COPENHELL 2025
For full transparency, I wasn’t too excited about the lineup this year. I understand that the major demographic of Copenhell fans is on the older side, and the festival should cater to their wishes. Nevertheless, one could imagine that having even just one newer artist as the main headliner wouldn’t kill the festival. On the contrary, perhaps this would even attract younger people to the festival, saving it from being known as a middle-aged men’s party.
Anyways, let’s take a look at the festival day by day - there are still many memorable moments from the four days at Refshaleøen.
DAY 1 - Overusing my asthma pipe
I rushed through the city to make it on time for the first band this year - for me, this was the legendary Skunk Anansie. I might have given myself an asthma attack, but the band was truly worth it. The crowd was having a blast, and how couldn’t they? Skunk Anansie performs stunningly live, and the vocalist (Skin) is incredible to see in real life. Her facial expressions bring out so much more to the emotions of the songs, and this wasn’t even all. While performing, she jumped into the crowd, partied with the fans, got lifted up, and crowdsurfed back to the stage, while constantly singing. I only wish that their gig had lasted longer, but maybe this just means that I should catch their individual concert when I can.
After this, I was a woman with a mission. Mission to locate something called the moving stage. I was told that I should just try finding a moving van, because the Copenhagen extreme metal band Vulvatorious will perform while moving around the festival grounds (as the stage’s name suggests).
Thankfully, I did manage to find them, and I am so happy I did. Vulvatorious was incredible, and watching them while running around after a van made it a bit extra fun. The whole band is a joy to see, but especially their singer (Ditte Køyer) is astonishing. The combination of her facial expressions and performance with the stunning singing will be stuck in my mind for some time after this.
Time to run again! This time, my destination is the forest stage, Gehenna, where the Australian band Battlesnake will show us what they've got. They entered the stage wearing ridiculous capes (this is a compliment), which already gave us a taste of what sillybillyness will ensue. I am a big fan of metal music that is not so serious, and this is exactly what Battlesnake gave us. The energy was amazing, and I was sad to cut the gig short to catch the next performer. I truly hope that they will come to Europe for an individual tour, so I can enjoy their sillybillyness even more.
I would have skipped many others to see the rest of Battlesnake, but I needed to make my teenage dream true and see Within Temptation perform live. This iconic metal band from the Netherlands is known for their hits such as Angels and Faster, but what makes them so famous is Sharon den Adel’s stunning vocals. I can happily report that she still sounds just as beautiful as always. The gig itself was alright, I was sad that they didn’t perform Angel, but at least I got to see a video of Tarja Turunen singing a duet with Sharon.
To balance out the bands from my teenage years, I went to see Poppy. This American artist started with making a completely different type of music, but transitioned to metal, and I am very happy that she made that choice. Her music is fresh, and the performance was fabulous to see.
I also caught a glimpse of a young Danish metal band called Swartzheim, and I kind of wish I had seen their show from the beginning. They sounded super fun, and everyone clearly had a good old time watching them.
As an extra activity on the first day, I watched the Copenhagen-based burlesque group, Sweet Sensations, perform. They were just as fabulous as last year, making me think that I should start burlesque as my new hobby this year.
DAY 2 - Lost in a valley of the Unicoooooooooornsssssss
It’s only day two, and I am already running low on energy. Thankfully, Copenhell is sponsored by Monster, which means it is time for my forbidden bevvy - rum and Mango Loco. Don’t knock it until you try it, it fixes hangovers and exhaustion while tasting like a little candy treat!
My bevvy was necessary because I was going to fulfil my other teenage dream. After all, Bullet For My Valentine was about to perform. If you are a millennial and used to be (or still are) an emo, there is no way you don’t know this band. Most of us recognize Tears Don’t Fall just from the first tune and know all the lyrics to this angst hit. I didn’t dare to have my expectations too high beforehand, but I quickly noticed that this carefulness was completely unnecessary. Not only that the band perform stunningly, but they are also very charming. The way Matthew Tuck showed appreciation to the band’s fans seemed sincere, reminding me why they were so loved by teenage fans back in the day. I got to scream Tears Don’t Fall with hundreds of other people, who used to overplay this song as teenagers, and it was just as glorious as I would have imagined.
From teenage angst back to nerdy sillybillyness, because it was time for Gloryhammer. This whole gig was one of my highlights of the four days - it was completely outrageous. The band looks like they jumped directly from a larping session to perform for us, still using the same characters they did during their larp. The songs are very silly, about getting lost in the valley of unicorns and fighting in the battle in the sky. The hour included a goblin playing sax and being hit with a gloryhammer, crowning the new king, who also chugs down a pint of beer while Space Odyssey theme songs play. It doesn’t really get nerdier than that, right? I was expecting this band to be fun and dumb, but it was much more than I could have ever prepared myself for. What a great time!
Since I was already feeling the wind under my wings, I was ready to see something more. This meant trying to see Exodus, which is good old trash metal, so it should be a good time. Unfortunately, the gig was so full that it was impossible to see anything. Overhearing them, I can say that they sounded great, and clearly, many fans were excited to see them. I am sure there was a good reason for this.
Mnemic was serving high adrenaline while wearing cool and crisp fits on stage. They managed to even take us by surprise, but they weren’t the only ones. Ashes of Billy brought pop punk back to life in Gehenna. The band is formed by three young lads from Roskilde, and this was one of the most wholesome concerts this year. The area was full to the brim, and everyone was there to support these young dudes. Their music was good, but their vibe took it to the next level. Everyone in the band seemed to have such a great time on stage, giving us a level of energy you would expect from a bunch of teenage boys. Just adorable.
Today’s headliner had nothing to do with metal, since Prodigy took the stage. To be honest, Copenhell isn’t and hasn’t been a metal festival in years, so I don’t mind this, but the gig was a bit, eh. I would have wished for a bigger party, more energy from the band, maybe some fire or anything. Of course, their hits were fun to hear live, but I just wished for something more. The band even ended their concert weirdly, kind of just sneaking out? Oh well, to each their own, I guess.
After Prodigy put me to sleep, I needed to raise my energy up again so I am ready to cycle home. Thankfully, Lorna Shore was going to take the stage. Will Ramos is an absolutely insane growler and has an amazing pull on the crowd. When Will tells us to headbang, the whole crowd does so, and why wouldn’t we? With such charisma and talent, you can tell us to do anything. After regaining my energy, I was ready to journey home.
DAY 3 - My mother thinks that Billy Idol is quite lovely
Friday was the first day when I didn’t arrive running around breathless, which meant that I could actually look around a bit more. This is how I finally noticed that you can go and try being a rockstar of your own life and riff an electric guitar on a small platform. Surely fun for anyone who likes to do so!
The first band I saw today was the Norwegian folk rock band, Gåte. They combine traditional folk music with rock and electronic music, creating a very entertaining outcome. The band was clearly having a blast on stage, and it impacted the crowd. Everyone was dancing while Gjermund Landrø was singing stunningly and moving around like a little forest troll.
From troll dancing to cheerleader moves, it was time for bimbocore band cleverly named as Brat. This New Orleans-based band brought the energy from the very first moment they entered the stage. Mixing popular hits like Everytime We Touch and Man! I Feel Like a Woman to intense growling, Brat got everyone dancing and singing in the crowd, not to forget one of the fastest going circle pits I have seen this weekend!
I still haven’t made my way to Boneyard, but thankfully, I had a perfect reason to fix my wrongdoing. A Copenhagen-based punk band, Planet Y, took the small stage in the middle of Boneyard, and I think this might have been one of my favorite bands on Friday. The music is on the easier side of punk, which is why I would recommend checking them out even if you are not into the hardest music. The vibe this gig had was so incredible that I wasn’t even upset about losing most of my drink in the middle of a mosh pit. I hadn’t listened to this band before, but it will go directly into my listening rotation!
From high-energy punk to a completely different vibe, it was time for me to finally see Myrkur. The Danish solo artist Amalie Bruun has created a very interesting project, which has elements from both black metal and folk metal. This is topped off with her outstanding singing skills, and boom, we have incredible music to experience. From the moment she started singing, my skin got goosebumps, and stayed like that until I didn’t hear her anymore. Some of her music reminds me of Nightwish, when Tarja Turunen was their singer, so anyone who misses that era should absolutely check Myrkur out.
On the way to the next band, Dirty Honey, I caught a bit of Stray From the Path’s set. The American hardcore punk band has an amazing energy, and left me wishing I had heard more of them. Talking of Dirty Honey, they pulled a big crowd to Gehenna. The LA-based classic rock band sounded exactly as you would imagine. I mean, the band was alright, but very generic, and I wished for a bit more performance from them.
Before Copenhell started, my own mother asked me if I would see Billy Idol, because he used to be quite lovely when she was a teenager. So, of course, now I needed to go and see Billy Idol. For all of our joy, I can say that he is indeed quite lovely! The gig could have used a bit more build-up before starting, but otherwise, I had a good time. He still sings very well, which can’t be said for all the 80s rock stars, so I already see this as a huge plus. Additionally, he seemed to be having a good time on the stage, wearing a fabulous leather coat, which I want now. Sometimes, the crowd seemed to be just waiting for the biggest hits, but when those started, the whole gig just became a grand retro party!
DAY 4 - Heat from Hell
Last day, and we are really getting hit with heat directly from Hell today. I hope all the tattooed people wore sunscreen and everyone stayed hydrated, because the sun was really trying to wear us down.
Kicking off the day with Gorilla Angreb, a melodic punk band from Copenhagen. The band was started in 1999, had a hiatus in between, and is now back on the stages again. This was a fantastic way to start my day, and I truly enjoyed their performance, even though I couldn’t finish it.
The reason for this? I had a wrestling match to catch. Nordic Elite Wrestling brought the violence and storytelling to Biergarten, and the atmosphere was incredible. The tent was full of people, but thankfully, I was there early enough to catch every punch from the first row. I flinched quite many times, got a bit of blood on me from one of the fighters, but overall I was having a blast! The hour-long show went so fast that it was hard to believe when the last bell rang.
The storytelling didn’t end with the wrestling, because now it was time to listen to Castle Rat’s intriguing lore. The fantasy metal band from New York took us on a journey while wearing the most fabulous fantasy outfits. The music is alright, but the performance made the gig better. All of the band members looked like characters from classic tabletop games like Hero Quest. Unfortunately, due to the heat, I needed to retreat to the shadows right before they ended, so I don’t know how the adventure finished.
I was excited to see Kim Dracula take the stage, even though I haven’t listened to him that much. The little that I had seen of him before already told me that this gig will be fun. I still wasn’t prepared for how fantastic this hour would be. The crowd was clearly having a marvellous time while partying to Kim Dracula’s hits. The songs juggle between multiple styles and genres, so you never know what is happening next. Will it be sax, or maybe growling? It could be just Kim Dracula creeping around the stage, to keep us all on our toes. Who knows!
Just like two years ago, the last headliner of the four days was Slipknot. I have nothing against Slipknot, but I did hope they would have brought someone else this time, just to have some change. Anyways, just like last time, the band performed well, and I actually preferred them this time. The crowd was going absolutely berserk for the band, which is always fun to see. I had a great bird's-eye view, so I got to see how everyone's fists went up immediately when Corey Taylor told them to do so. He had all of them around his pinky, literally making a bunch of metal heads make a pinky promise with him about doing as he tells them. The gig was alright otherwise, but I did miss fire. I expected that there would be some sort of pyro used, but this didn’t happen. This has been a trend overall this year, so hopefully next year, Copenhell brings fire back as part of the gigs.
At this point, the exhaustion really hit me, so I almost left home - but I am grateful that I didn’t. Instead of going home, I went to see the closing band - Health. The American industrial rock band uses elements from techno and rock music, and their live performance was incredible. It was heavier than how they sound normally, perfectly fitting for Copenhell. This is exactly the type of music I would imagine to be played at a blood rave from Blade. I was completely mesmerized by them and couldn’t stop dancing, just like everyone else listening to them.
That was that, and it was time to go home. As I mentioned, the lineup didn’t excite me beforehand, but this opened space to find out about new bands, I wouldn’t have maybe seen otherwise. Still, I would hope that one year, they would change one of the main headliners to a more current artist.
As a festival, Copenhell is still well organized, but there were some cracks this year. Fewer toilets and water points were noticeable, especially during the last days, when the heat was really starting to get to us.
The weekend also included violent situations, which shouldn’t have any place in any festival. This is obviously not Copenhell’s organizers’ fault, but it was shocking to hear. Something just seemed to be in the air this year, making people behave in an unacceptable way.
Anyway, Copenhell was alright this year. Let’s hope that next year will be back to being a fantastic one.