Heavy Metal Thundering Fun Pushing Solos

Saxon, Girlschool, Grand Slam

Hell, Fire and Steel Tour presented by Mind Over Matter / Barracuda Music, Planet TT Raiffeisen Halle im Gasometer Wien, Austria 20250218

Sometimes the question is: Why does everything have to be at the same time? This applies to this Friday evening. Rotten Falafel invited Nowitschok-5, Sedem Minút Strachu and Gastronomic Error over to Venster99. 90 and The Worm Reducer honor Arena Beisl. And ((szene)) and SIMMCity are occupied with Dynazty, Nanowar Of Steel and the Nirvana Symphonic Tribute. 

So the classic Heavy Metal party presented by Mind Over Matter goes down at Gasometer. The gallery is not open and the first visitors drop in to the sounds of CCR, The Troggs and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Another legendary name is Thin Lizzy, continuing as Black Star Riders and Phil Lynott, who formed Grand Slam. Despite microphone issues, they score with songs like „Crazy“ and „Spitfire“ incorporating slower parts, and giving away t-shirts. After their traditional cover „Whiskey In The Jar“, the break is filled with more hits from ZZ Top and Supertramp. 

Special guests tonight are genre icons Girlschool, rushing in with „Demolition Boys“ and „C’mon Let’s Go“. They assert that it is a lot easier to open a beer than water and ask if anyone can remember the Rockhaus. From „WTFortyfive?“ they add „It Is What It Is“ and Motörhead’s „Bomber“ they announce as ballad. The EP „St Valentines Day Massacre“ went down in history like the Motördamn (Motörhead & The Damned) collaboration, so they serve „Emergency“ as final. 

Toto, Van Halen and Black Sabbath shorten the time until Saxon. Since the „Battering Ram“ Tour with Phil Campbell & The Bastard Sons, they returned with Judas Priest and now with the album „Hell, Fire and Damnation“. The wall of Marshall amps lets the PA collabs: ‚Saxon is a little bit too loud for Austrian PAs‘. 

Few minutes later, they can continue with „Backs to the Wall“ from their debut. Singer Biff Byford, who was in „Legend of Wacken“ has his arms wide open and jumps, as the fantastic (dual) guitar solos push further. „Wheels of Steel“ from 1980 they play in its entirety, going from „Machine Gun“ to „Crusader“. During the fan hymn „Denim and Leather“, a jacket flies on stage, and „Princess of the Night“ (greatly covered by Hellsongs) ends this fulminant and fun Heavy Metal show.