March 25, 2024 by A.S. Van Dorston

The greatest heavy metal festival in North America continues it’s hot streak with historic performances from legends Solitude Aeturnus, Candlemass, Watchtower, Tank, Sodom, Queensryche, and plenty of young bands.

Hell’s Heroes once again delivered, with some epic performances from headliners Sodom, Candlemass (doing their second album, 1987’s Nightfall), Queensryche playing their first 1983 EP and The Warning from 1984), and our own Texas epic doom metal legends Solitude Aeturnus touching on all six albums from their underrated run.

Not all was perfect, as the fest experienced growing pains in it’s sixth iteration, similar to what I’ve seen happen with many festivals that needed to make adjustments to accommodate the larger crowds. Some thunderstorms Thursday night made for a muddy mess on the lawn on Friday, greatly reducing the options for taking a break and sitting down for a bit. The indoor venue had removed all the stools from the balcony and put them in the VIP area. Not cool. For some reason, the line for merchandise was completely out of hand, with a 90 minute wait, which meant I gave up on getting any t-shirts. Even when I showed up right at opening time at noon on Saturday, the line was already insanely long.

Nevertheless, the weather was perfect, and the vibes were positive as all the bands brought their A game, making sure the fans who flew across the country, some from other countries, got their money’s worth. Best in Fest hands down for me was Solitude Aeturnus. Getting to see them for the first time in a couple decades was a revelation, reminding me how great they were, and perhaps can continue to be if they decide to record again. Sweden’s Candlemass are of course longtime favorites of the fest, having also headlined Hell’s Heroes III and IV. Considered one of the big five of doom pioneers alongside Trouble, Saint Vitus, The Obsessed and Pentagram, they’ve been extremely dependable for a solid set. However, the best riffs per minute ratio goes to Solitude Aeturnus. Robert Lowe’s vocals were in fine form, and he was joined at times by his daughter Amanda with some wailing backup vocals. I really hope they do another album.

I was never a huge Queensrÿche fan, but I have been getting to know their early stuff better, which was great timing, to get to hear that first EP and The Warning played live. Todd La Torre of course has been the vocalist since 2012, but he was more than capable of singing the early Geoff Tate material. It was the most polished, slickest sounding set of the fest, but still with enough rough edges to not hinder the energy.

My other best in fest award goes to relative newcomers Early Moods, who just recently released their high energy rock ‘n’ doom sophomore album, A Sinner’s Past. With three guitars and Alberto Alcaraz’ magnificent fro nearly serving as a sixth performer, what’s not to love? I was also stoked to see Sumerlands featuring vocalist Brendan Radigan. I never got to see his former band Magic Circle, but I did see him sing with Pagan Altar.

Watchtower was a very cool addition to the lineup, kind of lost Austin technical thrash metal legends who released two underrated classics in 1985 and 1989. Tank were a lesser known part of the NWOBHM featuring Algy Ward from The Damned, who released four solid albums from 1982-84. Sadly Ward died a year ago. Austin power metal heroes Eternal Champion, and Canadians Traveler had great sets, as well as Wytch Hazel. There were so many bands, it all starts to blur after a bit, but the brisk schedule left no time to get bored, though I did have to switch out from boots to hiking shoes to stay on my feet.

Despite some snafus, the fest was a success, and I look forward to next year.