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Hell’s Heroes V

March 28, 2023 by A.S. Van Dorston

Houston’s Hell’s Heroes levels up to become THE must-see U.S. heavy metal festival.

“Hope not ever to see Heaven. I have come to lead you to the
other shore; into eternal darkness; into fire and into ice.”

― Dante Alighieri, Inferno

It’s been a long road to Hell for me. For every new metal fest that popped up in the 2010s, it seemed there were two others that were discontinued (Days of the Doomed, Doomed & Stoned, Frost and Fire, Alehorn of Power). Even the mighty Psycho Las Vegas collapsed this year. So it was exciting when Houston’s Hell’s Heroes at White Oak Music Hall debuted in 2018 with a stellar lineup, including Midnight, Helstar, Cirith Ungol, Venomous Maximus, Night Demon, Sumerlands, Eternal Champion and Haunt. I was unable to fit the first couple in my schedule, but I was determined to go to Hell’s Heroes III, which was to feature Candlemass, Slough Feg, Magic Circle, Smoulder, High Spirits, Traveler, Satan, Night Demon, Eternal Champion, Haunt and more. Alas, it was canceled due to the pandemic. Hell’s Heroes IV retained much of the same lineup, with a few key changes like Magic Circle, who unfortunately broke up. But at least fans of Brendan Radigan could see him with Sumerlands. Lady Beast, Dark Angel and several others were added. Having relocated to nearby Austin, I was set to go, but alas, tickets sold out immediately nearly a year before the event. I was online the second a new batch of tickets were released, but no luck, which was incredibly frustrating. I got no response for a press pass request. I was particularly gutted to miss an increasingly rare opportunity to see longtime fave Slough Feg, who have not done a real tour in over a decade.

It seemed the cycle would continue, as tickets sold out immediately for 2023’s Hell’s Heroes V. Fortunately, the venue recently added the “lawn” — a large festival-worthy outdoor ampitheater stage, and was able to greatly increase their capacity. This was great news, as the ridiculously cramped “upstairs” with just 250 capacity was no longer necessary, as people could go between the 1,200 capacity “downstairs” indoor venue, and the outdoor area that can accommodate 3,000 people.

I was stoked to see how nice the setup was. There’s clean astroturf on the area in front of the stage so it won’t get muddy if it rains, then further back near the soundboard tent there’s a grass slope people can sit on with a decent view of the stage. There’s a large area stage right for drinks, merchandise, a relatively good sized bathroom, and a taco truck. Behind stage left there is an area for additional vendors and a couple more food trucks. The indoor venue can fill up pretty quick, but I was able to have a decent amount of personal space on the balcony upstairs, with excellent sightlines to the stage.

Best in Fest

This is more about my personal tastes than an objective assessment of the performances. For example, Razor and Visigoth had powerful performances, but they just aren’t bands I listen to a lot. The fest did a fantastic job of getting some really notable legends, including Brocas Helm, Pagan Altar, Satan, Possessed and Triptykon. Sadly, Demon were unable to make it due to visa issues. Those who bought tickets for the pre-party on Thursday got to see bonus bands like Sonja, Helstar, Spectral Wound, Silver Talon, Vio-Lence and Hellhammer songs performed by Tom G. Warrior’s Triumph of Death. I was unable to make that.

Really the #1 reason I bought my ticket last year was for the reformed Christian Mistress. A few months after I lamented their 2015 breakup in last June’s Lost Rocks 2010-17 piece, they announced that they were back in action and playing Hell’s Heroes! Their two albums and EP probably get more spins than any other heavy metal band from the 21st century in the Doom Cave. I had hoped to run into a band member and ask if they were working on new material. Fingers crossed they are. Their set was truly special, one of the best sounding in the downstairs venue, in contrast to a lot of bands who had trouble getting a good sound mix. Christine Davis’ gritty, soulful voice sounded just as strong as when I saw them at the tiny Chicago Red Line Tap bar eight years ago. I only wished they’d done “Haunted Hunted.”

Tower’s performance was even more impressive in terms of Sarabeth Linden’s powerhouse vocals. The band formed in 2015 as if to pick up the metal torch surrendered by Christian Mistress, and they really came into their own on second album Shock to the System (2021). Hearing the album for the first time indeed felt like being zapped by dual tazers, with the setting set just enough for the jolt to be invigorating rather than painful. The high energy riffing and Linden’s incredibly spot-on high notes were something to behold. Totally worth the trip.

Trevor William Church might be the most prolific songwriter in the metal scene right now. As the stoner doom Beastmaker, he released two albums and fourteen EPs between 2015 and 2020. He formed Haunt in 2017 and will be releasing his ninth album Golden Arm, on May 5. Their 30 minute six song set is just the tip of the iceberg, but it’s an enticing sampler of their catalog, spanning from their first EP through two cuts from Beautiful Distraction (2021). “Frozen in Time” was a highlight of both their melodic hooks and twin guitar solos.

Sweden’s Hällas was a welcome detour from traditional metal with their mix of synth accented psychedelic prog, in what they call “Adventure Rock.” Most of the songs are sci-fi/fantasy tales centered on the character also named Hällas. Tommy Alexandersson, with his black eye makeup, cape and husky vocals reminded me of a combo of Genesis-era Peter Gabriel and apocalyptic post-punker Jaz Coleman of Killing Joke. A pretty unique and potent mix of style, sound and image.

Canada was well represented at the fest, with Razor, Skull Fist, Riot City, Gatekeeper, Freeways and Spell. I’d forgotten about Freeways already, it feels like the release of their debut True Bearings (2020) was ages ago. A great reminder how much I dig their metal-adjacent hard rock, as metal bud Krista says (and kindly provided some of the photos). Vancouver’s Spell have been growing on me the past few years, with vocal melodies that remind me of Haunt, but with an extra dose of psych, prog and magick!

It’s been well over a decade since I’ve seen Portland’s Danava, and their fourth album Nothing but Nothing is out April 28, their first in 12 years. The tracks I heard so far are much heavier than their early proto-metal/stoner psych recordings, more along the lines of the thick, sludgy, groovy stoner metal of High on Fire. Their show delivered just what I’d hoped for.

Gatekeeper’s appearance also served as an album release party for their second album, From Western Shores, out March 24. It leaves much of the epic doom from their first album behind to focus more on power metal.

Pagan Altar were probably just as great as when I saw them for the first time in 2019 at Reggie’s, but that intimate show was a special experience that’s hard to beat. Chuffed to see them playing to a huge crowd though. I also saw Satan at Reggie’s a few years back, and preferred them on the smaller stage. Triptykon I’d never seen before, and while I admire them and Celtic Frost, albums of both bands don’t get a lot of spins. Either way, their set consisting solely of Celtic Frost songs was a treat, and sounded fantastic. It was definitely a headline-worthy performance, and a great way to close out a legendary fest . . . the kind that had a little over 3,000 attendees, but years from now ten times as many will have claimed to have been there.

  1. Christian Mistress
  2. Tower
  3. Haunt
  4. Hällas
  5. Freeways
  6. Spell
  7. Danava
  8. Gatekeeper
  9. Riot City
  10. Triptykon (Celtic Frost set)
  11. Pagan Altar
  12. Satan
  13. LiegeLord

This is a public service announcement. I don’t know this guy, but he has an important message on his shirt. Any fan of hard rock who says they don’t like Thin Lizzy probably haven’t heard much beyond “The Boys are Back in Town.” Make it right and start with Black Rose: A Rock Legend (1979). If you’re not then compelled to take a deep dive, then something is off and you probably should take time off for a spiritual retreat and come to terms with your shortcomings.

Posted in: LiveReviews

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