As an old, wise man once said: absence makes the heart grow fonder. This rang particularly true last year for the average Dutch metalhead when the country’s prime metal festival – FortaRock – finally returned after undertaking a fallow year in order to regroup. A decline in ticket sales, as well as lack of suitable bookings, ensured that the Nijmegen bash had to face a tough uphill battle. It returned in style, though, with Parkway Drive and Nightwish topping the bill. This year, the festival encountered a slew of difficulties in the lead-up to its tenth anniversary, including cancellations from two headliners (one being Slayer) and a new lack of suitable bookings. Despite this, though, the festival persevered, presenting a scaled down edition of FortaRock to some 10,000 revellers. Amon Amarth, Behemoth, Children of Bodom and Atreyu featured among its diverse line-up over two boiling hot days, and Sjors Evers spent the weekend trawling across the Goffertpark to capture the best of what FortaRock had to offer. Bands in alphabetical order, because that’s so metal.

ALLEGAEON 

AMON AMARTH

AMORPHIS

ANIMALS AS LEADERS

ATREYU

BATUSHKA

BÄTWOLF

BEHEMOTH

BLOODBATH

CHILDREN OF BODOM

CULT OF LUNA

DECAPITATED

ENSLAVED

GLORYHAMMER

HAMMERFALL

JC THOMAZ & THE MISSING SLIPPERS

KADAVAR

KATATONIA

MONOMYTH

MYRKUR

PLOEGENDIENST

SYMPHONY X

UNCLE ACID & THE DEADBEATS

We hope that FortaRock will return in 2020.