Savage Lands are still buzzing after last week's performance on the mainstage at Hellfest. Today, the musician-run 501(c) 3 non-profit is thrilled to announce that the festival is donating one million Euro to support their ongoing reforestation efforts in Costa Rica and Europe.
"This is a historical move by Hellfest and a great signal to the music industry", says musician-turned-activist Sylvain Demercastel, who founded Savage Lands with Megadeth drummer Dirk Verbeuren. "Such an extraordinarily generous donation from a renowned festival is just another example of the many ways that the metal community supports each other."
Hellfest's donation is just one part of a five-year partnership. Savage Lands will continue to host a booth on the festival grounds. This year, Bill Hudson (I Am Morbid), members of Dimmu Borgir and other metalheads stopped by their booth to learn more about the green zones, nature sanctuaries and other biodiversity preservation projects that they are building in Costa Rica. The non-profit has protected 60,000 square feet of rain forest using 100% of the royalties from their music.
"As a non-profit, we depend on the support of our listeners, other organizations and fellow artists", Sylvain says.
Many of their famous friends showed up to support Savage Lands at Hellfest. Sylvain was backed by familiar faces in Florian Pons (Loco Muerte) and Poun and Etienne Treton (Black Bomb A). Andreas Kisser (Sepultura) and Daniel de Jongh (Textures) joined for their entire set, which kicked off with "The Last Howl", a fitting tribute to the endangered howler monkey. Chloe Trujillio hopped on for the blackened groove of "Black Rock Heart", followed by Silje Wergeland (The Gathering) who sang along to the band's new melancholic single "No Remedy".
Alissa White-Gluz (Arch Enemy) and Sakis Tolis (Rotting Christ) pledged their support via video. So did Maria Franz from Heilung, who are also partnering with Savage Lands. The Nordic collective are donating $1 for every ticket sold on their US tour to support the non-profit's reforestation efforts.
As if that wasn't enough starpower, for their grand finale, Savage Lands brought out Jesper Liveröd (Nasum) Alejandro Montoya (Cultura tres) Billy Graziadei (Biohazard) and Shane Embury (Napalm Death) for a bloody, screaming rendition of "Roots".
Some of those artists have already committed to work with Savage Lands on their upcoming album, which will be released by Season Of Mist. In the meantime, Sylvain and Dirk are still looking for more festivals and other prominent members of the metal community to join the army of trees.
"Our goals are attainable" Sylvain says. "By converting the land that we purchase into nature sanctuaries, Savage Lands will help set a precedent for environmental activism. But we must act quickly. Ecosystems are still under attack. If we don't, then there won't be any wildlife left to save".
Just listening to their music helps support Savage Lands. 100% of their song royalties fund the non-profit’s preservation efforts in Costa Rica.
Donations can also be made here.
(Top photo - David Gallard)
