STORMBRINGER FEST 2025

Heavy metal festivals come in all sizes, from the massive festivals overseas in Europe to the larger ones in the States like Maryland Death Fest to mid-level ones like Legions of Metal to smaller, more intimate style festivals like this one.  Each play an important part within the scene. Right now it literally is a buffet of festivals in which you can pick and choose which style of one you wish to support.  Stormbringer Metal Festival is one that spotlights the newer bands within the US metal scene.  The festival is run by ADAMANTIS drummer Evgeny Gromovoy, and this year was the third and final year of the festival.  This year he made a point to keep it smaller and less risk and to focus on the community aspect of booking and keep it all within his circle of bands that he enjoys or friends with.  With his crew of helpers and two stacked days of amazing bands he showed that a great time can be had without the bells and whistles of what the huge festivals offer.

I have always wanted to get out there to check out this fest and since this was the final year and TWISTED TOWER DIRE was playing, I made sure I was going to be there.  On this trip the infamous Randy Kastner (aka Wizard of Watertown) joined me who also runs the Blades of Steel Metal Festival in Madison, WI.  We both wanted to make this kind of a quick weekend and took a super early flight out of O’Hare on Friday early morning.  Sadly the plans did not work out the way we wished and thanks to Jet Blue we had a 3 hour plus delay on leaving Chicago.  This really made the rest of the Friday a tight fit since we still had to land, get the rental car since the festival was an hour outside of Boston and check into the hotel while rush hour traffic was happening.  All of the plans we had for the afternoon on Friday were cancelled and once we did get in town we literally made it to Ralph’s Diner within minutes of the first band starting.  I still blame Randy’s bad luck for this.  ( I kid ).

I have heard a lot of great things about Ralph’s Rock Diner and some bad things.  The first thing everyone talks about is the parking lot.  The stories and rumors were in fact all true.  The parking lot looks like there were bombs dropped all over it.  The potholes are the size of a small compact car and everyone says never drive too fast or you will have your cars suspension destroyed.  In fact on the Saturday some car did zip on through and it looked like it was airborne for a few seconds from hitting one of the many pot holes.  Luckily there was plenty of great parking 50 feet or so from the Ralph’s parking lot.  This is one huge plus since in Chicago parking is a very hard thing to deal with and the cause of a lot of anxiety for people driving to shows.  The layout of the festival was fantastic, the fest was outdoors and the stage was a perfect size for this event.  The stage was in a fenced in area in the parking lot and then there was another vendor / band merch area that also had tables and chairs for us older guys who like to sit and relax between bands.  There was the infamous diner right there to which was a smaller bar with a grill there with about 8 booths to sit and eat at.  Everyone told me the hamburgers were a must and some of the best around.  I did try them later and I will get back on that later in this report.  

There is also the upstairs room where the festival occurred twice before.  From what everyone has said it is not a bad room but the heat is horrible and I heard stories from past bands and fans about how quickly it gets heated up in there.  Thankfully the show stayed outdoors both days.  There was rumor of moving inside on Saturday since there was rain forecast.  So while small, this was an amazing set up for the fest.

DEMON CHROME was the first band up and the only band I have yet to ever see play live that day so I was excited to check them out finally.  This Rhode Island band was a great way to kick things off with a 70’s style look and raw rockish sound.  Most bands got 30 minutes to play so they did not mess around with talking to the crowd...it was a non stop barrage of music the whole evening.  DEMON CHROME were super tight and sounded great and they had great chemistry.  They are definitely a band to keep an eye on.  

With a 6PM start time the crowd slowly started to build up which was great to see.  By the time the band was done with their set a lot of the people who were coming were already there.After a real quick change over (and kudos to the stage crew for keeping the whole weekend on time and no one running over their set time), the next band was up and ready.  IRON BRIGADE who were a last minute fill-in played a super tight set.  They are more of a traditional metal band with some amazing soaring vocals.  The band had really improved and grown since I last saw them in 2023.  They are more of a cohesive unit and really commanded the stage that evening.  Hopefully they can get their album out soon and really get things going.

Chicago home town band FER DE LANCE was up next.  I just saw them play the week before in Chicago kicking off a small tour with them and SERPENT RIDER on the way to Stormbringer.  I watched a few songs since it was fun to see a Chicago local in a different city.  The band plays a super tight form of epic metal mixed with traditional metal.  They were super tight this evening since playing a week’s worth of shows.  With 30 minute sets the bands did not have time to mess around or talk much so they packed in as much as possible music wise.  

Since I had not eaten since the early AM I ran and got one of the legendary hamburgers.  It was amazing. The bartender who was working alone also ran the grill and she was running all over and didn’t mess up my order.  It was amazing since I am the person who always has his order messed up so hats off to the great staff at Ralph’s.  The burger was huge and so tasty.  It lived up to the hype!  I had to quickly eat so I could get back out to watch more of the bands.

SERPENT RIDERwas up next and this was the third time seeing them live.  They played the Legions of Metal Festival back in 2023 and were a solid band back then but now have really grown and matured as a band.  They were really on fire with playing a week’s worth of shows before the festival.  Riza the singer really seemed comfortable and commanded the stage and the band really was a tight unit.  They are a band who is really doing something different which is great to see.  They are able to mix epic metal, traditional and some doom into their songs and make something magical.  It is the kind of band you really need to listen to over and over to let it all sink in.  While that seems like work for some but sometimes the best treasures are the ones you work for and I highly advise everyone to check out this band and you will not be disappointed.  

Up next was a band I have seen a bunch of times over the past decade, LADY BEAST.  The band is a staple in the US traditional metal scene and tonight they really brought it. I am also happy to see that they are getting more chances overseas on festivals as well.   The 30 minute set was full of unleashed power and energy.  The singer Deb really commanded the stage and the crowd.  It was the most packed during their set and everyone was blown away by their short but sweet set.  There was plenty of singing along and cheering and this band was the highlight of the day.  This set was a perfect example of what makes some of the smaller festivals so great.  The energy with being right up close to the band playing and having no barricade really lets one connect to the band.  There is a more of an in your face fun that you get with the smaller festivals.  LADY BEAST stole the show on Friday.  This band has grown so much and it is great to see.

By the time Blood Feast was setting up I was starting to shut down since I was up at 3am that day.  I looked around for my travel buddy Randy who normally looks half asleep anyways, and he was in the same boat as I was.  While it would have been great to watch BLOOD FEAST and ARGUS, we knew we would not make it the full show and really needed to get some rest for the next day which was a longer one as well.  So we said our goodbyes to everyone who was not coming back the next day and headed back to the hotel for some much needed rest.  I did hear great things from others about both bands sets so that is great to hear.  The Friday was a really fun time and the weather was perfect.  Everything really worked out in the end and the festival ran super smoothly as well.

I did sleep great and once up and ready we met up with Jeremy Golden and Jamie from Heaven and Hell Records for a brunch.  Then we hit the Worcester area to kill some time before doors opened.  We hit up “That’s Entertainment” which was a huge and amazing comic book, music and toy shop.  It seemed everyone had the same idea as well as many bands and fest goers were there as well hanging out so it was a fun way to catch up with friends as well.  We then stopped over for some coffee and relaxed before heading over to the fest.  I did stop over and try some pizza in the area at Golden Pizza which was just ok.  Nothing is going to beat out Chicago pizza but I wanted to make sure I was full before going to the festival since there was a lot of bands I didn’t want to miss out on seeing.

The first band up was MAIDENHEAD who are local to the area and play some brutal thrash.  It also features two members of the band ADAMANTIS as well.  The band was super tight and the singer was top notch and really knew how to work the crowd and stage and her voice really made them stand out.   While not being a huge thrash person I did enjoy the set.  The band was having fun up there and you could definitely feel it in the crowd.  Check out their Bandcamp page and give them a listen.  They do have a unique sound which is great to see.

SKULLOVICH was up next and they were on my list of bands I really wanted to see live.  I enjoyed what I have heard online and wanted to see them in a live setting.  Now this is a band that would be a lot of fun to see in a small packed room.  They are a thrash band and definitely wear their colors of their sleeves (if they worse sleeves).  The band was decked out in some 80’s style warrior gear and your typical thrasher outfits.  The band was good but a tad sloppy on stage.  The crowd really dug them and they were really entertaining.  There is a lot of potential with the band.  While their set was sloppy they did have charm.  If you are a fan of thrash,  you should give them a listen.

BLIND OATH were up next and I saw them a year ago and they have really grown as a band.  I love how the singer wore black cloth around his eyes and the cloak.  It really gave the band more of an image which really worked well live.  The band was super tight and really on fire and the 30 minutes flew by really fest.  The band plays traditional metal but with rough growly vocals that are not in the death metal style so it really makes them stand out on festivals like this.  They have also been slowly building up their name and growing as a band.  They have really also grown as a live band and are really entertaining to watch.  The songs sounded a lot more stronger here than the last time I saw them.

The next band up was one of the bands that made me decide to come to the festival and that band is OWLBEAR.  I have been a huge fan of the band since they put out their first song online.  I loved them so much I pestered them to play live at Legions in 2024 and I have been trying to see the band play as much as I can.  They also just released their second album “Feather and Claw” which I highly suggest picking up.  This was my first time seeing the band with bass player Leona Hayward live, who was incredible to watch on stage play.  This time around they have had a few shows under their belts and it really showed.  For a band who is all scattered all over the States, you would not even know with their live performance, they really have become a great cohesive unit.  The whole band was moving all over and the singer Katy is one of the best power metal vocalist around.  This was one of my favorite performances of the weekend.  The crowd was really into the set as well and there was a great energy while they played.  I am looking forward to the next time I am able to see them live! 

STYGIAN CROWN was up next and there was some tech issues with the sound and microphone for their first song.  The real only issue the whole festival.  The band was able to get things going pretty quickly and played their special blend of doom metal for the crowd.  They have gotten a lot tighter as a band as well.  I did get pulled away by some friends during their set and also wanted to grab some food because I heard they were almost out of burgers and this was going to be a super late evening I had to bail to get food.  I was able to still listen to the band while eating and they sounded super heavy.  The best part about festivals like this is getting to see bands like this from all over since many do not tour.

WIDOW was up next and it was great to see them play again live.  They took a long hiatus and it was unknown if they would play again, but here we are now and the  band came out rocking and were firing on all cylinders.  WIDOW are a hidden gem of the US metal scene and almost a band who was a head of its time and never mentioned much when the US traditional metal scene is talked about.  They were doing this way before many others and sadly get overlooked.  The band was super tight and playing off each other’s energy.  They were all over the stage as well and really having a blast up there.  I think this set seemed the fastest time wise because the crowd was really getting heated up on this very chilly evening and then it was over.  The band seemed like they wanted to play one more song but were cut off due to time.  I get this very much but it is always hard when the band and crowd are having a blast and it has to end.  If you love hard rocking metal that is simple and catchy, check out WIDOW and pick up their discography now.  You will not be disappointed.  

It was around 9:30 pm when ADAMANTIS got on stage and it was the peak of having the largest crowd of the day.  You can tell everyone at the festival really loves this band, and for good reason.  They are a band who has perfected the mix of euro style power metal with traditional metal and has made it their own.  I highly recommend checking out their albums if you have not yet.  Live they are always great and bring a special vibe to the stage.  Jeff Stark has really grown as a singer and frontman for the band who seemed really at home up on this stage.  He has a solid voice and helps bring something different to the table which pushes this band to places where others don’t go.  I really hope this band get more chances to be seen since they really have something special.  Also during the set they pulled out their sword which they have done in the past.  It makes for a great photo moment but I myself am over the whole sword on stage thing with bands.  I am really looking forward to seeing where this band goes next over the years since they do have something really unique.  This band keeps growing and growing as a unit and have amazing chemistry live.  Make sure you check them out next time they journey into your town.

I got to watch some of WRAITH who are a kind of a hometown band from the Chicago area (Actually, they are from Indy—Waling Atlas Dr. M).  They are quickly growing as one of the better newer thrash bands out there today.  They really have their own monster of a sound going and stand out above a lot of the other newer thrash bands today.  They have also been playing all over the States so I highly recommend you checking them out when they hit your town.  Sadly I was pulled away again by some friends so I missed a lot of the set.  This is the one hard part of festivals.  Having to decide when to watch bands and when to do the social thing.  I did get to see the first few songs and they also had a nice size crowd watching them.  Once the band was done I did notice a lot of people starting to head out and leave.  Which was too bad because they were missing out on one of the greatest bands in the US, TWISTED TOWER DIRE.

If I have one main complaint with Stormbringer it was having the headliner on this late.  Having done festivals for a while now I have learned going late results in many leaving.  Even though festivals bring out the die hards, it seems that many don’t want to be at the show late.  TWISTED TOWER DIRE set time was at 11:45pm, which in reality is not late but for people who have early flights or just getting old it is super late.  There was nothing that was going to stop me though from catching their whole set.  This is one of the main reasons why I was in attendance.  I think this band is so over looked and one that more need to be talking about.  They were flying the traditional metal flag when no one else was here and their sound never changing with trends.  Having been lucky to see them over the years a bunch of times I never get bored of them.  

The band came out strong and played songs from their whole career to a sadly not huge crowd.  This is a band who deserves a packed room.  Sadly to the sound mix was kind of a mess for them.  As one friend pointed out that it seems the sound guy was just done for the day. Instead of standing up front I had to shift to the back end of the area to get the best mix of the band.  The vocals were kind of buried but it still did not put a damper on their set for me.  It felt great to hear all of the songs from past and present and no stone was left unturned.  From “At Night” to “Some Other Time, Some Other Place” to “Axes and Honor” to “Snow Leopard” it was a non-stop barrage of “hits” in my book.  They were super tight as well and you could not tell they haven’t played live in a while.  This band is so great in my opinion and have done no wrong musically.  Plus they are all the coolest most down to Earth people as well.  Their live show was great and one of the best of the weekend for me.  I just wish more stuck around to witness the magic of TWISTED TOWER DIRE.  I was grateful with being able to see them one more time since it has been way to long!  Never miss a chance to see them live.

Once TTD was over I saw Randy hovering and wanting to head out so we quickly said our goodbyes to a few people and raced back to the hotel since we had to be up at like 5am to leave for the airport.  I guess I will never learn that taking early flights are great since you are home earlier but it is always a pain with doing this at a fest since you are always going to be rushing around and tired.  We were able to get up early and quickly drive and see a few tourist things super early on Sunday to end our fun trip.

There were a lot of great things with this fest and few things I wish were different.  I am really sad to see it go away since I loved the smaller vibe this fest had.  I love the spotlight on newer bands and with it being a smaller festival there is more of a communal vibe and not overwhelming when it comes to socializing or checking out everything.  Evgeny really had something special here and sadly many missed out on this.  While the turnout was not huge, there was a good hundred plus here for most of the weekend.  Evgeny really worked hard on this and you can feel the passion when there.  I am glad I was able to catch one of the three he has put together.

The only thing I didn’t like was the short set times.  I get why fest do this but to me a nice 40 minutes allows the band to have more wiggle room and play a few more songs.  Some bands are just getting going by the second or third song and with 30 minutes that leaves only a few left to play before it is over.  While I know from experience it is hard to cut slots on a fest because you want to have as many bands as you can on a line up.  Maybe cutting a slot on Friday and two on Saturday would have allowed more set longer times.  I also wish on Saturday the show started a few hours earlier allowing the headliner not to go on so late.  But outside of a few small hiccups with the sound over the weekend this is my only negative thoughts on this festival.  So all very minor things.

The positive thing with this fest was I normally hate outdoor shows but it worked for Stormbringer.  The stage was great and the sound was really good to for being outside.  It was nice not sweating to death from being in a small room all day and also made it easier to socialize and not having to yell the whole day over bands.  There was a great vibe all weekend with everyone in attendance and it seemed like a huge family reunion of sorts.   I even ran into my friend Seb who lives in the UK, who now also sings for the band ARKHAM WITCH who flew over to see the show.  The food was great, parking was super easy and before one laughs, visit Chicago and try and park and then laugh.  All of the bands really played great too.  There was no weak links in the fence so to say.  If there was a way to end a run of shows this was the way to do it.  Evgeny did a great thing here and it is sad to see it go.  While the crowds were not huge, he showed that you don’t need huge headliners to make it a festival.   This is what going to a festival is all about and thank you again ,Evgeny,  for making this weekend most memorable for me.