Where Hardcore Takes Over: Revolution Calling 2025 in Review
Revolution Calling 2025 marked its fifth edition with a weekend that embodied everything hardcore is meant to be: chaotic, communal, unpredictable and overflowing with energy. The festival, and its predecessor Sound of Revolution, have grown into Europe’s most anticipated gatherings for a reason. With visitors from more than fifty countries and thirty-six bands spread across three barrier-free stages, the Klokgebouw in Eindhoven felt less like a venue and more like a living, breathing organism — loud, restless and alive.
The festival kicked off on Friday with a preshow built around tight, high-impact sets from several bands also appearing on Saturday’s main bill. But there was no question about the highlight of day one: Trapped Under Ice. Returning to Europe for the first time since 2017, the band closed the night with the raw ferocity that has defined them for nearly two decades. Stagedivers were already flying before the first breakdown even landed, and the entire room buzzed with the feeling that this moment had been years in the making. The energy spiked even further because Brendan Yates, fresh from Turnstile’s show in Düsseldorf the night before, stepped behind the TUI drum kit.
Toward the end of the set, a sudden medical emergency forced a twenty-minute halt, briefly putting the room on pause (don’t worry, the guy turned out to be find and legend has it he was stagediving again the following day). When the band returned, the place erupted. Then came the moment that instantly cemented itself into festival legacy: the entire Turnstile lineup rushed onstage, turning the Klokgebouw into a collective explosion. The room went completely crazy during the sound of Turnstile’s ‘Birds’. Fans moshed, jumped on stage, stage dived themselves back into the crowd, and shouted every word with overwhelming sense of joy. For those few unforgettable minutes, the boundary between band and audience disappeared entirely. Turnstile has always been for the people, but on Friday, everyone was Turnstile.
Stampin’ Ground opened Saturday’s main stage at 13:50, and the crowd was already buzzing. Fans had arrived early, eager to see the British hardcore veterans. Their return on such a big bill showed how much they are still respected, especially since this was their first EU tour since 2014. Death Before Dishonor followed with a gritty show that set a fierce tone. Killing Time reminded everyone why New York hardcore is still so influential, while Terror delivered their mix of aggression and uplifting energy, commanding the sold-out crowd with ease.
Slapshot brought one of the day’s strongest emotional moments. The Boston legends were playing their final European shows after more than forty years in the scene. The crowd responded with gratitude, fury and respect. They tore through fan favourites like ‘I Told You So’ and ‘Old Tyme Hardcore’ across both Friday and Saturday, but Saturday’s hour-long set was the true farewell. It was the last chance for fans to sing back to a band that shaped generations of hardcore.
Rising UK band Guilt Trip proved the next wave of bands is ready to carry the torch. Their set was tight, explosive and one of the most talked-about performances of the day, proof that hardcore’s future is in capable hands. As night settled in, the festival reached its emotional peak. Gorilla Biscuits brought unmatched joy and warmth, turning the room into a multigenerational celebration of everything that makes hardcore community-driven. Finally, Hatebreed closed the main stage with a setlist of classics — ‘This Is Now’, ‘I Will Be Heard’ and ‘A Lesson Lived Is a Lesson Learned’, before ending their set with ‘Perseverance’, a fitting conclusion to a festival built on resilience, unity and force.
Boston’s Haywire wrapped up the night. They had already delivered a blistering twenty-minute pres-how set on Friday, but their true moment came when they closed the Warzone stage on Saturday as the very last act of the night. Even past midnight, the room was still bouncing from wall to wall, proving just how thoroughly the band has become one of hardcore’s most exciting new forces since the release of their debut album ‘Conditioned For Demolition’ last year.
This weekend, Revolution Calling didn’t just celebrate its fifth birthday, it celebrated the entire hardcore community. From surprise reunions to emotional farewells, from legends to rising bands, it was a weekend where every moment felt vital. For anyone lucky enough to be there, it was clear that hardcore is alive, evolving and still very much a collective force. See you next year!
