A Danish summer (always a roll of the dice)
Lashings of beer & Pølse.
Tats, Piercings
And 4 days of Rock, Metal and everything inbetween.
Welcome to Copenhell 2023.
I must admit, despite living in Denmark for seven years this is my first Copenhell but if this year is anything to go by, then consider me a convert for future outings.
Before I dig into the acts, I got to call out the organization and fans at Copenhell. It’s always a pleasure to be part of a festival that’s well organized but it’s the fans that always make or break these events and hand to heart I can say that Copenhell had fans from every conceivable walk of life thrown into a hot sweaty pot of rock & metal celebration and it was a joy to see. Everyone helped each other when down in the mosh pit or when they might have overdone the liquid refreshments.
Bravo Copenhell.
With a comic con, an area to smash up old cars or a hot tub to soak away your hangovers in, Copenhell had it all and more to boast with special talks on everything from serial killers with SKYND to a deep dive on Lovecraftian mythology.
Of course, the main event was the gigs. Day one was a mix of the old guard with Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe. Stedfast favorites like Clutch and Sick of it all tore up the Helvíti and Hades stages. Parkway Drive was one of the bands closing the night out in raging fashion.
Day 2 brought classic stalwart thrash titans Testament and hot new thing Sleep Token; like a shot of Adrenaline Fever 333 whipped up the Pandæmonium stage into a frenzy and Halestorm and Gojira brought the crowd to fine form. Headliner Pantera was a must see for old fans and converts alike.
Day 3. It had to happen. Denmark is currently in a drought but that did not matter a damn as the god of thunder decided to give us an afternoon storm. Unfortunately Napalm Death was cut short due to safety issues and headliners Architects were cancelled.
It quickly cleared up in time for a phenomenal show from SKYND and headliners Slipknot brought the mayhem to another level that had the security guards really earning their pay with the multitude of crowd surfers.
Day 4. Eddie Van Halen’s son kicked off Saturday and showed Denmark that he has his old mans DNA in his playing. Another Legend with Billy F Gibbons brought some old school rock and blues licks and, on the other end of the spectrum, Angus McSix power metal, Master of the Universe themed show was a giddy delight.
Despite a returning round of rain, headliners Ghost put on another masterclass in heavy rock that the crowd can sing along to.
I ended my Copenhell experience with the one and only Guns’n’Roses, one of those bucket list scenarios. It was great to see Axel, Slash and the rest of the gang belt out hit after hit.
So, all in all, it was a top four day session and hats off to the Copenhell organisers, ground crew and of course the fans who made it one to remember.
JP Molloy
click on the images to see the full gallery
