Interview With Helstar & James Rivera

January 26, 2013

By Erich Heintzelman

Helstar logo 2013

Legendary US thrash metal band Helstar recently played a warm-up date in Tampa, Florida before embarking on the 70000 Tons Of Metal Cruise.  I caught up with lead singer James Rivera and the band backstage about 15 minutes before they went on stage.  The band was pumped and the excitement in the small club was palpable.  The show, which James promised to be a mini-version of the recently released 30 YEARS OF HEL live album lived up to the excitement.  Lots of old metal heads were there. I ran into Mike Browning, former drummer of Morbid Angel and Nocturnus.  He informed me that he would be pulling together some old vets soon to start playing some live shows! Read the rest of this entry »

Helstar – 30 years of hel

Texas-based metal cult act HELSTAR will release 30 Years Of Hel, a Live DVD which was recorded on their 30th anniversary show on March 24th in Houston, Texas. 30 Years Of Hel will be made available as a special DVD+2CD set on August 31st in Europe and October 2nd in North America via AFM Records.

30 Years Of Hel” track listing:

DVD
‘Angels Fall To Hell’
‘Toward The Unknown’
‘Suicidal Nightmare’
‘The King Is Dead’
‘Burning Star’
‘To Sleep Per Chance To Scream’
‘The Plague Called Man’
‘Evil Reign’
‘Monarch Of Bloodshed’
‘Winds Of War’
‘Good Day To Die’
‘Wicked Disposition’
‘Pandemonium’
‘Bitter End’
‘Harker’s Tale’
‘Angel Of Death’
‘Baptized In Blood’
‘Alma Negra’
‘The King Of Hell’
‘Run With The Pack’

CD 1
‘Angels Fall To Hell’
‘Toward The Unknown’
‘Suicidal Nightmare’
‘The King Is Dead’
‘Burning Star’
‘To Sleep Per Chance To Scream’
‘The Plague Called Man’
‘Evil Reign’
‘Monarch Of Bloodshed’

CD 2
‘Winds Of War’
‘Good Day To Die’
‘Wicked Disposition’
‘Pandemonium’
‘Bitter End’
‘Harker’s Tale’
‘Angel Of Death’
‘Baptized In Blood’
‘Alma Negra’
‘The King Of Hell’
‘Run With The Pack’

More on Helstar, including their live itinerary, at this location.

HELSTAR

30th Anniversary Concert

Double Live CD Recording & Video Shoot

An exclusive event to film and record the first HELSTAR Official Live CD/DVD to be released via AFM Records this fall!

With Special Set: Unique 20-song performance featuring material spanning the band’s entire discography

SATURDAY, MARCH 24, 2012

– 2-Stage Event in the Ballroom and Studio Rooms –

HELSTAR with Rotting Corpse and Special Guests: Carry the Storm, Epic, Ethreal, Knocturnal Maddness, Legion, Metalloyd, Metavenge, Owl Witch, Sanctus Bellum, Venomous Maximus

All Ages

Doors @ 6:00 PM

Show @ 6:30 PM

Tickets:

$12.00 in Advance ($15.00 Day of Show)

Advance Ticket Sales at Warehouse Live Box Office or Online at:

http://warehouselive.frontgatetickets.com/choose.php?a=1&lid=63404&eid=71956

Warehouse Live

813 St. Emanuel Street

Houston TX 77003

713-225-LIVE

www.warehouselive.com

Featured Merch Item:

Helstar XXX T-Shirt

Limited Edition 30-Year Anniversary Design

$25.00 (Cash Only: No Credit or Debit)

Sizes: S, M, L, XL, 2XL, 3XL

Exclusively Available at this Event

(Sorry, no mail or online orders will be accepted)

FREE Door Prizes!!!

HELSTAR “King of Hell” Backdrop

HELSTAR merchandise package

Eddie Van Halen’s EVH Amplifiers t-shirts & posters

Scarlet’s Web of Dreams – $100.00 tattoo certificate

.

[ Door prize tickets provided next to merchandise booth ]

Sponsor Links:

www.realmsofmetal.com

www.facebook.com/robbsmetalworks

www.evhgear.com

www.scarletswebofdreams.com

www.morphisart.com

Official HELSTAR Websites:

www.helstarmetal.com

www.myspace.com/helstar

www.facebook.com/helstar.metal

http://twitter.com/Helstar_Metal

www.youtube.com/user/helstarmetal

In exactly 4 months the Epic Metal masters of MANILLA ROAD will headline the Friday night of the Warriors Of Metal Fest V Open Air on June 29th at the Frontier Ranch in Pataskala, Ohio (just 20 minutes East of Columbus, OH). Mark “The Shark” Shelton states: “We have not played in Ohio since 1988 or ’89 and we’re really looking forward to play at this American True Metal festival in Ohio!”On Saturday night, June 30th, HELSTAR will return to performing in Ohio after 26 years. Last time Helstar performed in Ohio was after the release of their “Remnants Of War” album in 1986!

Tickets for this All Ages show are available for purchase at http://www.warriorsofmetalfest.com/tickets and Fest T-shirts can also be ordered ahead of time. Adult weekend passes are $50 for 1, 2 and 3 people and only $40 for each person in a group of 4 (4-Pack Tickets).

Double Live CD Recording & Video Shoot. An exclusive event to film and record the first HELSTAR Official Live CD/DVD
to be released via AFM Records later this year!

SATURDAY, MARCH 24, 2012

– 2-Stage Event in the Ballroom and Studio Rooms –
HELSTAR with Rotting Corpse and Special Guests:
Carry the Storm, Epic, Ethreal, Knocturnal Maddness, Legion,
Metalloyd, Metavenge, Owl Witch, Sanctus Bellum, Venomous Maximus

All Ages
Doors @ 6:00 PM
Show @ 6:30 PM

Tickets:
$12.00 in Advance ($15.00 Day of Show)
Advance Ticket Sales at Warehouse Live Box Office or Online at:
http://warehouselive.frontgatetickets.com/choose.php?a=1&lid=63404&eid=71956

Warehouse Live
813 St. Emanuel Street
Houston TX 77003
713-225-LIVE
www.warehouselive.com

Official HELSTAR Websites:

www.myspace.com/helstar
www.facebook.com/helstar.metal
http://twitter.com/Helstar_Metal
www.youtube.com/user/helstarmetal

James Rivera’s METAL ASYLUM — A Tribute To His History & True Metal

Houston, Texas-based national recording artist James Rivera (HELSTAR, MALICE) has formed a new project entitled METAL ASYLUM, which is slated to be launched in February 2012.  The concept of METAL ASYLUM was inspired by two of Rivera’s previous endeavors; the first tribute band the singer ever created entitled “Project Rivera”, which was a tribute to classic 80′s metal, in addition to a more recent specialty show of his known as “James Rivera, A Tribute To His Metal History”.  The front man has recruited several quality local Houston musicians to perform material from his own music career, in addition to fan favorites from the forerunners of classic and true metal.  Audiences can expect to witness Rivera and company’s renditions of the Scorpions, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Mercyful Fate, Metal Church, plus many others!  Currently three regional Texas shows are scheduled to take place early this year in San Antonio, College Station and Houston.  James Rivera’s METAL ASYLUM promises to deliver a pulse-pounding, headbanging, horns in the air experience for every metalhead!

For James Rivera’s complete biography, please visit:  www.facebook.com/JamesRivera.Helstar

METAL ASYLUM Band Members:
Marc Petillon, guitars (WINTERS END
Scott Fisher, guitars (WINTERS END)
Michael Millsap, bass (SIX MINUTE CENTURY)
Mikey Lewis, drums (HELSTAR)

Show Dates:
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2012
Bonds 007 Rock Bar
450 Soledad St
San Antonio TX  78205
210-225-0007
www.myspace.com/sa_bonds007
www.facebook.com/bonds007rockbar

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2012
Schotzis
205 University Dr
College Station TX  77845
979-268-2080
www.schotzisbcs.com
www.myspace.com/schotzisbar
www.facebook.com/pages/Schotzis-and-Skyy-Bar/91043092271

SATURDAY, APRIL 14, 2012
James Rivera’s Birthday Bash!
Acadia Bar & Grill
3939 FM 1960 W
Houston TX  77068
281-893-2860
http://acadiabarandgrill.com
www.facebook.com/acadiabar1960
With Special Guests:
EVIL UNITED feat. Jason McMaster
ECHO TEMPLE
SANCTUS BELLUM

HELSTAR 30th Anniversary Show and Double Live CD Recording & Video
For subsequent release of the first official live HELSTAR album and DVD!

SATURDAY, MARCH 24

With Special Guests
Metalloyd
Legion
Knocturnal Maddness
Epic
Metavenge

Doors @ 6:00 PM
Show @ 6:30 PM

All Ages

Tickets:
$12.00 in Advance
http://warehouselive.frontgatetickets.com/choose.php?a=1&lid=63404&eid=71956

Warehouse Live
813 St. Emmanuel Street
Houston TX 77003
713-225-LIVE
www.warehouselive.com

Official HELSTAR Websites:
www.helstarmetal.com
www.myspace.com/helstar
www.facebook.com/helstar.metal
http://twitter.com/Helstar_Metal
www.youtube.com/user/helstarmetal

www.warehouselive.com

Helstar’s Guitarist Larry Barragan Interview

Interview by Noel Wesley

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HELSTAR With Hybris, Deceptor & Atomkraft

Monday 29th August

Review by Noel Wesley

Photos by Jo Blackened (Altercarnated Photography)

The Purple Turtle, Camden plays host to the first show on UK shores

for Texas Thrashers, Helstar!

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Houston’s heavy metal kings HELSTAR are set to blaze a trail east next month on their six-date Summer Of Hate U.S. tour, the newest rash of ongoing performances in support of the band’s seventh studio full-length, Glory Of Chaos. Released onto North America in February via AFM Records, amidst a flood of critical praise of the album’s crushing speed/power metal attack, Glory Of Chaos is a ballsy, blazing, full-length display of pure American heavy metal, which elevates the classic HELSTAR sound to aggressive new measures.

HELSTAR Summer Of Hate U.S. Tour:

6/17/2011 The Rail Club – Fort Worth, TX w/ Solitude Aeturnus, Era De Guerra

6/18/2011 Dirty Dog Bar – Austin, TX w/ Ignitor, Dead Earth Politics, Headcrusher

6/22/2011 Manhattan Room – Philadelphia, PA w/ Wastelander, Season of Mourning, Midian, Machine Dog

6/23/2011 Sonar – Baltimore, MD

6/24/2011 Saint Vitus Bar – Brooklyn, NY

6/25/2011 The Blue Room – Secaucus, NJ w/ Armor Column, Bröhammer

http://www.helstarmetal.com
http://www.facebook.com/Helstar.Metal
http://www.afm-records.de

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 12th HELSTAR “Glory of Chaos” U.S. Release Show! With Special Guests METAL X CARRY THE STORM AXIS IN COLLAPSE BAGHEERA

All Ages Doors @ 7:00 PM $10 Advance / $15 Door Advance Tickets Online: www.myonstageevents.com/Secure/buildticket3.aspx?ID=307&Campaign=Portal

Numbers Night Club 300 Westheimer Rd Houston TX  77006 713-526-6551
www.numbersnightclub.com
www.myspace.com/numbersnightclub
www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=386919620430

Official HELSTAR Websites:
www.helstar.com
www.myspace.com/helstar
www.facebook.com/helstar.metal
http://twitter.com/Helstar_Metal
www.youtube.com/user/helstarmetal

HELSTAR w/ RAVEN

HELSTAR will no longer be performing in San Antonio on Sunday, October 24, due to unforseen circumstances. HELSTAR intend to return to San Antonio in February 2011. You can still catch HELSTAR with RAVEN @ Houston Scout Bar on Saturday, October 23.

Complete Show Info Below:   HELSTAR With RAVEN Presenting HELSTAR’s New Album “Glory of Chaos” SATURDAY, OCTOBER 23

With Special Guests OWL WITCH DECIMATION THEORY K.T.C.M. $15 Advance / $18 Door All Ages Doors @ 7PM  Show @ 8PM   Scout Bar 18307 Egret Bay Blvd Houston TX  77058 281-335-0002  www.scoutbar.com (See Flyer)

Official HELSTAR Websites:
www.helstar.com
www.myspace.com/helstar
www.facebook.com/helstar.metal
http://twitter.com/Helstar_Metal
www.youtube.com/user/helstarmetal

Read the rest of this entry »

Written by Robert Williams with photography courtesy of Sandra Torres< ?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

With the recent resurgence in popularity of outdoor summer hard rock festivals such as Rocklahoma and the upcoming Rock On The Bayou fest that harken back to the glory days of the famed 80′s Monsters Of Rock festival, the Lonestar state, not to be outdone by our Okie counterparts, offered up the first annual Nikita Productions Presents: South Texas Rock Fest.

Boasting an almost identical roster of artists as the Rocklahoma lineup, such as Queensryche, Skid Row, Faster Pussycat, Dokken, Tesla, and even Texas favorites Helstar, bands ping ponged back and forth over the course of the weekend, shuttling from Texas to Oklahoma and vice versa.

Garnering media attention from Sirius Satellite Radio, XM’s Boneyard and sponsorship from Miller Lite beer and Harley Davidson motorcycles, the weekend long festival went off without a hitch. The only real complaint would’ve been the grueling Texas heat. Saturday afternoon there was not a cloud to be found in the summer sky, and it made the "all you can hear buffet of buttrawk" seemingly "Hotter Than Hell" but would you really want to hear Y&T play "Summertime Girls" in the rain?

Divided up between two stages and hosted on the Javelina Harley Davidson fairgrounds, vendors served up ice cold Miller Lite products to the estimated capacity crowd of 20,000 strong. Also of note, where as the Rocklahoma crowd could only enjoy 3% beer to their heart’s content, us Texan’s relished in the full strength domestic beer. This was a major concern when choosing which festival to cover. Besides beer, fans could enjoy frozen margaritas’s, fajita’s, burgers, shop for glass blown pipes, rock t-shirts and various other symbolic mementos of a gluttonous good time.

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KEEP IT TRUE X: 04. – 05.04.2008

Lauda-Königshofen, Germany

Review and Pics by Herr Nabel

If one festival is now known as THE festival of classic heavy metal, it must be Keep It True. The tenth version of KIT was sold out in a few weeks. That should come as no surprise once you see the lineup. Everybody who has been there knows the deal, you never manage  to catch all the bands, to buy all the vinyl, to drink all the beer, and to meet all your friends. But we tried, oh yes we tried I can tell  you…

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