Sir/Madam, you MUST go to Wacken for it is the homestead of all things metal. If metal was a place, it’d be Wacken. It’s the Metal Mecca. Download Festival is a lot of fun but you get treated like shit by organisers and staff who basically see you as cattle, whereas at Wacken you experience a real sensation of kinship with everybody… except for the bouncers, who are real ‘night club’ bouncers, not those kids in ponchos that you see at Download. It’s the safest, friendliest and most friendly festival I’ve ever attended. You really should go.

FYI, it’s sold out this year, it’s a 20th anniversary special so the tickets go pretty fast.