2023 was full of memorable releases within the Irish Rock and Metal scene including a few new bands making their mark on a thriving community,i will be including a few who unleashed some quality releases in 2023 and a few bands who i think are worth paying attention to in 2024, i'll include links to all their music in this spotlight
URAGH
The Absolutely mind blowing Progressive Metal Quartet Uragh are an absolute Force of Nature and made a huge ripple within the Irish scene,about a year ago they were releatively unknown that all changed pretty quickly with truly explosive performances in Metal 2 The Masses which saw them eventually make it to The Grand Final and delivered an absolutely devastating performance,they were unlucky not to win the competition but this experience really pushed them to the fore within the scene,not long after the band carried on regardless of not winning the competition with the release of their debut single Decimate which garnered a lot of attention ,near the end of November they unleashed the absolutely monumental single Monarch which was a really huge step forward for this truly talented band,in writing this piece coincidentally i was checking my emails and low and behold there's another absolutely devastating new single entitled The Widening Gyre which is due to be released on 9th February with an accompanying video out on 23rd February,there's was also the announcement that their highly anticipated Debut Album Maelstrom will be released on 19th April, The Storm is Slowly Brewing and i think no one is prepared for the devastation this band are about to unleash.
Not confined to one specific genre the absolutely brilliant Teras have an aura like no other band ,their live performances are not like your regular gig it's more like an experience were you feel you're in some sort of trance and you feel this addictive urge were you keep wanting more,it's kind of tricky to explain unless you're lucky enough to see them, about a year ago they made an unbelievabke impact within the Northern Ireland Metal community as their first few gigs were in Metal 2 The Masses NI competition culminating in them reaching The Grand Final,this is by no reach of the imagination a phenomenal achievement, after this they continously keep performing at as much shows as possible garnering much deserved attention from more people,before i finally got to see them live i knew there was something special about them and on my second time seeing them they done their first ever Headline show with two established bands in Acid Age & Cursed Sun supporting them in the 7Twenty Bar in Derry, they played an hour+ set at this and were absolutely phenomenal,they ended the year with another headline show in Belfast were they premiered a new song Kill Your Idol this is something that will help to expand their setlist for further live shows,recently it was announced that they'll be playing at Siege Of Limerick for the first time at the end of March,they're also taking part in Metal 2 The Masses NI on March 22nd in Voodoo Belfast, there's also the possibility that they'll be releasing an album in the not so distance future,keep a real close watch on these and if you haven't go see them live.
About a Year ago to the day i went to a gig in Fibbers basement for the first Rage Metal Night of 2023,was paying attention to all the bands that night but one in particular stood out that night a newky formed Modern Metallic Hardcore outfit by the name of LaVein, i knew very little about these with the exception that their Drummer Lachlan also plays with Fornoth, it would become apparent really quickly to a number of people that these weren't messing around and had seriously unmatched potential, i now refer to them as "The Glass Ceiling Smasher" with good reason at that,in the midst of all the furore this band achieved a mind blowing story by not only getting to the Grand Final of Metal 2 The Masses Ireland they also won it, not many bands cna say they formed and about half a year later were told they're going to be playing at Bloodstock Festival,also just before the Grand Final they did release their absolutely devastating Debut EP Fine Failure ,they also got to support one of their favourite bands Kublai Khan TX and played numerous other shows including their first ever time at Siege Of Limerick last October,they're currently working on EP #2 and at the start of March they go on a Five day tour over in the Untied Kingdom
THE BOAT SANK
This final band in my first round up are an absolutely bombastic Instrumental sludgy groovy heftmonger machine, The Boat Sank are also another act that achieved alot in such a short space of time,the sludge trio would eventually come together out of a love for Groove laden heavy Riffage in the vein of Crowbar,Down etc,was pure coincidence that the members became aware of each other sharing the same practice space in seperate bands,they eventually would start jamming together(Secretly so i'm lead to believe) ,anyway they developed a reputation for stellar live shows extremely quickly during sets in Metal 2 The Masses NI which would culminate in them getting to The Grand Final,although they are mainly an instrumental band there is version of their tracks with vocals,also should mention the use of samples in their live sets adds to the overall aura/sound of the band,anyone who i've tlked to that's seen them says their drummer is an absolute beast behind the kit and he also has a hilarious sense of humour which you'll come across on some of their social media posts and you tube content, as of now i've yet to see this band live ,this NEEDS to be corrected this year,beofre i close this out i have heard murmurings of a brand new single and they're also going at it again in Metal 2 The Masses NI for Heat 6 on 22nd March,interesting times ahead for this absolutely brilliant Trio.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
As promised here's the second and equally deranged half of the split EP Hey Kid,Wanna Buy A Split? from the sublime purveyors of Apocalyptic Industrial Metal Overlords Organ Blender "You Will Surrender To The Blender".
It's being just a little over a year since they released the absolute masterpiece that is Teemu Khan, also the unfortunate circumstance of losing their drummer has more or less put live performances on hold for the forseeable future,fret not we are going to be treated to some deliciously apocalyptic tunes in a few days with some killer new music, opening track Geronimo! has some of that trademark unnervingly dark atmosphere with subtle hints of dark humour running throughout also as can be expected we're treated to some heavy as fuck riffage and deranged vocal delivery, riffs combined with disturbing industrial passages are prevelent throughout Drugz this gives another dimension to proceedings and creates a somewhat hypnotic repitition, this maybe unbeknownst to most but the band are avid fans of Aphex Twin which leads us to the closing track Satellite whic combines techno beats and extremely dark synths and keys.
Although quiet short in length they achieve a really dark atmosphere with pinpoint precision,those familiar with Organ Blender will enjoy these three tracks; Basically this is a continuation of what was offered up on Teemu Khan ,they've more then contributed to this brilliant split and it compliments what Aborted Earth have offered up creating a Union straight from the Apocalyptic Wasteland.
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