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25 Festivals, One Weekend, Three Countries

This week brings 417 shows to 176 cities between Flensburg, Vienna and Geneva. The reason is in the calendar: from 11 to 13 September, 25 festivals run at the same time in Germany alone — from a medieval camp with 73 programme slots to a village square with five bands and free entry. Around them, three big tours cross the country and the borders.

The Week's Heavy Hitters

Saturday's peak is the Death & Damnation Fest at the Turbinenhalle Oberhausen: Rotting Christ bring thirty years of Greek black metal, alongside Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult, Tyrolean one-woman act Perchta and Aran performing the work of Lunar Aurora. The Friday before belongs to the Helvete next door, where Merrimack from Paris top the bill — two nights, two rooms, one festival.

In the Upper Palatinate, the Storm Crusher Festival takes over the Wurzer O'Schnitt-Halle in Püchersreuth. On Friday Raven play the weekend's longest set at 22:10, with Lizzord, winners of the Band Crusher contest, opening the day. Saturday stacks Imha Tarikat, Atlantean Kodex and, from 23:15 with an open end, Asphyx. Thursday already opens with a label night curated by Dying Victims Productions.

On the Swabian Alb it costs nothing: at Umsonst & Draussen Zollernalb in Bisingen, Hiraes headline Friday and Grave Digger close Saturday at 22:00 — free entry on both days.

At the Amphitheater Gelsenkirchen, Folkfield runs two days on the Rhine-Herne Canal: Subway To Sally on Friday, Wind Rose closing Saturday, and Schandmaul on both evenings.

Switzerland and Austria

Judas Priest open the final European leg of their Faithkeepers tour on Friday at the Festhalle Bern, with Nevermore in support. The same night, Gotthard inaugurate the brand-new AREON Eventhalle in Chur — the venue's opening concert, played by the band that defined Swiss hard rock.

At the Volkshaus Zürich, BROILERS play two nights back to back; Friday, added later, sold out long ago. Colour Haze bring Munich stoner rock to the Gaswerk Winterthur, The Young Gods play four home dates and finish on Sunday at the Kulturfabrik Kofmehl in Solothurn. Also Sunday: Eisbrecher at the Z7 in Pratteln, two days after their show at the Garage in Saarbrücken.

Austria gets the week's biggest crowd: Die Toten Hosen play the Ernst-Happel-Stadion in Vienna on Saturday. On Wednesday they are already in Bayreuth, sold out, with LaBrassBanda before them.

A Home Game in Wuppertal

On Thursday Udo Dirkschneider returns to where he comes from: Dirkschneider play the final show of the "Balls to the Wall" 40th anniversary tour at the Historische Stadthalle Wuppertal. Forty years after the album, in his own town, for the last time.

Hidden Gems and Underground

Sigh from Tokyo cross the country all week — Monday at the Feierwerk in Munich with Devil Master, then Leipzig, Berlin, Hamburg, and on Saturday they stand on the Death & Damnation stage in Oberhausen. Five dates for a band that has been building Japanese avant-garde black metal since 1989.

Motorpsycho play five nights between Düsseldorf and Oldenburg; the Zakk on Tuesday is their only NRW show, and Friday's Junkyard in Dortmund is outdoors. Havok and Blood Red Throne take the Bett in Frankfurt on Thursday and the Matrix in Bochum on Friday. And at the Rosenkeller in Jena, Ton Steine Scherben play.

From Hardcore to Darkwave

Actors from Vancouver and Ash Code tour as a double bill through four cities — Bielefeld, Bochum, Cologne and finally Rüsselsheim. In Koblenz, Doro turns the Festung Ehrenbreitstein into a castle show on Saturday; in Lörrach, Agathodaimon and End of Green share an evening. J.B.O. play the Kelbra reservoir, and at the Markthalle Hamburg Faderhead celebrates twenty years of electro.

Newly Added

Since the end of August, 154 Swiss and 85 Austrian venues have joined — Bern, Basel, Zurich, Winterthur, Chur, Solothurn, Vienna, Graz, Salzburg, Innsbruck and many smaller ones. We are still building out Switzerland and Austria: send us your venue suggestions.

Don't Miss a Thing with KRACH!

417 shows in one week, 25 festivals in a single weekend — the KRACH app shows you what is on tonight near you, running orders and set times included. 🤘