Most musicians who play Wacken Open Air come home with a story. Rict, guitarist of Sable Hills, came home and started a festival.
The Guitarist
Rict founded Sable Hills in Tokyo in 2015 with his brother, vocalist Takuya. The band’s three albums are Embers (2019), Duality (2022) and Odyssey (2024), the last released after the band signed to Germany’s Arising Empire at the end of 2023. In 2022, Sable Hills won the Wacken Open Air Metal Battle, the first Japanese band ever to take first place, and played the festival again the following year.
FRONTLINE FESTIVAL
Seven months after that win, on 25 March 2023, Sable Hills held the first FRONTLINE FESTIVAL at Kawasaki’s Club Citta. It has come back every year since: 31 August 2024, 6 September 2025, 29 August 2026.
The first bill was a map of the domestic scene. THOUSAND EYES, DEXCORE, a crowd of rebellion, Graupel, Sailing Before The Wind, Prompts and Asunojokei all played, with Take This to Heart opening.
From the second year the overseas names arrived. 2024 had the American metalcore veterans Unearth and Bleeding Through next to Crystal Lake, Earthists. and kokeshi. 2025 had Darkest Hour from the United States and Oceans Ate Alaska from Britain, with Hanabie., DEVILOOF, Knosis and View From The Soyuz. 2026 brought All Shall Perish and Slovenia’s Within Destruction, alongside JILUKA.
Why It Matters
Band-run festivals are a Japanese tradition. 10-FEET has Kyoto Daisakusen, SiM has DEAD POP FESTiVAL, coldrain has BLARE FEST. Most of them sit on the punk and loud-rock side of the scene. FRONTLINE is the same idea pointed at metalcore, deathcore and hardcore: a working band booking the heavy bands it wants to see, in a 1,300-capacity hall, and bringing overseas acts in to share the stage.
A contest win says a band is good. A festival that returns four years running says the band means to leave the scene bigger than it found it.
If you’re planning a trip to Japan around heavy music, look up the date. Late summer in Kawasaki has become a fixed point.
