LIVE REVIEW: Steel Over The Solent (Portsmouth, UK)

The beginning of a brand new heavy metal festival here in England is very welcome news. Having been some years since the likes of Live Evil or the one-off Studfest, this was a void that needed filling. Thankfully the superb True Steel Promotions stepped up to the mark and brought us this fantastic day of heavy metal mania.

Dethonator kicked things off but sadly due to train timing I got there just after they finished. So apologies guys, will try and catch ya another time.

Toledo Steel gave a belting performance of heavy metal thunder. As local heroes, it felt a wholesome first set of the day for me with skilful delivery from the whole band whose tried and tested formula went down very well with the crowd.

Power Surge fire in with a very clean-cut heavy metal attack with some virtuosic guitars, soaring vocals and hard rhythms. Their well-rehearsed set had a somewhat more modern than most heavy metal stuff I tend to go for personally, but their skills were undeniable and those more into a modern production will certainly find a lot to enjoy here.

Elixir are the first of the classic NWOBHM bands and a band I have seen a couple of times before. For me, this was the best set yet, the band have gotten better and better with time. Their classic “The Son of Odin” album being performed in full was a real treat and their live show was full of energy and sounded just like the record. “Children of Tomorrow”, “Treachery (Ride like the Wind” and “Trial by Fire” were real highlights for me, delivered with total power.

Saracen continues the old guard’s appearance with a majestic set of progressive and rocking anthems. Mostly centred around their classic “Heroes, Saints and Fools” record, we got a passionate performance with a superb mix that really conveyed their fantastical nature. “Rock of Ages” is a favourite anthem when it comes to putting on a stack of NWOBHM 7″ from the collection so seeing it live again is always excellent. Their set, culminating in “Ready to Fly” closed things with a terrific bang. This was one of my most anticipated performances of the day and it certainly did not leave me anything short of ecstatic.

Quartz hit the stage next, their setlist contained a cool balance of their cult discography which still rocks as hard as ever. Feeling very to-the-point with their sound, this was another band which is rare to see play here in their home country (last time seeing them for me was in Germany at Keep It True Rising). Clearly people were very happy to see the Birmingham rockers down south, as could be proven by the amount of Quartz patches, badges and so on around the room. Closing with a cover of Black Sabbath’s “Heaven and Hell”, the pure old spirit of the festival was not dwindling at all.

Holocaust was my personal highlight of the day. As one of my favourite NWOBHM bands, their more aggressive and in-your-face performance saw the Scots valves smokin’ as they unleashed heavy metal mania. Once again we got a full album set, this time the immense “The Nightcomers’ being played from start to finish. Clearly you are only as young as you feel, because these Edinburgh gents could still ferociously deliver pure sonic thunder! John Mortimer had a killer stage presence which in some of the slower moments gave him this sinister presence that was quite cinematic while the rest of the band joined him in consistently hitting hard with no remorse. A legendary moment that I look forward to repeating in London and Romania later this year.

Wytch Hazel* brought the night to an end. The stage completely transformed for the final band and headliner of the festival. Everything the band touched suddenly turned into white and gold. Smoking valves were extinguished with white drapes, covering the amps over with ivy plants, candles and goblets. There wasn’t a single detail that felt out of place, we have definitely entered their parish and piece of history. But don’t be fooled by appearances, the spirit of heavy metal continued to shine through! Powerful duel guitar harmonies and captivating vocals were still amongst us. Wytch Hazel are celebrating the 10th anniversary of their first album, and graced their set with a healthy mix of old and new songs, ranging from their last album “V. Lamentations” all the way to their first album “Prelude” as well as even earlier releases such as “Surrender”. Cheering with us, goblet in hand, their commemoration was truly an uplifting end to the festival. *Wytch Hazel review by Amelia.

This was easily one of my favourite all-dayers to occur on English shores ever. From the supreme mix of classic legends and newcomers sharing the stage to the audience of die-hard metal lovers through to the venue’s decor of flags from Maiden, Manowar, Priest, Angel Witch and more right until the after party where DJ Amy Sentinel was blasting anthems of the truest order. The sound was killer, the lighting felt like an 80s b-horror prom night, everything ran on time. There was even a cool record vendor selling some great LPs and a NWOBHM fanzine available (grabbed one, excellent work from Overdrive!). I simply cannot overstate how much of a success this event was. Hail to True Steel Promotions, DJ Amy Sentinel, my brothers and sisters in Crimson Storm HMFC and all others rockers, delinquents and undesirables who made it so special.