Presented by DLC, Deutschlandsberg, Styria, Austria 20241116

A couple of weeks ago (November 16th), the Deutschlandsberger Lifestyle Club (DLC) invited me to attend their third edition of the DLC Metalfest, which was taking place at the Laßnitzhaus, Deutschlandsberg, Styria. Excited by the weekend trip to an unknown place and the well-curated lineup, I accepted the invitation.

The event’s webpage suggests accommodation options and the info is clear regarding venue, city and lineup. Which is a basic must that not everyone provides. However, DLC got us, foreigner travelers, covered.

From Vienna, it is a “not so long” trip, short-scale at Graz, the state capital, and another trip through the fields via the S-bahn until arriving at Deutschlandsberg. It is a very peaceful town, but little did I know about what was about to happen.

Once at the venue, a bit before 17:30 when the first band was playing. I got welcomed by the DLC team, shoutout to Mark for the attention and invitation. The venue was impressive, the right size for the crowd, top equipment both for sound and light, stave floor which to my surprise, a pair of buffers pointing to the ground would provide another dimension to the experience as the floor was trembling with the drums and bass.

I grabbed a beer and was ready for the openers, a young band from Graz/Wien, Hawera, a mix of Metalcore, Thrash Metal, and even Melodic Death Metal in the guitars. At first, the crowd was shy and in the back, but that’s a common treat at the beginning of almost any show. It didn’t take long to bring people to the front and start headbanging with this young Austrian promise band. A good setlist to get into the mood and warm up while keeping the energy up. Listen to “Path to Salvation“.

Next, the Graz band, Coven, Death Metal/Core at its purest. Perfect to wake up whoever was still unaware of where he/she was. A bit of an existential reflection in the lyrics, with low guitars to make them more gritty. A pit intention was there, maybe a bit too early for some. Yet, the headbanging wasn’t missing. A great discovery for me. Listen to “Cowered“.

Then, a personal favorite, the Viennese Vulvarine, never fails to bring a good show and energy. Giving a master class on stage management, the use of all the space, playing together, and rhythm dancing. Empowering High-energy Rock n’ Roll is what describes them the best. The crowd was already craving for a pit. They were the boost of energy that we all needed to start jumping. Listen to “Good Time“.

After them, the UpperAustrians Cannonball Ride with a combination of Metalcore and Rock n’ Roll. They kept the energy of the crowd, that was already high and managed it to the top. A couple covers to bring a glimpse of nostalgia, particularly the Ace of Spades cover. They capture the audience with their powerful and involving show. Listen to “In the Blink Of An Eye“.

Later, the darkness arrived on the stage. One could sense it. Heathen Foray, from Graz, and their melodic death metal connected with the crowd on a different level. A bit pagan-ish, a bit mystical, melodies that I cannot come up with the right words to describe. But everyone was into it, being part of such a strong performance. Listen to “Fight“.

Then, after a long sound check, this time was a bit longer than usual but I can testify that it was completely worth it. Mastic Scum took the stage with their brutal Grind/Hardcore from Vienna. The experience is noticeable, with over 20 years of destroying skulls, this show was not the exception. I couldn’t hold myself and jumped directly to the mosh pit. Beats that get into one’s core, blast everything inside and put you in atavistic mode. Listen to “Slavebreed“.

And finally, the Austrian legends Kontrust, one year after their last album “madworld“, which brought them back after almost a decade. A lot of expectation was built around their presentation, and one could sense it in the crowd. For me, it was a big surprise, let myself be impressed and stood there almost naively. It’s not for nothing that they’re identified as Crossover Rock/Metal, I would include even folk, even reggae to that mix. What a show, nothing like I have seen before. A fun experience to say the least, great manner to close the night with a big smile on your face. Listen to “lederhosen overkill“.

Right before leaving the venue, remembering I hadn’t eaten anything for the past 8 hours, I made a small stop at the food truck outside the entrance, also brought by the organizers, so everyone’s taken care of and had something to eat at any time as the audience pleased.

In conclusion, the DLC Metalfest is a high-quality small festival. As experience overall, it is well-organized, it has good communication in media and provides good basics like food and drinks with queues almost neglectable, nothing to worry about. Most importantly, the lineup is well-curated, covering the range of the brand of the festival, a metal festival of course. I cannot wait to go back.