Whilst the number of international metal tours to Australia has increased significantly, it seems your insatiable lust for real metal festivals is as strong as ours. And whilst there are no official figures, simply browsing social media and metal and band forums, and seeing the number of festival t-shirts at gigs, we can only guess a lot of you are venturing far and wide to get your full metal fix.

2013 will be even larger for Metal Obsession, taking in some of the biggest (and longest) metal festivals in Europe. Welcome to Metal Obsession’s 2013 European metal festival preview presented by Gary Carson and Anwar Rizk.

Hellfest

Where: Clisson, France

When: Friday 21st of June to Sunday 23rd of June (3 Days of Metal)

Festival Website: www.hellfest.fr

Festival Cost: 75 Euro for 1 Day (~$100 AUD) to 160Euro for 3 Days (~$200 AUD)

Festival Size: Medium (approx. 25,000)

Beer Cost: Not So Cheap

Headliners: KISS, Def Leppard,  ZZ Top, Whitesnake, Europe, Danzig,

Other Bands I Really Want To See: Accept, Saxon, Equilibrium, Helloween, Avantasia, Lordi, Finntroll, Heathen, At The Gates, Kreator, Volbeat

Brief: Hellfest is held within the Val de Moine sport complex in Clisson, approximately 35 km south-east of the city of Nantes, and approximately 400 km south-west of the nation’s capital Paris. Billed as an “extreme music festival”, the programme features a variety of heavy metal, hard rock, punk and hardcore acts.

Masters of Rock

Where: Vizovice, Czech Republic

When: Thursday 11^th of July to Sunday the 14^th of July (4 Days of Metal)

Festival Website: www.mastersofrock.cz

Festival Cost: 54 Euro (~$70 AUD)

Festival Size: Medium (approx. 20,000)

Beer Cost: Cheap

Headliners: Accept, Devin Townsend, Yngwie Malmsteen, Avantasia

Other Bands I Really Want To See: Primal Fear, Grave Digger, Dragonforce, Elvenking, Rage with the Lingua Orchestra, Moonspell, Amaranthe, Brainstorm, Lordi, Yngwie, Masterplan, Xandria, Death Dealer, Powerwolf

Brief: This will also be my first time at Metal Days, a festival that not only has all the big names but it’s the only festival I’m going to that has so MANY names. It also lasts for seven fucking days! And whilst I don’t know all of the bands playing at this festival, I really hope to find some surprises here. Plus, it’s the kind of festival that I’m going to need a holiday after going

Metal Days

Where: Tolmin, Slovenia

When: Sunday 21^st of July to Saturday 27^th of July (7 Days of Metal)

Festival Website: www.metaldays.net

Festival Cost: 129 Euro (~$170 AUD)

Festival Size: Medium (approx 20,000)

Beer Cost: Cheap

Headliners: Hypocrisy, Iced Earth, In Flames, King Diamond.

Other Bands I Really Want To See: Alestorm, Attick Demons, Enslaved, Gloryhammer, Ihsahn, Leprous, Meshuggah, Metal Church, My Dying Bride, Overkill, Pentagram, Soilwork, Sonata Arctica, Steel Engraved, Turisas, Wintersun

Brief: This festival has not only all the big names but all the same names too. It also lasts for seven fucking days! Whilst I don’t know all of the bands playing at this festival, I really hope to find some surprises here. This will also be my first time at Metal Days.

Wacken Open Air

Where: Wacken, Germany

When: Thursday 1^st of August to Saturday 3^rd of August (3 Days of Metal)

Festival Website: www.wacken.com

Festival Cost: 140 Euro (~$180 AUD)

Festival Size: Massive (approx. 80,000)

Beer Cost: Not So Cheap

Headliners: Alice Cooper, Nightwish, Sabaton, Motorhead, Deep Purple

Other Bands I Really Want To See: Alestorm, Alpha Tiger, Amorphis, Annihilator, Anthrax, Doro, Fear Factory, Grave Digger, Leprous, Meshuggah, Powerwolf, Pretty Maids, Secret Sphere, Soilwork, Sonata Arctica, Thunder, Ugly Kid Joe

Brief: The biggest and the most well-known. Last year was hard work (the unpredictable Northern German weather played havoc with the festival) but we’re hoping the summer metal Gods will grant the festival perfect Summer sunshine for the Wacken Open Air’s 24^th year.

Sabaton Open Air

Where: Falun, Sweden

When: Thursday 15^th of August to Saturday 17^th of August (3 Days of Metal)

Festival Website: www.rockstadfalun.se

Festival Cost: 500 SEK (~$75 AUD) to 866 SEK (~ $130 AUD)

Festival Size: Small (approx. 6,000)

Beer Cost: Not So Cheap

Headliners: Would you believe Sabaton is headlining their own festival?

Other Bands I Really Want To See: Tad Morose, Bloodbound, Pagans Mind, Elvenking, Delain, Moonspell, Bullet, Crystal Viper, Axxis, Magnum, Powerwolf, Turisas

Brief: Held in Sabaton’s home town of Falun, this festival was previously called Rockstad: Falun. This year the name change came to Sabaton Open Air. And this year Sabaton is playing ALL of TheArt Of War. One of the smaller festivals around but at these festivals there’s a better chance of running into your favourite bands roaming around the festival grounds.

Summer Breeze

Where: Dinkelsbuhl, Germany

When: Thursday 15^th of August to Saturday 17^th of August (3 Days of Metal)

Festival Website: www.summer-breeze.de

Festival Cost: 92 Euro (~$120 AUD)

Festival Size: Medium (approx 20,000)

Beer Cost: Not So Cheap

Headliners: Sabaton, In Flames, Lamb of God, Anthrax

Other Bands I Really Want To See: Orden Ogan, Orphaned Land, Alestorm, Ensiferum, Destruction, Firewind, KORPIKLAANI, Powerwolf, Dr. Living Dead, Enslaved, Cult of Luna

Brief: Summer Breeze is one of Germany’s fastest growing metal festivals. Held yearly over three days period on the airfield of the Aeroclub Dinkelsbuehl between Sinbronn and Illenschwang, Summer Breeze approaches its 16th anniversary. A definite must see for metaleads who want a unique metal experience set around Bavaria’s amazing landscape.

If you’ve read this far, let us know what festivals you’ll be attending this year OR tell us which festivals you plan on returning to in the future.

See you on the road TO HELL.

Gary Carson and Anwar Rizk

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