Acid Age "Perilous Compulsion" Album Review

  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.

RATING:10/10

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

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

Banished From Eden "Primordial Salvation" EP Review

 

   Formed around 2022 the excellent Thrash/Heavy Metal Riff Machine Banished From Eden have being working silently in the shadows and have unleashed an absolutely quality debut EP in the guise of Primordial Salvation, hailing from the hotbed for metal Limerick,the band leave no cross unturned on this release,lets delve into the finer details of this short but excellent offering.

  Commencing with the absolute ripper of a tune From The Light this combines a cacophony of riffs rooted in Thrash Metal with plenty of groove and Tradiitonal Heavy Metal influences runnig thtoughout,the driving Rhytmn section is ridiculously heavy which points to a nice bit of flexibility to their sound, the relentless riff gymnastics that is As It Stands hits with a heaviness and aggression that packs a serious knockout blow to the senses,can picture plenty of fist pumping and headbanging galore with this,closing track What A Waste leans into a more slower apparoach and dark foreboding atmopshere for the better part of half the song ,then a flurry of melodic harmonies combined with a good pace and passionate vocal delivery give another idea of what the band are setting out to achieve with future material.

 

 Primordial Salvation is an excellent debut from the band,although they're at the beginning of their journey you can hear what they're setting out to do,presenting a stellar mix of Old School Heavy Metal,Thrash Metal with plenty of Groove and riffs for fucking days,this is a more then memorable offering and is the start of  something that will garner plenty of interest

RATING: 8/10

  FB:https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61566475501634

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

 

Saint Slaughter "The Secret Speech" Album Review

  Drawing influence form old school Thrash Metal luminaries such as Annihilator,Overkill and Exodus the excellent Dublin Thrashers Saint Slaughter have been unleashing stellar live shows for the best part of a decade,following on from their debut EP Intravenosa the band have made a concise effort to up the standard of songwriting and overall prodcution and the results can be heard on their brilliant debut album The Secret Speech, this is a selection of songs written over their storied decade in existence,let's get into the guts of this brilliant offering.

 

 

  Launching into the superb White Death which is a lethal cacophony of riffs combined with searing vocals layered on a heavy groove laden rhytmn section a great way to open the proceedings that will follow, Led To Treason delivers pummelling drumming with a relentless vocal delivery, the groove points to a homage to Exodus ,the riffing throughout this is executed with razor sharp precision, the pace is upped on the very raw and aggressive Lambs To The Slaughter  the guitars constantly rip with a relentlessness that assaults the senses with face melting heaviness.

 

 

 Things start to get even heavier on Inglorious this flows along seamlessly combining heavy riffing with a plenty of killer drumming that gradually builds the tempo with maximum effect and precision,the lead in this is absolutely divine and vocally this really packs a punch, Guitarist Jeff Hernandez takes over vocal duties on the sublime Resist The System  this has a real confident air about the way it flows with relentless groove and an absolute insane volume of riffs, possibly one of the heaviest offering on the album is the brilliant Waltz with The Devil this one is yet another ode to Exodus, at times this hits like a ton of bricks with the bass and drums driving the rhytnm section into really heavy passages, this one also shows the vocal range Eoin Clarke is capable of hitting.

  

  Darkness and a haunting atmopshere prevail on the brilliant Deep In Shadows going by lyrical content this is about Jack The Ripper which adds a slightly scarier theme to the bands overall sound, the mid paced tempo throughout this shows how this band are able to deliver an eeriness which shows that they can mix it up brilliantly, that gorgeous bass intro at the start of Thrasher Crash sets up a mind boggling amount of riffs for the rest of the track,there's also a really fun element running throughout,lyrically i think this is about hanging with your friends ,getting wasted drunk with not a care in the world of the consquences that await the following day,as mentioned this is full on riff gymnastics that will really grab your undivided attention, yet another song about having fun is the relentless We Were Born ,this one is a real old school party thrash Anthem with a chorus that has a proper sing-a-long element about it, cloisng track Ride Like Hell is absolutely rifftastic and yet again has a really catchy and fun element that will have you haedbanging from start to finish,possibly the best way to close out this really excellent album.

 

 Even though alot of these songs were written a good few years ago they have a killer mix of old and modern Thrash Metal elements that makes this album a really worthwhile listen,you can expect everything from topics like partying ,growing up,having fun and real life issues,the musicianship is absolutely exemplary and is a testament to how far this band have grown in the last decade,this is a must listen for fans of Old School Thrash Metal with a modern twist all done with a DIY ethos.

 RATING: 8/10

   

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

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

Predator "Predator" Compilation Review

   Back in The Days when we had no internet or social media,the only sources for dicovering new bands/music were through either radio,zines word of mouth or tape trading ,for reasons within Ireland there was a large rejection of all things Heavy Metal(it's still prevelent today) maybe it was due to elitism within media cicles and also religious organisations vehemently rejected what they deemed to be "Satanic" or "Risque" thankfully there were a few who sought to champion Rock and Metal acts way back in the Mid 80,after the split of the legendary Thin Lizzy and untimely and tragic passing of the bands frontman Phil Lynott,there was a generation of new Rockers ready to step up to plate and make their mark on the scene ,one such Band was the absolutely brilliant Predator although the band were active for 6 years they left an undeniable mark that's still remembered to this day.

Formed in 1987 by Peter Dickson(Bass) and Alan Bynre(Drums) the band would record a demo in 10988 which would result in them get signed to Dublin based Label Solid Records were they would release the hughly regarded Self Titled Debut EP which features some classic tracks such as Predator ,  Bloodmoney & the phenomenal instumental Celtic Attack, Solid Records would also include the track  Missing In Action  on their Solid Citizens  Compilation.

  One of the main distinguishable features with Predator is the sublime Twin Guitar Leads,also the subtle little homages to Thin Lizzy within their sound albeit they were that slight bit heavier,as mentioned previously before they were signed they did a couple of quality demo tracks including Scream Dream & the ridiculously killer No Disgrace.

 

Despite some line up changes the band continued to unleash more quality music albeit with a different vocal style ,1989 would see the release of yet another quality demo the music would have a bit more of a Thrash Metal feel maybe due to the departure of one of the original Guitarists,this would add plenty of Riff Heavy tracks while still maintaining that core Heavy Metal value highlight,this would be the case over two demos and would feature some truly memorable tracks including Freedom Lies , Dreamscape and the monumental epicness of Four Seasons.

   

  The Band would revert back to the trsdemark Twin Lead Guitars for further releases ,they would support legendary Thrash Metal titans Anthrax on the Irish Leg of their Sate Of Euphoria tour playing in Omagh,Bangor and Dublin this tour was infamously remembered for a spitting incident causing anthrax to walk off stage, they wouls also earn a support slot with Queensryche on their Operation:lIve Crime tour with shows in SFX,Dublin & Ulster Hall,Belfast.

   

   The re-introduction of the sceond Guitarist would also add a much darker atmosphere to their sound.also once again the band have a different Vocalist with Lar Fraser taking over from O'Brien  which would add a more technical appraoch and an even more agressive style more closer to Thrash Metal then Traditional Heavy Metal,just before the recording of their final demo  ...Cross My Path their Guitarist Niall McGreevy would depart the band,this would spell the end of the band,although their were other reasons leading up to this as to the split.

  

 although this may seem like more of a retrospective than a review it's fantatsic that many contributing factors have helped Predator's legacy endure,massive credit goes to one of the bands founding members Peter Dickson and Cult Metal Classics for putting this phenomenal compilation together and having it in physical format,this is definitely a must have piece of Irish Heavy Metal History and an enduring legacy for a band that deserved to be spread to a much wider audience.

RATING; 9/10

FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063486672763

12 Gauge Outrage "About Time(Remastered)" EP Review

 

  Wexford Heavy Metal Veterans 12 Gauge Outrage have been circulatiing for the better part of a decade and gradually improve with each release,one of the founding members Richard Harpur  has always wanted to do a re-recording/remastering of their sublime debut EP About Time, 10 years to the day this has come to fruition and even though the band were happy with the original sound of the release this new improved version of the classic offering sounds so much more polished and punchier.

  Once that first chord hits with Shock Machine you can hear the obvious improvement with the sound ,there's also that element were the band have improved as musicians, this is possibly been said before about them but they blend early and mid era Metallica  extrmely proficiently, the absolutely fantastic anthem 12 Guage is one of their most popular tracks and is a proper riff fest, for some reason this reminds me (not musically) the Pantera classic Cowboys From Hell albeit it best decribes the band and what they're about.

 Too Sudden is another stellar offering full of riffs and melody all complimented with relentless efficiency and a steady flow in pace and quality vocal delivery,this one really packs a punch.closing track Dysfunctional Insanity is another insanely great track full of intricate guitar passages with added element of vocal harmonies which display some really stellar vocal trade-offs. the original mix of this release showed the massive potential of this ridiculously underrated band, 10 years later and we bear witness to some absolutely qaulity musicianship and the production this band deserves.

  12 Gauge Outrage have established the right to be a force to be reckoned with,a decade of quality music,memorable live performances, taking elements from from classic 80's metal,90's Metal tinged with a modern twist full of riffs,melody ,throw in subtle little refernces to Futurama and The Simpsons which adds a nice bit of humour to the mix,this remastered edition of About Time is absolutely fantastic and should not be ignored.

Rating: 9/10

FB: https://www.facebook.com/12GaugeOutrage

IG: https://www.instagram.com/12gaugeoutrage/

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/

 

12 Gauge Outrage "Siren" EP Review

 

   The brilliant Wexford based Heavy/Thrash Metal Stalwarts 12 Gauge Outrage have been cutting their trade for the best part of a decade with each release they've developed and honed their sound into something with an ode to the old school and something refreshing and modern, this is prevelent and noticable on their absolutely fantstic new EP Siren lets get into the finer details of this brilliant release.

   straight away you can hear the absolute razor sharp production,the atmosphere at the start of Control is extremely foreboding and dark the combination of the heavy riffing and twin vocal harmonies add a taut and concise element to the track, To Shreds is straight up 80's Thrash Metal that's an absolute ripping track can picture plenty of moshing and crowd surfing for this in a live enviroment, half way through and we're treated to some 90's Metallica-esque riffing with the brilliant My Ever Sleep the mind paced tempo makes this one a real fist thumper and bonafide headbanger.

   The Hanged Man is a real slow burner full of groove,heaviness and riffs for days,at times it sounds like the band have channelled the inner ghost of Dimebag Darrell and combined it  with ...And Justice For all era guitar tones and epicness, final track I See The Light is another quality headbanger full of groove laden hooks and stellar vocal arrangements giving the EP a somewhat dramatic and epic ending.

   At the end of the day 12 Gauge Outrage display their full arsenal of tricks ,even if you've never heard them before straight away you'll know they've being crafting and honing their sound for many years, on another note this band have the experience and longevity to keep getting better with each release,Siren has everything any true metalhead should enjoy,memorable tracks full of groove heaviness,ripping speed and all the nuances to make a great release and long may it continue.

RATING: 8.5/10

SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1Y7cz9J7AcIvHhw3zpzdXm?si=BTkaCXyzSuu0TBfMFBRmHA

BANDCAMP: https://12gaugeoutrage.bandcamp.com/

YOU TUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@12GaugeOutrage

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/12GaugeOutrage

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/12gaugeoutrage/

Symbiotic Tomorrow "All That's Gone" EP Review

 

  For Almost the last three years Symbiotic Tomorrow have being releasing consistently great music but for some reason it's not reaching/resonating with a larger audience,let this serve as a brief introduction(& appreciation) of them,two of Limericks most talented/proficient musicians play a huge part in what the band have to offer, Alan O' Connell writes and produces all the music and Keith McCoy delivers machine-like percussion/drumming ,most of their releases also feature Italian professional session singer Eric Castaglia, The music blends elements of Death Metal,/Thrash Metal and Progressive Metal delivered with razor sharp precision while packing a lethal punch,lets get into the finer details of the new EP All That's Gone.

   Staright from the off All That's Gone delivers relentless break neck speeds and technically proficient riffing while the vocal delivery is nothing short of unbridled brutality, the mid tempo passages throughout Blood Of The New World ups the ante with regard to the technicality of proceedings while the vocals maintain that trademark relentlessness, there subtle Melodic Death Metal nuances very prevelent on Burn there's a nice mid tempo groove complemented by the aggressive vocals.

 

  Again On Eyes Of Your God the melodic tendencies are pushed to the fore,the drumming is full of intricate fills and rolls whick keep fluctuating from mid tempo to aggressive brutality, Closing track  The Hatred With is a killer mid tempo offering with the technicality pushed even more to the fore,again the vocals are relentlessly aggressive and consistently pack a lethal punch,the drumming is once again delivered with razor sharp precision.

 All That's Gone has a somewhat apocalyptic undertone and offers a fantastic array of everything from Death,Thrash & Progressive Metal,brilliantly executed drumming,aggressive gut punching vocals,tachnicality proficient Guitar work including soaring leads full of passion and  a subtly uplifing element you wouldn't usually associate with the more extreme side of metal, this is a really solid and competent offering that should attract a larger audience.

RATING: 8.5/10

SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0kNO7Wh72FDeknlScI3AP2?si=gEAfbhc3QeCxXnJLrXkh0Q

BANDCAMP: https://symbiotictomorrow.bandcamp.com/music

YOU TUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@SymbioticTomorrow

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100067656368811

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

Death Feast "Risen From The Tomb" Album Review

   Every so often you're made aware of new bands who like to delve deep into the old school sound from the mid eighties we all know and love,recently thanks to the fine people at Haloran Records for contacting me about doing reviews for bands on the label ,this is when i became aware of Thrash/Death/Black Metal Fiends Death Feast and have had the pleasure of listening to their excellent third full length album Risen From The Tomb let's get into the finer details of this magnificent opus.

  The eerie atmosphere of the intro The Initiation sets a tone not far removed from something from a Hammer Horror movie adding a nice homage to Old Horror movies,this is synonymous with what the band are well known for, as soon as you hear the guitars on Crossing The Fire you know you're about to delve into some evil and nasty old school riffage, this is a real headbanger of a tune and along with the intro sets the tone of what's to follow brilliantly, Banish From Monastery is full of riffs for days combined with lo-fi tones reminiscent of Sarcófago, time for some total Metal worship with the brilliant Commandments Of Metal obviously this is about spreading the word of Metal all across the world,we treated to some elements of Speed Metal throughout this track with subtle reminders to the legendary Venom, all the superlatives i've being describing so far get pushed to another level with the rip roaring majesty of Devoted Assassins were the hounds of hell are unleashed with unrelenting fury.

   Things get that bit more relentless with the hauntingly disturbing Hell Funeral the atmosphere is extrmely foreboding and does a fantastic job maintaining that unnervingly dark homage to horror while also having a very chaotic element to the overall sound, an abundance of mayhem is another prevelant theme running throughout this releases ,this becomes abundantly clear on The Evil Crown, the mayhem evloves into chaotic territory with the excellent title track Risen From The Tomb the lo-fi Guitar tone harks back to the Obsessed By Cruelty era of Sodom and has some extremely evil undertones, as soon as the bell chimes ring loud on Volcano and the Guitars roll along like a funeral procession you know you're about to get some old school mayhem that delivers with raw,evil and chaotic fury, The Blood Pact(Outro) sounds like some french horror movie and leaves a very disturbing finale to porceedings leaving you wanting even more chaos and mayhem.

 Overall Risen From The Tomb is a really enjoyable and worthwhile listen, if you like Hammer Horror, legends of Horror like Cushing,Price,Lee,Ingrid Pitt combined with homages to old school bands like Sodom,Venom,Celtic Frost and Sarcófago this is definitely an album for you,the production while having a very lo-fi approach still has a slight modern fell to it,also the musicianship is second to none,with razor sharp leads,extremely evil sounding vocals and a rawness and primitiveness stepped in the old school traditions of metal.

RATING: 9/10

SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/album/7iRdruc2pKJf96sIaXJZnr?si=1AZKjcztSqSCwURwrF5ZSw

BANDCAMP: https://haloranrecords.bandcamp.com/album/hlrn002-death-feast-risen-from-the-tomb

YOU TUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@haloranrecords

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

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

Nømadus "Axis Primordial" Album Review

   Ever since i discovered Nømadus the progression and evolution of their sound has been absolutely mind blowing,there's a very noticable maturity musically and lyrically,the band have being creating massive waves throughout the local scene since their inception in 2016, this year alone the band reached the final of Metal 2 The Masses and despite getting the runners up spot the band would earn a reputation for their devastating live performances and unsuprisingly (to me) would eventually get the call to appear at the hugely popular Bloodstock Festival and by all accounts they once again delivered the goods ,furthermore all this is about to culminate in the release of their highly anticipated debut album Axis Primordial.

  As soon as you hear that opening riff on Last Words Of Wisdom you can feel the depth and scale of the journey you're about to be taken on the progessive element and groove within the song have a truly epic and passionate aura which sets the tone for what's to come on the rest of this adventure, Apex Breath opens with a gradual build then explodes with sheer ferocity before going into a melodic and progressive tangent which gives the atmosphere an really emotional feel,the lead guitar work on this is exemplary and very awe inspiring, the crushingly heavy and groove laden Fraction treats us to some absolutely heart wrenching lyrical and vocal delivery, again the progresive element throughout this just compounds the high level of musicianship been unleashed by the band.

  The brief instrumental that is Hadean creates an atmosphere that feels beautiful and melancholic and sets the tone brilliantly for The Ultimate Fuse to push the progressive element to another level while injecting vitriol fueled vocals,pounding drums and meticulously constructed rhytmn and lead guitar work, the standard just keeps getting better with each track on this and we get a full on barage of heaviness and speed with the sublime Paradox(Nerve Burn)  the drumming on this is pretty relenetless and sets a different tone to what proceeded it the aggression combined with the progressive riffing adds another layer to these passages and sets the album up for a explosive ending.

  The penultimate stages of the album go into a much higher level with the monumental heaviness of The Pounding Curse which reaches epic porportions of progression with mutiple and well blended time changes throughout before unleashing an absolutely heartfelt and majestic guitar lead,the groove laden element also hits an unstoppable level, which are all pushed by the passionate vocal delivery, the melodic tendencies get pushed up a notch with Scent Of Death add the crushing heaviness to this and you have a fantastic mix of atmosphere and aggression, closing track The Passage brings every element on display to the fore with calculating precision,it nows becomes noticable that this was a very taut and well exceuted meticulously constucted piece of work only adding to the obvious persausion that this band are going to getting better in the long run.

  

  Axis Primordial offers an absolutely fantastic portrayal of the struggles with mental health and the ultimate sacrifice involved to maintain your own sanity and how it affects the people around you,the progressive elements, atmosphere and every facet of this album are nothing short of sublime offering plenty of heartfelt passion,aggression and a level of musicianship second to none, Nømadus have lit a fire that is unextinguishable and that fire shall spread throughout the land with devastating consequences,furthermore this is a definite contender for album of the year.

      

SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2caGUbjIGxotyPDiY9tFVJ?si=HhebjWaASN6M7vIuoW04Hw

BANDCAMP: https://nomadus.bandcamp.com/

YOU TUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@nmadusofficial1563/featured

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

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

War Of Attrition "The Social Apocalypse" EP Review

    

   Let this serve as an introduction and a brief adulation to one of the hardest working new bands in the local scene the absolutely sublime War Of Attrition, having only started gigging just over a year ago the band have developed a reputation for a live show full of unbridled energy,passion and aggression, they defied all the odds by getting through the first heat of Metal 2 The Masses Ireland which resulted in them playing at the semi final of the popular competition, they continued to garner more attention by gigging on a very regular basis not just in their native Limerick but plenty of exposure in Dublin.this all culminated very recently with their first ever appearance at the extremely popular Siege Of Limerick which happened to coincide with the release of their brilliant debut EP The Social Apocalypse.

   As soon as that opening riff hits on Throne Of The Fallen King followed by the sirens in the background you get the underlying feeling of impending chaos and an empire is about to fall into the  throes of an apocalytic nightmare,this sets the tone perfectly for what's about to come to fruition, time for some riffs for days with Victims Of Avarice the combination of the dual guitars and the in your face vocals create a really raw and aggressive vibe to proceedings there is also a lot of melody which adds a great atmosphere, the darkly atmospheric intro to I Am Your God set a very foreboding tone eventually building to a raw and hectic pace which creates an abundance of madness and controlled chaos.

   We're treated to something different with the epic ballad like atmosphere of The Constant Gray we even get to hear what vocalist Nathan Price is truly capable of with some clean vocal parts and the lyrical content has an almost desperate/melancholic vibe added with the beautiful guitar intricacies of  Oceann and Diarmuid,this eventually builds up to possibly what the band can offer on future releases, an added bonus track in the form of the sublime and one of my favourite tracks by the band BPD which is full of aggression and taut riffing while the lyrical content touches on the theme of  faking mental health issues and being coercive and manipulative about them.

  For a debut release this ticks all the right boxes with regard to energy,passion,aggression and an honesty that is second to none, the production is extremely raw and is something i really enjoy about this EP, it perfectly captures what the band a truly capable of as a live entity being that it's has the sound of a live performance,stripped down rawness,aggression and an unbridled energy that is instantly addictive to listen to, War Of Attriton have set a standard that has garnered them much deserved recognition and they have all the attributes to develop their sound to another level.

SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5XBjelMBEwljcDYkaJqVEe?si=J9opRYPZS4azF_cMwbQujw

BANDCAMP: https://warofattritionie.bandcamp.com/

YOU TUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCny8jkaanm9fFEVegNB1iDw

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

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