| Festival: | Summer Breeze Open Air |
| Date: | 14th – 17th August |
| Location: | Dinkelsbühl, Germany |
Summer Breeze 2024 was a very special experience. Not that it was anyone’s fault, it just all came together in a way that didn’t allow me to repeat the experience of last year. This was primarily because I wasn’t feeling 100% well over all the festival days, which started from Tuesday night to Wednesday. Therefore, this year’s review will be shorter, as I had to focus more on bands I really wanted to see and couldn’t switch between stages as much. This would have been especially important this year, as there were many band overlaps as mentioned in the Outlook.
Wednesday, August 14th
My three friends and I left early from Lake Constance as planned, as we did last year. We booked for the earliest arrival spot, hoping to get a good spot again. However, this year it backfired completely. Instead of filling in from the front as usual, they decided to fill in from the back, which resulted in us being assigned to one of the farthest camping spots from the festival grounds. We had to walk about 30 minutes to the entrance, making it impossible to quickly return to the tent for food, a beer-break or to chill. Additionally, we were exactly between the two toilet and shower stations, both of which were very far away. And we were on a field with a lot of ruts. The worst camping spot I have ever had at a festival.
We started with Flogging Molly, which was a fantastic start to the festival days for me. They spread a wonderful positive vibe and lived up to their reputation on such a big stage. Next, we went to see Nakkeknaekker, and what can I say, it was one of the best concerts of the festival for me. The five young Danes absolutely killed it and put on a great show. I still believe that they are raw diamonds that will bring a lot to the Death Metal genre. After three songs at Equilibrium, I switched to Hemelbestormer. Again, it was a fantastic concert that unfortunately lasted only 30 minutes. The sound was great, the few effects they could do for a post-metal band were used brilliantly. The Belgians have definitely moved up on my list.
Thursday, August 15th
Overall, the weakest day for me. The concerts by Jinjer and Architects didn’t really impress me. I must say that I haven’t entirely understood the hype around Architects so far. However, I still hoped that a live concert might change my opinion, but it didn’t. For example, what I didn’t like was the constant talk show aspect of the gig. While this may be common in some countries, I found it misplaced here. On the other hand, Born of Osiris was a positive surprise. Based on a recommendation from one of my friends who really wanted to see them and had only recently discovered them before the festival, I went along, and I quite liked what the five Americans were belting out. Another highlight was the German Blackgaze band Heretoir. Wonderful Blackgaze music was presented to me here. In the future, I will definitely keep a closer eye on this band.
Friday, August 16th
Friday started relatively early for me, just before 12:00 pm with Svalbard, a band I was incredibly excited to see. And what can I say, they delivered. Lead singer Serena Cherry had even learned some German to greet the audience in the sweltering midday heat. In the evening, Amon Amarth tore up the stage, there’s no other way to put it: fireworks, Thor’s hammer flashes, fighting Vikings, and a slain Jörmungandr snake, accompanied by the band’s best songs. It was simply amazing.
Saturday, August 17th
Final stretch. The first band of the day was Orden Ogan, a favorite band of a friend and only the second performance of the band I watched. Although I don’t dislike some of their songs, I just don’t think the group is particularly good as a live band. I found their interaction with the audience to be a bit cringeworthy. After some break, shopping, and food, it was time for the last headliner of the year 2025: Heaven Shall Burn. And I can only say that they delivered immensely. There are few bands that deliver such a strong performance in terms of quality, whether it’s an album or live. Along with the announcement of a new album and a break for the album, there were strong statements against right-wing politics and a great setlist that spanned the band’s whole discography as far as I know.
All in all, apart from my very bad experience with the camping site, I can largely repeat the “criticism” from last year. Summer Breeze is very well organized, they think of a lot of things, improve problem areas step by step, and it’s clear that a lot is going very well. Apart from the fact that I would have liked to have a shower/toilet/fresh water combination nearby to alleviate the long lines at the other two locations, they were absolutely clean despite high numbers of users.
However, I can only repeat my wish for proper fresh water stations on the infield: while you can get fresh water at the toilets from the taps, it can feel a bit uneasy and often very crowded with people coming in and out of the toilets. Fresh water options like those found at camping grounds would be better here, especially considering the August heat. I also can’t complain about the wide variety of food options available for meat-eaters, vegetarians, and even vegans. While I can’t say if it would be enough for a vegan individual, I feel like it’s more than what is typically offered at most other places. The sound quality at all stages was great again, and I personally enjoyed it the most at the smaller Wera Tool Stage.
Although I mentioned in the preview that many bands I wanted to see were overlapping, I don’t see this as a negative on the festival’s part. I had a lot of bad luck this year in general, which just added to a few other negative incidents that can happen. Last year, on the other hand, I had a lot of luck and got to enjoy maximum shows.
Will I go again next year? Of course. I won’t let one bad festival year ruin the fun for me. Plus, Gojira and Cult of Luna have already been announced, along with a few other bands I like. I’ve already ordered my ticket. So please, keep your fingers crossed for me now that I’ll be lucky again next year.
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