ASOMVEL - KK's Steel Mill Wolverhampton - 18th September 2025

Last night, KK’s Steel Mill was shaken to its foundations as ASOMVEL rolled into Wolverhampton with DeVere in support. What followed was a night of unrelenting, old-school heavy metal, delivered with grit, attitude, and a volume level that lived up to their own motto: “If It’s Too Loud, You’re Too Old.”

To me, ASOMVEL are one of the few bands carrying the torch of "The Good Old Days", such other bands include Airbourne and Greta Van Fleet. People like myself who were perhaps born maybe 30 years too late to experience the golden age of rock n roll first hand have a chance to experience the magic of those days, while those older in the crowd (and there are quite many on this night) perhaps crave a sense of familiarity, and I think they will absolutely not be disappointed.

DeVere opened proceedings with a set that set the tone perfectly. A tight, no-nonsense blend of heavy riffs and anthemic hooks. The Wolverhampton crowd, always hungry for raw and honest metal, welcomed them warmly (even after getting a chance to witness their soundcheck, "just pretend you haven't seen this bit"). Their performance had the kind of hungry energy that marks a band to keep an eye on, clearly enjoying the chance to stir up the room before ASOMVEL took the stage.

When ASOMVEL hit, the atmosphere shifted into overdrive. They kicked off with “Louder & Louder”, and from that moment it was pedal to the metal, no breaks, no filler. “Born to Rock ’n’ Roll” and “If It’s Too Loud, You’re Too Old” hammered home their mission statement with snarling conviction, with each song described as "it's like an old one, but better!", possibly a dig at a certain band they are often compared to.

The setlist was a perfect showcase of their catalogue, with highlights like “Beware the Full Moon”, the menacing stomp of “Stone Cold Stare”, and the pure defiance of “Luck Is for Losers.” Crowd favourites “World Shaker” and “Outside the Law” had fists pumping and heads banging in unison, while “Stare at Death & Spit” and “True Believer” brought that raw, Motörhead-meets-Venom bite that defines ASOMVEL at their best.

By the time they roared through “Light ’Em Up” and closed with “The Nightmare Ain’t Over”, the Steel Mill had been transformed into a sweat-soaked temple of heavy metal. There was no pretence, no gimmicks, just a band and a crowd united by loud amps, fast riffs, and a love for everything raw and uncompromising. "Tonight we are in the losers club [referring to the smaller room of KK's]" proclaims frontman Ralph Robinson, "but next time we will be in the big room" and I think he is right.

ASOMVEL don’t just play heavy metal, they embody it. Last night in Wolverhampton, they proved once again that true believers never die, and that the nightmare, thankfully, really ain’t over.