< PreviousDuring your shows, are you able to zone out and forget your personal issues? Anders: I think so, and hopefully, the fans can, too. It’s a way to escape this crazy world, and it’s crazier than ever. Playing live is an escape. That’s the way it’s supposed to be. We shouldn’t bring our personal life onstage for the fans to deal with. Do you ever share things on stage via your in-ears that only the band can hear? Anders: We used to have an open mic backstage that people could talk into. Obviously, our audio guy can still talk to us if something happens with the gear. But we had to stop the open mic thing because people would just abuse it. If you’re in the middle of singing something or playing something and someone starts cracking jokes, it fucks up the whole show. I mean, it is funny, but if it affects the show too much, then it’s no good. We know the songs so well, so if someone fucks up during the show, we will joke about it after. And then we try to do better the next day. The sound of In Flames has evolved significantly over the years. How do you manage to meet both the long-time fans and the newer generation of metalheads? Anders: To be honest, we just try to be ourselves. First and foremost, we create this music for us. And when we’re happy with it, we share it with the world. We don’t want to repeat ourselves. At the same time, we want to keep the identity of In Flames and want people to recognise that it’s us when they hear a new song on the radio or wherever they listen to music. At the end of the day, it’s impossible to please everyone, because if you have a thousand fans, they have a thousand different tastes. I get when people are like, “I like this era of the band better than that one.” To me, that’s fine. If I reach someone with one song, it’s awesome. If I reach someone with my entire catalogue, it’s crazy. Your last album, “Foregone”, stayed at number one in the charts for quite some time in Germany. Are you already working on new music, maybe something to bring to the Holy Ground in 2026? Anders: Maybe… We’ve toured with “Foregone” for quite some time. Now we’re taking a little bit of a break, but obviously, we are looking into the future and we have ideas and things we want to do. I don’t know when exactly, but there will be new music from In Flames. If I get my way, which I do sometimes, (laughs) it will be a continuation of “Foregone”, because that was a great album for where we’re at with the band. I think that would make people happy. Is there a certain band or artist you could name that you are a real fan of? Anders: Yeah, absolutely. My first love was Scorpions. I was 10 years old when I first heard them, and they’ve been with me for a long time, and still are. It’s the first band that I really fell in love with. Alice In Chains is also a band that I’m a huge fan of. Nine Inch Nails, Metallica, Iron Maiden. There are so many… I also got into Def Leppard, Judas Priest and Ozzy, of course, late Ozzy – rest in peace! I fell in love with the genre pretty quickly, and then came thrash and death metal. It wasn’t just one group that made me want to join a band. I wanted to be part of the culture. I didn’t just want to listen, I wanted to participate. And is there one band or artist you would like to collaborate with in the future? Anders: I don’t want to mention any, because that might give away a surprise. Who knows? Credits: WOA The flames are literally in the name, so, of course, they need to be in the showby Susanne Müller ven iconic Wack- en host Maschine is speechless: Right on time for the first morning pint at 11 am, the metalheads brought Bullhead City to a standstill. A whopping 35,000 people are allowed into the area, but after a while, ad- mission had to be stopped. The reason: the four dinosaurs and single dragon of Heavysaurus had invit- ed Wacken to party – and those who managed to get up on time were promptly re- warded. The impressive show was chock-full of pyrotech- Heavysaurus conquered the Holy Ground like few others did before them. Their Wacken debut drew many tiny and thousands upon thousands of grown-up fans Fire and metal: Heavysaurus take the stage Even Thomas Jensen gets a photo with the dinosaursCredits: WOA, Susanne Müller People as far as the eye can see nics, smoke, fire and hard-hit- ting riffs. In the crowd, chants erupted, and costumes and happy faces were on display as far as the eye could see. On top of that, singer Mr. Heavy- saurus, drummer Komppi Momppi, bass player Muffi Puffi, keyboarder Milli Pilli and guitar-dragon Riffi Raffi announced their new album “Metal“ to an impressive backdrop change. The album will drop on January 30, and the first single, “Metal um die Welt“ (“metal around the world, editor’s note), even premiered during the Wack- en set. “I have no words. It was insane, incredibly cool,“ lead-dino Mr. Heavysaurus enthused after the band’s de- but. “Of course, this outcome is no surprise. This band sim- ply slaps. It’s one of the best dinosaur bands in the world – maybe even the only one,“ the main reptile added in his usual humble demeanour. In the end, the W.E.T. stage crew took their annual team photo, this time with the scaly musicians, who were already scheduled for their next press event. In the packed press tent, they played another short set and posed for selfies and au- tographs. Among the fans: freshly converted Wacken boss Thomas Jensen, who gushed, “the show was amazing!“ This enthusiasm translated to the merch booth, where the 1200 Wacken-edition band shirts were sold out before the show even began. But don’t worry: the special item will be restocked in W:O:A’s online shop in children’s and adult sizes in the coming days. This Wacken Friday proved: when a band fills the hearts of the smallest metalheads, it might just become the festi- val’s biggest surprise –and even the people’s headlin- er. Yeah, Heavysaurus! Fans were welcome to join the band in the press tent, take selfies and collect auto- graphs. Got the posing thing down: guitarist Riffi Raffi and singer Mr. Heavysaurus Mom’s shoulders are an excellent vantage point Happy faces everywhere The horns may be small, but they’re mighty Allied reptiles in the crowdn Friday morning, clouds once again descended on the Holy Ground, but that didn’t stop Heavysaurus from kicking off the day and re- ally getting the crowd go- ing. Shortly after, Dominum let loose on the Faster stage and infected the hordes with their zombie power metal. Meanwhile, Brothers of Met- al stormed the Harder stage in their elaborate costumes. In the afternoon, French metalcore outfit Landmvrks even got the security guards in front of the stage excited, who were all nodding their heads in time to the beat. In the evening, Udo Dirkschneider celebrated 30 years of “Balls to the Wall“ on the Harder Stage and paid tribute to this legend- ary Accept album with many guest stars; while metal rapper Mimi Barks fired up her au- dience in front of the Waste- land Stage. This was followed by the grand entrance of Papa Roach. The Californian band played a fiery set – including big hits and a nu-metal cover medley. At 10:30 p.m., the pro- gramme took a dramatic turn: Dimmu Borgir enveloped the Holy Ground in darkness. And to round off the day at 1 a.m., The Butcher Sisters called for a raucous workout in front of the Headbang- ers Stage. Of course, they also performed their new anthem “Wacken“ with Doro Pesch. The day came to a moving close with an emotional trib- ute to Ozzy, com- plete with drones in the sky. Sang her anthem “Wacken“ after midnight: Metal- Queen Doro Pesch Udo Dirkschneider called Doro to the stage Their name sets the tone: Party Cannon annihilated the Wasteland stage Late-night blastbeats: Dimmu Borgir on the Harder stage When the moves match the sound: The Butcher Sisters Dressed appropriately for the Wasteland stage: Mimi Barks, known for her doom trapFotos: WOA Mythical, melodic, maximum entertainment: Brothers of Metal from Sweden Live Aid legend Bob Geldof took his Boomtown Rats to the Holy Ground A sea of faces and of flames: Wacken Friday got fiery So excited they kept breaking character: Bad Loverz loved Wacken Papa Roach lead Jacoby Shaddix set the stage on fireTo be honest, the way we collaborated was the absolute best for me. It directly shaped the content we created, and I believe we truly succeeded in showing the atmosphere in the camping areas, on the Infield, and behind the stages. For me, what we did the entire time was my highlight. Fun fact: This is the eleventh time I’ve worked at W:O:A. First of all, I loved the Plushy Party! It felt so good to join our dear friends from the Wasteland and celebrate in the rain after all the hard work. I’m also looking forward to Gojira. It was so lovely to work with all these great people this week – we had a lot of fun and the chemistry was just right. And I beat The Butcher Sisters at beer pong! One thing that really stuck with me was the makeover session with the Wasteland Warriors. I like slipping into different characters. As for the festival itself, I would say that Zeke was my highlight: a small punk/ garage rock band from Seattle; they once toured with Nirvana, and I came across them during my intense Nirvana phase. It made me very happy to finally see them live. Otherwise, it was definitely the work and the team – the best job in the world! The circle pit at Hellbutcher was my absolute favourite part. I really enjoyed it. Another band I was very excited about was Zeke, and also Ministry. I love Al Jourgensen’s twisted mind, and I’ve been listening to Ministry’s music since I was 14 years old. It was wonderful to be able to see them, especially since the band is on their final tour. Whether they shared fan tales or band moments, our anti-anti-social media team provided you with all kinds of stories and images from the Acker this year. Their personal highlights? Read for yourself!by Katharina Metag ometimes, a single moment can change your entire life – just ask Marcos Souto from the North of Spain. Two years ago, the 34-year-old crafted a top hat for superstar Slash and gave it to the Guns N’ Ros- es guitarist when his band was in town. Today, the milliner has 2.3 million followers on social media, and even plans to hand-deliver a new head- piece to Slash at W:O:A. It takes Marcos Souto three to four days to finish a hat. “You have to work very quick- ly,” he says and continues, “The material hardens very quickly.” Because what might look like fine leather is actu- ally animal fur, the hatter ex- plains. It’s felt, just not made from sheep’s wool, but from the fur of beavers or rabbits. The fur is treated with a secret potion and shaped, and that’s when it develops its typical matte black colour. Souto: “It looks like leather, but it’s wa- terproof and lasts for a life- time.” When prototyping his waterproof mixture, the Spaniard may have profited from his university degree. Initially, the 34-year-old was a marine engineer, but he cites his love for heavy metal and bands like Iron Maiden and Pantera as the reason for a career pivot after three years. His label Blade-Hats has been exclusively producing hats for seven years now. One of his creations costs between 800 and 1,200 Euros, Slash’s iconic top-hat was 2,000 Euro – that’s material and labour costs only. The actual value of the hat is hard to gauge. Accessories like the chains, intricate gambling cards or metal ornaments are either handmade by himself or bought at antique shops. “I al- ways try to add a little history to my hats,“ Souto says. The next bit of history will be written this year in Wacken, because here, he will be measur- ing the head of festival founder Thomas Jensen to craft a par- ticularly special piece for the W:O:A boss. “It will be one-of- a-kind and have a bullhead,“ the milliner reveals. At festivals, he likes to show off his creations on his own head. “But when I sim- ply want to watch a band, I put on a regular cap and stand front row. Or I get in the mosh pit and just have fun. I love being a fan.“ After gifting one of his unique creations to Slash, Marcos Souto from Spain has become one of Europe’s most well-known hatters An assistant to the Guns N’ Roses guitarist spotted Marcos Soutos’ custom hats on social media. At W:O:A, Slash’s hatter personally delivers his latest creation Marcos Souto is taking festival boss Thomas Jensen’s head measurementsats, helmets and hoods: Headgear that protects against the burning sun, howling winds and torrential rain is elementary at W:O:A. Our metalheads know this all too well. The signature styles and iconic creations of scene luminar- ies like Lemmy, Slash and Klaus Meine are their inspiring frame- work. And with 85.000 heads on the Holy Ground, some of their coverings are bound to stand out. From tenacious top-hats to sassy sombreros, from colourful caps to sturdy Stetsons: The Bullhead’s editorial team spotted some high- lights this year. Kurt (69) is proudly carrying a selection of crown seals on his hat Jeff (35) is a civil servant on a secret mission with his trusted avian companion This metal cowgirl’s headgear is pretty sparkly Björn Brandenburger from Reichshof with his bony buddy Kurt Anna (front), Robert, Jörg, Frank & Maciej (l.t.r.) call themselves the “Blumen-Group” – “Blume” means “flower” in German - Instead of a wig, Björn (43) wears his roughly 200 festival wristbands For Andy (37) and his friends from Leverkusen, Wacken is the perfect opportunity for a themed party. Monday’s theme: carnival Annette (63) and Lutz (69) have adorned their hats with the wristbands of previous festivals This lady’s hat is a true work of art. Every detail’s there: the Wacken sign, stages, Portaloos and even mud Enrico Wilk (57) from Eisenach has been building his hat since W:O:A 2017. He started with one round of cans, now his hat is 333 cans strong and weighs a whopping 7 kg, including the styrofoam top. “That’s the biggest the hat can be,” he says, „or it won’t fit in my car.” Ulrike and Susanne (61) from Osnabrück and Stephanie (63) from Mainz might be on to something: Instead of cooling down beer, their bags are cooling their headsNext >