2 months ago I talked to R.F. Traynor on the Epic Metal Blog about his band Tower Hill, which I highly recommend to every fan of classic metal sounds. Today, the singer and multi-instrumentalist talks about his experiences at the fifth edition of Hell’s Heroes – and kicks off the second part of our review of this terrific festival.
André: Where are you from? And how long did you travel to get to the festival location? Was it your first time there?
R.F.: I’m from Edmonton, Canada! It was about six hours of flying to Houston including a layover in Calgary. It was my second time at the festival.
André: Which bands were your highlights at this year’s Hell’s Heroes festival?
R.F.: Really every band I saw was pretty great! Hällas was definitely a highlight, super magical. And Haunt played a fantastic set with Trevor doing like, multiple stage dives into the crowd, really great vibe and cool experience. One band that really impressed me was Century – their demo didn’t really ‘land’ for me the first time I heard it, but they were incredible live and the music totally grabbed me now. Stoked for their new album.
André: What do you think of the location? Please also tell us something about the atmosphere on the grounds.
R.F.: The location is great! Houston is a very sprawled out city, but White Oak Music Hall is in a relatively central location just north of downtown and south of the hotel most festival goers were staying at. The grounds were expanded this year and it felt way more like a European festival with the outdoor stage & more space for food & vendors. The atmosphere is great. People were so friendly and laid back.
André: Which bands would you like to see next year?
R.F.: Tough call! I would really like to see Visigoth again with a longer set. Ashbury would be fantastic too, and Cloven Hoof. I would love to see Children of the Reptile from North Carolina & Prelude to Ruin from Detroit, and High Spirits again because I missed their set last year. And maybe one year I’ll be able to get my band Tower Hill on the lineup – fingers crossed!