Mystic Festival 2025 @ Gdańsk, PL [4-7.06.2025]

Even though the Mystic Festival 2025 lineup didn’t strike me as quite as strong as two years ago (I missed last year’s edition), there were still several names that genuinely excited me and made me want to come back. I also had fond memories of the fantastic venue, the excellent organization, and the fact that I could visit the Baltic Sea while I was at it — all of which made it an easy decision.

I did my best to sort out the logistics with work so I could head out as early as Wednesday. I had a few interesting and stressful adventures on that front — some of which spilled over onto the festival grounds themselves — but fortunately everything sorted itself out on the first day, and I was able to give myself fully to the festival. Of course, every morning I had to organize activities for my family, who came to Gdańsk with me but weren’t attending the festival. So instead of sleeping in, each morning brought a day trip — Sopot one day, Władysławowo another, the Gdańsk zoo on another — but I have no regrets whatsoever.
My Wednesday entry was rough. The moment I picked up my wristband, a downpour broke out and I was completely soaked by the time I reached the gates, jacket and all. That rain hit me like a slap right at the start, and combined with some lingering work-related stress, I wasn’t in the best shape mentally for the first couple of hours.

I made my way to Whitechapel first, but they didn’t grab me — and the rain only amplified my irritation. I’m not sure what it is with that band, but their deathcore bores me to tears. I could barely bring myself to watch them, which is unusual for me, since I normally follow the opening acts at festivals with at least some curiosity, no matter who’s playing. So I decided to explore the festival grounds instead, wandering toward one of the exits where I caught a wrestling show — something I’d never seen at a festival before. A nice change of pace. I skipped Midnight, whom I’d seen two years earlier at Obscene — I regret it a little, since apparently it was a great set, though a few people were reportedly pickpocketed. Then I got some good news from work and slipped away to check out the nearby Shipyard area (figures sticking out of the water and such), which I hadn’t managed to see two years earlier. I snapped a few photos, grabbed a drink, and then it was time to head to Jerry Cantrell — the biggest draw of the first day for me, and definitely not one I should have considered skipping as I had originally planned. I hadn’t known he’d been collaborating with Puciato from Dillinger Escape Plan — at first I wasn’t even sure it was him standing on stage. The thought crossed my mind that it would be a brilliant pairing, and that his voice could work incredibly well on Alice in Chains material. Everything clicked when he took off his glasses, and shortly after „Would” kicked in — and at that point I was completely certain I’d made the right call by showing up on day one. I wandered over to a middling set by The Kovenant and an anonymous-to-me Halocene, who also failed to impress — particularly the idea of covering System of a Down and, even worse, Evanescence every other song was completely beyond me. The honour of saving the last slots of the first day fell to Exodus, who genuinely swept me up with their thrash. I don’t really listen to them on record, but seeing them live once again I was fully won over. It sounded great, and the energy coming off the stage was impossible to ignore — it was probably my second time seeing them live, and once again I was completely sold. After Exodus I browsed the merch stands for a bit and decided to call it a night.

Day two started for me with the tail end of Totenmesse, who nicely mangled the ears with their brutal vision of black metal — uncompromising not only through the speakers but on stage as well. Once they were done, I moved next door to check in on the guys from Last Penance, who were representing the Polish metalcore scene with considerable class. Then I caught the end of Swedish band Imminence, who operate in the same genre — what stood out most was the unconventional instrumentation: the vocalist not only handled the mic but also tore through violin parts. After that came a complete change of atmosphere with Absu — raw, old-school, occult black metal that drew a solid crowd of the faithful to the Shrine Stage. I hadn’t had the chance to hear this kind of music live in a long time, so I stuck around for a while. Later, together with some folks I’d run into, we headed over to Eagles of Death Metal for a dose of American rock, but not for long — things were about to get hectic. First up was the phenomenal Nile on the club stage, absolutely devastating B90. When „Sacrifice Unto Sebek” rang out, I desperately wanted to stay for the whole set, but I’d already decided that this particular evening — especially the next three hours — was going to require some serious juggling between stages. So I made a reluctant exit and headed to Turbonegro, which turned out to be the highlight of the entire festival for me. Brilliant song selection, wonderful sound, and the kind of show that only those guys can put on made me fall for them even harder. The grin never left my face during anthems like „Get It On”, „City of Satan” or „Age of Pamparius”. The crowd delivered too, singing along or howling in all the right places. The vocalist admittedly has a different timbre and stage presence than the legendary Hank von Hell, who passed away four years ago — it came across more like chanting than any attempt to replicate that distinctive falsetto — but he pulled it off well enough that it didn’t get in the way of my enjoyment. The bassist Thomas Seltzer deserves a chapter of his own — his stage presence and facial expressions were one of the main events of the evening. It was beautiful: rock’n’roll at full throttle, with attitude and pure positive energy. Somewhere on the main stage, Bullet for My Valentine was playing, but I had other priorities. I stepped outside the festival grounds to briefly meet a friend and listen to Elder from the other side of the fence. We found a brilliant spot from which we could not only hear the songs of these stoner/doom masters, but also look out over the festival grounds from a really interesting angle. We caught the gorgeous rendition of „Sanctuary” among others, which rang out at exactly the right moment, as if time itself had been tailored to fit us perfectly. Elder sounded superb — everything was crystal clear, leaving nothing to be desired. Unfortunately, there was no way to stay for the whole set, as Beherit — one of the jewels in the crown of this year’s edition — was starting their set on the Shrine Stage at the same time. Alongside Turbonegro, they were one of the names that had drawn me to this year’s festival. And it was a true encounter with a musical abyss. The grim, gallows atmosphere known from the band’s records took on a new life in a live setting — though calling it „life”, given the weight of evil, darkness and oppression involved, is entirely the wrong word. Beherit’s music, aided by electronic and noise treatments, on a stage bathed in near-total darkness from which vague silhouettes emerged, combined with the inhuman vocals and rumbles that surfaced periodically, was an utterly surreal and the most extreme experience I encountered at this year’s Mystic. After the dark immersion of Beherit, it was time for Suicidal Tendencies, who were doing solid work on the Park Stage. Very enjoyable to watch — lots of energy and great moments. Perhaps the most spectacular was the involvement of a dozen or so young maniacs in a mini circle pit on stage, which from a distance somewhat resembled what you’d see at Obscene Extreme. Then we made our way to the main stage for In Flames, though energy was already running noticeably low — and there was still the journey back to the city centre ahead. I’d hoped the Swedes would pull out some older material, but the setlist was unfortunately dominated by newer songs I don’t know or like all that well — though I have to admit the latest album makes a somewhat better impression on me than the last few records. From the older catalogue, they played „Cloud Connected”, „Trigger” and „Only for the Weak”, among others. Still, none of the performances stirred any particular nostalgia in me. After such an intense day, the sounds weren’t really reaching me anymore — and generally, very few performances on the main stage made an impression on me at this edition. I had a much better time on the Park Stage throughout. Summoning my last reserves, I went to Oranssi Pazuzu, who were delivering a piece of genuinely menacing, negative and well-executed art in B90 — but after two tracks I’d had enough and started heading back. On the way out I caught a fragment of Perturbator, taking in a dose of synthwave which, despite the aesthetics being entirely in keeping with the festival’s visual language (pentagram backdrop, dark colours), was musically very refreshing after a full day of guitar-driven riffing.

The next day — Friday — brought minor logistical complications and a late arrival for the final stretch of a brilliant Hatebreed set. I’ve seen this band several times and this particular fragment at Mystic Festival 2025 was one of the strongest I’ve seen from them. Great sound, a well-tuned vocal from Jamey Jasta (which isn’t always a given), and wonderful crowd interaction. It was a joy to watch — all the more so because a giant inflatable ball with the band’s logo was bouncing over the crowd, and they closed with „Destroy Everything” and a cover of Slayer’s „Raining Blood”. Everything would have been perfect, had a cloudburst not arrived precisely during those last songs. The rain came down so suddenly and so hard that, given the size of the crowd, every nearby sheltered spot was long gone. We eventually found cover under the last row of merch stands. I was soaked to the bone — a perfect start to day three, almost a replay of day one. Once we’d gathered ourselves and the rain had let up, we went over to Jinjer, who I’m not particularly keen on — the music simply doesn’t connect with me, despite being well-played and well-composed on paper. That set was equally indifferent to me, so let’s move on. We then tried to get into Archgoat, who were playing on the Sabbath Stage, but putting that band on the smallest stage was a scheduling mistake. As I’d expected — demand far exceeded capacity. We managed to get as far as the entrance barrier and not a step further. A shame, because I really wanted to see them live. You couldn’t hear or see anything from there, so we evacuated to the Park Stage, where Cradle of Filth were playing. I’m not a fan, but when I’d caught them previously in a nighttime setting, I could at least get into the atmosphere. In broad daylight, however, it was a complete disaster and something of a farce. CoF’s output seemed thoroughly grotesque in that context, and I couldn’t extract a single thing from it musically. Incidentally, at no other point during the festival did I see that many people in that spot — it was an absolute peak of crowding, and getting out to somewhere more spacious took a solid 20 minutes of moving with the flow of bodies. After the Brits came the Swedish Opeth, whose main stage performance I watched with genuine pleasure. These guys are excellent live, and it was wonderful to hear their more progressive, expansive sound with echoes of ’70s rock — which drew a sizable crowd. In the middle of the set, however, I had to move to another stage where Eyehategod were performing. The sludge legends put on a very impressive showing — dirty sound, punky feeling, unconventional ideas wrapped in strange structures that did exactly the right thing for fans of sonic aggression. Then dusk arrived, along with one of the most anticipated concerts of my trip: W.A.S.P. I expected a lot, and got even more. The glam metal legends presented essentially the entirety of their 1984 debut album and did so in genuinely magical form. I have to say that even if the vocalist was supplemented by backing tracks, it didn’t bother me in the slightest in that moment. This was exactly the music I needed — and alongside Turbonegro, it provided the greatest emotional rush of the whole trip. It was impossible to listen to that archaic metal without a huge smile on your face: the wonderful solos, the choral vocals, the rhythm and the shape of the songs — I simply could not look away. The moment that probably etched itself deepest into my memory was the bravura guitar solo in „Sleeping (in the Fire)”. W.A.S.P. also brought a great stage design with vivid colours and fitting imagery, which only enhanced the effect. Sound-wise, this was top-tier — yet another demonstration that the Park Stage had no equal at this festival. I have to admit that the toll of the festival was making itself felt, and I arrived at King Diamond’s set thoroughly exhausted. And while the Mercyful Fate concert I saw at Brutal Assault three years ago ranks among the best I’ve ever witnessed, King’s set at Mystic didn’t move me to the same degree. Part of that was certainly down to the fact that I value the Mercyful Fate catalogue more highly than the King’s solo work. Everything you’d expect was there — falsetto acrobatics, costume changes, an impressively constructed stage, full theatrical spectacle including a character in a wheelchair — but I slipped away a bit early to catch Blindead from a distance. I even managed to catch a track from the beloved „Affliction” — „So, It Feels Like Misunderstanding When”. I’d missed that band greatly, and it was wonderful to hear those sounds live again in such a setting. Watching from a distance was slightly marred by the fact that King Diamond was still going nearby, his falsettos cutting through from afar and mildly disrupting the experience. All things considered, I ended the day satisfied — apart from Archgoat, I’d managed to catch everything I’d set out to see.

Saturday — the final day. I’ll be honest: the previous days had left me so wrecked, my legs aching so badly, that I had to force myself to get to the festival at a reasonable hour. I wanted to catch Skeletal Remains and made it — their brilliantly-sounding, old-school death metal turned out to be the perfect way to open the last day. I managed to get close enough to the stage to absorb the full force of those sounds. Afterwards we popped over to the park for Paleface Swiss, who were a complete unknown to me, but I have to say they made a genuinely strong impression. What stood out most was the excellent, meaty sound that really came alive in the breakdown sections. It was also a nice time of day — the sun was doing something pleasant around the stage, so the whole thing was very enjoyable to watch. We then listened to a pleasant fragment of Slomosa from beyond the fence before heading to Dark Tranquillity on the main stage. I like some of their studio material and was curious how they’d come across live. Unfortunately, they didn’t grab me. Live, this band is too polished for my taste — there’s a certain minimal dose of wildness missing that would allow me to process their music the way I’d like. They might be classified as melodic death metal, but for me it has very little to do with death metal. To make things worse, I arrived too late for my favourite track from their new album („Unforgivable”), and „Final Resistance” wasn’t played at all. Right after them, Vader took the Park Stage with a set built around „Litany”. I have a strong sentimental attachment to that record — it came out roughly when I was first getting into this kind of music, so it naturally means a great deal to me. I wasn’t disappointed. A well-oiled machine steered by Peter, bolstered by former member Mauser on a third guitar, landed its blows on the packed crowd with precision. „Litany” is an album of great intensity and extreme tempos, so the pounding was immense — yet technically and sonically very well executed. After the „Litany” set, there was also room for a handful of tracks from outside the album: „Dark Age”, „Carnal” and „Unbending” — the anthem of this year’s edition of Mystic Festival. Vader’s performance was unquestionably one of the bright spots of the day. Worth mentioning: earlier in the day there had been a public interview with the band’s leader conducted by Jarosław Szubrycht, and throughout the entire festival a dedicated Vader exhibition was on display — covering merch, instruments, releases, installations, press clippings and more. Back to the programme — we briefly checked in on Apocalyptica, inevitably caught a Metallica cover, and moved on. We headed to the Monster Energy Desert Stage for a fragment of Pentagram. It was a very pleasant show — the memeable frontman drew the biggest reaction, naturally, but musically the sounds of this archaic metal also connected with me. They were quite possibly the oldest band we saw at this year’s edition. Right after Pentagram, Blood Fire and Death — A Tribute to Bathory was due to start, something I’d been very much looking forward to. But Municipal Waste were playing in B90 at the same time, so we ducked in for what was supposed to be a brief look — and got stuck there. The atmosphere that band created shouldn’t really surprise anyone: total chaos and one of the best performances of the entire festival. Those guys put on a genius show — superb crowd interaction, hilarious banter, and the sound was absolutely on point. Pure elemental force, and the vocalist is one of the best MCs by the standards of metal. Ease, humour and brilliantly executed thrash/crossover made you want to stay until the end — but on the other hand, the Tribute to Bathory felt like a once-in-a-blue-moon kind of event, so a dramatic choice had to be made. The Tribute to Bathory turned out to be a magnificent spectacle — completely different in character, but the music of Bathory performed by black metal royalty on the best-sounding stage of the festival was staggering. The lineup shifted throughout the set — alongside the core band, which included musicians from Watain, Enslaved, Emperor and Aura Noir, guests included Attila from Mayhem and Nergal (not exactly warmly received by the Polish crowd). The stage featured plenty of fire, installations referencing Bathory album artwork, and of course bangers like „Shores in Flames”, „Blood Fire Death” and „Woman of Dark Desires”. The performances were excellent in my view — well-sounding, polished and multi-layered. I think the musicians proved that the project was justified and that the right people were brought in. I personally was still hoping for the title track from „Twilight of the Gods”, but it wasn’t in the setlist. This concert brought us inexorably close to the festival’s end. We made our way to the main stage for Sepultura’s farewell set. Despite a stunning collection of classics — „Beneath the Remains”, „Inner Self”, „Dead Embryonic Cells”, „Territory”, „Refuse/Resist”, „Arise” and „Roots Bloody Roots” to close — it wasn’t a concert that knocked you off your feet. The performances lacked the raw power on which Sepultura built their name. You’d expect something heavier from a band of that stature. That said, I went in without great expectations and it was still good fun to hear those songs live in great company. A definite highlight of the set was the rich and fairly interesting visual presentation that ran throughout. I was completely broken by this point, but there were still two names left to tick off before the festival closed. First: I Am Morbid. I got there about halfway through the set and was glad I caught „Immortal Rites” followed immediately by „Maze of Torment”. The sound was genuinely outstanding — powerful, bass-heavy, with a crushing dose of weight. Vincent also made a strong impression as the master of ceremonies. I’ll remember that fragment for a long time, given my deep affection for Morbid Angel’s catalogue — and I did regret not going from the start, having stayed with the group for Sepultura’s final songs (which they of course saved for the very end). On my way to the exit I stumbled upon a fragment of Tiamat, just as they were playing the title track from „Wildhoney”, followed by „Whatever That Hurts”. I’m not a fan, but I paused for a moment because the sound was actually pretty solid. Edlund didn’t look in the greatest shape and was a bit off-pitch, but it looked and sounded better than I’d expected. I didn’t torture myself to the very end, though — there were final goodbyes with friends and then the getaway.

Mystic Festival 2025 was a wonderful event and, to quote a classic, one I will never forget — and yet it was so physically punishing that by the end I was relieved it was over and I was free. A huge number of great musical and social experiences, but the enormous crowds, the unpredictable weather, the scarcity of places to rest on the grounds and the relentlessly packed schedule made Mystic a genuinely demanding challenge. All of it was worth the effort, though — the extraordinary venue, the superbly engineered sound at so many concerts, the excellent organization, the incredibly rich and varied lineup, and the sea breeze: just some of the reasons why this is a festival you keep wanting to come back to.