| Who | Poison Ruin, Author & Punisher, Flight, Die Verlierer, Liiek, Mechanic Tyrants, Dopethrone, Insect Arc, Prison Affair, Brånd, Einseinseins, Necrot, Saufknast, Hagzissa, Pagan Altar, Das Kinn, Johnny & The Rotten, Go Mahhh, Wet Dream War Machine, KEN Mode, Teratoma, Tramhaus, Show Me The Body, TØDZ, Unamored, Spiritual Law, Brånd |
| Where | Waldmünchen, Germany |
| When | 9-10 August 2024 |
Music festivals, like Void Fest, are unique experiences for those who attend them. What you love, what you hate, where you were and what you remember about them, are all determined by a multitude of factors – who are you with, what time of day is it, is it pre or post dinner? etc etc… the list goes on. Your festival experience is unique to you, and that’s what makes Void Fest, alongside music festivals in general, such a beautiful experience – you can engage with and navigate these theatres in the ways you wish. And writing about them, is to humbly document them in the hope of inspiring others to seek out these experiences for themselves.
Void Fest is a comparatively smaller-scale music festival in the Southeast of Germany, very close to the Czech border. A breath of fresh air in a sea of European metal festivals – some of which feel the growing pains of becoming expanding businesses. Running since 2012, Void Fest has hosted numerous local, underground and fan-favourite metal acts. It’s not really about big-name draw cards though, as tickets usually sell out before most of the bands are even announced.
Voidians know what to expect.
It’s size and curation brings together a beautiful blend of music enthusiasts and party go-ers – a 2-day festival which straddles the line between what feels like a local community-party and a fully realised, thoughtfully considered music festival for those interested in varieties of Doom, Stoner, and Sludge Metal, Stoner and Psychedelic Rock, Hardcore Punk, Noise, Electronic and Experimental metal.
The main festival ground at Sinzendorf in Waldmünchen, deep in the Bavarian countryside, is located on a local farm field, with the camping paddock setup right next door. Migrating between the open campsite and the enclosed festival zone is fluid and close enough that trips back and forth throughout the day don’t feel like a burden. Lots of folks arrive late on Thursday night, pitch their tents, and stay on until Sunday.
The camping itself is a relaxed drive up and camp situation. There are various sections roping off the paddock to make ‘roads’ around the site, but other than that you simply drive up and plonk yourself wherever you like. It’s really cool to see clusters of friends building their little temporary communities together for the duration of the weekend. Not actually needing a Void Fest ticket to enter, the campsite takes on a respectful party atmosphere.
The camping and festival facilities are generally well maintained and provide everything you could expect from a temporary outdoor festival like this. There are plenty of portable toilets scattered throughout the campsite and festival grounds, and the camping area has two taps for washing up alongside two temporary showers. We found there were lines for these during ‘peak times’ in the morning and just before the bands started around 3pm, but otherwise you could usually just walk right on in.
This year the festival also hosted various stalls, including vinyl records by @plattenzimmer, jewellery by @heavymetal.jewelry, and illustrations and posters by @deadflagstudios and @arrachetoiunoeil. There was also a tattoo tent on site, alongside two food trucks serving a variety of vegetarian/vegan munchables, a coffee and biscuit bar, a water and wine bar, and a beer hall. Void Fest uses a cash and deposit system for purchasing food and drinks, so cash is essential.
The Void merch tent was popular throughout the weekend, making branded hats, sweaters, t-shirts, lighters and mugs available for purchase as well. We picked up a couple of hats, a over-sized purple t-shirt, and a ‘Sinzendorf’ t-shirt from the Void merch booth, and some beautiful works from both @deadflagstudios and @arrachetoiunoeil.
Aside from all the camping and stalls and drinks, there are of course two stages that the timetable alternates between throughout the day. The Tent Stage – as the name suggests – is an enclosed tent venue with multiple entrances. It’s generally pretty hot in there, but the tighter space and low roof makes for a great atmosphere. Outside is the Main Stage, which faces the festival zone which circles it. There can be some noise pollution across stages during sound checks, but it’s not really an issue if you’re either on the stage side of the sound booth or inside the tent.
The great thing about Void is that the timetable alternates, so if you want to see everything the festival has to offer, you can.
Overall, Voidfest is a family-friendly, open-minded and welcoming festival – a community of like-minded folks who know how to curate a metal music festival and throw a great party. They bring forth the energy – making new musical discoveries, supporting local artists, worshipping the classics and having a great time. They’ve effectively created a safe space for locals and visitors, festival veterans and newbies alike.
Einseinseins kicked things off on Day 1 on the Main Stage with their energetic brand of electronic-Krautrock noise. It’s such an interesting creative decision to lean so heavily into vocoder vocals, but it really pays off.
Merchant Tyrant took over on the Tent Stage next with classic, speed thrash metal. This was a great way to get the party started, and really set the tone for this stage for the weekend. Wearing their heavy metal influences on their sleeves – detuned whammy solos, high-pitched wailing vocals, solo-filled breakdowns and galloping drum beats – classic speed/thrash metal which got the crowd surfing, literally.
The first non-German band of the festival – Canada’s KEN Mode hit hard with their brand of hardcore noise rock. The tent was hot, and they brought the energy – obvious masters of their craft for almost 25 years. The live Saxophone addition balanced the sound so well – blasting drone to top everything off.
I’d originally discovered Author & Punisher as a student back in 2010 when I was working on some physical electronics projects and stumbled upon this video.
It was so special to finally see his custom-made instruments and to experience the thick, brutal bass he produces in person. The accompanying guitar really added depth to the live sound as well, layering upon the cinematic atmosphere Author & Punisher has been refining over the years.
It’s all dark in the Tent Stage, Man, Oh Man by The Persuasions (a nice allusion to We Came To Play) and most of Show Me The Body’s Out of Place run through in complete darkness. The tension in the tent is palpable – there’s a sense that something is about to drop, and it’s going to be chaos. The drop was Boils Up, and the crowd went ballistic. Throughout the show there was basically a line to stage dive – a continuous stream of folks throwing themselves into the whirlwind SMTB’s unique noise, post-hardcore, punk had created.
Near the end of their incredible set, highlighting their NYC roots, they performed a massive cover of The Beastie Boys’ Sabotage. The pairing of sounds here was perfect – really bringing that youthful, anarchistic energy into a new space with a bass sound so thick and abrasive, and uniquely SMTB. They brought Noble Spell of Shawty on stage to round out their set with Body War and a strong anti-war message.
Dopethrone rounded out Day 1 on the Main Stage with a unique blend of sludge, doom and stoner rock. Listening to their records, they clearly grounded in the world of sludgy, stoner metal – but live I was getting hints of black metal, thrash and nu-metal – even some rhythmic, techno vibes at times. Their drummer was so entertaining to watch – clearly having a great time. Vincent Houde, Dopethrone’s guitarist and vocalist, and sole remaining founding member, made a point to rally the crowd around their newest member, bassist Mike Riopel. Super entertaining, high energy, and a great show to round out our Day 1.
Here are my favourite things that I overheard at Void Fest 2024:
- “I’m sorry, I can’t hear you because my Eurotrance is too loud.”
- “Brandon, from Pagan Altar, please come to the backstage. It seems to be very important.”
- “…Joy Division mit Blast Beats…Hahahaha…aber, Ja!”
- “Hahahaha……you’re trouble.”
Prepped with crocs and socks, and a wet tea towel wrapped around my neck, Day 2 was set to be a hot one!
We kicked the day off with another Berlin based addition: Wet Dream War Machine, whose high energy, thrash punk turned the frontend of the Tent Stage into a whirlpool. The (initially) masked vocalist brought so much intensity in their live performance – brutal and distorted; this was noise rock and hardcore punk with groove.
Austrian trio Johnny And The Rotten electrified the Main Stage with an energetic blend of garage rock and psych, delivering a live performance that felt like a classic thrash metal party. Their infectious energy and dynamic crowd interaction provided the perfect adrenaline boost for a sweltering Day 2 afternoon.
As a fog-drenched vocalist gripped the microphone, Berlin-based Teratoma unleashed a torrent of dense Black Metal on the late-afternoon tent stage. Their relentless chugging riffs and blistering blast beats filled the space, creating an atmosphere so thick you could almost feel the humidity dripping from the ceiling. Afterwards, I managed to grab a Purulent Manifestations tape (below).
Tramhaus turned out to be one of the festival’s unexpected gems for me. As the sun set on the Main Stage, the Dutch garage punk outfit brought infectious dance vibes that got the crowd moving. The charismatic lead singer had everyone on their feet, while the entire band radiated energy and sass. Their sound was a thrilling blend of indie rock and punk, punctuated by danceable grooves and intense, high-energy vocals.
Das Kinn were also an incredible, electronic surprise – abrupt vocals and chopped beats. Infectious and danceable, the solo musician brought a sound with urgency and weight – a truly experimental blend of noise and pop. I’ll definitely be looking out for future solo shows from them.
While the party continued late into the night, Pagan Altar was the Main Stage finale to round out the festival’s core programme. With a history dating back to the late ’70s, the band was originally founded by the late Terry Jones and his son Alan, who continues to keep the Pagan Altar legacy alive today. A classic rendition of heavy metal and doom, British new wave, and wailing vocals. A clear crowd favourite.
This was our second time at Void Fest, and once again, it exceeded expectations. It’s the kind of festival where the lineup itself isn’t necessarily the main draw; instead, you attend knowing that the organisation, community, and music will all be top-notch. As the event approaches, more bands are announced
but it’s the thrill of the unknown – of leaning into the Void without expectations – that makes what it ultimately offers back to you, so mesmerising.
See you again next year ✌️
Band links in timetable order
Friday
Saturday – CAMPstage wake up call
No music listed for TØDZ – https://todzband.bandcamp.com
All I could find for for Unamored was this Instagram link
Saturday
Void Fest Socials
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