Thunderbolts & thunderheads by W.A.S.P., KK's Priest provide sonic blasts from past

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Thunderbolts & thunderheads by W.A.S.P., KK's Priest provide sonic blasts from past

Another scenic sunny yet muggy summer evening Saturday outside the Aztec Theatre proved to be anything but on the inside of the downtown venue.

That’s where thunder reigned.

Thunderheads from W.A.S.P. Thunderbolts courtesy of KK’s Priest. And it all resulted in a thunderous return to the Alamo City for the leaders of both bands celebrating their early years with a modern twist.

Making their third San Antonio appearance in six years after a several-years absence, the Blackie Lawless-led W.A.S.P. focused on their first four albums on the “1984 to Headless” tour.

In 2022 at the Boeing Center at Tech Port, W.A.S.P. spotlighted 30 years of The Crimson Idol in a performance that was odd, and perhaps short of some expectations, in various ways (coverage here). In 2024, Lawless rectified that in a big way at the Aztec by turning up the intensity and focus as W.A.S.P. played the 1984 self-titled debut album in its entirety with a few additional hits (coverage here).

This time, the addition of songs from 1985’s The Last Command and 1986’s Inside the Electric Circus that culminated a string of three sexually charged records and preceded 1989’s politically driven The Headless Children promised and delivered a broader spectrum of classic W.A.S.P.

Somewhat inexplicably, though, the Aztec’s response was rather lukewarm. Despite the fact Lawless, guitarist Doug Blair, bassist Mike Duda and drummer Aquiles Priester opened with a pair of classics they did not play on either of the two preceding visits: the 1986 Uriah Heep cover of “Easy Livin’ “ — a track with which the originators closed their May 30, 2024, stop at the Tobin Center supporting Saxon — and 1985 deep cut “Fistful of Diamonds,” the Aztec’s reaction was, shall we say, lame?

As W.A.S.P. progressed through their ‘80s repertoire that included 1984 favorites “The Flame” and “B.A.D.” plus The Who cover “The Real Me” (printed setlist in 55-photo gallery), an explanation for the crowd’s indifference was needed. Some theories abounded:

1) Prior to W.A.S.P. taking the stage, there was a peculiar announcement warning patrons that crowd surfing and/or coming onto the stage would result in “immediate ejection.” To be fair, the venue had signs outside alerting of the former. But even in the world of heavy metal, such a pronouncement is not expected. And it seemed to partially suck the air out of the crowd moments before the headliners played a note.

2) Other than repeating “All I need, all I need, all I need is my L.O.V.E. Machine” and “I’m blind, I’m blind, I’m Blind in Texas” for the mandatory finale, Lawless’ lone instance of speaking to the audience came when he introduced 1984 “Cries in the Night” demo “Mr. Cool” by sharing that he sold the song for $5,000 but was later sued for $1 million. Other than that, Lawless bypassed his customary, “San Antonio, how the hell are ya” or any other moments of keeping his fans engaged.

3) Despite being the headliner and having 90 minutes to perform, W.A.S.P.’s 76-minute set featured half-and-half versions of “Thunderhead” and “Forever Free” plus “Inside the Electric Circus” and “I Don’t Need No Doctor.” So just when fans may have been getting into the first of the pairings, Lawless changed things up perhaps one too many times. On “Forever Free” in particular, the band omitted the midsection heaviest part of the ballad that would have complemented Priester’s booming thunderclaps of the kit. Not to mention, it would have served as an ode to the late Quiet Riot drummer Frankie Banali, a close friend of Lawless’ who played on the entire The Headless Children album. With San Antonio drumming royalty in the house in the form of Buckcherry’s Francis Ruiz and ex-Fates Warning, Halford and Sebastian Bach backstopper Bobby Jarzombek, W.A.S.P. missed an opportunity for a nice touch.

4) Speaking of one too many times: Lawless frequently turned his back to the crowd to make sure he was in tune and rhythm with Priester. Most frontmen do that once or twice during a show, but Blackie’s frequency contributed to the disconnect with the crowd.

Not even Lawless frying a likeness of Adolf Hitler in an electric chair that had been covered all night by a “Danger: 10,000 Volts” banner during the title track to The Headless Children (watch ATM footage below) could resonate with the crowd.

Lawless deviated from the theme of the tour briefly by playing the intro to his latest album — 2015’s Golgotha — before the Aztec came alive at last to the sounds of “Wild Child” (ATM footage below) and of course “Blind in Texas.”

Although W.A.S.P. delivered the goods, they didn’t have a typical opening act to follow. In fact, KK’s Priest architect K.K. Downing’s first album with Judas Priest dropped a full decade before W.A.S.P.’s.

But after previous tours in Austin, Downing and his new band that formed in 2019 and has released two albums finally stopped in the Alamo City. Downing even acknowledged “It’s been a long time” to the Aztec faithful before launching into Judas Priest’s three most commercially popular songs: “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’ “, “Breaking the Law” and “Living After Midnight.”

Though they turned the former into half a song, KK’s Priest fit in a variety of Judas Priest classics to go with four KK’s Priest future classics in their 61-minute set.

The crowd was fired up from the get-go seeing Downing and vocalist Tim “Ripper” Owens tear through the tunes with drummer Sean Elg, guitarist A.J. Mills and bassist Tony Newton.

As the support act, KK’s Priest did not offer any tracks from Owens’ 1996-2003 era in JP. Nevertheless, Owens has always been the right choice to front the many bands he has, including Iced Earth, Yngwie Malmsteen and Dio Disciples.

Though they omitted obvious selection “The Ripper,” the band shined on KK’s Priest blazer “Hellfire Thunderbolt” and 1981 Judas Priest favorite “Heading Out to the Highway” (ATM footage of both below).

Any gig involving “Beyond the Realms of Death” and “Victim of Changes” is worth the price of admission alone, and KK’s Priest further amped up the already fired up audience with those before also tossing in “The Sentinel” and “Turbo Lover,” then ending with KK’s Priest tune “Raise Your Fists.”

The tale of two audience reactions between the bands was in and of itself unusual. Some of it was through no fault of the efforts of the musicians. Some of it was.

But when it comes to receiving the headbang for one’s buck, you couldn’t go wrong with a 74-year-old silver-haired guitarist who hadn’t played San Antonio since leaving his former band in 2010.

Or with a one-of-his-kind leader who has dedicated his life to spewing out metal record after metal record when he could’ve played baseball in the Cincinnati Reds’ organization. A legendary frontman who demonstrated that his gargantuan mic stand Elvis was no match for his recently turned 70-year-old body that was filled with herniated discs and vertebrae damage just three years ago when he climbed it at show’s end and bellowed his patented, “Good night! We’ll see you next time!”

So if there is a next time for turning back the clock with one or both of these majestic bands — sign us up. ‘Cause there’s no such thing as too much heavy metal thunder.

W.A.S.P. SETLIST: Easy Livin’, Fistful of Diamonds, The Flame, Mr. Cool (1984 Cries in the Night demo), B.A.D., Thunderhead / Forever Free medley, The Real Me, The Headless Children, I Wanna Be Somebody, L.O.V.E. Machine, Inside the Electric Circus / I Don’t Need No Doctor medley, Golgotha (intro), Wild Child, Blind In Texas

KK’s PRIEST SETLIST: You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’ (half), Breaking the Law, Living After Midnight, Strike of the Viper, One More Shot At Glory, Hellfire Thunderbolt, Heading Out to the Highway, Beyond the Realms of Death, The Sentinel, Victim of Changes, Turbo Lover, Raise Your Fists

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Engines of riffs, tributes & seeing double demolish Boeing Center

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Engines of riffs, tributes & seeing double demolish Boeing Center

Headbangers, metalheads and curious onlookers comprising the San Antonio chapter of the Black Label Society on Friday night at the Boeing Center at Tech Port may not have realized they were watching a riddle unfold before their eyes.

Three bands on stage. Two of them had four members each, while the other utilized three. But there were only seven musicians combined.

Since when does 4 + 4 + 3 = 7?

That’s what you get when BLS, Zakk Sabbath and Dark Chapel come together.

BLS, in its 28th year as the brainchild of guitarist / vocalist Zakk Wylde, was making its first appearance at the Boeing Center since being the middle band Feb. 10, 2023, in support of Anthrax with opening act Exodus.

This time, Wylde’s band comprised of bassist John “J.D.” DeServio, drummer Jeff Fabb and guitarist Dario Lorina were headlining joined by, well, the trio of Wylde, DeServio and Fabb known as Zakk Sabbath.

Not to be outdone in the double duty department was Lorina, who unleashed his bluesy vocal skills to go with lead guitar as the frontman of Las Vegas-based Dark Chapel, which kicked off the night in support of their 2025 debut Spirit in the Glass.

But the Alamo City chapter didn’t come to the Boeing for a math lesson or to solve riddles. They came to rock. And the bands took care of that with ease.

BLS was fully charged in support of Engines of Demolition, performing a 12-song set in 1 hour, 24-minutes.

Focusing on half of their 12 studio albums going back to 2003’s The Blessed Hellride, Black Label Society mixed in older tunes such as “Funeral Bell” and “Suicide Messiah” with new-album track “Name In Blood” — though they omitted anything from 2010 personal favorite Order of the Black.

Wylde, who entered heavy metal’s conscience as a precocious 19-year-old on an episode of MTV’s “Headbangers Ball” after being hired as Ozzy Osbourne’s guitarist, has made a habit of dedicating part of his visits to honoring the late Pantera guitarist “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott and now Abbott’s late brother, drummer Vinnie Paul.

But of course, this latest BLS concert hit home even more after Osbourne passed last year.

To his credit, Wylde didn’t stack the emotional waterworks on top of one another. After his traditional piano-led “In This River” tribute to the Pantera brothers, BLS returned to the heaviness with “The Blessed Hellride,” “Set You Free” and “Fire It Up.” The latter saw Wylde stand atop the piano and blister into his solo with the guitar behind his head while Lorina did the same several feet away before Wylde tossed in a brief “Smoke on the Water” riff to end it.

“Ozzy’s Song” from the latest album was of course mandatory, and Lorina sat behind the piano for that one while Wylde provided his vocals and guitar work. A triplet of classic Osbourne photos dotted the big screen but, surprisingly, they were the only pictures of the Ozzman shown throughout the evening. Just as unexpected was the fact that unlike his previous visit, Wylde left himself out of the photos shown of Abbott and Paul.

Wylde also broke up “Heart of Darkness” with the “No More Tears” solo and sang its final verse. But there was arguably no larger tribute to Osbourne than the fact Wylde formed Zakk Sabbath in 2014 and has had headlining tours with that band.

This time, Wylde, Fabb and DeServio directly supported themselves, challenging their conditioning, stamina and vocal health each night.

As the middle artist Friday, Zakk Sabbath limited itself to five songs (setlist below; no professional video was allowed), but still turned it into a 49-minute set. The highlight came during finale “War Pigs” when Wylde left the stage and was escorted to the front of the soundboard, ripping into a lengthy guitar solo behind half of the general-admission portion of the crowd that was still staring at the front of the stage unaware of the presence and sound emanating behind them (see 85-photo gallery).

Fabb, the original drummer for In This Moment when that band formed 20 years ago, utilized two different kits for each band. His Zakk Sabbath setup included one bass drum while his BLS machinery had two.

Dark Chapel got the festivities started in a heavy yet bluesy way with Lorina, rhythm guitarist Dylan Dyce, bassist Mike Leon and drummer Jeremiah Walker spotlighting their album but also pulling off a cover of Bill Withers’ 1971 classic “Ain’t No Sunshine.”

Leon was his usual animalistic self on stage after spending the past several years in Soulfly and Cavalera Conspiracy with former Sepultura voice Max Cavalera.

While the crowd of 2,000 — according to a LIve Nation staffer — in the 3,000-capacity Boeing Center got their money’s worth and appeared to thoroughly enjoy themselves, a pair of fans received an extra dose of reality when Wylde ended everyone’s night by wiping his sweaty forehead with two washcloths and tossing them into the crowd. Wylde had definitely earned a cooldown moment. As did his double-duty bandmates.

Their engines of riffage remained ringing in these ears throughout the drive home. And the legends watching from above probably would’ve taken that as the greatest tribute of them all.

BLACK LABEL SOCIETY SETLIST: Funeral Bell, Name In Blood, Destroy & Conquer, A Love Unreal, Heart of Darkness (w/ No More Tears solo & final verse), In This River, The Blessed Hellride, Set You Free, Fire It Up, Suicide Messiah, Ozzy’s Song, Stillborn

ZAKK SABBATH SETLIST: Children of the Grave, Snowblind, Fairies Wear Boots, N.I.B., War Pigs

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Lights remain on for UFO's legacy courtesy of Lights Out

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Lights remain on for UFO's legacy courtesy of Lights Out

Considering he helped form UFO as a teenager as the British rock band’s original drummer and continued to be its backstop into his 70s, Andy Parker has more than earned the right to call it a career.

Maybe spend the rest of his life sipping Mai Tais in the sand while soaking in the sun.

Not to say Parker may not do so from time to time. But when UFO vocalist Phil Mogg — the only member to have performed on every one of the band’s albums from 1970-2022 — had a heart attack and subsequent surgery four years ago that resulted in an abrupt end to UFO’s farewell tour, Parker found himself on an island unto himself: still wanting to perform UFO’s music but suddenly without any bandmates.

Enter a guitarist from Houston, of all places, whose band Love And War had opened for UFO on three occasions to get in touch with the man from the shores of England and inform him that he had a UFO tribute band called Lights Out.

Lead guitarist John Adams reached out to Parker and invited him to jam. Maybe even rehearse. Parker, who was already living in another part of Texas, agreed.

And a match was made in the metal-verse of Rock N’ Roll.

Adams and Parker brought Lights Out - A UFO Experience to Fitzgerald’s on Friday night to perform UFO’s iconic 1979 live album Strangers in the Night in its entirety plus other classics.

This time armed with vocalist Mark Boals, bassist Barry Sparks and rhythm guitarist / keyboardist Wayne Findlay, Lights Out dazzled the sold-out bar that had to turn away procrastinators at the door.

Sparks and Findlay have had prior stints playing UFO music, the latter doing so for more than 18 years in Michael Schenker’s solo concoctions.

Boals, meanwhile, solidified his vocal prowess via three Yngwie Malmsteen albums: Trilogy, which is marking its 40th anniversary this year, plus 1999’s Alchemy and 2000’s War to End All Wars.

Prior to the show, the entire band graciously went “Into the Pit” with Alamo True Metal, which you can watch below. We were joined by Sirius XM’s and “That Metal Show” co-host Eddie Trunk, who flew into the Alamo City the night before to introduce Lights Out on stage.

The band shared a few laughs, spoke of Lights Out’s formation and said a few words remembering the late Paul Raymond, Paul Chapman and Pete Way while Parker acknowledged that Mogg is “doing fine” following his health scare.

Lights Out, fittingly, was playing on what would’ve been Way’s birthday, and Sparks recalled that it was during a 1995 gig here at La Semana Alegre, while he was playing bass for Malmsteen, where he met Way and Mogg for the first time.

Some may refer to Lights Out as a supergroup. But it is definitely not a tribute act anymore when one of its members is an original.

Rather, the band lived up to its Experience moniker, giving the locals 1 hour and 39 minutes of pure Rock N’ Roll entertainment. Given that most concerts in bars tend to be insanely underlit both from a fan’s and photographer’s standpoint, it also helped that Lights Out, ironically, brightened Fitzgerald’s arguably more than it has ever been.

Their sound was even more powerful on classics such as “Too Hot to Handle,” “I’m A Loser,” “Pushed to the Limit,” “Lights Out” and the always guitar-solo entertaining “Rock Bottom,” all of which can be seen via ATM’s footage below.

The band even tossed in a tune Parker said is one of his favorites in “Venus” — not to be confused with the Bananarama pop classic — and of course the track that Iron Maiden blares across arenas and stadiums prior to taking the stage: “Doctor Doctor.”

Sparks and Adams feverishly played their guitars and pranced around the stage, while the 74-year-old Parker simply looks as if he could play the kit for another decade. Adams even found time to acknowledge that “Schenker is the G.O.A.T., I don’t care what anyone says” of the UFO legend who completed his own My Years with UFO visit last October at the Tobin Center (coverage here).

Boals, who also performed in town in 2014 with Dio Disciples, shared during the interview that his introduction to UFO came in 1978 when he climbed a fire escape in Youngstown, Ohio, and snuck into a show that ended up appearing on the Strangers in the Night deluxe edition. Boals shared the same anecdote with the audience, but added, “I’m going to pay Andy back right now,” turning toward the drummer and handing him his debt in front of a packed house of witnesses.

No, Lights Out isn’t your ordinary “tribute act.” Their pedigrees out-stack many original outfits that exist today and, at least with this lineup, would have little trouble filling places like the Aztec Theatre around the country on their own tour.

Hmmm, perhaps that will become a reality within the realm of the intergalactic metal-verse in 2027. Because those on hand at Fitzgerald’s would undoubtedly agree this unidentified flying object would be welcome to touch down in the Alamo City anytime it so desires.

“San Antonio is the heavy metal capital of the world,” Adams said. “We go back as far as you do, and this town fucking rocks!”

That sounds as good of a foreshadowing endorsement as any.

SETLIST: We Belong to the Night, Let It Roll, Natural Thing, Out in the Street, Only You Can Rock Me, Doctor Doctor, Mother Mary, This Kids, Love to Love, Too Hot to Handle, I’m A Loser, Cherry, Venus, Pushed to the Limit, Lights Out, Rock Bottom. ENCORE: Shoot Shoot

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Aeternal Starlight shines bright despite venue's dark cloud

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Aeternal Starlight shines bright despite venue's dark cloud

For more than a decade, Austin Zettner and Jyro Alejo have been at the forefront when it comes to spotlighting the talented crop of guitarists comprising the San Antonio metal scene not named Ron Jarzombek.

Zettner has had quite a journey as the one constant in Aeternal Requiem for more than 11 years as guitarist and vocalist of what once was a trio, then went through lineup changes, then dissolved from the scene before resurrecting earlier this year as a quartet.

Alejo, meanwhile, has dazzled audiences with his thrilling style and skill on the axe, shredding his way to performances alongside Tim “Ripper” Owens and at the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) convention while dedicating his craft throughout Jessikill’s tenure from 2012-23.

Alejo has a new group called Starlight, and they provided direct support to Aeternal Requiem this past Friday night at The Mix in a showcase of the 2026 versions of each of their musical undertakings.

The show, however, was supposed to feature four bands. And the cancellation of the other two didn’t come very lightly or for typical reasons.

Scars Of The Flesh and scheduled openers Arbiter took themselves off the bill earlier in the afternoon but unbeknownst to several in attendance until their scheduled set times went by without activity.

A visit to Scars Of The Flesh’s social media pages resulted in the band telling its fans: “So in light of situations that have arisen to the surface with the venue tonight, we must announce we are canceling (sp) our performance at The Mix tonight. We respect all parties involved but we must stand on the side of integrity. We will have some shows coming up here in town so catch us very soon! Duly noted: We love The Mix and the venue itself is a great place to play, once everything is settled and clear we would love the chance to return.”

Arbiter could not be reached for comment, but ATM was able to contact Scars Of The Flesh during what should’ve been the group’s performance time, and the band replied in kind: “As far as speaking for the cancellation of tonight, we are professionals through and through. We are not at liberty to speak of what caused said reason but to know we had to stand at the side of integrity since what was shared on social media from other parties regarding said venue. It’s too soon to know what’s happened so to be sure not to be associated in any way shape or form, we chose to bow out gracefully.”

ATM questioned two staffers at The Mix regarding the reasons for the cancellation, with one saying he “thought” it was over an Instagram post and the other saying twice, “I don’t know” before referring ATM once again to the first staffer.

Upon further digging, it was discovered that an alleged sexual assault had recently taken place in the back of the venue and that the Instagram post was reportedly the corresponding police report. According to a source, the alleged incident took place June 26 with the bar staff knowing about the activity, but that the incident allegedly was a false accusation between a boyfriend and girlfriend.

ATM asked Alejo why Starlight didn’t follow suit with the other bands not taking part. Citing the incomplete investigation, Alejo said, “We don’t ever like to cancel shows.”

So while the four bands were split on the proverbial “the show must go on,” that should’ve meant more stage time for the two bands that stayed and played. Instead, Starlight played a mere four songs in 23 minutes, while Aeternal Requiem’s headlining set was an all-too-brief 31 minutes.

But both bands made their time count.

Zettner not only has rebirthed Aeternal Requiem into a quartet of all-new players in bassist David Rey — a veteran of the local scene with other bands — guitarist Diego Quiroga and drummer Waldo Guardiola, but he has put his previous experience honing his craft and exploring other genres of metal while in Finland a few years back to various uses.

For example, Zettner has blended the band’s older material on albums such as Rise into newer tunes such as “Forlorn Hope” that put the focus on folk metal.

Nevertheless, ATM has covered Aeternal Requiem since 2015, and Friday’s show was Zettner’s most vicious to date.

Setting the tone early by telling a packed crowd, “I have a lot of pent-up energy to get out,” Zettner and the band tore into "Eternal My Soul” and “Invictus” while taking a chance on newer tracks such as “Chant Song” and “The Triumphant” (watch ATM footage of the latter two below).

Aeternal Requiem advanced out of the San Antonio Regional of the Wacken Metal Battle in February (coverage here) before falling short at the state final in March. But that has allowed the group more time to gel, write and rehearse, and Zettner appears to have Aeternal Requiem headed in a promising and longer-lasting direction when it comes to the city’s metal landscape.

Starlight in its own right, with vocalist / bassist Eric Blair, Alejo and drummer Riley Castillo have introduced San Antonio metalheads to their brand of power metal, and you can check them out below via ATM’s footage of “Night Rider” and “Cosmic Chaos.”

Starlight also has a couple of promotional videos out which, ironically, were mixed and mastered by Scars Of The Flesh guitarist Bryan Eckmermann.

In what was undoubtedly an atypical night of San Antonio live metal, here’s hoping both performing bands will continue to drop new music leading to more appearances.

But here’s much larger hoping that those involved in the aforementioned alleged activity can get things sorted out without any harm coming to any individuals. And that the bands who stood up for what they believed in, by sitting out, will be back on stage throwing down sooner than later.

AETERNAL REQUIEM SETLIST: Never to Return, Eternal My Soul, Chant Song, The Triumphant, Forlorn Hope, Invictus

STARLIGHT SETLIST: Starlight, Into the Night, Night Rider, Cosmic Chaos

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From Hardworking Heroine to Humbled Solo Artist: The Lynnwood King story

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From Hardworking Heroine to Humbled Solo Artist: The Lynnwood King story

For as dedicated and prideful as San Antonio’s heavy metal scene has been for five decades, you could probably bet the house that only a small handful of metalheads know the answer to this question:

Which band was:

a) a staple of the local scene for 17 years

b) played in front of the members of Motley Crue during the national finals, among 10,000 entrants, of a Guitar Center Cruefest contest at the Whisky-A-Go Go in Hollywood

c) is the only artist — local or national — to have played every River City Rockfest (2013-18)?

Who are The Heroine, Alex?

Ding ding ding ding ding!

From pool halls and dive bars to the main stage of the AT&T Center, The Heroine was arguably the most energetic, most rocking and most tireless band the local scene had to offer.

And it wasn’t even close.

Living up to his song “Hardworking Man,” vocalist Lynnwood King was at the front of it all on stage and off. Joined by bassist Wes “Ghulie” Vargulish, drummer Johnny Lightning, lead guitarist Derek “Dibby Disaster” and rhythm guitarist Jorge “The Kidd” Luevano, The Heroine dropped Playing for Keeps in 2007. Songs such as “Texas Star,” “Night Rocker” and “Ballad of Lenny King” (which wasn’t a ballad) introduced San Antonians to a microphone slinging wild man fueled by his passion for the Christian inspired music he helped create and the bandmates that collectively threw down during every show no matter how large or small their audience.

They entered a Guitar Center contest to see which band would open for Motley Crue in 2008 during the inaugural Cruefest, which included a stop at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater. Advancing to the final six bands, The Heroine traveled to Hollywood and had one shot at attempting to impress Motley’s members.

Drummer Tommy Lee was sold, saying, “This band kicks ass!” Alas, The Heroine came this close, falling short to The Last Vegas.

But it wasn’t all for naught for The Heroine.

In addition to the experience the band gained, it earned endorsement deals with Gibson Guitars and Ernie Ball plus a collaboration with Best Buy to have their CDs sold in one of the biggest electronic and entertainment stores the nation had at that time.

King had another project on the side called Lynnwood King & The Revival which occasionally doubled up with The Heroine at the River City Rockfest. The Revival was more blues and gospel oriented with a horn section and female church choir backup vocalists complementing King’s acoustic guitar.

Despite a couple of lead guitarist changes along the way, with David Arias Jr. replacing Dibby Disaster and Joey Villalobos taking over for Luevano, The Heroine was going strong for many years, releasing Out for Blood in 2022. They’d occasionally land a small headlining tour that would see them traveling in a van across the country, but they were never quite able to land The Big One.

Once Covid took over, things began to change for The Heroine.

Sitting in that same van last Saturday after performing a three-hour afternoon set with two breaks as a now quartet version of Lynnwood King & The Revival, King laid it all out exclusively to Alamo True Metal.

“It’s been a good but challenging road,” King said.

Accompanied by his cousin Tito on drums, guitarist Maclovio Perez III and bassist Dmitri, King and The Revival played a mixture of covers and originals during the Chopper and Vintage Bike Show at Caliente Harley-Davidson on the city’s northwest side.

“I could tour the rest of my life playing in front of 50 people a night, and I’d be happy,” King said. “I just love it. But when everyone doesn’t feel that way . . .”

That’s about how many witnessed The Revival’s performance at the bike show, an audience that included King’s mother and 95-year-old grandmother.

Without a whole lot of fanfare, The Heroine decided to call it quits in 2024. Rather, King uses the phrase “rebranded.” For example, the Playing for Keeps album cover on your streaming devices now looks like this.

Naturally, the decision wasn’t exactly one of the happiest moments in the band’s history.

“I’m proud of what we accomplished,” King said. “And I miss Johnny, I miss Wes, I miss David. I even miss Jorge and Derek, man. I miss all those guys. But on the 1st of January, I typed up this long letter, and I texted it to them. I would’ve had a meeting. Laid it all out: this is what I want to do, and if you want to come with me, I want you to come with me. Everyone was just like, ‘No problem.’ We’ve all worked hard, but they also know the financial investment I have in this.

“They offered to do a show where we could try and raise money and pay me back, but I didn’t want to do a benefit show. I want to build what we have and keep doing what we do. I was content. I love to play. I have enough money. I’m blessed. I have several companies that have done well for me. My music: I’m not making a killing, but I’m making enough.”

King and the band were active on social media doing whatever they could to promote shows locally and whenever they’d go on tour. But then that was taken away from them.

“Social media banned the band’s name,” he said. “We can’t say or promote The Heroine on Facebook, Instagram or TikTok. They flag it as the drug. Literally. We were restricted. We lost all our accounts. TikTok wouldn’t let us be searchable. If I talked about The Heroine, it would restrict me for days. AI just killed us.”

Wonder how Wonder Woman feels about “Heroine” vs. “Heroin.”

“In this day and age, you have to have a social media presence,” King continued. “Do reels and engage with your audience. And we couldn’t do that, man, and that was such a frustration. I brought it up to the band: ‘Hey, maybe we should change the name. Let’s try to relaunch,’ and everyone was against it. We’re stuck. And there’s no way out of it. And I’m losing money every month.”

King cites three turning points along the way when he could feel things going south, starting with the Chancla Fest in April 2023 at Alamo Beer Company, an all-day event that featured 20 local bands headlined by Upon A Burning Body (coverage here).

Promoted by Joe Cordero as the first of its kind with aspirations to hold it annually at Boeing Center at Tech Port and eventually the Alamodome, those hopes never materialized.

Nearly, as well, did The Heroine’s paycheck.

“We had agreed to do the Chancla Fest (but) I’m used to dealing with contracts,” King said. “When you do a big event, you lock in a contract. Everyone signs it. You get a deposit. That was kind of a weird thing. I had just lost my social media and couldn’t communicate on Instagram, but the promoter was communicating with all the bands on Instagram. Then he started messaging everyone: ‘I’m not paying everyone. Only the headliners are going to get paid.’ And they moved us from being direct support to Upon A Burning Body to playing at 3 in the afternoon, super hot. Then I called and said, ‘Hey dude, you’ve gotta keep your guarantee.’ And so he agreed to keep it and was like, ‘Don’t just tell no one that I paid y’all.’ It was super humbling. Nothing against the guy, but there’s a certain level of professionalism everyone expects.”

Despite the awkwardness of going from a promised direct support slot to wondering what their audience was going to be like at the Chancla Fest, things appeared to be moving forward shortly thereafter.

“I always thought the band was amazing, and every show we played was good,” King said. “We were signed to Atomic Music Group. They were going to put us on some super awesome tours, and we kept telling them — there was always someone who couldn’t do something. Our agent called one time and said, ‘Hey, The Supersuckers need someone to jump on their tour from Chicago through the Midwest and ends in Austin. I need you all to be there on Monday.’ And I was like, ‘I’m down. I can do it.’

“I called all the band, and some of them didn’t have a very good attitude about it: ‘The Supersuckers? They don’t even draw.’ This is our booking agent from Atomic Music Group, who’s really taking a chance on us. We weren’t a big draw.”

King shakes his head in reflection regarding the second moment.

“We did a tour after that, and it was just brutal. Headlining tour. San Antonio to Seattle and back. It was a good route, but Covid kind of changed the landscape. The first two dates were just brutal. We got guarantees, so they’ve gotta pay us, but it was like, ‘No one’s here.’ I bought this van for us to tour in. We had just freakin’ got our deal with Atomic, and (claps his hands twice): upgrade! I got this van, and this is our first tour, and we all have our beds. But we were losing money.

“And finally, we get to Portland, and we have a good base out there and a killer show. But then me and Joey — Joey was already checked out. I was throwing my mic stand around, doing my thing, and Joey was like, “Watch out, man! You almost hit me!” He was like, “Stay on your side of the stage,” and he started getting upset. I’d never seen an attitude (like that). He was frustrated. We all were. When you have a family and you’re not making money on tour, and you’re playing all these dates. You’re like, ‘I can’t send my wife money, and we’ve got kids.’ So that was kind of a buildup.

“Johnny said, ‘I don’t want him in the band anymore.’ David was like, ‘Meh’ and that night came to a head. I let him know, ‘Joey, man, I’m gonna have to drop you off at the airport, Bro.’ I’ve fired guys before, but . . .”

Asked if and when he knew his final show as frontman of The Heroine was going to be, King went back to the June 7, 2024, Summer Fest at Stable Hall at the Pearl Brewery as the third turning point. It was a headlining bill with support from The Recasts, Grupo Tan Tan, Becoming Sons and Rebel Angels.

“It’s fun when you’re headlining and you’ve got all this buzz around the band,” King said. “But when it’s not there, and you’re not getting the attention or validation, I think it just demoralizes people. I don’t know how well they promoted it. We didn’t promote it very well. But that night, I knew that was my last show with The Heroine. But we had just done a photo shoot. I was losing weight. We were getting ready for stuff to relaunch.

“But when we got to that show — the band did great. But I just felt like there was no turnout, and I was just wondering what was going on. I was discouraged. We played the show.

“We probably didn’t talk to each other for a few months (afterwards), and we didn’t play any shows. I just started working on myself, music, trying to write. And then December, when 2025 was coming, I was thinking, ‘We have to make a change.’ “

Which brings us to 2026 and the rebranded version of Lynnwood King & The Revival. Last weekend’s performance also saw the band unknowingly have the added duty of judging the bike contest in between their sets (see 43-photo gallery and watch them in action below via a cover of The Doors’ “Gloria” plus original track “Let It Fall Down”).

Indicative of the times for King, he played “Let It Fall Down” twice, doing it a second instance because “no one was really here” the first time.

The gig also marked Perez’s final performance with the band. Perez, whose father is a TV weatherman in Corpus Christi, is preparing to move to Miami to work for Gibson Guitars.

But where one door closes, another may be opening. And it’s from King’s immediate past.

“David has agreed to start rehearsing, and he’s going to play a couple shows with me,” King said of Arias Jr. “I’m so excited. My mind’s already: if David comes in . . . “

Then King pumped the brakes.

“David’s not committed. He just says, ‘I’m gonna jam with you all.’ And I’m gonna pay him. He’s not a business partner anymore. He’s a hired gun.”

“And he ain’t cheap,” King added laughing. “Don’t tell those other guys. And he deserves it. They all get their publishing still. They all get their share.”

King, Lightning and Luevano were all contractors in their non-music time. Vargulish is an aviation technician, and Arias Jr. is a psychology therapist. Eventually, their day jobs consistently paid more than their musical passion — another factor that helped do The Heroine in.

“Wes and I talk a lot. Wes was very hurt,” King said of Vargulish. “But he understood. But he was more hurt that the guys let it get to that point. Wes and I were always telling the guys, ‘Man, we’ve got to work harder. We’ve got to play more, we’ve got to stay tight.’ But when Covid hit, everyone stopped playing music and (started) focusing on their business. They were doing contract work. Me and Wes were like, ‘My work is going to play.’ But when you make money outside of music and the money’s better, music becomes a hobby. It may have gotten to that point with some of the guys, and I understand. But I don’t want to play part time.

“When I made the decision to kinda rebrand The Heroine to Lynnwood King & The Revival, that was a hard decision because everything was The Heroine,” King said. “The only reason I did The Revival was because The Heroine wasn’t playing enough, and I wanted to play. In The Heroine, we’re like business partners. We won and we lost together. Since I rebranded to Lynnwood King & The Revival, that brought all the content with me. I let them know . . . and everyone was cool with that. They’d already felt like . . . they were tired. They’re still playing, but being in a band is more than just playing shows.

“Especially in this day and age with technology, you have to be playing shows. And doing content. And messaging your crowd, the audience, every day. You gotta be consistent with that. And it’s hard for a band to do that.

“I like it when you’re business partners. But the problem with that model is, one guy decides not to show up, you can’t play. One guy decides he doesn’t want to do a tour, you can’t do the tour. One guy decides he wants to take a year off or decides he’s going to get wasted drunk. That’s the problem with that. Right now, thank God I have a lot of people around me that I can ask to fill in, and they’re very proficient and good players. But there’s no promoting. With The Heroine, everyone was talking about it, sharing posts, collectively working together whereas now, it’s just me. Right now where I’m at, as long as I get paid enough money to pay everybody, I’m good. And if you don’t show up, that means I make more money. They’re both good. I miss the guys, but I definitely feel like I have more control over my life.”

While Arias Jr. is getting ready to reunite with King on stage, Lightning continues to play drums for Thunder Horse, which took part in the two-day Ram Jam last month in Windcrest, and his wife recently gave birth to their second child.

Vargulish is putting together a Christian oriented band called Enoch Flesh with Chris Gamez on guitar and longstanding San Antonio and former Wednesday 13 drummer Jason West. They’re looking for a hardcore styled vocalist male or female.

“What’s done is done. We had our moment in the sun, and circumstances beyond our control, pandemic lockdowns, ultimately was the undoing of it all,” Vargulish said when contacted by Alamo True Metal. “I have no regrets, we did a lot of cool things, and now I am trying to get my band off of the ground.”

So while each member of The Heroine is moving on in his own way, King is doing what he’s always been known to do: be a “Hardworking Man.”

“I can’t tell you, Jay, how many times I’ve sang that song and cried,” King said. “Cried, literally, on stage with my bandmates, crying, singing that song. Because that is the energy we should always bring. And I still want to bring that. Because I’m so passionate about this, and I love it. And when someone loses that, when you lose that fire, you can tell. So, don’t lose that fire.

“This is my whole life. I’ve got thousands of dollars invested in the music of The Heroine. And our last tour, thousands in repairs and fixes. I got to the point where if we’re not playing a lot, man — I can’t just not play. That’s when I started gigging with The Revival. I started live streaming, figuring out how to stay afloat.

“I’m a solo artist now. The difference is now, I have to make sure everyone gets paid. If you’re going to play with me, I’m going to pay you. Everyone. I’ve gotta have my P.A. system. I gotta pay my soundman. ‘Cause, it’s my name. (In) The Heroine, everyone gave. We went tours without getting paid. We struggled together. And we had success together because we were in it. We were partners.

“I don’t want my bandmates to feel like I betrayed them, that we broke up. But we did break up because we’re not playing together anymore. They’re my best friends. I would love to play with them again.

“But I also have to understand that I gotta move on and try and keep growing. To keep playing. I can’t throw those songs away.”

 

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Higher power provides Stryper's salvation more than ever four decades later

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Higher power provides Stryper's salvation more than ever four decades later

Among the Hollywood Strip’s plethora of mid-80’s bands that were shouting at the devil, breaking the chains and dancing undercover came a quartet that defied the norm. And not just because they were wearing yellow and black costumes to go with their big hair and spandex.

Stryper’s message and not-exactly-subtle tone in lyrics touting the power of the almighty went against the grain of what everyone else was playing — and what metalheads around the nation were hearing — and 42 years later could make an argument as one of the biggest gambles in heavy metal history.

Not only did it pay off in a huge way for the original lineup of vocalist / guitarist Michael Sweet, drummer Robert Sweet, guitarist Oz Fox and bassist Timothy Gaines, but Stryper has outlasted many of its contemporaries while reaching the big time that other Christian-laden artists such as Barren Cross and Bloodgood had hoped to achieve.

Stryper is more than still going strong. But in the midst of 15 studio albums and all of the Holy Bibles tossed out at each show has appeared a stark realization:

Stryper’s faith within the band has never hit home — or been tested — more than in the past 4-5 years.

Michael Sweet has battled retinal detachments requiring multiple surgeries on both eyes and thyroid cancer. Fox has endured seizures leading to multiple brain surgeries.

Think about that for a minute, folks. We’re not talking a case of the sniffles here.

So the fact both continue to play music is a testament not just to their will and perseverance but, well, to the New Testament itself.

Sunday night was a prime example as Stryper returned to the Aztec Theatre with a 17-song, 81-minute headlining set with Guatemalan guitarist Hedras Ramos and his instrumental trio Hedras in tow before a crowd of 800, according to a venue staffer.

Donning a pair of sunglasses, Michael Sweet did not bring up the band’s maladies or ask for any type of sympathy.

He and his mates simply came to rock.

And rock they did, taking to the stage with a trio of classics from their 40-year-old seminal album To Hell with the Devil: traditional opener “Sing-Along Song” and Dial-MTV hits “Calling on You” and “Free.”

During Stryper’s previous visit to the Aztec in 2024, they played two sets, splitting between the classic era and the modern variety that is about to see their seventh album in the past 13 years drop Sept. 25 with Throne of Thorns.

This time, Michael Sweet simply told the crowd, “I miss the ‘80s. We’re here to celebrate the ‘80s with you.” Despite mentioning the upcoming record and the fact the title track has already been released as a single and video, the band opted not to play it.

Instead, the trip down Memory Lane was mostly comprised of tracks from 1985’s Soldiers Under Command, half of To Hell with the Devil and one each from 1984’s The Yellow and Black Attack, 1988’s In God We Trust and 1990’s Against the Law (setlist in 43-photo gallery; no professional video was allowed).

Stryper gave the Aztec tastes of the newer era on “Divider” and the title track to 2024’s When We Were Kings. And though there were no surprises with the classics that included the regularly played “More Than A Man,” “Surrender” and “The Rock That Makes Me Roll,” the unexpected came in the form of what the band did not play.

A single ballad.

If anyone wanted to hear something soft on this night, they could’ve gone around the corner to the Majestic Theatre to catch Air Supply. That meant no hint of the song Michael Sweet said on 2003 live album 7 Weeks: Live in America “took us out of clubs and put us into arenas.”

That would be “Honestly.” Stryper deserves credit for keeping the entire show rocking without any perceived sappiness. Or it simply could’ve been a matter of not having packed a piano for the tour. So credit them again for not using backing tracks — when a vocalist overcoming the threat of never being able to sing again would’ve had every reason to.

Stryper did throw in a bit of a curveball at one point by harkening back to their 2011 covers album The Covering.

“We grew up listening to Scorpions, Priest and Maiden,” Michael Sweet said in part. “People told us, ‘You shouldn’t be listening to that stuff.’ They thought all we listened to were Christian bands, but we didn’t know a lot of Christian bands other than us. If we didn’t listen to it, we wouldn’t be here on stage.”

And with that, Stryper ripped into Judas Priest’s “Breaking the Law.” Sweet saved attempts at high-octane screams for the song’s end, showing he’s still got it and resulting in extra enthusiastic applause and roars from the crowd after not utilizing the high range on some of the original songs, including the previous tune, the title track to 2013’s No More Hell to Pay.

Hedras, meanwhile, had the oft-difficult task of warming up the headliner’s fans with a completely non-lyrical set. The trio featured the band’s namesake on lead guitar, and he instantly dazzled on a slew of tracks showcasing the skill that had him play alongside Steve Vai and Mr. Big’s Paul Gilbert.

Joining Ramos were Dallas resident Robert Trusko on bass and drummer David Salazar. Trusko, a native of Philadelphia, earned his Master’s degree at the University of North Texas in Music Composition. Salazar was a menace on the drums, so it was an eyebrow raiser when Ramos told the audience that Salazar was “playing this music for the first time.”

Hedras’ latest album Front Line dropped last October, and you can get your hands on some of their material here.

Anytime Stryper visits the Alamo City, it’s a full-circle moment. Touting “this is where it all began” as far as Stryper having played Texas on its first tour, Michael Sweet was perplexed at the high number of fans who indicated they were seeing Stryper live for the first time.

Pointing out one young person, Sweet said, “Well, you have an excuse. You weren’t even born yet. But for the others, what’s your excuse? Why’d you wait 42 years?’

It was a lighthearted moment the Sweet brothers, Fox and bassist Perry Richardson know all too well could end at any given time.

So when it comes to not taking life for granted?

That may be Stryper’s greatest gift and message of them all.

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No cons just pure rock for gathering of area artists

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No cons just pure rock for gathering of area artists

If comic book nerds and movie aficionados can have their con(vention) days, why can’t local metal bands?

So was the logic of Fitzgerald’s and its staff during the San Antonio bar’s inaugural Rock-A-Con on Saturday night.

And there wasn’t a cover song in sight.

The brainchild of Fitzgerald’s owner Sharon Perkins and her S.A.A.O.M.T. (San Antonio All Original Musical Talent) showcase that frequently spotlights just what it implies, Saturday’s one-day conventional gathering featured seven local and/or area artists of various styles.

Beginning at 4 p.m. and lasting till the final note just after 12:15 a.m. by The Broken Page, the event enabled the artists to show up as early as they wanted but not just hawk their merch tables. It allowed them to take time to get (re)acquainted, network and support one another through checking out each other’s sets and exchanging info if so desired.

But the real winners were those who attended and checked out each artist. Seeing other non-performing artists support the scene as they frequently do, such as Even In Death vocalist Sean Nations and former The Taking vocalist Alan Lozano and The Taking drummer Daniel Ross, was also a highlight and an indication of what the night was all about.

Kicking off at 5:30 p.m. with Rufus Rufasu’s High Stakes and followed by locals Dark Sky Ordinance then Pavilion, those three groups warmed things up with brief but rockin’ 20-minute sets. Although the changeovers between the three bands were 40 minutes (that’s twice as long as their sets for you non-math majors), each group made the most of its allotted time and can be checked out below via ATM’s exclusive footage.

Following Kerrville natives Pavilion playing their first show in San Antonio, the four featured acts ensued with 45-minute sets that included more aesthetically pleasing 15-20 minute intermissions.

The first of the four was The Night Miles, a local supergroup of sorts consisting of members of Van Cronk, Napoleon Machine Gun, Bone China and The Maplehelm that quickly exhibited a separation of the men from the boys.

The energy then shifted in a big way with Nikoli and local favorites Rebel Angels.

Nikoli formed in 2021 in Las Vegas but is now splitting its homebase in San Antonio. The quartet fronted by RB Arredondo is getting close to releasing its full-length debut The Outcome and showcased nine of the 10 tracks on the album before time cut short the live version of “I Won’t Bleed Again,” the studio version of which features Lita Ford guitarist/vocalist and San Antonio native Patrick Kennison, whose own band Heaven Below returns to Fitzgerald’s on Aug. 28 with Nikoli in tow.

Wanna bet the house they’ll jam together on that one next month?

To tide you over, take in Nikoli’s high-octane performances of “Heist” and “Rising from the Dead” below.

Rebel Angels, meanwhile, has been making its mark throughout the city since 2022, releasing a plethora of rockin’ singles along the way.

Mauricio Adan has been atop the local scene’s collection of heavy metal and hard rock vocalists for nearly two decades whether you’ve heard or seen him in other all-original outfits such as Down Generation, sharing the stage with the late Manowar co-founder and guitarist Ross “The Boss” Friedman in 2013 as part of the Manowar tribute Blood Of My Enemies or in tribute acts devoted to Bon Jovi, Def Leppard and other cover outfits.

Watch Adan, guitarist Gabe Jimenez, bassist Stan Martinez and drummer Bob Rulez below via ATM footage of “Sucka for You” and “High as a Devil.”

The night ended with The Broken Page showcasing its own brand of metal. Frontwoman Ali was the only female musician on stage among the seven artists and she, along with members of her band, Nikoli and Dark Sky Ordinance deserve a special shout-out for being at the Rock-A-Con from beginning to end.

Watch the alums of the 2023 Chancla Fest below on “I Lie.”

For a city and music scene that leans heavily on cover and tribute bands, the S.A.A.O.M.T. is a breath of fresh air for those who appreciate local musicians creating their own form of expression in the hope of taking their group to new heights that’ll help put San Antonio back on the national map with the likes of Nothing More and Upon A Burning Body.

Sure, the overwhelming majority of those taking in the music were friends, wives and family of those on stage. But as is the case with each of the artists on hand, the Rock-A-Con has now officially had its own starting point. And there’s only room for growth — and more Texas-styled Rock N’ Roll — from here.

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Boston bad boys lay the Godsmack down Texas style on 'The Rise of Rock' tour

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Boston bad boys lay the Godsmack down Texas style on 'The Rise of Rock' tour

AUSTIN — As with many concert packages, “The Rise of Rock” tour provided a chance for headliners Godsmack to do what headliners do: showcase their career-spanning catalog and add another notch to the legacy they’ve spent decades cultivating.

It also provided opening act Dorothy to do what most openers do: play to a new audience that is mostly discovering their music and utilize their short time on stage to maximize said crowd’s interest in hopefully becoming more permanent fans based on their live performance.

For Dorothy Martin and her band: mission accomplished.

For Godsmack frontman Sully Erna, this past Friday night’s gig at a steamy and completely uncovered Germania Insurance Amphitheater was much more.

It was a lesson in pure musical artistry. A demonstration in just how multi-talented and multi-instrumental he is. And a revealing picture of how wide-ranging he and original bassist Robbie Merrill, who have rocked together for 31 years, can make various segments of their live spectacles.

Godsmack isn’t touring necessarily in support of eighth album Lighting Up the Sky anymore given that it came out in 2023 and that the band dropped Live At the Mohegan Sun a mere 29 days before rocking Austin. In fact, Erna hosted a Q&A and livestream listening party for the live album on the Internet the night before.

And after 28 years’ worth of making albums and live DVDs, Erna and Merrill certainly shouldn’t have anything to prove musically. For the remainder of their careers, it should be strictly about continuing to entertain their fans the way they want to.

But after original bandmates Tony Rombola (guitars) and Shannon Larkin (drums) mutually parted from the band because they did not want to tour anymore, Erna had no choice but to refer to their (touring, at least, if not permanent) replacements as a “new era” of Godsmack.

So yes, fans are wondering if Godsmack’s “still got it.”

Enter drummer Wade Murff and guitarist Sam Koltun, the latter formerly of Faster Pussycat and, ironically: Dorothy’s band.

Erna even recently hinted that the latest studio album may no longer be Godsmack’s final one despite initially stating the band had enough material to carry its live shows from here to retirement — whenever that may be.

However, this new era seems to have provided a change of heart, perhaps even a new fire, within Erna and Merrill.

As far as Friday night was concerned, Godsmack delivered the goods as they have since 1998.

Playing more guitar than usual, Erna cranked out his lyrics with his unique voice on opener “When Legends Rise” and newer tracks “You & I” and “Surrender.” Naturally, the staples from the debut self-titled album were there too on “Keep Away,” “Voodoo” and “Whatever.”

Erna even shared an anecdote about how a beat-up and taped-together guitar he purchased at a pawn shop was “responsible for” writing the first album before firing up the nearly sold-out crowd to help them “rewind it back to 1998” leading into “Keep Away” that included a jam of Pantera’s “Walk.”

For “Whatever,” Erna pulled a page out of Five Finger Death Punch’s playbook by inviting 10 youths on stage. Ranging from a 5-year-old boy and his 11-year-old sister to teenagers, the final child in line was a middle school-aged boy wearing a Spurs T-shirt on the eve of Game 7 of the Western Conference finals who tried to sneak in a selfie with Koltun as Erna was trying to get the kids lined up.

Erna cracked, “Hey, we’re trying to do a show here,” to which the boy responded with a “My bad” thump of his chest.

Godsmack’s set that went from 9:15-10:54 p.m. continued to feature a personal favorite section: the Batalla de los Tambores as Erna and Murff did their drum battle.

The frontman has always been entertaining in all aspects live, but to see him play drums and bongos when he’s not the band’s regular drummer is a sight to behold. The group’s customary riffs to “Back in Black,” “Walk This Way,” “Tom Sawyer” and “Enter Sandman” dotted the battle, and Erna punctuated it by going 4 for 4 on his stick tosses, even catching the final one above his head while standing. Murff, meanwhile, dropped two of his.

But who’s counting?

Murff rocked the kit throughout the set, and Koltun shredded through tracks that included “Straight Out of Line,” “Love-Hate-Sex-Pain” and the always energetic “Cryin’ Like A Bitch.”

But just as fun as the kids’ segment was, the following part of the show proved to be the most serious and riveting.

The lights went down, and Erna took a seat for his fourth instrument of the night, performing 2018 hit “Under Your Scars” on a piano emblazoned with scarsfoundation.org on its side.

Halfway through the tune, Erna asked the audience to get in touch with suicide prevention and mental health awareness, saying in part, “I don’t need your money. I’m tired of losing people important to me” while naming Chris Cornell, Chester Bennington, Dimebag “Fucking” Darrell and Eddie “Fucking” Van Halen.

An emotional sing-along transpired in the dark as fans remembered musicians and their personal loved ones lost before Erna declared, “We don’t need this production. Austin, light it up!”

The four-song encore also included a cover of The Beatles’ “Come Together” before Godsmack brought up Austin native and MLB Network’s Kevin Millar, a World Series champion from the group’s beloved Boston Red Sox, during traditional finale “I Stand Alone.”

Although Godsmack left a few hits off the table such as crowd-pleaser “Speak,” “1000hp,” “Greed” and “The Enemy,” and though none of the artists used pyro at an amphitheater that’s been known to do so even during 100-degree August nights, Godsmack fulfilled the wishes of those who have been dedicated to them since the late ‘90s and who never tire of seeing them live.

So for anyone wondering if the lineup changes would cause the band to lose a step? No professional video footage was allowed, so you’ll just have to go see the band yourself — or take ATM’s word for it that nothing could be further from the truth.

Martin, meanwhile, jump started the Texas hot 7 p.m. show with a rockin’ 38-minute set that showcased her soaring vocals and the band’s musicianship, particularly on “The Devil I Know” and “Rest In Peace.”

Backed by energetic guitarist Nick Perri, drummer Jake Hayden and bassist Eliot Lorango, the frontwoman is touring in support of fourth album The Way, which dropped in 2024.

Martin told Apple Music the effort was influenced by her time in rehab over the Covid-19 period, during which she became a person of faith.

“It’s very much tied to my recovery journey — doing a 12-step program and believing in a higher power,” she said.

Martin, whose band played the Fiesta Oyster Bake in April at St. Mary’s University with Drowning Pool and headliners Candlebox, and Erna recently went public with their newfound relationship, so the musical pairing on tour more than made sense.

Love may have been in the air behind the scenes. But for one steamy night in Austin, it was all about the rise of Rock N’ Roll.

And laying the smack down, Texas style.

Godsmack setlist: When Legends Rise, You & I, Cryin’ Like A Bitch, Straight Out of Line, Awake, Surrender, Keep Away (with “Walk” jam session), Love-Hate-Sex-Pain, Voodoo, Batalla de los Tambores, Whatever. Encores: Under Your Scars, Come Together, Bulletproof, I Stand Alone

Note: Stone Temple Pilots was the middle band on “The Rise of Rock” tour and played a 57-minute set but did not grant ATM permission to cover it. No explanation was given.

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Monstrous Alamo City return for German power metal giants Helloween

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Monstrous Alamo City return for German power metal giants Helloween

When Helloween embarked on its Keeper of the Seven Keys journey in 1987 — and as a German power metal quintet force in 1985 that would storm the globe with its double bass drum fury — San Antonians had no idea their part of the world would experience two significant gaps between visits.

One: Helloween’s most recent stop was 2003 at a half-filled White Rabbit, ironically, on the Rabbit Don’t Come Easy tour

Two: the last time the band played here with vocalist Michael Kiske and guitarist / vocalist Kai Hansen was on the 1989 Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part II trek.

Or to put it another way: 1989 saw Helloween touring in support of its third album, and 2003 was its 10th.

In the minds of San Antonians, 23 and 37 years ago may as well have equaled a trip around the moon.

But that all rectified itself Wednesday night at the Aztec Theatre as the pumpkins — who united in 2018 by bringing Kiske and Hansen back with original bassist Markus Grosskopf and original guitarist Michael Weikath, vocalist (and Kiske replacement) Andi Deris, guitarist Sascha Gerstner and drummer Dani Loble — celebrated their 40th anniversary on the second night of a 16-show North American jaunt coinciding with their 17th album Giants & Monsters.

Although the seven keys locked up the seven seas, perhaps the band realized it needed a united septuplet pumpkin front to be the gatekeepers of power metal. Lineup changes, ill will and egos were put aside eight years ago, and at the Aztec, another set of keys may as well have been on display: friendship, hope, togetherness, happiness, redemption, forgiveness and success resulted in a blistering and entertaining 2-hour, 15-minute showing that more than made up for the distant memories of prior visits.

But this wasn’t just any return.

Helloween’s triumphant resurrection in 2018 only saw six U.S. shows in five cities, none of them in Texas. Their comeback self-titled 2021 album brought them closer geographically as they played in Dallas, which is also where the 40th anniversary tour kicked off Tuesday.

A chance meeting with Hansen by the River Walk several hours before Wednesday’s show resulted in the original vocalist from 1985 debut album Walls of Jericho admitting he couldn’t remember his previous San Antonio stop but that “It’s been a while.”

That made the fact Kiske and Deris quickly reminded their Dallas audience of their 2023 visit but didn’t attempt to banter with the Aztec’s patrons as to just how overdue and welcome this occasion was a bit shocking. Also understandable given that the 2003 gig didn’t feature the band as we know it today.

Taking the stage after all of the album covers passed through time on the big screen, and with the help of the reaper introducing several songs, Helloween unleashed absolute power and fury in an unforgettable night.

Having played 2 hours and 40 minutes on the 2018 tour without a support act (ATM coverage here), Helloween this time brought along Finnish friends Beast In Black.

The beasts had planned to release their fourth album late in 2025. Instead, they collaborated with gaming company Blizzard Entertainment to celebrate the Diablo IV and Berserk crossovers tying into the game’s eighth season Belial’s Return, punctuated by their standalone soundtrack single “Enter the Behelit” (ATM footage below).

As a result, the quintet was without founder and guitarist Anton Kabanen, who’s sitting out the tour to finish writing the forthcoming album. Nevertheless, vocalist Yannis Papadopoulos, bassist Mate Molnar, drummer Atte Palokangas and touring guitarist Daniel Freyberg (ex-Children Of Bodom filling in for the recently departed Kasperi Heikkinen) squeezed in 10 powerful tracks in a 50-minute set (see setlist in 84-photo gallery). See more ATM footage below of “Die by the Blade.”

In addition to being able to hear and watch Helloween span most of its catalog live once again at last, the best component of the band’s resurgence is watching Kiske sing with Deris on songs the latter recorded solely when he replaced the former beginning with 1994’s Master of the Rings.

When ATM interviewed Kiske by phone in 2012 during his Unisonic days, the vocalist confessed he had not listened to any Helloween music that didn’t include him. Fast forward to 2018, and the fact the two singers have become best friends and thoroughly enjoy performing together on stage regardless of who originated the music is a godsend and proof egos can be put aside to make one’s lives healthier and more prosperous.

Whether they’re going back and forth on classics such as “Halloween” or acoustically before being joined electrically by the band on 1987 ballad “A Tale That Wasn’t Right” (ATM footage below), the singers’ joint efforts and enthusiasm were sights to behold that other bands with storied singer histories would never attempt (imagine Judas Priest’s, Motley Crue’s or Van Halen’s multiple vocalists trying to co-exist).

Kiske’s and Deris’ humor also came to the forefront when they began out-of-the-vault track “In the Middle of a Heartbeat.” With Kiske playing acoustic guitar to Deris’ vocals, Deris joked that Kiske “really fucked it up” in Dallas the night before. Deris then asked fans up front if there were any witnesses to that moment, and when he found a couple, Deris added with a smile, “I’m not making this up, right?”

The ‘80s Keeper material is always at the forefront of Helloween shows such as opener “March of Time”, “Future World,” “Halloween,” and “Dr. Stein” (setlist in photo gallery). But that’s only half the enjoyment.

The surprise inclusion of 14-minute track “King for a 1000 Years” from 2005’s Keeper of the Seven Keys: The Legacy, which marked Loble’s first album with the group (ATM interview here), was a bombastic second tune even though the band shortened it by nearly four minutes to fit in as much as possible for the show’s duration.

Loble’s four bass drums took center stage during a crowd-infused drum solo and on the new album’s first single “Universe” (ATM footage below). Not to be outdone was the return of Part 1’s “Twilight of the Gods,” which had a certain audience member flirting with vocal loss a mere six songs in.

Helloween also marked its long-awaited return by breaking out Deris-era favorites “Hell Was Made in Heaven” and “Power” and dusting off “We Burn” and “Hey Lord” (ATM footage of the latter below).

Hansen, Weikath, Grosskopf and Gerstner yukked it up on stage while filling both levels of the 1,093-clad Aztec (according to a staffer) with killer riffs. Hansen also harked back to his first-album lead-vocal and guitar duties on “Ride the Sky” and “Heavy Metal is the Law” (ATM footage of the latter below).

Fortunately, the entire 13-minute rendition of 1987 MTV hit “Halloween,” the track that got American fans hooked on the band due to “Headbanger’s Ball” was included after the band skipped it altogether on the previous tour.

A bright orange “40” appeared on the screens with the zero morphing into a sinister pumpkin during the “Invitation” intro to “Eagle Fly Free,” another moment that confirmed the shot vocals of most diehards, before Helloween ended with a brief reprise of the 13-minute “Keeper of the Seven Keys” opus.

But make no mistake. It will not take 23 years for voices to recover. In fact, a trip to Las Vegas for the tour finale May 2 is already in order. Because a night like Wednesday’s bears repeat witnessing.

And that is the best trick o’ treat of them all.

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Hell's Heroes VIII: Best of the Rest (Day 2)

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Hell's Heroes VIII: Best of the Rest (Day 2)

HOUSTON — For those who attend multi-day festivals, a game within the game is often selecting which day had the best bands and performances.

To those who attend for the experience and to see more artists than you can count on both hands, well, that may be like choosing your favorite child.

Hell’s Heroes VIII dowtown at White Oak Music Hall from March 18-21 provided difficult decisions indeed. First there was the Wednesday night pre-party. Then the official first day included Helstar’s Houston homecoming (coverage here), Jag Panzer playing its 1984 debut album Ample Destruction (coverage here), headliner Doro “The Queen of Metal” Pesch performing mostly Warlock tracks (coverage here) and the likes of original W.A.S.P. guitarist Chris Holmes, 3 Inches Of Blood making their first Texas appearance in a decade, Swedish black metallers Hellbutcher playing their first American gig ever and Leather Leone and her band unleashing ‘80s tunes from Chastain (coverage of all here).

And while life got in the way of ATM being able to attend the third and final day that featured Blood Fire Death’s tribute to Bathory plus Enslaved, Tankard and Virgin Steele, Day 2 offered up its own raucous enjoyment.

Udo Dirkschneider headlined for the canceling Loudness and played an extended set that included the entire 40th anniversary celebration of Balls to the Wall (coverage here), and Cleveland masked marauders Midnight ensured that White Oak’s grass would need a makeover post-festival (coverage here).

But it’s not like the best of the rest of Day 2 consisted of mere leftovers. That’s because Voivod, Sanctuary and Eternal Champion didn’t need to do a whole lot to get an energetic crowd to let loose with its enthusiasm and whatever angst had built up inside of them.

Voivod’s original duo of vocalist Denis “Snake” Belanger and drummer and band founder Michel “Away” Langevin joined guitarist Daniel “Chewy” Mongrain and bassist Dominic “Rocky” Laroche in bringing their unorthodox brand of Canadian metal to Hell’s Heroes with huge doses of fun and history.

Centering mainly on the first three albums from 1984-87 in War and Pain, Rrroooaaarrr and Killing Technology, Voivod “killed everyone here” according to Midnight frontman Athenar. Judge for yourself by watching ATM footage below of “Tornado” and “War and Pain.”

The Motorhead T-shirt clad Belanger then dedicated the band’s 1984 eponymous track to Phil Campbell, who passed within the week, as well as Lemmy Kilmeister and Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor.

After Midnight’s set, Sanctuary took to the main stage outside at 6:40 and performed all of 1988 debut album Refuge Denied.

Guitarist Lenny Rutledge and drummer Dave Budbill remain from the original lineup and have been fronted by Joseph Michael since the 2017 death of Warrel Dane. And although it’s been nearly a decade since Dane’s passing, it would’ve been nice to hear at least one instance of acknowledgement of the former vocalist, but it never came.

Along with bassist George Hernandez and new touring guitarist Will Wallner, Sanctuary shined while playing the album that was co-produced by Dave Mustaine when Megadeth was only on its third album So Far, So Good . . . So What! Watch ATM footage below of album finale “Veil of Disguise” before Sanctuary tore into the lone non-Refuge Denied track “Taste Revenge.”

And just how special of an occasion was Hell’s Heroes for even the musicians? Michael declared to the audience: “I haven’t had a drink in five months, and I’m doing it for you motherfuckers!”

Loudness was scheduled to headline Day 2 but canceled due to visa issues from Japan a mere 72 hours prior to the festival’s start. That put Hell’s Heroes organizer Christian Larson in a major bind (and it couldn’t stop the fact “Loudness” was already printed on the fest’s T-shirts), but he was fortunate to add Austin natives Eternal Champion and move Dirkschneider up to the headlining slot after the former Accept vocalist agreed to play a longer set.

Eternal Champion, which formed in 2012, has released two full-length albums in 2016’s The Armor of Ire and 2020’s Ravening Iron. They also have been playing with heavy hearts following the 2024 death of bassist Brad Raub. Vocalist Jason Tarpey let the crowd know that the band was playing with “our fallen brother’s tracks.”

Tarpey, drummer Connor Donegan and guitarists Arthur Rizk and John Powers helped save the day with an inspiring performance, as can be witnessed below via ATM footage of “The Last King of Pictdom” and “The Cold Sword.”

Tarpey inadvertently summed up the general feeling of being present at the fest when he said, “It’s kind of a last-minute gig for us. But we’re happy to be here and be invited.”

Toss in, and toss back, a few brews, peruse the multiple booths of T-shirts, food, patches and jewelry and walk the grounds for three days with your current and new friends — many of whom came from other states — and Hell’s Heroes could once again be deemed a success. And a much-needed void filled for those who can’t get enough heavy metal.

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Broad daylight doesn't stop satanic royalty from striking Midnight

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Broad daylight doesn't stop satanic royalty from striking Midnight

HOUSTON — One of the beautiful aspects of attending a music festival is watching an artist play live for the first time among the ones you paid your hard-earned money to see. Maybe even discovering such bands outright while they’re on stage.

For instance: Hell’s Heroes VIII at White Oak Music Hall, the brainchild of Necrofier vocalist / guitarist and Night Cobra singer Christian Larson, presented on a silver platter the utter punk-influenced butchery and savage dominance of masked marauders Midnight.

A one-man band from Cleveland known as Athenar who plays all instruments and sings on his studio efforts and recruits a drummer and guitarist for live shows, Midnight took to the downtown main stage March 20 at 5:25 p.m. and incited vicious mosh pits and crowd surfing in garbage bins among the masses on a steamy 90-degree Spring Break day.

Following eight years of demos, splits and EP releases, Athenar unleashed his debut full-length album Satanic Royalty in 2011 and used Hell’s Heroes to celebrate it as part of a 15-year anniversary.

Taking the stage as if they were about to rob a bank with guitars and the kit, the chain-clad Athenar and his trio made an instant fan of yours truly with their assault on the masses (watch ATM footage below of “Violence on Violence,” “Savage Dominance” and “Holocaustic Deafening”).

Midnight’s brutality of short punk-infused Motorhead-influenced underground metal tunes was only half of the reason the band made such an impression. Proving that they’re not to be taken too seriously, Athenar provided a litany of humor that may have overshot some members of the audience. Highlights:

*Referring to the fact Day 2 headliner Loudness canceled its appearance 72 hours before the festival began, Athenar stated: “I have some news. Manowar is going to play tonight instead of Loudness. Christian wanted to keep it a secret. And they’re only going to play their new album.”

*“This is our 19th time playing this festival.” Unbeknownst to the frontman, his statement caused at least one fan to turn to his friend and ask, “How is that possible if there’s only been eight of them?”

*After one song, he declared: “There it is, in its entirety: W.A.S.P., The Crimson Idol.”

*Keeping the crowd hydrated, Athenar asked who wanted a water bottle, then while it was midair, he added, “Who wants herpes?” He then made an Eddie Murphy: Comedian reference by saying, “Shit’s like luggage.”

*Taking the stage after Voivod’s performance (coverage forthcoming) and as can be seen below in the video, Athenar told the audience: “It fucking gave me great pleasure to see the snuffville that Voivod did by murdering all you fuckers today. That was great. Thank you, Voivod. Come on! Thanks, Voivod. They just fucking annihilated you all. They literally murdered every single person here. Thank you for killing people. Very technologically they did that” as an ode to the group’s Killing Technology album from 1987.

Being signed to arguably metal’s top record label Metal Blade certainly doesn’t hurt Athenar’s cause. And with a performance such as the one Midnight put on at Hell’s Heroes VIII, it wouldn’t be overstating things to say theirs was one of the best of the three-day festival.

Royalty of the church, visible faces and 100 percent truth telling be damned.

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Dirkschneider dazzles Hell's Heroes VIII with 40 years of 'Balls to the Wall'

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Dirkschneider dazzles Hell's Heroes VIII with 40 years of 'Balls to the Wall'

HOUSTON — Perhaps the most obvious indication of how timeless songs, or an entire album, prove to be is how quickly fans anywhere in the world react to hearing them years after they hit the public’s ears.

A lesser sign, though no less important, is when the artist of said timeless material announces he’s no longer going to play any tunes from his former band, let alone the ones fans always clamor for, only to not only revisit them eventually — but celebrate them.

Enter Udo Dirkschneider.

Perhaps the only musician on the planet who has one band for his first name and another for his surname, Dirkschneider brought his latter outfit to Hell’s Heroes VIII on March 20 and marked 40 years of the album from the band (Accept) he’s most known for that still resonates like no other: Balls to the Wall.

While the title track is by far and away Accept’s most popular song, the rest of the album is nothing to gloss over. Dirkschneider treated the Day 1 crowd of the three-day downtown festival at White Oak Music Hall to the record in its entirety (watch ATM footage below of “Balls to the Wall” plus its final three tunes: “Losers and Winners,” “Guardian of the Night” and “Winter Dreams”).

Due to the fact original Day 1 headliners Loudness canceled a mere 72 hours before their scheduled appearance because of “visa issues” from their native Japan, Dirkschneider, who was originally scheduled to go on before Loudness, agreed to play an even longer set (see setlist in 18-photo gallery).

Backed by his son Sven Dirkschneider on drums, original and longtime Accept bassist Peter Baltes and guitarists Fabian Dee Dammers and Alen Brentini — the latter joining Dirkschneider’s band this past Oct. 27 — Udo and Co. bookended the album with three songs before and after Balls to the Wall.

While other nations had already witnessed and heard a special performance all the way through from Dirkschneider of Accept’s 1983 record (and fifth overall), the German frontman with the unmistakable raspy voice had just listened to his inner metal heart — and had a change of that heart — and given the people what they wanted at Hell’s Heroes.

And that was music to everyone’s ears who was lucky enough to be there.

Danke schon, Dirkschneider.

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Hell's Heroes VIII: Best of the Rest (Day 1)

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Hell's Heroes VIII: Best of the Rest (Day 1)

HOUSTON — Another Hell’s Heroes is in the books after last week’s eighth installment at White Oak Music Hall downtown. And the necks, backs and ears of thousands may now just be recovering.

Thanks to the efforts of Christian Larson (guitarist/singer of black metal band Necrofier and vocalist of hard rock/metallers Night Cobra), the three-day gathering was another success.

Bands and merch were aplenty, some musicians could be seen walking around the masses when they weren’t performing, and the rain stayed away as temperatures ranged from as high as 90 to as low as the mid-50s.

Day 1 headliner Doro (coverage here) capped off a festive beginning to Hell’s Heroes VIII that included inside stage headliner and original W.A.S.P. guitarist Chris Holmes plus Jag Panzer and Houston’s own (yet San Antonio favorites) Helstar.

Not to be outdone were Swedish black metallers Hellbutcher, Labyrinth, Leather and 3 Inches Of Blood.

Hellbutcher is a new eponymous band that made Hell’s Heroes its first performance in the United States after the former vocalist of Nifelheim formed his own unit and brought along that group’s former drummer who goes by Devastator.

The tandem joined guitarists Necrophiliac and Iron Beast plus bassist Eld in playing their self-titled 2024 eight-song debut album in its entirety, and you can watch ATM’s footage below of “Death’s Rider” and “Possessed by the Devil’s Flames.”

Then the vocalist told the moshing masses the band was going to launch into “some real metal.” It felt as if Hellbutcher was putting down his band’s intense brand of black metal, but in fact, he was merely paving the way for one of his beloved influences, shocking the crowd by allowing his mates to take over with their impressive version of Iron Maiden instrumental “Losfer Words (Big ‘Orra).” For good measure, Hellbutcher came back to end the set with a vicious rendition of Venom’s “Black Metal” before declaring, “We will return!”

Holmes, meanwhile, satisfied the packed lower and upper levels of the inside stage with songs from the first three W.A.S.P. albums plus “Animal (Fuck Like A Beast)” before ending with a cover of “Rocking in the Free World” (setlist in 105-photo gallery). Watch ATM footage below of “I Wanna Be Somebody” and “9.5.-N.A.S.T.Y.”

Holmes definitely should not have been relegated to the dingy inside stage, both from a fan’s and photojournalist’s perspective. Photographers of all skill levels can only take so much of the incessant horrific red lighting that comprises 99 percent of all sets of bands performing on that stage all three days plus the pre-party. It’s as if the lighting man only has one choice of colored lighting, and red has always been the thorn in photographers’ eyes and sides. Patrons also need to step outside after a few songs to let their eyes recover in the daylight, particularly if they have checked out multiple bands in a row that were subjected to the poorly lit room.

3 Inches of Blood also used Hell’s Heroes to mark a momentous show, performing in Texas for the first time in a decade after being dormant from 2015-23. Vocalist Cam Pipes and his Canadian brethren tore through a set of classics that included “Destroy the Orcs” and “Night Marauders” (ATM footage of both below) plus their mainstay tune “Deadly Sinners.”

Leather followed Helstar’s 1:45 p.m. set with a 40-minute slot that vocalist Leather Leone dedicated to Ronnie James Dio and dominated with songs from the band Chastain she fronted in the ‘80s with guitarist David Chastain. Watch “I’ve Seen Tomorrow” below.

For more of Alamo True Metal’s Hell’s Heroes coverage, click the ‘Views page on this site (then click “View Post” under the cover photo). You can also visit Alamo True Metal on Facebook and subscribe to YouTube channel Hawkeyedude93. Stay tuned for coverage from Day 2.

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Jag Panzer, Hell's Heroes VIII show how generally hostile destruction can be

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Jag Panzer, Hell's Heroes VIII show how generally hostile destruction can be

HOUSTON — When it comes to albums released in 1984, arguably a time when metal was just beginning its crescendo into its mainstream musical peak period, that year’s title track by a certain band named Van Halen comes to mind. Other titles such as Out of the Cellar, Tooth and Nail and Defenders of the Faith find their way to the forefront as well.

Through no fault of their own, Ample Destruction by Jag Panzer tends to get lost in the shuffle. And the band might not have it any other way.

While heavily influenced by the New Wave of British Heavy Metal when formed in 1981, Jag Panzer has always relished a mix of the underground scene and the hardcore dedication of fans around the globe its music has inspired.

And just because it’s 2026 doesn’t mean Jag Panzer and its legion of devotees can’t still party like it’s 1984. That was on display last Thursday outside White Oak Music Hall downtown during Day 1 of the three-day Hell’s Heroes VIII festival in which Jag Panzer unleashed its 1984 full-length debut and follow-up to 1983 Tyrants EP in its entirety.

Well, almost in its entirety.

Original vocalist Harry “The Tyrant” Conklin, original rhythm guitarist Mark Briody and original bassist John Tetley took to the stage at 4:05 p.m. on an upper-80s Spring Break afternoon with lead guitarist Ken Rodarte and drummer Jacob Lee Coleman throwing all commercialism out the door.

And the fans? Message received.

The barrier and security staff earned their keep as the crowd surfers plowed their way over in conveyor belt-like fashion, forcing those in the photo pit to keep one eye on the stage and one behind them. Fans raised the ante at times by riding the wave of metal in garbage bins while Conklin flew the flag of the Ample Destruction cover and wore its T-shirt (see 38-photo gallery).

Although Jag Panzer went through a lineup change between the final recording and release of the album in the mid-’80s, Briody and Tetley have churned out 13 albums in all — most of them with Conklin on vocals — up to 2023’s The Hallowed.

But Hell’s Heroes VIII was all about Ample Destruction, and you can watch a taste of it below via ATM’s footage of “Generally Hostile” and “The Watching” with the former including a cameo by Helstar vocalist James Rivera, whose own band tore up its hometown with a 1:45 p.m. kickoff set (ATM coverage here).

The band had to cut out final tune “The Crucifix” and a planned bonus song, 1986 title track “Shadow Thief,” because it ended up being allotted 40 minutes just like preceding bands Helstar and Leather even though the original set times had given Jag Panzer an hour to fit in the entire album. But that unfortunate blip didn’t come close to dampening the enthusiasm and sheer energy of the band and fans.

The ferocity and fun of Jag Panzer’s set helped set the tone for a memorable first day of Hell’s Heroes 2026. Briody, Tetler and Coleman later joined the metal masses walking around, handing out guitar pics and posing for photos — just one example of how Hell’s Heroes, the brainchild of Necrofier singer/guitarist and Night Cobra vocalist Christian Larson, isn’t your typical metal gig.

The booze was flowin’, the metal was riffin’ and the heads were bangin’ in large part to Jag Panzer. And for that, you can’t blame anyone if they’re already counting down the days to Hell’s Heroes IX.

For more of Alamo True Metal’s Hell’s Heroes coverage, click the ‘Views page on this site (then click “View Post” under the cover photo). You can also visit Alamo True Metal on Facebook and subscribe to YouTube channel Hawkeyedude93.

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All triumph, no agony for Queen of Metal at Hell's Heroes VIII

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All triumph, no agony for Queen of Metal at Hell's Heroes VIII

HOUSTON — The term “influential” may get tossed around the metal community as often as hair headbanging in a swirl and horns pointed to the sky. And though it applies to Doro Pesch, “Queen of Metal” is how metalheads have come to know the former vocalist of Warlock.

“Dedicated Doro” also works. After all, how many musicians of either gender have purposefully withdrawn their name from any chance at holy matrimony in favor of a full-time life of making heavy metal and rocking out for thousands upon thousands all over the world that the 61-year-old refers to as her family?

That dedication, rock enthusiasm and trip down Warlock’s memory lane came this past Thursday as Pesch and her solo band headlined Day 1 of the three-day Hell’s Heroes VIII outside and downtown at White Oak Music Hall.

Accompanied by former Warlock guitarist Tommy Bolan and two musicians who have played in the Doro band for more than 30 years — bassist Nick Douglas and original Britny Fox drummer Johnny Dee — plus Savatage and Trans-Siberian Orchestra guitarist Christopher Caffery, the delightful Doro came out scorching with 1985 classic and traditional opener “Earthshaker Rock.”

Pesch’s set was advertised as a Triumph and Agony performance pre-festival by Hell’s Heroes founder Christian Larson, whose efforts and tireless work to bring so many artists to the fest and have it run as smoothly as it does despite cancellations and other assorted curveballs tossed his way since 2018 cannot go unnoticed.

Although Pesch didn’t perform all 10 tunes from Warlock’s most successful and 1987 album, she did do half of them including “I Rule the Ruins,” “East Meets West” and of course the band’s most famous song thanks to MTV: “All We Are” (setlist in 15-photo gallery).

The native German, who lives in New York and had her home there destroyed in 2011 by Hurricane Irene, enthusiastically told the audience on several occasions she would be spotlighting “old school metal,” and that was evidenced by the title tracks to Warlock’s first three albums: Burning the Witches, Hellbound and True As Steel (ATM footage of which can be viewed below).

It would’ve been great to hear one of Warlock’s “Headbanger’s Ball” hits from 1986, “Fight for Rock” or even a semblance of her blood curling scream on Triumph and Agony’s “Touch of Evil” — the latter of which was on the printed setlist. But Pesch omitted that tune as well as “Metal Tango” due to time constraints.

Pesch has also been influential in terms of the metal friends she has made among her peers over the years, with two of her closest ones having passed several years ago in Ronnie James Dio and Lemmy Kilmister. Pesch wrapped up her set with the latter’s “Ace of Spades” as an ode to Kilmister and Motorhead guitarist Phil Campbell who passed only five days earlier.

Not to be outdone, Pesch has collaborated with her fellow German and vocalist Udo Dirkschneider, who headlined Hell’s Heroes the following night (coverage forthcoming), Rob Halford and Blaze Bayley while having solo albums produced by Gene Simmons.

Influential? Dedicated? Queen of Metal?

Call her what you want. And call us lucky and fortunate to have her.

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Hellacious festival return home for Houston heroes Helstar

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Hellacious festival return home for Houston heroes Helstar

HOUSTON — As a pioneer of H-town heavy metal beginning with its 1984 debut album Burning Star that considers the Alamo City more than a second home, Helstar has made just a few sacrifices along the journey into 2026.

For vampirish vocalist James Rivera, however, none may have been more attention-getting or impressive than agreeing to not only whittle a 42-year career into a six-song set, but to do so at the bloodsucking brutal time of 1:45 in the afternoon.

But when it comes to playing its hometown — particularly for the eighth annual Hell’s Heroes festival at White Oak Music Hall that is the brainchild of Necrofier singer/guitarist and Night Cobra vocalist Christian Larson — this past Thursday’s performance was all in a day’s work for Rivera and his partner in crime, band founder and guitarist Larry Barragan.

Adorned in his customary black cloak and fang-like teeth jutting from the corners of his mouth, Rivera was no worse for the wear vocally despite the abnormal start time in 90-degree Texas heat.

On the contrary, Helstar brought heat of its own, making the most of its brief itinerary with five tracks from the first four albums plus “Carcass for a King” from terrific new effort The Devil’s Masquerade (setlist in 36-photo gallery). But it was the inclusion of the final track on second album Remants of War from 1986 — “Angel of Death” which Rivera said the band hadn’t played in 20 years — that wowed the audience just a little extra and stamped Helstar’s latest showing as magnifique (ATM footage below).

Barragan, who also plays lead in Spanish-singing metallers Santa Oscuridad, riffed his way with sheer intensity that woke up any fans still hung over from Wednesday night’s pre-party.

Rivera, who more than dabs his way around San Antonio stages also as part of James Rivera’s Metal Asylum and the South Texas Legion, found time after the set to make a cameo with Jag Panzer as that band performed its own 1984 debut Ample Destruction in its entirety (ATM footage here).

Along with veteran drummer Mikey Lewis — who also woke up those hurting from the night before with his ferocious pounding of the skins — and bassist Garrick Smith, Helstar’s latest addition is another component of its San Antonio-Houston connection: Alan DeLeon Jr., who joined two years ago, is also the guitarist for S.A. black metal group Fluxus Mortis as of last year.

Luckily, Helstar’s hard work in putting out new music four decades into its career has given fans another cause to check out the band anytime it plays live in the Lone Star State even though its members have every reason to rest on their laurels.

Then again, that wouldn’t be the Helstar or Texas way. No matter the time of day — or blood screeching night.

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There's A Revolution: Geoff Tate closes book on Operation: Mindcrime

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There's A Revolution: Geoff Tate closes book on Operation: Mindcrime

For a man who has performed in San Antonio since the third concert his former band ever played back in 1983, a couple of consistencies have glaringly rung true regarding Geoff Tate:

  • As long as promoters want him to play Operation: Mindcrime in its entirety, he will

  • San Antonians will never get tired of hearing him do so

And why should they?

Widely regarded as the greatest heavy metal concept album in history, the original voice of Queensryche has performed the 1988 masterpiece from beginning to end on at least five occasions in the Alamo City, nearly always at the Aztec Theatre.

Saturday night’s rendition at the Aztec marked what Tate has billed as “Operation: Mindcrime: The Final Chapter.” Though he has said that prior occasions would mark the last time he would play the album live, including as recently as 2025 at the Aztec, this latest performance may have been the most scintillating of them all.

Given the energy, musicianship, enthusiasm and electricity that was vibrant on stage and throughout the venue, it would’ve been easy for fans to forget that Tate had open heart surgery just four years ago — another reason this man and his band should always be appreciated on stage going forward no matter what he chooses to play and something we discussed before his 2022 appearance (watch here).

Accompanied by Irish support acts Ogma and Tomas McCarthy — each of whom employed a musician that pulled double duty in Tate’s band, and neither of which had even been mentioned by the Aztec as being on the bill — Tate donned a black cowboy hat and appeared to feel right at home.

His band featuring guitarists Kieran Robertson (Glasgow, Scotland), Dario Parente of Rome and James Brown (Kilkenny, Ireland), bassist “Smilin’ “ Jack Ross (Glasgow, Scotland), one-moniker drummer Baker of Seattle, keyboardist Bruno Sa Ferreira from Rio de Janeiro, cellist Julia-Maria and violinist Ryan Parsons (both of Cork, Ireland) and alto saxophonist / vocalist Clodagh McCarthy from Wexford, Ireland, were impressive throughout the show.

McCarthy, the wife of Tomas, reprised the role of “Suite Sister Mary” following in the footsteps of others such as Sass Jordan and Tate’s daughter Emily Tate. Watch the band in action via ATM footage below during the Mindcrime portion on “I Don’t Believe in Love,” “Waiting For 22,” “My Empty Room” and one of the greatest songs in Queensryche’s catalog, album closer “Eyes of a Stranger.”

There’s no denying Operation: Mindcrime’s influence on metalheads around the world. For this writer, the album was purchased immediately after high school let out on release day with a trip to an Illinois record store six months before the video for “Eyes of a Stranger” even dropped on MTV and would take the metal community by storm.

Following the album’s hour-long performance and chapter closure (theoretically), Tate told his audience, “Guess what? We’re just getting started.”

With that, Tate and Clodagh McCarthy broke out the saxes for a unique jazzy playing of the revolutionary “Can . . . you . . . hear . . . it calling” part of the title track to 1990’s Empire (ATM footage below) that morphed into the second half of the set (see setlist in 65-photo gallery).

Tate was fresh off a New Year’s Eve acoustic set at Deco Ballroom only 39 days earlier in which he delved into deep cuts “Until There Was You,” “I Will Remember” and a pair of Hear in the Now Frontier tracks in “Sign of the Times” and “Chasing Blue Sky” — the latter appears on the reissue edition. So naturally, this night’s performance stuck mostly to the hits including “Jet City Woman” during which Tate brought up a fan named Mitchell Miller onstage to join in the singing.

But that wasn’t all.

At song’s end, Tate presented Miller with a surprising souvenir that he’s sure to treasure forever (ATM footage below).

Then it was time for the one track that wasn’t part of the norm. Not to mention, the most serious part of the show. Turning into an acoustic bit that spotlighted Parsons on violin and Julia-Maria on cello, Tate gave his two cents on the recent trend of violence around the nation without directly mentioning Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE).

“Fuck this violence,” Tate said as he took a drink. “Let’s get rid of it. Here’s to those families that have been torn apart by acts of violence.” That segued into the rarely ever played “Blood” from 2003’s Tribe (ATM footage below).

The changing tone was odd given that it came immediately following the happiness of the fan participation on stage. But its inclusion was more important than its placement.

Tate’s concerts that include deep tracks from albums that may not have resonated with Queensryche fans as much as Mindcrime and Empire was something ATM spoke about with Tate before one of his two Aztec appearances in 2014 (watch here).

Ogma played an energetic 30-minute rock set led by singer / guitarist Brown that included an ode to fellow Irish mainstays Thin Lizzy with “Jailbreak,” though that would’ve fit better toward the end of the set rather than the second tune. Watch ATM footage below of original track “Enslaved.”

Tomas McCarthy, meanwhile, wowed the crowd with his own 30-minute opening set. Joined by his aforementioned wife Clodagh on vocals and alto sax and guitarist James Keegan, the Mrs. told the crowd that when they opened for Tate previously at the Aztec, it was their favorite gig of the entire tour due to the venue’s marvel.

The challenge the trio faced of keeping the crowd’s interest and attention due to the fact it doesn’t employ electric guitars or a drummer is akin to what instrumental guitarists face performing live, but they more than pulled it off. Watch the group in action below on the title track to EP Colours, a Grammy-nominated track Tomas McCarthy wrote after the passing of a friend that wasn’t meant to be released musically.

Meanwhile, Tate is said to be working on Operation: Mindcrime III with Disturbed bassist and Austin native John Moyer producing.

That, of course, would leave the door open to Tate eventually playing the original, its 2006 sequel and forthcoming effort live at once.

So does that mean “The Final Chapter” of Nikki’s story with Sister Mary and Dr. X is not so final after all?

Or has it just begun?

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Local artists Voltreus & Aeternal Requiem advance to state final of Wacken Metal Battle

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Local artists Voltreus & Aeternal Requiem advance to state final of Wacken Metal Battle

The annual competition for worldwide supremacy of bands battling to represent their respective countries at metal’s most renowned festival this summer has kicked off around the globe. Closer to home, it all began Friday night at the Rock Box as the San Antonio Regional of the Wacken Metal Battle commenced to crown the top two bands that would advance to the state final Sunday, March 15, at Come And Take It Live in Austin (tickets here).

Some bands brought their “A” game. Some treated it as another opportunity to play in front of their friends and family and hawk their merch. Others stayed home for reasons only known to them.

When the night was over, a two-man panel of judges decided that the artists which most made like Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” and seized the moment rather than letting it slip were San Antonio’s own Voltreus (regional winner) and local runner-up Aeternal Requiem.

Each of those bands came with an eyebrow-raising story on its quest for success.

The regional’s official flyer announcement began with 14 bands around the Christmas holidays. Soon thereafter, Thunder Horse, Surge, Glorious, Cheese Grater Masturbation and Wicked Angel withdrew.

By the time Friday rolled around, the event had whittled more from nine to seven bands.

Slated to kick off at 5:50 p.m. with San Antonio’s Blood Moon, with each group allotted 20 minutes to strut its stuff, Blood Moon did not appear. Nor did Forever Silent, a Spanish metalcore outfit from El Paso that would’ve had to make a 10-12-hour trek to San Antonio. The latter band did not make any mention of the Wacken Metal Battle on its social media pages, so perhaps something got lost in translation.

The more bands that succumbed, the better the chance the ones at the Rock Box were going to advance to Austin.

Voltreus (Voal-TRAY-us) arguably exhibited the most energy and, from a person who has covered and judged prior Wacken battles, that is always one of the top qualities that can help bands impress the panel. While it isn’t a guarantee it will lead to victory, artists can certainly play themselves out of the running if they take up part of their 20 minutes giving shout-outs to their friends in the front row or telling the audience to “come say hello to us at the merch booth.”

Note to bands: the Wacken Metal Battle is not your typical show. You are playing for 20 MINUTES TO ADVANCE TO MOVE ON TO HOPEFULLY AND EVENTUALLY PERFORM AT THE WORLD’S BIGGEST HEAVY METAL FESTIVAL IN GERMANY. You can play in front of your friends and family in your city anytime and point out your merch then. When you only have time for three or four songs to put a stranglehold on your opportunity and give the best you have, take advantage of it. Furthermore, when you’re playing in a bar and there’s fewer than 100 patrons there, they will see your merch stand simply when they’re walking around. If you’re going to emphasize that over your performance — a performance that, by the way, should concentrate on impressing the judges more than anyone else there — you’ve already lost. Consider it a lesson learned for future battles if you so desire.

Voltreus and Aeternal Requiem needed no such PSA.

Voltreus came out with black paint, eerie horned masks, loud music and an intriguing story as told by vocalist Tyler “Obidius” Groshon of how three of the band’s four members have been adopted (himself twice). The end result was the one song in which the band showed its faces in an uplifting message to what family and their fans mean to them on “Kith & Kin” (ATM footage below), which the band was scheduled to shoot a video for the day after winning the regional and releasing the song as a single April 10.

Voltreus was formed in 2019 by 27-year-old guitarist / singer Ferni “Infyct” Ramirez and bassist Devin “Obelith” Guy, 29.

Groshon, who turns 32 next month, drummer Fox “Primal” Alexander and Guy were adopted. Groshon, originally from Washington, D.C., spent six years in the Navy but said it was his dream to move to San Antonio not because it is Military City, but because of its music scene.

“The plan for me was to get into the military to figure out what I wanted to do with my life, and then when I wanted to get out, that’s what I wanted to do,” Groshon told Alamo True Metal. “San Antonio just kept popping up in my head because that was a place that I could go. There’s a music scene there, it’s always been a dream. You know what, I’m going to try my best to get there. When I was applying for places to go, you never get anywhere that you pick. Ever. And I chose San Antonio as my No. 1. I’m the only person that anyone knows that got their No. 1 choice right off the rim. It’s super rare. I got my orders before my buddy who applied for orders six months before me, and he also came to San Antonio.”

Groshon joined Voltreus in 2021 after being asked by Ramirez to try his luck at vocals but not until he had declined several times. “Then I was in Calculus class, and I messaged him and said, “Alright, let’s do it. I blew out my voice the first practice, and I was like ‘That’s never gonna happen again.’ We just kept working at it,” Groshon said.

Aeternal Requiem has quite an interesting tale of its own.

Formerly a trio led by singer/guitarist Austin Zettner, the band competed as a quartet in the 2020 Regional at Fitzgerald’s. Basically defunct ever since, Zettner has resurrected the group with an all-new quintet that is now meshing folk metal using a mini flute Zettner keeps in his back pocket with songs from their initial album Rise (ATM footage below of “Forlorn Hope” and “Invictus”).

Friday night marked only Aeternal Requiem’s second gig in six years after playing the Texas Viking Festival in December in Paige, Texas. Now the band finds itself preparing for its third gig with its new lineup in Austin at the State Final.

While bands emanating from the Alamo City dropped out of the regional before the competition and the day of, Egregious made an incredible statement of its own by driving 10 hours from Albuquerque for its own 20-minute opportunity at exposure.

It wouldn’t have been the first time a band traveled that far to play 20 minutes. Texas Voodoo Stomp did that deed from El Paso to the Alamo City and ended up advancing out of the San Antonio Regional in 2020 to the state final in Austin that ended up taking place the day before the world was shut down due to Covid-19, eventually wiping out the national final and Wacken Open Air entirely.

This time, Egregious visited the Rock Box after raising $650 for a rental van through a GoFundMe effort “because nothing was really close to us” in terms of the Battle.

The mere fact that a band demonstrated that level of dedication to put all their eggs into such a brief set spoke volumes about certain bands’ outlook and goals for themselves as artists.

Egregious was one of the bands to shine on stage (see ATM footage below of “St. Vengeance”), though the judges had them finish just outside of the top two.

Immortal Execution, Corpse Hole, Overlay and Ariah Falls — all local bands — joined Voltreus and Aeternal Requiem in bringing their various genres to the stage. Corpse Hole, impressively, was fresh off an appearance at the annual 70000 Tons of Metal Heavy Metal Beach Party the week before at The Clevelander on South Beach in Miami. See each of those bands in action below.

In the end, only two could move on to Austin. Voltreus and Aeternal Requiem will need to step up their game with each round of the competition. They will join A Good Rogering, BountyTX, Nemesis and We Are Man at the State Final, with only the winner advancing to the national final June 13 in San Diego. The winner of that will be on the road to Wacken in Germany from July 29-Aug. 1 also earning VIP camping and $1,000 for the flight to the fest that will include 80,000 headbangers and headliners Judas Priest, Def Leppard, In Flames and Powerwolf.

The Wacken Metal Battle is a great way for fans and industry folks to discover bands — and to find out just how serious each outfit is in an attempt to “make it.”

Losing the competition also tests whether a band is going to ask itself, “Are we good enough going forward, and what do we need to work on? Or, are we going to give up because a couple of judges didn’t feel we were talented enough?”

While Voltreus and Aeternal Requiem move on in a competition featuring bands from 62 countries this year that is slated to grow to a whopping 102 nations in 2027, they know the stakes get higher and the contest gets tougher with each round.

“We don’t have to overthink it because we’re accounting for every little detail always,” Voltreus bassist Guy said. “All we gotta do is execute the plan.”

The quality of songs and a band’s look go a long way toward success in such a competition. But it also more than helps to have the right attitude.

“Honestly,” Groshon said, “don’t get me wrong, and I don’t want this to sound mean or anything, but when someone says, ‘You guys did great,’ we love that and we appreciate that a lot that everyone had a good time. But what I’m here for is I wanna hear what you have to tell us that we can do better.”

May the best band win.

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UFO sighting: 50 years of scintillating Schenker takes over Tobin Center

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UFO sighting: 50 years of scintillating Schenker takes over Tobin Center

No matter the occasion or milestone, no matter the album they’re touring in support of, Michael Schenker and Armored Saint were made to share the same stage.

Whether they fit together like a glove or peanut butter and jelly, well, that’s in the ears and eyes of the beholders who buy their concert tickets.

But there’s no denying magic happens when the two veteran artists tour together, and the latest example came last Friday night at the Tobin Center when ‘70s and ‘80s metal converged with a 2025 flair.

Schenker brought his Michael Schenker Group 50th anniversary celebration of “My Years With UFO” to the Alamo City this time, following visits with the Michael Schenker Fest and Michael Schenker’s Temple of Rock.

And Armored Saint? They were making their second San Antonio stop that bookended a trip to Austin in May 2024, all in support of 2020 album Punching the Sky.

As during both artists’ joint stop supporting W.A.S.P. on Nov. 4, 2022, at the Boeing Center at Tech Port (coverage here), Schenker was backed by guitarist / keyboardist Steve Mann, bassist Barend Courbois and drummer Bodo Schopf. This time, Mystic Prophecy vocalist Robert Dimitri Liapkis did the bang-up honors for the 1-hour, 26-minute performance paying homage to Schenker’s 1972-78 era in UFO after he had joined Scorpions as a precocious 15-year-old on that group’s Lonesome Crow record, among others.

The 15-song setlist (see 48-photo gallery) was heavy on tunes that exhibit a new twist on Schenker’s My Years with UFO album, employing a slew of guest vocalists, guitarists and drummers ranging from Dee Snider, Axl Rose, Joe Lynn Turner, Stephen Pearcy and Joey Tempest to Joel Hoekstra, John Norum and Adrian Vandenberg to Carmine Appice.

At the Tobin, Schenker’s backing band played flawlessly as the legendary guitarist remained on the exit stage left portion of the platform for the entire performance. In fact, they may have played too well, judging by what happened at the end of classic “Lights Out” (ATM footage below).

Schenker was so focused on delivering the UFO goods for this show that helped wind down the North American tour, and all of the stateside and overseas shows that came before it, he never even mentioned MSG released new album Don’t Sell Your Soul just seven days prior. As solid, once again, that album is and that can be played on repeat several times without growing stale, you’ve gotta respect that Schenker isn’t all about self-promotion — even when he deserves to be.

That’s OK. We’ll plug it for him — a small piece of gratitude for all that his music has given to us and for all of the interview time he has given ATM over the years, including as the self-proclaimed “trend maker” in 2018 (watch here).

Along with oft-unheard-live renditions of “This Kids” (ATM footage below), “Mother Mary” and “I’m A Loser” due to the fact prior visits have encapsulated Schenker’s career with MSG and Scorpions as well as UFO, staples such as “Only You Can Rock Me” and “Shoot Shoot” were again highlighted by his customary 14-minute version of “Rock Bottom” that included a 5-minute jam solo. Schenker ended the track by taking photos with his right hand holding a camera (not a phone) as he continued to play with his left.

Schenker then dedicated finale “Too Hot to Handle” to the late UFO bassist Pete Way and guitarist / keyboardist Paul Raymond, who passed away in 2019.

In most cases, having a band whose debut album dropped in 1984 serve as an opening act would be a travesty. But Armored Saint is devoid of grand egos, as evidenced by the fact they don’t mind supporting Schenker and/or W.A.S.P. (coverage here) and by the admirable and likely possibility that if not for the 1990 passing of guitarist Dave Prichard, the band would have maintained 100 percent of its original lineup before and after vocalist John Bush had a memorable run with Anthrax from 1993-2001.

As it is, fellow originals Joey Vera (bass) and brothers Gonzo Sandoval (drums) and Phil Sandoval (guitars) plus Prichard’s replacement Jeff Duncan continue to bring the metal whenever they hit the stage.

Friday’s visit saw a whopping four tunes out of the 10 played come from 1985 second album Delirious Nomad, including “Nervous Man” and “For the Sake of Heaviness” (ATM footage of both below).

To that end, those who hold a special place for 1987 third album Raising Fear would have been disappointed that album was not represented (though they did play its title track May 16, 2024, while headlining Come And Take It Live in Austin with Dangerous Toys and Snake Skin Prison; coverage here).

Bush referred to Dangerous Toys vocalist and South Texas metal mainstay Jason McMaster at that show as “an extra member of Armored Saint at this point” after McMaster filled in for Bush when the latter had vocal issues and was worried it would lead to cancellations.

On Friday, the Armored Saint vocalist need not be as emotional or retell the story — in large part because he didn’t have time as the opening act. Rather, Armored Saint once again brought McMaster on stage to celebrate 1984 single “Can U Deliver” (ATM footage below) before ending with “Reign of Fire.”

Incredulously, there are still some in Texas unfamiliar with McMaster, given the between-bands chatter that occurred in parts of the venue, with one man asking others what McMaster’s name is and stating his wife thought it was Sebastian Bach.

But if there’s one thing everyone on hand could not be confused about, it would be that the acoustics of the Tobin Center can handle any artist of virtually any genre and help turn the performance into sounds that remain embedded in one’s brain long after the show. As Bush stated about the Tobin: “This is a beautiful place. Too nice for metal!”

But not too nice to bring forth nearly 100 combined years of metallic mastery between Michael Schenker and Armored Saint — and be able to say the experience of watching both live never gets old.

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Throw your Rah-Rahs up! Lineup of locals joins Florida's Severed Sun in hammering down

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Throw your Rah-Rahs up! Lineup of locals joins Florida's Severed Sun in hammering down

When a city has established itself as the “Heavy Metal Capital” over five decades, certain aspects of the flip side of that moniker also come to fruition.

Namely, the fact that bands and venues come and go as part of the circle of metal life.

But much like your favorite pizza place or Mexican restaurant in the Alamo City that may have been short lived, concert venues — particularly of the bar variety — tend to resurrect from the dead from time to time.

A convenient jaunt around the corner from North Star Mall, at 6322 San Pedro Ave., lies the newly revamped and reopened Rah! Rah! Room, where five bands didn’t give a rat’s ass about reliving history or getting nostalgic last Saturday.

They just wanted to kick ass and entertain.

Local crushers Wicked Angel, Metalriser, Even In Death and Konvxtion did the honors and were joined by “groove metal” quintet Severed Sun, which made the 17-hour drive from Clermont, Florida, in the Orlando area to close the show.

Two years ago, Rah! Rah! Room was known as The Rec Room -- and, going back to the ‘80s, may have even been a pizza joint or two. While that installment of a local concert venue didn’t last long, more shows such as this gathering, combined with an increase in spreading the word about said show beforehand around town through various methods, may ensure Rah! Rah! has a longer life span.

The gig came to life thanks to Joseph Dwyer of Hammerhead Productions, which was making a bit of history of its own. Dwyer and Hammerhead, a once steady influence on the local metal scene, had taken a break from the business and hadn’t put on a show in town in nearly five years.

That changed when Dwyer reconnected, oddly enough, with the one non-local band on the bill — Severed Sun and vocalist Rod Rawlins, a longtime friend.

Before they knew it, Severed Sun added San Antone to its “Call to Arms” itinerary. And although the group closed after the four locals with an 11:08-11:52 p.m. set that shouldn’t have been past too many bedtimes on a Saturday night, it was disappointing to see only roughly 30 fans stick around from what had been a larger turnout for its predecessors.

But demonstrating the true epitome of “doing it for the love of Rock N’ Roll,” Severed Sun treated those on hand to a heavy, energetic and headbanging performance mixed in with some fun and humor.

Rawlins took the time to thank those on hand by sharing a few shots with Wicked Angel guitarist Roland Casias and fans (see 85-photo gallery). He came off the main stage at one point and dosey-doed with an attractive onlooker who had declined the shot offer but was one of the most dedicated patrons who was also there for the first note of openers Konvxtion at 7:30 p.m. on the muggy outdoor stage.

Toward the end of the seven-song set, Dwyer held up one of the group’s banners and had anyone remaining in the venue sign it as a keepsake for Severed Sun to take back to Florida.

You can watch Rawlins, lead guitarist Kevin Miller, new rhythm guitarist Ricky Rock, bassist Daryl Jones and drummer Justin Telfer in action on “Fuktard” from their 2021 EP Catacombs. Or, at least half of it. The Rah! Rah! didn’t have any available outlets, incredibly, indoors or out, and after having shot and filmed the four other bands, well, batteries tend to run out when they can’t be recharged.

But that wasn’t an issue with Wicked Angel, Metalriser, Even In Death and Konvxtion.

Wicked Angel is always a treat to watch due to its storied history dating back to the early ‘80s and its “haunting” thematic songs.

Vocalist Dave Caballero is always entertaining, setting the tone in his black cloak, wide-ranging vocals, unique stage presence and willingness to engage with the crowd.

Watch Caballero, Casias, guitarist Joseph Valdez, bassist Raymond Castaneda and drummer Ernest Chavarria in action below via ATM’s footage of ‘80s track “People of the Black Circle” and the brand new “Phantazma.”

Wicked Angel will celebrate the release of its new EP on June 21 at The Starlighter (1910 Fredericksburg Rd.; $10 cover) with Santa Oscuridad and Perfect Darkt. The former group is the Spanish-signing band led by Helstar guitarist Larry Barragan, who produced the new tunes.

Preceding Wicked Angel on the new and fantastically lit inside stage (Rec Room bands played on the floor) was a veteran yet still young local outfit that always tests one’s neck elasticity.

Metalriser brings the thrash to its shows every time, and with band founder, vocalist, rhythm guitarist Joel Estrada delivering new tunes “Thoughts of Chaos,” “Reality is Death” and “Inner Self” in addition to “Hell’s Gate” from 2022 album Demise, diehard headbangers now have more reasons to check out the group’s shows.

Estrada has welcomed back drummer Kevin Ortiz to the fold along with guitarist Raymond Valdez and bassist John Talabay. Having toured with D.R.I. and been around for more than 12 years, which is when ATM first began covering Metalriser, the group has endured a slew of lineup changes. Two months ago, former bassist Nick Gamboa passed away.

But Estrada’s vision for the band remains steady, and with new tracks hitting our eardrums at last, metalheads far and wide would be wise to appreciate this band live and in the flesh whenever the opportunity arises. Er, metal rises.

As three quarters of Metalriser were about to take the stage inside, the only missing piece, momentarily, was Talabay. That’s because he was watching every note of his former band Even In Death being played on the outside stage before running back in to fulfill his current obligations.

What he heard was a seven-song set filled with the group’s staples such as “Fire All Your Guns” and “Abandoned,” and you can watch ATM’s footage below of “Freeze” and “My Salvation.” Vocalist Sean Nations and crew also tossed in Bullet For My Valentine cover “Your Betrayal” before ending a 38-minute set with new track “World Upside Down.”

Whether Talabay, or anyone else for that matter, actually saw it may have been debatable, however — through no fault of the band. On a cloudy and very muggy night, the 8:30-9:08 p.m. set was “lit” more with Christmas-like bulbs than actual lights, particularly around David McGilvery’s drum kit.

And in all ATM’s 26 years of covering gigs in various states and by whatever name ATM has gone by, Even In Death’s set featured an oddball occurrence first: guitarist Anthony Carrillo was on site, but not on stage, because he had a prior commitment with his Metallica tribute act Blackened and had to leave halfway through his original group’s set.

Saul De Leon came to the rescue on only four days’ notice, joining lead guitarist James Garza, bassist Anthony Aleman, Nations and McGilvery.

The night kicked off with Konvxtion outside, but with more clear natural light for its 7:30 p.m. start.

Vocalist Ed Rios and drummer Eric Rios led the way, getting things warmed up with tracks such as new single “Burning A Hole In Me” and 5-year-old tunes “We All Bleed Red” and “Guillotine,” the latter watchable below.

As for more chances to see some of these acts in action?

Wicked Angel will open for Watchtower’s return with James Rivera’s Metal Asylum on Friday, Sept. 5, at Fitzgerald’s (tickets here).

Konvxtion, meanwhile, plays tonight at Nowhere Bar on Austin Hwy with Dragging The Depths, The Broken Page, Blind Lies and A Cautious Optimist.

With Hammerhead Productions back on the map and the Rah! Rah’s existence led by one of the city’s most riveting vocalists — Wall Of Soul and Whiskey Bliss’ Chrissy Bliss — that tag team plus a bevy of local bands from which to choose can only mean good things for Rah Rah’s contribution to the scene going forward. How long it lasts, as always, remains to be seen.

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