The capital’s heaviest musical event, Knotfest, opens today for a furious Friday of pure metal.
After two weekends of Rock al Parque this year, the capital is bracing itself for yet more heavy riffs and brutal blastbeats. Yes, Knotfest is back, headed by not one, but two genuine legends in Judas Priest and Pantera. Better yet, they’re rocking the parallel stage setup, so you literally won’t miss a beat as one band starts immediately after another finishes. There’s also an extreme stage in the Movistar arena. It’s a stripped down Rock al Parque – none of the twee folksy rock, just all killer no filler pure metal for ten straight ear-shredding hours.
Pantera are touring with Phil Anselmo again, but obviously no Dimebag Darrell. Given that Pantera was all about the pure fucking hostility of Anselmo’s delivery, that’s a massive plus. After a twenty-year hiatus, they’ve been together for a single week. It may not last, so this could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Judas Priest presents a similar situation – Halford is in his 70s now, so won’t be touring for much longer now. His voice isn’t the same as it used to be, but they still put on a barnstorming show live. In between the two metal gods are South Yorkshire eclecticists Bring Me the Horizon.
Before that, there’s plenty more to enjoy on the main stages, with Sepultura guaranteed to put on a show. Every time they come to Bogotá, they lay waste to everything before them. They’re on early, though, while the sun will still be high in the sky at 4.15 pm. Trivium were the next big thing years ago and haven’t lost their fury, whereas Venom literally invented Black Metal (sort of). Sadly, the only local band are Bogotá thrash legends Acutor, but they’re worth turning up early for.
If you’re seeking heavier sounds, the Movistar Arena is the place to be for actual death and black metal. Heavyweight headliners Hypocrisy form a bridge between Florida and Sweden for melodic death metal. Before them, the equally atmospheric Samael will conjure up dark spectral soundscapes in the bowels of hell (well, the Movistar arena). Ceguera are the pick of the two local bands on the third stage with blindingly fast thrash riffs underpinning death vocals.
The event happens in the Movistar complex – the main stages are outside in the car park to create an open air atmosphere. Entrance is by the south side of Campín, coming from the NQS (Carrera 30), and then it’s a long file up to the Movistar section of the complex. Once inside though, it’ll be a piece of cake moving between stages and sections. VIP tickets are sold out, but there are still general entry tickets available online. Foreign cards are accepted.
