By Tony Rachtman
Fans of heavy metal on this continent can often find a festival catered to the needs of the die-hard heavy metal purist to be few and far between. Whether it’s the large festivals that try to cover all genres, or the countless bands limited to touring mostly in Europe and South America, fans of real heavy metal in North America tend to get the short end of the stick in festival and concert lineups.
This is where Hell’s Heroes was formed. The brainchild of Christian Larson (Necrofier, Night Cobra), Hell’s Heroes was established in 2018 to bring real, traditional heavy metal stateside for its North American adherents. Fans of anything that ends in “core” need not apply. Hell’s Heroes exists for the true “denim, spikes, and leather” headbanger. With lineups that feature every stripe of traditional metal, power metal, speed, thrash, and black metal, several of whom rarely make it to North America, the stacked lineups are sure to make the trip worth it for the fan who laments the lack of such metal in our domestic touring circuits.
Held every March at the White Oak Music Hall in Houston, Texas, lasting 3 full days with music from around noon until after midnight, Hell’s Heroes finds itself in a venue perfectly situated for a festival of its scope and magnitude. Situated at the venue are three stages, with a total capacity of around 4200 people. There is the outdoor stage (≈3000 people), the indoor stage (≈1000 people), and the upstairs stage (≈250 people). It was set up perfectly for warmer-than-average month of March in Texas. While one act would play outside, the other would set up inside, in the well-cooled and ventilated theatre, which gave all festival attendees a needed reprieve from the hot afternoon sun.
The outdoor grounds featured market vendors selling everything a true metalhead could want; real leather, spikes, jewelry, rare t-shirt prints, patches, everything. A perfect accompaniment to the weekend. The merch staff were very helpful too, with regular restocks for most of the bands’ merch throughout the duration of the festival, regardless of the day they performed. Bartenders also poured generous cocktails and kept everyone well….”hydrated” with friendly service as well.
The fans who showed up from all corners of the Earth, decked out in full metal attire, all just seemed so thrilled to be there, so naturally, everyone was cool, friendly, and respectful to the efforts made to put on such a well-organized and planned three-day event. Good crowds are often taken for granted until the wrong prick starts some shit, and ruins it for everyone and them. Little of that to be noticed or seen anywhere this past year. Fun was had by all, the staff, the fans, and even some curious locals.
Hell’s Heroes is built for rare bands and tribute acts that barely touch North America. The 2026 edition delivered hard: Tankard making their first-ever North American appearance and unleashing pure German beer-metal destruction on the outdoor stage, Voivod slicing through the Texas heat with their psychedelic Canadian prog-thrash wizardry, and Cleveland’s filth-bringers Midnight turning the place into a blasphemous black ‘n’ roll riot.
Doro still reigned supreme as Metal’s supreme frontwoman performing her Warlock classics, Chris Holmes blew the roof off the indoor stage with raw, honest W.A.S.P. fire, and Battle Ruins injected a fresh shot of metal-punk adrenaline. Throw in crushing sets from Jag Panzer, Whiplash, and U.D.O. (with original Accept member Peter Baltes on bass) and you had three straight days of high-quality traditional metal with zero filler or repetition. To cap it all off, the festival at last culminated with a full pyrotechnic spectacle of a tribute to Bathory, featuring members of Enslaved, Watain, & Aura Noir.
With sunburned, aching bodies, questionable status of the liver, and ringing ears, just about everyone seemed ready to head home after the festivities concluded into the wee hours of Sunday morning. Hell’s Heroes isn’t just another festival. It’s a rare, professionally run paradise built by, of, and for real denim-and-leather heavy metal fans who crave the kind of lineups you usually only find in some forgotten corner of Europe.
This is the real deal. Long live Hell’s Heroes — long may it reign.
10/10
Nessa, a Perú-born, Ontario-based concert photographer, has a knack for capturing the raw energy of metal shows from the pit. Teaming up with her partner Tony Rachtman, a seasoned journalist who pens no-nonsense reviews and killer interviews, they’ve been rocking the metal scene since 2017. Check Nessa’s shots on Instagram (@nessa.fotograf) and stay tuned for more show coverage.