Hell’s Heroes VIII-Day Three-Houston, Texas

White Oak Music Hall, March 21, 2026

Following two days of sheer bliss, the festival neared its end. Today, however, would be the most stacked. Not only were there more bands I wanted to see, but this time I took good pictures of bands on the indoor stage. I got over my claustrophobia and found my way to the front. This time I took good, clear pictures.

New Jersey’s own WHIPLASH was the first band of the day that I caught. Playing on the outdoor stage, the veteran act was in fine form. Formed in 1984, WHIPLASH helped pioneer Thrash Metal but never get their due credit. Their 1986 debut, “Power and Pain” still holds up now. They proved they could hang with the best of them. Hair flew in bunches and another circle pit ensued. The group sounded great, just like all the bands. “The Burning of Atlanta” was one of the highlights of their set.

After WHIPLASH, I ducked inside to see what was going on the indoor stage. Los Angeles Heavy Metal throwback act, ANGEL FURY was on stage. They featured a female singer, who was on her game. The group is a new entity, but they played like veterans. Being put on Hell’s Heroes is enormous for the band who is just emerging. Great band, keep an eye out for them.

VIRGIN STEELE is another band who has been kicking around since the early 80s. There was an air of mysticism surrounding the band with their tales of mythology and atmospheric keyboards. Frontman, David DeFeis has a big voice but accented every line with a weird noise. One could compare his vocal idiosyncrasies to James Hetfield. I had looked forward to hearing them but found his voice annoying. While the group played epic Metal, they were one of the softest bands at the festival. I must admit I was a bit disappointed.

One of the more extreme bands of the day, Belgium’s BUTCHER put on an exciting show. The group formed in the early 2000s, took a break for a while, and then released their aptly titled debut, “Bestial Fükkin’ Warmachine.” Hell’s Heroes features underground acts playing on big stages, so they were new to me. I enjoyed their set. It was fun.

GRAND MAGUS was another band I looked forward to seeing. They joined the other bands at the festival in their style of grandiose Heavy Metal packed with Doom Metal riffs. The group formed in the early 2000s and captured the attention of the metal world to the point of appearing on Nuclear Blast Records. The first thing that popped out was the bass sound by Fox Skinner was massive. Bass always stands out more with power trio, but their bass stood out more than most bands. Considering the style and their hailing from Sweden, I think CANDLEMASS most likely influenced them.

I mentioned I am from Michigan to someone waiting in line at a merch tent. Some dudes heard me and said they were from Detroit. Then I found out they were from the band, DEMON BITCH. They used to be on the label Dystopian Dogs, which is run by my friend Vic (who also played in the band). Now they call Gates of Hell Records home. DEMON BITCH has been around for about fifteen years, released a couple of short recordings and a couple of full-length albums. They played traditional metal with a slant towards evil. Clad in a hooded robe, singer Logan “Saton” lived up to his name. They were another great band from the underground.

TANKARD is considered part of the Big Four of Teutonic Thrash with KREATOR, DESTRUCTION and SODOM. They are like ANTHRAX on America’s Big Four in style and for the fact they are the least popular of the four, not that it matters. In their early years they penned songs about drinking beer and partying. They also play with a sense of humor. Of course, they played a song about beer. “Zombie Attack” was a personal favorite of their set.

CRYPT SERMON played on the indoor stage. Their debut album, “Out of the Garden,” released via Dark Descent Records, has become iconic in Doom Metal circles. Their epic Doom style has led them to the top of bands to come out in the past twenty years. The sound guy once again was spot on as they sounded great!

DESTRUCTION, BULLDOZER, MANILLA ROAD tribute and LOUDNESSl cancelled, which led to Texas bands taking over their spots. Today it would be Houston’s own, IMPRECATION. IMPRECATION formed in the early 90s, making them one of the pioneers of Death Metal in the Texas; however, their early releases were all short form. They didn’t release a full length until 2012, which explains why they are not kicking around with the god fathers of Death Metal. Their stage show revealed a veteran band. Vocalist David Herrera barked concrete shards. I last saw them open for BOLT THROWER at Chaos in Tejas festival in Auston back in 2013. Since then, Jeff Tandy joined them on bass. Black Metal fans know his work in AVERSE SEFIRA. IMPRECATION was another Texas band with a good position. They were the third to last band of the day on the mainstage and they proved perfectly capable of handling the big stage.

Viking Black Metal phenom, ENSLAVED provided direct support and participated in the BATHORY tribute. I was excited to see them as they would be playing a set from their debut album Vikingliar veldi.” Said album is a Black Metal classic. Vocalist Grutle Kjellson belted out harsh vocals that could rival any vocalist in Black Metal. Co-founding member, guitarist (he also plays keys on albums) Ivar Bjornson picked fast in the tremolo style. Ice Dale handled the other guitars. Ivar looked old but didn’t play like it. For me, the highlight of their show was the second song on the album, “Vetrarnótt.” Midway through the song, the group found its groove and played the same riff repeatedly, which like BURZUM, became hypnotic. This was not the first time I’ve seen ENSLAVED; however, it was the first time they didn’t play a set of new prog metal songs. Very cool, indeed.

ENSLAVED’s Kjellson and Bjornson played double duty performing with the BATHORY tribute, BLOOD, FIRE, DEATH. Most of the crowd didn’t know who to expect on this lineup. One fan told me Frost of SATYRICON was unable to make it, so MAYHEM’s own Hellhammer manned the kit. AURA NOIR members, Apollyon (bass) and Blasphemer (guitar) rounded out the band. Kjellson was the first vocalist and then Erik Danielsson of WATAIN joined the band later into the set.

The group started in a haze of blue lights with three robed and hooded choir singers. James Rivera of HELSTAR was one of the choir singers. They began their set with “A Fine Day to Die” and “Enter the Eternal Fire,” two of BATHORY’s most epic songs. Fire balls shot from the stage as they played the second song. Other classics included “Woman of Dark Desires,” which could be their namesake song as it’s about Countess Bathory, and the speed metal classic “The Rites of Darkness” before ending the set with “Blood Fire Death.” The fireballs were awesome!

Once BLOOD FIRE DEATH ended their set, the festival featured one band on the indoor stage before wrapping up the whole festival. I didn’t want the fest to end and went to the bar next door to join fellow heathens of the festival. From there, some new friends and I took an Uber to their hotel with Joseph Michael, vocalist of SANCTUARY. We drank together and enjoyed a conversation about his joining SANCTUARY. I partied hard into the morning and then paid for it at work.

Christian Larson and all who worked Hell’s Heroes put on a terrific concert. The sound was amazing, and all the bands went on stage at the appropriate time. This being the eighth installment, they have proven to be not only a premier fest in America, but a global phenomenon. Fans from all over the world arrived in Houston to witness this spectacle. I hope I can make the festival again next year. The Metal community will keep their eyes open for the next lineup!

Visit Metal Centre for first and second day coverage.