Bands To Watch for 2024(Part 2: The 90's Grunge/Alt Metal/Rock Revival)

  

Not only is there a plethora of quality acts geared towards the more extreme intracies of Metal within the underground Irish Scene,it's become apparent to me that there is also absolutely fantastic acts delving into 90's inspired Hard Rock,Alternative Metal,Grunge and Psychedelic Rock/Grunge,most of our burgeoning bands are aware of quality established acts like Vendetta Love, Ritual Effect and Skypilot, some of the bands i'm going to be mentioning in this piece do have members who have previous long term experience in bands so they'll be no strangers to working in a recording capacity as well as playing live shows

SOLOTHURN

 

  During the later half of 2023 i became aware of this band when i was doing my usual searching for bands to play on my weekly segment on Metal Messiah Radio and noticed a couple of demo tracks (works in progress) on their bandcamp,at first  i wasn't aware of the fact that these were not officially released,anyway a couple of weeks later they would release a killer music video for the track Sentience Fades around this time i was sent an advance on their three track EP Servitude and was absolutely blown away by the difference from the demos to the finished mix and mastering release, usually when a release comes out in the later stages of the year it tends to get lost in the mix and people are unaware of it, when i was compiling my end of years list this was really unlucky to miss out on my top 10 EP's of The Year within the Irish Scene; Their first ever live performance would take place in Limerick in Pharmacia with War Of Attrition,Cell Games and Goblin and Shark Tooth which was organised by the brilliant A.L.M Promotions(there may be a future piece about them),Two weeks into the new year they would release another Video/Visualizer for the track Servitude,this came out just before their first gig on their home turf Belfast at Metal 2 The Masses NI Heat 1 along with Astralnaut,Devilsome and Delusional Silence, along with Astralnaut theythankfully made it through the heat and onto to the Semi Final a brilliant achievement considring it was only their second live show, the future looks promising for these and i'm sure they've been working on some more quality new material.

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

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

TRIGGERTONE

 Fusing Rock and Grunge with  Psychedelic elements Northern Irish Trio TriggerTone create a pretty unique sound, tinged with a rawness not far removed from early 90's Grunge in the vein of Stone Temple Pilots,Alice In Chains and Mother Love Bone ,during the earlier part of 2023 the band were working on material and were releasing singles on a staggered basis which would culminate with the release of their excellent debut EP Infrared:Ultraviolet, the band have been gigging pretty regularly ever since the release of their EP, they have taken a short break from gigging to enter Manor Park Studio  to record EP  #2 ,i've been lucky eneough to hear some of this material and for all intense purpoises they're sounding even better then the material on their debut release,they even been kind enough to drop a new single  Machine which is exceptionally good,who knows they may drop this EP before the take part in Metal 2 The Masses NI alongside Teras,The Boat Sank and Saffron Gorman on March 22nd in Voodoo, the future is bright for this Trio and hopefully they get more traction this year.

 FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100087345019623

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

SHADOWS CALLING

  Cork Natives Shadows Calling are a fantatstic Hard Rock act full of rawness and fueled with an unquenchable passion and energy,taking all the good parts from 80's Hard Rock and 90's Alt Metal this creates a lethal combo grabbing the listeners attention, the band was formed by Darren O'Keefe and fronted by his sister jen Vaughan ,they released their fantastic debut EP Spirit Shifter almost a year ago and it has recieved huge praise from alot of media and radio stations throughout the world,it's a testatment to how good and far reaching it is,at time Jen's vocal style reminds me of Skin from the English Alt Metal/Rock act Skunk Anasie,then you add to that the raw stripped down 80's style riffing you're treated to something relatable and nostalgic at the same time,this band are a real force to be reckoned with,i believe EP #2 is been worked on at the moment ,really look forwrd to hearing that ,also should mention tomorrow they're playing at In The Pit Festival  with other quality local acts.

FB: https://www.facebook.com/shadowscalling13

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

BARMP

Raw,Bombastic and adrenalin fueled armed with riffs and ready to unleash a barage of quality Wexford Trio Barmp are extremely good,this is not me blowing smoke or just spewing out meaningless superlatives they really are that good,members have a wealth of experience playing in other bands throughout the years(i'm not familair with any of them unfortunately) anyway the band dropped their absolutely phenomenal Self Titled debut EP at the start of June last year ,if you haven't heard it you really are missing out,it's like they took elements 90's Grunge in the vein of  Nirvana and Alice In Chains and combined it with elements of Queens Of The Stone Age and Helmet with seamless efficiency, a band with undoubted takent and definitely worth checking out.

FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091524931834

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

MOTIONSICKNESS

the fantastic Female Fronted Alt Rock/Punk Outfit MotionSickness are based within the midlands town of Portlaoise and are part of a strong collective of bands from that area whi are creating a somewhat stellar alternative scene outside of the capital,In Bonnie Lalor they have a truly emotive and brilliant vocalist also backed the bands Guitarist Kara Moore they wirte quality lyrical/musical content touching on themes of social struggle and personal issues and do so with passion and stripped down raw aggression,although they've recently had a few line up changes this hasn't detterred them one bit and they continue to write stellar music,in a live enviroment is where they really shine you get to witness the full force of how good they are ,they have a brand new single coming out the 29th February entitled Agora, they also due to take part in Metal 2 The Masses Ireland Showcase 8 on 9th March.

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

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

ARES REDEMPTION

Another band from the Midlands is the Alt Rock/Grunge outfit Ares Redemption,founding memeber and main songwirter  Jack Eakin worte alot of the  bands material over a period of years and would eventually assemble a full band,unlike all the other bands within the alt rock/grunge scene Ares Redemption have a more atmospheric and emotional feel to their sound,this is very prevelent in their live shows  and grabs your attention from start to finish,it's more of an experience then an actual show,they just released a quality new single Black Spider just last week and i hear there's an EP in the works. you can also catch them at Metal 2 The Masses Ireland Showcase 7 on March 2nd.

FB: https://www.facebook.com/aresredemption555

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

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/

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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/

 

Asylum Road "The Fear" EP Review

 

  Derry is a City full of History and Tradition and has seen alot of bands/artists cut their trade throughout the years,although there has been a slight decline with regard to rock or Metal bands,the absolutely brilliant Asylum Road  are here to spearhead a revival of quality bands in the North West region of Ireland and are on the cusp of releasing their brilliant debut EP  The Fear.

 

    

 Straight away the heft is unleashed with the meaty riff infused Malignant, this ones a mid paced ultra heavy offering from start to finish, the vocal delivery is full of aggression and angst ridden vitriol. the best possible way to open up proceedings, Hyperfixated is full of technical riffing and is possibly the fastest track on the EP ,there's a lot more aggression in the vocal delivery .the rhytmn section of bass and drum are executed with razor sharp precision on this track.

  What was the launch single when the band started promoting the EP the absolutely brilliant The Fear touching on the theme of going out drinking for the night and getting nightmarish thoughts and anxiety from drinking too much; it's no secret the bands vocalist Darryn McCartney is a massive Pantera fan and that influence is extremely prevelent on this track(Dimebag would be proud) ,plenty of groove,riffs and heft going on here, Changing of The Tide is another groove laden monster full of extremely passionate vocal passages a nice new element which shows a more emotional element to their overall sound.

  The closing track Requiem is possibly the most emotional and heartfelt track on this phenomenal release.it's almost like a ballad with subtle hints and an ode to Cemetary Gates this track is an accumalation of everything touched upon in this release,emotion,quality musicianship,heaviness and aggression,i wouldn't usually say this about a release but the order of the songs are perfectly sequenced to the point that the band gradually build an atmosphere with each songs making it like a complete storyboard of emotions and real life scenarios.

  The Fear is a release worth your undivided attention and Asylum Road have struck gold with this one even if the band are in their infancy of their career.this needs mutiple listens before it really sinks in ,a proper slow burner of an EP, this may only be the beginning with these but it's a really fantastic offering and is a taste of things to come from a band ready to unleash some more memorable releases.

RATING:9/10

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

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

Aesect "Simulacra" Single Review

 

Progressive Tech Metal Stalwarts Aesect are a real force of nature and have been honing and crafting their sound for over a decade,the band have put out consistently good releases throughout the years,despite numerous different vocalists and other difficulties for the band this hasn't detered the quality of what they deliver,over the past three years their bassist Willow has now transitioned to vocals on their past two singles Revolutionary Suicide and now on their mind blowing new single Simulacra, lets get into the finer details and see what sort of quality they've delivered this time.

 Aesect have always delivered quality tunes full of heaviness,aggression and full of  thought provoking lyrics so when i first listened to Simulacra i was speechless when i heard a new added element of clean vocals,this adds a whole new dimension to their sound and gives them a somewhat Progressive edge, lyrically the band touch on the theme of mental illness and the struggle to maintain some sort of sanity,this is conveyed beautifully on the music video for the track: dare i say this but when they transition between the really heavy parts and the clean vocals it adds a really awe inspirng and passionate element to the track, it sounds like there's an inner struggle between two different personalities and a lack of self control and awareness,an insatiable rage locked in a cage.

  This is definitely one of the best singles/releases i've listened to so far this year and  is a taste of things to come from one of the best bands on this wee island,this is going to be a really interesting year for Aesect and i have a feeling we're going to be treated to more memorable and thought provoking material from them.

RATING: 9.5/10

FB: https://www.facebook.com/AeSect

IG: https://www.instagram.com/aesect/

Gravity Well "Delirium" Single Review

     

 Female Fronted Gravity Well are a Stoner Rock/Psychedelic Doom Quartet based in Northern Ireland,they formed around 2019 and have been honing their craft and sound since,their excellent debut album Earthbound showed signs of the true essences and capability of what this band can reach,with their new single Delirium they've really advanced their sound to a whole new level and should be a taster of what's to come.

 

   As Soon as that first note hits you know you're about to be taken on some sort of Psychedelic trip into the stratosphere, the repitive Guitar riff ,fuzzed out Bass and tribal rhythms of the drums slowly puts you into a trance while the ethereal and haunting vocals make you fell like you're floating through a dream-like sequences that you never want to end,if this really is a taste of what Gravity Well are brewing up for us,then we're in for a really special treat,definitely keep a close watch on these in 2024

RATING:8.5/10

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

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

 

Chambercraft "Delirium" Demo Review

     After an almost 20 year hiatus the absolutely brilliant Black Metal project Chambercraft has come back from the deepest darkest abyss to unleash some atmospheric misanthropic anthems in the meantime for the first time ever the 2004 demo Delrium is available online for your listen displeasure lets dissect this stellar piece of art.

     Opening track Full Moon Suicide has a very thrashy aura to it a full on face melting riff fest with grim and nasty vocals ,bit like a mix of Slayer and early Immortal, the proper way to unleash this quality release, The atmosphere gets a little more darker with the Doom Laden and Misanthropic Escapades of Poisoned and Bleeding To Death there's nice subtle Darkthrone-espue elements running thoughout this song,you're given the feeling the further into the track that a slow painful ,and torturous death is been endured, closing track The Throne Room pushes the atmospheric and misanthropic elements into a darker place ,this is my favourite track on the EP and reminds me of early Xasthur and Burzum,there's an eerily frosty aura to this track like you're lost in the wilderness in the depths of an icy and snowbound forest.

  Twenty years later and this EP still sounds extremely relevant in todays realms of Black Metal,you can say it's all about nostalgia,maybe that's true but there's a new generation of bands and artist delving into the true essence of what Balck Metal has always been about,the search for individuality and spirituality,i look forward what Chambercraft have in store for us in 2024.

 

SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1vyJS7y2vPSFOOFe7AWPEQ?si=FUfwriEKQTiKgLk927oUbA

BANDCAMP: https://chambercraft.bandcamp.com/track/last-cast

YOU TUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@chambercraft4092

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

INSATGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/chambercraftinsta/

 

Devilsome "Devilsome" EP Review

   

    For a good few years there's being a severe lack of memorable Gothic Rock/Metal bands in the mould of 90's era Danzig or Type O Negative, so it was a pleasant surprise when i was contacted by Vocalist/Bassist Garth Kidd of the absolutely brilliant Devilsome about reviewing their self titled debut EP, it also came to my attention the band features the legend that is Joe McGuigan of the legendary Gama Bomb who has been a life long friend of Garth, fast forward a period of time and plenty of listen later here are the finer details of what you can come to expect from the band.

  

    Straight away that groovy bass intro and the operatic vocals kick in on Children Of The Night you're instantly drawn into some catchy hooks,lyrically and musicially there's subtle homages to Type O Negative, this was a great choice to open proceedings with this particular track, 7th Seal is a really catchy number with all the nuances for a proper live anthem and a chorus you can sing along to,we're also treated to a tasty lead courtesy of Ex Cradle Of Filth Guitarist Richard Shaw and some absolutely qaulity keyboards from Kevy Canavan, who doesn't like some Sabbath-esque with the ultra Doomy spookiness of Morning Star this one gives you an idea of the power and range of Garth Kidd's Vocals which add a passion and emotion to the track,eventually we're taken into some killer mid paced riffage culminating in some killer lead guitar work which closes out the track, Necromantic Girl is filled with plenty of intermittent lead guitars and plemty of catchy hooks to keep your undivided attention,this is another one with a potential sing-a-long chorus.

   Possibly the fastest track on the EP with the Thrashy/Punk influenced escapades of Charge Of The Neiphilim, this has a reall D-Beat Crossover feeling to it ,there's also a subtle hint at The Misfits prevelent within this song, the basslines and leads in this one are absolutely sublime giving another positive element to proceedings, the band treat us to a cool cover version of The Zombies track Time Of The Season there's an element all their own in this which shows a diversity and originality whjich shows the band are willing to attempt something different, the closing track The Witches Of Pendle Hill is the tale about one of the most famous witch trials in England that occured in the 17th Century,these accounts always make for an interesting listen and something that's worth immersing yourself in be it musically or lyrically, yet again the catchy hooks have become seriously addcituve at this point in the EP,,the mid paced tempo creates a somewhat melancholic atmosphere gradually building up to a faster tempo during the pre-chorus and chorus which add a more upbeat tempo to the track, this is a more then fitting way to close out the EP.

  For a debut release this is way beyond my expectation and the more i've listened to it the better it's become,one or two listen will not suffice with this, yes there is some riffs and sections of songs throufghput this that you will have heard before but the application from the musicians invloved has achieved what it set out to do and that is create a few interesting and killer tales like any lover of all things horror would like to get through to the masses,this will appeal to fans of luminaries like The Misfits,Black Sabbath,90's Era Danzig,Type O Negative all done with Spooktacular aplomb,there's a dark romanticism prevelent throughout the EP were you get the feeling the monsters get to have their way which is something all genuine horror fans will enjoy,in ending this is one definitely worth a listen.

RATING:9/10

    

SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4b7FCArCl9PDI3VCwUWBDn?si=thpr-6Q9RkaRkjJvzpC5EQ

BANDCAMP: https://devilsome.bandcamp.com/

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

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064125878450

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