Muse at Hellfest, the final stage of the “Disneylandization” of the festival?
Hellfest 2025, which just opened in Clisson, Loire-Atlantique, once again welcomes big names in metal and hard rock, such as Scorpions and Dream Theater. But also, late this June 20th, the British band Muse. Their presence annoys some fans, who regret the "mainstream shift" the festival has taken in recent years, reports the Swiss newspaper "Le Temps."
When you call yourself an "extreme music festival," scheduling the British pop-rock band Muse is bound to make you smile. And for metalheads, this headliner is anything but pleasant. Quite the opposite. The 240,000 festival-goers expected [from Thursday, June 19] and until Sunday [June 22] in Clisson [about thirty kilometers from Nantes] are willing to pay around 350 euros to see metal, and nothing but metal.
The specificity of Hellfest lies in its particularities, patiently built since 2006. Its program includes sulphurous artists, growlers (guttural singing) and the whole range from hard rock to heavy metal, including nu and death metal, with a few detours on the punk scene. The festival's boss, Ben Barbaud, had assured in 2017 that Hellfest would remain this meeting place for music that does not find its place elsewhere. During the closing press conference of that edition, he made comments that were worth a promise for fans:
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