[Dajana] Que dire de plus ? An almost perfect festival with lots of fun and great bands! :) After last year’s line-up was somehow weak, the 2024 billing made up for it. There were plenty of highlights and faves. At the top of my list are REGARDE LES HOMMES TOMBER! ♥ They were absolutely sensational. But also ANAAL NATHRAKH, ULTHA, SULPHUR AEON, TERRORIZER, the killer show by ABBATH, SADUS, KRAANIUM, SCHAMMASCH, DEATH RITUAL, BEWITCHED, BEHEMOTH and KONVENT were killer. Quite a long list and I didn’t name it all ;)
Yes, the prices have gone up. There are numerous interviews, podcasts and columns where this topic is highlighted and the reasons are pointed out. Also from the makers of the PSOA. It's no secret that metalheads are a generous bunch, and it's no secret that one or two retailers want to take out an extra euro. In the end, it's us to control the market, right? The words of thanks have already ended up in the intro - what else is there to say? I'm really looking forward to next year!!! See the line-up! *sob*
[BRT] This year's PARTY SAN METAL OPEN AIR was a great party, as always. The weather was just right, even if it was perhaps a little too much sun on Saturday, there were plenty of great bands and the whole thing was great as ever. Of course you can complain about the increasing prices, but the organizers probably have little influence on that. Club concerts are also becoming immensely expensive, so it's no wonder that audiences are staying away. It's probably a vicious circle, but what do I know? Despite all the moaning about prices, the food was mostly good and, above all, plentiful. By the way, I have to take up the cudgels here for the coffee bikes, which saved my ass a few times this year, coolest invention!
As always, there was no lack of variety to complain about. However, I didn't go shopping at all, so I can't say much about the recordings and shirts on offer in the shopping mile... Back to the music, my highlights on Thursday were ETERNAL CHAMPION, IMHA TARIKAT and VLTIMAS, on Friday VARATHRON, BEWITCHED and SOLSTAFIR and on Saturday ULTHA, HERETOIR and ANAAL NATHRAKH.
If I may make one more comment - a little more diversity certainly wouldn't hurt, otherwise I have little to complain about.
Yeah, and the bands that have already been announced for next year are awesome (big love for NAPALM DEATH, WAYFARER and DOOL), and I don't really care if there are still top-notch headliners to come, because there's never anything wrong with the general line-up and it's doubtful whether the regular discussions about suitable headliners are anywhere useful. There aren't that many in our scene, so you have to accept ABBATH plays Immortal or I Am Morbid plays Morbid Angel. At the end all the metal heads will stand in front of the stage again anyway and celebrate it. And yes, every three to four years the headliners repeat themselves... So what? Where not? It’s a common procedure at many festivals. Enjoy as long as you can and as long as there are any, because I don't see that many big candidates of bands that could move up into this ranks.
Anyway, I'm really looking forward to next year, aren't you?
[Seb] The PARTY SAN METAL OPEN AIR 2024 was once again an (almost) flawless success and I'm already looking forward to the 2025 edition: by now, the times around the 2nd weekend in August is per default marked as my vacation at work. Not being exhaustive and more or less from the top of my head, I would highlight SULPHUR AEON (not just to flatter our camp neighbor, haha) as well as the two black metal headliners ABBATH and BEHEMOTH. ULTHAs first gig on the main stage was very, very impressive, AFSKY were unexpectedly good as a live band, BATUSHKA (despite moving so little that they might as well be welded to the stage) were excellent ... and we haven't even talked about the tent stage yet. SCHAMMASCH, VARATHRON and AKHLYS were ahead of the pack as far as I am concerned, but there were quite a bunch of other performances well worth enduring the (most of the time) stuffy air in the tent.
On to the criticism with food prices being my main issue: While drinks prices (even at Seven Lords!) have been (in this day and age almost surprisingly) stable for years, the prices at the food stalls have been climbing and climbing with no end in sight. € 9.50 for a (small) Asian dish, € 8.50 for an average-sized cheeseburger, € 7.00 for a portion of fried potatoes and two fried eggs: we're getting dangerously close to the point where some people are really starting to think twice about buying anything on the site at all. Of course, I understand that the retailers themselves are struggling with increased prices for goods, staff etc. and I don't know to what extent the PSOA management can influence the situation (if at all), but the trend should or better cannot continue as is.
Another point of criticism has already been voiced several times, the problem is unfortunately the same every year: During Thursday's main arrival hour, two plus hours of queuing at the accreditation desk are pretty much guaranteed. What makes the issue even more frustrating is that it seems to be very easily fixable: there's a potential second desk right next door (probably intended for bands/merch arrivals), staffed with three to four people who appear to sit around and twiddle their thumbs the vast majority of the time (I haven't seen anyone "in action” there in all the years, "at best" a chat is held at the window...)! It would already be enough to just have more people available during peak times (let's say Thursday between 1 and 4 pm). If the PSOA wants to get proper reports including with the first day of the festival, it helps a lot if the people who are supposed to write these reports make it to the site before late afternoon or even early evening. Of course, it would make even more sense to move accreditation for the people who are currently sent back to the main entrance to the main entrance itself - if, like me, you're not arriving by car, you might end up lugging several bags around twice for no reason (thanks again to the steward who allowed me to take the shortcut with my damaged leg!)
The following point is half criticism, half suggestion: You are often spoilt for choice between tent stage and main stage, especially during days when delays have been caused on the main stage, you sometimes wish you could clone yourself. I would prefer if either only bands of completely different styles overlapped (e.g. Grindcore "versus" Black Metal etc.) or, even better, if the overlaps disappeared completely. I don't think anyone would have a problem with one band less or alternatively a few sets with only 40 instead of 45 minutes, if that would give people the theoretical possibility to see all the bands they are interested in.
Come what may, see you at the PARTY SAN METAL OPEN AIR 2025 :-)
[Öko] The PSOA is of course always worth a trip! No question. But I agree with Seb on a few things. If you want to eat on the grounds for a day (I say lunch and dinner + a snack ;)) you're quickly rid of €20. But I find all the overlaps even more annoying. I don't understand why you can't just do without 4-6 bands and get by without them (maybe even 15-20 minutes for a chat, pee and beer break between the bands). In this context, I find the “early Saturday” on which two bands play in the tent at 10 am. and then take a break for several hours completely stupid. I'll still be happy to come back next year, because despite all the complaints, the PARTY SAN METAL OPEN AIR is still THE festival of the year!
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