Hell's Heroes VIII-Day One-Houston, Texas

White Oak Music Hall, March 19, 2026

After eight years, I finally attended Hells Heroes Festival in Houston, Texas. I left early in the morning to catch a couple of acts before I had to check into my hotel at 3. I made it to the festival around 12:30. Thrashers, LABYRINTH opened the festival on the indoor stage. I didn’t watch them yet because I was checking out the festival.

HELSTAR kicked off the outdoor stage. The hometown heroes were one of three Texas bands that played the festival; however, HELSTAR are by no means a “local band.” The group started in the early 80s and established itself as a global powerhouse. The group plays an amalgamation of Power, Speed and traditional Heavy Metal.

Front man, James Rivera once again donned a cape and affixed his teeth with fangs to represent their vampire material. This material was represented on the song “Baptized in Blood” from their “Nosferatu” album. The group was full force. Even after 45 years, Rivera still touched the clouds with his voice. They closed their set, as they seem to always do, with the song “Run With The Pack,” from their first album, “Burning Star.”

I spent the rest of my time hanging out with friends and making new friends before I left for my hotel. I missed VOID, which many friends told me were excellent. I made it back to the venue in time to catch the Heavy/Power Metal stylings of JAG PANZER. Just like HELSTAR, JAG PANZER formed in the early 80s.’ This was the second time I caught their act. I saw them play with ICED EARTH and IN FLAMES in 2002. The sound was good, riffs were excellent and singer Harry Conklin, who you might know from THE THREE TREMORS, hit every high note with perfection.

Jag Panzer – live at Hell’s Heroes 8, Houston, TX, March 19, 2026 *Full Set*

ONE OF NINE was the first band I watched on the inside stage. Having only released a couple of recordings, ONE OF NINE are a new BLACK METAL band. The Profound Lore Records artist played a melodic black metal style. A quick glimpse of their lyrics and stage names reveals a band steeped in the literature of J.R.R. Tolkien. It was cool to see a Black Metal band in the midst of old school metal.

ONE OF NINE certainly wasn’t the only Black Metal band that played over the weekend. In fact, the next band I caught, Sweden’s HELLBUTCHER, play a nasty style of Black Metal. I heard the name before but couldn’t place who they were until vocalist Hellbutcher rushed to the stage, I was able to place him as NIFLHEIM’s vocalist. He would be without his twin brother today, but don’t think that hindered him in the least. They were Black Metal to the bone with their harsh style and leather-and-spikes appearance. Even though NIFLHEIM is an established band, HELLBUTCHER has only released one album. The group played the entire, self-titled album. They also made sure to include a NIFLHEIM song. They played an IRON MAIDEN instrumental (can’t remember the name) before ending their set with VENOM “Black Metal.” The whole crowd sang “Lay down your soul for gods rock n’ roll.” HELLBUTCHER was my favorite band of day one.

Hellbutcher – live at Hell’s Heroes 8, Houston, TX March 19, 2026 *Full Set*

3 INCHES OF BLOOD made waves in the 2000s with their blend of Thrash and Power Metal, broke up, and reformed in 2023. I didn’t realize their cult following until I talked to a few fans up front. They were die-hards who would travel across country to watch the band. Singer Cam Pipes belted out the Power Metal highs, while guitarist Justin Hagberd provided harsh vocals. 3 INCHES OF BLOOD went over well. My personal favorite songs were “Deadly Sinners,” and “The Goatriders Horde.” It was nice to see them again after nearly 20 years.

3 Inches of Blood live at Hell’s Heroes at White Oak Music Hall – Houston, TX 03/19/26

CHRIS HOLMES from W.A.S.P. was the next act on the indoor stage. I came inside just in time to catch “Blind in Texas.” Of course, this song went well with us being in Texas as the crowd vehemently sang along. They played a set full of W.A.S.P. classics including “Wild Child,” I Wanna be Somebody,” “Sleeping in the Fire,” and “Animal (Fuck Like a Beast.)” Holmes’s guitar tones sounded great on their Hard Rock style, and the singer’s voice resembled Blackly Lawless. The place was so packed that I couldn’t get close enough to the stage to take good pictures, which was the case on day one. I didn’t have a photo pass, so I couldn’t get close enough to take good pictures.

Chris Holmes – live at Hell’s Heroes 8, Houston, TX March 19, 2026

DORO closed out the outdoor stage with a set list of WARLOCK songs from their “Triumph and Agony” album. Apparently, Doro Pesch performed with WARLOCK last year. This time it will be their solo act. Hailing from Germany, Hells Heroes played out like a German festival. Her voice was awesome and even though she’s an older lady, she still was beautiful. I have to admit I’m not really a fan, so I can’t list song titles, but it was an enjoyable set. The highlight of her set was a cover of MOTORHEAD’s “Ace of Spade.” It was interesting hearing a woman sing this song.

Doro – Hell’s Heroes 8 (Houston, TX 03/19/2026) FULL SET

Playing on the indoor stage, COVEN was the last headliner of the day. I would be hard pressed to call them a Heavy Metal band. They are an Occult Rock band, possibly the very first. They were formed 60s and was one of the first bands to give praise to The Devil. In fact, I heard that BLACK SABBATH got their name from the COVEN song of the same name. Just like DORO, time has been good to their female singer, Jinx Dawson. She still looked lovely even though she is nearing eighty-years-old. Like KING DIAMOND, Jink paraded around with a skull. With keyboards, heavy guitars, and enchanting vocals, COVEN was a great act to end the day.