Sortilège - Forged in Flame: The Fantasy, Fury, and French Soul of Heavy Metal

Why France might just be the most metal country on Earth.

Heavy metal is BIG in France—not just in record shops or festival grounds, but in everyday life. Walk into the right bar in a village of 500 people and you might find two tattooed locals crooning Claude François medleys like they’re headlining Hellfest. Metal here isn’t niche—it’s a bit a part of the DNA.

A French Juggernaut

Hellfest, held annually in Clisson near Nantes, is one of Europe’s biggest metal festivals, drawing fans from around the world for 4 days of blistering guitars and genre-spanning lineups.

Like the giant turbines that line the French landscape: I, too, am a big heavy metal fan.

I love metal—especially tracks filled with wizards, warlocks, massive riffs, and unapologetic theatricality. It’s not just screaming and noise (although there is some screaming), it’s complex, sometimes absurd, and powerful in its sheer commitment.

I could research this genre for days. I have a 12-hour metal playlist on Spotify, in case you need too much of a good thing.

Also—wizards, dragons, and…