Soldiers of Steel, Seattle’s newest metal festival, just held its second edition at Substation in Seattle, WA, August 13 – 16, 2026.  I sadly missed the inaugural edition last year and was quite excited to attend this year. It is run by Brandon Corsair (Nameless Grave Records, guitarist for Serpent Rider) & Amy Lee Carlson (vocalist for Sölicitör). To date it has been a DIY fest in the sense that there are no formal sponsorships or backing, with the only money made a result of tickets and associated merch (e.g. fest t-shirts) sales. I find this quite impressive considering the quality of the bands and the Fest itself, though I do wonder how sustainable this will be longer term (more on this later). You could feel the passion each has for the overall metal scene, and I love that they are filling a gap left by past fests that did not continue post COVID. Seattle has a rich and important music history, and it absolutely should have a legit metal festival it can call its own!

The main fest occurred Friday and Saturday, with a pre-party on Thursday evening and a post party Sunday afternoon. The pre-party featured 4 bands (Blood Star, Skelator, Dark Meditation, and Hadean), Day 1 on Friday featured 9, Day 2 on Saturday featured 10, and the after party on Sunday featured a couple (Stainless and Rick Pierce). It definitely made for a packed 4-day weekend with plenty of music choices. There were multiple ticket options, including a VIP option that gave access to all 4 days, a weekend pass covering Friday – Sunday, and individual day passes for Friday and Saturday. I chose just to do the weekend pass, though I only attended Friday and Saturday. The main fest had doors open mid-late afternoon, with constant music until midnight. 

Soldiers of Steel employs a 2-stage approach that is serialized but has shows mostly running back to back throughout. Substation has a larger Annex room and a smaller front room, and navigating between them is pretty straightforward. The sound at Substation tends to be pretty good in both rooms, and I found the sound to be quite solid and consistent throughout the fest which was a huge plus. The Annex both started and finished the day, with the Front room alternating after each Annex set (with exception of the end of Day 2 with back to back bands in the Annex). This format made it easy to catch every band since there were technically no overlaps, though there were a few times where I missed the start of a set because the previous set ran long, resulting in my leaving a few sets early to ensure I didn’t miss the start of a few sets I really wanted to see in totality. The nonstop nature and lack of natural breaks also made it a bit exhausting for a maximalist like me. I would personally like to see a 5-10 minute buffer between sets so that I don’t have to make these choices, which would also allow a quick breather / bathroom / drink break in between sets. This nit aside, I really enjoyed the format and constant stream of metal. 

Speaking of drinks, Substation has quite a few drink options, including a great draft beer selection. However, they do not serve any food. There are a number of great restaurants nearby (such as the amazing ST Hooligan’s), but they do require you to leave and walk 5-7 minutes , and none of the options are particularly fast. Being a maximalist, I hate missing bands or music, so I tend to enter marathon mode, meaning I chose to load up just before doors each day so I could push through without needing to leave. I realize that not everyone is a barricade warrior like I am, so if you are attending, you will likely need to plan a food break at some point. I would love to see food options nearby, even if it was just a food truck or 2 outside the venue, which would make getting food significantly easier.

Soldiers definitely biases more toward traditional heavy metal and power metal, though it did feature other genres including thrash, crossover, and stoner, with really only 2 bands feeling somewhat odd in the mix (not a bad thing, just the outliers genre wise). There was a nice mix of newer and much older bands, highlighting several generations of metal and keeping them all connected. I also appreciated the number of Pacific Northwest bands represented. The smaller size of the fest meant a lot of band members would mingle and be present in the crowd at various times, offering opportunities for conversations and pictures. I was personally unfamiliar with more than half of the bands and chose to go in mostly blind for those I didn’t know. I was impressed with the quality across the board, even for bands that were not as much “my thing” genre-wise, with each band putting on a solid performance. Pretty much every band had great merch options, as did the fest itself. The fest may be mostly DIY, but it is well organized and accessible, and they did a great job curating a fun lineup.

Now let’s dive into the bands themselves. I did not attend the pre or post party, but I did see each of the 19 bands across the two main days and will cover each in detail below. You can use the Table of Contents below to jump to your band of choice.

Day 1 was on Friday, August 14, with doors at 5 and music going until midnight. It featured 9 bands: Soul Grinder, Subversion Trigger, Tower Hill, Infinity Dream, The Accused AD, Adamantis, Heir Apparent, Blood Star, and Liege Lord. I will cover each of the Day 1 bands next.

Portland heavy/speed/thrash metal band Soul Grinder opened things up on the Annex stage. They had quite the stage costuming going on, with band members sportimg dark face paint, and the vocalist taking it further with a full blown make-up mask. There were neon chains draped over the drumset and the vocalist (which also matched her hair), and she brought various props on stage dependant on the song (e.g. a massive bone during opening song “Bone Chapel”). They didn’t have their usual bassist, so Leona (Owlbear, Rope) subbed in on bass, and she was amazing as usual. The band was fun and tight, blasting through a 7-song set of thrashy speed metal. The setlist was:

1. Bone Chapel
2. Hunting the Prophecy
3. Melting Spree
4. Siege Breaker
5. Queen Corrosia
6. Rise with Steel (new song)
7. Kill Maim Burn

Seattle-based crossover thrash band Subversion Trigger was next in the front room. Seeing them was a bit nostalgic for me, mostly because I don’t listen to much crossover these days, and it was cool hearing it live and executed so well. The underlying punk vibe was infectious, particularly the drumming, and there was plenty of guitar shredding too. Most importantly, the speed and energy was coursing through the crowd! They played 10 songs, all 5 from their self-titled EP as well as 5 new songs. The setlist was:

1. Revile in Style
2. Profit
3. Up for the Downfall
4. Crypto
5. New Fear Rising 
6. Gash
7. Beyond the Grave
8. Gentrified
9. Ride
10. Shadow Possessed

Back to the Annex and unfortunately the first instance of the zero buffer between sets hitting me negatively, as the first song was already going when I walked over. The third band of the day was heavy/power metallers Tower Hill from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. This show was the start of a small West Coast run together with another festival band, Adamantis, and Evgeny (drummer of Adamantis) was serving as Tower Hill’s replacement drummer for the tour. This was actually his first show ever playing with them, but you would not have guessed considering how good he sounded! Tower Hill is always a lot of fun, with the vocalist in particular super animated, though frankly so are each of the musicians.  We got a sword on stage, plenty of great facial expressions and bodily movement, and of course the famous White Claw ending. They also played a new song, “Out in the Dark,” from their upcoming album (watch the video below). The six-song setlist was:

1. Antigone
2. Kings Who Die
3. Deathstalker
4. Out in the Dark (new song)
5. How Am I
6. The Claw is the Law

I headed to the front room for a band I absolutely knew nothing about, North Carolina quartet Infinity Dream. Everyone sans the keyboardist also plays in metal band Widow, who was playing on Day 2. It was their first time in Seattle, and late in the set, frontman Chris thanked everyone for watching a little band from North Carolina play ballads. Infinity Dream was definitely one of the two bands I was referring to earlier that was perhaps a bit odd in the overall mix, but they were so good and a nice change of pace. I would describe them as melodic dark rock with heavy elements, with a consistent atmospheric feel that would suddenly bludgeon you out of nowhere. I loved the triple vocals and heavy use of keys, and though they were quite different from the majority of the lineup, I quite enjoyed them! I got to talk with them later in the evening, and they were all super nice. They played a 4-song set, though the last song functioned as a 2-song medley with various parts of “The Will To Survive” sandwiching “Future Past.” The setlist was:

1. Intro / Lost Embrace
2. Silver Lining
3. Sins of the Past
4. The Will To Survive / Future Past Medley

I went back to the Annex for my second crossover band of the day, Seattle 4-piece The Accüsed AD. Consisting of 2 original members of The Accüsed, considered by many to be the granddaddy of the crossover genre, this is a modern incarnation that still plays much of the original material while continuing the story of zombie mascot Martha Splatterhead. To my ears there is a lot more punk than thrash, particularly in the chord progressions, vocals, and drumming, but there is some nice guitar shredding too! The band had insane energy, with the vocalist literally jumping constantly, the bass player bouncing around and sticking his tongue out, great facial expressions from the guitarist, particularly when soloing, and wow the drummer was an absolute beast! What I didn’t realize during their set was why the bassist looked familiar, only to realize on Day 2 that it was Eric Thomas, also the Telomyras bassist, playing double duty! The band played for nearly an hour, with 17 songs (the advantage of shorter songs in the genre), though they still cut 3 songs from the original setlist. I ended up missing the last 2 songs to get ready for the next set. The setlist was:

1. Intro / Buried Alive
2. Show No Mercy
3. Autopsy
4. Slow Death
5. Wrong Side of the Grave
6. Martha’s Revenge
7. Take My Time
8. Distractions
9. F*ckin for Bux
10. The Corpse Walks
11. Pyschomania
12. The Bag Lady Song
13. Grinning (Like an Undertaker)
14. Martha Splatterhead
15. Inherit the Earth
16. Starved to Death
17. Mechanized Death

I left The Accüsed AD slightly early to secure my spot for Boston-based heavy/power metal band Adamantis. I recently interviewed them as part of my Grillfest partnership, and I was excited for the opportunity to see them live for the first time. It was drummer Evgeny’s second set of the day (he drummed with Tower Hill just a few sets earlier), but he didn’t even blink as they powered through their set. They had tons of great energy and fun antics on stage. Bass player Alex was hilarious during my interview, and his fun personality came through as he played. The dueling guitars of Connor & Vance were also amazing, with lots of dueling solos and shredding. Jeff is a fabulous vocalist and frontman, working the crowd and keeping everyone engaged. The set flew by but was quite good, and I look forward to seeing them again in the future. Their setlist included five songs plus an additional instrumental that served as an intro to “Ride for Ruin.” The setlist was:

1. Steelclad
2. Storm the Walls
3. Funeral for a King / Ride for Ruin
4. Fire and Brimstone 
5. Gates of Miklagard

I was very excited for next band Heir Apparent back in the Annex. Heir Apparent has been around for a long time, playing proggy power metal with members primarily hailing from Seattle. They were supposed to play at Soldiers of Steel last year but unfortunately were not able to. For this year’s edition, Sacred Blade was slated to play their first US show since 1983, but sadly they were unable to secure visas in time. As a result, Heir Apparent was asked if they could fill in last minute, and thankfully they were able to! This show served as an exclusive performance ahead of recording their next studio album, and it included the amazing Thomas Karam on vocals (check out my review of his Exxûl album released earlier this year). Despite missing part of the first song due to the previous set running slightly long, I thoroughly enjoyed the set. Karam is a phenomenal vocalist and was effortless live, and the band sounded great through their seven-song setlist. I even got the chance to meet Thomas and the guitarist later in the evening, and they were very nice to talk with. The setlist was:

1. The Servant
2. Hands of Destiny
3. The Cloak
4. Another Candle 
5. Dragon’s Lair
6. Keeper of the Reign
7. Tear Down the Walls

Because of the time gap left by Sacred Blade not being able to perform, there was an additional “secret set” planned between Heir Apparent and Liege Lord in the front room. Utah based heavy metal band Blood Star had already played the pre-party on Thursday, and they reprised their performance with a 6-song set featuring two originals and 4 cover songs. I missed the first song and only stayed for 3 songs, but they were really good and so much fun, and I am glad I had the opportunity to see them since I did not attend the pre-party. Vocalist Madeline Smith is great and engaged the crowd so well, and you could tell the whole band was having fun even if the original plan wasn’t back to back night shows! Apparently Amy Lee Carlson joined her on stage for their W.A.S.P. cover “Wild Child,” which sadly I missed since I left early to secure my spot up front for Liege Lord. I enjoyed the 3 songs I did see and would love to see them again! The setlist was:

1. No One Wins
2. The Fear
3. And the Bands Played On (Saxon cover)
4. Desert Plains (Judas Priest cover)
5. The Evil that Men Do (Iron Maiden cover)
6. Wild Child (W.A.S.P. cover)

It was time for the Day 1 headliner in the Annex, Connecticut power/speed metal band Liege Lord. Transparently, they were not a band I was familiar with until literally 2 days before the fest started. I decided to check them out to do some prep for Soldiers, and I settled on their 1988 release “Master Control,” considered by many to be their best. I ended up binging the album up until the start of Soldiers, and they went from obscurity for me to my most anticipated band at the fest! Before Day 1 even started, I was walking to get food at ST Hooligans (amazing option if you are ever attending a show at Substation, particularly their fried chicken!), and I recognized founder / guitarist Tony Truglio. I asked him if he was the Liege Lord guitarist, and he stopped and took the time to talk for a few minutes, give me a guitar pick, and take a picture with me and his bass player, none other than original Fate’s Warning bassist Joe DiBiase! They were both so nice and had me even more excited for their set. And let me tell you, their set did not disappoint in the slightest! I am always amazed at the sheer number of bands that exist, with so many I do not know, and it is sad I have been unfamiliar with Liege Lord for so long. They scratch that speed metal itch well while injecting enough power, and the shredding is off the charts good. The vocals were also amazing and were a nice balance between a speed/thrash and power attack. The energy from the band was infectious, and you could feel the fun and excitement from them as they played a magnificent 14-song set! In addition to playing nearly all of “Master Control,” just omitting 2 songs, they also played a brand new song (check it out below!), 2 songs from 1987 album “Burn to My Touch,” and the remaining from 1985 debut “Freedom’s Rise.” What a way to end Day 1! The setlist was:

1. Prodigy / Wielding Iron Fists
2. Dark Tale
3. Eye of the Storm
4. Cast Out
5. Kill the King (Rainbow cover)
6. Speed of Sound
7. Vials of Wrath
8. Fear Itself
9. Rapture 
10. Hypocrisy (new song)
11. Feel the Blade (extended version)
12. Rage of Angels
13. Master Control
14. Fallout

Day 2 was on Saturday, August 15, with doors an hour earlier at 4 and music still going until midnight. It added one additional band for a total of 10: Telomyras, Old Dirty Buzzard, Heavy Metal Shrapnel, Leathürbitch, Widow, Chamber Mage, Saint, Ironflame, Hellwitch, and Sanctuary. I saw nearly all of every set and will dive into each band next.

Seattle-based heavy/speed/thrash metal band Telomyras had the privilege of kicking off Day 2 in the Annex. I had seen them once before back in February when they opened for the Greyhawk release show, and I was impressed by their stage presence and overall performance. Lead vocalist Sammie is phenomenal, classically trained with incredible range and tone on her cleans that have a unique moodiness while also delivering an absolutely sinister snarl. Bassist Eric was doing his second show of the fest, having played with The Accüsed AD Friday, but he was his normal bouncy self. Both guitarists played off each other well, executing the dueling guitar solos perfectly, and the drummer was as great as I remembered. The show was semi bittersweet being guitarist Jack’s last show, and the band and crowd sent him off well. Telomyras played 5 songs, with 4 of them off their recently released debut full length “Duskfall,” which I also reviewed. The setlist was:

1. Reckoning 
2. Cambion
3. Harbinger
4. Witch 
5. Attrition

I headed over to the front room for the second band of the day, Seattle-based stoner metal trio Dirty Old Buzzard. I was not at all familiar with them, and admittedly stoner metal is rarely my thing. This trio packed quite a punch, though, delivering some seriously thick and heavy riffs, bass thumps, and percussive destruction. They played a 7-song setlist featuring tracks from both of their albums. I ended up leaving for the last song to get ready for the next set, but I enjoyed the 6 songs I heard. The setlist was:

1. Paleozoic 
2. Coughing On The House Of Cards
3. Death Becomes Your Dying World
4. Hell Hath No Fury 
5. Long Haired Country Boy
6. Lies
7. Bag Of Nails

Next up back over in the Annex was 80’s metal band Heavy Metal Shrapnel, the brainchild of amazing guitarist Andrew Lee who I also believe worked with Brandon on year 1 of Soldiers of Steel. This was the band’s first show ever, and it was extra notable since it featured vocalist Mark Boals, perhaps most well known as the vocalist for multiple Yngwie Malmsteen albums. Jeff Black, amazing keytarist for Glyph, was also in the band, bringing his antics and ivory loving fingers to the mix. The set was tons of fun, full of energy, and never once would I have guessed it was their first show if I hadn’t known. The band was committed to 80’s cheese in a good way, with throwback lyrics and melodies that were super catchy and impossible not to get into. They played 6 songs from their debut album “Heavy Metal Hairspray,” a short instrumental, and ended with a Yngwie Malmsteen cover from the Trilogy album that Mark originally sang. The setlist was: 

1. Too Old to Rock and Roll
2. Heavy Metal Hairspray 
3. Dance in the Stars
4. Heavy Metal Overdose
5. Instrumental / Beyond the Crystal Screen
6. Love Is a Racket (Baby, Grab My Handle)
7. Liar (Yngwie Malmsteen cover)

It was back to the front room for Portland sleaze / glam rock band Leathürbitch. Heavy Metal Shrapnel ran slightly long, so I missed most of the first song, and I left before the final song so I wouldn’t be late for Widow, ultimately catching the 4 songs in the middle of their 6-song set. The band embraced the look and attitude of the classic 80’s bands, and it was fun seeing them commit. The vocalist was quite good and very charismatic, and I enjoyed the set more than expected since I don’t usually listen to this specific subgenre. The band played 6 songs, with 1 brand new song I didn’t get the name for, and a fun Ratt cover. I also don’t know the first or last song played, so if the band sees this and can fill in the blanks, I would appreciate it! The setlist was:

1. ????
2. Shadow Mistress
3. [New song]
4. I’m Insane (Ratt cover)
5. Nasty Reputation
6. ????

I left a song early from Leathürbitch to ensure I had my spot up front for North Carolina horror infused heavy/power metal band Widow. I had actually never listened to them prior to the fest, but after enjoying Infinity Dream on Day 1 and learning that 3 of the members were in Widow, I was intrigued and wanted to be sure I took it all in. The sound was raw but catchy with plenty of oomph, almost as if power metal, traditional metal, and punk had a baby. They haven’t released anything in 10 years, and it seems like they have done limited shows in that time frame, but they sounded very full for a power trio. They played 5 songs covering four of their albums, with the first 2 songs from “Carved in Stone,” the third from “On Fire,” fourth from “Nightlife,” and final song from “Life’s Blood.” I really enjoyed their set and hope to see them again in the future! The setlist was:

1. Intro / Burning Star 
2. Carved In Stone 
3. An American Werewolf In Raleigh 
4. Nightlife 
5. Take Hold of the Night

I ran back over to the front room and got there just in time for the beginning of Colorado metal band Chamber Mage. They have a unique sound, blending traditional heavy and power metal with progressive elements, crafting multi-layered compositions ready to take on their lore of might and magic. I had never seen them before and honestly wasn’t super familiar with their material, but I knew guitarist William Perkins (Viperwitch) and bassist Ted from other fests where we overlapped. I was quite impressed with the set, including the dueling guitars, aggressive almost punk-like drums, and overall epic feel. I am definitely curious to hear more from them, particularly since I really liked the two new songs they played! They only played 4 songs, a necessary result of writing longer songs and having a shorter set time, particularly when your last song is 10 minutes, with 2 from their debut album and 2 from their forthcoming album. The setlist was:

1. To Spires Deep and Caverns High
2. Between Men and Dragonkind (new song)
3. Return of the Sky Master (new song)
4. The Silver City Fell

Back over in the Annex was my most anticipated set of Day 2, Salem, Oregon, hard hitting apocalyptic heavy metal warriors Saint. I had been wanting to see them for over 30 years and have always been a fan of their earlier albums “Time’s End” and “Too Late for Living.” At this point they have quite the discography, and they took the audience through a journey spanning pretty much their entire discography, which was so fun to experience live. They were missing a live guitarist, meaning the rhythm guitars needed to be tracked to allow the lead guitar work that Saint is known for to let loose. And let loose it did, impressive with plenty of shred, and bassist / founder Richard Lynch was a force as well. The drums were powerful and driving, and lead vocalist Eli Prinsen was amazing, exuding plenty of energy while delivering punchy cleans and soaring to the rafters when needed. Saint played a 9-song setlist touching most of their albums, with many personal favorites and an overall emphasis on power! The setlist was:

1. Intro / Reap the Flesh
2. Primed and Ready
3. Phantom of the Galaxy
4. Steel Killer
5. Through the Sky
6. Immortalizer
7. Hell Blade
8. Too Late for Living
9. In the Night

Saint started a few minutes late, meaning I missed half of the first song of the next set in the front room. I was going in completely blind for Ohio based heavy/power metal band Ironflame, and I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was already on a high from Saint, but Ironflame was easily one of my best surprises of all of Soldiers of Steel and an absolute highlight. They had a sick dual guitar attack that was utterly shredtastic, and the vocalist was amazing, constantly moving and engaging with the crowd despite the smaller stage. Their brand new album, “Worlds To Conquer,” had just been released the previous day, so their set somewhat served as a mini album release show. I have listened to the new album quite a few times at this point with plans to review, and I already am excited about seeing them again in the future. One of my favorite things about fests is the opportunity to discover new bands that you love, and Soldiers delivered Ironflame for me! The band played 6 songs, two songs from the brand new album along with 4 others. The setlist was:

1. Firestorm 
2. Shadow Slave
3. Seekers of the Blade
4. Legion of Fire
5. Majesty of Steel
6. Vengeance Rising

I went back to the annex for the penultimate band of the set, featuring the PNW debut of insanely fast thrash / death metal band Hellwitch from Ft Lauderdale, Florida. I would be lying if I didn’t find the irony humorous that they followed immediately after Saint on the same stage, but that is the fun of metal! They were the second “odd one” of the fest, just at the opposite extreme of Infinity Dream. I was personally happy to see a more extreme band on the bill and was impressed by the technical proficiency displayed. Both guitars and bass had fingers constantly moving at lightspeed, and the drumming was fast and furious. The band definitely had an old school flair with some modern leanings, and they destroyed the audience with a vicious 11 song set. Admittedly it isn’t something I would listen to regularly, but I enjoyed seeing them live and left impressed. The setlist was:

1. Solipsistic Immortality 
2. Viral Exogence
3. Dawn of Apostasy
4. Sought To Beguile
5. Pyrophoric Seizure 
6. Nosferatu
7. Delegated Disruption 
8. Purveyor of Fear
9. Mordirivial Dissemination 
10. Vicious Avidity
11. Torture Chamber

This time there wasn’t a stage switch, just a slightly longer break prepping for Day 2 headliner Sanctuary and their proggy speed / power metal, hailing from right here in Seattle. I saw them for the first time ever back in April at Hyperspace Metal Festival, where they did an exclusive album playthrough of “Into the Mirror Black” along with several other songs, though they did not play the single they had recently released during their Hyperspace set. They rectified that this time, playing the new single along with a nice selection from all 3 full lengths, including the first 4 and then 6th song from “Into the Mirror Black” consecutively, 5 from debut “Refuge Denied,” and 3 from “The Year the Sun Died.” They also slowed things down and played a cover of “Breathe (In the Air)” by Pink Floyd. Joseph Michael is a phenomenal vocalist and fitting replacement for sadly deceased Warren Dane, with plenty of charisma and crowd engagement while delivering an incredible performance. He also loves to joke around, needling the crowd and even teasing fest organizer Brandon about the fest name and whether he had permission to use the name just before Sanctuary dove into the song “Soldiers of Steel.” Every band member was excellent, with fabulous guitars, bass, and drums, and it was quite the performance to end the fest! Sanctuary played a whopping 16 songs, with the setlist being:

1. Arise and Purify
2. Frozen 
3. Die for My Sins
4. Seasons of Destruction 
5. Soldiers of Steel
6. Veil of Disguise
7. Future Tense
8. Taste Revenge
9. Long Since Dark 
10. Epitaph
11. The Mirror Black
12. Breathe (In the Air) (Pink Floyd cover)
13. White Rabbit (Jefferson Airplane cover)
14. Battle Angels
15. Not of the Living
16. The Year the Sun Died

This was my first Soldiers of Steel, and as long as it keeps going, it will not be my last. I was impressed with the lineup despite not knowing so many of the bands, and I enjoyed the variety. I would have perhaps liked to see a few more bands on the heavier side of the spectrum, but the lineup was solid for both days. I will be curious how things progress in future editions. I do know how hard it is to keep a fest going, with two US metal fests this year being canceled, and a third running its final edition. I do think some basic things like minor gaps in between sets and having a food truck or 2 outside the venue would be helpful, and likely some sort of sponsorship mechanism would be useful from a pure financial standpoint. With all of that said, what Brandon and Amy have accomplished is impressive, and I cannot wait to see what is next. Seattle deserves a great metal fest given its long music history, and Soldiers of Steel is poised to be just that!