Insidious Void 'Hellscape' EP Review

   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.

RATING: 9.5/10

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Kraik "The Neon Piper" Single Review

   

  Hailing from the North West of The Emerald Isle the absolutely Mind Blowing Progressive Groove Metal act Kraik  have been brewing something special for the past few months,late last year they released their debut single Effigy which for all intense purposes was a phenomenal offering,some may know a few of their members were previously in the excellent Pursuit Of Ruin many years ago,so it will come as no surprsie they've got the pedigree and chops to unleash mind blowing epic tunes,as much as i enjyoed their debut single it's nowhere near the level of their sublime new single The Neon Piper,lets explore the finer details of this excellent track.

   Delving straight into a cacophony of mind bending riffmania backed with a crushing rhytmn section that pound like a sledgehammer,when the first vocal passgae enters the fray we treated to some almost Death Metal tinged powerfulness,one thing this bands implements really well is killer grooves full of hooks with severely crushing heaviness, an element that didn't exist on their debut single is some awe-inspiring clean vocal passages which add a really epic feeling to the overall structure of the song,then you throw some absolutely tasty lead guitar work the sequences are at times difficult to comprehend making this a song full of surprise which will leave you specchless.

  As i previously mentioned i was expecting something special with this new offering but to be brutally honest i wasn;t really prepared  for the sublime quality Kraik have to offer, if this is the sort of standard we can expect in the future all i can say is bring it  fucking on and plenty more please,absolutely phenomenal stuff,on a side note before i finish Metal is alive and well in The North West of Ireland ignore at your peril.

RATING: 9.5/10

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

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

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Shadows Calling "These Scars" EP Review

   Combining all the classic nuances of  Classic Hard Rock with 90's Alt Metal,the brilliant Shadows Calling know how to deliver quality and memorable songs,Fronted by the soaring and passionate vocals of Jen Vaughan,early last year the band released their sought after and hugely popular debut EP Spirit Shifter garnering attention from the publications and radio stations in US,Australia and within the local scene, so not resting on their laurels the band recently delivered their newest offering These Scars, this is an awful lot more darker and heavier then their previous release.

  Opening up proceedings with the absolute barn burning Dead Long Enough you can feel the absolute bombastic vocal delivery tinged with a confidence and a touch of class which seems to be a rare thing these days combine this with the classic rock riffing and you have  a really solid rock anthem on your hands, delving in a much darker territory with the Riff Heavy These Scars while the vocal delivery is extrmemly smooth almost soulful at times there's another darker more personal element with the lyrics touching on the theme of life struggles and been through the struggles of depression and been hurt but with that comes redemption and the strenght to bounce back.

  The Groove laden The Lost delivers an epic structure in it's almost like a classic rock ballad full of passionate and heartfelt vocal delivery ,the music really pushes the boundaries to another level of quality  inplementing plenty of stellar lead guitar work,,touching on lyrical themes of loneliness and the fear of being ignored, closing track Ships combines all the elements of previous tracks soaring passionate vocals,the swicthiung between melodic guitar passages and the vocal delivery crete a more than memrable anthem,we get a taste of the full capabilites of the range their vocalist can hit,especially near the end of this quality track.

  Shadows Calling have really upped the standard from their debut EP and have ventured into a much Darker and Heavier direction, this really ticks all the right boxes for All Killer No Filler hard rock packed full of Attitude and passion,although a lot of praise can be centred around their Vocalist the musicianship from all invloved is of the highest quality and  pulls out all the stops to push the vocals to an exemplary standard,if you like Hard Rock combined with subtle Nuances to early 90's Alt Metal then loom no further then this  superb band.

  RATING: 8/10

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Uragh "Maelstrom" Album Review

 

   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.

RATING: 9.8/10

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Immaculate Deception "The Beat Of The Craw" Album Review

  

  Crossover Punk/Metal veterans Immaculate Deception are possibly one of the oldest bands within the Irish Punk(& Metal) scene,founded by the legend that is Declan Caffrey way back in 1982/83 under the moniker of Dreamcreeper,he set upon creating some of the filthiest and heaviest form of Punk known in existence,influenced by bands such as Discharge, Motorhead and Slayer with social and political themes part of the subject matter lyrically all delivered with a F**k You attitude, for years "Caff" has written some fantastic tracks but for various reasons never saw the light of day until midway through 2023 with the release of the bands absolutely facemelting debut album The Beat Of The Craw.

  Launching straight into the  rip roaring title track Beat Of The Craw plenty of rawness, an overload of speed and subtle rock n roll hints ala Motorhead,there's also a rebellious element to the track, War On The Streets opens with a beautifully crafted lead that has a lot of feeling and emotion in it before you're hit upside the head with a relentless barage of razor sharp riffing, you can hear the Slayer influence throughout this song with alot of the riffing while the drumming sounds similar to the likes of Discharge, those wailing Guitars on the intro to A Lesson In War are ridiculously vicious and set the tone for an absolute cacophony of filthy heavinesss,the rawness of the vocals add a really gritty and angry element to proceedings like some anti-hero preaching for the disadvantaged and downtrodden and a middle finger to authority,as soon as those sirens hit on Spoils Of War you known there's going to be loads of elements of unrest and civil disobedience, the drumming goes into relentless D-Beat territory and the constant switching between mid paced heavy riffs and the trademark relentless speed is nothing more then perfection, Driven To Hell  while extremely raw has a lot of Melody and Harmonics with the riffing and vocals while still maintaining that aggressiveness and anger throughout.

   the subtle element of groove at the start of No Masters,No Slaves adds another perspective to the overall delivery of the album,as you can guess lyrically the rack is about those in authority are condemned for thinking they're above or better then everyone else and society will teack them a lesson in humility, therefore the rules will be broken, the drum intro on Exiled to Armageddon raises the bar to another level with regard to the absolute relentlessness  throughout this releases,at times it almost feels energy draining to take in the sheer speed of this release and i mean that in the best possible way, once again there's subtle homages to Slayer with the  haunting intro to Profession Of Promiscuity once the trademark speed kicks in you'll be thinking you're listening to similar style riffs and guitar tone to Reign In Blood then things get even more explosive with yet more relentless barage of filthy riffing ,this is possibly one of the nastiest guitar tones i've heard in a long time especially when the lead kicks in, Chemical Warfare is the shortest track on the album and has plenty of Punk elements throughout while still having that filthy guitar tone,this has all the elements for getting a moshpit going, closing track 213(The Gateway To Hell) goes into serial killer territory as some may know this is referncing Jeffrey Dahmer,the song has a really haunting atmosphere with it's slowish riffing and gritty vocals, which gives the overall proceedings something different then previous tracks, amore then suffucient way to close out a phenomenal album.

  Not only was the long wait to hear all these tracks worth it,this body of work is a commendation of years of graft,struggle and to get something truly worthwhile out to the masses, if you're into the likes of Discharge,Slayer or Motorhead this album is a must listen,every track is full of quality and upon numerous listen to this offering you'll find it hard to forget these tracks,they say you can't teach an old dog new tricks but the old dog will teach you a trick or two on how to write truly quality Crossover D-Beat/Thrash Metal songs .Immaculate Deception have unleashed an absolutle unforgettable masterpiece with The Beat Of The Craw.

RATING: 9.5/10

 FB: https://www.facebook.com/caff666

Hero In Error "Hero In Error" EP Review

   Dublin Hardcore/Metal Stalwarts Hero In Error have been tearing it up since 2007 with consistently quality releases and a plethora of live shows supporting luminaries such as Mastodon,Parkway Drive and more,despite a few line up changes and two hiatus's from 2013 to 2016 & 2020 to 2024,the addition of Kaan Tasan(Heart Of A Coward) on vocals gave the band a renewed vigor and another level of quality ,all of this culminates with the release of their absolutely monumental new Self Titled EP, let's dissect the finer details within this release.

    Instantly you know you're about to delve into something special when that first chord hits on Enemy Within the vocal delivery is both gut wrenching and full of angst combined with some thought provoking lyrics of self doubt and the struggle to communicate your true feelings, Moths To a Flame delivers some  really fantastic groove laden hooks with relentless drums ,the switching between clean and abrasive vocals adds a really melancholic atmosphere to the overall theme of personal struggle.

  Closing track Left In Your Absence goes into even more emotionally tinged  territory with the delivery of both extremely aggressive and emotiinally charged vocals,it feels like there's a gradual build within each song to the point where the emotions become too difficult to cope with and they eventually explode into an uncontrollable anger.

  Hero In Error may have been absent from the scene for a prolonged period of time but upon listen to this phenomenal EP it feels like they've never been gone ,they've even come back with a renewed purpose and intent all designed to deliver absolutely crushing and thought provoking passages,

RATING: 9.5/10

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