The Best Heavy Metal Music Festivals of 2020
Contents
Looking for the best metal festivals to attend in 2020? Here’s our list of the top festivals around the world, from Wacken Open Air to Bloodstock.
Introduction
Once you’ve found your perfect mosh pit, make sure you have the perfect festival to go with it. Check out our list of the best heavy metal festivals of 2020.
What is Heavy Metal Music?
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom and the United States. With roots in blues rock and psychedelic rock, the bands that created heavy metal developed a thick, massive sound, characterized by highly amplified distortion, extended guitar solos, emphatic beats, and overall loudness. The genre’s lyrics and performance styles are sometimes associated with aggression and machismo.
In 1970, Black Sabbath released the song “Paranoid”, which helped define the genre. Later that decade, Judas Priest helped spur the genre’s evolution by discarding much of its blues influence; Motörhead introduced a punk rock sensibility and an increased emphasis on speed. Beginning in the late 1970s, bands in the new wave of British heavy metal such as Iron Maiden and Saxon followed in a similar vein. Before the end of the decade, heavy metal fans became known as “metalheads” or “headbangers”.
During the 1980s, glam metal became popular with groups such as Mötley Crüe. Underground scenes produced an array of more aggressive styles: thrash metal broke into popularity with bands such as Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, Anthrax, and Exodus;[10] while other extreme subgenres of heavy metal such as deathcore and black metal remain subcultural phenomena. Since the mid-1990s popular styles have further expanded the definition of the genre whilst incorporating influences from alternative metaldance-punkrockabillyand latin music.
History of Heavy Metal Music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom and the United States. With roots in blues rock and psychedelic rock, the bands that created heavy metal developed a thick, massive sound, characterized by highly amplified distortion, extended guitar solos, emphatic beats, and overall loudness. The genre’s lyrics and performance styles are sometimes associated with aggression and machismo.
In 1968, three new British bands began to play a heavy blues-rock style that came to be known as heavy metal: Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and Deep Purple. In the same year, American band Blue Cheer released their debut album Vincebus Eruptum, which is considered to be the first true heavy metal album. In early 1971, another American band called Earth opened for Black Sabbath in England; their slow blues song “Snake Lady” is considered by some fans to be the first real heavy metal song. Metal Alloy: The Ultimate Anthology (2009) documentsthe history of early heavy metal from 1968 to 1974.
During the 1970s, Judas Priest helped spur the genre’s evolution by discarding much of its blues influence; Motörhead also pioneered the speed metal subgenre. British bands such as Venom and Diamond Head became influences on subsequent metal bands. NWOBHM bands such as Iron Maiden and Def Leppard followed in the 1980s; these bands brought British steel to arenas around the world through touring and various media exposure. Aspects of glam metal such as make-up, large hair styles (often back-combed), spandex/leather clothing styles were adopted from this era by many subsequent metal acts; Kiss and Alice Cooper are sometimes credited with having invented glam metal.[citation needed] In 1983 Van Halen released their sixth studio album 1984; this was regarded as very influential on future generations of hard rock and heavy metal musicians.[16] In 1984 White Snake followed with their debut album containing one of hard rock’s most recognizable anthems “Here I Go Again”.
The Best Heavy Metal Music Festivals of 2020
If you’re a fan of heavy metal music, then you’ll want to check out some of the best metal music festivals happening in 2020. From Texas to Ohio to Sweden, there’s a metal festival happening somewhere in the world that’s sure to get your head banging. So grab your tickets and your merch, and get ready to rock out at one of these great festivals.
Wacken Open Air
Wacken Open Air is a heavy metal music festival held annually in the small town of Wacken in Schleswig-Holstein, northern Germany. With a current capacity of 80,000 people, it is one of the largest heavy metal festivals in the world. The festival was first held in 1990 and has been held every year since. It is currently promoted by Neurot Recordings and A7P Promotions.
The festival takes place over four days on a large campsite that has room for over 35,000 people. The site is located about 1.5 kilometers from the center of Wacken. The main stage is an open-air stage with a capacity of 40,000 people. There are also several smaller stages located around the campsite with capacities ranging from 2,000 to 5,000 people.
The lineup for Wacken Open Air 2020 includes some of the biggest names in heavy metal, such as Judas Priest, KISS, Metallica, Slayer, and Iron Maiden.
Hellfest
Originally created in 2006, Hellfest is a French music festival that takes place in the city of Clisson. The festival is known for its wide range of heavy metal and rock genres, with past headliners including Judas Priest, Def Leppard, and Korn. 2020 will see Slipknot, System of a Down, and Tool take the stage, making it one of the most anticipated festivals of the year.
Download Festival
Download Festival is a British rock festival, held annually at Donington Park in Leicestershire, England, since 2003. The 2015 festival featured massive performances from the likes of Slipknot, Muse, Kiss, Judas Priest, and many more.
This year’s lineup features some of the biggest names in heavy metal music, including Iron Maiden, Metallica, Slayer, and Mastodon. With over 100 bands performing across four stages over three days, Download Festival is sure to be a metalhead’s paradise.
Conclusion
So there you have it – our list of the best heavy metal festivals of 2020. If you’re a fan of the genre, make sure to mark your calendars and plan to attend one (or more!) of these great events. And if you can’t make it to any of them, don’t worry – we’ll be sure to keep you updated on all the latest metal news and festival announcements.
