Headcharger

Formed around Caen in Lower Normandy, Headcharger took shape in 2004 as a continuation of Doggystyle, a metalcore project active in the late 1990s. The French band, now a quintet centered on Sébastien Pierre, David Rocha, Antony Josse, Romain Neveu and Rudy Lecocq, early on developed a cross between metalcore, traditional heavy metal, stoner rock and hard rock, with a taste for massive riffs, rock tempos and abrasive vocals. Headcharger released a self-titled debut in 2005, followed by Watch the Sun in 2007, and refined its balance between hardcore energy, heavy groove and rock references on The End Starts Here (2010) and Slow Motion Disease (2012). Subsequent records — Black Diamond Snake (2014), Hexagram (2017), Rise from the Ashes (2021) and Sway (2024) — show tighter songwriting and a firmer anchoring in metallic heavy rock. Over the years Headcharger has toured in France and abroad, appeared at festivals such as Fury Fest, Sonisphere, Dour, Bloodstock and Hellfest, and shared bills with metal, rock and hardcore bands, reflecting the band’s place between metal power and rock’n’roll culture.