Millau (12) is getting ready to organize its first heavy metal music festival. It’s nothing like the globally known Hellfest, but the event promises some surprises. In fact, a metal choir will kick off the festivities on April 11th.
Who said that metal music can only be sung on big stages and in front of large crowds? Certainly not the organizers of the upcoming “Metalheads” festival in Millau (12) in July. They have already placed their bets on this somewhat unique choir. Presentation.
“You’re a bit low. You’re also far! You’re far from the microphone, come closer,” the choir conductor instructs the singers in the rehearsal room. Finding the right position, hitting the right note, these little details, all choirs are familiar with them before a concert. The difference here is the singing repertoire.
Ghost, Metallica, ACDC… These legendary rock metal bands encourage these amateur singers to step into the metal studio: “it’s really a heartfelt music for me,” testifies one of the choir members, Guido Mariano. “It’s the music of my adolescence. It’s my music, the one that has accompanied me all my life and I wanted to do it.”
“When I saw that they had a metal choir, I really liked it and so I came right away,” he adds. Metal, a Madeleine de Proust for some when others seek collective energy. “I think it brings support and solidarity and it’s like going to war,” explains Ségolène Villemagne, another choir member.
“It’s intense, but we go, we all go together and we jump into the void,” she continues. “We are a bit like Vikings.”
“Ultimately, we are not so different from a traditional choir,” explains Aurélie Aumont, the choir leader. “In fact, there is always the group dynamic, the collective, the sharing. Apart from the repertoire, not much changes.”
This powerful and rock harmony, the audience can experience it on stage at the launch of the “Metalheads” festival on Saturday, April 11th in Millau. A prelude to the very first edition of the event, already scheduled for July 3 and 4, 2027 at the Maladrerie site in Millau and carried by a very young association “Metalheads Millau.”
The lineup is expected to bring together between 15 and 20 bands, who will take turns on a single main stage. The organizers explain that “the idea is not to offer a marathon like in the very large festivals such as Hellfest”, but rather a balanced format allowing the audience to fully enjoy the concerts.
Attention metal enthusiasts.
Article written based on a report by Camille Saizeau and Rémy Carayon.
