the last KISS presentation and the return of Pantera

The festival Hell and Heaven celebrates 12 years of existence with two strong cards in its lineup: the farewell of KISS and the return of Pantera.

• Heavy metal fans of one of the founding bands of the genre, KISS, will be able to see The Demon, Starchild, The Spaceman and The Cat for the last time in Mexico.
• In the same place, fans will be able to relive the power of Pantera, a group that changed everything in the nineties and set a new route for thrash metal.

KISS visit Mexico as part of world tour End of The Road Tour, the farewell to the “world’s hottest” band, as they have always boasted. KISS’ headlining performance will be the last date on the American continent for one of the biggest and loudest bands in rock history, with a career spanning 50 years.

Pantera will be represented by the vocalist Phil Anselmo and the bassist Rex Brown, two members of their best-known lineup. Although Pantera broke up in 2003 and suffered the losses of the Abbott brothers “Dimebag” Darrell in 2004 and from Vinnie Paul in 2018, the surviving members will offer their first concerts in almost 20 years, accompanied by guitarist Zak Wylde and the drummer Charlie blessing and its presentation in Mexico will open a tour that will pass through South America and Europe.

But it will not be all. The 2022 edition of the festival Hell and Heaven will have presentations by:

• Slipknot
• Scorpions
• Judas Priest
• Megadeth
• Anthrax
• Mercyful Fate
• Yngwie Malmsteen
• P.O.D.
• Soul Asylum
• Filter
• Venom
• Cradle of Filth
• Bad Religion
• Black Flag
• SKA-P
• Panteon Rococo
• Alien Ant Farm
• Samael
• Kitty
• Corrosion of Conformity
• Doro
• Epic
• Trivium
• Hatebreed
• Candlebox
• Transmetal

Over three days—December 2, 3 and 4—organizers hope to have an attendance of 120,000 people, said Julio Arellano, a spokesman for the festival. The enclosure will have camping areas to house more than 20,000 people, there will also be areas with mechanical games and areas for children.

In the seven editions that have been held since 2010, the Hell & Heaven festival has seen several changes in its headquarters from Guadalajara, Texcoco, Mexico City and its current headquarters in Toluca, where it seeks to offer an outdoor festival, inspired by events like the Wacken Open Air. They have also undergone changes within the organization, having carried out several editions with the support of OCESA.

The festival’s curatorship has sought to offer a varied offer of aspects related to metal and will also house spaces for alternative rock, ska, punk, extreme metal, doom.

In 2020, the festival was the last to take place before the massive closure caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. After a break in 2021, the festival returns to Foro Pegaso, in Toluca, State of Mexico, to bring together more than 77 bands for three days on five stages.

The organization of the festival established an alliance with the company Flecha Roja to offer transport to the festival with departures from the North Terminal, Taxqueña, TAPO and Observatory.

In previous editions the festival has had the presence of Ozzy OsbourneManowar, Mastodon, Marilyn Manson, RammsteinTwisted Sister, Deep PurpleKing Diamond, Cypress Hill, Sum 41, entre otros.

The Hell and Heaven Festival has positioned itself as one of the biggest events for lovers of metal and its aspects. According to Julio Arellano, there is a great booking team that works hard to bring an offer of “alternative music in all senses”.

antonio.becerril@eleconomista.mx