XIII Doors "Into The Unknown" Album Review

   The quality within the underground Irish Rock & Scene just continually gets better and better with each year,one band that have the potential to be huge internationally is the absolutely sublime XIII Doors who delve into elements of Alt Metal,Progressive Metal ,Groove Metal with ruthless efficiency, when they released their debut single over a year ago it was no surprise when the feedback they got from that was phenomenal, fast forward to 2025 and their sublime debut album Into The Unknown has being unleashed upon the world.

  

  Launching straight into the absolute riff fest that is Unleash The Beast,this is full on groove laden passages with soaring vocals and a rhytmn section that flows with a killer mid paced tempo, the lead guitar work here is absolutely sublime, we're treated to some really heavy progressive elements on the absolutely awe-inspiring Sorceress Of Lies, this is possibly my favourite track on the album, those double bass drums give this that aforementioned progressive element while still maintaining those tasty grooves, the beautiful Middle-Eastern intro at the start of Make a Life Again sets a really dark atmosphere and has very socially conscious lyrical output,touching on topics of war,life struggles all layered over thaty trademark groove.

  

  

  When this band first became known was with their brilliant debut single Lead The Way, the vast majority who heard it knew full well that we were going to be in for something special with these,suffice to say this track is only a small layer of what this band are truly capable of,this is a relentless non-stop riff fest backed by a brilliant vocal delivery,also lyrically this is really inspiring and shows plenty of passion, the pummelling drums on Face The Truth really hit hard and pushes every other element from the vocals,guitars to the limits making for yet another anthemic number, leading us onto the excellent title track Into The Unknown,there's a real old school Hard Rock vibe to this while also maintaining that trademark groove and anthemic feel,you can literally feel the positivity as you go through each track with this one possibly hitting another level.

 

  Time to bring in the sublime awe-inspiring rock ballad that is the brilliant See How You've Come So Far this is yet another one that has that 90's Rock anthem vibe with the beautiful acoustic guitars layered with those soaring vocals and catchy hooks that will get inbedded in your mind, closing out this magnificent opus is the rip roaring Inside this flows along with a killer tempo and groove, the leads throughout this track are sublime and add plenty of depth to the overall product and the best way to close out this excellent offering.

 Many positive things can be said about this album, you can be sure that this will be on many end of year lists come the tail end of 2025, this has everything from amazing production,stellar musicianship, plenty of bonafide anthems ,soaring and passionate vocals that are filled with awe-inspiring lyrics and  passages throughout this truly is worth it's weight in gold and will defintely remembered in years to come as a bonafide masterpiece.

RATING: 9.5/10

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Gozer The Traveller "The Space Between" Album Review

 

  Armagh heftmongers Gozer The Traveller are a seriously overlooked/underrated band who've being churning out some quality material for almost a decade,their excellent mix of Stoner Rock laced with heavy sludgy grooves,Southern rock all layered over subtle hints of Blues based rock n roll, although it's being almost 9 years since they released their self titled EP it's like they've returned even better then they were before and have delivered an excellent album in the guise of The Space Between.

  As soon as that first chords hits on opening track Todash one thing that's noticable staright away is the quality in musicianship and overall production, in that every instrument sounds massive,the slow groove laden riffs have a slightly creepy atmosphere,while the vocal delivery has a rawness that is both filthy and fueled with passion, moving onto to the brilliant salvo that is The Great Betrayal, this is stock full of groove laden heavy riffs and  bombastic pace which are driven by those excellent soaring vocals.

  Things get a bit chilled and atmospheric with that beautiful  intro on Gunslinger backed by those raw vocals ,this really ticks all the right boxes for an absolute banger of a track,the guitar work on this is nothing short of phenomenal,this has anthem written all over it and may well be a popular one for live shows,the crushing heaviness of Hinterlands adds another element to the bands overall sound, once again the lead guitar delivers brilliantly executed passages that will get inbedded in your mind, the pace is upped a bit with the excellent Succubus you really get to hear those subtle blues elements with the vocal delivery on this while that excellent rhytnm section pushes those beautiful lead guitars to the fore making for a truly brilliant track.

 

The absolutely riff fest that is Fungus Emotis hits hard and sounds like a homage to Down, although some of the guitar harmonies sound a bit like Thin Lizzy,yet again those raw vocals really reach soaring heights,this is possibly the most catchiest track on the album and has a really bombastic element to it, the dark atmopshere throughout 10 Minutes From Hell is really errie and that bassline hits like a sledgehammer, this shows another side to the band in that they can switch between upbeat passages and a more dark and foreboding elements, closing track Quiet Rain  is a proper blues tinged rocker full of  fat basslines, rhytnmic drumming, Riffs for days and those trademark soaring vocals, this is the best way to close out this brilliant album and is a huge step up from a superb band.

  This a must listen if you're into groove laden stoner rock tinged with plenty of elements of rock n roll,blues,southern rock and metal,the passion shown on this is through the roof and the musicianship is absolutely stellar, although i previously didn't mention the lyrical content has a really killer storytelling element to it that's full of temptations,realistic scenarios that are both surreal and at times drowned in liquor and alcohol giving off that southern vibe so brilliantly,do not overlook this brilliant album.

RATING: 8/10

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If It Bleeds "We Can Kill It" EP Review

 

  One band causing waves in the Northern Ireland Hardcore & Metal scene is the excellent If It Bleeds combining groove laden crushing riffs with an extremely visceral vocal attack, a seamless blend of old school and modern fusion of Hardcore and metal make these a force to be reckoned with which can be heard on their phenomenal debut EP  We Can Kill It.

  Going staright for the jugular with the ferocious opening track If It Bleeds relentless short and to the point best describe this crushing track, Vs 1  hits like a ten tonne sledgehammer and wastes no time in delivering crushing drums and razor sharp riffing,the vocals are full of vitriol and an unrelenting aggression.

   Things slow down a sliught bit with the crushingly heavy and anthemic Revenge ,we're treated to some sick  Death Metal type gutturals which adds an unnervingly crushing slab of heaviness,there's also a killer groove running throughout,  that crushing groove is also prevelent on the sublime  Detachment which keeps the overall output flowing nicely,the dual guitars give this a bludgeoning assualt on the senses that at times is like a wall of sound designed to make eardrums bleed and shattering that proverbial glass ceiling, closing things out is the fantastic title track  We Can Kill It , upon numerous listen to this track(and EP) i always get the feeling that if you set foot into the pit prepare for absolute fucking mayhem,this one has plenty of groove with that trademark crushing heaviness, this is possibly yhte best way to conclude this absolutely crushing opus and leave no cross unturned.

   Needless to say for a debut release this ticks all the right boxes,production is stellar,music hits so fucking hard with a crushing heaviness, an unstoppable relentlessness that will leave you begging for more, a lethal injection of adrenalin fueled vitriol,a band hell bent on delivering possibly the most devastating metallic hardcore with a real take no prisoners attitude,this is a no nonsense tour de force of a release that will most likely will be making my end of year shortlist.

RATING: 9.5/10

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Higher State "Welcome Me" Single Review

 

  UK Deathcore Merchants Higher State recently released their brilliant second single Welcome Me from their upcoming debut EP, let's delve into the finer details this excellent band have to offer us.

  instantly we're hit with a lethal combo of groove with a crushingly heavy rhytmn section ,once the vocals take centre stage you can start to feel a really dark and unnerving atmosphere designed to create a really dystopian aura, the vocals switch from deep gutturals to a really aggressive beatdown style which adds to the whole dystopian atmopshere, you also get the feeling that there's an element of egocnetric and psychotic thought patterns at play here, the musicianship throughout this is executed brilliantly and is a taste of things to come.

  There's plenty of strong and memrable qualities at play here and would be worth your while to keep a really close watch on Higher State,who for all intense purposes know how to combine all the best elements of Crushing Death Metal with modern Deathcore, if you like groove laden crushing heaviness then look no further then this brilliant single,if this is the standard to expect from their upcoming EP we're definitely in for a proper slab of heaviness.

RATING: 8.5/10

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Mourning Of The Heretic "To The Shadows Bethrothed" Album Review

    Back around 2010 in the North East City of Derry would see the inception of the brilliant Gothic/Horror Inspired Black/Dark Metal outfit Mourning Of The Heretic two highly regarded EP's would follow in 2013 & 2016 after the band would go on extended hiatus until just over a year ago with the release of the excellent single Within The Night,fast forward to now and the band are on the cusp of releasing their highly anticipated debut album To The Shadows Bethrothed ,let's delve into the horrors and tales of terror within this phenomenal offering.

   

   The haunting and chilling atmosphere on the opening track The Ghost Who Loved Me combine melodic passages with a dark romanticism while the vocals have the effect of sending spine tingling fear through your thought passages likes some kind of nightmarish tale, the spooky atmosphere on A Heart so Black is both eerie and tense while the lo-fi melodic riffing push all these elements to the fore brilliantly, the piano intro on In My Arms creates a really melancholic and almost tragic atmopshere before launching into extrtmely dark and harrowing passages full of raw and heavy riffs while there's a sinister element running through the vocal delivery,this track offers something different from the previous tracks including at times some sort of burning embers is present in the background, Meridian has plenty of Gothic inspired tragicness running thoughout with a killer fast paced fully sounding melodic riffs that give the track a really majestic vibe.

   When you think you're settling into some sort of familarity we're treated to the absolutely phenomenal My Last Sunrise with has a supremely brilliant atmopshere and relentless riffing that at times reminds me of early Xasthur combined with subtle hints of Cradle Of Filth,this for me is possibly one of the standout offerings on this album,this is like some sort of tragic vampiric tale which adds to the whole horror inspired aura of proceedings, sticking to more atmospheric balck metal passages with the brilliant Possessed once again the guitar playing on this is  absolutely sublime which is further aided by the presence of the key arrangements which add a beautiful symphonic ochestration full of magnificence and bravado, that sort of symphonic majesticness is really prevelent on She Is Death ,the vocals are really pushed to the fore on this while we get even more sublime guitar wizardry,the further you go into this album the darker and more foreboding it becomes, the brilliant closing track Within The Night really implements the Gothic Rock influences within the band,once again that bravado sounding element is implemented to the full extent making this a really memorable and brilliant offering while also having that vampiric theme driving the atmopshere to another level,the lead near the end of the track is brilliantly executed ,possibly the best way to end this magnificent opus.

 

   Despite the seven year hiatus and numerous line up changes not only have Mourning Of The Heretic captured the essence present on the previous releases they've unleashed a really brilliant opus,this is a must listen if you enjoy Tales of tragedy,horror,vampires and a dark and gothic romanticism with subtle odes to Nosferatu, while combining elements of atmopsheric black metal,gothic rock and theatrical pasaages full of pomp and bravado that grabs your undivided attention.

RATING: 8.8/10

  

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Urban Death "Abstention" EP Review

    At the onset of 2023 the devastating hardcore infused death metal duo Urban Death would release two very overlooked ep's in Desolate and Devastate ever since then the band have been working dilligently behind the scenes to deliver an even more devastating and fuller sound,this has come to fruition with their third ep Abstention ,also the addition of a lead vocalist and bass player is a huge contributing factor to the quality on offer with this excellent output.

   Commencing proceedings is the haunting intro of the title track Abstention ,combining a very gloomy atmosphere and a spoken word dialogue that talks about societal probelms that create a subtle dystopian aura, Dead in the Water delivers crushing blows like a sledgehammer while combining death metal vocals with lacerating riffs ,the backing vocals are vile and give a nasty element to the track, the broad range of multiple vocals on Concrete Vial create an obliterating and crushing wall of souind that has plenty of hardcore style breakdowns ,the brief spoken word interlude just after the halfway point implements that dystopian atmopshere that was present on the intro.

   The short sharp shock of the relentless Liar  is an absolute audio assualt on the senses,something that becomes apparent(if you've listened to the previous ep's) is the addition of a lead vocalist gives the guitarist and drummer freddom to implement extremely visceral backing vocals which adds a whole new atmopshere to the bands overall sound, this becomes even more noticable on possibly my favourite track on this release Glad there's a killer groove and breakdown that hints at a modern hardcore element ,maybe this is a thing the band will explore more in the future, closing track Blind combines black metal and shouting hardcore vocals all layered behind those devastating gutturals ,once again this shows no let up in pace and shows the band exploring a broad range of elements that most likely be better on future releases.

  Abstention shows a massive step up in quality from the band ,the addition of a lead vocalist and bassist has really helped with this and added a whole new dimension to the bands overall sound,although previous releases were excellent for that era of the band this really blows it out of the park,prepare for a new level of devastation from this really interesting band,i for one am looking forward to see what sort of output Urban Death show us in the not too distant future.

RATING: 8/10

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Snowblind "Shapes In The Trees" EP Review

 

    Over a decade ago a potentially sublime band would come to fruition,this very band is the brilliant Progressive Metal trio Snowblind their early sound was a mix of Thrash Metal in the vein of Megadeth with subtle progreesive leanings in the mould of Rush,these two influences still hold true to this day but their sound has become more expansive and musically they've matured one thousand fold, although their last release was a really long nine years ago,they would still play live pretty regularly including at the renowned Bloodstock Festival in the UK, it will all become apparent why they took so long to bring out the absolutely phenomenal new EP Shapes In The Trees.

  Kicking it off with the infinitely epic title track Shapes In The Trees nothing will prepare you for the absolutely mental time signatures and genre defying gymnastics throughout this, the start sounds similar to something Rush would do then they launch into a really heavy passage that harks back to their early thrash influences,a new element they've introduced which is a huge but welcome curveball is the twin Vocals from Ian McKeon( like a mix of Di'Anno & Geddy Lee) & Sean Boland which sees them switching between really aggressive and soaring vocals to a more Blues/Rock Based Vocal delivery that shows an ode to Thin Lizzy or Budgie,also there's some sort of Psychedelic element to the lyrical and structure of the song which can be best described as like some Hullucinogenic dream were you go between been relaxed and like been lost in some nightmarish dream that you can't escape,the twin vocals help to portray this brilliantly, we treated to some real old school rock tendnecies on Barrow Wight that also have subtle sludge hints similar to mid era Mastodon, there's also plenty of massive homages to Thin Lizzy & Gary Moore with the absolutely killer Guitar work,already two song in you can feel yourself getting lost in the sheer volume of all that is going on,at times it's just so immersive and mind boggling you just need to let it all sink in.

 

   

The blues tinged elements of Burning Red are totally mesmerizing and hint at more old school rock escapades which sound both retro and modern at the same time,everything throughout this oozes quality,the melody and harmonies combined with the sublime drumming of Jake McCarthy drive this in a different territory then the previous tracks,it's almost like some love story gone wrong were you've been through a lot of heartache and  struggle, The shortest and catchiest song on the EP is the brilliant groove laden Primal Spy this has a  real air of confidence and swagger about it with the delivery of the vocals and music, again this one owes an ode to old school rock, closing track Go Forth has a great combo of Traditional Heavy Metal reminiscent of early Iron Maiden,especially with McKeon's vocal delivery,also the guitar harmonies hint at this as well, this gives the overall product a really cool nostalgic vibe while still having plenty of modern elements for your listening pleasure.

 

  

  Despite such a long period between releases Snowblind really have come of age and delivered an absolutely mind blowing masterpiece of epic proportions, anyone who was doubting they'd capture the essence of what they were doing 8/9 years ago will be hugely mistaken this just renders everything they've done before almost obsolete,that's not a condemnation of their earlier work but this release is flawless to me,everytime i listen  to it on i discover something new ,this is definitely a true contender for EP of the year within the Irish Rock & Metal Scene and verifies why Snowblind have always being highly thought of,long may it continue for years to come.

RATING:10/10

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