Cyclone

Over the years, most of Belgium’s greatest metal bands have graced the stage in Dessel, with one notable exception: Cyclone. In the early 80s frontman Guido Gevels sowed the seed that would blossom into Belgium’s first world-class thrash band. Several early demos earned them a loyal following and the release of their 1985 ‘In the Grip of Evil’ demo put them in the crosshairs of heavyweight Roadrunner Records. Cyclone signed on the dotted line and the rest is history. In 1986 Cyclone released their maiden full-length with ‘Brutal Destruction’, a juggernaut of an album that shifted over 100,000 copies. Legend has it frontman Guido got a phone call from label mates King Diamond to congratulate him on outselling King’s debut ‘Fatal Portrait’. Meanwhile the cyclone kept raging. They opened for both Metallica and Slayer, and after a series of personnel changes they dropped ‘Inferior to None’ (1990), another top-tier release that saw them raid stages all across Europe with Sadus, amongst others. In 1993 Cyclone folded but years later an impromptu jam session with guitarist Stefaan Damen was all it took to rekindle the flame. They took Alcatraz metal festival by storm on two separate occasions and GMM is up next. This is a gig no self-respecting thrash fan can afford to miss so be there or be square. #GMM23