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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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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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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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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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'The Sickness' turns Frost Bank Center into fiery & Disturbed haven of rock

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'The Sickness' turns Frost Bank Center into fiery & Disturbed haven of rock

The Frost Bank Center has had its share of scents, atmospheres and one-of-a-kind moments over the years even when it was known under different names. There’s the annual San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, where animals fill the air with their own brand of aura. There was the time Hall of Fame guard Manu Ginobili caught a bat (the winged kind, not the baseball kind) out of the air during a Spurs game.

Last Friday night, a different type of feeling permeated the air: The Sickness. And it was swept up by approximately 15,000 dedicated fans of Disturbed.

The Chicago band, which includes one-time Austin resident and vocalist David Draiman and Austin native and bassist John Moyer, celebrated 25 years of their landmark 2000 debut album by playing it in its entirety with special guests Daughtry and San Antonio’s own Nothing More.

There was no fanfare for The Sickness coming to life live. Rather, the stage curtain illuminated many early images of the band (see 65-photo gallery) before slowly rising, allowing the Frost Bank Center to see its first in-the-flesh images of Moyer, guitarist Dan Donegan and drummer Mike Wengren.

Draiman was wheeled out a la fictional serial killer and forensic psychiatrist Hannibal Lecter, wrapped in a white straitjacket and covered in a black mask. He was assisted onto the stage, set free from the jacket and promptly delved into opening track “Voices,” setting the stage for a talk-free 12-song in-album-order rendition of one of the best rock records to come out of the first part of this century.

That meant that the group’s most revered tune, “Down With the Sickness” was performed as it is on the album — fourth — rather than a final encore. It also signified that some tracks that rarely, or ever, get played live saw the light of night such as “Violence Fetish” and mandatory neckbreaker “Droppin’ Plates.”

For album finale “Meaning of Life,” the band changed into orange prison jumpsuits, and Draiman was “electrocuted,” his forehead spewing fake blood as the crowd went animalistic.

Following a 20-minute intermission, Disturbed took to some of its greatest hits. Having already performed its cover of Tears For Fears’ “Shout” from the first album, the group launched into Genesis’ “Land of Confusion” before rolling out a piano that was set ablaze and played by Donegan during Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Sound of Silence.” Draiman sang that one at the front of the runway portion of the stage that jetted out into the crowd, while Wengren pounded a pair of Taiko drums and Moyer stayed behind on the main portion of the stage accompanied by female orchestra members.

Disturbed spared no expense of pyro at the Frost Bank Center, particularly during 2022 and latest album Divisive track “Bad Man” — when the album cover and group mascot came to life in a larger-than-life inflatable — and show finale “Inside the Fire.”

After taking a bow, the stage curtain read “Disturbed Celebrating 25 Years of ‘The Sickness.’ Thank You San Antonio!!”

Chris Daughtry, incredibly, has been on the rock music scene for 19 years since finishing fourth on “American Idol,” only to branch out into stardom status despite not winning his season of the program.

Setting the stage for Disturbed, the well-rounded vocalist who has done everything from brilliantly acoustically covering Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” to collaborating with Sevendust on rejuvenating track “The Past” spotlighted several of his albums during an 11-song set.

Tracks such as “World on Fire” and “Heavy Is the Crown” meshed with his “American Idol” days cover of Journey’s “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)” and self-titled debut album hits “It’s Not Over” and “Home.” Daughtry did the latter alone and acoustically, telling the audience: “If I hadn’t written this next song, there’s a good chance I wouldn’t be standing in front of you right now, San Antonio.”

Over the years of playing their hometown shows, the men of Nothing More have often shared with Alamo True Metal that performing in their city brings its share of challenges and pressures unlike other shows. Vocalist Jonny Hawkins has been one of those to state such sentiments.

On this night, Nothing More undoubtedly felt that pressure multiplied — because Hawkins wasn’t even present.

A mere 24 hours before the show, Hawkins had to bow out due to doctors’ orders after it was discovered he was bleeding from his vocal cords. In stepped Atreyu vocalist Brandon Saller on, yes, a mere single day’s notice to learn the tunes the group would be playing in its opening 30-minute set.

The band’s 2024 album Carnal includes separate tracks with guest appearances by Daughtry and Draiman, making this tour trio a match made in fiery Rock N’ Roll heaven.

Guitarist Mark Vollelunga allowed the band and crowd to get warmed up with a pair of new tunes before introducing Saller as the “saving-the-day” vocalist, to which those who were actually watching the group and not hanging out in the lobby, late to the party or in the concessions line applauded vociferously for Saller’s timely rescue and Nothing More’s latest hometown appearance.

But as brief as it was, Nothing More couldn’t leave the stage without performing “Jenny” and “This Is the Time (Ballast)” as Vollelunga, bassist Daniel Oliver and drummer Ben Anderson got through a show they’re not likely to forget anytime soon unscathed.

DISTURBED SETLIST: Voices, The Game, Stupify, Down With the Sickness, Violence Fetish, Fear, Numb, Want, Conflict, Shout (Tears For Fears cover), Droppin’ Plates, Meaning of Life; (20-minute intermission); I Will Not Break, Ten Thousand Fists, Bad Man, Land of Confusion (Genesis cover), Indestructible, The Sound of Silence (Simon & Garfunkel cover), The Light, Inside the Fire

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40-Year Reunion of S.A. Slayer hits home at Hell's Heroes

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40-Year Reunion of S.A. Slayer hits home at Hell's Heroes

HOUSTON — When the five men in black hit the main stage outside last Saturday at White Oak Music Hall, it may have appeared as an ordinary metal concert.

It may have looked as if yet another festival band was playing the fourth and final day of Hell’s Heroes VII. But upon closer look, even with the recognizable star power coming into focus at that moment with each individual’s credentials morphing into the formation of a modern-day supergroup, the significance of the show about to unfold was not lost upon the masses.

Because there on stage, for the first time in four decades, was one of the pioneers of early San Antonio heavy metal. With four-fifths original or nearly original members fronted by the only vocalist appropriate to carry on the legacy of — not replace — the band’s late voice, S.A. Slayer had risen from the ashes.

Guitarist Bob Catlin, bassist Don Van Stavern and drummer Dave McClain — all there during the group’s formation in 1982 — were joined by 1983 guitarist Ron Jarzombek and South Texas Music Walk of Fame and Texas Music Hall of Fame vocalist Jason McMaster for a 45-minute concert 40 years in the making.

After opening with the title track to 1983 EP Prepare to Die, the band didn’t need a 40-year absence to be reminded of the perils of technical difficulties when Catlin’s guitar amps didn’t cooperate during second song “To Ride the Demon Out.”

McMaster utilized the time to tell the audience that initial talks of S.A. Slayer’s reunion involved the other members asking, “What’s Jason doing? Give Jason a call” when searching for the ideal complement to vocalist Steve Cooper, who died in 2006.

Cooper, who had replaced original vocalist Chris Cronk in 1982, also made his mark on S.A. Slayer’s lone full-length album Go For the Throat, which was recorded in 1984 but not released until four years later, well after the group had disbanded.

But of course, along the way came the famous Slayer vs. Slayer show on Nov. 30, 1984, at The Villa Fontana in San Antonio.

Touring in support of their Haunting the Chapel EP from 1983, the eventual Big 4 of thrash Slayer came to the Alamo City to play a gig with the Slayer that was only well-known to San Antonio locals and that, eventually, added S.A. to its name to avoid confusion among the two bands. That Villa Fontana show included the likes of Syrus and Militia, and those on hand to witness the Hell’s Heroes reunion included vocalist Mike Soliz of the latter.

And for those wondering how and why a band with S.A. in its name has thus far failed to announce a San Antonio date for its reunion ahead of Houston and next month’s scheduled gig at the Keep It True festival in Germany, take solace: conversations were spearheaded backstage by Helstar vocalist James Rivera, tossing around with various band members the idea of a Texas and European swing that would involve Helstar, S.A. Slayer and Militia.

Stay tuned.

In the meantime, the long-awaited return delivered the goods with a 10-song set (see setlist in 63-photo gallery). Watch ATM’s footage of four of those tunes below.

Jarzombek and McMaster have been leading the reunion charge as of late, having resurrected their progressive metal trio Watchtower in September 2023 (ATM coverage here).

Not to be outdone was McClain, the Sacred Reich drummer known for his tenure in Machine Head, who would pull double duty by taking the inside stage 90 minutes after S.A. Slayer’s performance to drum for original Danzig guitarist John Christ’s solo set (coverage forthcoming).

But nobody may have worked harder during the past week than Van Stavern. The Riot bassist kicked off Hell’s Heroes with his main band during Wednesday’s pre-party, headlined with Riot during its 50th anniversary celebration Thursday at Come And Take It Live in Austin, supported Saxon at the Tobin Center for his hometown show Friday (coverage here), then made the 3-hour drive back to Houston for Hells’ finale.

Time will tell whether the aforementioned trio of South Texas stalwarts will bring it in sports-huddle style and collectively take to the road in the Alamo City and beyond. One thing’s for certain: they can’t afford to wait another 40 years to make it happen.

So if you weren’t at Hell’s Heroes to enjoy and witness history, can’t afford to make it to Germany and won’t stomach the patience to wait for a local return, have no fear. Alamo True Metal just brought it to you here.

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Hell, Riot & Shock awe sold-out Tobin Center

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Hell, Riot & Shock awe sold-out Tobin Center

If the proverbial three certainties in life always include death and taxes, then the kicker — at least as far as San Antonio metal is concerned — is Saxon will always draw a sold-out devoted following whenever it comes to town.

In a town that knows how to rock, the latest example came last Friday night on Saxon’s second visit ever to the downtown Tobin Center, once again drawing approximately 1,800 fans filling all levels of the cozy and acoustically impeccable theater for the performing arts.

As in May 2024, Saxon shared tracks from latest album Hell, Fire & Damnation (coverage here). Unlike that show, the New Wave of British Heavy Metal stalwarts went eight songs deep before unleashing 1980 classic Wheels of Steel in its entirety — a treat on this “Hell, Fire & Steel” tour Saxon was not going to unveil the following night in Houston at the Hell’s Heroes VIII festival that it headlined (coverage forthcoming).

Original vocalist Biff Byford and Austin resident and (practically original) drummer Nigel Glockler were once again backed by longtime guitarist Doug Scarratt, bassist Tim “Nibbs” Carter and Diamond Head mainstay Brian Tatler on guitar.

Mixing songs from all eras (see setlist in 54-photo gallery), Saxon and the 74-year-old Byford (yes, you read that correctly) continue to defy age and logic in the city that gave the band its first taste of American radio airplay back in 1979-80. Watch them in action at the bottom via ATM’s footage of “Heavy Metal Thunder” and the band’s 1980 account of the John F. Kennedy assassination, “Dallas 1 p.m.”

Amazingly, the direct support act has been around a little longer than Saxon.

Riot V and hometown bassist Don Van Stavern are touring as part of their 50th anniversary in support of latest album Mean Streets.

Although no original members remain in the group, Van Stavern has been more than a huge contributor to Riot’s legacy beginning with the classic 1988 Thundersteel lineup, with guitarist Mike Flyntz following only five years later.

Backed by drummer Frank Gilchriest and new guitarist Jonathan Reinheimer, the group was injected with a new bolt of energy when vocalist Todd Michael Hall — then of Jack Starr’s Burning Starr and Reverence — was hired by Van Stavern in late 2013 and officially announced as the fifth singer in the band’s storied history in January 2014. Mean Streets marks the third Riot V album with Hall on vocals, a record that sees Van Stavern having written tracks in the vein of each of the band’s eras.

Hall, meanwhile, recently celebrated the fifth anniversary of his scintillating performance on “The Voice” of Foreigner’s “Jukebox Hero” (watch here) and released his latest classic-rock solo album of originals Off the Rails this past October.

Although it was a thankless task narrowing 50 years of music into nine or 10 “support act” songs, Riot pulled it off masterfully with tracks from various albums and nearly every era, highlighted by 1988 opener “Thundersteel,” the mandatory 1981 sing-along “Swords and Tequila” and 1979 dynamo “Road Racin.’ “

Riot added Thundersteel classic “Johnny’s Back” to the printed setlist and inserted it prior to finale “Warrior.” You can watch the group in action at the bottom via ATM’s footage of new-album single “Feel the Fire,” 1982 title track “Restless Breed” and Thundersteel MTV hit “Bloodstreets.”

Kicking off the night was the unpredictable shock-rocker Lizzy Borden, who came out in a three-headed monster contraption while singing the title track to his latest album, 2018’s My Midnight Things.

Longtime drummer Joey Scott provided the beats on classics such as “Notorious,” “Eyes of a Stranger” and “Me Against the World.”

ATM footage below of “Master of Disguise” and the crowd-pleasing “American Metal” captured Lizzy Borden’s uplifting performance in what was a rare San Antonio visit, buoyed by guitarist AC Alexander, who’s a luxury realtor in California known as Alexander Ciullo when he’s not playing, well, American metal.

From the shores of England, to the streets of New York and the glitz of Los Angeles, the trio of acts at the Tobin on this night provided a get-together that San Antonio could be proud of. The debate as to whether the Alamo City remains the “Heavy Metal capital” in 2025 will carry on. But there’s no denying there aren’t many cities in the U.S. that have welcomed, and flown the flag for, Saxon, Riot, Lizzy Borden and many others like them for as long as it has.

For that, San Antonio undoubtedly remains second to none — and the reason these bands will continue to return as long as they’re around to do so.

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Myles Kennedy and friends let go into a rockin' world of discovery and tales galore

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Myles Kennedy and friends let go into a rockin' world of discovery and tales galore


Many of the few hundred venturing to the Rock Box last Friday night likely came for the sheer enjoyment of witnessing one of rock and metal’s renowned and multi-talented front men put on an entertaining performance with his solo band.

While that certainly happened, they also ended up stepping into a world of discovery when it came to not only the Alter Bridge vocalist/guitarist but also his support acts Tim Montana and openers Sons Of Silver.

Kennedy, who of course is the voice behind Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators, is touring in support of third solo effort The Art of Letting Go. He unleashed a few of those tunes, including opening with the title track before segueing into arguably the album’s most rocking song “Nothing More to Gain.”

Unlike when he’s fronting the band highlighted by the Guns N’ Roses guitarist strictly as a vocalist, Kennedy plays guitar throughout his solo shows — one of the many topics we discussed back in 2017 (listen here). His eponymous band includes bassist Tim Tournier and drummer Zia Uddin, the latter a friend of Kennedy’s for 40-plus years as kids growing up in Spokane, Washington, who also served as his backstop in The Mayfield Four.

Uddin performed songs from all three of Kennedy’s solo albums, including 2021’s The Ides of March and 2018’s Year of the Tiger, behind a unique plexiglass setup, which transformed into a humorous explanation by Kennedy during new track “In Stride” (ATM Facebook Live footage here).

If anyone came expecting Kennedy to bust out an Alter Bridge classic or a Slash tune, they would’ve left disappointed. Fact is, Kennedy has more than enough capable material to carry him through a gig via his three solo records, and he even left yours truly wondering why he hadn’t performed new-album single “Say What You Will” . . . until the trio re-emerged for its lone encore (footage in above link. No professional video of Kennedy’s set was permitted).

Burly singer/guitarist Tim Montana provided direct support . . . and brought with him a crew laced with a multitude of interesting and impressive credentials who knew how to more than dabble in fun while rocking — and rapping — the house.

So proud of his home state that he incorporated it into his stage name, Montana and his band unveiled a slew of tunes from 2024 effort Savage such as “Devil You Know,” “Get You Some” and the title tracks. Montana introed “Die Today” by recounting a hero who had saved lives by taking out a hotel terrorist, although the track should’ve been called “I Forgot to Die Today.”

Backed by bassist Jackson Moody, guitarist Tom Samulak and drummer Kyle Law, the band’s namesake has had quite an upbringing when it comes to his career.

He’s played on “The Late Show With David Letterman” and not only collaborated with Kid Rock and ZZ Top legend Billy Gibbons, he and the 75-year-old Texan have teamed up to produce several flavors of Whisker Bomb hot sauce.

Sure, rockers and metallers nowadays venture into side businesses such as hot sauce and beer. But how many of those who are more well-known than Montana actually scored a business venture with a guy like Gibbons?

Upon one of his first meetings with the ZZ Top mainstay, Montana regaled a tale of how Gibbons wanted him to “do that hip-hop shit,” so Montana busted out Tupac Shakur’s “California Love” in front of Slash. Montana spotted Slash mouthing, “What the fuck” while smiling — so of course, Montana had to do it at the Rock Box, which you can view below via ATM’s footage.

Montana also relayed a story about how he once played before one of his heroes, Alice In Chains guitarist/vocalist Jerry Cantrell (who will be at the Aztec Theatre next week; tickets here). Montana said Cantrell watched his performance stoically with his arms folded the entire time, and when Montana nervously asked his idol what he thought, Cantrell stated: “I think you guys are some bad motherfuckers.”

Montana, whose video for “Mostly Stoned” was directed by Charlie Sheen, even turned the oft-mundane act of a band plugging its merch into a time when you wouldn’t have wanted to miss it while utilizing the restroom:

“Buy a shirt, and that will get us 50 miles down the road if you like us. And if you don’t like us, buy two ‘cause that will get us 100 miles further away from you.”

Before the humor and storytelling unfolded, there was Sons Of Silver. The quintet from Los Angeles released their debut full-length album Runaway Emotions on Jan. 10 following a pair of EPs.

Highlighted by opening track “Tell Me This,” which the band played third on this night, the album is a terrific mix of up tempo hard rock with dashes of metal and steady musicianship that leaves you wanting to hear much more than the 25-minute set the Los Angeles outfit was relegated to.

Still, vocalist/guitarist Pete Argyropoulos (aka PeteRG), guitarist Kevin Haaland, bassist Adam Kury, keyboardist Brina Kabler and drummer Marc Slutsky delivered the goods on their first San Antonio visit as a band. As expected with a less than 30-minute set, there wasn’t much time for introductions or storytelling, so Sons Of Silver stuck to what they do best on the record. They brought that out at the Rock Box, including “Who’s Gonna Stop Us” and “Hold Tight,” both of which can be viewed below.

Haaland spent a few years playing guitar in Skillet, while Kury has had his stamp on San Antonio performances in recent years. He’s the bassist in Candlebox and longtime Alamo City favorites Legs Diamond, the latter having played twice here since 2022.

Kennedy’s solo band, along with Tim Montana and Sons Of Silver, may not have resonated strongly preshow on many radars locally. But for those who checked out all three artists and relished the chance to perhaps discover some new musical acts to add to their collections, who knows? Maybe one day down the road, you’ll be able to tell those acts you were there from their early days — if not from the very beginning.

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W.A.S.P., Armored Saint ensure nostalgia & rock never stop

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W.A.S.P., Armored Saint ensure nostalgia & rock never stop

Many metalheads, particularly those in their 40s and 50s, would likely reference the ‘80s era, specifically that which emanated from the Sunset Strip, as their favorite brand of music’s golden period. The slew of bands, over-the-top fashions, excess of after-show debauchery and hundreds of memorable songs stamped their place in the lives of countless aficionados.

Naturally, some of the bands from that scene and time made it bigger than others. Some barely lasted one album. All played a part in a culture of music that’s second to none.

W.A.S.P. and Armored Saint fall somewhere in the middle of that ledger, though — especially in the former’s case — much closer to the top when it comes to popularity and an imprint that still resonates today. Both undeniably passed the criteria that matters most: creating music and specific songs that have stood the test of time four decades later.

Anyone requiring more convincing needed to look no further than Saturday night at the Aztec Theatre as W.A.S.P. brought its Album One Alive tour with veteran stalwarts Armored Saint in a double dosage of Los Angeles-area metal gone modern.

W.A.S.P. eccentric frontman Blackie Lawless went more than a decade without performing in the Alamo City until Nov. 4, 2022, when — guess who? — Armored Saint (along with Michael Schenker) each celebrated their longevity at the Boeing Center at Tech Port. That performance, from a W.A.S.P. fan’s standpoint, not only lacked the overdue punch many were expecting from the rare visit, but it also featured Lawless shockingly changing lyrics to one of his songs to a PG version and barely found him addressing his audience (coverage here).

Two years and 26 days later at the Aztec may as well have been another lifetime. This show was a hundred times better and more “back to the beginning” than 2022.

Saturday night brought forth a longer (88 minutes approximately) and clearer (in sound and lighting) performance exclusive to songs from the first four albums covering 1984-89 even after W.A.S.P. had played the debut record in its entirety. It also featured Lawless sharing various anecdotes and stories with the crowd that never seemed long-winded. Judging by various fans approaching Alamo True Metal during the night with comments about Lawless’ pre-show meet-and-greet being “next level,” “unrushed” and “worth it,” it was as if Lawless’ banter with both levels of the Aztec was an extension of the M&G.

One of those spoken moments featured Lawless stating how he had called “half a dozen promoters that I know around the country” to ask them for their thoughts on his idea of bringing the Album One Alive tour to life. He stated that each of them was all for it but that the final one asked if he would perform the album in sequential order, only for Lawless to tell him, “No.” When that promoter referenced a mythical Led Zeppelin reunion playing their fourth album all the way through and asked Lawless if they would start with “Stairway to Heaven,” the singer relented, “OK, you got me by the ying yang there.”

Lawless then admitted that initial rehearsals with his band — 18-year tenured guitarist Doug Blair, 26-year bassist Mike Duda and drummer Aquiles Priester — “weren’t going very smoothly” because some of the songs hadn’t been played in 40 years.

Not only were they played at the Aztec. They served to put to rest any public doubt that Lawless isn’t singing. Take it from one who spent the first three songs in the photo pit and actually heard Lawless and Blair’s vocals flowing from their vocal cords and not just the microphones (watch ATM Facebook Live footage of “B.A.D.,” “School Daze” and “Hellion”). Even 40 years later, it’s not hard to get fired up upon hearing “a fire bell is ringing hell” and “at the altar of Rock N’ Roll you kneel.”

Lawless also shared that until this tour, he had never opened a show with “I Wanna Be Somebody.” While gazing at the MTV video for that tune (and subsequently several others) on the big screen, it brought back the memory of a 1987 syndicated radio interview Lawless did with Z-Rock in which he said the inspiration for that song came after he heard the line uttered on an episode of “Barney Miller” (Google it, kiddos) and that it “put a hook in me.”

W.A.S.P. had spent the majority of its tours opening with another first-album track, “On Your Knees,” one of many from back in the day that sparked Tipper Gore’s Parental Music Resource Center (PMRC) shenanigans and efforts to bring down metal because she viewed W.A.S.P. as “We Are Sexual Perverts.” Forty years later, the acronym may be as obvious, or mysterious, to some as it once was. Regardless, you can watch ATM footage below of “On Your Knees,” “Tormentor” and “The Torture Never Stops” as W.A.S.P. ended the first album in style adorned by a blood-red stage emblazoned with chains and skulls (again, more back to the beginning than its previous visit).

And unlike 2022, Lawless expanded the post-album one portion of the show. After a 5-minute break, the quartet tore into medleys from 1986’s Inside the Electric Circus and personal favorite The Headless Children from 1989.

A 35-year celebration of the latter would’ve been incredible to experience. But at least we heard sizable portions of “The Real Me,” MTV ballad “Forever Free” and the tyrant-inspired title track, which was non-existent at Tech Port.

Fellow Los Angeles natives Armored Saint are always heavy, dependable and energetic, and that didn’t change from the 2022 show.

Opening with an absolute ripping tune from 2020 and latest album Punching the Sky in “End of the Attention Span,” vocalist John Bush and company took aim at today’s perils of gotta-know-everything-now social media with a song they could easily open every gig with from now on.

Following that blazing track, it was nothing but classics beginning with the 1987 title track to Raising Fear. Bush introed 1984 title track March of the Saint by saying the band first played it in San Antonio during a three-night stint at the Cameo Theatre with Metallica — a group the vocalist could’ve joined back in the day but turned down, something he discussed with ATM in a turn-back-the-clock interview here.

Guitarists Phil Sandoval and Jeff Duncan, bassist Joey Vera and drummer Gonzo Sandoval round out the quintet that still has 80 percent original members, and they teamed up to play 2000 track “The Pillar,” a deep cut they didn’t perform when they headlined Come And Take It Live in mid-May in Austin with Dangerous Toys (ATM coverage here. Ironically, Dangerous Toys was also headlining its own show this night at Deco Ballroom). The well-oiled machine was in fine form all night, as demonstrated by ATM’s Facebook Live footage of “Left Hook From Right Field” and “Aftermath.”

Bush, who also referenced playing “the Majestic around the corner with Saxon back in the day,” took to the balcony during “Can U Deliver,” (ATM footage below) before the Saints capped it off with “Reign of Fire” (also below).

Unbeknownst to the crowd, it was reported by the band yesterday that Vera had surgery on his left eye in Fort Worth two days after the gig for Posterior Vitreous Detachment. In a prime example of “the show must go on,” Vera — who of course also has been in Fates Warning for many years with San Antonio natives Ray Alder and Bobby Jarzombek — showed no ill effects and continued to rock and perform like the trooper he’s always been on stage. Alamo True Metal wishes him well.

But you can’t end an evening with W.A.S.P. in San Antonio without performing “Blind in Texas” (ATM Facebook Live footage here), and Lawless gave the fans what they wanted. He prefaced it by telling them they had witnessed history in seeing the first album played live all the way.

There was no blood or raw meat. No pyro. No political flags. Just a kick-ass performance from beginning to end by one of metal’s important, influential, favorite and fun frontmen and artists.

Stay healthy and hungry, boys. And buckle up, metal brethren. Forty years of The Last Command is just around the corner.

W.A.S.P. setlist: I Wanna Be Somebody, L.O.V.E. Machine, The Flame, B.A.D., School Daze, Hellion, Sleeping (In the Fire), On Your Knees, Tormentor, The Torture Never Stops.

Medley 1 (The Big Welcome/Inside the Electric Circus, I Don’t Need No Doctor, Scream Until You Like It).

Medley 2 (The Real Me, Forever Free, The Headless Children), Wild Child, Blind in Texas

ARMORED SAINT setlist: End of the Attention Span, Raising Fear, The Pillar, March of the Saint, Left Hook From Right Field, Aftermath, Win Hands Down, Can U Deliver, Reign of Fire

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Maidens of Swiss metal Militia sizzle in live San Antonio debut

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Maidens of Swiss metal Militia sizzle in live San Antonio debut

A check of nearby flagpoles last Friday night appeared to portend another evening of serene inactivity outside.

Inside Fitzgerald’s, however, was a different story.

A gale force of power blew in from as far as Switzerland, courtesy of five maidens of metal known as Burning Witches, and as near as Austin and locally thanks to a grouping of bands that helped form the backbone of the South Texas Legion scene in the mid-’80s.

Featured attraction Burning Witches made their live San Antonio debut one to remember with a powerful 14-song, 75-minute set in the quaint “party hearty at McCarty” bar with San Antonio stalwarts Byfist, Austin veterans Militia and a rare appearance by local trio Grind.

And because it was their debut in the Alamo City, the Swiss witches were basically touring in support of, at least in North America, their entire five-album catalog and not just 2023 effort The Dark Tower.

Dutch vocalist Laura Guldemond, Swiss natives Romana Kalkuhl (founding member & guitarist), bassist Jeanine (Jay) Grob and drummer Lala Frischknecht and newest guitarist and lone American Courtney Cox — formerly of The Iron Maidens and Femme Fatale — came out flying on new opening track “Unleash the Beast” and 2020’s “Wings of Steel.”

No ballads and no fillers comprised the highly energetic performance (see all setlists in 55-photo gallery), and it continued on “Necronomicon” and ATM’s Facebook Live footage of “Lucid Nightmare” and “Evil Witch,” which were just samples of Cox’s scintillating shredding capabilities and featured Guldemond leaving the stage to join the audience on the former track.

Burning Witches is already working on its 2025 album, which included the release of new single “The Spell of the Skull” just three days prior to the concert. It marks the first song the band has worked on with Cox on guitar, although Burning Witches did not play it live or even mention it.

By the way: sign me up for a Cox-vs.-Nita Strauss guitar battle any day of the week.

Although Burning Witches has covered Savatage’s “Hall of the Mountain King,” Ozzy Osbourne’s “Shot in the Dark” and W.A.S.P.’s “I Wanna Be Somebody” on their two latest albums — and Dio’s “Holy Diver” going further back — none of those were offered up at Fitzgerald’s. That decision was very respectable given the whole inaugural San Antonio concert thingy and fans wanting to hear more of their own music. However, Frischknecht and Cox’s predecessor, Larissa Ernst, spoke about the Savatage cover and more exclusively with ATM in 2021 upon the release of The Witch of the North, which you can watch here.

Guldemond was also a terror — in a good, evil, demonic way — on one of Burning Witches’ heaviest tunes: the 2018 title track to Hexenhammer which was followed by new song “World on Fire,” both of which can be viewed below.

Guldemond, Grob and Kalhuhl in particular made themselves readily available to meet fans throughout the performances of the trio of Texas artists, and Guldemond’s personal website goes a step further. The singer offers to lend her vocal talents to other artists with the following message: “Yes, I also would love to help you out with vocals for your project. Just send me a message with a demo and lyrics and a plan if you have them at ‘contact.’ “

Go ahead. ATM will make it easier for you here.

The only downside of the group’s performance came via something not within its control.

An unfortunate occurrence at many Fitzgerald’s gigs is artists telling their fans they can barely see them, only hear them. (Grind said so as well in the middle of ATM’s Facebook Live clip of that band below).

Burning Witches’ performance may have been one of the first in which that scenario unfolded at the end of the set when the band simply requested to take a photo with the crowd. Guldemond asked twice to have the lights shined upon the patrons, but each inquiry was to no avail. As a result, no keepsake was taken for the group’s initial foray into the Alamo City, and it never should have come to that. But once again, ATM obliged regarding the ladies’ final bow in the photo gallery.

Byfist provided direct support with the usual hard-hitting crew of power vocalist Raul Garcia, lead guitarist Manny Santos, rhythm guitarist Nacho Vara, bassist Stony Grantham and drummer Scott Palmer.

Byfist has basically been playing the same set since 2020’s release of In the End, but it’s an entertaining show each time. Their 1989 EP Adrenaline was produced by the late Metal Church vocalist “Reverend” David Wayne, whose band Reverend included Vara until Wayne passed in 2005. Watch ATM’s Facebook Live footage of opening tracks “Left to Die” and “Universal Metal” and below on “Guaranteed Death” and “Mary Celeste.”

Why yes, that is an ATM photo under the “Born of Shredders” section of the band’s site.

Militia, on the other hand, doesn’t come around to San Antonio that often despite hailing from the nearby live music capital. Vocalist Mike Soliz, guitarist Tony Smith, band founder and bassist Robert Willingham and drummer Chip Alexander formed the impetus of the hard-hitting group in the mid-’80s, which recently added guitarist Phillip Patterson.

Although they were inactive for many years, Soliz made an appearance in 2018 at Fitzgerald’s when the South Texas Legion brotherhood of metal that included mainstays such as Jason McMaster, James Rivera, Bobby and Ron Jarzombek, Art Villareal, Pete Perez and others united on the same stage for a memorable evening of Q&A, storytelling and rocking everyone’s hearts out. (ATM coverage here).

On this night, Militia delivered the goods on seven tracks including ATM’s Facebook Live footage of “Search for Steel” and “And the Gods Made War” plus below on “The Judas Dream” and “Salem Square.”

Soliz at one point apologized to the crowd for his voice being hoarse. But, seriously, the man’s pipes were in incredible form, and this opinion wasn’t the only one who felt that way as fans assured him they couldn’t even tell. That was further evidenced by the fact he screamed more than the other three vocalists on the bill combined — and nailed it every time.

However, the guitars were super loud, often drowning out Soliz’s chops unless you were at the barrier — but thankfully not resulting in anything near the Perry Farrell/Dave Navarro episode that occurred recently at a Jane’s Addiction concert over a similar situation.

Militia will shortly be marking a momentous occasion in the group’s history, as Nov. 30 marks the 40th anniversary of the famous “Slayer vs. Slayer” show at The Villa Fontana that included Militia as a support act for the Los Angeles Big 4 outfit and S.A. Slayer in 1984.

The trio of Grind began the Fitztivities (as the bar likes to often say) at 8 p.m. with a 30-minute set that delighted and made one wonder why the band doesn’t perform here more often. Guitarist Bob Perez may hold the key to that, as he spends the bulk of his musical time with Vara in Seance, while bassist Rudy Munoz may just need some nudging from his circle of friends to convince him there’s perhaps more of a demand to hear the band live than the band itself may think.

Judge for yourself below on “Who Do You Think You Are” and via ATM’s footage of “Pain” and “Surreal.”

Hopefully this initial viewing of Burning Witches in South Texas will serve as a warmup act. By the time the next album arrives, it wouldn’t be a stretch to have them perform with the likes of an Armored Saint, or even on Helloween’s 2026 North American 40th anniversary tour at a place such as Boeing Center at Tech Port or the Aztec Theatre.

So, local promoters, get on it. Let the witches set our world on fire once again. And give them a proper Kodak moment to remember.

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