Live report ELBRIOT 2025, Open Air am Grossmarkt, Hamburg – August 9th, 2025

While there was rain and mud at Wacken Open Air 2025 a week ago, August is showing its best side today. A sunny and warm Saturday is ahead of us as Elbriot 2025 gets underway. This well-established one-day festival in the heart of Hamburg is a must-visit for rock and metal fans.

As in previous years, Elbriot features a diverse line-up covering many genres, with a focus on rock and all shades of metal. The task of kicking the day off falls to a Danish band. Hailing from Copenhagen, Siamese will start their set in a festive way. It’s very rare for a metal festival to be kick-started by a violin. Siamese, however, begin their performance in this unusual manner before shifting to powerful alternative rock. With big hooks and some raging outbursts, Siamese’s music has everything needed to get a crowd into the right mood for a festival day. The Danes’ energy and vibe is well received by fans, leading to a rather large crowd in front of the stage, which is impressive considering the early start time. It could also be that more than just some Danes crossed the border to join the festival. Nevertheless, Siamese delivered a solid and versatile rock set, setting the mood for the day.

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Next on stage is Future Palace from Berlin. The Hansestadt should evoke good memories for the band, as they played one of their first shows there, and today, the trio gives everything they’ve got. Future Palace’s music is characterized by a throbbing fusion of synth-pop-inspired melodies and harsh post-core outbursts. In contrast, the lyrics are very personal, addressing depression and inner conflicts with singer Maria Lessing speaking about them twice during the set. The heavy aspect of their music, combined with the bright sunlight and party vibe, might make the Future Palace show a good one, but the real connection between the band and the crowd doesn’t grow much today. However, not even a small scratch on Lessing’s shin could stop the band from putting on a passionate show, and the fans in the front row are enjoying what they’re offered.

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With The Chats, this year’s lineup also includes punk rock. The Chats traveled from Australia to Hamburg to perform an energetic show. The trio, led by frontman Eamon Sandwith — whose vocals reminds me partly of the late Bollock Brothers frontman Jock McDonald — delivers raw and fierce punk rock. Unmistakably influenced by UK punk rock from the ’70s, The Chats have a lot of kick-ass songs in their repertoire. The only thing missing is the crowd’s enthusiasm. Some folks in the front row enjoy themselves, but most people are looking forward to the metal bands. The Chats’ music is better suited to a smoke-filled, beer-soaked club where it can reach its full potential. Nevertheless, The Chats is a talented punk rock band with anarchic music and the right attitude.

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The difference between The Chats music and the following act is as big as the difference between night and day. Next on the list is Sweden’s Smash Into Pieces. The Chats’ rebellious spirit makes room for catchy alternative metal. The stage setup is already different as Smash Into Pieces brings LED screens on stage to visually support their show. The brightness of this sunny summer day prevents the screens from having their full impact, but that’s not much of an issue because the band clearly enjoys performing. The songs’ hooks also restarted today’s party vibe, and the flame fountains during the set added to the heat of this already hot summer day. Fans are witnessing a passionate performance that prepares everyone for the second half of today’s lineup.

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It had been a while since I had witnessed a Kissin’ Dynamite show. Almost 10 years ago, the band played at the Heavy Metal Maniacs festival at P60 in Amstelveen, the Netherlands, as part of their “Megalomania Over Europe tour” in 2015. I remember their performance as electric, full of good vibes, and excellent music. Ten years later, the guys are on the Elbriot roster, and expectations are high. I’d say expectations are met, if not exceeded.

Not only can Kissin’ Dynamite count on excellent songs — from old to new — but they also have a great stage presence. It’s also the show that sets the Swabian powerhouse apart today. Kissin’ Dynamite deliver a bombastic rock show that is perfectly in sync with their thunderous music. Even the stage setup is different. Three levels give the stage a staircase-like frame, and the band starts their set on top. Songs like “DNA” immediately ignite a metal firework, and the party vibe is in full swing and the rubber dinghy tour through the crowd supports the great atmosphere. With limited time today, frontman Hannes Braun needs to shorten his talking parts and let the music speak for itself. Combined with great stage acting and metal poses, this band is the first real highlight of the day. “Raise Your Glass” is a great finale to a stunning show by a band that hasn’t lost any of its passion. They’ve evolved from a group of youngsters to a powerful metal band that still loves what they’re doing after all these years.

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After such a colorful show, things will get darker and heavier. Next on the agenda is Slayer founding member Kerry King, who will perform some raw and harsh thrash metal. Although the backdrop says “Kerry King,” we are actually looking at a kind of Bay Area all-star band. The lineup includes Death Angel frontman Mark Osegueda, Phil Demmel (Vio-lence), Kyle Sanders (Hellyeah), and former Slayer drummer Paul Bostaph—all established metal greats.

From the first riff of “Where I Reign,” it’s clear that we’ve reached the massive part of this year’s Elbriot. The fans go wild right away, and the first crowdsurfers are in the air. This is the first show today that demands a lot from the security staff, who are, by the way, extremely friendly and supportive. Much appreciated. In 45 minutes, Kerry King and his bandmates deliver a series of their own songs and Slayer anthems. The repertoire includes “Shrapnel” from King’s solo album, as well as Slayer classics such as “God Hates Us All” and “Raining Blood.” The latter leads to the expected crowd surfing madness and circle pits rotate. These are started by the fans themselves, with only little encouragement from the band. The music defines a Kerry King show, and the five-piece delivers a massive metal spectacle today, combining veteran experience with a passion for thrash metal.

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Kerry King prepared the ground for Kreator, who will be performing next. Seeing a Kreator show is like visiting good old friends. You know what to expect, and it’s always a great time. This includes everything, from the huge Kreator curtain covering the stage during the rebuild to the stage design and the songs. Consistency comes with a Kreator show, and today is no exception.

The German thrash metal veterans deliver a powerful setlist featuring songs from their entire catalog. From “Hate Über Alles” to “Flag of Hate,” fans of aggressive German thrash metal get their money’s worth. Massive riffs, brutal grooves, and great musicians—that’s Kreator, and that’s what gets even more crowdsurfers in the air. A wall of death is an essential part of such a set, and the good news is that a new studio album is planned for release in January 2026.

Fire and flames support today’s show, which the band couldn’t use during their recent performance at the Inselpark Arena in 2024. The flames are a great addition, contributing to the hellfire atmosphere of a show that comes with a diabolic grin from start to finish.

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Kissin’ Dynamite, Kerry King, and Kreator delivered stunning metal performances, but the headliner is still to come. Already announced 12 months ago for Elbriot 2025, nu metal pioneers Papa Roach are set to be the grand finale, and the band delivers.

Papa Roach has a very loyal fanbase in Hamburg. Their international career took off with “Last Resort,” and they have remained popular in Germany ever since. Their albums regularly enter the charts and mostly rank in the top 10. This solid fan base is present tonight, celebrating 75 minutes of modern metal. The thunderous finale of Elbriot 2025 is, of course, the aforementioned “Last Resort,” but everything that takes place beforehand also mirrors a powerful and professional rock show. Flames and digital projections are part of the stage scenery. The band opens with “Even If You Kill Me” and created a setlist that includes with “Dead Cell” and “Between Angels and Insects,” more songs from the furious “Infest” album.

With “Liar,” we jump to the latest release, while the recently released “Brain Dead” is another moment when the crowd goes completely wild. Frontman Jacoby Shaddix needs only a little motivation to start a wall of death and circle pits, with fans following the order in no time. The same goes for the “sit down, get up, and jump” exercise, but the set also includes calmer moments. The suicide prevention video goes straight to the heart and is followed by “Leave a Light On (Talk Away the Dark) and a minute of silence. The latter is a really special part of the show as everybody at Grossmarkt respects this moment .

The emotional part of the show continues as Shaddix also pays homage to the Prince of Darkness, Ozzy Osbourne (R.I.P.), singing a few lines of “Changes.” It is the third part of a medley that in total features “Forever / In the End / Changes”, which means Linkin Park/Black Sabbath and last not least Ozzy. In the encore comes another medley featuring “Blind / My Own Summer (Shove It) / Break Stuff / Chop Suey” which is a sort of homage to a time when nu metal and modern metal was on a rise.

Papa Roach was an energetic and entertaining headliner. They played a high-energy, professional set in front of 7,000 fans, most of whom came to see the California nu-metal veterans.

With such a finale, we are now looking forward to August 8, 2026. That’s the date of the next Elbriot, where Powerwolf will hold their metal mass at Hamburg’s Grossmarkt.