Friday
The nights are short at festivals, and this Friday morning is no exception. After a tasty and filling breakfast of coffee, bread, scrambled eggs, mushrooms, cucumber, tomato, ham and cheese, more coffee, it’s time to get ready for the country metal performance of this morning. Friday also is the traditional Hawaii-day of Grabenschlampen, the photographers adopted it, thus everyone is a bit more colourful today.
As early as 11:20, RODEO 5000 take to the Rock Stage for a wild ride. It’s no secret that the Wild West is based in Osnabrück — it’s “Mr Hurley” Simon‘s side project. The direction is clear: more fun and entertaining music, but less serious, will reign for half an hour. All in all it is like Boss Hoss meets Rednecks meet Pulveraffen so it can’t be too wrong as an opener.
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At 11:55, HAGGEFUGG take over at the Dark Stage. Their music is both similar and different. At least some bagpipes have been added to create a different sound, but the show is no less entertaining. Sadly, half an hour is not enough time for all their gimmicks, though.
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I saw the next band headline Rock & Metal Day’s a few years ago. The drummer had fallen ill just hours before the gig, so they had to use a drum computer. I am therefore curious to see how MOTORJESUS will sound with a real drummer from 12:30 onwards. They don’t disappoint, even though I disliked the idea of throwing beer cans into the crowd – safety first, but that’s just my opinion.
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From 13:05, it’s all about industrial metalcore when the cyberpunks of CYPECORE take to the Dark Stage. The music, outfits and show are electrifying, and even some younger kids are crowd surfing. You may or may not like it, but crowd surfing is always a dangerous activity. If you want to become a master, you have to start early. Good luck to all you little metalheads!
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One of my favourite bands today plays shortly after lunchtime at 13:45. HIRAES, with their charismatic vocal goddess Britta Görtz, deliver a fine late-afternoon set of growls, clean vocals and brutal melodic death metal. We’ll see Britta again later in the day at headliner time, where she belongs — as she did last year when she stood in for Marcus Bischoff of Heaven Shall Burn.
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Call it alternative, gothic or industrial: at 14:35, Norwegian band GOTHMINISTER combine all of these styles for a furious set that could have set the infield on fire if pyrotechnics were permitted. However, due to strong winds, the band has had to cancel these effects for the good of the music.
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At 15:25, it’s time for High Tea or RAUHBEIN ruling the Rock Stage. They are one of those reliable bands that never disappoint. They’re not purely metal, but more folk-based, and they simply stand and deliver – once again at Rockharz 2026.
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Anyone who has actually had a cup of tea will choke on it when the next band takes to the stage at 16:15 and unleashes a force of nature upon the audience. None other than WALLS OF JERICHO turn the musical direction around twice and a half, landing us in the realm of brutal American metalcore, bellowed out by vocalist Candace Kucsulain. Circle pits guide the audience through the high-energy set – the scale of it is almost frightening, yet brilliant.
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At 17:05, it’s German again, but actually it’s Irish when FIDDLER’S GREEN greet their audience. They are regular guests at Rockharz for good reason. The audience could have taken a little rest and just listened, but they failed to do so! Once again, crowd surfers take centre stage, and I even witness a race between a surfer and Tobias, who is playing the violin while riding across a sea of spectators in a rubber dinghy. As a little surprise, Eric Fish of Subway to Sally joins them during the last song.
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DIE APOKALYTISCHEN REITER give us another chance to surf the crowd from 17:55 onwards. Their set mostly consists of older songs — long-term fans celebrate them and newer listeners are surprised at how fresh they still sound. It’s a solid performance by some very experienced ROCKHARZ musicians, before the next musical thunderstorm breaks out.
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Forget about dinner and taking a break; it’s not Kit-Kat time, but at 18:45 it’s time for a legend. BIOHAZARD from Brooklyn rock the stage like a hurricane. Despite being one of the oldest bands in the line-up, their pure and raw energy is incredible. There’s no rest for the wicked — their set can be summed up in one word: a blast!
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At 19:35, we can expect something very different. P.O.D. combine Christian lyrics with nu metal. When I was in my twenties, this was called white metal, in contrast to black and death metal. I am therefore curious to hear how Christian metal sounds nowadays. Apart from the lyrics, which I didn’t really listen to, I can tell you there is no big difference to more satanic bands. At least it’s all entertainment, and that’s what it does: it entertains the audience.
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I’ve already seen the next band this year during their Naked Part III tour, which was completely different to today’s show. Today is festival time, with a full metal show from 20:40 onwards, featuring SUBWAY TO SALLY, who are about as metal as it gets. It is their seventh time at ROCKHARZ, and for good reason. Once again, their performance is charismatic and different from the usual “right between the eyes” metal that will follow.
Here’s what Doro has to say:
It was brilliant, just as you’d expect.” They played some of their newer tracks, as well as a few older songs. There were crowd surfers everywhere, even above the tightest circle pit I’ve ever been in. They couldn’t set off their usual pyrotechnics because of the strong wind. All in all, a brilliant concert.
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AIRBOURNE, performing at 21:45, embody this kind of metal perfectly. Even though the bandmates of Joel O’Keeffe have grown older over the years, they still act like AC/DC on speed. There is only one power: full power; one speed: full speed. Even though Joel doesn’t climb onto the roof of the stage anymore, the band’s energy remains undiminished. Nevertheless, this is what rock ‘n’ roll is all about: pure fun and wild, loud music.
Daniel adds:
It was the first time I had seen them live, but I had heard some of their music before. They performed really well — just a great classic rock ‘n’ roll band, and it’s always nice to hear them.
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They make way for KREATOR at 22:50. Finest thrash metal from Germany since 1982 — or 1984 according to the purists — that’s nearly 45 years of experience. In Germany, they were already huge when bands like Metallica were still playing in small pubs. I guess that says it all about these giants and their great skills. It’s now time for Britta‘s second appearance on stage, this time at the right moment as she joins them for ‘Tränenpalast’.
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It’s already Saturday when the Friday night band plays their first chords at 00:30. SAINT CITY ORCHESTRA convince with a brilliant folk metal show. The contrast between them and the previous band could not have been greater, of course. These Swiss musicians not only keep the mood high, but their technical skills also set a new standard for a closing band. We have seen a lot of fantastic closers at ROCKHARZ over the years.
Daniel has another comment:
I had never seen or heard of them before, but they played amazing Irish pub music. It was a great show, really fun, and the violinist’s performance was amazing. He walked and jumped around with so much movement, yet still had enough skill to play very well at the same time. I really liked it. Overall, a very nice band.
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This Friday was a real challenge. There was a wide variety of musical styles and the wind and weather conditions were constantly changing. I wouldn’t want to be a sound engineer in these conditions, but they all did a great job. Of course, I needed to visit my friends at the campsite for one last round of beer, liquor and so on, to discuss the day, before going to bed for a few hours.
I also want to mention the other people in the crew who keep the festival running. Security, first aid, police, Grabenschlampen, stewards and stagehands – they all play a part. I love you all, and you know it. So, here are some pics in no particular order. You are the great people who make the festival even greater, and you are what makes ROCKHARZ different.
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Online:
Please buy merch and physical music or downloads from the bands’ official sources and don’t stream it for free, because that steals the artists’ income.
Text by Mr. Deep, photos by Friend.X and Pendi