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Festival Overkill: Seven Days That Push NRW Over the Edge

Some weeks you have to choose – and then there is this week. Three festivals running in parallel, the big halls packed, and even the tiniest clubs reporting sold-out nights. More than 50 concerts between the Rhine and the Ruhr, from thrash legends to a black-metal pilgrimage: we have sorted the agony of choice for you.

The Heavyweights of the Week

The heaviest artillery opens the show. On Tuesday, Sepultura bring their Brazilian thrash storm to the Turbinenhalle Oberhausen – mandatory for anyone who puts riffs over sleep. A few streets over, Decapitated and Gatecreeper celebrate modern death metal at the Kulttempel, while at Helvete the genre's forefathers themselves, Possessed, take the stage. Three death- and thrash hammers, one night, one city – Oberhausen, we bow.

If you want it bigger: Limp Bizkit blow up the Sparkassenpark Mönchengladbach on Tuesday, before Deep Purple deliver a hard-rock history lesson at the same spot the next day. At the Westfalenhalle Dortmund, Def Leppard meet Extreme, and on Friday Powerwolf turn the open-air Almeauen Park in Büren into one giant wolf mass. Add the djent precision of Periphery at the Live Music Hall Köln, the folk-metal madness of Bloodywood at Turock Essen, and on Wednesday the metalcore force of A Day To Remember at Cologne's Palladium.

Three Festivals, One Weekend

From Thursday it gets gloriously chaotic. In Dutch Ysselsteyn, Jera On Air (Jun 25–27) rolls out its punk and hardcore juggernaut: Rise Against, The Offspring, Trivium, Hatebreed, Papa Roach, Suicidal Tendencies and Turbonegro across one long weekend. At the same time, the Vainstream Rockfest at Münster's Hawerkamp (Jun 26–27) celebrates its 20th edition – with All Time Low, Architects, Hollywood Undead and Black Veil Brides.

And for those who find all that too friendly: at Hole in the Svn in Rauschenberg (Jun 25–27), the international black- and death-metal underground elite gathers. Winterfylleth, Misþyrming and Grave Miasma celebrate the darkest variant of this week on a forest barbecue ground.

From NYHC to the Underground Basement

The clubs are glowing too. Agnostic Front bring New York hardcore to Kubana Siegburg, Lagwagon deliver skate punk at the Skaters Palace Münster, The Dwarves tear up the Pitcher Düsseldorf, and Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine) opens the week on Monday at Doornroosje Nijmegen. Also on Monday, We Came As Romans heat up the Zakk Düsseldorf and Bury Tomorrow the Zeche Bochum with modern metalcore. Malevolence go twice – Monday at Cologne's Club Volta, Thursday for the Vainstream Opening Night at Skaters Palace.

Our secret tips for the brave: NRW thrashers Eradicator rock the Lindenberg open-air in Freudenberg on Saturday, Dortmund doom forge Stargo and Wasteland Haze sink the Subrosa, and Immortal Disfigurement deliver brutal slam at the Kulttempel. Plus power-metal locals Elmsfire at the Pitcher.

Dark, Cold, Electronic

For the wind-down it turns dark: Traitrs and Cold Union bring post-punk and darkwave to Eindhoven's Altstadt, Youth Code crank the industrial dial to the max at Münster's Gleis 22, and drone institution Sunn O))) drowns Cologne's Essigfabrik in low-frequency fog on Friday. The final note comes on Sunday from Mimi Barks with her trap-metal wall of sound at Cologne's MTC – while at Essen's Don't Panic, Dead Bob (ex-NoMeansNo) sets the punk closing chord. Whoever is still standing has survived this week.

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