The beginning of the month saw the second chapter of Out & Loud Festival under that name. This festival is one of my summer favourites: it is large enough to play host to an awesome lineup with bands to cater to everyone's tastes, yet is small enough that nothing is overly crowded, and everything is a stone's throw away. Set in the idyllic and tranquil outskirts of the German town of Geiselwind, the campsite is located on a series of forest-fringed hills overlooking a small valley that houses three stages, namely an indoor stage, an outdoor main stage, and an indoor newcomer stage. Despite this out-of-the-way location, getting to the festival is fairly easy, with shuttle buses being available, in addition to the public buses that stop in close proximity. With all the amenities you could possibly need within walking distance of the festival, the location is perfectly isolated enough to completely forget about the outside world for the weekend and just kick back and enjoy the Metal.

Thanks to this wide spread of the camping area, even latecomers to the festival had the opportunity to camp near enough to the stages, which was great, as this meant you didn't have to factor in half an hour just to get to your tent after performances. Along with a hotel situated in extremely close proximity for those who did not wish to camp, there were also a variety of facilities located within a very short walking distance from the festival area, including a wide range of fast-food places, a pharmacy, and a petrol station stocking everything a festival-goes might need for the weekend, from camping chairs to beer and grill charcoal. On top of this, the three stages and numerous food and merch stalls were also set ideally close to each other, so that one could amble about from one place to another without missing much.
 

The festival started off with a bang, thanks to the opening party hosted by Napalm Records heating things up on the 3rd of June featuring the likes of MOONSPELL, AHAB, and CIVIL WAR, with the festival itself running from Thursday the 4th (a public holiday) to the 6th of June, guaranteeing an epically long weekend filled with all things metal. With clear skies and soaring temperatures, the festival was fiercely hot, with one or two people having to be carted off by medics each day due to heat exhaustion. Here however, a special mention must also go to B.O.S. Security, who not only did an excellent job of manning the event, but also helped keep the crowds cool and hydrated with a much appreciated hosing throughout the sweltering days.
 

The organisers had also arranged for a slew of bands to do signing sessions each day, with festival-goers having a variety of memorabilia autographed, from giant inflatable pumpkins all the way to boots. Nevertheless, TESTAMENT and DYING FETUS fans were sadly disappointed when the bands pulled out of their signing session slot, citing excessively hot weather as the reason for this. Fortunately however, the remaining signing sessions took place just to the side of the main stage, ensuring that those standing in line often had some entertainment whilst waiting to meet their heroes. Speaking of heroes, one of the most epic things I saw over the weekend was a father with two children aged around 10 at the DYING FETUS performance on Friday. All three were headbanging along to the band's brutal onslaught without a care in the world. Its moments like that when you recognise the immortality of Metal, and know that there is hope for future generations despite what any naysayer might say.
 

As to the bands themselves, many put on all out performances despite the sweltering heat that had them sweating by the end of the first song. FEUERSCHWANZ put on a highly entertaining show, with a series of catchy Folk Metal songs that had the audience singing along, completely lost to the music's revelry. So complete was this enthral that when the band played the melancholic and mournful song "Auf Wiederseh'n" in tribute to the frontman's deceased mother, there were many a teary eye by the end of the song. Also colourful and amusing was J.B.O.'s over-the-top show, a band where everything goes as long as it's shrilly pink or shamelessly lewd. And of course, who can speak about debaucherous partying without mentioning ALESTORM, a band as well known for their drunken shenanigans as they are for their catchy sea shanties. They are without doubt one of the only bands where a crowd surfer with an inflatable palm tree makes any form of sense. But all these party bands aside, there was also an abundance of top acts with phenomenal performances, such as GRAVE DIGGER, WINTERSUN, and OVERKILL to mention just a few. And needless to say, headliners TESTAMENT, HELLOWEEN, and HAMMERFALL also put on absolutely astounding shows, proving once again that it takes decades of experience to truly perfect showmanship.
 

The headliners of the festival were FREI.WILD, an Italian Rock band that predominantly sings in German. The inclusion of this band at the pinnacle of the lineup caused a certain amount of raised eyebrows, with many fans wondering what a Rock band was doing headlining a Metal festival. This clearly was a sore spot with the band too, with the frontman complaining about having received numerous messages about not belonging at metal festivals, and dropping several none-too-subtle hints that if you don't like FREI.WILD's music, you shouldn't be at their show. This was a sentiment that several metalheads took to heart, finding other sources of amusement during FREI.WILD's performance, such as the founding of the very first festival glowstick championships.
 

Overall, this was a very well organised festival set in a stunning venue, and with an absolutely phenomenal lineup that had something for everyone. This year's festival was marked by numerous highlights, guaranteeing a delectable and debaucherous party for all. I'm sure I speak for pretty much everyone at the festival when I thank the organisers for doing such an outstanding job!

For more photos, check out Valkyrian Photography. (www.facebook.com/ValkyrianPhotography)