< Previousby Celia Woitas “ hat was some- thing,” the musi- cian admits with a laugh, even a day after her perfor- mance. Instead of their usual show, Ukrainian alternative rock band The Hardkiss have played a purely acoustic set on Wednesday, and did so with an unusually small line-up. “I didn’t know what to expect and whether people would even show up,” Julija recalls. “We’ve never performed like this, least of all in a church. I was surprised there were so many Ukrainians present. It was very emotional and inti- mate for me. I really enjoyed that.” “Day one, nobody saw the fire,” the lyrics of their new- est single “Crush” reverberate impressively off the church walls. The song is profound, almost hauntingly so, but beautiful. “Nobody saw the danger looming,” the singer begins to explain. “Essential- ly, the track depicts what the people of Ukraine are feel- ing right now – regardless of whether they stayed in the country or left. We all feel the emptiness, the emotion- al fatigue and the feeling of not knowing when this will finally end. Because we all hoped the war would be over soon. Now, it’s almost been four years, and it’s been even longer since the initial inva- sion by the Russian army.” Since the war started, Julija and her longtime col- league, guitarist and hus- band Waleryj Bebko haven’t lived in their hometown of Kyiv, where the band was also founded. “When it all began, we were out of the country and decided to stay there since we have a small child and it’s super dangerous to stay in Kyiv. But I visit every two to three months to see my parents. We basically live in various countries at the mo- ment.” As The Hardkiss singer Julija Sanina stands in front of the altar on Wacken’s Metal Church, her red dress practically glows. The only thing shining brighter than the garment on this early evening is her voice, accompanied by piano and guitar Fiery red and stunning vocals: the Metal Church resonates with Julija Sanina’s voice A different kind of church musicThe Hardkiss are made up of contrasts, noticeable in their name as well as in their music. Since their inception in 2011, they’ve been mixing heavy and pop elements. Cre- ated from an electronic pro- ject of Julija and Waleryj’s, the band is well-known in Ukraine: in 2016, they took part in the preliminaries for the Eurovision Song Con- test. Over the years, they’ve amassed quite a collection of music awards. The group, made up of singer Julija, gui- tarist Waleryj, bass player Klym Lysiuk and drummer Yevhen Kibeliev, is now aim- ing at international recogni- tion: “We’re trying…” Julia smirks. “When we began our journey 15 years ago, we dreamed of an international career. When the war began, it became even more impor- tant to be heard and seen heads, there’s this precon- ceived idea that it’s almost impossible for Ukrainian art- ists to become massive. There are very few who have done and to show off our culture. To show that we have more than folk music in Ukraine, but real, modern, alternative music we can share. In our it, and most of them are in EDM. We would like to show that this is possible and that nothing is stopping us. We’ll see if it works.” So bring on the inter- national stages! The per- formance in Wacken on Wednesday may have laid the groundwork. “We know Wacken Open Air. We know how big and legendary the festival is, but playing here has been incredible. We’re so grateful to be given a plat- form to perform and speak on. We’re dreaming of play- ing the big stage and show- ing people what Ukrainian alternative music has to of- fer.” Next year, this dream may come true, because The Hardkiss will return to the Holy Ground – for a slot on one of the bigger stages. Flying the flagDeep in the Amazon jungle, one of the most biodiverse regions in the world, lies the Wacken Community Forest. Thanks to donations from festival fans, the Wilderness International Foundation has been able to protect almost 50,000 square metres of rainforest to date! very day, Stefany Rado Serrano roams the dense greenery of the Wacken Community For- est in Peru, documenting animal and plant spe- cies. Since March 2023, the 31-year-old biologist has been a part of Wilderness Interna- tional and its team of more than 20 forest rangers. To- gether, they work to preserve this unique habitat every day. Her commitment makes Ste- fany the unsung hero of a pro- ject that combines metal mu- sic and nature conservation in a unique way. Stefany, what does your day-to-day work as a forest ranger look like? Stefany Rado Serrano: My job is to ensure the protection of our territories in the Madre de Dios region. My day usually starts between 5 and 6 a.m., so we can make the most of the cooler hours of the day. My commute is short; I live in one of four team lodges, right in the middle of the protected area and next to the research station. We leave at around 7 a.m. and always travel in pairs for safety reasons. We look out for signs of illegal activity and check whether the borders of our protected areas (e.g border stones and signs) are still intact or need to be renewed. To monitor our sanctuary, we use modern drones, air sensors and wildlife cameras. During our patrols, we For two years, Stefany Rado Serrano has been living and working in Wacken’s community forest’ The spider Phoneutria nigriventer is particu- larly common in nature reserves. It is considered one of the most poisonous spiders in the world, and if left untreated, its bite can be fatal to humans. In men, the bite sometimes causes a painful erection that lasts for hours. With a length of more than 5 metres and a weight of 500 kilos and over, the Melanosuchus niger is the largest predator of the Amazon. Larger spec- imens have become rare, however, as they were heavily hunted for their leather until the 1970s. frequently encounter wildlife. We document these encounters to gain new insights into the natural environment and biodiversity within our sanctuaries. What’s the hardest part of your job? What problems do you encounter? Stefany Rado Serrano: Running through the tropical rainforest for hours on end is obviously challenging. We have to make sure we drink enough water and realistically gauge our limits. Overestimating your abilities can be dangerous here. It’s also difficult when we encounter trespassers, whether they’re out to poach or cut down trees. Luckily, this doesn’t happen very often. But these situations can quickly lead to conflict. Very few of these people have truly malicious intentions, though. They don’t do it for the sheer destruction, but are looking for ways to earn a living and feed their families. Why did you decide to become a forest ranger with Wilderness International? Stefany Rado Serrano: My connection to the forest is deep and personal. While studying biology in Cusco (editor’s note: a city in Peru), I learned to respect and appreciate nature. I love the silence, the tranquillity, the peace – the emotions you can feel in the forest are indescribable. What’s your fondest memory of the Wacken Forest? Stefany Rado Serrano: I don’t think I have a specific ‘favourite experience’. For me, the forest itself is the most beautiful experience, time and time again. I have always loved the jungle and dreamed of working there. More information via www.wilderness- international.org/wacken Thanks to donations, 50,000qm of rainforest in Peru’s Madre de Dios Amazon region were savedby Timon Menge “ere in Wacken, climate and na- ture conservation go hand in hand with everyone’s love of music,” explains German Secretary for the Environ- ment Carsten Schneider. Adapting to the weather con- ditions, he arrived at the Holy Ground on Thursday wearing rubber boots. Admittedly, it was an unusual sight, but Schneider and Schleswig-Holstein’s Secre- tary for the Environment Tobias Goldschmidt spent the whole of Wacken Thursday at the festival. They listened intently as W:O:A sustainability manager Insa Trede explained all of the environ- mental and climate protection efforts. In 2025, for example, a pilot project was carried out in the Wacken festival forest using so-called “Paludimatten” mats, made from raw materials that grow on marshes. “These mats prevent erosion,” explains Sch- neider. “They are designed to stop the mud.” Trede confirms: they have already helped this year. In addition, the power sockets in the tents on the right side of Residenz Evil were supplied with solar energy. The Safer Space Bus, the area allocated to dry toilet provider Goldeimer and the merchandise booth in area D also ran on solar power in 2025. “A detailed evaluation is still pending,” explains Trede. “But so far, our impression is positive, and energy generation appears to be functioning very well. On less sunny days, generators pow- ered by environmentally friend- ly HVO fuel are used.” Another project: In the S1 sanitation camp, shower water was recycled so that it could be reused for flushing toilets. “If this works well, we will be able to save a lot of fresh water in the future,” Trede was pleased to re- port. Unfortunately, due to the weather, it was not possible to attach “vegetarian” and “vegan” stickers to the food stands this year. However, all stands were labelled in the app. “And we will use the stickers next year,” prom- ises Trede. W:O:A is making sustainability its headliner – and politicians are standing front row Schleswig-Holstein’s state secretary for the environment Tobias Goldschmidt, Klimafarm project lead Elena Zydek, German secretary for the environment Carsten Schneider, W:O:A founder Thomas Jensen, W:O:A sustainability manager Insa Trede, CEO of Stiftung Naturschutz, Ute Ojowsk, W:O:A founder Holger Hübner (l. to r.) Solarpanelboxen versorgen die Zelte auf der rechten Fläche im Residenz Evil Camp mit Ökostrom Credits: WOAt the entrance to the Art Tent on the Camping Plaza, things quickly get dark. Against a black background, two inter- twined skeletons are visible. A design by Björn Gooßes, an artist based in the Ruhr re- gion, whose works are called “Killustrations.” He says, “This is my sixth time at the W:O:ART Tent at the Wacken Foundation Camp, together with my good friend and fel- low artist Thomas Ewerhard. I am a visual artist, graphic designer… depending on how you define the term. I mostly work with bands, festivals, labels, designing cover art- works, festival motifs, logos, and everything else that falls under the visual domain.“ Björn Gooßes is also a mu- sician. “For one of my first bands, I decided to design the cover myself. I enjoyed it so much that my hobby slowly but surely turned into a job. I’ve been working full-time in this field for about twenty years now. I’m still active in bands. Most of my projects and commissions come from the metal scene.” Björn has worked for bands such as Death Angel, Six Feet Under, and Kataklysm. The Alpha Imagination exhibition by guitar legend Uli Jon Roth offers a special treat: here, the musician, who learned to paint at a young age, displays 19 oil paintings of pristine colour intensity, created in synergy with his In the Art Tent, right in the centre of Wacken Foundation Camp, metalheads can find art pieces to marvel at and acquire. A portion of the proceeds is donated Hard on the outside, soft on the inside: Glönn’s artwork is inspired by creepy characters from music and comics “Nothing slaps harder than oil!“ Uli Jon Roth (r.) loves nothing more than painting with oil-based paint From doodles to little monsters: Glenn, aka Glönn, has always loved drawing bizarre creaturesmusic and his book. ‘I paint pictures that are from an- other world. I find earthly reality difficult to come to terms with. So I like to dream of a better world,’ says Uli Jon Roth. If you keep walking, you’ll come across the works of il- lustrator and graffiti artist Glenn, who goes by Glönn. “In, school, I spent all my time doodling. I started with faces and animals, and gradually moved on to all kinds of little monsters. At some point, I de- cided to buy some paints and quickly fell in love with wa- tercolours. I still enjoy paint- ing with them a lot.” Metal was a big part of his youth, and he still listens to bands like Korn, Children Of Bodom and metalcore in general while he paints. Like his monsters, a lot of things in metal can seem scary. “But then you realise that behind it are some of the nicest peo- ple. I’m really into styles that don’t fit the norm and don’t just aim to please.” Olga also listens to rock or metal when creating her “Demidow Artworks”. “I can heighten my emotions with carefully selected songs, which then find their way into the new design. She has been offering her illustrations as art prints, T-shirts and bags for over 10 years. “As a child, I attended art school, where I stayed for a total of 12 years and trained in countless techniques and mate- rials. In 2013, I started drawing with fineliners and quickly found my current style.” The artist is particular- ly proud of her “Chewbac- cAAAHHH”. “I can’t remem- ber how I came up with the idea. But the image is just perfect in terms of humour and design, and it has already made thousands of people laugh.” Olga (Demidow Artworks) has been exhibiting her art at Art Tent since 2019 Visual artist Björn Gooßes (Killustrations) is showcasing his works at the Art Tent for the sixth time At the Wacken Foundation Art Tent his works of art leave an impact, regardless of missing album titles Horn-ception: a horned being using some horns to pick up fries Chewbacca, letting out a razor-sharp Wookiee screamaturday’s first high- light happened dur- ing breakfast: Before the official presale starts on Sunday night, metalheads were able to snatch one of 10,000 limited edition loy- alty tickets for the 35th anniversary in 2026 (see box on the right). At that point, BastiBas- ti had been awake for hours. The Callejon singer slept rather unsoundly and woke up at 3 a.m., convinced the band had forgotten their trailer with all the necessary equipment. That turned out not to be the case, but he had a hard time going back to sleep. Luckily, his energy levels surged in time for Callejons W:O:A show. “The show was amazing,” he and drummer Pampo agreed. Trollfest were the first band to hit the Faster stage and were a sight to behold in their pink flamingo out- fits. In the afternoon, Floor Jansen hit the stage solo for the first time and was equally as persuasive as she is when leading Nightwish. Masto- don were really lucky: they played in bright sunshine and the fans visibly enjoyed not just the powerful set, but also the weather. “If the weather’s well, all is well,” also seemed to be the theme of the festival’s final press conference, where all the trades of the event came together. While more cars had to be towed than last year, and Wacken’s wood chip bill is slightly higher than that of other fes- tivals, overall, W:O:A was a success despite the weather. In con- clusion: “Mud we can!” Mastodon rock Faster stage Majestica -fans celebrating in the rain Trollfest like flamingos … August Burns Red groove to the rhythm The stage design for Nasty was … well, nasty Fotos: WOA, Susanne Müller … and Torsten Sträter likes coffeeWant tickets to Wacken Open Air 35? For exact- ly 24 hours, fans could score some online or right on the festival grounds. Already at 10 a.m., fans were lining up in a 400 to 500 metres long queue in front of the wristband counter to snatch up one of the coveted hardtickets. Within hours, the special- ly-made tickets were sold out. “That was the easiest ticket-buying process in years,” fans commended the process. Lots of love for our metalheads BastiBasti and Pampo partying after Callejon’s set Together with the fire department, emergency services, regulatory authorities and the police, the Wacken bosses strike a positive balance: “mud we can!” Floor Jansen on the Harder stage Hundreds of metalheads wait for the sale of the hardtickets to start Christiane (44), Luisa (27) and Tim (37) got their hands on tickets and won’t have to spend Sunday night in front of their computers Artur (29) arrived from Portugal and can now add a hardticket to his collection Singer Schmier relaxing after the Destruction showNext >