Shackled to The Throne "Death Before Dishonour" EP Review

  Hailing From Edmonton Canada, the brilliant new Metalcore/Melodeath outfit Shackled To The Throne combine melody,haeviness and catchy hooks with a beautifully crafted atmospheres and emotions, they've been working dilligently for the better part of 18 months and despite some line up changes the have delivered a stellar debut EP in Death Before Dishonour, let's get into the finer details on offer here.

  The tone for what's to come is instantly set on the sublime intro of opening track Tapestry Of Our Lives which hits with brilliantly structured melodic guitar passage that have peak 90's Melodic Death Metal, the clean vocals add a really emotional atmosphere before switching to the abrasive vocals which add plenty of passion to the track, title track Death Before Dishonour delves into even more melodic tendencies that are both relentless and full of passion,another thing to note is these interlude bits with keyboards present are hinting are a subtle progessive edge. when the first riffs hits on With Blinded Eyes i instantly think Slaughter of The Souls era At The Gates,this one continously delivers razor sharp riffing with aggression and a dissecting lead and rhytmn section that really shows a technical efficiency that adds even more faucets to their overall repetoire.

 Things get alot more emotionally tinged on Rust(Fading Lines) this is like a tortured ballad that has the hallmarks that scream of an "emo" anthem,delivering thought provoking lyrics with plenty of heartfelt emotion and some memorable clean vocal passsages ,this has a really relatable theme that harks of lost love and good friends who drag you out of the darkness, closing track See The World In Grey is possibly the heaviest song on offer here but also one of the catchiest on this quality release,while having that trademark seamless lead and rhytmn section the trade-off vocals add plenty of harmony and a subtle homage to Children Of Bodom running thought the song,this was a wise decision to have this finish the EP as i ticks every box this band set out to do.

 This is definitely a release worth your undivided attention,if you like modern Metal with hints of Melodic Death,a passion and atmosphere that will take you soaring heights  of emotion and true heartfelt passages that are both memorable and relatable,the seamless melding of lead and rhytmn sections is an absolute thing of beauty with both heaviness and  harmony,do not sleep on this absolutely sublime offering from Shackled From The Throne,this may well be the beginning of something truly memorable,so come and join the rollercoaster.

RATING: 8/10

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Lock Horns "Red Room" Album Review

  Six years on from their excellent debut album Molon Labe Progressive Metal Force Lock Horns finally unleashed their highly anticipated second album Red Room,this is a monstrous step up form the much loved debut offering ,this is full of mind bending unpredictable brilliance that will leave you speechless.

 The absolute cacophony of mindfucks commences with the brilliant The Origin Of Evil Impulses not confined to one specific genre you can hear industrial elements layered with Progressive undertones,the seamless progessive between clean and abrasive vocals adds plenty of depth and feeling to this track, mixed with aggressive vocals and punchy rhytmns Rust packs an absolutely devastating punch leaving you even more disorientated , the madness continues to evolve with the mind blowing Skin and Bones, the punishing brutality within this track is at times mind blowing,you can literally feel the anger and lack of control through the vocal delivery.

 The relentless power and speed of Lab Rat takes the mind boggling consequences to even more disturbing levels, lyrically and musicially this sounds like some gone wrong botched experiment were control and the lack thereof seem to have a sense of duality through manipulation and coerciveness, we're treated to some absolutely soaring interludes with the phenomenal Impressions Of a Dream the groove and time signatures are something to behold on this and the soaring vocal deliveries give a whole new dimension to the overall them within the album,there is a beauty invloved to all the lack of control and it's executed magnificiently by the band.

 The rip roaring relentlessness of The Golden Mean delivers a short sharp shock to the sense leaving a trail of destruction in it's wake,this one is full of progressive riff gymnastics,the drumming is executed with razor sharp precision and the deranged vocals leave the perfect desired effect, closing track Expressions Of Madness is full of slow heavy grooves that leave a sense of unnerving insanity and a dread that's ready to crush the senses into oblivion.

  Lock Horns leave no cross unturned on this absolutely mind blowing release.although short in length Red Room ticks all the right boxes ,the whole theme of control and the lack thereof really hits home with devastating consequences,for all the superlatives alot of people have been saying about this the anticipation and hype is 100% real,this is a modern masterpiece and a definite contender for Album of The Year.

  RATING: 9.5/10

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Acid Age "Live In Belfast" Album Review

   The beginning of 2023 brought about a few significent events that would change the landscape for the incomparable war jazz merchants Acid Age, around the start of February would see them have their 10th anniversary and was that an experience in itself,what would happen after is the band entered Metal 2 The Masses a few short weeks after and a few months later what still seems surreal they would be announced as the winners which resulted in them performing at Bloodstock, their live shows are something to behold,if you haven't witnessed that madness you reallt are missing out, eventually by the tail end of the year they would record their first ever live album aptly titled Live In Belfast during a live set in The Limelight 2 on 29th December,this release contains select favourites from their phenomenal Semper Pessimus album and some cracking unreleased tracks that will be on next years Perilous Compulsion album.lets delve into this absolutely superlative offering.

 Kicking things off with the Nero-Claudius inspired The Burning Of Rome, this tracks seems to be a template in their live sets and is an absolutely monstrous song full of twist and turns and always goes down a treat, the first taste of what they have in store in the future comes in the guise of the asbsolute rifftastic Revenge For Sale this combines relentless speed with a technicality that is fitting to their wacky sound and time signatures,those familar with the band know full well there's always some sort of hilarity or comedic value,this is a common theme at any of their live shows and as always Jude comes up with some anecdote to get the crowd more invloved and part of the whole experience.

  

    Possibly one of my favourite newer songs is the stonkingly heavy Third Eye Locksmith the groove throughout this is possibly one of the heaviest i've heard in a long time,as can be expected with their trademark wackiness the song goes in all sort of directions leaving a feeling of disorientation with each passing second, yet another new song and like the previous two Every Cliche  will also be another one on the upcoming Perilous Compulsion,this track has the most insanely fast riffing that leads to all sort of mind bending time signatures,within it's base this is a definitive Thrash Metal anthem but you have a bit of Jazz Fusion incorporated into mix,the bassline in this is shockingly heavy and levels the senses like a wrecking ball, there's yet more getting the crowd invloved anecdotes before setting an unstoppable blaze with the rip roaring My Wretched Womb, the absolute madcap wackiness of this songs always puts a smile on my face,the combined elements of jazz fusion,black and death metal all layered on top of a technical thrash nuances is seriously mind blowing and is something that sets this band apart from your traditional Thrash or Death Metal acts.

 Acid Age have really stepped up their game in the last few years with one of the best albums within the Irish scene in the last 5 years,their live shows have become the stuff of legend,people literally don't know how to think or react to the levels of technical ability that they're witnessing,also the fact that they're going to be gracing their presence at Bloodstock Festival for the second year in a row by opening up the whole festival on the Sophie Lancaster Stage is no fluke, the new songs on this live offering are a taste of the lethal dose of  what to expect on their highly anticipated upcoming opus Perilous Compulsion, this release is an awful lot of fun to listen to from one of the most underrated bands out there today, do yourself a favour and go listen to this band.

RATING: 9.5/10

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Enshroud "Mortal" Album Review

  A band shrouded in Mystery and somewhat an enigma within the Irish Metal Scene  following on from their excellent debut album Darkness Grips Us All Enshroud have been working dilligently in the background on their absolutely mind blowing new album Mortal ,the wait for this has been more than worth it, this ticks all the right boxes for a modern classic, also there's a real life story behind this release ,a concept straight from the heart that will grip your attention from beginning to end,lets get into this epic offering.

 We're treated to the relentless Dust To Dust ,the emotion throughout this will give you an idea of what's in store on the rest of the album setting the tone perfectly, the crushing grooves of Frailty are another indiciation of how this band can mix the heaviness with emotionally charged passages ,there's a little interlude half way through that builds the emotional atmosphere to another level,at times it almost feels like all the energy and will drains from the body.

  When you think there's some respite from the emotionally charged elements it only serves to get progressively more so with the absolutely sublime A Fate For No One this really pulls at the heartstrings and leaves nothing left unturned, it's amazing how they can convey these sort of feelings through the music alone and then those soaring vocals just grip like a vice and don't let go, the relentlessness of  Infestation potrays alot of anger combiined with the already emotional atmosphere within this release, War Within hints at some sort of inner struggle to accept the consequences of what's happening ,once again this really delivers some thought provoking feelings and drags you further along this emotional rollercoaster, things begin to get even more emotionally charged on the passionate and soaring Safe In Forever it almost feels like there's an acceptance that you're going to loss something and are resigned to the inevitable end but at the same time there's an anger that refuses to let go.

The inpending horrors become a little more obvious the further into this offering ,this is abundantly clear on Decay,although not as pacey as previous tracks this has a level of darkness that really hits like a tonne of bricks emotionally,like the going through all the pain and suffering you've had to endure from a terminal illness, that inevitable end comes in the form of the beautifully tragic Fallen Time this is were the emotions escalate to the a plateau so high you can't even comprehend the hurt and loss that's about to take hold of you,it's like you're going tthrough some sort of nothingness that leaves you feeling so numb and empty.

  When i first heard that Enshroud were going to be releasing a second album to say i was excited was an understatement but nothing prepared me for the magnitude of feelings and emotions running throughout this release,at times i found it hard to get through the album without feeling some sort of emotion or attachment to the overall theme within this album, it's hard to fathom how magnificently the band conveyed the feelings and emotions throughout the writing process of this album and the whole album itself, this is definitely one of the best releases within the Irish scene this year,an absolute tour de force of  an album.

 RATING: 10/10

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Congenital Abnormalities 'A Resurgence Of The Grotesque' EP Review

  Possibly one of the heaviest crushing Brutal Death Metal forces within the Irish scene is the brilliant Congenital Abnormalities,a concise and thought out process by founding member Jordy Thompson over a number of years has created an absolute beast of a band,the final piece of the Jigsaw was the addition of ex-Jenova Vocalist Brian Harrington,although already really good beforehand this has catapulated them to an even higher standard which can be heard on their absolutely crushing new EP A Resurgence Of The Grotesque, let's dissect the finer details of this sublime offering.

  The extremely sinister and dark approach to opener Pathological Execution has plenty of old school proclivities combined with modern slam to deliver maximum crushing power which have the aura of serial killer vibes, i'm led to believe that the excellent Forced Evolution is a reference to the Fallout game serious,this is were you start to notice the deranged and phenomenal vocal delivery,it's gut wrenching and sinister elements really create a sense of fear and dread, the technical prowess and groove shown on the brilliant Torn Hung Gutted adds another worthwhile element to the overall feel of the EP,even the lead guitar work on this sounds like something from the classic 90's Death Metal sound.

  

 

  Can this release get any better ,you better believe it, we're treated to the brilliant title track A Resurgence Of The Grotesque the vocal delivery becomes more deranged and twisted and it  ceases to amaze me how easy this bands creates such complex and structured passages with relative ease, closing track and what was the launch single in the lead up to this EP Upon The Cold Ground really shows the crushing power this band are capable of delivering,also certain sections throughout this may garner some "stank face" moments,a provides a fitting way to close out this absolutely quality offering.

  This release has everything you could possibly dream for ,quality musicianship,songwriting a penchant for nasty serial killer and gore inpired lyrical content,the production courtesy of JSR Audio is absolutely top notch,the artwork and every other element within this seriously sublime release,this is a definite contender to make my end of year list.

RATING: 9.5/10

 

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Insidious Void 'Hellscape' EP Review

   Following on from their excellent debut EP Entropy the brilliant Blackened Death Metal Force Insidious Void have taken the time to make sure the standard of their music reaches new heights, i was expecting something of true quality when they announced they were working on new material but nothing prepeared me for the onslaught of the crushing heaviness of their phenomenal new EP Hellscape ,be prepeared for some absolutely annihilating earth shaking brutality.

  Wasting no time straight from the off they delve into the relentlessly crushing Legacy combining crushing grooves with an atmosphere usually found in Black Metal ,this sounds akin to the Polish veterans Hate but still has that killer Insidious Void sound,this almost 8 minute track has a epicness that was hinted on their previous release but not explored to this extent, Ashen Earth has that dark atmosphere running throughout and although not overly Technical the rhytmn section crushes with an efficiency and power not far removed from 90's inspired Old school Death Metal. 

  The Doom Laden intro at the start of On Ruinous Winds is executed with unnerving aplomb before launching into a symphonic passage that gives the atmosphere something dreadful is about to happen,also enjoy the way they let the music flow for over 2 minutes before the vocals kick in ,the relentlessness throughout this track is absolutely mind blowing it really shows the standards this band have risen to, the closing track Hellscape hits like a tonne of bricks and that trademark groove adds a nice blend of heaviness with catchy hooks, something noticable is the pomp and confidence within the music where you know they mean business and it's something i enjoy to see bands doing.

 The standard has been well and truly set now,not only have Insidious Void have shown a progression from their previous material they've blown that proverbial glass ceiling to smithereens with this absolutely phenomenal offering,although you can hear influences from luminaries such as Hate and Behemoth they have put their own stamp on this,the amount of hard work and a concise thought out process they've put into this can not be ignored,something not mentioned is the production on this is abolutely monstrous,the musicianship is on another level of quality making this a bonafide contender for EP of the year.

RATING: 9.5/10

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