[Dajana] Well, isn’t it funny? We are always skeptical before the festival, nag and complain and then, afterwards, everyone is totally happy to have been there, to have seen great bands, met lots of friends and experienced a great atmosphere. No matter what the weather is like ;)
Maybe we should just take it easier, with a positive approach and trust that the next festival will be just as great as the last one was.
Yes, the weather was unpleasant on Saturday and Sunday, although we somehow coped better on Sunday than we did on Saturday.
There were great bands - for me on top GEOFF TATE and his Operation:Mindcrime (currently on rotation again ;)), DOOL on day two, expectedly great, and THE CRYPT on day three absolutely unexpectedly great! Actually, all bands were good in their own way, it’s just a matter of fan love ;) On social media there was a “see you next year” to read, so, I’m looking forward to a great ROCK HARD FESTIVAL 2026 with awesome bands, with the best people around you can have and a splendid atmosphere. So!
[BRT] Despite all the previous prophecies of doom, it was once again a great festival, and one of the main reasons is, of course, all the wonderful people you meet there.
Musically, the ROCK HARD FESTIVAL had a recurring theme of “old men playing their old hits”, outstanding in the case of GEOFF TATE, still pretty good with DIRKSCHNEIDER and W.A.S.P. (even though, soberly considered, there’s no question that Lackie Blowless is a moron). SANHEDRIN and especially THE CRYPT there were two really outstanding highlights for me. Unfortunately, I couldn't be there on Saturday, but I'm sure that at least DOOL and CRIMSON GLORY would have been on the same level, probably also DISMEMBER.
So, what can we expect for next year? I find it quite annoying that overlapping have not announced anything regarding the future of the event. Yes, even “we don't know” or “we can imagine this and that option” would have been statements you can work with. Of course, a cancellation would without question be very disappointing, but this endless fiddling around doesn't help at all. Actually, quite the contrary since the uncertainty played a role in creating an overlapping event in Essen, and eventually both events would suffer from that to some extent. I'm probably not the only one who would have liked at least a few words about this.
Let's hope for the best for 2026 - cheers!
[Sui] In a musical sense, this was definitely one of the better ROCK HARD FESTIVALs: every day featured at least two highlights, which made the rain fade into the background. From GEOFF TATE to DOOL and CRIMSON GLORY to the festival surprise THE CRYPT and finally DIRKSCHNEIDER (another opportunity to roar yourself hoarse), there were little to no disappointments. Overall, even my all-time faves DEATH ANGEL, of all bands, not having a particularly strong showing was of little consequence. One thing I noticed: with each passing year it’s getting harder to get drunk on beer.
Let's hope for a new one in 2026!
[Seb] Although two of the three days were quite rainy and I could not spend as much time on the festival ground as I would have liked, the ROCK HARD FESTIVAL 2025 was once again an overall success. Meeting up with the whole bunch of old friends and great people is always a lot fun no matter which bands play, and I was also quite pleased that we got treated to a lot of heavier tunes this year. And, of course, there was that really positive surprise with THE CRYPT on Sunday.
What remains are anxious questions as to how the ROCK HARD FESTIVAL will be going forward from here and whether it will somehow be able to coexist with the upcoming IGA. I can hardly imagine a ROCK HARD FESTIVAL taking place at any(!) other location, and that's probably how most people feel. For metal fans (and not only those from the regions), the Nordsternpark amphitheater has become virtually synonymous with the event. Staging the festival somewhere other than in the Ruhr area should not even be open to discussion, but equivalent venues are few and far between and any multipurpose hall is equally unlikely to be an option. Apart from that, the target audience is not getting any younger, and it is very important, if not essential, to have that convenience of an abundance of seats with a great view of the stage.
Here's (still) hoping for a new edition in 2026!
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