Graspop Metal Meeting

Graspop Metal Meeting

Location(s)	Dessel, Antwerp, Flemish Region, Belgium
Years active	Since 1996
Date(s)	Usually last weekend in June
Genre	Rock, heavy metal, punk

Graspop Metal Meeting is an annual metal festival in Dessel, Belgium that has taken place each year since 1996. Despite the small size of the festival grounds (upholding a perimeter of only ~4 km) the festival draws a large number of international spectators, with a total of 142,000 visitors in the course of the 2011 edition.^[1] The event was not originally a heavy metal festival; rather, it was conceived as a local family festival. In 1995, the headliners billed were Joe Cocker and Simple Minds. However, due to the public being oversaturated with family festivals, the number of visitors had dropped to an all-time low.

History

Founder Peter Van Geel realized that mainstream rock music held insufficient appeal to festival visitors. Reflecting on the most memorable acts of the preceding years (Motörhead, Ramones, Paradise Lost, and so forth) and on his own musical preferences, he decided in favour of a drastic reorientation.

After discussions with Werchter festival promoter Herman Schueremans, Van Geel contacted Bob Schoenmaekers, the owner of the Biebob concert venue and metal club in nearby Vosselaar. A couple of years earlier, Schoenmaekers had set up his "Midsummer Metal Meeting" in Vosselaar and because of space limits, he was considering an open air festival. The initial contact soon led to close collaboration. The duo decided to launch a brand-new metal festival under the name of "Graspop Metal Meeting". The date of choice was to be the last weekend of June.

The new direction proved to be a successful one. The festival has seen a continually rising number of visitors over the years, and has been able to attract the most popular international bands in the genre. Since the festival's inception in 1996, Iron Maiden has been the most frequent headliner, with six appearances. Other bands which have prominently been featured are Slayer, Saxon, Megadeth and Motörhead.

Graspop Metal Meeting 1996

Mainstage	Marquee
Sunday June 30
Iron Maiden Slayer Life of Agony Channel Zero Sick of It All Fear Factory Tiamat Skin Gorefest	Type O Negative Morbid Angel Downset Shelter Drain Manhole Revoker

Graspop Metal Meeting 1997

Mainstage	Marquee	Skate Stage
Sunday June 29
Megadeth Alice Cooper Biohazard Saxon Obituary Grip Inc. Samael Entombed Pist-on	My Dying Bride Tiamat Moonspell Cradle of Filth The Gathering Dimmu Borgir	Madball Lagwagon Ryker's Millencolin Deviate Handsome

Graspop Metal Meeting 1998

Mainstage	Marquee I	Marquee II
Sunday June 28
Black Sabbath Dream Theater Deftones Soulfly Savatage Coal Chamber Obituary Spiritual Beggars	Paradise Lost Moonspell Dimmu Borgir In Flames Within Temptation	Primus Madball Pro-Pain The Misfits Congress

Graspop Metal Meeting 1999

Main Stage	Marquee I	Marque II
Sunday June 27^[2]
Manowar Sepultura Motörhead Stormtroopers of Death The Gathering Kreator Primal Fear Darkane Ancient Rites	Cradle of Filth Mercyful Fate Immortal Anathema Children of Bodom Hypocrisy	Danzig Slapshot Ryker's Pitchshifter Ignite Out

Graspop Metal Meeting 2000

Saturday June 24

Mainstage	Marque I	Marque II
Iron Maiden Machine Head Rollins Band Saxon Testament Gamma Ray Entombed Dirty Deeds	My Dying Bride Anathema Tristania Samael Apocalyptica Cannibal Corpse God Dethroned Oceans of Sadness	Cro-mags Madball Skarhead No Fun at All 59 Times the Pain Liberator Bombshell Rocks Voice of a Generation

Graspop Metal Meeting 2001

Marquee 1/Campfest
Friday June 22^[3]
Action in DC Nevermore Rose Tattoo Destruction Devin Townsend Ancient Rites Metalium

Main Stage	Marquee 1	Marquee 2
Saturday June 23
Judas Priest Cradle of Filth Megadeth Motörhead Savatage Primal Fear Farmer Boys Kill II This Pist-on	Marduk Within Temptation Six Feet Under Macabre The Haunted Orphanage Unleashed	Suicidal Tendencies Dropkick Murphys Sick of It All Shelter Backfire Awkward Thought

Graspop Metal Meeting 2002

Marquee I	Marquee II
Friday July 5 ^[4]
Saxon Anathema Kreator Moonspell Doro Rage Manic Movement	Agnostic Front After Forever Less Than Jake In Extremo Massif Skarhead Xeah

Main Stage	Marquee I	Marquee II
Saturday July 6
Slayer Dream Theater Machine Head Bruce Dickinson Halford Tristania Edguy Calibre Evergrey	My Dying Bride Immortal Cannibal Corpse Hypocrisy Arch Enemy Dismember	Biohazard Slapshot The Vandals D.R.I. Deviate Subzero

Graspop Metal Meeting 2003

Marquee I	Marquee II
Friday July 4 ^[5]
Type O Negative Sepultura Opeth Samael Mastodon Oceans of Sadness	Stratovarius Apocalyptica Overkill Masterplan Atreyu Aborted

Main Stage	Marquee I	Marquee II
Saturday July 5
Iron Maiden Alice Cooper Within Temptation Anthrax Murderdolls Arch Enemy Doro Pro-Pain Killer	Ministry Lacuna Coil Six Feet Under Finntroll The Haunted Deströyer 666	Stone Sour Sick of It All Hatebreed Prong Youth of Today Convict

Graspop Metal Meeting 2004

Main Stage	Marquee I
Friday June 25^[6]
Iced Earth Anathema In Extremo Circle II Circle Action in DC Cowboys and Aliens	Exodus Hypocrisy After Forever Suffocation Dillinger Escape Plan Epica

Main Stage	Marquee I	Marquee II
Saturday June 26
Alice Cooper Slipknot Motörhead Soulfly Queensrÿche Pleymo Brides of Destruction Evergrey	Cradle of Filth My Dying Bride Anthrax Morbid Angel Oomph! Scarve	Agnostic Front Terror Blood for Blood Discipline Backfire Do or Die

Main Stage	Marquee I	Marquee II
Sunday June 27
Judas Priest Life of Agony Fear Factory Saxon Testament Destruction Seven Witches	Dimmu Borgir Children of Bodom Therion Death Angel Dying Fetus Malevolent Creation	Hatebreed Ill Niño Ignite Chimaira Killswitch Engage Shadows Fall

Graspop Metal Meeting 2005

Main Stage	Marquee I	Marquee II	Metal Dome
Friday June 24
System of a Down Within Temptation Papa Roach Helmet Alter Bridge The GaGas	Nevermore Megadeth Metal Church Grave Digger Enslaved Immolation	Kreator Dillinger Escape Plan Madball H2O Caliban The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster	In-Quest Autumn Axamenta Judasville Cowboys and Aliens Chimaera Sengir

Main Stage	Marquee I	Marquee II
Saturday June 25
Slipknot Slayer Accept Hatebreed Kamelot Epica Soilwork Skitsoy	In Flames Sirenia Samael Amon Amarth Gorefest Behemoth	Anthrax Sick of It All Mastodon Rose Tattoo Pro-Pain Peter Pan Speedrock

Main Stage	Marquee I	Marquee II
Sunday June 26
Iron Maiden Dream Theater Dio Yngwie Malmsteen Primal Fear Axel Rudi Pell DragonForce	Lacuna Coil Dark Tranquillity Nuclear Assault Aborted Oceans of Sadness	Terror Amen Walls of Jericho Murphy's Law Hatesphere

Graspop Metal Meeting 2006

Main Stage	Marquee I	Marquee II	Metal Dome
Friday June 23^[7]
Whitesnake Lacuna Coil Michael Schenker Group Edguy Trivium Y&T Anvil	Satyricon Moonspell The Gathering Stream of Passion Leaves' Eyes Sengir	Die Krupps Evergrey Soilwork 36 Crazy Fists Gojira Darkane	Axamenta Leng Tch'e Callenish Circle Panchrysia Iconoclasm Battalion The Maple Room

Main Stage	Marquee I	Marquee II	Metal Dome
Saturday June 24
Guns N' Roses Soulfly Alice in Chains Stone Sour Avenged Sevenfold Bullet for My Valentine Bloodsimple	Opeth My Dying Bride Nile Obituary Ancient Rites Akercocke	Death Angel Ill Niño Jon Oliva's 'Pain' The New York Dolls The Datsuns Caliban	Action in Dc Up the Irons Ozzy Oz Purple Strangers Nutellica

Main Stage	Marquee I	Marquee II
Sunday June 24
Motörhead Saxon Helloween In Flames Armored Saint DragonForce Machine Men	Cradle of Filth After Forever Exodus Enthroned Ensiferum In-Quest	Arch Enemy Agnostic Front Ignite Devil Driver Beyond Fear As I Lay Dying

Graspop Metal Meeting 2007

^[8] '

Main Stage	Marquee I	Marquee II	Metal Dome
Friday June 22
Aerosmith Chris Cornell Within Temptation Papa Roach Static X Thin Lizzy Fastway	Blind Guardian Joe Satriani Pain of Salvation Grave Digger Epica Sabaton	Therion Type O Negative Celtic Frost Amorphis Vader 1349	Volbeat Belphegor Textures Crimson Falls TAB

Main Stage	Marquee I	Marquee II	Metal Dome
Saturday June 23
Iron Maiden Korn Heaven & Hell Life of Agony Stone Sour Lamb of God Lauren Harris	Dimmu Borgir Tiamat Cannibal Corpse Atheist Sirenia Brutal Truth	Me First and the Gimme Gimmes Drowning Pool Less Than Jake Legion of the Damned Rose Hill Drive Spiralarms	Bloodsimple Scarve Thurisaz Suhrim Spoiler NYC

Main Stage	Marquee I	Marquee II	Metal Dome
Sunday June 24
Ozzy Osbourne Slayer Children of Bodom HammerFall Black Label Society Chimaira Devil Driver	Amon Amarth Finntroll Korpiklaani Moonsorrow Turisas Eluveitie	Mastodon As I Lay Dying Unearth Cynic Mercenary In This Moment	Stormrider Oceans Of Sadness El Guapo Stuntteam Spoil Engine Asrai Welkin

Graspop Metal Meeting 2008

Main Stage	Marquee I	Marquee II	Metal Dome
Friday June 27
Judas Priest Whitesnake Def Leppard Saxon Yngwie Malmsteen Tesla	Ministry Testament Symphony X MoonSpell Black Stone Cherry	Morbid Angel Nile Obituary Deathstars Behemoth	Firewind Damn Your Idols The Lucifer Principle Steak Number Eight Dedicted

Main Stage	Marquee I	Marquee II	Metal Dome
Saturday June 28
Kiss Cavalera Conspiracy Iced Earth Sonata Arctica Forbidden Sabaton	My Dying Bride Immortal Korpiklaani Dying Fetus Hollenthon Novembers Doom	Helmet Bring Me the Horizon 36 Crazy Fists Agent Steel Bleeding Through Throwdown	Delain Valient Thor Alestorm Die Mannequin Hacride

Main Stage	Marquee I	Marquee II	Metal Dome
Sunday June 29
Iron Maiden In Flames Avenged Sevenfold Bullet for My Valentine Apocalyptica Rose Tattoo Lauren Harris	At the Gates Primordial Soilwork Alchemist Rotting Christ	Arch Enemy Madball Converge Comeback Kid Disfear	Action in DC Shai Hulud The Seventh Witchsmeller Pursuivant After All Black Tide

Graspop Metal Meeting 2009

Killswitch Engage cancelled and were replaced by In-Quest. Five Finger Death Punch cancelled, and were replaced by Delain

Main Stage	Marquee I	Marquee II	Metal Dome
Friday June 26^[9]
Mötley Crüe Heaven & Hell Soulfly Papa Roach DragonForce Buckcherry	Dream Theater Blind Guardian W.A.S.P. Jon Oliva's Pain Firewind	Down Static-X Exodus Pestilence Lääz Rockit	The Gathering Samael Taake Lauren Harris

Main Stage	Marquee I	Marquee II	Metal Dome
Saturday June 27
Slipknot Korn Journey Hatebreed Mastodon Black Stone Cherry In-Quest	Lacuna Coil Death Angel Gojira Legion of the Damned Kataklysm Keep of Kalessin	Volbeat Monster Magnet Duff Mc Kagan's Loaded Parkway Drive No Use for a Name All Shall Perish	Wolves in the Throne Room Dagoba Delain Negura Bunget Manic Movement

Main Stage	Marquee I	Marquee II	Metal Dome
Sunday June 28
Marilyn Manson Nightwish Disturbed Chickenfoot Trivium Lamb of God UFO	Children of Bodom Epica Sacred Reich Candlemass Scar Symmetry Warbringer	Sick of It All Anthrax Devil Driver Suicidal Tendencies God Forbid Flyleaf	Karma to Burn All That Remains Eths August Burns Red The Reckoning

Graspop Metal Meeting 2010

Main Stage	Marquee I	Marquee II	Metal Dome
Friday June 25^[10]
Aerosmith Motörhead Stone Temple Pilots Slayer Billy Talent ReVamp	My Dying Bride Tarja Therion Anathema Krypteria Ghost Brigade	Saxon Doro U.D.O. The Poodles Anvil Raven	Nile Sepultura Devin Townsend The Devil's Blood Bleeding Through Oceans of Sadness

Main Stage	Marquee I	Marquee II	Metal Dome
Saturday June 26
Soulfly Channel Zero Slash Carcass Bullet For My Valentine Sabaton Killing Machine	Immortal Paradise Lost Obituary Cannibal Corpse Dark Funeral Hail of Bullets	Airbourne Sick of It All Fear Factory Walls of Jericho Death by Stereo Sylosis	Eluveitie Tankard 3 Inches of Blood Spoil Engine Dear Superstar Iron Mask

Main Stage	Marquee 1	Marquee 1	Metal Dome
Sunday June 27
Kiss Hatebreed Killswitch Engage Jon Oliva's Pain Exodus Evergrey Atreyu	Amon Amarth Bloodbath Behemoth Alestorm Katatonia Necrophobic	Devil Driver Unearth A Day to Remember As I Lay Dying Mucky Pup Job for a Cowboy	Finntroll Korpiklaani 36 Crazyfists The Faceless Deadlock Between the Buried and Me

Graspop Metal Meeting 2011

Main Stage	Marquee I	Marquee II	Metal Dome
Friday June 24
Scorpions Volbeat Korn Journey Foreigner Dio Disciples FM	Iced Earth Epica Watain Corrosion Of Conformity The Black Dahlia Murder Arkona	Parkway Drive The Damned Things Heaven Shall Burn Sepultura The Dwarves Protest The Hero	Duff McKagan's Loaded Angel Witch The Rods Sweet Savage Endless Dark Revoker

Main Stage	Marquee I	Marquee II	Metal Dome
Saturday June 25
Judas Priest Whitesnake Channel Zero Black Label Society Firewind Lacuna Coil Diablo Blvd	Cradle of Filth Arch Enemy Moonspell Triptykon Suicide Silence Kvelertak	Bullet For My Valentine Monster Magnet Times of Grace All Shall Perish Bleed from Within Kylesa Adept	Pain Electric Wizard Spiritual Beggars Ghost Black Spiders After the Burial

Ozzy Osbourne canceled his performance due to health problem. Judas Priest took the headliner spot and Channel Zero was added to the festival line-up.

Main Stage	Marquee I	Marquee II	Metal Dome
Sunday June 26
Slipknot Rob Zombie Avenged Sevenfold Mastodon Kreator Anvil Pagan's Mind	Cavalera Conspiracy Opeth Legion of the Damned Moonsorrow Amorphis Baptized in Blood	Bring Me The Horizon Dublin Death Patrol Terror Pro pain D.R.I. Rise to Remain	Soilwork Escape The Fate Architects Gwar While She Sleeps Steak Number Eight ^[11]

Graspop Metal Meeting 2012

Friday June 22	Saturday June 23	Sunday June 24
Black Sabbath^[12] Amon Amarth Sabaton Paradise Lost Comeback Kid Sick Of It All Obituary Sacred Reich	Children Of Bodom Death Angel ^[13] Nasum The Spudmonsters	Hatebreed H20

Bands Confirmed So Far
Motörhead Slayer Trivium Killswitch Engage Pennywise Dimmu Borgir Lamb of God Ihsahn DevilDriver Exodus August Burns Red	Unearth As I Lay Dying Ensiferum Alestorm Leprous Emmure Winds of Plague Texas In July Skeletonwitch Winterfylleth ^[14]