During an unusually warm February, Silver Talon came to El Paso and turned up the heat with the “Hard As Iron Tour 2026.” In each city, they pull in local talent as the openers. Three bands came to the stage and showed off their talent: Spell Breaker, Demolitious, and Genocide Junkies.  

The local bands really gave the headliner a strong example of the metal talent we have in El Paso; all three had their own style. From the street punk of Genocide Junkies to the death-thrash of Mighty Demolitious, and Spell Breaker brought us progressive power metal. I was very proud of what the local bands brought to the table. We should always recognize our local talent and celebrate their creativity. El Paso has a very solid metal scene, and we’re lucky to have venues for these bands to showcase their hard work.

SPELLBREAKER | FACEBOOK

DEMOLITIOUS | FACEBOOK

GENOCIDE JUNKIES | FACEBOOK

Silver Talon, a dark power metal band from Portland, Oregon, has been bringing us their style since 2017. The band was formed after Portland band Spellcaster disbanded, emerging with an aggressively heavier sound than Spellcaster. Guitarist Bryce VanHoosen and vocalist Wyatt Howell formed the band, and by 2018, they released their first album, Becoming A Demo. By 2019, Walter Hartzell had joined as bassist, Devon Miller on guitar, and in 2025, Nick Van Dusen joined as their drummer.

Surviving the pandemic, the band has continued to demonstrate its strength in the heavy metal scene. They released their second album,  Decadence and Decay, in 2021. Then, in 2022, they released Bloodflow, and fans had to wait until their newest single, which inspired the tour name, “Iron.”

Between their Albuquerque and El Paso show, they took a break, stopping in Truth and Consequences, New Mexico, to enjoy the hot springs. They jumped on stage, relaxed and ready to entertain the crowd. They opened their show with their latest released single “Iron,” followed by “Deceiver I Am” from their Decadence and Delay album, and “The Sanctifyre.” They ended their set with “Will to Survive” (Pantera cover). Throughout their performance, the crowd was dancing with fists in the air and lots of horns. Before the night was over, the crowd started a mosh pit.  

If you want to follow Silver Talon on their journey, check out these links: 

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM