The Hurricane of Infected Rain, Butcher Babies, and Black Spikes Rips Through Barcelona

Some nights aren’t just heard; they are tattooed into your memory.

On April 11th, The Mutation Phase Tour descended upon Hospitalet (Barcelona) with a lethal mission: to unleash one of the most visceral tours in modern metal.

With a killer line-up featuring Infected Rain, Butcher Babies, and Black Spikes, the night promised a cocktail of raw energy, otherworldly growls, and a stage production that bordered on the cinematic.

Spoiler: they delivered. It was a night where power and attitude didn’t let up for a single second.

But before the distortion took over, we had the luxury of sitting down once again with Lena Scissorhands, thanks to All Noir.

In a Hot BuZz (Mag) exclusive, the Infected Rain frontwoman opened the doors to her personal universe, discussing the vulnerability of her new single Stranger, her unbreakable bond with Heidi Shepherd, her go-to horror movies, and how her inseparable dog, Luna, has become her emotional anchor on the road.

Check out the interview below.

Black Spikes: A visual ritual from Lithuania

The night kicked off with a much-appreciated punctuality. Black Spikes made their Barcelona debut with a set that goes far beyond music, leaning into a magnetic sense of theatricality.

From the opening chords of Hipnozė, it was clear we were in for a ritual, dark, brooding, and undeniably elegant.

The band immersed the room in an atmosphere thick with mysticism through tracks like All is Taken and Sapnai, but the real hook was the versatility of frontwoman Agni. Her ability to flip from bone-chilling gutturals to impeccable cleans in the same breath, especially in Imperatorė, is nothing short of stunning.

The staging was extravagant in all the right ways. On one side, guitarist Yaga, draped in black robes and a fencing mask, spat out brutal riffs alongside the versatile Mažvis.

On the other hand, the bassist Sime anchored the gothic aesthetic while Titas brought a rebellious edge behind the drum kit.

To sharpen the mystical aura, a dancer joined the fray, adding a final layer of drama to the ritual.

They closed with Aurea, leaving an indelible mark on a Salamandra that was already reaching a fever pitch.

Butcher Babies: A pure adrenaline explosion

After a lightning-fast set change, the lights turned blood red, and chaos seized the room.

Butcher Babies stormed the stage with an intensity that made the venue feel far too small for their sound.

Heidi Shepherd, now leading the charge as the sole captain at the front, proved exactly why she is one of the most vocally dynamic and magnetic figures in the metal game.

They kicked off with the fury of Backstreets of Tennessee before unleashing the heavy artillery: Red Thunder and the fan-favorite Monsters Ball.

The connection with the crowd was instantaneous; Heidi didn’t just deliver some extreme headbanging, she dove down to the barricade to feel the heat of the fans in the mosh pit during tracks like Beaver Cage.

But this wasn’t a one-woman show. Henry Flury’s charisma on guitar was the visual engine behind every riff, while bassist Sean Violet kept the temperature rising with constant jumps, turning the stage into a springboard of pure energy.

All of this was anchored by a devastating Devin Nickles behind the drums, whose technical power culminated in a crushing solo.

One of the night’s most powerful moments came when Heidi Shepherd paused the chaos for a deeply moving speech on mental health.

Barely catching her breath, she opened up about overcoming her darkest times, credited the fans for their unwavering support, and confessed that music was the primary force that helped her heal and find the motivation to keep going. It was a raw, human connection that turned the high-octane set into a beautiful shared catharsis.

The set took a nostalgic turn with a nod to Blind (Korn) before a massive finale: the emotive Last December gave us goosebumps before the anthem Magnolia Blvd. brought the house down.

Infected Rain: The ultimate groove metal infection

Then came the headliner. With LED screens projecting hypnotic visuals, Infected Rain took their positions under the banner of The Mutation Phase.

Lena Scissorhands appeared as a whirlwind of perpetual motion, her signature dreadlocks flying to the rhythm of a progressive and nu-metal sound that pierces the soul.

The gig was a masterclass in technical execution, amplified by Salamandra’s top-tier acoustics.

But Infected Rain is a perfectly greased machine. Vidick proved once again that he is the band’s sonic architect, weaving together addictive riffs and immersive atmospheres with staggering precision.

Beside him, the charismatic Alice Lane didn’t just provide a crushing low end, she owned the stage with a captivating and elegant presence.

This was all driven by Eugene Voluta on drums, whose pinpoint accuracy was the heartbeat of the set.

They opened with the sheer force of The Answer is You and Dying Light, showing a band at the peak of their maturity.

Lena handled the vocal dynamics with surgical precision on tracks like Orphan Soul, Black Gold, and the catchy song Stranger.

However, the moment of the night was when Heidi Shepherd returned to the stage to join Lena for The Realm of Chaos. Seeing these two powerhouses sharing a mic in an epic battle of screams/growls was, quite simply, a living history of contemporary metal.

Lena connected with the crowd in a deeply heartfelt way, sharing a particularly sweet moment with a young fan in the front row who had been singing every word with her parents by her side. It was a beautiful gesture that highlighted the vocalist’s genuine warmth and the cross-generational impact of the band’s music.

After the main set closed with Never to Return, the band stormed back for a heart-stopping encore: Because I Let You paved the way for the final blow, a brutal Sweet, Sweet Lies and the explosive Judgemental Trap.

A metal mutation that leaves a mark

The night at Sala Salamandra was irrefutable proof that modern metal is in its fiercest era yet.

With the adrenaline still pumping, you could feel the collective high of the crowd leaving the venue.

We had just witnessed a masterclass in attitude and technical brilliance, from the theatrical darkness of Black Spikes to the high-octane scream metal of Butcher Babies and the infectious groove of Infected Rain.

Barcelona roared, the bands delivered, and the genre proved to be in a state of constant, fascinating mutation.

Metal isn’t just alive; it remains the most visceral ritual you can experience live.

Do you want more? Our exclusive video interview with Lena Scissorhands is live now on the Hot BuZz (Mag) YouTube channel.

Recorded just before the epic show at Sala Salamandra, Lena reveals fascinating details about the creative process of this new era, the challenges of life on the road, anecdotes with Butcher Babies, and her collaborations with Fabienne Erni (Eluveitie), in addition to confessing which are her favorite horror movies.