If It Bleeds "We Can Kill It" EP Review

 

  One band causing waves in the Northern Ireland Hardcore & Metal scene is the excellent If It Bleeds combining groove laden crushing riffs with an extremely visceral vocal attack, a seamless blend of old school and modern fusion of Hardcore and metal make these a force to be reckoned with which can be heard on their phenomenal debut EP  We Can Kill It.

  Going staright for the jugular with the ferocious opening track If It Bleeds relentless short and to the point best describe this crushing track, Vs 1  hits like a ten tonne sledgehammer and wastes no time in delivering crushing drums and razor sharp riffing,the vocals are full of vitriol and an unrelenting aggression.

   Things slow down a sliught bit with the crushingly heavy and anthemic Revenge ,we're treated to some sick  Death Metal type gutturals which adds an unnervingly crushing slab of heaviness,there's also a killer groove running throughout,  that crushing groove is also prevelent on the sublime  Detachment which keeps the overall output flowing nicely,the dual guitars give this a bludgeoning assualt on the senses that at times is like a wall of sound designed to make eardrums bleed and shattering that proverbial glass ceiling, closing things out is the fantastic title track  We Can Kill It , upon numerous listen to this track(and EP) i always get the feeling that if you set foot into the pit prepare for absolute fucking mayhem,this one has plenty of groove with that trademark crushing heaviness, this is possibly yhte best way to conclude this absolutely crushing opus and leave no cross unturned.

   Needless to say for a debut release this ticks all the right boxes,production is stellar,music hits so fucking hard with a crushing heaviness, an unstoppable relentlessness that will leave you begging for more, a lethal injection of adrenalin fueled vitriol,a band hell bent on delivering possibly the most devastating metallic hardcore with a real take no prisoners attitude,this is a no nonsense tour de force of a release that will most likely will be making my end of year shortlist.

RATING: 9.5/10

 FB: https://www.facebook.com/ifitbleedsbc

 IG: https://www.instagram.com/if_it_bleeds_bc/?hl=en

Urban Death "Abstention" EP Review

    At the onset of 2023 the devastating hardcore infused death metal duo Urban Death would release two very overlooked ep's in Desolate and Devastate ever since then the band have been working dilligently behind the scenes to deliver an even more devastating and fuller sound,this has come to fruition with their third ep Abstention ,also the addition of a lead vocalist and bass player is a huge contributing factor to the quality on offer with this excellent output.

   Commencing proceedings is the haunting intro of the title track Abstention ,combining a very gloomy atmosphere and a spoken word dialogue that talks about societal probelms that create a subtle dystopian aura, Dead in the Water delivers crushing blows like a sledgehammer while combining death metal vocals with lacerating riffs ,the backing vocals are vile and give a nasty element to the track, the broad range of multiple vocals on Concrete Vial create an obliterating and crushing wall of souind that has plenty of hardcore style breakdowns ,the brief spoken word interlude just after the halfway point implements that dystopian atmopshere that was present on the intro.

   The short sharp shock of the relentless Liar  is an absolute audio assualt on the senses,something that becomes apparent(if you've listened to the previous ep's) is the addition of a lead vocalist gives the guitarist and drummer freddom to implement extremely visceral backing vocals which adds a whole new atmopshere to the bands overall sound, this becomes even more noticable on possibly my favourite track on this release Glad there's a killer groove and breakdown that hints at a modern hardcore element ,maybe this is a thing the band will explore more in the future, closing track Blind combines black metal and shouting hardcore vocals all layered behind those devastating gutturals ,once again this shows no let up in pace and shows the band exploring a broad range of elements that most likely be better on future releases.

  Abstention shows a massive step up in quality from the band ,the addition of a lead vocalist and bassist has really helped with this and added a whole new dimension to the bands overall sound,although previous releases were excellent for that era of the band this really blows it out of the park,prepare for a new level of devastation from this really interesting band,i for one am looking forward to see what sort of output Urban Death show us in the not too distant future.

RATING: 8/10

  FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61552844037713

  IG: https://www.instagram.com/urbandeathni/

Puresonic Outcasts "Sacrifice" Single Review

  The Finest Purveyors of Groove Laden Stoner/Doom/Punk Fusion Hallions Puresonic Outcasts have returned with killer new material for the first time in almost two years with their brilliant new single Sacrifice this is possibly their heaviest and most aggressive output to date, lets dissect the finer details of this brilliant offering.

  Straight away it's noticable that the production is better than on previous material, you get some absolutely stellar drumming courtesy of Graham Murray who has settled into the role perfectly after joing the band for the brilliant Endless Contemplation,his presence behind the kit really drives and pushes the groove laden heaviness to the fore with razor sharp precision, the basslines have a really punchy groovy feel to them throughout this and gives this track an extra element of groove and rhytmn, the tandem between the Lead and Rhytmn guitars are absolutely fantastic mixing crushingly heavy passages with soaring riff heavy leads full of passion and fuzzed out psychedelica,the final ingredients of the vocals are really gritty and are even more aggressive then on previous material at times it sounds like they're verging on Death Metal,suffice to say this is possibly the best overall track from the band.

  Everytime a band releases something new it's becomes common place to look for some sort of improvement or progreesion on their sound,Puresonic Outcats have not only done all this in spades they've not only hit that glass ceiling they've smashed through it ,everything from the production ,the musicianship has porgressed to another level,it's like the band have finally found their sound and are even more heaier and agressive then ever before, Sacrifice truly is a quality offering that shows the bands true capabilities.

RATING: 8.5/10

FB: https://www.facebook.com/puresonicoutcasts

IG: https://www.instagram.com/puresonicoutcasts/

Gravity Well "Negative Space" Album Review

   Psychedelic tinged Stoner Rock/Doom outfit Gravity Well have something sort of mysterous and strangely captivating about them in that they're not your average type of fuzzed out stoner rock entity could it be the haunting and ethereal vocals of  Fionnuala McGlinchey or the spaced out  psychedelic Guitar and Basslines that at time feel if they're laced with some sort of hulucinogens that bring you on a never-ending trip through the stratosphere or the tribalistic drumming that hints at subtle homages to the legendary Black Sabbath, if you think their debut album Earthbound was were they nailed their sound you're in for a pleasant surprise with their new brilliant opus Negative Space.

  Opening tack As Above is like some sort of introduction or start of a hallucingenic/lucid dream that's equally hypnotic as it is eery and serves as the perfect precursor of what is about to unfold, time to enter some quality riffage with The Abstract ,the fuzzed out Guitar combined with those ethereal vocals give a whole new meaning to the word trippy and it feels like you're being lured into some sort of  trip/journey into the unknown, things get all the more psychedelic with the brilliant Delirium if the opening two tracks were an attempt to lure you into some sort of trip then this leaves you in a whirlwind feeling of "Will I Won't I" like some sort of apprenhensiveness before you're about to let go of yourself,

  

  The dread and doom of Burning Gaze begins to grip you in a trance and it feels like you can't escape this lucid dreamscape,there's some subtle odes to the track Black Sabbath running though this, something that's pretty hard to avoid when playing heavy music,this is possibly my favourite track on the album, the atmosphere get's a bit more chilled out with the ultra dreamy The Forest the vocal delivery had an extremely lo-fi dreamy effect that feels like your drfting throught some place laced with hallucingens. closing track So Below drags you further into the dreamlike sequences and that reaccuring voice that was present in the opening track has surfaced again and makes the atmosphere feel that slight bit Eery before eventually some sort of release comes over you and your left drifting for eternity.

  What Negative Space has to offer is worth your time,it's feels like you're going through some psychedleic rollercoaster that keeps bringing you up and down through some sort of dream-like sequence which makes you feel all sort of emotions,dread,euphoria,paranoia etc encapsulate your body and you're not really sure if this is a dream or is it reality, Gravity Well have really upped their game on this one and created a spectacular opus that will leave you wanting more.

RATING: 8.5/10

FB: https://www.facebook.com/GravityWellBelfast

IG: https://www.instagram.com/gravitywellni/

Bands To Watch(Irish Rock & Metal Community) For 2024(Part 1)

 2023 was full of memorable releases within the Irish Rock and Metal scene including a few new bands making their mark on a thriving community,i will be including a few who unleashed some quality releases in 2023 and a few bands who i think are worth paying attention to in 2024, i'll include links to all their music in this spotlight

URAGH

 The Absolutely mind blowing Progressive Metal Quartet Uragh are an absolute Force of Nature and made a huge ripple within the Irish scene,about a year ago they were releatively unknown that all changed pretty quickly with truly explosive performances in Metal 2 The Masses which saw them eventually make it to The Grand Final and delivered an absolutely devastating performance,they were unlucky not to win the competition but this experience really pushed them to the fore within the scene,not long after the band carried on regardless of not winning the competition with the release of their debut single Decimate which garnered a lot of attention ,near the end of November they unleashed the absolutely monumental single Monarch which was a really huge step forward for this truly talented band,in writing this piece coincidentally i was checking my emails and low and behold there's another absolutely devastating new single entitled The Widening Gyre which is due to be released on 9th February with an accompanying video out on 23rd February,there's was also the announcement that their highly anticipated Debut Album Maelstrom will be released on 19th April, The Storm is Slowly Brewing and i think no one is prepared for the devastation this band are about to unleash.

 FB: https://www.facebook.com/uraghband

  IG: https://www.instagram.com/uraghband/

TERAS

 

Not confined to one specific genre the absolutely brilliant Teras have an aura like no other band ,their live performances are not like your regular gig it's more like an experience were you feel you're in some sort of trance and you feel this addictive urge were you keep wanting more,it's kind of tricky to explain unless you're lucky enough to see them, about a year ago they made an unbelievabke impact within the Northern Ireland Metal community as their first few gigs were in Metal 2 The Masses NI competition culminating in them reaching The Grand Final,this is by no reach of the imagination a phenomenal achievement, after this they continously keep performing at as much shows as possible garnering much deserved attention from more people,before i finally got to see them live i knew there was something special about them and on my second time seeing them they done their first ever Headline show with two established bands in Acid Age & Cursed Sun supporting them in the 7Twenty Bar in Derry, they played an hour+ set at this and were absolutely phenomenal,they ended the year with another headline show in Belfast were they premiered a new song Kill Your Idol this is something that will help to expand their setlist for further live shows,recently it was announced that they'll be playing at Siege Of Limerick for the first time at the end of March,they're also taking part in Metal 2 The Masses NI on March 22nd in Voodoo Belfast, there's also the possibility that they'll be releasing an album in the not so distance future,keep a real close watch on these and if you haven't go see them live.

FB: https://www.facebook.com/TerasOffical.ni

IG: https://www.instagram.com/teras_ni/

the 

LAVEIN

    About a Year ago to the day i went to a gig in Fibbers basement for the first Rage Metal Night of 2023,was paying attention to all the bands that night but one in particular stood out that night a newky formed Modern Metallic Hardcore outfit by the name of LaVein, i knew very little about these with the exception that their Drummer Lachlan also plays with Fornoth, it would become apparent really quickly to a number of people that these weren't messing around and had seriously unmatched potential, i now refer to them as "The Glass Ceiling Smasher" with good reason at that,in the midst of all the furore this band achieved a mind blowing story by not only getting to the Grand Final of Metal 2 The Masses Ireland  they also won it, not many bands cna say they formed and about half a year later were told they're going to be playing at Bloodstock Festival,also just before the Grand Final they did release their absolutely devastating Debut EP Fine Failure ,they also got to support one of their favourite bands Kublai Khan TX and played numerous other shows including their first ever time at Siege Of Limerick last October,they're currently working on EP #2 and at the start of March they go on a Five day tour over in the Untied Kingdom

THE BOAT SANK

 This final band in my first round up are an absolutely bombastic Instrumental sludgy groovy heftmonger machine, The Boat Sank are also another act that achieved  alot in such a short space of time,the sludge trio would eventually come together out of a love for Groove laden heavy Riffage in the vein of Crowbar,Down etc,was pure coincidence that the members became aware of each other sharing the same practice space in seperate bands,they eventually would start jamming together(Secretly so i'm lead to believe) ,anyway they developed a reputation for stellar live shows extremely quickly during sets in Metal 2 The Masses NI which would culminate in them getting to The Grand Final,although they are mainly an instrumental band there is version of their tracks with vocals,also should mention the use of samples in their live sets adds to the overall aura/sound of the band,anyone who i've tlked to that's seen them says their drummer is an absolute beast behind the kit and he also has a hilarious sense of humour which you'll come across on some of their social media posts and you tube content, as of now i've yet to see this band live ,this NEEDS to be corrected this year,beofre i close this out i have heard murmurings of a brand new single and they're also going at it again in Metal 2 The Masses NI for Heat 6 on 22nd March,interesting times ahead for this absolutely brilliant Trio.

FB: https://www.facebook.com/Theboatsank

IG: https://www.instagram.com/the_boat_sank/

 

Frayed Ends "Belfast HC" EP Review

      Frayed Ends offer an absolutely relentless short sharp shock with their obliterating debut EP Belfast HC, the band combine elements of Crust,D-Beat,NYHC with an unrelenting aggression and punch to the gut,we're treated a fercious 4 tracks in 11 minutes of  raw,angry unrelenting fury with a few guest appearance along the way.

  As soon as that first notes of Carve Your Name hit you can hear all the nuances of NYHC like Leeway,Sick Of It All,Cro-Mags and even elements of early Biohazard,the dual vocals throughout this track(along with the whole EP) add a really visceral and nasty feeling to proceddings, Came Into This World dissects and obliterates with crushing precision and the urge to make you smash the place up, No Shift In The Paradigm (Ft Brian J Harrington of Congenital Abnormalities,Ex-Jenova Vocalist) on Guest Vox gives an absolutely Obliterating persistence to the track ,that breakdown near the end is nothing short of devastatingly crushing, Worthless (Ft Jude McIlwaine of Acid Age) is an absolutely ripping track ,the trademark wretched screams of McIlwaine give the track something unique and different to what was on the EP already while still maintaining the unrelenting fury.

   Overall Belfast HC is an absolutely quality offering from the band especially considering it's a debut,it is obvious that the members have a wealth of prior experience to draw on from the past even so this makes this EP all the more better for it,dare i say it this may well make my short list for EP of the year,yes it is a bold statement to make but it's going to be hard to match the overall ferocity,aggression and rawness on offer here.

Rating: 9.5/10

   

SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/artist/39BHR7TYt7Ml1gThIpqH7T?si=ir91doxhRvGxKUriFx6mSQ

BANDCAMP: https://frayedendsbc.bandcamp.com/album/belfast-hc

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090471172803

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/frayedendsbc/

PxBx "Commissary Or Die" EP Review

   Unbeknownst to the masses there's a plethora of quality Hardcore bands circulating up in the North of Ireland and they're producing some top notch material,just recently a new band of this ilk arose like a pheonix from the ashes in the shape of the Old School NYHC inspired trio PxBx with their excellent debut EP Commissary Or Die.

   Opening track PxBx(Prison Bitch) is an abrasive and sludgy offering with a very dark and foreboding atmosphere, we're treated to some relentless and raw in your face attitude with the short sharp shock of the title track Commissary Or Die time to explore the topic of mental health and the demons involved with it that we deal with on a daily basis with the extremely aggressive Cycle Of Destruction  things get that bit more vitriolic with the stigma and tragicness of substance abuse with gut punching aggresiveness of Meth=Deth, closing track Life(Death Penalty On Standby) slows the pace down a bit and has an element of groove combined with the filthy rawness that's very prevelent throughout this EP,

   despite the shortness of this release it achieves what it set out to do and that's have all the nuances and elements synonymous with Old School NY Hardcore with subtle homages to Black Flag,Leeway and Agnostic Front combined with a really dark and foreboding atmosphere that's all their own,for a debut this is a really ambitious attempt to deliver something that's not only an ode to Old School NY Hardcore but also touches on relevant and modern stigmas associated with life's struggle, keep a close watch on this band i can see plenty of memorable releases in their future.

SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2KhcduWH4HK6mlIAyoSMpU?si=IglPE-p6Tb-kqfFSmcVnGA

YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@PxBxBC

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/pxbxbc

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/pxbxbc/

Strangle Wire "Shaped By Human Frailty" Album Review

  Yet again the quality within the Irish Metal scene never ceases to amaze me this is very much the case with the absolute fantastic new Strangle Wire album Shaped By Human Frailty, the band formed in 2017 but members have been around the scene for the over 25 years with bands such as Condemned,Lesshelp,Putrefy,Oncology and War Iron,suffice to say you will be treated to music of the highest quality on this release and done with relentless efficiency.

   Straight from the off  Heavily Medicated goes straight for the juggular with crushing groove laden riffs and the vocals really hit home with relentless aggression, Learned Wretchedness delivers a barrage of concise drumming and abundance of riffs, Judas Switch offers a nice balance of groove laden heavy riffs mixed with machine like percussion whuch drives everthing to the fore, The Human Tensile Experiment has a really cool Old School Death Metal, there's also a taut psychological twist to the atmosphere within the album.

  An Abhorrent Intervention is a brief instrumental interlude that brings the whole atmosphere of the album into an even more disturbing and psychological edge to proceedings, we're treated to some absolutely relentless assualt with the title track Shaped By Human Frailty the further you delve into this album the more disturbing and relentless the music becomes, Dead Before The Still delivers with relentless precision with the pace at times slowing a slight bit but keeping the eerie psychological atmosphere intact, the opening riff on Psychology Of The Sick sets up a smooth groove laden element before the eerie atmosphere goes into overdrive with the taut and brilliantly executed closing track Horrors Breath the atmosphere and barrage of unrelenting taut execution on this album is another a level most Death Metal acts can only dream of.

Shaped By Human Frailty is an album full of all the nuances associated with Old School Death Metal and add an atmosphere that's almost horror-like you have an opus done with perfect precision,it's very noticable that everything element within the album is done with taut accuracy putting it as a modern Death Metal Classic and the potential to be on alot of end of year lists.

SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3FbsMi1iKh39ItEtt49VvP?si=XFJreQttRxuMrp3g2LO1OA

BANDCAMP: https://stranglewire.bandcamp.com/

YOU TUBE: https://www.youtube.com/c/StrangleWire

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/stranglewireband

iNSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/strangle_wire/