Stormstress

STORMSTRESS!!!! This was my second time seeing them in under a month. They have such a killer vibe on stage that it is impossible not to be drawn to them. Tia and Tanya trade off vocals with ease, and it is cool to watch them interact with each other and the crowd. I felt a bit like their personal hype crew. I talked them up outside the venue before the show. I screamed along with the lyrics; I played all the air instruments. I was right against the rail and loved every minute of it.

Tanya did her signature guitar work with the bow, channeling her inner Jimmy Page. Tia thundered around the stage, punctuating the bass lines with foot stomps and yells. Maddie sat on her throne and rocked the night. After the show, one of the coolest things was the guy walking around with a t-shirt that immediately identified him as Maddie’s supportive dad. The shirt had two side-by-side drawings on it. One had a picture of the woman symbol from a bathroom door. Under the drawing, it said “your daughter.” The other side of the split frame had a picture of a woman behind a drum kit. Under that, the shirt said, “my daughter.” She made Dad really proud tonight.

Stormstress rocks like few other bands out there right now. The power trio is almost a thing of the past. You do not see many of them out today, but these three will convince you trios are still a thing. From their original music to the cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love,” they rocked the night and made a lot of new fans. I saw a decent line of people go by the merch table; one person bought them a couple of rounds of drinks. One guy I spoke to before the show told me this is a great new band, and he was so glad he got there early enough to see them rule the stage.

Stormstress roared through New Bedford, Massachusetts, and left some blown minds in their wake. They have charisma and use that to their best benefit, gathering an ever-larger crowd of followers everywhere they play. This is a rising talent and a force to be reckoned with.

Burning Witches

Burning Witches is a Swiss power/heavy metal band formed in 2015. Five women with tons of talent and two new albums came to Massachusetts to rock our worlds. COVID sucked for a lot of reasons. No travel, no live music, and no real interaction for the fans of live stuff. The good thing is, we got two killer discs from this band. They even had the newest on vinyl at the show. It is now sitting by my record player, signed by the band!

From the first note to the closing tones, they were on fire. The twin guitar attack was extraordinary! They played their hearts out, except when the technical difficulties hit. Then, the singer would distract the crowd. After the tech issues were fixed, the show would restart. Instead of whining or throwing a temper tantrum, which I have seen seasoned musicians do, they just rolled with the punches. They played a killer set through the troubles.

The bass and drums were both spectacular. You could feel their rhythms pulsing through the concrete flooring. There were also a lot of Burning Witches shirts in the crowd, and not because a bunch of people just discovered them and put the shirts on. People were in line wearing those shirts and gladly talking about having just seen the band earlier on their tour. Some compared the band to Judas Priest, others to Helloween. I heard influences from both of those legendary bands throughout the set. And yes, it made me very happy. I love power metal and always will. This is power metal at its’ finest.

The crowd was energized, and the band noticed. More than once, they thanked the crowd for being so awesome. Some people were there just to see Burning Witches. However, I was happy to see most of them were early enough to see the openers. They stayed long enough to see the headliners. Those are the kinds of fans the bands live for, those who support the whole package, not just one band. This crowd was epic, probably because they knew this night was magic.

The Iron Maidens

The Iron Maidens are, quite simply, five women who pay the highest honor to the institution of live heavy metal. Despite technical issues that led to Courtney Cox playing air guitar for part of one song, they owned the stage. Courtney was not the only person to experience the problems on that side of the stage, as was noted above for Burning Witches. She handled the drama with grace and dignity for the most part. Let me be crystal clear, though, this show freaking ROCKED despite those issues!

From the opening notes of “The Wicker Man” to the closing sounds of “Hallowed Be Thy Name,” this five-piece band paid homage to one of the greatest bands ever, Iron Maiden. As an all-female tribute band, they have toured the world since 2001. Focusing on the early years for the most part, though they do come all the way up to 2000’s Brave New World for the opener.

This is classic greatest hits show in many ways. The regular version of the band tours on their newest record and often does not have time to go through everything the long-time fans want to hear. For 21 years not, The Iron Maidens have filled that void. I had yet to see them live, so I was thrilled to get the chance this time. I barely missed them when they played overseas.

Kirsten is not Bruce Dickinson. Her hair is longer than his is right now (and less gray). She is, however, able to hit and hold all the notes he can. Make no mistake, she is more than capable. All of these musicians are extremely capable. They could quickly fill in for a tour with the marquee version of this group, and no one would notice the difference in playing, though they might notice they dress a little different.

Courtney and Nikki are every bit as skilled as their counterparts. Both can shred (even when playing air guitar) and have the riffs and solos down pat. Perfect imitations? No. Perfectly in sync, though. They play together beautifully, even horsing around with Wanda on bass like the other version of this band do. And Linda? Yeah, I bet she and Nicko would be awesome to watch in a drum-off.

The setlist was excellent. They played a great selection of songs from their early works, making me happy. The crowd was really into this show. They sang, headbanged, raised their horns, and stayed at the rail through the whole thing. The band gave the audience a reason to jam, and the crowd gave the band their attention. It was a killer, symbiotic relationship that is the entire reason live music exists.

Every one of these bands brought a unique energy to the stage. From the opening act to the headliner, the crowd was active, engaged, and loving life. I looked around a few times just to get a feel for how things were going. No one was standing off to the side, acting bored or listless. Everyone was lost in the music, living their best concert lives. After two years of restrictions on touring thanks to a pandemic, you could tell this group was grateful to be at a show. The bands spoke of being happy to be able to do what they love as well.

Some shows just lack something. The crowd is not active, or the bands are bored. Those shows are tedious and leave me feeling like I wasted an evening. Tonight was not that in any way. This was a show that you left feeling like you got more than you gave. I screamed myself hoarse and loved every minute of it. I got to take a few pictures of band members and got a selfie with the openers. I got a drumstick and a setlist. This was a show to remember.

If you have not seen any of these bands, set the alerts on your phone. You do not want to miss them when they come through next.