The second day of Wacken Open Air was filled with a lot of exciting bands. The day started for me with none other than the very hyped Dog Eat Dog. They have always been known to be this Hardcore/Skate punk band with a fuse of Hip Hop. I would say it is more like a band which is known to start a party. Even though the vocalist of the band clearly mentioned that this isn’t a frequent crowd for us, but they still managed to pull things off and play a massive set. It consisted songs from all their records. Bouncy tracks like “Isms”, “Rocky”, “Step Right In’, “Expect the Unexpected” were played with so much intensity. Then there were some tracks which were the popular ones like “Who’s the King”, “No Fronts” and from the latest addition of tracks from the last E.P. called “Vibe Cartel”. There was also a surprising cover of House of Pain’s “Jump Around” which was played as well.

Looking at the crowd it felt like they were enjoying every inch of it. The vocalist was also loving to have a chat with the crowd. Especially talking about events from the 90s like the Dynamo Festival and their friendship with bands like Biohazard, and telling the crowd that how Germany has always been one of the best places for them to play live. It was an appropriate time.

After Dog Eat Dog’s set the next band which came on stage was Grand Magus who pretty much delivered a tight set with their brand of Viking Metal. After their set, the next band to hit the stage was Steak Number 8. It was an interesting band to watch live. Their elevated level of stage presence with an experimental avatar added a different touch to the bands appearance. It was a unique sounding band.

The next band which came on the headbanger’s stage was none other than my most awaited band Prong. These guys had been on my bucket list for an extended period. What a groovy band. Typical 90s hard alternative sound with some killer riffs. They are an extremely well sounding band for a 3-piece outfit. I could say they were easily one of the best band which performed at Wacken.

The next band which came on the Headbanger’s stage was none other than one of the best Thrash bands in the world Sacred Reich. It was the 30-year anniversary set of their debut album ‘Ignorance‘. They played a wide range of epic songs right from the title track “Ignorance”, to “Independent”. There was a surprising Black Sabbath cover of “War Pigs” which they played. Rightfully ending their set with “Surf Nicaragua”. Phil Rind also thanked the audience by rightfully addressing them by saying that “Thanks for remembering us even after all these years and thanks for giving us the opportunity to play this insane festival”. Phil Rind also gave a shout out to Prong who played before them.

After Sacred Reich got done. The next band to see was the legendary Emperor who were playing their only German show this year at Wacken Open Air. It was also their 20-year anniversary set of the album ‘Anthems of Welkin at Dusk‘. They were playing that album in its entirety. The amount of people in front of the Harder Stage was like an ocean of heads till the end of the horizon what I could see. Ihsahn, Samoth, Faust and company were right there playing the Black Metal anthems in front of a seemingly excited crowd. The sound what they got could have been better but nonetheless it was a complete set.

The next band were the headliners of the second day. It was the mighty Megadeth. Without wasting any time here and there, they just quickly came on stage starting with “Hangar 18”. Which was followed by most of the popular songs like “Wake-Up Dead”, “Sweating Bullets”, “Symphony of Destruction”, “Peace Sells”, etc. They also played 4 songs of the new album which were, “The Threat is Real”, “Dystopia”, etc. Dave Mustaine was just in his usual mood. But he also addressed the crowd by telling them why the festival Wacken Open Air is so much important for the band and why they play here. Also appreciating the number of beautiful flags all around he ended the set with the classic “Holy Wars”.

The second day of Wacken Open Air was filled with a lot of surprises as well. Accept played a two-hour set with the Philharmonic orchestra. Marilyn Manson played a wonderful set with sticking to the hit wonders from the late 90s and the early 00s. Song like “Sweet Dreams’, “ The Beautiful People and “ Mobscene”. It was a fun and a exciting day. So many big bands playing on the same day was the highlight of the running order.

Also check out our review of Day 1 here.

We’ve got pictures of the epic day 2 here!