“I’ve never done hallucinogenic drugs, but now it feels like I have”: Metal Hammer writers name their best festival sets of the summer

Autumn’s creeping in, which means shorter days and colder temperatures. But, worst of all, it means that festival season is over. This year’s summer was crazier than most, witnessing auspicious headline debuts such as Limp Bizkit at Download and Green Lung at Desertfest. New events emerged, like Ankea in Finland, while others underwent sea changes, as Arctangent in Bristol and Mystic in Poland both bade farewell to their longtime sites. Plus, who didn’t get swept up in the controversy of Slaughter To Prevail topping the bill at Bloodstock?

There’s a lot to reflect on. So, as the leaves turn orange and the clouds grow greyer, we sat down members of the Metal Hammer team and got them to reminisce about the best sets they saw in 2026. From Linkin Park to Blood Incantation, we got quite the range of responses…

Halestorm (Sonic Temple, USA; May 15)

It’s always been obvious that Lzzy Hale has enormous star power. Having watched Halestorm claw their way up from small clubs to headlining arenas, it felt fitting to finally see them in a stadium. Even though they brought more production to their Download set the following month – who doesn’t love a bit of pyro? – the Pennsylvanians were on top form when they played Ohio’s Historic Crew Stadium in May. Tight, powerful and showy without being ostentatious, it was an essential performance which proved that Halestorm are long overdue their chance at the big leagues. Rich Hobson

Sergeant Thunderhoof (Desertfest, UK; May 15)

One of the worst aspects of the human experience is that sometimes you forget how much you love something. When I saw Sergeant Thunderhoof again at Desertfest this year, I remembered it all. They stepped in on quite short notice, after Rubber Snake Charmers dropped out, and what a performance! Their music is effortlessly epic while managing to be crushingly heavy: a veritable smorgasbord of the best doom metal has to offer, and they continue to go from strength to strength. They played for an hour, but I could talk about why I loved their show for way longer than that. Kiarash Golshani

Oranssi Pazuzu (Ankea, Finland; June 6)

Tampere’s psychedeliacs didn’t officially headline this debuting prog metal festival in their hometown, but they may as well have. Taking the second stage early after Katatonia ran 15 minutes short, the quintet played an extended set before a rapt crowd. Their noise/extreme metal/krautrock fusion, dizzying at the best of times, proved even more disorienting through the oppressive volume. Meanwhile, the video backdrop screened footage abstract and vibrant enough for the opening titles of Doctor Who. Even though I’ve never done hallucinogenic drugs, now that I’ve taken this multimedia trip to the outer reaches of music, it feels like I have. Matt Mills

Linkin Park (Download, UK; June 14)

If there were any remaining doubts that Emily Armstrong is the perfect person to lead Linkin Park into a new era of success, they’d have been quashed with this triumphant showing. Armstrong became the first female singer to headline Download festival since its 2003 launch (and to headline Donington Park in general), and the nu metal superstars marked the occasion with a jaw-dropping setlist of hits and deep cuts, transporting everyone back to the 2000s. No drink, drug or medical intervention will ever replicate screaming Numb at the top of your lungs as the sun sets over 80,000 people. Yasmine Summan

Somewhere I Belong [Live in São Paulo] (Official Video) – Linkin Park – YouTube

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Blood Incantation (Beyond The Gates, Norway; July 31)

Blood Incantation had seemingly been touring Absolute Elsewhere for aeons, but the last visitation of their European leg, at Bergen’s Grieghallen concert hall, brought their cosmic travelogues to a new level of spectacular. Yeah, Pompeii was probably fine, but it didn’t have lasers. Here, they criss-crossed the auditorium in their multitudes, as if it were a parade for some intergalactic emperor. They formed wireframe worlds in tribute to the 70s planetariums where Pink Floyd would be the go-to soundtrack. Add to that the immaculate acoustics and a band whose vast, mind-melting reaches instil a singular sense of belonging, and the result was 2,200 souls teleported to a new frontier of awe. Jonathan Selzer

Arch Enemy (Wacken Open Air, Germany; August 1)

Following in the footsteps of one beloved metal singer can be hard work. Following in the footsteps of two of them – three if you count OG vocalist Johan Liiva – is a hell of an ask. But that’s exactly what was demanded of Lauren Hart when she was announced as Arch Enemy’s fourth frontperson earlier this year, replacing Alissa White-Gluz. At by far their biggest show so far with their new recruit, the melodeath brutes were greeted like returning heroes, smashing through a triumphant set in front of tens of thousands. Hart seemed at home while bellowing her way through Ravenous, Nemesis and War Eternal. Recent single To The Last Breath sounded every bit as colossal live as those classics. As a fan of some 25 years, the gig left me excited for their future. Merlin Alderslade

Body Count (Bloodstock Open Air, UK; August 9)

What’s the anatomy of a great festival set? You need the setting: a packed Bloodstock main stage in the blazing sun would do it. How about some star power? Few are more iconic than OG gangsta rapper Ice-T, backed by his Body Count crew. And, obviously, you need the tunes. Imagine the chutzpah to open with Body Count’s In The House, then launching straight into a Raining Blood cover. You also want a memorable one-off event. Ice grabbing two kids out of the crowd and getting them to yell “talk shit, get shot!”, along with all other manner of profanities, along with him will live long in the memory. On all counts, the set of the summer. Stephen Hill

Deftones (All Points East Presents Outbreak, UK; August 23)

In an uncertain, over-stimulated world sporadically punctuated by shocks, violence and lingering trauma, you can see why Deftones’ whisper-to-scream, nightmare-to-dream dynamics make sense to more people than ever. At APE/Outbreak, the excitement displayed by thousands of Gen Z fans obviously seeing the band for the first time added to the sense of occasion, while older loyalists were in agreement that Chino Moreno’s band have never sounded better. Was it as intense as when I saw them play a 90-minute, White Pony-dominated set for an audience of just three in their Sacramento rehearsal space in the summer of 2000? No, admittedly. But more than a quarter of a century later, Deftones have aged magnificently. Unlike me… Paul Brannigan