Traditionally, the local Metalhead family comes together to celebrate easter uniquely. As the Neckarhalle in Oberndorf am Neckar once again opens its doors to countless excited dark-clad figures, the Easter Cross Festival 2025 commences.
Months of elaborate planning and preparation and several days of tireless setup effort ensure yet another extraordinary experience. Multiple food trucks, a well-staffed bar, and a top-notch stage and PA set the foundation for enjoying fourteen spectacular acts.
Shooting Daggers – Rainbow Rampage
British Queercore trio Shooting Daggers kick off the first day. Skipping any pleasantries they wake up any potentially still half-asleep soul with their mixture of typical British punk vibes and fast-paced core. Messages of feminism, rainbow pride, and a strong, supportive community are integral to their songs, thus making this an insanely wholesome and inclusive start to the festival day. With their song “Golden Rules” the stage is set:
“1, respect the kids
2, girls to the pit
3, mosh, don’t kill
4, never forget rule 1″
Backstabbed – Like a kick to the face
Once again a band shows already during their intro, that the metal scene is full of light-hearted and musically open-minded souls. As they play “Everybody” by the Backstreet Boys, the crowd is unanimously singing along. With the chorus turning into screamed “Backstabbed‘s back, alright”, it becomes clear, that this is more than just a fun step out of our genre boundaries. Wouldn’t be the first time they call themselves “Germany’s Heaviest Boygroup”. But that would still be the understatement of this young evening since their Hardcore compositions are truly neck-breaking and anything but the typical boygroup sound.
Abbie Falls – We Won’t
To a club-like, bass-y version of Bring Me The Horizon‘s “Parasite Eve” the electronically infused Czech Deathcore formation takes the stage. Blasting in like a hurricane, some of the most bone-crunching moshpits and walls of death are a well-deserved tribute by the crowd. Their members are all over the stage, running, jumping, spinning, and harshly cutting guitar necks through the air. Matching the pace and intensity of the overall soundscape is a clear sign of how deeply they are entranced by their own performance. And it’s freaking contagious.
Rising Insane – raising the roof
With a catchy twist on a well-rounded Metalcore sound, Rising Insane captivate the crowd fast. Not only their own songs quickly have the whole venue chanting and singing along. But they also offer a variety of fun musical easter eggs, such as Papa Roach‘s “Last Resort” or Michael Sembello‘s “Maniac”. Overall their performance draws the crowd in and makes it an interactive and energizing experience.
From Fall To Spring – Right on time
With springtime slowly arriving, German shooting stars From Fall To Spring stick true to their name. In their seemingly way-too-short performance, the twin-led powerhouse gives us a fantastic blend of classical 2000s Alternative Rock and Modern Metalcore. While they had a hard time with the elimination process of the preliminary rounds of the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC), they would without a doubt win any contest tonight. And when they offer to play their ESC song for us, the crowd is on fire already. Their fanbase is clearly present and while they may not be a huge band yet, their sound is definitely promising to make them a big deal very soon.
Comeback Kid – Hardcore heroes
The air crackled with anticipation as co-headliner Comeback Kid take the stage. Raw energy immediately surges through the packed venue. From the first explosive chords, the band launches into a blistering set of hardcore anthems. At the same time, the crowd transforms into a swirling mass of movement and voices shouting along. A testament to the enduring power and cathartic release of hardcore music, leaving everyone exhilarated and drenched in sweat.
Any Given Day – today’s that day
Finally this day’s headliner, Any Given Day set foot on the Easter Cross Festival’s stage. Led by super buff frontman Dennis Diehl, the five-headed formation from Gelsenkirchen, Germany set the Neckarhalle on fire. And soon enough their singer also demands us to break a sweat. Quite literally as the wall of death opens up, he challenges the crowd to some pushups before closing in for a violent clash. And the audience is up for it. With those fun little in-between games and a neck-breakingly heavy show, they ensure to blow out all our remaining energy for the night.
Endlevel – starting with a boss?
If you read their name on the billing, you wouldn’t expect the final level to be the second day’s opener. And neither would you think so after hearing their sound. But that’s the name of the game. At the Easter Cross, you already get top-tier Trash Metal for starters.
ACCVSED of extraordinary riffs
Having last seen them at the small local stage of the Rock Garten Open Air in Schwenningen, ACCVSED take up the considerably larger stage today without a problem. Once again their Modern Metalcore style doesn’t disappoint. Their performance is a relentless onslaught of heavy riffs, driving rhythms, and passionate vocals that channel deep emotions, solidifying their growing reputation in the German heavy music scene.
Elwood Stray – Rough, fast, raw
Their signature blend of modern metalcore and hardcore immediately ignited the crowd, with a relentless barrage of heavy riffs and thunderous drums. The vocalist’s dynamic shifts between guttural screams and soaring cleans were captivating, drawing the audience into their intense performance – and yet another band with a singer flying across the stage rampantly and lightning-fast.
Mission In Black – Smooth and harsh
Powerful vocals soared over intricate guitar work and a solid rhythm section, creating a rich and dynamic sonic landscape. The transitions between badass heavy elements and smooth, melodic clean vocal episodes are quite seamless.
April Art – Paint the town red
With great chemistry and their iconic red clothing, April Art grab the crowd by the neck from the very first minute. Fast, energetic, charming, and contagiously catchy. The self-proclaimed “fitness band” has everyone breaking quite a sweat, jumping, dancing, and singing along, too. Throughout this enchanting thunderstorm, they advertise their upcoming show in Stuttgart. Yet another bigger venue than last time. Yet another time close to selling out. Yet another proof of their justified rise in fame throughout the last few years. After their rendition of Metallica‘s “Master Of Puppets” they ask the crew’s kids, who eagerly watch them from the sideline of the stage, to join them in amping up the crowd one more time.
Equilibrium – Pagan Power all the way
A big set of drums on either side of the stage dramatically opens an epic composition. On top of their stylistic mix of fantastical soundscapes, singer Fabian Getto‘s harsh vocals shred our eardrums. For me it’s the first time seeing them with their new singer since their lineup switch in 2023. Which makes their performance of their 2008 fan favorite “Blut Im Auge” all the more intriguing. The change didn’t hurt them at all. While the audience on this mixed-genre day seems divided between longtime super fans and people who barely ever heard them before, by the end of their set, Equilibrium seems to have caught all their hearts.
Emil Bulls – Fourth times the charm
This performance takes me back to my first Easter Cross Festival back in 2019, where Emil Bulls also headlined one of the days. And quite clearly, they are an absolute crowd favorite, considering this is their fourth time playing the Neckarhalle. With lots of oddly charming words by singer Christoph von Freydorf such as the call to ensure the next generation of Metalheads is created after their concert tonight, the crowd is amped up in a mixture of hauling laughter and absolute excitement. Quite fittingly also the youngest fans are invited to the stage once again for a final climactic performance, thus concluding this year’s Easter Cross Festival lineup.
After easter is before easter
Whether you’ve been to the Easter Cross Festival before or feel sorry for missing this action, rest assured. Parts of next year’s lineup are already announced. And so is the date on the 11th and 12th April 2026, the easter weekend like every year. Make sure to preorder your tickets here. The lineup consists of The Butcher Sisters (TBS), Rage, The Browning, Parasite Inc., Cypecore, Necrotted, Defocus, The Defect, and many more.
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Visit the official homepages of the Easter Cross Festival.
Photography and Article by Cat Maverick