So once more I pay respects and minor sacrifices to the Elder Gods and the strangest but actually excellent venue of Drax Power Station Social Club – great staff and security, great beer and food, nice large campsite.
Yes it’s Warhorns time.

Pint, meeting old gig friends, saying hi to the organisers, looking for Rex The King Of Warhorns (camping wristbands read ‘Guarded By Rex’. He’s the sweetest Jack Russell with his own patched cut-off.)
All sorted.
Ah, enough I know. Deep breath. Into the melee…

Day 1

With their tradition of always on the lookout for newer bands in the UK who have caught the eye and ear of the Warhorns organisers, the honour of opening things went to young five-piece War Shepherd all the way from Plymouth. They really don’t mess about when they hit the stage; a full on, full throttle attack from twin guitars Christopher and James and some excellent harsh vocals from aggressive frontwoman Jamie. At first I’m thinking almost black metal here but the sound by the time the excellent ‘Solitary State’ hits us is some seriously fine melodic death metal underpinned by a great rhythm section; fluid interplayed melodies that never let the heaviness go thanks to the bassist….sorry…’plank clanking’ Naomi and drummer Steve. ‘Living Through Your Hate’ is a particularly good track first time hearing but ‘Starless Sky takes the day on this first sighting of the band with some great melody and huge hooks. They look good on stage and seem to be moving towards something of a cohesive look too. A little polishing of the stage craft and movement maybe but, hey, with only about a dozen gigs behind them they are way, way past where you’d expect. But the best thing? They sound amazing for such a young band and their song-writing is already catchy as hell and full of serious heft. and the crowd, pleasingly full for the first band, gave them a great response.

I think they may be onto something here! I believe an album is imminent so watch out.

Oh and kudos for the best merch list ever.

Keeping up with Warhorns well planned changeovers, next up we have a bit of epic/traditional metal from Heathen Kings. I sadly missed the chance to review their debut album (apologies again guys) so was very keen to see what they could do live. Ah they don’t disappoint. We have studded wristbands and black shirts and twin guitars all immediately whipping up an epic, almost cinematic sound carried with aplomb by front man Andy. They look so confident on stage and clearly want to be there so much. The songs are finely crafted slices of NWOBHM tinged, Grand Magus epic and a sprinkling of Manilla Road (‘England Expects’) heavy metal all spearheaded by the superb lead vocals: Great range, power and spot on note hitting with variation from deeper gravitas to the air raid level though thankfully never crossing over into power metal. Some great thumping riffs with hooks aplenty, it’s a great set. The wonderful ‘I Am The Hammer’ being the highlight for me with a perfect balance between solid heavy metal thump and Grand Magus epic refrain. A class act to be sure and got a thoroughly deserved reaction.

Well two bands in and it seems the Warhorners have indeed come out to party. Aventail are the ones to take up the banner. I caught this Bristolian pagan metal band previously and to be honest I had a little problem here and there with them personally, but firstly it was their first gig and thankfully the crowd didn’t share my view. So second time around here we go.

The sound wasn’t kind to them initially, tech problems messing with the opener which was a shame. However, they didn’t let it bother them and their folky but nicely heavy sound quickly got the crowd on their side. The melodies are just what the folk fans want, a fiddle sound on the guitar (or indeed on the fiddle too) and some nice aggressive vocals. Their stage craft is certainly coming on too which is nice to see, though it still needs a bit more work. I do have reservations though in a couple of places; ‘Elegy’ highlighted some occasionally slightly off clean vocals (possibly monitor issues as there certainly had been a problem) and on such a gentle song it was a little jolt for me. However, the ever reliable and infectious version of ‘Swallowtail Jig’ shows not only are they very cool musicians but can whip up a dance in the crowd at the drop of a hat so no biggie. Crowd exercised, warm reception, job done.

The oddly named Grimgotts were to follow that (apparently it’s a play on some Harry Potter thing….). Symphonic power metal with a slightly seafaring tendency. They were also the first victim of a grim spectre haunting Warhorns, kidnapping bass players and whisking them off to who knows where which meant initially the hole in the sound as they took the stage was very apparent. Still they looked great on stage and the sound, particularly helped by the excellent live keyboards (note to bands; keyboard players are not an endangered species and look way better on stage than a backing tape…) seemed to swell to fill that. With a very engaging front man with a keen set of pipes this was kind of mead and meat to the crowd. Tracks like ‘The King Under The Sea’ have that pitch perfect rising melody, Lizzy-esque guitar touches and smile inducing vocals that power metal fans love. Am I one? Well not entirely but there’s no denying that their fun, rousing approach to the genre with great musicianship and they will make you happier than when you went in. Power pirate metal? Give them a look…

And then we had Albion. I had been so intrigued when this band was announced that I had to check them out before hand and to say it raised expectations massively is an understatement. They exceeded those with no flash, bombast or arrogance, just a calm confidence in themselves and their music. A four piece with, it’s fair to say, an unimposing look, they opened up with a track they said, in self-deprecating manner, had finally got around to naming as ‘Arthurian Overture’. And… Oh. Wow. The sound was crisp as a bell chiming. The classic folk melody was just like being enveloped and carried away into an Arthurian fantasy. The vocals are just perfect, emotional and clear from Joe Parrish-James and his guitar work with Jack Clark was brilliant. We get a flute passage from Joe (and some stand-up comedy as he cleans it), we have just sublime drumming from (I believe) Ollie Medlow and the mesmeric tall bassist Peter Szypulski animated and outstanding. The complimentary guitar work on display was delicate one moment and then heavy folk metal the next. The melodies here are just to die for. The crowd filled out as the sound clearly advertised something special was occurring. The musicality was stunning (small wonder Jethro Tull use the service of one, or is it two members?)

They insert a cover of Type O Negative’s ‘Wolf Moon’ (!), always a risk without that voice but they carry it off pretty well and musically it is top notch. Their utterly stunning version of Stan Roger’s ode to sea shanties ‘Barrett’s Privateers’ had the crowd singing along heartily (yes absolutely me too) and the closing ‘Third Branch’ once more just left me kind of stunned by the talent in this quartet. Surprisingly heavy when they want, always compelling and so engaging if you like folk metal you need to check them out live. Band of the day for me. Just brilliant. Just play ‘Pagan Spirit’ next time..

Always ones to through the odd curveball, Warhorns had booked enigmatic, masked ‘horror rock’ band King Of The Dead. Well as anyone one of my acquaintance will no doubt be fed up of my opinion of Ghost and their ‘Scooby Do chase music’ schtick I wasn’t expecting much. Which kind of serves me right. Black and red hooded robes, full blackout masks for all the band except the singer who had a strange stocking style mask obscuring his features they are an odd sight. Even more so when ‘The Sermon For The Cursed’ opens with a massive arching enemy. The class of the musicians is clear and the singer cuts a curious and compelling figure – oddly graceful wide gestures, serpentine body language and great and oddly androgynous voice somehow. There is melody a plenty, and hooks, a pop sensibility tied to some fine almost nineties melodic rock riffs. ‘The Hunt’ has an almost grunge edge lurking under the slick tune. I think the audience is a little stunned rather than confused. This is not ‘normal’ Warhorns fare but somehow….it works. Probably because it sounds so good live with added weight to the guitars. The closing track ‘Who’s Left To Blame’ has initially an almost Carpenter Brut feel to the flash bang wallop but just eases into the King Of The Dead surging smooth tunes, classic American hard rock from the 80s with a beefed up rhythm and some impassioned vocals and the mesmerising figure of the singer on stage.

“Well, that turned out to be rather good,” was the most heard comment as I wandered out very happy is still bemused. And you know what? It was. I think I better check out their EP. Phew.

Thy Kingdom Will Burn from Finland brought things brutally back to metal. With their bass player suddenly having to return home due to a mouth infection (that’s two bassists if you’re counting) they were a lean looking three piece and from the looks this was not going to be a soft ride. It wasn’t but it was fantastic. Melodic death with a really gritty engine room to their sound and tone. They looked aggressive and just surged into their job despite the man down. ‘Nothing Remains’ with its harsh vocals and urgent melody to a thundering drum sound was a real instant hit for me. The band looked utterly committed to it and I could feel the energy rise in the room. ‘Rise Against’ had a choppy feel, a swagger and a sway to it. ‘Fortress Of Solitude’ even incorporated some almost clean vocals. They had attack, variation, some songs that grabbed me immediately and once that just got me by their relentless, gritty attack, blow after blow. The fact they filled in so well without the bass just shows how tight they are as a unit too.

Completely new to me, I absolutely loved this fierce set. Definitely a name to keep an eye out either on record or live.

With the Swedes Zornheym on next, a lull in intensity was never on the cards. I saw them in 2019 last and their relentless on stage energy and theatrical front man were burned in my mind. They hadn’t changed. Storming on stage in a sack shirt, hood mask and chains singer Bendler was as maniacal as the character and the class of the band is immediately apparent. This is symphonic metal with a theatrical black metal shading to it. They have the Maiden-esque licks, the almost Rammstein rising full on male choral vocals and it’s pretty impossible for the crowd to not get flung into their whirlwind performance. They look brilliant together and never stop working the crowd as the bombastic, breathless music just pummels us.

It’s fair to say that this isn’t entirely my thing but all you have to do is watch them to see how good a live act these guys are and I dare say they went down even better than the last time I saw them. There was a fine scrum around the merch stall as the last strains of closer ‘Slumber Comes In Time’ had faded. Well done indeed gents. Oh and they didn’t have a bass player but that’s normal for them…

Which left the multicultural experience of Gwydion. From Portugal, with a Welsh name, singing songs about Vikings and wearing kilts. It could only be Warhorns. From the first minute on stage this six piece have smiles a mile wide as the response for the enthusiastic crowd is superb. They have a huge epic sound, layers of keyboards and mass vocals. The front man stalks the crowd, his raw voice like a starving warrior looking for meat. They also have a sway to their sound with the keyboards and occasionally (or more often) drop into the (for miserable old me) dreaded oompah sound.

But you can’t fault a band as perfect for Warhorns as this playing with huge enthusiasm and pride, their set brim-full of sounds to get the crowd singing and, indeed, dancing. They are in some respects the epitome of what Warhorns is about – bands from across the continent who don’t appear on these shores much if at all but absolutely deserve to be heard.
Having had health problems for a couple of weeks before Warhorns I was flagging badly at this point and had to make my decision to leave a little early. It isn’t my thing at all but all you have to do is look at the crowd response and the enjoyment to know they were a great headliner for day one. Well done people, I hope you will get to return soon.

Words: Gizmo
Pictures: @green_wyvern photography

Part 2