, just long enough to take a few shots before it’s time for me to head back. I’ve got quite a long journey ahead of me and I’ve got to be on the bridge early the next morning for a wedding. So I’m skipping Fractured Insanity, who I’d already seen at Gullegem Metal Fest in April and Antwerp Metal Fest in May, and Temptations For The Weak, who I’ll have plenty of time to enjoy at the Alcatraz Festival on 10 August.
A big well done to the organisers of the Asgard Rock Metal Festival, whom I’d like to thank for the invitation. The day went off without a hitch and the atmosphere couldn’t have been warmer. A great event that I hope will continue to thrill Ramsel for many years to come.
Ambience
