Let This serve as a bit introduction/recommendation piece and a short analogy from the excellent One Man Deathcore/Brutal Death Metal Project Sickened,unbeknowst to a lot of people within the Irish Scene there's something special about to explode from the county of Wexford with a few artist/bands working dilligently and under the radar included is the aforementioned Sickened who recently released their debut S/T EP.
Although it is noticable that there's a rawness and a lo-fi approach to the production there is a certain charm to it albeit with a lethal dose of Brutality and Heaviness,the Intro is a quick instrumental track designed to create an atmosphere of what's to come, We Are Not The First plenty of crushing grooves with some lo-fi vocals that at times remind me of Viral Load or Putrid Pile, Fucked Up is possibly my favourite track on this release it's filled with crushing and visceral riffage combined with some guest vocals courtesy of Kris of Dead Memories, with better all round production the tecnicality would be alot more noticable on this track.
Infernal Feast continues with some fantastic technical ability,there's also a larger amount of Groove prevelent throughout this one which adds another positive element to the overall product, final track You Got Nothing From It was one of the first tracks to be released by this project and suffice to say is an absolute banger,visceral and crushing riffage combined with the lo-fi vocals give this a brutality and sickness that is so addictive to listen to.
Overall there's plenty of potential on offer with this project,yes the production may not be to everyone's liking but hell the musicianship,technical ability and amount of work put in deserves to be lauded and praised to the hilt, this is a really enjoyable and worthwhile listen and with further releases this project will definitely improve.
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.
Recently i made a post on Facebook about specific types of bands i would've been extremely reluctant to listen to,growing up in an era were Thrash,Death and Black Metal were the undisputed kings for me,for want of a better word and been somewhat of an edgy jerk in my youth with regard to what i listen to(if it ain't fast or brutal enough forget it),ever since i've started doing my weekly segment on Metal Messiah Radio about two years ago i've discovered numerous bands from array of different genres and one in particular has really changed my opinion of some of the modern acts delivering some absolutely quality tunes and that is the ridiculously brilliant Words That Burn,with the release of their third full length album Cut Throat Culture the band have honed and crafted a really spectacular opus.
Straight from the gates the band launch into the absolutely brilliant Den Of Lions like a pheonix rising from the ashes and unleash a barage of emotions combined with metaculously crafted riffs with electro pop sensibility, Sunshine hits with unrelenting aggression,the switching between harsh and clean vocal delivery gives the track an underlying dark atmosphere, possibly my favourtie track on the album is the sublime Play God which hints at the topic of maipulative relationships,the aggression throughout this adds a really emotional element ,there's also a brilliant anthemic feel to the track.
We're treated to the upbeat nuances of the excellent Sirens ,there's a nice rock element to this track,the vocals have a great anthemic feeling to them, this one really grabs your full undivided attention with the groovy hooks and the continous switching between aggressive and anthemic vocals, the anthemic atmosphere continues with the fantastic The Cavalry Ain't Coming the fills in between the chorus are nothing short of relentless combined with those heartfelt emotional vocals, You're On Your Own really pounds home the underlying mental health issues throughout the album and how horrible society can be, the atmosphere gets that little more darker on the hauntingly eerie Fire At Will this is possibly the heaviest track on the album and delivers a combination of absolutely devastating and emotional vocals. Things begin to delve that little bit darker with To Night the feeling of dread is really prevelant which is pushed to the fore with the haunting atmosphere there's also a bit of pop sensibility to add a different feeling to proceedings, Thicker Skin has a really nice keys intro before it launches into killer groove laden hooks,there's almost a ballad type approach to this albeit with brief aggressive vocals, you also get the full repotoire of what the bands vocalist is capable of, closing track Michael delivers some killer riffs combined with a really dark atmosphere created by the keys/electronic elements,once again the vocal delivery is truly breathtaking switching effortlessly between harsh and clean vocals.
Overall Cut Throat Culture shows a band not only progressing from previous releases but showing a confidence and maturity that's going to push them to another level of brilliance,we treated to plenty of memorable anthemic type songs,one of the main elements that won me over with this band is the ease with which they can switch between full on aggression and soaring and passionate vocal delivery, if you're sitting on the fence(like i once was) about this band do yourself a favour and listen to this album,you will find something that you enjoy about.
Great no frills no bullshit Hard Rock bands have been a rare commodity these days be it down to chnages in society,the over abundance of the "quick fix" has become too common place with todays generation were many faucets in todays society being just repitive,bland and mundane, the brilliant Shadows Calling are here to reminds us all what great Rock tunes are all about with their debut EP Spirit Shifter.
Straight from the get go the band launch into the adrenalin fueled nuances of the rip roaring Eraser .there's some great mid tempo riffing combined with the soaring & passionate vocal delivery, Spirit Shifter has a nice constant groove and plenty of killer riffs and once again the vocals are constantly on point and compliment the all arrangements perfectly.
Midnight's Eye unleshes memorable hooks and a mix of smooth groove laden riffs and a varying array of vocal styles,the guitar leads are soaring with an absolutely gorgeous tone, closing track Our Own Escape has something different to offer from the previous tracks in that it goes to an almost ballad like structure,the rocking riffs and soaring passionate vocals are still there added with a somewhat epic structure,this offers the full capability of what the band are looking to capture.
Spirit Shifter is a really solid debut offering from the brilliant Shadows Calling,the musicianship is stellar and full of memorable riffs and hooks,the production is absolutely quality and captures an essence of the band that you won't forget too quickly, would highly advise to keep a close eye on these as i can see room fro improvement and a really bright future.
Once again i've been treated to another quality offering from the fine folk of Melodic Metalcore oufit Koma in the form of their brilliant new single Of Dionysus And The Vine let's get into the finer details this track has to offer.
Just like previous tracks The Betrayed & Dichotomy there's plenty of melodic parts,groove laden hooks and aggression on offer but there is an added dark atmosphere which also has an almost Thrash Metal feeling to it, the lead and backing vocals are pushed to a different level on this without going too far from the dynamics on the previous tracks.the lyrical theme is inspired by the Greek God of wine and revelry Dionysus,it touches on the intoxicating power of the consuming alcohol and is intended to capture the tragedy comedy and festivities when one is partaking in the revelry of drinking.
Everything Koma have done thus far oozes quality,passion and a hunger to deliver songs full of catchy hooks, melody and memorable topics that also fit in with the trials and tribulations life has to offer,even the artwork on each single,done by the extremly talented Adam Brown of Dead Flesh Tattoo tells a story in itself,the production is absolutely sublime thanks to the midas touch of Josh Sid Robinson of JSR Audio,over all Koma have once again delivered the goods and i for one cannot wait til they releases an EP or Full Length Album,they have all the nuances to build something special that has longevity and constantly evolve their sound organically
You spend years listening to a plethora of bands,artists, albums,EP's,single and your opinions of them tend to be very polarizing but once every so often a band/album comes along and resonates with you in a way you thought incomprehensible,that such band(album) is the absolutely god tier self titled debut album from Progressive/Tech Noir Metal Trio The Enigma Division, the band features the sublime talents of Conor McGouran (Ex Xerath),on Guitar/Keyboards,Ronan Burns on Bass/Keyboards and Ben Wanders(Ex Xerath, Shardborne & Slave Zero) Drums & Vocals.
Straight away you get the feeling that you're about to listen to a movie score or soundtrack with the Intro 1977 which builds like some post apocalyptic countdown to an event or a story,it's has the feeling of movies like Terminator or Blade Runner, instantly you're hit with a barage of groove laden riffs,synths combined with soaring and emotional vocals on the sublime The Escapist the lyrics have the feeling that a person/protagonist is lost in some existential crisis and yearns to escape from this waking nightmare while simultaneously also dreaming of creating some type of surreal paradise, possibly my favourite track on this album the absolutely mind blowing Echoes In The Deep starts out with some echoing beacon giving you the feeling that there's a growing fear of been lost within a place devoid of hope ,we're treated to some fantastic keyboards throughout this track by the legendary Derek Sherinian(Ex Dream Theater,Sons Of Apollo & Planet X) at times it sounds like McGouran has channeled the ghost of Eddie Van Halen and took the musicianship to a whole new level,there's also a section were you get to hear the full capabilities of the vocal range of Wanders,hence why this is a truly mind blowing track, let the time machine take us back to some absolutely fantastic homage to 80's synthwave/progressiveness on Afterglow this time we treated to the amazing vocals of Richard Thomson(Ex-Xerath) ,there's a really nice pop sensibility about this song it also feels like you're in some 80's TV Programme or Movie.
Aware that the song may have diffrerent stories and meanings to them if the first part of the album was about been lost in some sort of existential crisis then this part is about becoming aware of things like an understanding of who you are this is pushed to the fore with the excellent The Age Of Discovery there's a noticable change in the atmosphere that has become that bit more darker and the vocals have a little extra aggression in them,there's also a slight element of disdain in the vocals like wanting some more meaningfulness in your life, every element that's already being heard throughout this opus starts to reach it's peak on the sublime Kaleidoscope this gradually builds to a monumental cacophony of emotions combined with razor sharp riffage and epic structures,the synths in the background give off a really dark atmosphere,excuse the pun but it feels like you're travelling through a kaleidoscope of life that's taken you into the unknown, now we taken into a place of tranquility with the beautiful Clarity once again the pop sensibilities are oushed to the fore on this while still maintaining that dark atmosphere,eventually the vocals hit another level near the closing parts of the songs. Closing track 1977- Ad Infinitum takes us back to where it all began and brings us through each story we've just heard and takes us on an epic journey like our life was flashing before our eyes you see all the good times,bad times and everything in between but you're totally unaware that you're only a small part of what has happened or is about to happen in this universe, when it's drawing near the end there's an extremely dystopian narrative where we're told about every faucet of life including political doctrines,economic doctrines,beliefs,despotic rulers etc and that we are but a little dot in the universe and looking desperately for someone or something to saves us from oursleves.
This is such a modern day masterpiece,when you listen to it you will hear elements of music you've heard in the 80's 90's and even 00's but what you've possibly not heard before is the way the music is arranged, the atmosphere the way it feels like a soundtrack to a movie or life,the way it feels like some sort of existential crisis, the musicianship on this is absolutely mind blowing it's not like people didn't know about them been that damn good,what alot of folk weren't aware of and it seems to be the bands secret weapon is the absolutely earth shifting vocal display of Wanders on this opus, i know it's early in the year but i'm of the opinion that this is going to be a legitimate contender for album of the year,for me this is an absolute game changer and if i'm bing honest even after two months since it was released i get extremely emotional when i'm listening to it as i said it's being a really long time since an album had such a profound effect on me on a personal level
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.
