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FESTIVAL REVIEW: Rock Am Ring 2024 – Day Three

Photo Credit:  Maryleen Guevara 

Day three! It’s the final day of this incredible festival. What a ride. Let’s start this recap before we start getting too emotional.

Third day of sunshine of the beautiful German land, can’t believe how lucky we were with the weather! Kicking off the dances are Germany’s own Blackout Problems – one of the biggest surprises of the weekend. The crowd that has turned out early on the Sunday is treated to a really fun show full of great energy and great songs. A perfect start to another amazing day. Blackout Problems will be coming to the UK in November with Lake Malice as support. We won’t be missing that tour. 9/10

A short walk away to go catch Of Mice & Men at second stage. They prove they still have a place on these festival stages and can still whip up a circle pit like nobody else. 6/10

We’re back at third stage for rising UK metallers Heriot. The band have been regulars on the UK festival scene in recent years and it’s a true pleasure to see Debbie Gough taking centre stage and growing into her role as one of metals future stars. This is possibly the largest stage Heriot have played so far but they sound great and prove this won’t be the last time we see them up there. With their debut album due to be released in September, Heriot are definitely a band to keep an eye on. 7/10

Up next on the Orbit stage are Japanese metalcore band HANABIE, another big surprise of the weekend. A big fanbase has filled out the crowd for one of the most unique sets of the weekend. HANABIE looked and sounded great, a real treat of a set. 8/10

Up next Sheffield’s metalcore heroes While She Sleeps drew a massive crowd at second stage for one of the very best sets of the weekend. Early on frontman Loz Taylor mentions he made a bet with Winston McCall from Parkway Drive that they’d have more crowd surfers, and let me tell you, we think they won that bet. The crowd surfers didn’t stop for the full hour. Loz is at home playing such a large stage and uses every bit of the space, even jumping into the crowd multiple times. A huge triumph of a set from one of the UK’s brightest rising bands. 10/10

Keeping up the metalcore theme on the Mandora stage is Machine Head – returning to Rock Am Ring for the first time since 2012. After such a long time away from the festival circuit the crowd is packed to see the band and they are not disappointed – huge walls of flames and a career spanning set of metal classics give the audience everything they wanted. 7/10

The moment we had been waiting for all day finally arrives as Corey Taylor takes to the stage. Seeing one of the most iconic frontmen of his generation at such an important festival is a true ‘pinch me’ moment and the crowd is locked in from the first second. The huge audience is treated to highlights from both of Corey’s solo albums, as well as hits from both Slipknot and Stone Sour. There is even a cover of the SpongeBob SquarePants theme song, which gets a big singalong. Shortly after the set ends, Slipknot are announced as headliners for next year’s edition of Rock AM Ring – with Corey on this form, it’s sure to be another special set. 8/10

Closing the Utopia stage on the Sunday night are Italian rockstars Måneskin, headlining Rock Am Ring for the first time. It was only two years ago they made their Rock Am Ring debut, playing in the middle of the afternoon, and here they are as headliners after establishing as a true stadium rock act. Måneskin are possibly the only band to go from The X Factor, passing through Eurovision, to headlining Europe’s biggest rock festivals and the world’s biggest venues. The band look and sound amazing and already have a setlist full of huge festival anthems. They prove to any doubters that they belong on that stage. The huge crowd at Main Stage suggests that Måneskin’s first time headlining won’t be their last. 9/10

Finally Rock Am Ring 2024 draws to a close with Australian royalty Parkway Drive. It’s past midnight on the final day of the festival but you wouldn’t know it from the reaction of the crowd. Everyone is hooked to their show and amazing iconic singalongs. Parkway have become known for their incredible live shows and this is no exception. Tonnes of flames, pyros and even a string quartet – the show has everything their fans have come to expect on top of their catalogue of metalcore bangers. Parkway Drive are the perfect closing act for a great festival and when frontman Winston McCall moves to sing in the middle of the crowd with a circle pit surrounding him the weekend has truly peaked. 10/10

The end of everything leaves us filled with emotions and pride. We would do it all over again in a heartbeat! The quality of entertainment was delightful – a truly incredible weekend for the biggest rock festival in Europe.

Check out our reviews of day one and day two of the festival!

Written By:  Maryleen Guevara