Hellfest 2026 in France (Saturday): Thrash, Scorching Heat and a Historic Farewell – Featuring Cancer Bats, Crisix, Anthrax and Megadeth
- The Riff Collective
- Jun 28
- 9 min read
Saturday began very differently from the previous two days. Before even setting foot inside the festival grounds, Hellfest had already made the headlines. A relentless heatwave sweeping across much of France had pushed temperatures to a sweltering 37°C, forcing the organisers to make the unusual decision to cancel the traditional fireworks display planned for Sunday night due to the extreme wildfire risk.
The bad news did not end there. The previous afternoon it had been confirmed that Tom Morello would be unable to perform because of a family emergency, a situation that would later affect several other dates on his European tour. Shortly afterwards came another significant blow, as Max Cavalera was forced to cancel following a minor accident involving his tour bus after leaving Graspop. They were unfortunate setbacks for an edition that, until then, had run with remarkable precision.
Yet the moment we walked through Hellfest's gates it became obvious that nothing was going to slow down the festival machine. Tens of thousands of fans continued pouring into the site from early morning, seeking every patch of shade they could find while constantly refilling bottles of water before facing what promised to be one of the hottest days in the festival's history. Musically, however, there was no doubt about what would define Saturday: thrash metal was about to take centre stage.
Our first stop of the day was the Warzone, a stage that year after year proves to be one of the festival's most distinctive corners. Waiting there were Canada's Cancer Bats, veterans of the hardcore scene whose aggressive blend of hardcore punk, sludge and modern metal felt tailor-made for the atmosphere surrounding the stage.
From the opening moments it became clear that the unbearable heat was not going to slow anybody down. Frontman Liam Cormier was an absolute whirlwind, constantly moving from one side of the stage to the other, urging the audience to push harder and feeding off every ounce of energy coming back from the pit. Circle pits opened almost immediately and for much of the performance it felt like watching beautifully orchestrated chaos unfold under the afternoon sun.
Speaking of those "battles" inside the pit, one moment perfectly summed up something that repeatedly stood out throughout the entire festival: the extraordinary respect shared within the metal community. Amid dozens of bodies crashing into each other at full speed, the instant someone hit the ground several hands immediately reached down to pull them back to their feet. That spirit was captured in a scene I won't forget any time soon. From the photo pit I noticed a little girl, no older than six or seven, barely tall enough to see over the barrier. Wearing oversized hearing protection and smiling from ear to ear, she watched everything unfolding in front of her while sharing the experience with her parents. It was a wonderful reminder that festivals like Hellfest are about far more than noise and chaos. They are about passion, community and passing that passion on to the next generation.
Musically, Cancer Bats were every bit as fierce as expected. Songs drawn from acclaimed records such as Hail Destroyerand Bears, Mayors, Scraps & Bones hit with enormous force in an environment where the proximity between band and audience amplifies every crushing riff and every breakdown.
From there it was time to make a quick dash across the site towards Main Stage 2 for one of the biggest surprises of the afternoon. Catalonia's Crisix walked on stage in front of an audience far larger than many would have imagined just a few years ago, and within minutes they demonstrated exactly why they have become one of Spain's greatest modern thrash metal exports.
If Saturday was destined to become a celebration of thrash, Crisix were the band that lit the fuse.
Led by frontman Juli Bazooka, the band came out swinging from the very first note. Opening with Leech Breeder, they immediately made it clear they hadn't travelled to Clisson simply to tick another festival off the calendar. G.M.M. (The Great Metal Motherfucker) quickly transformed the area in front of the stage into an enormous battlefield as riffs flew at breakneck speed and mosh pits multiplied song after song beneath the relentless afternoon heat.
One of the biggest highlights came with a brilliantly executed medley combining Fight For Your Right, Walk and Antisocial, which turned the crowd into one enormous celebration. The closing stretch featuring Fast Music and the essential Ultra Thrash confirmed what many in Europe have known for years: Crisix have long outgrown the smaller stages and deserve every opportunity they get to perform in front of audiences of this size.
Perhaps the image that best captured the spirit of the entire performance came when guitarist Marc Busqué found himself right in the middle of one of the mosh pits, embracing the chaos rather than watching it from the safety of the stage. It perfectly reflected a show built on speed, humour, authenticity and an infectious love for thrash metal.
As the afternoon progressed, thrash continued tightening its grip on Hellfest. Then it was time for one of the true architects of the genre to remind everyone why they remain among its undisputed legends.
Few bands can genuinely claim to have helped build the foundations of modern thrash metal, yet Anthrax have earned that right many times over. Joey Belladonna, Scott Ian, Frank Bello, Jon Donais and drummer Derek Roddy, once again stepping in for Charlie Benante, needed nothing to prove. Even so, they delivered another performance that reinforced exactly why Anthrax continue to occupy such an important place in heavy metal history.
Belladonna was undoubtedly the visual focal point of the show. Smiling throughout, endlessly energetic and clearly loving every second on stage, he repeatedly made his way to the front edge of the stage to interact with the crowd. Behind him, Scott Ian continued unleashing one trademark riff after another with the confidence of a man who helped define an entire musical movement, while Frank Bello constantly roamed the stage encouraging every section of the audience to raise the intensity another level.
When classics such as Madhouse, Caught in a Mosh and especially Antisocial arrived, the response was immediate. Thousands of voices sang every word back at the band, transforming Main Stage into one enormous celebration of thrash metal. It was impossible not to get swept away by the infectious energy pouring from the stage.
However, the day still had one more dramatic change of pace waiting around the corner.
The evening then took a very different turn.
One of the most exclusive names on the entire bill, A Perfect Circle arrived in Clisson fronted by the ever-enigmatic Maynard James Keenan. The Tool vocalist remains one of the most fascinating and mysterious figures in modern rock, and seeing A Perfect Circle on a European festival bill is still something of a rarity.
Their performance inevitably echoed Opeth's set the previous evening. After spending hours under relentless heat, with Megadeth waiting in the wings, many fans took the opportunity to sit down, rehydrate and recover before what was about to become one of the defining moments of the weekend. Those who stayed fully immersed, however, were rewarded with something completely different from everything that had preceded it.
Alongside guitarist and founding member Billy Howerdel, Maynard crafted an almost hypnotic atmosphere built on lengthy arrangements, rich textures and immaculate musicianship. Songs such as The Package, Disillusioned, Weak and Powerless and the beautiful 3 Libras (All Main Courses Mix) slowly drew the audience into an experience that was far more introspective than explosive. This was never intended to be a set filled with circle pits or crowd-surfers. Instead, it offered a welcome moment of reflection before the emotional intensity that was about to follow.
Because the real explosion was still to come.
The moment the lights went down and Dave Mustaine walked onto the stage, it became obvious that we were witnessing one of the defining performances of Hellfest 2026.
Megadeth arrived in France as part of their farewell tour, a journey that is bringing one of heavy metal's greatest stories to its conclusion while giving fans one final opportunity to say goodbye to a band that helped shape the genre itself.
On a personal level, it was one of those concerts that alone justifies the trip to a festival. Being able to photograph Dave Mustaine from only a few metres away, capturing every expression and every gesture of one of metal's true icons, is something I will never forget.
The set opened with Tipping Point, immediately reminding everyone that Megadeth's most recent album proved the band still had plenty left to say in the studio even after more than four decades. From there the performance became a journey through some of the most important chapters of the band's career. Hangar 18 delivered an astonishing display of technical brilliance before Sweating Bullets and Let There Be Shred continued building the momentum, each one greeted with enormous enthusiasm by a crowd fully aware that they were witnessing a farewell.
If there was one aspect that constantly reminded everyone this was indeed the end of an era, it was Dave Mustaine's voice. His unmistakable rasp remains one of the defining characteristics of Megadeth, but throughout the performance the inevitable effects of time became increasingly noticeable. The most emotional moment came during À Tout Le Monde, where his voice visibly struggled and never quite recovered afterwards.
Yet rather than diminishing the experience, it somehow made the performance even more moving.
Here stood a man who had overcome throat cancer, endured countless physical setbacks and still refused to step away quietly. There was something deeply human about watching Mustaine fight through those songs one final time in front of thousands of devoted fans. It served as a reminder that farewell tours are rarely about perfection. They are about celebrating everything that came before.
And if one area where Megadeth remains virtually untouchable still exists, it is undoubtedly the musicianship.
Teemu Mäntysaari was simply extraordinary. Every solo seemed impossibly effortless, tackling some of the most technically demanding guitar work ever written with astonishing confidence and precision. Hangar 18 and later Tornado of Souls became masterclasses in modern shredding, reaffirming why Megadeth's catalogue continues to inspire generations of guitar players around the world.
Beside him, James LoMenzo barely stopped smiling all night. Constantly encouraging the audience and feeding off their energy, he has become an essential part of this current line-up. Behind them, Dirk Verbeuren once again demonstrated why he is regarded as one of metal's finest drummers, delivering a relentless performance that combined raw power with breathtaking accuracy.
The closing stretch of the set brought one legendary anthem after another. Symphony of Destruction produced one of the biggest singalongs of the entire evening before Peace Sells and the inevitable Holy Wars... The Punishment Due brought an unforgettable performance to a spectacular conclusion.
Following such an emotionally charged farewell, Hellfest needed to shift gears completely.
Few bands are better suited to that task than Limp Bizkit.
If Megadeth had delivered a masterclass in thrash metal, Limp Bizkit arrived to remind everyone that festivals are also about having as much fun as humanly possible.
From the moment Fred Durst walked on stage, the atmosphere changed entirely. Tens of thousands of fans who had spent the whole day enduring temperatures close to 40°C somehow discovered one final reserve of energy, throwing themselves into a set built almost entirely around songs that defined a generation.
Wes Borland once again proved why he remains one of the most visually captivating performers in heavy music. His bizarre costumes and unmistakable stage presence continue to make him one of the easiest musicians to spot from the photo pit, while Fred Durst embraced his role as ringmaster, constantly interacting with the crowd and ensuring the energy never dipped.
When classics such as My Generation, Take a Look Around, Rollin' and, of course, Break Stuff arrived, the entire festival site transformed into one enormous party. Thousands of voices sang every word while waves of crowd surfers continued flowing over the barriers despite the crushing heat.
At the same time, however, the physical toll of the weekend was becoming impossible to ignore. For many festival-goers, Limp Bizkit marked the perfect place to bring their Saturday to an end. As the final notes faded away, long streams of people slowly began making their way back towards the exits, their bodies finally surrendering after three exhausting days under the blazing French sun.
Those who decided to stay were rewarded with something rather special.
Following one of the day's cancellations, Behemoth were promoted from the Altar Stage to one of the Main Stages — and watching their performance, it was difficult not to feel that this was exactly where they belonged.
Nergal and company transformed the night into a dark ceremonial spectacle filled with towering flames, theatrical imagery and crushing intensity. Their blackened death metal reached an entirely different dimension on such a massive stage, and the production finally had the scale it deserved.
When the final notes faded into the night, exhaustion could be seen everywhere. Three consecutive days of extreme heat, endless kilometres walked between stages and dozens of performances had finally begun taking their toll, even on Hellfest's most seasoned veterans.
Yet one final chapter still remained.
And after a Saturday as unforgettable as this one, nobody wanted to miss the ending.
The Riff Collective
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