Friday 16/9 2022
"Being part of Macken Fest and its concept was very special. As a huge Twin Peaks fan from the get-go as well as collaborating with Andrés and Macken since 2019, it was amazing to experience this outstanding festival concept from the start. I can't wait to see the result of the documentation!"
/Fred Estby, Dismember
"Macken fest - a haven for artists and creative minds whom work with recasting visions,
formulating, distilling and communicating dreams; images of reality and experiences.
Macken fest has taken the festival a step further, wanting to create a whole - a concept that
gather a breadth of creativity in one place. We hope the audience and its attenders saw and
experienced this.
Macken fest was Vanhelgds only festival show in 2022 and we only did a small headline
show a couple of weeks prior to the fest. The band have not performed live since 2019 and
thus it was very special to us. Both meeting an audience as well as other artists and crew.
Vanhelgd has been working on a new album for quite a while now and we premiered two
new songs at Macken fest, opening the gig with one of them; Saliga är de Dödfödda/
Blessed are the Stillborn, (working title). We did not know what to expect being the last band
on the small stage on Friday, just in between the superb acts Nifelheim and Dismember. In
retrospect we believe it turned out to be a great spot for us. It was a big crowd in front of the
stage as we entered, and the atmosphere was boiling.
Fueld up on adrenaline, eager to proclaim our contempt for the contemporary world, eager to
express the despair and basic set of human emotions... in tragedy ecstasy and doom...
Hope you enjoyed the nuisance as much as we did - scorched to the core!"
/Vanhelgd
"What a gret combination of the two best things most metalheads know, METAL AND BEER!
Macken Fest combined this perfectly.
Cheers to all headbangers that raised hell at this epic event!"
/Nifelheim
"Our experience of the festival known as Macken Fest was in one word: flawless. Talk about
your right people at the right place and so on, it was so on point it was ridiculous. From Ola's
calming voice to Mimi's iron fist, to the sound guy (who’s name I forgot) who fixed the sound
in seconds... just great. And for the rest of the time I can barely remember, it's all a haze of
hugs, ”Hey how are you?” and beer of course, there was a few beers… playing wise it was
great too, two great shows on the small stage, the second one without bass but we pulled
through still, and there was a big sense of FUCKING FINALLY with all covid-setbacks and
because of that the vibe was really great, everybody enjoyed themselves royally to the
insane line up and of course beer. I would probably killed myself if I was in the shoes of
Andres through these years, yes YEARS of trying to pull this one off with bands jumping of
the bill and covid and a list that goes on and on, imagine the heartbreak of all this then you
will comprehend the kind of iron will that must have bordered on lunacy….. If there ever was
one to call a fighter, Andrés is the one. We will do this with you anytime brother."
/Andreas, Sweet Teeth/Tormented
"On the journey from birth to ashes we do our best to survive and give meaning to our
existence, and if there ever was a festival that would dive into the concept of giving meaning
into performance and art it would be Macken Fest.
This has been the final excarnation of a long artistic journey that has been to hell and back, it
has been an honour for General Surgery to take part of the grand conclusion of this odyssey
made possible by Andres Furukawa.
Many great bands have intertwined and woven the very fabric that gives meaning to the left
hand path and Pathology, and for this we are truly grateful."
/General Surgery
"Macken Fest killed it! Great bands and great beer are a lethal combo and just the way we in Antichrist like it. Good stuff!"
/Antichrist
"Macken Fest was a very professional arrangement with a really warm and welcoming
feeling, both from the whole crew at the festival but also the crowd and the other bands. We
felt like we were in really good hands and had a really good time. Both on and off stage.
Stockholm and the live scene really need this kind of events going on, so it was perfect!
Together we prove that metal music is alive and kicking!!"
/LIK
"Cardinal Maniac + Macken = Cardinal Maniacken?! I'm from Adelaide, Australia. It's a
loooong way from anything you could describe as "heavy metal heartland". As a teenager,
the only reason I ever even cared where Sweden was, was due to an obsession with
Entombed and Dismember. Flash forward 30 years, and for me personally to be sharing a
stage with members of those bands means a huge amount. And we had an amazing time!
Will we see Macken Fest return? I believe Mark Morrison's 1996 hit song "Return of the
Mack" prophesies this! "Return of the Mack...oh my God!" Believe it, Diane!"
/Cardinal Maniac
"We are BEYOND stoked to have been a part of Macken Fest 2022! Not only did we get to
grease up the crowd at the pre-party as was originally planned, but we also got a chance to
play the actual festival itself.
As a newly formed band, we couldn’t have had a better experience than sharing the stage
and the experience with some of the champions of Swedish hard and heavy music.
Macken fest 2022 is truly a testament to that everything that is filthy, gnarly, repugnant, and
nasty still oozes strong in this day and age. And we couldn’t have been happier to have
been a part of it!"
/Harrowed
"Macken Fest brings music, people and beer together. All in a superb blend with artistic
vision and musical atmosphere. The circle is complete, and it is beginning to arc itself into
new adventures beyond mortal flesh."
/Maim