It’s a sunny Spring Saturday in Houston, birds are chirping, there’s a slight breeze, and thousands of metalheads are thrashing around the lawn of White Oak Music Hall. Screaming guitars, blast beats, and heavy bass riffs filled the air, while fans moshed and crowd-surfed their way through the day.
Hell’s Heroes, now in its sixth iteration, is Houston’s largest metal event, taking over White Oak with 40 bands hitting the stage over three full days. With bands playing on both the downstairs stage and the larger outdoor space, there was a constant sound of music in the air as the schedule allowed for no set to compete with another.
With doors opening at noon, the show got underway shortly before 1PM with Traveler being the first act to take the stage. Sumerlands followed suit, along with Early Moods and Blood Star on the indoor stage, each with 30 minute sets.
Around 2:45, as the crowd began to grow, Cirith Ungol kicked off their 45-minute set on the outdoor stage. Taking their name from the high mountain pass in Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings, and originally forming in the early 1970s, Cirith Ungol reunited in 2016 and are currently embarked on a farewell tour. Playing between power and doom metal, the band’s nine-song setlist included songs off of four different albums, including “Frost and Fire” and “Join the Legion.”
Immediately as Cirith Ungol left the stage, local Houston band Necrofier emerged from the wings of White Oak’s indoor stage. One of the more theatrical acts of the day, each member wore full corpse paint, while the stage was adorned with lit candelabras, antlers, and a goat skull. With lights so dim the band was at times shrouded in darkness, the short but heavy set consisted of six songs, mainly from last year’s album Burning Shadows in the Southern Night.
At 4PM, English metal band Tank began their energetic outdoor set. Formed in 1980, the band has been through various iterations, with the current lineup including longtime guitarists Mick Tucker and Cliff Evans. With a new singer and rhythm section, the band played predominantly older tracks that the fans ate up, with Tank flags and shirts a regular sight throughout the day. With a 9-song set that included “Shellshock” and “(He Fell in Love With a) Stormtrooper” Tank played one of the highlight sets of the show.
Next up on the outdoor stage was Demolition Hammer, with possibly the craziest and most entertaining set of the day. Hailing from the Bronx, the thrash metal band immediately sent the crowd into a frenzy. A massive circle pit, the largest seen throughout the show, formed, and dozens of people managed to crowd-surf their way over the rail. Playing only eight songs over a 40-minute set, including “.44 Caliber Brain Surgery” and “Infectious Hospital Waste,” the band had by far the most ‘thrash’ set of the day. Security staff at times seemed shocked by the sheer number of crowd-surfers, but managed to keep everyone safe and sound and deserve massive respect. Reuniting in 2016 after a more than 20-year hiatus, Demolition Hammer doesn’t play many shows, but if you’re a fan of thrash they are not to be missed.
With the day more than halfway through, the crowd had swelled to near capacity by the time Forbidden took the stage. One of the many thrash metal bands to emerge from the bay area in the 1980s, Forbidden recently re-formed after an 11-year break. With a mostly new lineup including original guitarist Craig Locicero and bassist Matt Camacho, the band’s hourlong set kept the energy from their predecessors on the main stage.
With the indoor stage unable to accommodate all of the attendees, people perused the numerous vendors selling everything from official band merch to guitar pedals and took advantage of the half hour breaks between sets. Forbidden too saw their fair share of crowd surfers, but many seemed to conserve their energy for the latter sets of the day.
Just after dark, Greek black metal band Rotting Christ took the stage for the penultimate set of the festival. Playing a somewhat slower and more melodic style than the thrash-oriented riffs of earlier acts, the band’s set included nine songs, with the first known performance of “Visions of the Dead Lovers.” With a new album due for release in a few months, Rotting Christ has had their share of controversy due to their name, with several previous performances having been canceled. Thankfully there were no such issues here, and the band was able to play a full hour before ceding the stage to the final act of the night.
Promptly at 9:30, German thrash metal band Sodom took the stage to close out three days of heavy metal. Their first ever show in the Lone Star State in the band’s 42 year-existence, the death metal originators played a near-90 minute set including “Jabba the Hutt,” “Ausgebombt” “M-16” and the classic “Agent Orange.” Sodom rarely plays shows in the US, making this set one that was not to be missed. Nearly every inch of White Oak’s lawn was full, with multiple circle pits, flares, flags, and crowd-surfers galore. One of the best-selling thrash bands of all time, Sodom’s bass heavy riffs and many war-themed lyrics rang out into the night as fans reveled in the metal.
It was a perfect end to a day and festival full of great music, great people, and a proper metal atmosphere.
All photos by Morgan Rosenbaum
I'm a Houston-based concert and automotive photographer. I've been a music fan my whole life, and previously was the director for Coog Radio, the University of Houston's student radio station. I listen to a bit of everything, from blues to rock to EDM, but predominantly metal. Some favorites include Slayer, Iron Maiden, and Metallica. When I'm not behind the camera, you can catch me skating, going to car events, and buying too many coffee table books.
