Hellfest Donates €1M To Savage Lands For Reforestation Efforts

Clisson, France’s heavy metal festival Hellfest donated 1 million euros ($1.09 million) to Savage Lands, the non-profit-slash-side-project dedicated to reforestation efforts.

Savage Lands, founded by Megadeth drummer Dirk Verbeuren and guitartist Sylvain Demercastel, raises money for reforestation and the creation of sanctuaries free of human destruction in Costa Rica. Royalties from Savage Lands song fund the effort, along with donations and other fundraisers. The organization builds nature sanctuaries, establishes green zones and other land preservation projects.

“This is a historical move by Hellfest and a great signal to the music industry”, says Demercastel. “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. The non-profit has protected 60,000 square feet of rain forest using 100% of the royalties from their music.

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. Chloe Trujillio and The Gathering’s Silje Wergeland also joined.

For their grand finale, Savage Lands brought out Jesper Liveröd (Nasum) Alejandro Montoya (Cultura tres) Billy Graziadei (Biohazard) and Shane Embury (Napalm Death).

Heilung announced they are donating $1 for every ticket sold on their US tour to support the non-profit’s reforestation efforts.

“Our goals are attainable” Demercastel 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”.