The beginning of July saw the 23rd instalment of the legendary With Full Force Festival take place, running from the 1st to the 3rd July, and Metal Temple had the opportunity to see the action live. Perhaps the biggest festival in Germany that caters more exclusively to the Punk and Core ends of the Metal spectrum, With Full Force holds the legacy of being one of the most brutal festivals in Germany; a heritage that they certainly managed to uphold this year too.

After previous disasters weather-wise at other festivals this year, this festival was certainly amongst the driest this year, much to the delight of the fans. Apart from a few showers on Saturday and a brief downpour on Sunday, the weather at With Full Force Festival was pretty much optimal, with sunny skies and cool breezes, tantalisingly inviting you to kick back, enjoy some phenomenal bands and a couple of beers with some mates.

But as with all good festivals, there was so much more than just the bands and good weather. With countless merch stands, food stalls aplenty, and beer being sold for unbelievably low prices for a festival, there was an abundance of other things to see and do. With signing session hosting bands as big as AMON AMARTH, all the way to fruit-punch bars that blasted hits from the 90's endlessly throughout the entire festival, effortlessly rivalling the decibels coming from any of the stages, there certainly was something for everyone at this festival. One of my favourite attractions, and one that proved to be really popular with passers-by was the inflatable, larger-than-life foosball field. With the European Cup semifinals having taken place over that weekend, soccer mania had reached a feverish pitch. And here, your average Joe could get in on the glory. Brave (or just sufficiently drunk) men attempted the impossible: play a decent game of soccer, whilst strapped to a pole, and without spilling a drop of the precious liquid gold, otherwise known as beer.

For the very first time this year, With Full Force Festival also hosted a smaller "Metal Hammer" stage, which provided 15 newcomer bands the chance to play a big festival and thereby garner a new fan-base. Whilst the stage was tiny, tucked away in a small corner of the festival, and didn't have the best sound, the atmosphere at this stage was always electric, with some truly exceptional shows. What I always enjoy about watching these smaller bands perform is the sheer joy with which they play. So many of the bands on this stage put 110% of their hearts and effort into their shows, and it's sad to see that this is a lesson some of the bigger bands have clearly forgotten.

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But what about the bigger bands? Friday, the first day of the festival, proved to be packed with a slew of good shows. Starting off the festival was NORMA JEAN, an American Metalcore band. Despite not being the youngest any more, the vigour they put into their show was astounding, with them hurtling and leaping across the stage tirelessly. And after them having set the standards high for the remaining three days, you know it's going to be a good festival from the get-go. American Metalcore WALLS OF JERICHO also put on a bang-up performance, with frontwoman Candace looking and sounding more fearsome than ever. SIX FEET UNDER also put in an appearance, although this was slightly lack-lustre, and highly dependent on cover material, leaving many fans disappointed. Headlining the night was SLAYER, arguably the biggest band in Thrash Metal. Delivering a thunderous performance featuring expendable songs such as "Raining Blood" and "Mandatory Suicide", they had the crowd going all-out within a few songs. These titans of the Metal scene are always worth seeing, delivering a spectacular show each time. The highlight of the festival for me however was the "Knüppelnacht", which had shows by INQUISITION, VADER, RAGNAROK, GRAVE, and ENDSTILLE. The one thing that marred this evening was the sound: INQUISITION in particular were poorly mixed. And in a band that only has 2 members, and where the vocals are such a fundamental part of their sound, much of their show was spoiled by the fact that the vocals were barely audible and the drums too overpowering. Nevertheless, perhaps the most outstanding of the shows was RAGNAROK. Although they too did have some sound issues, they still managed to put on a blistering show. It is unfortunate how rarely this band goes on tour, but with the release of their much anticipated eighth full-length album "Psychopathology" this year, it was finally time for these masters of Norwegian Black Metal to storm Germany's festivals once more.

Saturday was yet another day packed to the brim with annihilating shows, save of course for the soccer. With soccer mania being as big as it was during the European Cup, the whole festival programme was halted for the semi-final match of Germany versus Italy, with masses of people sprawled out over the lawns, watching the match on the large screens located near the main stages. And what a game that was: suspense to the very last minute, with a tie score of 1-1. With Saturday's headliner AMON AMARTH scheduled to play after the match, fans started chaffing at the bit after an hour, standing before the stage chanting "Amon Amarth! Amon Amarth!", ironically whilst stage technicians stood on stage watching the match. After a nail-biting full-time, with the match still undecided, thousands of soccer fans held their breath as the game went into penalties, with one penalty shot after the next before Germany just managed to push ahead. Finally, an hour after their scheduled start, it was time for the Swedes to take to the stage and deliver their furious onslaught. With the release of their new album "Jomsviking" earlier this year, AMON AMARTH nevertheless delivered a set full of old favourites taken from a range of their back discography, much to the delight of the fans. One thing that must be commended was the sound quality of this show: absolutely spot-on with every note being crisp and clear, making the performance even more of a pleasure to watch. With this outstanding show, the party continued with the Saturday Night Fever lineup, consisting of THE BROWNING, CYPERCORE, and DRESCHER, before ending off the night with pole dancers and strippers in the VIP tent.

And in what seemed like the blinking of an eye, the final day of the festival dawned. What was really amusing to watch is the progression of people over the course of the festival: Day 1 was full of chipper and enthusiasm. But by this last day, many a fan had been reduced to mere shades of themselves, in which hangover and bangover compete in making life as unbearable as possible. Nevertheless, the delectable bands waiting for this day ushered in the strength to keep going. Although unknown at that time, this was the last opportunity for many to see LIONHEART, before the band's announcement that they were splitting up, which came shortly after the festival. However, even then in hindsight, their show was not quite as outstanding as it could have been, and one could already see that their hearts were not in it. On the flip-side, BAD RELIGION, the quintessential Punk Rock band from the 1980's were one of the many must-see shows of the day, showing that they are still very much alive and kicking, with vocal harmonies that leave you breathless. TRIVIUM also put on an excellent set, igniting the stage with their fiery performance, and setting the stage perfectly for the headliners of Sunday, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, a Nevada-based band that has managed to garner quite a following in it's decade long existence. And their show at With Full Forced proved just why these Americans are such a big name in the Metal scene. Pounding riffs, catchy songs, and superb engagement with the audience, not to mention the beautiful LED guitar! Ending off this unforgettable high with the so-called Last Supper, featuring PARADISE LOST, BEYOND THE BLACK, and BORKNAGAR, bringing the festival to a memorable close, leaving you in a daze that it's already all over.

With chartered buses running to the festival from a whole host of cities throughout Germany, as well as shuttle buses to and from the nearest train station, getting to the festival was also super easy. Although, if you do come by shuttle, and are one of those fortunate enough to lay your hands on a VIP ticket, be warned: it's a long trek through the maize fields along the perimeter of the festival to get from the shuttle stop to the VIP campground, but if you ask nicely, the shuttle might just drop you off at the VIP entrance.

So if you were at this year's With Full Force Festival, and enjoyed it as much as I did, go vote here for your favourite festival. And if you missed out on all the glorious action, you can check out the highlights in this video here, and as you berate yourself for having missed such a great experience, you can already start getting your ass into gear and planning for next year's festival!