Hell’s Heroes Festival Books First Wave of 2026 Featured Artists Including UDO, Sanctuary, Tankard, Voivod, Virgin Steele, 3 Inches of Blood, and More

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On Thursday, March 19, Friday, March 20, and Saturday, March 21, 2026, a worldwide contingent of music fans will again convene at Houston’s White Oak Music Hall for “America’s biggest metal party”, the Hell’s Heroes Festival. Now in its eighth year, the vaunted music fest will showcase a hand-picked selection of international heavy metal bands that includes both seminal, genre-pioneers, highly regarded modern day groups and more, in a can’t-miss concert event. Today, Hell’s Heroes unleashes the first wave of exclusive, confirmed acts for HHVIII, including German legend, Udo Dirkschneider (performing a special “Balls to the Wall” set in honor of the Accept LP’s 40th Anniversary), Seattle sceamers, Sanctuary, German thrash titans, Tankard, and Canadian avant-garde greats, Voivod (delivering a fully-eighties set), respectively. Tickets for Hell’s Heroes VIII are on sale now at this location.

Hell’s Heroes Festival organizer Christian Larson

Buy tickets here:
https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/3A006271FF1642DA

Hell’s Heroes VIII will also feature special sets by U.S. power metal legends, Virgin Steele, British Columbia bangers, 3 Inches of Blood, H.O.L.M.E.S – The Sound of W.A.S.P., led by titanic guitarist Chris Holmes, Italian legends, Bulldozer, Swedish power trio, Grand Magus, a reunion set by Los Angeles metal phenoms, White Wizzard, Scandinavian speed sect, Hellbutcher, Brazilian black metal bruisers, Power from Hell, Richmond horror metal unit, BAT, Belgium black-speed gang, Bütcher, German thrashers, Vulture, Mexican thrash mob, Phantom, and Charleston first-wave wranglers, Interceptor, respectively.

Hell’s Heroes 8:
March 19-21, 2026
White Oak Music Hall
Houston, TX
Tickets on sale NOW.

“We have a ton more tricks up our sleeves for Hell’s Heroes 2026, including many bands that I’ve been wanting to book for some time!,” says festival organizer Christian Larson. “Can’t wait to do it again next year! Stay tuned to see what other surprises Hell’s Heroes VIII holds in store.” In addition to booking Hell’s Heroes, Larson also performs as guitarist/vocalist for the melodic black metal band Necrofier, and is the lead singer of Houston heavy metal band Night Cobra.

🤘 Hell’s Heroes VII recap 2025 🤘

Launched in 2018, Hell’s Heroes has become one of North America’s premiere heavy music platforms and an annual, go-to destination for metalheads, globally. In its review of Hell’s Heroes, Knotfest called the event “a lineup that truly spans generations and has a lot of something for anyone into ‘heavy’”, adding that “the atmosphere of the fest is like nothing of it’s kind in North America.” The Houston Press proclaimed, “Over a relatively short time, the two-day metal music fest has become one of the premier events of its kind in the United States”, the Houston Chronicle tabbed Hell’s Heroes as “America’s biggest metal party”, and Decibel hailed the fest as “an international melting pot of eras, influences, and legacies both vintage and futuristic.”

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