BLADES OF STEEL 2025

One thing’s for sure...it is getting harder and harder to host a truly independent underground Metalfest. The recent edition of the Stormbringer Fest, which you can read about HERE, will be the last. I recall other Midwestern fests like Full Terror Assault, Days of the Doomed and Central Illinois Metalfest having to throw in the towel because they just can’t compete with giants like Maryland Deathfest and Sonic Temple.

Has the final bell rung for Blades of Steel? I sure hope not, but I’ve been told by the Wizard of Watertown himself, Randy Kastner, that BOS #4 has to at least break even in order to continue. The Blades of Steel fest is basically a continuation of the NYDM Spring Bash, almost every edition of which we’ve covered here at Wormwood. Each edition of both fests features an expertly curated and balanced selection of bands designed to please the TRUE underground metalhead.

If the 2025 version of Blades of Steel is to be the last, then it went out on a great high note. This was the most entertaining Blades yet and I can honestly say I have never had so much fun at a fest. How much fun? Well, I got kicked out of the damn thing before it wrapped up...and I still enjoyed it! I shall tell you the full tale by the end of this report.

This year’s lineup was outstanding in every regard and unlike most other years, there was just one band dropping out...power metal masters VICIOUS RUMORS, who had to quit when guitarist Geoff Thorpe took a tumble and broke some bones. This is the third time I’ve been set to see VICIOUS RUMORS and they pulled out. I think it’s about time to put a fork in them as far as me seeing them is concerned. Replacing them on the bill was up and coming speed metal band from Louisiana, VOID.

Each night of the fest kind of had its own theme. Thursday night was for the thrashers, Friday seemed to lean more towards pure classic metal and Saturday was where the real heavy death metal shit went down. Although each day had exceptions to those rules. Kastner lays out the lineup with a lot of care, so you really aren’t in any danger of running into dead spots.

As usual, I ran into the usual gang of idiots that attends the fest, including fellow Worm-scribe Bob Burner, the immortal Johnny Vomit, Carl Pavesich (now called “Scooter” due to using an orthopedic boot on a wheeled set-up), Mark from Metal Haven, etc., etc. This is now just about the only time of the year when I see these guys. Plus I made some new acquaintances, many in bands themselves. The social aspect is always a high point of these more intimate fests.

Well, humanoids, let’s dive into the molten pool of metal known as Blades of Steel…

THURSDAY, AUGUST 28

Except for a brief stretch of rain on Friday, the weather was almost surreally beautiful during all three days of the fest. Highs in the 70’s during the day and cool but not cold at night, with virtually no humidity. I was expecting to roast during the Labor Day weekend, but the weather gods were smiling on the Crucible Club.

Made it to the Club in good time and walked straight into a wall of thrash from CHEMICAL DEPENDENCY that blew my hair back. Very impressed with what I saw from this young band! Alas, I was unable to see the full set because I had to do my interview with John from WARBRINGER. If that interview isn’t already up by the time you read this, keep your eyes peeled for it, it’s a keeper. As for CHEMICAL DEPENDENCY, it looks like they started things off with a bang and my long-time compadre Johnny Vomit, a hard man to impress, gave them the thumbs up.

Once my chat with John was finished, I made it back inside to see another young and hungry thrash metal band, LABYRINTH, who are not to be confused with the long-running Italian prog metal outfit. It’s encouraging to see serious thrash metal being played by guys in their early 20’s if not younger. These guys seemed a bit more technical than CHEMICAL DEPENDENCY, with more melody in the soloing, but they still bought the speed and anger. I will also watch for any future product from this Texas band.

Band number three tonight was one I was well familiar with, BRAY ROAD. Looks like these dudes will be playing every edition of Blades of Steel in the same fashion that the late MEMORIES WITHER popped up at every Spring Bash. Well, guitarist/vocalist Nino Anthony and drummer Pete Kissane work hard with set-up for the entire fest, so why not? These guys plays solid heavy metal with plenty of oomph...not quite thrash metal, but not terribly far off from it either. They tore into favorites like “Burn” and “Feed The Beast” and played a new track “Wasted Mutiny” with gusto. I don’t think I’ve ever seen them tighter and more confident than they were tonight.

Next up was a band I was really looking forward to, MEAN MISTREATER from Texas. Fellow Worm-scribe Theron Moore turned me on to these guys and grabbed an interview with them which you can read HERE. Like BRAY ROAD, these guys were just raw and dirty heavy metal with a street level appeal. They had enough tattoos to make even ROSE TATTOO jealous and the guys in the band didn’t even bother wearing shirts. That wouldn’t have worked for their fireball lead singer, Janiece Gonzales, who was the first of many metal queens we’d see this weekend. She’s a great front lady who looks like she’s having 10 tons of fun leading these long-haired Texas boys into battle. The drummer was out of his skull! Most of the songs came from their latest album “Razor Wire” and struck me as being a cross between MOTÖRHEAD, NASHVILLE PUSSY and early raw speed metal. Lots of sweat, spit and grit on stage from MEAN MISTREATER and I highly recommend the band if you’re into no-frills heavy metal rock n’ roll.

All the way from Louisiana came VOID, filling for the absent VICIOUS RUMORS. Heard a lot about these guys and was highly curious to see them. Wow, where do they keep Dr. Brown’s Delorean? They look like they stepped out of a time portal from 1984, wearing frilly medieval outfits and sporting hairdos that I have not seen on a band since the late 80’s. The kicker is, they all look like they couldn’t even get a beer at the bar! Talk about young! They played an indescribable mix of out of control speed metal like SAVAGE GRACE or HAWAII with the intricacy of MERCYFUL FATE. Songs were long and complex, jumping from riff to riff with manic intensity and indulging in wild, shredding guitar solos. I don’t know how well the songs hung together, but the energy was sure there. The blond lead singer came across as a metal version of Leif Garrett, if you remember who that is. In the end, I was completely blitzed by VOID while still not 100% sold on their songwriting. They have plenty of time to mature, that’s for certain!

That left mighty WARBRINGER to finish things off Thursday night. When I talked to John Kevill earlier, I mentioned I first saw them when they were young kids opening for EXODUS but have now progressed to seasoned veterans themselves. Man, these guys were total pros. They hit the ground running and never stopped thrashing for the entire duration of their set. John’s as good a frontman as this genre can provide and the rest of the band hit that right balance between precision and batshit lunacy that thrash demands.

They touched on several songs from their strong new record “Wrath And Ruin” like “The Sword And The Cross” and “Strike From The Sky” but for the most part, played the hits, which included skull smashers like “Remain Violent”, “Living In A Whirlwind”, “Hunter-Seeker” and the king of them all, “Living Weapon”. The crowd responded with pretty much a non-stop pit and there was even a crowd surfer or two, which you don’t see much of at the Crucible Club. I found their set here at the intimate club much more enjoyable than when they played the Eagles Ballroom for Milwaukee Metalfest last year.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 29

On the way back to Madison, I ran into a band of torrential rain that stalled me down to a crawl and then encountered a traffic jam by Ho-Chunk Indian Casino, that den of vice and iniquity. Was worried I’d miss the first band, but as luck would have it, I think I just missed the first song from BREAKKER from Philadelphia.

Contrary to popular belief, the band doesn’t feature wrestler Bron Breakker or any other member of the Steiner family. Instead their lead singer is vivacious redhead Claire Mairead, who is mighty easy on the eyes. Many of Friday’s bands tended towards the “true metal” style and that held true for BREAKKER. These guys reminded me of classic female-fronted metal bands like BITCH and BLACKLACE from the early 80’s. A lot of energy in the playing, but definitely not a thrash or speed metal band. Claire knew her way around a stage and had great charisma while guitarist Teagan Edsell delivered some pretty hot licks. Tracks that stood out were “Under The Overlords” and “Lipstick Trace”. I noticed Claire and Teagan hanging out the rest of the weekend and enjoying the other bands, which is always cool to see.

Next up was MERCYFIX, a band I didn’t have a friggin’ clue about. Turns out they are also from Philly and just recently changed their name from TRAITOR, who I actually heard of. These dudes were straight up thrash metal competently delivered. Very much a Bay Area kind of sound. They were solid but missing the vital edge which pushes a band to the next level. That being said, their set was enjoyable and in no way bad so I’m interested in seeing what they come up with next.

ADAMANTIS was a band I wanted to check out for a long time. If you read Bob Burner’s review of the Stormbringer Festival, you certainly encountered them. Their drummer Evgony Gromovoy was responsible for putting that fest together and is an enthusiastic supporter of the NWOTHM movement. ADAMANTIS has been making noise in that scene and this was my first opportunity to check them out. 

They hit the stage and the lead singer was already waving a hella big sword around. This would not be the last time we saw a sword, either. A sword usually indicates a band deep into medieval warfare and the sounds of “true” metal. That’s just what we got with ADAMANTIS. This was not a cheesy power metal band of the European variety, but something older and truer, bringing the likes of OMEN, MANILLA ROAD and WARLORD to mind. Fast but not too fast, shreddy but not overdone, this is a band that sits alongside VISIGOTH and ETERNAL CHAMPION in the new legion of steel. The band was entertaining and faithful to their style, but I felt they need just a touch more seasoning until they join the legends they obviously draw inspiration from. Keep your sword sharp and your music sharper!

In past years, I’ve been pretty happy with the food trucks provided for the fest. This year we had a new truck called “Mexsal” that was said to specialize in Mexican and El Salvadoran food. I was pretty disappointed by this bunch. Johnny Vomit urged me to try some Salvadoran pupusas, which I’ve never had before. Found out the guy wasn’t serving them tonight. Despite the fact the van said he specialized in pupusas. I then went for the three taco plate. Ooops, we weren’t doing that, either. The next night, I tried for a quesadilla. You guessed it, none were to be had. The tacos I had were alright, but this hombre didn’t seem to want to work too bad. A disappointment, to be sure.

SIREN is a band from Tampa, Florida with roots going all the way back to the mid-80’s. I have heard the name, but never got anything by them. I think I will have to correct that, because they played some real classic mid-80’s metal in the most authentic fashion. The lead singer, decked out in a weird leather crow mask and leather cowboy hat, made for a strange sight, but had a piercing, nasal voice that reeked of 1986. These guys obviously had some years on them, but their playing was impeccable. The singer was oddly subdued and distracted with his between song banter, coming across a little lame, but when the music kicked in, he did a fine job. Songs ranged from fast melodic speed metal to more anthemic headbangers in PRIEST/SAVATAGE mode. I enjoyed the set (while they were playing, at least) and will have to see if I can find some SIREN back catalogue.

The night was ready to kick into a much higher gear, as the final three bands were all acts I was dying to see. I was thrilled when HIGH COMMAND was added to the bill because their last album “Eclipse of the Dual Moons” was a total ripper and one of my top picks for 2022. Along with ENFORCED and HELLRIPPER, these guys are the future of thrash metal and I love the epic fantasy concept they’ve got going. All my anticipation was surpassed, as these guys came out and just slaughtered everything in sight. We had another lead singer with a sword, a guitarist with a ski mask and tactical gear and a stage presence that took no prisoners.

Most of the band’s set came from the awesome “Eclipse of the Dual Moons” and was a perfect mix of SLAYER speed, mid-paced METALLICA chug and epic IRON MAIDEN song structures. A maniacal drummer helped propel tracks like “Chamber of Agony” and “Imposing Hammers of Cold Sorcery” over the top. The crowd was left drained by the constant mayhem and Johnny Vomit, who hardly likes any of the bands here, ventured that HIGH COMMAND was the best band of the weekend.

After the set, I talked to guitarist Ryan McArdle and asked when the next album was coming out. I was shocked to learn that the band is stuck in a legal limbo caused by their current label, Southern Lord Records. The label is all but extinct these days, but they just will not release the band from their contract. Nor will they help pay for a new album. Ryan told me they are desperately trying to work something out with other labels but can make no estimate when new HIGH COMMAND will hit the streets. This situation sounds like total bullshit and any respect I had for Southern Lord has hit the deck.

Following HIGH COMMAND was going to be a hard proposition for any band, but CRYPT SERMON was up for it if anybody was. These guys put out my favorite album of 2024, “The Stygian Rose”, which I consider the best epic doom metal from America ever. They did not disappoint. Their brand of CANDLEMASS-meets-METAL-CHURCH doom was ponderous, melodic and foreboding...real metal magic! There was some initial trouble with Brooks Wilson’s vocals but that was quickly corrected. What a tight unit this is! The guitar work was exquisite, especially the twin harmony leads, and this was all the more notable because the band was down one guitarist (Tanner Anderson, I believe). Drums were expertly handled by Enrique Sagarnaga, who I formerly dealt with as Season of Mist’s main press contact. 

Much of the band’s set came from “The Stygian Rose”, including gloomy monsters like “A Glimmer In the Underworld”, “Heavy Is The Crown of Bone” and “The Scrying Orb”. I think a couple of older tunes snuck their way in as well. CRYPT SERMON played music for the discerning metalhead who looks for something more than a mosh pit (not that there’s anything wrong with that, either). Their songs are layered, emotional and heavier than a battleship full of concrete. See them whenever you have the chance!

The first edition of Blades of Steel was set to take place in 2020, with the great English band SATAN as headliners. Their classic song “Blades of Steel” even provided the name for the reinvigorated fest, which used to be known as the NYDM Spring Bash. Well, we all know what happened in 2020. The Fest was cancelled, along with civilization itself, or so it seemed. There were plans for SATAN to return once the worst of the plague lifted but they just didn’t come to fruition. That is, until 2025. Finally the stars aligned and the Devil made his appearance. This was a band I literally spen decades wanting to see.

It was worth the wait and more. In recent years, SATAN has replaced IRON MAIDEN as the top British metal band because they just plain bring it. While MAIDEN piddles around with long, boring tracks, SATAN hits with speed and precision. It’s fair to say they were one of the best of the early speed metal bands. In all the years they’ve been around, they haven’t lost a damn thing.

This was a classic performance by real icons. The twin guitar work was impeccable, the bass-drum interplay seemed effortless and above it all were the vocals of one Brian Ross. What a voice this guy has been blessed with. But then, the Devil always has the best music. In addition to great vocals, which sometimes reached stratospheric highs, Ross has the wit and eloquence of the classic British rock frontman. We won’t be seeing the likes of him for much longer. He established an immediate rapport with the crowd, joking about the long wait to headline the fest and more. Brian is 70 years of age, but absolutely timeless on stage.

As for the set, we heard remarkable consistency between classic tracks from “Court In The Act” and newer stuff from “Songs In Crimson” and “Earth Infernal”. I can’t think of a mediocre or average cut they played, but “Ascendancy” and “The Devil’s Infantry” were two standouts for me. I sure wish we could have got a complete two hour set from these guys, but I was completely satisfied with what I saw of SATAN. Pick up everything they’ve put out and help make them the stars they were meant to be!

As far as Friday went, the last three bands were just untouchable. I doubt if you ever see them play the same fest again. The whole day was great and so far this was shaping up for be one of the best Kastner-promoted events I’ve attended. Well, Saturday was gonna blow the doors off even more...in ways I didn’t expect.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 30

If Thursday was for the thrashers and Friday for the classic metal enthusiasts, then Saturday was for the sick death metal motherfuckers, with a lineup featuring titans like INCANTATION and MORTA SKULD as well as newcomers like COFFIN ROT, RUIN DWELLER and MOLDER. That right there was enough to crush your skulls, but there was even more! Alas, I was not able to make it to the end…

I made it just as first band FAETHOM was on their first track. This was an interesting and unique band for the fest, because they had a sizable black metal sound including prominent spooky keyboards and ravaging female vocals.  I enjoyed them because of the differences they brought to the table. The crowd is notoriously sluggish  on Saturday afternoon and it took a while for FAETHOM to get a response. But they finally got there. It helped that they had a talented lead guitarist who cut loose with some impressive solos. The black-clad female singer also played keyboards for the band, which added a lot of atmosphere, and she had a completely different vibe than the girls from BREAKKER, MEAN MISTREATER and the soon to come ANTAGONIZÖR. 

Next up was Madison’s own RUIN DWELLER, death metal demons ready to take the next step up. A few years ago, Madison was stuck with tons of hipster bands and alternative college rock, but now they’ve got a real metal scene and these guys should be right at the top of it. They delivered a diversified assault that featured utter brain-blasting speed in CANNIBAL CORPSE and SUFFOCATION mode, groovy mid-paced crunch and even a touch of death-doom in the vein of tonight’s headliners, INCANTATION. One unique thing is that the vocals for the most part were more grim and raspy, like classic black metal, as opposed to totally guttural. In fact, the vocals were throat-ripping in the extreme. Their track “Bestial Regression” had a groove so deep I couldn’t see the bottom of it! I saw RUIN DWELLER on the big stage at Milwaukee Metalfest earlier this year, which had to be a thrill for them, but I much prefer performances in smaller settings like the Crucible Club. I’m sure we will be seeing and hearing from these guys again soon!

Between sets, I had an enchanting conversation with a wild looking female wearing skintight pants with a VENOM logo all over them. Turns out she was SARAH, the lead dominatrix for Florida band ANTAGONIZÖR, who were up next. This vicious vixen was ten tons of fun to talk to and relished her role as the feminine version of Cronos. With her was her gal pal Tzu Wei (very fetching Asian girl decked out in black) and the band’s “drum slave” Mykal…a bald headed geek who gets mercilessly abused by the girls on a constant basis. Everything was done in good if sadistic fun and I really made a connection with this band, although even Sarah was taken aback when I told her I had a PhD in Necrogynecology!

This band is a lot of fun on stage! Virtually the first thing Sarah said was “These pants are too fuckin’ tight!” She stripped right out of them on stage, revealing tiger striped bikini bottoms! They then tore into a lot of ripping tunes that were obvious homages to VENOM and TANK, with lots of straight punk injected. The abuse of the hapless “drum slave” provided a lot of amusement (he held up a sign saying “Help me!” at one point). Sarah really does come across like a female Cronos and Tzu Wei is quiet but deadly on bass. I had no idea who ANTAGONIZÖR was before this fest, but now am a firm fan on the lookout for their new record “Edgelords From Hell”. To top everything off, I found out Sarah was a science teacher...holy cow!

Sheer brutality was in the air when COFFIN ROT from the Pacific Northwest hit the stage next. These guys were picture perfect rotten death metal of the old school, bringing to mind such names as OBITUARY, JUNGLE ROT and MORTA SKULD (who would be playing later in the night). A perfect mix of catchy riffs and morbid aggression, with singer Hayden sounding utterly bestial with his super deep growls. I enjoyed tracks like “Lurking In The Cemetery” and “Slaughtered Like Swine” so much, I immediately bought COFFIN ROT’s latest directly from Hayden after the well received set.

As much as I enjoyed COFFIN ROT, Chicago’s MOLDER is on another level yet. These guys are fast becoming one of my very favorite live bands. There’s just something about their tunes that SWINGS and gets you headbanging uncontrollably. I compare them a lot to their Chicago brothers CARDIAC ARREST with how they can be nasty yet accessible at the same time. Most of the cuts tonight came from their latest “Catastrophic Reconfiguration” and induced rabid pit action from the rapidly swelling crowd. With the popularity of classic death metal right now, MOLDER should be right up there with FROZEN SOUL and SANGUISUGABOGG.

After MOLDER’s killer set, I wondered what was next, but nothing can really prepare you for seeing BELUSHI SPEED BALL live for the very first time. Johnny Vomit, a veteran of several of their shows, pulled me aside to tell me to get ready for the biggest mess I’ve ever seen in a club. He was not exaggerating. I’ve actually interviewed BELUSHI before, but have never seen one of their legendary shows. Tonight was the night. When a shopping cart full of toilet paper was rolled out onto the stage, I knew we were in for something.

The band plays pure thrash metal in the vein of ANTHRAX, MUNICIPAL WASTE and D.R.I. and they do it fairly well, but the music is incidental to the show, which is designed basically to trash the venue with tons of paper scraps, flying rolls of toilet paper, lots of inflatable pool toys and a plethora of styrofoam pool noodles. These noodles were distributed to virtually every patron during the course of the show, which led to lots of people getting bopped in the head with them. I managed to bop Bob Burner, Johnny V and even The Wizard of Watertown himself. Of course, the pool noodles led to me getting kicked out of the club, which I will tell you about momentarily.

This gig was really like nothing I’ve ever seen with the possible exception of GWAR’s Halloween show in Milwaukee many years ago. At one point the band’s talkative lead singer Vinny Crastellano instructed the crowd to lay down on their backs, hold their pool noodles in the air and wriggle around like worms as they played the song “Nightcrawlers”. This resulted in a surreal scene for sure, but at my advanced age, I stayed horizontal. Other tracks of note included “Garth Brooks Is A Serial Killer” and “My Favorite Color Is Pizza”. Tom from CARDIAC ARREST was heard to say that BSB was the “gayest band on Earth”. I gotta say, I had immense fun during their set and so did most folks. The big catch for messing up the Crucible Club came after the set’s conclusion, when the band ordered us to help clean up the place. And we did! In 20 minutes, the only signs that BELUSHI trashed the joint was some pool noodles stuck in the ceiling and some toilet paper hanging from the lights! A memorable show and a nice break in the more serious bands.

I tried to get a drink and a piece of highly questionable pizza at the bar before the next band MORTA SKULD took the stage. I stood around for ten minutes with a ten dollar bill in my hand and got ignored. OK, I lost my temper and tossed my pool noodle over the bar. Not the smartest thing to do and I admit it, but I blow a lot of money at this event and I don’t like to be ignored. I guarantee that the broad that ignored me will soon be gone from the club.

Well, Milwaukee’s death metal veterans MORTA SKULD were next on stage and where BELUSHI SPEED BALL was goofier than a shithouse rat, these guys were as solemn as funeral home attendants as they played their crushing, doom tinged epics. MORTA SKULD has their own unique style that mixes plodding catchiness with an almost industrial kind of precision.  Their songs are very enjoyable but I must admit that MOLDER and COFFIN ROT played with more intensity and stage presence. They still brought the HEAVY in spades.

About 2/3 of the way through MORTA SKULD’s set, I had to rest my weary bones and sat down on one of the wooden benches. I was there a couple of minutes when one of the female employees tapped me on the shoulder and asked if she could talk to me. Behind her loomed the presence of one of the bouncers. Well, that meant the end of my night was here. We went outside and I must say I have never been tossed out of a nightclub so nicely. The lady mentioned they knew who I was and that they hoped I would be back. She also said Blades of Steel was one of the favorite events at the Crucible Club. I told her what happened and I stand by it. You know, 15 or 20 years ago, they might have had to call the cops to get rid of me, but I left without much of a squawk. I was dead tired and to be brutally honest, I was probably going to skip final band INCANTATION anyway. I had to work a 12 hour shift the next day.

The only bands I missed were ATROPHY and INCANTATION. I’ve seen INCANTATION about five times and enjoyed them each time, but I doubt if they had any surprises for me. They are true legends and I’m sure they did extremely well. Missing ATROPHY was a real regret, though, as this will probably have been my last chance to see them. Oh well. I asked Bob and Johnny how they did and they had good things to say about this long running Arizona thrash band.

So that was my Blades of Steel experience for 2025. Not the way I would have chosen to end it but to be honest, this was one of my very favorite fests. The band line-up was outstanding and I got to meet some new metal fiends, which is always a plus. At the time I write this, I haven’t heard if there will be another Blades of Steel next year. I kind of have a feeling there will be. I know Randy can’t afford to lose his shirt, but I also know he really enjoys putting these shows on...even if it doesn’t show. So I hope to be back next year and maybe I won’t get asked to leave this time...