< PreviousNothing is more trve than heavy happiness – as is confirmed by The Butcher Sisters and Doro via their new single “Wacken”. In conversation with The Bullhead, the musicians reveal why the origins of the accompanying music video remain mysterious and how the Queen of Metal and the sisters of chaos became such a uniquely hilarious team by Victoria Schaffrath acken is not just a festival, it’s a way of life. Maybe that’s why, over the years, W:O:A has inspired quite a few anthems praising the Holy Ground. This year, The Butcher Sisters and Doro add to this impressive list: “The song is meant to pay homage to Wacken Open Air, but we want people to have fun with it,” explains David Sch- neider. As one of the guitar- ists and songwriters for The Butcher Sisters, he’s certain- ly the expert. But his mates Nicklas “Stroppo” Stroppel, self-proclaimed best screamer and influencer, and Alexan- Worship-worthy: During the video shoot, TBS honour Doro – and, naturally, W:O:A. Shouter Stoppeo is wetting his whistleseems to remember the shoot quite vividly: “I’ve been to Wacken around thirty times, so I teach the newcomers how it’s done – how to pitch a tent and more. Of course, they feel like they know better, and end up caught in the guy rope. Meanwhile, one snap of my fingers and the tent is finished. And to that we’ve added a ton of fire and heavy vibes.” Are TBS planning on bring- ing this type of show to their slot at W:O:A 2025? Screamer Stroppo lets us in on his plans: “I was thinking about build- ing a catapult that hurls Doro some 200 metres into the air.” “Don’t include that in the ar- ticle,” David laughs, “nor that we said not to include it.” In any case, their stage looks are sorted, according to Alex: “We der “Alex” Bechtel, the group’s rapper, agree. “The first time I heard the song, I was in stitches,” Doro tells us. “Something you don’t always see onstage is how much my band and I laugh and have fun. So teaming up with The Butcher Sisters made total sense to me.” The collab- oration became reality thanks to social media and a fair bit of audacity. “Doro had followed us on Instagram,” David re- calls. “We had already written the song, but something was missing. Doro, obviously.” “Exactly, which is why we then proceeded to blackmail and threaten Doro, forcing her to record the track with us,” Stroppo adds enthusiastically. The Queen of Metal re- members the process as some- what less dramatic: “As is the norm these days, they contact- ed me via Instagram’s direct messages. My team pointed them out to me, and the rough mix blew me away. So I record- ed my part. We then filmed the video in between two of my festival shows.” According to some unreli- able sources from the Sisters’ camp, the video is entirely AI-generated. Weirdly, Doro wear a lot of Adidas, so we’ll do steel-studded pool slides – ‘Steelilettes’, if you will.” Between all the jokes, the group is serious about one thing: “Wacken is every metalhead’s final boss. We live and breathe that just as much as anyone in the scene,” guitar hero David professes. As a teen- ager, MC Alex has been to the Holy Ground as a fan: “It’s in- credible to think we’ll be play- ing here.” Stroppo isn’t quite so humble: To him, the fact that the self-appointed “best band in the world” will now play the world’s best festival is simply “logical. Fitting. Very good.” Doro, for one, gives the band’s humorous approach her seal of approval: “Espe- cially today, when everything seems so dark, it’s vital to share a carefree laugh.” “ , .” The “Wacken” count-in is already spot on: Stroppo, Alex and Doro all smiles on set Rapper Alex gets an anthem- worthy hairstyle Relaxed chat on set between takesYear after year, there are new features and changes to the Acker – for an even better festival experience. Here’s what you can expect this week Between all the great acts and the hustle and bustle of the Holy Ground, it can be difficult to find the right place to take a deep breath. That’s why the Safer Space bus from the festival’s counsel- ling service is available this year. Here you will find a place to es- cape any sensory overload, com- plete with noise-cancelling head- phones, as well as a sympathetic ear if you need someone to talk to. The whole thing is organised by the Junge Nordkirche, a local church. If required, simply speak to our staff in the blue vest with the label “Festival-Seelsorge / Counselling”. They will be out and about all over the festival site. You can find further festival counselling locations next to the German Red Cross tent and at the Alsterarbeit service centre in the Wheels Of Steel area. Spread across the fes- tival site, you will once again find culinary di- versity with delicious vegetarian and vegan options. For the first time, these will be uni- formly labelled so that you can see the meat-free and plant- based options straight away. Your stomach is rumbling and you want to know which food stalls suit your tastes? You can now find a new filter option in the fes- tival app that specif- ically displays stalls with vegetarian and vegan dishes. Enjoy your meal! All vegetarian and vegan dishes will be labelled The safer space bus offers a place to relax – and someone to talk to, if requiredKeeping our ecological footprint in mind, there are two different types of bin bags provided with the festival wristband this year: a black one for general waste and a yellow one for plastics. It is also best to collect your paper and cardboard separately, as there will be recycling stations at all camping areas where you can separate your waste into paper, plastic and residual waste. This makes it possible to filter out recyclable materials afterwards and process them accordingly. You’d like to camp with your mates but need show- ers and toilets that you can use with your wheelchair or walking aid? To ensure greater accessibil- ity, we are expanding the number of barrier-free shower containers this year. In addition to the sanitary facilities in the Wheels Of Steel area, you will now find accessible containers with showers, toilets and washing fa- cilities at every sanitary camp. , ! – ! Accessible containers at Wacken Open AirKyrgyzstan, Malta and Venezuela make their debut by Timon Menge heir band name is their mission: My Own Shi- va is abbreviated to MOSH. For the first time at Metal Bat- tle, the group is representing Kyrgyzstan, the Central Asian country between Kazakhstan in the north, China in the east and Tajikistan in the south. Al- most 5,000 kilometres lie be- tween the capital Bishkek and Wacken, but My Own Shiva will travel to the Holy Ground anyway, mainly thanks to their fans. “We spent all our savings to be able to take part in the regional final in Tur- Bands at Wacken Metal Battle 2025 Elnueveonce (Argentina) Mark My Words (Balkan Regions / Croatia) Hellbøund (Bulgaria) Killotine (Canada) A Burning Rose (Caribbean) My Own Shiva (Caucasia & West Asia / Turkey) Theophobos (Central America) Eternal Power (China) Refore (Czech Republic) Danefae (Denmark) Numento (Finland) Gun Called Britney (Germany) Nefalem (Hungary) Gaddavír (Iceland) Panchabhuta (Indian Sub-Continent) AeSect (Ireland) Morsrot (Malta) Hellmidian (Mexico) Necrosin (Middle East) HYLA (Netherlands) Deadline (Poland) Namek (Portugal) Diluvian Collapse (Romania & Rep. Moldova) Radity (Spain) Vhill (South America Northern Region) Halvar (Sub-Saharan Africa) Expellow (Switzerland) Primal Instinct (Sweden) Alpha (Uruguay) Mourning High (USA) key,” explains singer Mikhail Efimenko. “At the time, we joked that a win would get re- ally expensive.” Now that’s exactly what happened. In order to afford travel to W:O:A, the band launched a crowdfunding campaign – which was a suc- cess, fortunately! Their fans helped My Own Shiva fulfil their dream. “I’ve been wait- ing for this opportunity for 15 years,” Efimenko says en- thusiastically. “Now it’s finally here.” Of course, My Own Shiva also play gigs at home, because there is a dedicated Metal scene in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek, Efimenko reveals. “But the problem is that there are very few bands. There’s a festival once a year, but hard- ly anyone goes because it’s always the same musicians on stage.” To make matters more interesting and to play for different fans, My Own Shiva also tour neighbouring countries such as Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan – no easy feat, especially in the latter. “You have to be very careful with concerts there because of the police and the government.” Kyrgyzstan’s first metal battle entry: My Own Shiva from Bishkek My Own ShivaWhat Efimenko means is that in Uzbekistan, a vaguely defined artists’ council has to approve music events. Organ- isers of Metal concerts rarely overcome this hurdle, and shows end up taking place il- legally. At W:O:A, My Own Shiva want to show that Kyrgyzstan is more than mountains and crystal-clear rivers, and breeds brutal Metal. “There are many people in our homeland who love and create art.” And Met- al is an important part of that: “We have Deathcore bands, Metalcore, Djent…” the singer reports – a colourful scene that My Own Shiva will certainly represent well at Metal Battle. Morsrot are travelling to W:O:A to represent Malta in its first ever appearance at guys, we went outside together and ran down the street. We just shouted, ‘We’re playing Waaacken!!!’ It was incredible.” Death Metal band Vhill are celebrating another premiere at Wacken Metal Battle: They are the first band to perform on the Holy Ground on behalf of Venezuela. The climate for Metal bands has been harsh there in recent years, reveals singer Joel Rodríguez: “The Venezuelan scene is suffering from emigration.” For years, millions of people have been leaving the country due to economic and politi- cal hardships. “Many bands are losing their members or breaking up.” Vhill can hardly believe that they are perform- ing at Wacken this year, but they promise: “We’ll give it our all!” Wacken Metal Battle. When the four Death Metal musi- cians found out, they couldn’t contain their excitement: “We found out that we had won at the very end of the evening during the regional final,” explains singer and guitarist Kieran Brannon. “After that, I put my arms around the Vhill South American debut: Vhill are Venezuela’s first metal battle finalists Small country, big metal: Morsrot are representing Malta LIVE MUSIC HIGHLIGHTS Morsrotby Timon Menge ang! When the loud noise occurs, Ra- ven In Flesh can’t believe their bad luck. They are on their way to Botswana’s Met- al Battle regional final – and now their trailer carrying the equipment has lost a wheel. They are 90 kilometres out from their destination. For five hours, they wait for help to arrive: an acquaintance of the organiser who owns a pick- up truck. They hoist the entire trailer onto the truck bed and actually make it onto the stage on time. The effort is worth it: Raven In Flesh were shit out of luck, then it hit the fan Raven In Flesh win and secure their ticket to the Sub-Saharan Africa final in South Africa. Raven In Flesh are Bot- swana’s only Black Metal band; they can say that with certainty. “The scene here is very small,” explains guitarist Lord Mantus Sodomizer. “It consists of about 100 people, and when there’s a Metal con- cert, everyone’s there. If there was another Black Metal band, we’d know.” On the way back to their hometown of Molepolole, things take a turn for the worse, as their guitarist re- counts during the interview. “We were able to get the trailer repaired after the concert, but on the way home, a minibus crashed into it because the driver fell asleep at the wheel.” The repairs leave the band’s finances in shambles. Plane tickets to South Africa are now out of reach. But the organis- ers step in, gather support and somehow get the band to the grand finale. In the end, victory eludes them. Halvar from Cape Town triumph instead, al- ready looking forward to their performance at W:O:A. Raven In Flesh, however, are already planning their next attempt in 2026 – hopefully without mis- haps and unexpected repairs. Raven in Flesh Halvar Thrash for South Africa: Halvar No working trailer, but other heavy machinery: Raven In Flesh didn’t give up Black metal detour: Raven In Flesh’s car seemed cursed during Botswana’s regional finalThe whole range of the market in one app. How to check shares&companies »Stocks without a clue: gambling. Stocks with a clue: rocking.« JETZT BEIby Andrea Leim “Everyone grew up on your music. You have to play for us!” With these words, BAP frontman Wolfgang Niedecken recalls, W:O:A co-founder Holger Hübner convinced him to perform at the world-famous festi- val. After some initial hes- itation, the Cologne singer agreed. After all, he and his band have been active since the mid-seventies and have had more number one al- bums in Germany than the Beatles or Metallica. You will be the first band to play the Faster Stage this year, one of the two main stages. What are you hoping for? Wolfgang Niedecken: That people receive us warmly and that the sun comes out. But Wacken also works in bad weather because people simply are determined to have a good time. I’ve been told how much the fans look out for each other – it’s touching, like a family. Everyone looks after each other, and there’s no anti-social behaviour. It’s almost too good to be true. Obviously I’d like to be part of that. In almost five decades of band history, you’ve played all over the place. But a metal festival is probably something special, even for professionals like you. Have you thought out your set? Wolfgang Niedecken: We’re currently on a tour called “Zeitreise” (German for “time travel”), where we only play songs that are older than 40 years. The tour is truly a success, and people in front of the stage are suddenly 40 years younger. It’s so unifying. That’s why we’re only playing songs that are older than 40 years in Wacken. I’m definitely looking forward to it. But we won’t be playing any ballads, because we only have an hour. We won’t be taking any prisoners; we’ll really dig in. Are you nervous? Wolfgang Niedecken: Yes, of course. Before the shows, I always feel like a child on Christmas morning. If you’re not excited, Christmas is no fun. You have to have a certain level of anticipation. And as the lead singer, I’m the host and have to make sure that everyone is happy. Thank God I have five decades of experience to help me with that. BAP may not play heavy metal, but the Cologne rockers led by Wolfgang Niedecken are rightly described as legendary - and therefore belong in Thursday’s legend slot on the main stage. Lead singer Wolfgang Niedecken is looking forward to the show and the Wacken spirit, has a clear idea for the setlist and remembers his first hard rock riff. Wolfgang Niedecken’s music career spans more than 50 years. His band BAP was founded in 1976Wacken Open Air has always featured artists who don’t necessarily play heavy metal, but who belong to a select group of musical legends. Is “legend” a term you like to use? Wolfgang Niedecken: It’s a considerable honour to be called a legend, because you have to have achieved something beforehand. You have to earn it. If you put out an album and think, “There’s this one good song on it, the rest is just noise”, people realise that. You have to deliver quality, always do your best and try your hardest. Artists who don’t only last two summers at most. In your early years, would you have dreamed of becoming a legend? Wolfgang Niedecken: No, never. We started out as a group of people who had played in beat bands in the sixties. The other members had started university or a job and couldn’t continue making music. We met more and more people at parties or in the pub, until at some point we said: “Hey, let’s see if we can find a way to jam once a week.” That’s how the first BAP line-up came about. We had absolutely no idea that it could become something greater. When the national success came, in ’81 or ’82, I thought we’d do this for five years and then I’d go back to what I did before. But what we experienced in the years that followed was crazy. Among other things, we opened for the Stones three times in Cologne. And as a band from Cologne at that! Wolfgang Niedecken: The people of Cologne were so proud of us! We could have played children’s songs backwards and they would have been happy, because for them it was “our boys playing before the Stones”. You have always sung exclusively in Kölsch, the strong Cologne dialect. Yet you are known beyond the city limits and possible language barriers. Do you think that your songs are well understood everywhere because your fans can feel the emotions? Wolfgang Niedecken: Yes, that’s how it seems. People have a feeling for what is authentic. Of course, during our 50-year history, there have been people who advised us to sing in Standard German, preferably even in English. But I don’t sing in Kölsch because it’s a unique twist. I sing Kölsch because it’s my mother tongue and the best way for me to express my feelings. When I started school at the age of six, I had to learn my first foreign language: standard German! What music did you grow up on? Wolfgang Niedecken: I was born in ’51, I was there for it all. The first hard rock riff I heard was “You Really Got Me” by Kinks. I was 13 years old at the time and, of course, we played the song with our band straight away. I saw the first Led Zeppelin album come out, as well as the first Deep Purple one. I’m a big Led Zeppelin fan and own all their records. For me, it’s the most elegant thing that’s ever happened in rock – so incredibly good. Jimmy Page on guitar, and everything the four of them did was legendary. Have you ever crowdsurfed? Wolfgang Niedecken: (laughs) No. And I’m not about to start at my advanced age. You know, I’m 74 years old and I’ve already had a slipped disc. I’ll do that in the next life. “ , .” Credits: Tina Niedecken Niedecken expresses his emotions in Kölsch, the Cologne dialect he describes as his native languageNext >