< Previousby Andrea Leim he history of heavy metal is incomplete without at least one chapter dedicated to hair. In the case of master hairdresser Claus Niedermaier from the German town of Biberach, this chapter is a unique and generous one… It all started in Claus’ living room in November 2016. “I was lying on my warm sofa and saw a report about a homeless man who had frozen to death in Mu - nich. At that moment, I asked myself what I could do to help. I didn’t have any excess money, but I could cut hair.” And so – armed with a comb and scissors – the salon owner decided to visit his local shelter and offer to cut the hair of unhoused peo- Since 2019, Claus Niedermaier has been at Wacken Open Air with his Barber Angels Brotherhood, cutting or styling the hair of stars, visitors and crew free of charge. However, his most important project takes place away from the festival – on the streets of nine different countries. B.A.B. is an association of hairdressers who cut the hair of people who are unhoused or disadvantaged on a voluntary basis and free of charge. More than 800 members of the organisation carry out this charitable task throughout Germany, in several European countries and even in South America. The leather vest is the Angels’ trademark and identifying feature. In 2019, the Barber Angels Brotherhood was the first German organisation ever to be awarded the French Grand Prix Humanitaire, and in September, founder Claus Niedermaier will receive the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.ple free of charge. “In many cas- es, people don’t appear very well groomed. I wanted to give them more dignity and self-confi- dence with a haircut so they would no longer be perceived as homeless from the outside.” Initially implementing his idea with the help of five friends, Claus has since grown the Barber Angels to more than 800 members. Together, they have cut the hair of over 65,000 home- less and disadvantaged people in nine coun- tries for free, giving them back their self-esteem and self-confidence. In 2019, almost three years after founding the Barber Angels, Claus Niedermaier enquired with Wacken Open Air whether he could have a booth on the Wacken Plaza to cut metalheads’ hair – in exchange for donations for his organ- isation. In return, he offered to set up another booth in the backstage area where art- ists could also have their hair cut free of charge. “Musicians are often on tour and rarely get to see a hair- dresser, so our offer here is very well received. Artists from all over the world come to see us and are all really happy with the service. On Wednesday, I did Peter Ma- ffay’s hair prior to his perfor- mance with Bülent Ceylan and just now Andrey Smirnoff.” The U.D.O. guitarist has known Claus for four years and lets him handle his head when- ever he can. “I wore my hair long for many years and had it cut off at some point. Unfor- tunately, that went really wrong and I didn’t feel comfortable. Until I met Claus. He cut my hair exactly the way I had imagined it. Since then, we see each other all the time, write to each oth- er and when I play a show nearby, I always invite him to come round,” says Smirnoff, while Niedermaier is busy working the scissors on the back of his head. Wacken, the barber says, is a great opportunity to promote the Barber Angels Brotherhood and find new supporters. But it’s also nice to see old friends and acquaintances again. “I have some regular customers here already,” he says proudly. A total of 33 hairdress- ers are working on the Pla- za and backstage in several shifts, “and I would like to thank all my colleagues who have joined me in making this week in Wack- en possible. You simply are the best club in the world!” When Claus Niedermaier returns home from W:O:A, the next highlight awaits the man with the big heart: “On 10 September, I will be awarded the Federal Cross of Merit by Federal President Steinmeier. I am so thrilled and want to dedi- cate this honour entirely to our cause. I am proud to accept it, with a sense of awe and humil- ity.” An honour well and truly deserved! Credits: Vollvince, Susanne Müller Claus Niedermaier and U.D.O. guitarist Andrey Smirnoff The Barber Angels Brotherhood tent Cutting edge – master hairdresser Claus with his favourite toolAvailable via ticketcenter.wacken.com! €29.90 unisex shirt and girlie shirt Free for the first 10,000 ticket buyers. Unisex shirt and girlie shirt €29.90 unisex shirt and girlie shirt Everyone who buys a ticket for W:O:A 2025 can order our exclusive bundle merchandising after completing their order. And: The first 10,000 ticket buyers will have the chance to get their hands on a free shirt! But please note: Only available with a valid ticket order!Glow-in-the- dark effect. €32.90 T-shirt and girlie shirt €29.90 unisex shirt, girlie shirt or HoodZip With or without a ticket – the first W:O:A 2025 collection goes on sale on 4 August at Metalmerch. com! In addition to T-shirts, we also have new mobile phone cases for the most common smartphones, as well as a cosy HoodZip for you. Galactic! Help yourself on metalmerch.comby Timon Menge Suzi, how did it feel to play for thousands of metalheads? Suzi Quatro: I don‘t make metal music per se, but it didn’t matter – they went nuts! It was great and the festival is amazing. It really was one of the highlights of my 60-year career. It was a great show. Do you still get the jitters when you perform in front of so many people? Suzi Quatro: The biggest crowd I‘ve played to was 65,000 people. That was in Philadelphia in 1974. I don‘t get nervous, I get anxious. That‘s different. I want to make sure everything goes well. I‘m very professional and focus all of my energy on putting on the best show I can. You have paved the way for many women in rock music. When did you realise that you made such a big impact? Suzi Quatro: I‘m always very straightforward about this: I had no idea what I was doing. I was just being me. I started when I was 14 and didn‘t realise back then that it was unusual for girls to play bass or be a rocker. I only understood that when my documentary „Suzi Q“ was released in 2019. How do you mean? Suzi Quatro: In the documentary, all these legendary women like Debbie Harry, Chrissie Hynde and Joan Jett say that they wouldn‘t have gone down this path if Suzi hadn‘t done it first. That was the first time I really became aware of what I had started. I cried watching it and thought: „That was me?“ (laughs) But if I hadn‘t had that attitude, none of it would have worked. It had to be non-manufactured and natural. It worked precisely because I didn‘t know what I was doing. This year you performed at Wacken Open Air, together with many other women. Does that make you happy? Suzi Quatro: Of course! It makes me happy that I have inspired so many to do what they want. The more women do it, the better. My advice for all women in this business: If you pick up an instrument, you better play it. Don’t pretend, play it. Otherwise, don’t pick it up. Fotos: W:O:A, Susanne Müller With a career of more than 60 years, Suzi Quatro had her Wacken debut on Wednesday. Impressions of a This year, rock legend Suzi Quatro visited Wacken for the first time and delivered an epic performance!Lisa, you just got off the Wasteland Stage. What was your show like? There’s no other way to say it – we just played the best show of our lives! When I went onstage and saw the sea of people, I immediately got goosebumps on my entire body. Which female artists have influenced you the most? Lisa-Marie Watz: The singer I‘ve looked up to my whole life isn‘t even from the metal scene, but it‘s Pink. She has an incredible voice and you could say that I learnt to sing from her. What role does Suzi Quatro‘s music play in your life? Lisa-Marie Watz: You simply have to look up to this woman. She has had an amazing career and is still going strong! I hope that I can play music for as long as she has. Do you feel that there‘s enough visibility for women in the metal world these days? Lisa-Marie Watz: There‘s definitely room for improvement. Wacken does a great job, though; there are so many acts that represent women here. But it would be nice if it simply didn‘t matter any more and it was completely normal for women to be part of the line-up. But that‘s a process because there simply are fewer women in this genre. You can‘t just conjure them up. What do you think could be done to change this? Lisa-Marie Watz: You have to make sure that future generations continue to have role models and can visualise themselves in that position. I don‘t have to be the home maker, I have a voice that I can use – loudly. For that, women need to be made visible in a deliberate way. Can you name anything you‘ve learnt from other women in the music business? Lisa-Marie Watz: I think that happens rather subconsciously. If you only ever see men, you develop less interest in wanting to be a part of that world. Suzi Quatro played the legends slot on Wednesday. She has been in the business for more than 60 years now. April Art has been around for ten years. What do you want fans to say about you as a lead singer in 50 years‘ time? Lisa-Marie Watz: The same thing as today, hopefully: That I‘m a personable woman who speaks up and sings well. (laughs) Someone who is approachable and hopefully inspires many other women and young girls to go their own way. Singer Lisa-Marie Watz also celebrated her first show at W:O:A. The perspective of a April Art and their singer Lisa-Marie Watz also celebrated their debut on the Holy Ground Credits: W:O:A, Ben JuelgWinning smiles all around: Thus from Denmark Feeling high, not just thanks to their win: Thus bassist Sebastian Skousgaard In 2024, the winners of Wacken Metal Battle are from Europe once more – even though their first show as a band was all but six months ago …by Timon Menge t’s 1:45 p.m. on Wacken Friday. The press tent is bursting with people, as has become the norm during the award ceremony for W:O:A’s Metal Battle. Metal journalists are climbing over each other, trying to get a glimpse of this year’s top five entries of the global contest. But first, host Christof Leim and Metal Bat- tle patron Sascha Jahn take stock. Leim wants to know whether anything has changed this year. Jahn replies: “Nev- er change a winning team. We haven’t done anything differently, because things have been running smoothly.” However, he does remember one thing: “We opted for sun- shine this time, not rain!” The tent erupts with laughter. In addition to the revised weather conditions, there were also a few firsts for the contest itself: Wasted Land, for example, was the first band from Saudi Arabia to take part in the band competi- tion as part of the Middle East region. Info travelled from the territory of Southern Amer- ica, Northern Regions and took fifth place with their fu- turistic metal. Doomsday As- tronaut from Romania came in fourth. One of the longest journeys was made by Five Penalties from China, who took third place. And second place went to Aquilla from Po- land, who were audibly moved at the press conference and ex- claimed: “Thank you all!” The four bands received not only cash prizes totalling €7,000, but also non-cash prizes such as guitars from Schecter. Second place: Aquilla from Poland A worthwhile journey: Five Penalties from China took third If there were extra points for cool band names, Doomsday Astronaut from Romania would have won Info from Columbia were the first to represent their country in Metal Battle and won fifth place Poseydon (Belgium) Beguiler (Canada) Black Tooth (Caucasian Republics & Turkiye) Fleshless Entity (Central America) Five Penalties (China) Junkwolvz (Greece) Türböwitch (Hungary) Kasck (India) Rain (Italy) Paramena (Japan) Griefgod (Lithuania) Æonik (Luxembourg) Wasted Land (Middle East) Inherited (Netherlands) Tessia (Norway) Aquilla (Poland) Voidwoomb (Portugal) Doomsday Astronaut (Romania & Rep. Moldova) Etterna (Slovakia) Sunken State (Sub–Saharan Africa) INFO (South America Northern Region) Karabiner (Ukraine) Corbian (Germany) Carbonic Fields (France) Kill The Phia (Indonesia) Uragh (Ireland) Shvriken (Philippines) Cascade Effect (USA) Graufar (Austria) Thus (Denmark)Then things get exciting! Last year’s champions take to the stage to announce the winners. Phantom Excaliver from Japan grab the micro- phone and shout the name of their successors into the crowd: Thus! The band from Denmark can’t believe their luck, there are tears and loud cheers. The four musicians jump onto the stage and throw their arms around the Phantom boys: “This is totally blowing our minds, it’s all happening so fast,” explains the visibly over- whelmed Thus singer and gui- tarist Frederik Jensen. “I feel like we’ve only just played. We had so much fun in Wacken and now we’ve won!” They now get to take home €5,000 in cash prizes as well as a number of other goodies. The Danes achieved this feat thanks to their modern and very sophisticated death metal. “Our inspirations in- clude bands like Revocation, Opeth and Alluvial,” Jensen lists. “Definitely progressive!” Thus played their first gig just six months before their victory at W:O:A Metal Battle. Thus are just one of many examples of how the Metal Battle uncovers the talents of Djent force: Paramena from Japan Germany’s entry for W:O:A Metal Battle: Corbian Horror goes gold: Info keyboarder Adriana V. Info singer Carbu ithout them, W:O:A Metal Battle would be impos- sible: The internation- al promoters are Wack- en’s global presence. For the 20th anniversary of the competition, they were therefore honoured with their own award cer- emony. “The promoters are the people who plan and run the Metal Battle in their country or re- gion,” explains Metal Bat- tle organiser Sascha Jahn. “So they are the engine that drives the Metal Bat- tle and brings it to audi- ences around the world.”acken is not just about the noise, but also about knowledge: For the third time in a row, star photographer Pep Bonet offered his masterclass at W:O:A and took six short- term appren - tices to the Holy Ground. Bonet is from Spain, has photographed the entire Holy Ground him- self, published several pho- tography books about W:O:A and toured with Motörhead for a long time. So it’s no wonder that he’s exactly the right teacher when it comes to learning the craft at Wacken. In his masterclass, he teaches young photographers to work under extreme conditions, so to speak. “This year we’re fo- cussing on the Metal Battle,” he tells us in this interview. “For the students, it’s about taking pictures and deliver- ing them immediately, for example for social media. It’s good practice and they can get pretty busy.” A little too busy at first: “On Wednes- day, each of the six students de- livered around 400 pictures - per band.” He then politely but firmly indi- cated that this was a bit exces- sive. Narmin Zey- nalli from Azer- baijan is one of Pep’s students and she shares: “You learn to work under pressure and to be fast.” Lucas Staab from Ger- many, who is also taking part in the master- class, describes what is special about W:O:A Metal Battle: “The bands’ shows are super elaborate. You need a bit of time to find out what it’s all about.” The two are not metal fans per se, but Narmin is im- pressed with Wacken Open Air: “I think I’ve turned into a metalhead here!“ tomorrow, regardless of their origin or genre. Take Walk- ways from Israel, for example, who came second in 2015 and played Wacken for the third time in 2024. Crisix from Spain won the competition in 2009 and returned in 2024, 15 years later. “We came here as newcomers and now we’re pro- fessionals,” says guitarist Marc Busqué. “Our journey began in Wacken.” The latest winners of the Metal Battle also get a spot on the Holy Ground. Phantom Excaliver, who won the com- petition in 2023, returned this year and took to the stage once again. Of course, if they have it their way, they will probably be back next year. Another great aspect of the Metal Battle: Every- one cheers for the oth- er bands together. When Thus were crowned the win- ners, the whole tent went cra- zy. “We chatted so much with the other bands,” says Thus singer Jensen. “It didn’t feel like a competition, but like a gathering of people who love music and enjoy performing. We exchanged a lot of infor- mation and now we might be able to play in other coun- tries. Or our new friends will come to Denmark!” What are Thus planning now? “We’re playing a lot more shows over the next six months, but we’re also working on our songs. Hopefully we’ll have completed our first al- bum next year!” With their €5,000 win provided by the Wacken Foundation, the band can pay at least part of its production costs – and will likely return to the Holy Ground in 2025. Pep Bonet (middle) with his students Narmin Zeynalli Lucas Staab For Metal Battle, Shvriken from the Philippines travelled to Europe for the first time Wasted Land debuted the region of Saudi Arabia Credits: Steve BraunNext >