Live Review: Powerwolf - OVO Arena, Wembley, London
Support: Hammerfall, Wind Rose
7th March 2026
Words & Photos: Louise Phillips
The Holy Metal Mass: Powerwolf's Unstoppable Reign
By the time the final chords echoed through London, one thing was brilliantly clear, heavy metal theatre is alive, well, and armed with pyrotechnics! For tonight, descending into London's OVO Arena Wembley on 7th March, it felt less like arriving at a typical arena rock show and more like stepping onto a mythological battlefield. The night was a masterclass in heavy metal theatre, kicking off with an atmosphere so intensely smoky you could practically swing a broadsword through it. While the heavy fog blanketing the stage during the opening sets may have kept the bands shrouded in shadow, it only amplified the raw, thundering energy of the “Wake Up The Wicked tour”. This wasn't just a gig; it was a monumental heavy metal event.
The evening's theatrics began with the undeniable, foot-stomping force of Wind Rose. Heralded by the atmospheric intro tape Of Ice and Blood, the Italian quintet emerged through the thick stage fog, bringing their signature "dwarven metal" to life with staggering, arena-ready bravado. They kicked things off with the booming "Dance of the Axes," immediately getting the crowd axe-swinging and chanting along from the very first axe-wielding riff. Despite the smoke obscuring the finer details of their intricate, mythic dwarven battle armour, their massive vocal hooks and driving rhythms cut straight through the haze.
As they powered through "The Great Feast Underground", "Mine Mine Mine!", and the crushing "Trollslayer", the energy in the room reached a fever pitch. By the time they launched into their viral, infectious cover of "Diggy Diggy Hole" and closed with the unifying roar of "Rock and Stone" capped off brilliantly by a club-ready remix playing them off stage they had successfully transformed Wembley into a raucous, celebratory underground mining hall.
As the fog rolled on, Swedish power metal legends HammerFall took the stage with the subtlety of an atom bomb. Kicking off with the thunderous "Avenge the Fallen", they bathed the venue in blood-red light and proved exactly why they remain undisputed pioneers of the genre. Frontman Joacim Cans is an absolute master of crowd control, his soaring, classic metal vocals completely unfazed by the dense atmosphere as the band tore through legacy crowd-pleasers like "Heeding the Call" and "Any Means Necessary". The mid-set was a masterclass in forged-steel riffs and blazing solos, featuring heavy hitters like "Hammer of Dawn", "Renegade", and the anthemic "Hammer High". They kept the relentless pace surging with "Last Man Standing", "Let the Hammer Fall", and "The End Justifies", before celebrating their heritage with "(We Make) Sweden Rock" and "Hail to the King."
When they finally struck the chords of their legendary closing anthem "Hearts on Fire", thousands of hands shot into the smoky air in unison. As the outro tape "Dreams Come True" played them off, their status as heavy metal royalty was firmly cemented.
Then, the smoke finally began to clear, and the massive stage production was unveiled. It was time for the high priests of heavy metal to take the pulpit. Beyond the set itself, the sheer visual spectacle of Powerwolf’s performance deserves its own sermon. The stage design was nothing short of a heavy metal masterpiece, meticulously crafted to resemble an imposing medieval castle. Complete with towering stone-like walls, gothic archways, and a grand altar, it served as the perfect fortress for the band’s high-energy antics.
Powerwolf exploded onto the stage, wasting absolutely no time as they launched straight into "Bless 'em With the Blade". The blistering pace of this newer track set an impossibly high bar for the evening, immediately whipping the crowd into a frenzy. Before anyone could catch their breath, the band seamlessly transitioned into the stomping groove of "Armata Strigoi". Attila Dorn’s booming, operatic vocals commanded the arena, followed by the swashbuckling energy of "Sinners of the Seven Seas".
By the time the familiar, driving riffs of "Amen & Attack" rang out, the venue had transformed into a unified choir. Keyboardist Falk Maria Schlegel abandoned his organ to march across the stage as the band delivered the undisputed classic, "Army of the Night", and the sheer momentum of hearing these two massive anthems back-to-back was staggering. The band shifted gears with "Dancing With the Dead" and "Incense & Iron", giving the Greywolf brothers a chance to showcase their incredibly tight, synchronised guitar work while Dorn brandished a massive, smoking incense burner. Following this, the dramatic and historically tinged "1589" added a touch of grim storytelling to the set, before the mood lifted instantly with the infectious pop-metal sensibilities of "Demons Are a Girl's Best Friend".
The atmosphere grew darker as the slow, doom-laden chords of "Kreuzfeuer" echoed through the arena, an endless display of pyrotechnics erupting from the stage casting the band in a hellish glow. This simmering tension was shattered by the breakneck speed of "Fire and Forgive". The band followed up with the glorious, tongue-in-cheek absurdity of "Resurrection by Erection," much to the joy of the ecstatic crowd before beautifully contrasting the frantic pace with their signature power ballad, "Where the Wild Wolves Have Gone". Lit by a sea of mobile phone torches, Attila's soaring vocals proved that beneath the camp, the corpse paint, and the ornate vestments, there was some truly breathtaking musical talent on stage.
Reinvigorated, the band charged into the final stretch of the main set with the aggressive "Heretic Hunters" and the symphonic grandeur of "Joan of Arc". The climax arrived with "We Drink Your Blood." As the song that arguably broke Powerwolf into the mainstream metal consciousness, it was the perfect closer. The crowd chanted the chorus with an almost religious fervour as the band took their temporary leave from the stage.
The darkness was eventually pierced by the haunting, choral intro tape of "Agnus Dei". As the intro peaked, a massive explosion heralded the start of the encore with "Sanctified With Dynamite". They followed this up with "Blood for Blood (Faoladh)", keeping the crowd bouncing in unison. But everyone knew what was coming next. The unmistakable "Hu! Ha!" chants signalled the start of "Werewolves of Armenia", the ultimate heavy metal party anthem. The band and the audience fed off each other's energy for one final, glorious battle cry, before the outro tape "Wolves Against the World" played them off the stage.
Ultimately, the night was a blazing, unmitigated triumph that solidified Powerwolf's undisputed reign over the power metal genre.
Photo Credits: Louise Phillips
