Kreator, Carcass, Exodus, Nails
April 3, 2026 Mainstage, Den Bosch
The Netherlands
An Extra Good Friday with Kreator, Carcass, Exodus & Nails
On April 3, 2026, four metal giants descended upon Den Bosch for an evening of soul-crushing riffs and harrowing blastbeats: Nails, Exodus, Carcass, and Kreator. The night fell on Good Friday, the day commemorating the cross-nailing of Jesus Christ. An opening act like Nails was therefore perfectly fitting.
The guys in Nails were clearly fired up. They managed to whip the crowd into a frenzy with their relentless hardcore. Although vocalist Todd Jones cheerfully addressed the audience between songs, that cheerfulness transformed into a torrent of rage and hostility once the music kicked in. Within their relatively short set (no more than thirty minutes), slow, heavy passages were seamlessly alternated with crushing beatdowns. The real demolition work came when classics You Will Never Be One Of Us and Unsilent Death blasted through the speakers. Nails went all in, full throttle, delivering a set that, in our opinion, could easily have been longer.
Fortunately, the night was far from over. Thrash legends Exodus were next, eager to storm the stage. With them came Rob Dukes, a vocalist whose growling vocal style brings a slightly more modern edge compared to the thrash of the Paul Baloff / Steve Souza era’s. The illustrious band recently released an album titled Goliath. The album cover, a fusion of the American Statue of Liberty and an Elden Ring end boss, served as the backdrop for their show. What stood out, however, was how the newer material was received. The crowd fell completely flat during the almost sludgy track Goliath. It’s by no means a bad song, but at a thrash show, you expect thrash and nothing but thrash. The band seemed prepared for that reaction, as they quickly pulled out classics like Bonded By Blood, The Toxic Waltz, A Lesson in Violence, and Strike of the Beast. As the crowd went wild, one blazing solo after another was unleashed. We even caught a small nod to Slayer, of which guitarist Gary Holt has of course been a part. When it comes to musical talent, Exodus certainly doesn’t fall short. That same abundance of talent was also on full display with the next powerhouse: Carcass.
While many concertgoers were dressed in faded black shirts and battle vests, the frontman of Carcass stood there neatly in a white shirt and jeans. But appearances can be deceiving, because the moment he opens his mouth, a rusty, guttural growl emerges that would make a rain-soaked paper shredder jealous. The surgical precision with which Carcass tore through their set was also reflected in their backdrop: an image of medical instruments clearly referencing their classic album Surgical Steel. Their amps even displayed (moving) visuals of various medical horrors. Carcass plays incredibly tight, precise, and fast. As expected, it was a performance of the highest technical caliber. Closer Heartwork was a blackened cherry on top.
Then it was time to get serious. Before Kreator took the stage, it was concealed by a massive white curtain onto which images of revolutions, war, and conflict were projected. Unfortunately, many of these images were AI-edited, a regrettable sign of the times. As the visuals played, the very fitting Eve of Destruction by Barry McGuire echoed through the venue. Then the curtain dropped, revealing the stage: two gigantic demons stood on stage, alongside a drum kit mounted on what looked like a demonic throne. Four shrouded bodies hung from the truss, and the backdrop glowed in an eerie red haze. The band pulled out all the stops: a dazzling light show and a wide arsenal of pyrotechnics. Over the years, Kreator has reinvented itself multiple times. Starting as raw, old-school Teutonic thrash, they now lean more toward power metal. A theatrical stage production like this fits that evolution perfectly. During Enemy of God, blood-red streamers were fired into the crowd, and halfway through the show, two “Violent Mind” trolls carrying torches walked onto the stage. The band delivered a barrage of fan favorites including People of the Lie, Betrayer, Enemy of God, Endless Pain, Hate Über Alles, Krusher of the World, Violent Revolution, Satan Is Real, and Pleasure to Kill, all while the audience was roasted alive by the intense fire show. The musicians themselves also delivered their parts with blazing intensity. Kreator has rightfully earned its place as true headliner material.
Good Friday was turned into an extra good Friday thanks to Loudnoise and these four bands. A top-tier lineup with top-tier performances. More of this, please!
P.s, this video below is stolen from the YouTube Channel of Billy Psyko!
— Tim X and Patchman Marco —
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