Despite different iterations of the band & line up changes throughout the years Northern Ireland's Crushing Death Metal force Indominus still continue to deliver quality material ,they've become a constant within the Northern Ireland metal scene and are known for their ferocious live performances.it has been a good while since the released new music,that's due to change soon with the imminent release of their crushing new single Burn.
Going straight for the jugglar this absolutely crushing offering leaves no cross unturned and despite it been a short track it ticks all the right boxes even the introduction of some elements of Hardcore which inject a nice level of virtriol combiined with that trademark heaviness.
Prepare yourself for this monstrous track dropping this Friday 16th May as it will crush like a wrecking ball and is a great way to introduce their new drummer, hopeully we'll be yet again treated to more of the same going forward.
For more then a decade the gradual ascendency shown by the absolutely phenomenal Symphonic Death Metal solo artist Sonus Mortis is nothing short of amazing and over that period the progression with each album is amazing, over the past few years the standard has been raised substantially which leads us to the missing part in the Dystopian Trilogy of Collapse The Mountain , Of Red Barren Earth and the upcoming masterpiece that is Synapse The Hivemind.
Commencing this dystopian passage with the absolutely relentless symphony of Biomechanical Horrors this has more then enough darkness and atmopsheric to give you a proper feel for what's to expect throughout this opus, delivering a short sharp shock with Eyes In The Sky which touch on the topic of surveillance drones(music video above will show this) yet again this is unnervingly dark and portrays the horrfic idea that we're launching head first into some sort of surveillance state(Big Brother is watching), things are slowed down a bit with the darkly atmopshericand doom laden riff fest that is I Used To Be Human this feels like humanity has become some sort of digital entity or a humanoid if you will,the musical composition is at time really awe-inspiring and epic while at the same time having a subtle element of tragicness which is pushed by the overall dystopian theme, possibly the heaviest and most intense track The System Shock combines deavastating drumming layered on top of a dark symphonic template,we're also treated to some fantastic ochestral elements not to far removed from Black Metal in the vein of Emperor.
The standards are escalated with the phenomenal The Perfect Host we're introduced to some brilliant clean vocals which add even more depth and a somewhat Progressive element and even more awe-inspiring passages that will leave you speechless, the basslines in this are another thing to be lauded and celebrated and create a even darker forboding atmopshere, th synths layered on the spoken sample at the beginning of The Unravelling Array bring the atmopshere to even darker levels ,this one delves into more black metal elements and the melodic passages become even more prevelent all of this is layered on those sublime symphonic templates ,it begins to feel like we're appraoching some sort of Orwellian nightmare the future we get into this album.
Getting to the penultimate stages of this magnificent opus we delve into the sublime Synapse The Hivemind which goes into the topic of being a slave to the system and being deprived of any sort of basic needs making it feel like you're appraoching the end times and having no control of it happening, the releentlessness is pushed into the stratosphere with Deracinated this really pushed the symphonic elements to even higher levels while still maintaining that dystopian feel, this also gives off the incoming doom has become too much to bear and the struggle is unsurmountable, closing track Slaves To The Algorithm(Execute The Code) is even more relentless then what preceded it and offers plenty of crushing brutality combined with the trademark symphonic and melodic elements,this touches on the topic that we're lost control of ourselves due to social media and that we've lost some of the qualities releated to human interaction,this for me is the best way to close this nightmarish dystopian opus.
Eight albums in and the brainchild behind Sonus Mortis Kevin Byrne so no signs of stopping and continuously delivers absolutely sublime albums that will be remembered in years to come,not only does he consistently give us these memorable offerings ,the willingness to add different elements with each release has to be praised and complimented to the fullest extent,Synpase The Hivemind is definitely some of the best output he's released,say what you will(and i know i have folk who agree) most of the topics/themes throughout this album (and the previous two masterpieces) are happening in plane sight right in front of our eyes but we chose to be distracted by trivial topics instead,this masterpiece is like some sort of warning of the impending futuristic surveillenace society,if you happen to find an album as sublime as this let me know, my ears want to hear such magnifience.
For everything that's come before and what has yet to pass one thing can be said about the incomparable War Jazz juggernaut Acid Age there will always be some sort of insane wackiness within the music they unleash,although their roots are stepped in Thrash Metal they've evolved that thrash foundation into a fusion of all the best parts of Jazz,Death Metal,Black Metal and Progressive Metal with psychedelic elements and plenty more twist and turns along the way, if you thought their previous masterpiece Semper Pessimus was full of wacky surprises well nothing will prepare for the absolute lunacy that is Perilous Compulsion.
The incoming madness is commenced with the crushing riff fest that is Bikini Island that countdown intro creates a really combustible and frenzied atmosphere, the relentlessness throughout this has elements of crushing Death Metal combined with jazz infused basslines and face melting shredding while the phenomenal drumming really pushes the boundaries to extreme levels of heaviness,an added bit of trivia behind this track is reference to Bikini Atoll/Marshall Island ,which was used as by the US as a nuclear testing site after WW2 up until 1958, onto the sublime dynamics of the brilliant State Your Business which shows a few new elements to the bands overall sound including backing vocals courtesy of Jake and the use of clean vocals to give a killer progressive element to proceedings,once again there's another "easter egg" with the concept of the song & lyrical content which has taken inspiration from an episode of The Twilight Zone entitled "Button Button" , the mind bending Third Eye Locksmith at times the vocal delivery has subtle homages to Sadus, the musicianship is on another level and switches seamlessly from Thrash,Death To Black Metal while having an ultra heavy rhytmn section,the leads are tinged with insanely sublime psychedelic elements which makes for yet more unpredictability on this opus.
Time to get into some relentless thrashing with the overload of speed and heaviness that is Revenge For Sale this is an absolute ripper of a song which combines all the best elements of Thrash & Death Metal, those subtle vocal variations add yet another dimension to the overall sound, once again the rhytmn section destroys like a wrecking ball, the further you get into this album that trademeark Acid Age wackiness keeps going to levels beyond comprehension ,this is really noticable with Every Cliche were we're treated to an absolute cacophony of riff designed to melt your face and make your ears bleed,the volume of riffs along with that sublime bassline is disorientating and dizzying at times and the drumming is insanely sublime.
Just when you thought there were no more twist and turns to come we get likely one of the most insane songs i've ever heard in my life in the form of Rotten Tooth , if you've ever wondered why the band have the "War Jazz" moniker well you get it in spades with this terrific song, blues tinged psychedelic intro before launching into yet another cacophony of riffs and blast beats,crazy leads coupled with those deliciouly sublime basslines make for some insane listening, a little after the 5 minute mark just when you thought you heard everything this band can do,next thing you know you hear a Harmonica,suffice to say if you think this doesn't work ,you're wrong it's blends in seamlessly with the bands trademark wackiness, epicness is the name of the game with the ridculously excellent Hamster Wheel ,this goes through plenty of twist & turns and has plenty of progressive elements,the harmonies created between all the different vocals variations goes to absolutely insane levels of quality,it's like they've hit a pinnacle of creativity and musicianship and renedered everything that came before obsolete,the clean vocal parts on this song are beautifully executed and at times make the song sound like some sort of ballad,yet another element the band can add to their repetoire.
Perilous Compulsion has been 4 years in the making and that wait has been more then worth it, that proverbial glass ceiling has really been shattered now and Acid Age have hit a level worthy of their truly sublime War Jazz wackiness, despite being a long term fan of the band not in my wildest drrams did i think they could unleash the insane levels of skilled musicianship that you'll hear on Perilous Compulsion, dare i say it about Semper Pessimus but they really have surpassed that on a magnitude unimaginable to myself, everything about this from the production,musicianship,song arrangement all the concepts behind the songs are miles beyond what their previous album offered, like any album i've listened to before there was always that element were something would make me laugh or put a smile on my face due to that wackiness,that's all still there added with some crushing brutality, tinged with psychedelic elements that will leave you disorientated and as mentioned previously a rhytmn section that renders everything before it obsolete. this one will possibly be top of my end of year list,a bonafide masterpiece that will be extremely hard to top.
UK Deathcore Merchants Higher State recently released their brilliant second single Welcome Me from their upcoming debut EP, let's delve into the finer details this excellent band have to offer us.
instantly we're hit with a lethal combo of groove with a crushingly heavy rhytmn section ,once the vocals take centre stage you can start to feel a really dark and unnerving atmosphere designed to create a really dystopian aura, the vocals switch from deep gutturals to a really aggressive beatdown style which adds to the whole dystopian atmopshere, you also get the feeling that there's an element of egocnetric and psychotic thought patterns at play here, the musicianship throughout this is executed brilliantly and is a taste of things to come.
There's plenty of strong and memrable qualities at play here and would be worth your while to keep a really close watch on Higher State,who for all intense purposes know how to combine all the best elements of Crushing Death Metal with modern Deathcore, if you like groove laden crushing heaviness then look no further then this brilliant single,if this is the standard to expect from their upcoming EP we're definitely in for a proper slab of heaviness.
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.
With a welath of experience in a who's who list of Underground Irish Metal bands including Primal Dawn, Abaddon Incarnate,Ground Of Ruin,Fifth Dominion and legion Of Wolves the absolutely brutal Death Metal stalwarts Grave Sermon have just unleashed their absolutely sublime second EP Liturgical Perversions following on from 2019's Whitewashed Tomb this is a monstrous step up in quality,lyrically musically and productions wise and is a definite contender for EP of the year.
Blasting form the get go with the relentless This Mortal Disease this absolutely pummells like an unstoppable juggernaut,vocally it sounds similar to peak Deicide on top of that tasty modern production,the guitar show little to no let up with regard to the relentless speed, we get subtle hints of Immolation throughout Preordained the filthy rawness thoughout this adds a real nastiness to proceedings while the drumming and bass keep pushing that relentless blasting to another level.
The further into this release the more nasty and malicious it gets especially with the vileness that is Vial Of Wrath ,the guitar tone throughout this is full of filthiness and rawness,vocals are delivered with an unbridled vitriol , closing track An Unfathomable Pact has a really epic vibe combined with intricate riffing and vocals are once again delivered with that trademark vitriol,although this is possibly the slowest track on the EP it shows the depthsmwillingness and experience to how much they can mix it up.
Not only have Grave Sermon progressed from previous material they've delivered an absolute masterclass in how to deliver pummelling,relentless Death Metal,there's plenty of Old School nuances throughout this,long term fans of them will know that one of the most important themes they touch on is a condemnation of atrocities committed by organised religion and especially with the reign of terror for a prolonged period in Ireland, to close out this is a definite contender for EP of the year within the Irish Scene.
What started out as a merger, the two minds behind the bands Scald and qip set about forming the entity that is Pincer Consortium to create a black worded tapestry so complex and mind bending beyond human comprehension,the two minds would start laying the foundations in 2022 to create this Odyssean tome now almost 2 years later the monumental Geminus Schism is about to unleashed on the world,prepare to have your mind blown by this absolutely phenomenal offering.
This conceptual tale of duality is commenced with beautifully crafted Alpha Omega Decay which contains alot of symphonic elements to give an atmopshere both harrowing and beautiful,the numerous vocal patterns really emphasis the concept brilliantly,musically this sets out to create some sort of storyboard in an attempt not to repeat each part this sets the tone perfectly to unleash the absolute cacophony of riffs that is Twin Galatic Tides the vocals deliver a crushing Death Metal style with plenty of industrial undertones to add plenty of dynamics to the track, there is little to no slowing down on this track just a relentless audio assualt of the senses, things start going into epic territories with the absolutely mind blowing Schizoid Rivalry/Double Occultation this gradually builds to a monumental crescendo were you get an even better understanding of the duality concept, it feels like there two conflicting entities like a darkness and a light or dual personalities comparing each other but almost sounding identical with the way they think,while the track is split in two to create an even more complex story with the concept.
Continuing with the earth shattering Dual Shock Termination this is the shortest track on the album but makes for a really interesting listen the melodics combined with the relentless riffing give this an extremely varied soundscape ,we're treated to a more progessive and technical output throughout this also, the further you get into this album the more mind bending it becomes with the progressive elements getting pushed to another spectrum with Tandemic Dispersal,this is another one that keeps building and introducing different elements the further the song elapses,the lead guitar work throughout this shows how far into the stratosphere this coincept can go leaving nothing left untouched,a little after the half way mark of the track the speed of guitars,vocals get's progressively faster taking everything to an unfathomable plateau of consciousness.
Getting to the penultimate atges of this opus with the absolute mindfuck that is Spectral Dyad it becomes apartment that this dual entitiy/presence has gone beyond the pale of sanity/existence and into some other alternate afterworld/universe asking the question has the entity become one being created through the dual entities,the relentelessness throughout this at time feels suffocatingly heavy while also going even further into progressive passages,especially the part with the orchestral keys, now to the concluding part of this phenomenal opus with the brilliant Bi-Fold Conclusion again this starts out pretty slow with an extemely haunting foreboding bass line pushing a really dark atmopshere to the fore until it gradually builds to a complete explosion of auditory assualt on the senses, the progressiveness goes into levels of mind boggling proportions epicness making you feel that this storied concept may or may not have some sort of conclusion and is left open to what the mind can comprehend.
Pincer Consortium set out to create a really ambitious and mind bending concept with Geminus Schism that will leave you speechless and constantly questioning is this real or just some surreal dream taking place in some alternate reality, the whole idea of the duality behind this is to try to put some sort of balance between dark and light,good or evil etc while creating a soundscape that is full of beauty,darkness,light,hope and despair,at times this album may be hard to take in for some but you will come back for even more and embrace the absolute madness that lies within.
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.
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.
On the rare ocassion a new band will come to fruition and for some unknown reason you'll think they've being playing for a very long time,this is the effect the absolute force of nature Progressive Metal act Uragh have had on me when i first witnessed them live for the first time almost a year ago at the Grand Final of Metal 2 The Masses 2023,since then they've continued to garner a wider audience with their stellar live shows, a few months ago they entered JSR Audio to record their absoutely earth shattering debut album Maelstrom, i knew they ahd something special for us all but nothing prepared me for the absolute magnitude of quality within this album.
Straight from the off they go for the jugular with the full on assualt of Monarch, the Pounding Bass and Drums drive a barage of disorientating riffs combined with a visceral vocal delivery,the lyrical theme with this is about a Baroness who rules over a district and rules over them through fear and subjugation,the line "Let The Rats Fight Amongst Themselves" shows the level of disdain she has for them, the rhytnm sections throughout Apparition are unnervingly dark and relentless with the Guitar intertwining and meandering through various time signatures leaving your brain mangled and continously guessing what sort of mind blowing passages are on the horizon, the pace and relentlessness is brought down a bit for the short atmospheric bassline interlude of Gewissenbiss, this serves as a nice way of splitting proceedings before the next part of the relases.
We're treated to the mid paced groov laden heaviness of the brilliant The Widening Gyre the Guitar passages are taken to another level of abrasiveness the combination of those crushing grooves and screeching guitars are like a short sharp shock to the senses,the drumming gradually builds an atmosphere,then we're thrown another bit of a curveball with the clean vocal passage this adds a really passionate and awe-inspring element to the overall product.
At This stage of the album you think you've heard everything the band are capable of doing,not likely with the absolutely mind blowing Capsize which drags you every which way through plenty of Progressive passages with amazing clean vocal delivery then switching into barages of Death Metal brutality,at times during this you feel like your been tossed through a grinder then floating through dream-like psychedelic passages which ,the way Vocalist Craig Murphy orchestrates the different vocal styles between the clean and aggressive is like some puppet master controlling all your emotions, this next track Ar An Tra Fholamh is really interetsing and feels like some sort of time lapse ,having the spoken word As Gaeilge adds a really eery and dream like sequence as if your lost in some sort of upside down alternate reality
There's still more superlatives left to explore within this monumental offering especially when were treated to more groove infused heaviness with Regrowth At The Mouth Of Sickness ,the levels of crushingly heavy passages throughout this are mind numbing ,combine that with the trademrk fantastic rhytmn section and the absolutely amaizng lead guitar work of Marcelo Varge and you have a track of truly epic proportions, another things that needs to be pinted out is the fantastic bassline of Sebastian Sparr and the phenomenal drumming from Jason Hodgkins these become even more prevelent throughout the quality El Cazador which throws up even more disorientating passages, closing track Mo Dhia Mhaith remember i mentioned the clean vocals well they're more to the fore throughout this track, if you're thinking the add a similar feeling to the other times ,not a chance this time they're have a melancholic aura to them which adds extreme levels of vitriol to the aggressive ones,the epic structure throughout this is absolutely phenomenal and is the perfect way to close out this part of the bands stories.
Not only is it mind blowing to believe this is the bands debut album but also that thet formed less then 2 years ago,although the members may have previously been in other band before,the levels of how tight and brilliantly structured the whole album is a monstrous testament to how much hard work and attention to detail they put into not just this release but also their live performances,which i may add are a sight to behold is, Maelstrom is possibly up there with one of the best debut albums from an irish Metal act,this is definitely a bonafide contender for album of the year for me and i will add this is only the beginning of what this band will deliver in the future.
After a 4 year Hiatus and a few line up changes the excellent Death Can Wait have returned with an absolutely amazing new EP Slowly Sinking , original members David Moorehouse(Guitars) & Patryk Hadrys(Drums) still remain and in come Thea Moylan(Vocals) & Sam Darlington(Bass) to round off the new line-up, also they've went in a slightly different direction musicially from their excellent debut EP Self Portrait but it's still unique and original sounding as they've become known for,let's dissect the finer details to this phenomenal release.
The insane and deranged vocal delivery unleashed on Obscurity really sets the tone for what madness is about to be unravelled, there's a really sick and nasty guitar tone which adds another quality element to the track, the relentless drumming at the beginning of Empty shows the levels of variation this band display ,then combine that with the intrciate complexities with the Guitar and Vocals and you have a truly memorable track.
The Only Way Forward is Through(Me) is an absolute riff fest and a proper mid paced headbanger,this also displays plenty of melodic passages combined with sick gutturals that really pack a punch, Slowly Sinking is a more then fitting way to close out this brilliant release,this is full of emotion and plenty of groove laden hooks that will get stuck in your mind, it's also a nice touch to have their previous vocalist Brian Colfer of Scrawb doing the clean vocals on this track, it feels like a department from the old into the new and rounds off an absolutely brilliant release.
Slowly Sinking is an absolutely brillaint offering and is a monstrous progession for a band going though line up changes and various personal issues, also for those not aware this is the first time their new Vocalist Thea Moylan has been in a band and was in a recording studio further evidence this band are going to get even better,in ending this is a strong potential early contender for EP of the year from a truly unique band not afraid to push the boundaries to new extremes.
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.
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.
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.
As promised here's the second and equally deranged half of the split EP Hey Kid,Wanna Buy A Split? from the sublime purveyors of Apocalyptic Industrial Metal Overlords Organ Blender "You Will Surrender To The Blender".
It's being just a little over a year since they released the absolute masterpiece that is Teemu Khan, also the unfortunate circumstance of losing their drummer has more or less put live performances on hold for the forseeable future,fret not we are going to be treated to some deliciously apocalyptic tunes in a few days with some killer new music, opening track Geronimo! has some of that trademark unnervingly dark atmosphere with subtle hints of dark humour running throughout also as can be expected we're treated to some heavy as fuck riffage and deranged vocal delivery, riffs combined with disturbing industrial passages are prevelent throughout Drugz this gives another dimension to proceedings and creates a somewhat hypnotic repitition, this maybe unbeknownst to most but the band are avid fans of Aphex Twin which leads us to the closing track Satellite whic combines techno beats and extremely dark synths and keys.
Although quiet short in length they achieve a really dark atmosphere with pinpoint precision,those familiar with Organ Blender will enjoy these three tracks; Basically this is a continuation of what was offered up on Teemu Khan ,they've more then contributed to this brilliant split and it compliments what Aborted Earth have offered up creating a Union straight from the Apocalyptic Wasteland.
