Nanowar of Steel
Motorcultor Festival Across Europe Tour 2026
Nanowar of Steel announced their Motorcultor Festival Across Europe Tour 2026 in the middle of last year, they listed Uuhai from Mongolia as co-headliners. Alongside these two bands, a further seven support acts were scheduled for the 27 dates over 31 days. An additional band was added later, bringing the total to eight: Lone Survivor, Morphium, Deus Ex Machina, Cold Snap, Defecto, Vaughan, Lady Ahnabel and as the last one, My Own Ghost.
I am going to see the tour tonight at Colos-Saal in Aschaffenburg, where the three chosen bands are Lady Ahnabel from France, My Own Ghost from Luxembourg and Cold Snap from Croatia, who are on their final tour day. With five bands playing and a 23:00 finish time due to the nearby nursing home’s night-time peace and quiet restrictions, it’s clear that the first band will start very early. In this case, they will start at 18:15, after the doors opened at 18:00, when many audience members will still be stuck in traffic jams on the motorway. At least I made it there just in time, after spending nearly double the usual time getting there.
Early Birdy
The openers tonight are the French band Lady Ahnabel, who have a 30-minute slot. They describe themselves as being inspired by Iron Maiden, Helloween and Visions of Atlantis. Lady Ahnabel are trying very hard to put on a good show for the audience that is already there, but they are greatly affected by the early start and lack of crowd.
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From the neighbourhood
Things become slightly friendlier after the short break, when My Own Ghost from Letzeburg take to the stage for the next thirty minutes. Yes, there is metal in Luxembourg, and it’s good and entertaining. They look a bit like ‘the metal band from the neighbourhood’, which isn’t an insult because everyone in Luxembourg knows each other anyway. I like a quote from My Own Ghost‘s website which sums up the band and Letzeburg:
“We’re a hard rock band. And sometimes a pop band. With electronic elements. We’re from Luxembourg. We write songs. Somehow. We play shows. Anywhere. You’re here. Good. You’re most welcome.”
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ESC-candidates
At least the Colos-Saal is packed when Cold Snap from Croatia play their final 30 minutes of the tour. Their modern groove metal is technically brilliant and very convincing. Here’s an interesting fact about the band: Cold Snap will be competing in Dora 2026 , the Croatian preliminary round for the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest with their song ‘Mucho Macho’. The band aims to bring the hardest sound yet to the competition.
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Genghis Khan’s legacy
Soon, it is time for the exotic co-headliner, Uuhai from Mongolia. The stage is crowded with seven musicians and ancient instruments alongside traditional metal strings and drums. ‘Uuhai’ means something like ‘Hooray’ and has spiritual and cultural significance as a mantra and a sign of goodwill leading to good fortune — the perfect battle cry. For an hour, traditional throat singing, horsehead fiddles and percussion take the crowd on a wild ride through Mongolian landscapes with a metal twist.
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Time flies and, all too soon, Uuhai‘s set is over. Everyone hustles and bustles on stage to prepare for the final band, the headliners: Nanowar of Steel from Italy or as Gatto Panceri 666 once told me in an interview, from Uranus and generated on a planet called Earth.
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Seriousness and slapstick
Nanowar of Steel is pure comedy power metal, more like a cabaret than a simple concert. Don’t get me wrong — these five musicians are brilliant, although they would deny it. The lyrics themselves are often serious and critical, wrapped in an appealing and colourful musical piece.
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Every contemporary figure gets their fair share of criticism and ridicule. The musicians’ latest favourite countries are Venezuela and Greenland for good reasons. An imaginary head of state demands these countries, as well as various prizes for architecture, peace, literature, and much more besides. And don’t forget the wonderful Mexican wall… Any similarities to living people are, of course, entirely coincidental and intentional.
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You either love or hate this band; there seems to be no middle ground. I prefer to love them. Nanowar of Steel provide good entertainment with intelligent and sarcastic lyrics, catchy melodies, slapstick and highly skilled theatre, which is hard to find nowadays in an age of exaggerated sense of mission and professional concern.
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The 90-minute show ends right on time, leaving a satisfied crowd ready to storm the merch stalls before going home.
Five bands in five hours is good value for money and almost like a bargain. Remember to support smaller bands and venues. Local clubs and small bands are what keep live music alive. Everyone can pay exorbitant prices for a stadium show by a superstar, only to be disappointed by the streamlined show and overpriced merchandise, food and beverages aimed at the masses. Support the local scene and you might see one of these small bands, who you watched in an even smaller club, become the next generation of metal heroes from ‘around the corner’.
Online:
Please buy merch and physical music or downloads from the bands official sources and don’t stream it for free because it steals your artists’ income.
Concert photos by Friend.X aka Mr. Deep, Colos-Saal/Aschaffenburg, 04. February 2026