Editorial

Matthew Moore Editor

Three issues into Northern Blaze now and still the most commonly asked question I get is why I only cover Irish bands. Now seeing as these people tend to have not given the time to appreciate Irish Metal, or tend to dismiss all local bands out of hand I can see why Northern Blazes parochial focus might be mistaken for mindless scene-patriotism. Well I would like to take this opportunity to assure the cynics that it is not. Ive never really understood praising a band simply because of a shared nationality- that is not what Northern Blaze is about. Take Terrorizer UKs recent feature on the current wave of British Death(core)- I really think some sort of misplaced pride must have been at work over real conviction when the magazine suggested that Trigger The Bloodshed and Annotations Of An Autopsys record sales constitute a scene in greater health than British death was in the early 90s with Napalm Death and Carcass, or in the early 00s with Gorerotted and Akercocke. I honestly hope these journos dont actually believe that such passable material being lapped up by a transient audience who will in all likelihood move onto pretending to love Black Metal when this teen-angsty film adaptation of Lords Of Chaos comes out makes a stronger scene than the UK had when bands with real integrity and great material like Cancer and Benediction were kicking about. I will concede that a lot of these bands are technically gifted and they probably do believe in what they are doing but I think I speak for a lot of Death Metal fans when I say they are yet to convince me. Conventional musical talent does have a place in Death Metal, but is not an essential component; passion, honesty and yes, an image or aura that says we live, breathe and shit Death Metal are however. And then there is that certain

je ne sais quoi that makes great Death Metal truly outstanding. These are what I see as lacking in the current UK scene as well as the USA and elsewhere, but I can say honestly that I can spot these qualities in abundance here in Ireland. Our longest running bands (Abaddon Incarnate, Putrefy and Morphosis) have battled lineup struggles and general international indifference to unleash their strongest material yet that is more than capable of standing up alongside more renowned acts while younger acts like Warpath and Skewered are proving that bringing a bucketload of gore to the equation doesnt mean your music has to sound terrible. The likes of Condemned and Slave Zero are managing to create Death Metal with a real individual flair whilst Overoth and Existing Threat are revelling in their old school to the bone approach which is ironically twice as compelling than most of the modern junk. Lastly Lesshelp and Ill Eat Your Face are bringing a touch of fun in these dark times that Death Metal needs much more than Trigger The Bloodsheds adolescent lyrical repackaging of the 6 oclock news. Im not saying that everybody has to agree with me or that you cant listen to these bands if you really want to; this is a fanzine after all- its just one guys opinion. But the optimum word there is fan. I dont praise any band in these pages that I dont believe are completely deserving of it; this is Irish Death Metal and I honestly believe it has the potential to stand up on the international scale.

Contents
PAGE 1 EDITORIAL 3 ABADDON INCARNATE 5 PUTREFY 7 MORPHOSIS 9 LESSHELP 11 SORROWFALL 13 OVEROTH 16 HEXXED 18 ILL EAT YOUR FACE 20 BEST OF THE REST 28 OBSCURE DM HISTORY 30 REVIEWS 44 LIVE REVIEWS 48 GIG LISTINGS EDITOR- MATTHEW MOORE DOODLES- DERMOT GIBSON LOGO- BAS

If youve been reading Northern Blaze since our first issue one year ago then youll know the tradition of dedicating each issue to a particularly influential and unfortunately deceased Metal musician. This issue is an Irish Death Metal/Grind special so there really is one person that I could consider writing about here and that is of course Chuck Schulinder. However I will avoid the obvious statements about how influential he was on the genre; he defined the 80s Death Metal sound with Scream Bloody Gore, introduced new concepts of technicality and incorporation of Jazz influences from Human onwards, influenced an entire generation of guitarists to play to their own rules and not just to the conventional scaleswe know all this already. Instead I want to talk about the man Chuck Schulinder. Anyone reading this with a considerable number of non-Metal friends can probably recall a time when a normal person has stopped dead in their tracks at hearing you talking about your love for a band with a name like, for arguments sake, Dying Fetus. Its hard for us to imagine sometimes how abhorrent the extreme metal culture can be to outsiders and how easily their minds can piece together stereotypes of us being depraved, drug-crazed, misogynist, criminal animal abusers. Chuck ought to be a hero not just for his musical achievements but also because he can show the outsiders how normal most of us really are, that the people who fit the prejudices of Metals critics are in the minority and not the other way around. Chuck was everything that those critics expect us not to be; despite dropping out of school his intelligence was undeniable, he was sociable and referred to himself as a lover of life and even on the

album Spiritual Healing (which in its title and cover art took a scornful view on charlatan religious preachers and faith healers) Chuck made a powerful anti-abortion statement on the track Altering The Future. Additionally, as part of his tendency to write lyrics about real situations and problems later in his career, he took quite a hardline anti-drugs stance and unlike some of his Florida Death Metal contemporaries, believed in an individuals right to practice religion (his nickname of Evil Chuck in the early Death/Mantas years as well as the horror/gore lyrics were nothing but youthful humour.) Later in his career and after his death rumours were made that Chuck (born to Jewish parents) had converted to Christianity and some even as far to accuse him as being a traitor to Metal because of this. While the rumours of him ever being a practicing Christian are almost certainly untrue (the redesigning of the Death logo in 1991 to no longer use the inverted cross as a letter T was a sign of his respect for belief, not for any personal belief in God) such claims of Chuck betraying Metal are simply childish. His perseverance in almost aspect of his life whether it was never playing less than 3 hours of guitar even on school nights in his teen years, his perfectionist attitude to writing material for Death and of course his battle with cancer that took his life in 2001 should be an inspiration to us all and to me personally resonate just as deep as his musical legacy does. R.I.P. Charles Micheal Chuck Schulinder (1967-2001)

With criminally few releases in spite of their lengthy roots into the mists of time Abaddon Incarnate are nonetheless veterans of the worldwide Death Metal scene and legends in Ireland. Northern Blaze interrupted abyssal-screamer and torturer of six strings Steve Maher in the midst of recording to find out why now is a time when all eyes should be on Abaddon Incarnate.

So I hear youve inked a new 3 album deal with Metal Age Productions. Does this mean well get to enjoy Abaddon Incarnate for another 15 years to come? Yes we signed a 3 album deal with Metal Age productions so unless some catastrophe happens with either ourselves or the guys in Metal Age, the future is pretty secure for the next few years. As for 15 years? Well we dont plan on releasing an album only every 5 years. Hopefully we will have regular output every 2 years or so, but I assure you I have no plans on disbanding Abaddon Incarnate, Ive doing this for 15 or 16 years already now so its become a way of life, its something Im immensely proud of being involved in since its conception and I dont think it will be possible ever to lay it to rest. We will always persevere in finding new ways to keep rehearsing, writing, playing gigs and releasing CDs. So as long as Im around Im pretty sure Abaddon Incarnate will continue to exist Has there been anything that has discouraged you over the last 15 years and forced you to consider packing it all in? What has motivated you to keep it going? Not really, sometimes over the years its been hard to find the right people and then when you do find them they decide they arent in it for the long haul and its disappointing to have to keep teaching new members the new songs etc. But all these calamities that happen only really make us more determined not to quit. At times when its been only me and Bill in the studio, with Bill on drums and me playing guitar, there hasnt been any mention of quitting, there is only determination to continue and triumph over odds. And weve been through this situation so many times now we know with perseverance we will get the right people in. For example the line up weve had now for these last two years is our strongest yet. We wouldnt have these people if others hadnt of left. So out of a shit thing comes a good thing. How is your new label treating you in terms of promoting

the album, getting you on tour etc? Have you had any bad experience of mismanagement from record labels in the past? Too early to say. Weve only signed up about month ago, but already were in the studio recording so its all good so far. Problems with labels in the past? Well Im not going to start bad mouthing people but I guess 2 of the labels we worked with (Seasons of Mist and Xtreem) were either not into what we were doing or else had some distribution problems, Sentinel records did great work with Nadir but they are pretty much kept busy up in running the shop so I dont think the resources or time is there to promote and advertise an Abaddon release. No tour support yet and we basically book our own shows, weve managed to secure 3 festivals next summer and hopefully a small euro tour is in the pipeline also. Speaking of your past I have to mention the late great Miezcko Talarczyk (RIP) of Nasum who worked as your producer. What are your fondest memories of working with him? How did you feel when he passed away? Well he was a sarcastic ironic bastard, fun to joke around with. He was an excellent engineer, very professional as well. When he passed away it was a shock that someone who youve worked with and someone who is so young can be just snuffed out like that but at the end of the day everybody dies so death is no big deal to me really, just another stage in the course of life. Just pretty shocking someone so young and in their prime can just be wiped off the face of the earth. Nasum were doing really well too with big support from Relapse and huge album sales and his engineering work was taking off to with some pretty big names planning to work with him in the studio. Its unfortunate when anybody dies but its a fact of life we must all face really. And now for the present. What makes this album different from previous Abaddon Incarnate releases? How do you think it compares to your previous output (be honest)?

Well its not finished yet, at the moment weve only got drums, bass and my rhythm guitar tracks down, next week Bill will do his Guitar tracks and we will all do our vocals and solos and mix the following week. The difference between this and previous releases? Well its still Abaddon Incarnate, Its blasting full throttle all the way through except for maybe one breaker song. I can tell you now that Johnnys drumming is pretty fucking tight and hes started using this new technique called gravity blasts Well, maybe its not so new but Im an old bastard and its new to me. Hah. Wait till you hear the speed of these blasts. Its going to rip your face off. I think this is probably going to be the best release yet, we are very happy with the song writing and the ethos behind the songs. Unfortunately Dark Crusade was very rushed. It was written and recorded in 6 months, so I feel a lot of the content was poor and a lot of it shouldnt have even been there. Nadir was pretty brutal but again the song writing is better on this new one. A regards our first CD. I cant listen to The Last Supper anymore, the playing is so fucked up, I think we were all still pissed drunk from the night before when we recorded that live back in 1998. I remember standing in the live room with my guitar falling to shit, feeling really fucking hungover when we were blasting that shit out. A lot of people say they want another Last Supper, well Im afraid its not going to happen, unless we do a live album sometime (which is probably on the cards by the way). How do you approach the process of writing a new album? What were the lyrical influences behind this record? Well one of us may have a guitar riff, and someone else will have another, then we need some grind riffs to stick them together to make a song, someone else will have a breakdown idea and that gets thrown in there as well. Johnny writes all the drum stuff and he has ideas of what to do with changing notes here or there. So musically the writing is a joint effort across the board. And if someone doesnt like something it gets binned. Im handling all the lyrics this time, so the lyrics are pretty focused and there is no misogynistic, gore, stuff going on like on other releases. The lyrics on Dark Crusade where a load of shit really with 4 or 5 exceptions The songs on this release deal with 100% with the occult. Ive wanted a release like this since we started the band so Im happy I get to handle all the lyrics this time. I get my influences from reading the literature and corresponding with various Satanic/ Left hand path groups, such as Temple of THEM, Covenline and reading some of the non-political esoteric old stuff from the Order of Nine Angles, OSV. Ive also being reading up on some left hand path Hinduism. I shared a flat with a pretty crazy Indian guy about 2 years ago. The guy was pretty insane and he introduced me to all sorts of sinister esoteric Hinduism. I also just write from my own experiences drawn from day to day observation and practically living life with a Satanic attitude. Also I draw influence from the practical real results gained from literally ripping your mental state apart to find cracks through which you can physically look in to the abyss, through using drugs, physical exertion etc. Also a lot of ideas come from spending a shit load of time out in nature, mountain climbing or going for long walks over a couple of days camping etc. Its good to get away from people and cities, which poison and suffocates creativity. The name of the Album Cascade represents the collapse and fall of moral arch-types like rivers flowing into an abyss from which everything is remixed from scratch and rebuilt anew.

Where was it recorded? How did your time in the studio compare to the recording of previous albums? In general which do you prefer; recording or playing live? At the moment we are in trackmix studios in Dublin. Other people who have used this studio recently are Mael Mordha, Morphosis, Putrefy, Mass Extinction, Warpath The difference is this time we are pretty sober. Last few times we were all day in studio and the we went out to the pubs and nightclubs and biker bars until 5am then back in the studio at 10am, burning the black candles at both ends. Its nice to be lucid this once I think. I much prefer playing live, recording is a pain in the hole to be honest. Too much like a real job. And now not playing live. How excited are you to be playing Obscene Extreme festival this year? What other festival performances/tours do you have in the pipeline? Pretty excited we have been meaning to play this fest for some years now, but something keeps coming up so this time we are pretty psyched up. We also are set to play the London Deathfest on 27 June and Blastonbury in Newcastle in September 26. Also in talks with some other fests but nothing else confirmed yet. There will be an album release in Dublin of course and hopefully we can get to Belfast and do one north of the border as well. We have to wait for the official release date to confirm a date with that and the album has to finished recording first before we will have a release date but Im pretty sure it will be late spring early summer. Can you share with us who some of your favourite young Irish Death Metal bands following in your footsteps are? Do you think the Irish Death Metal scene has a strong future ahead of it? Some great bands around at the moment and a healthy Death Metal scene. Nephridium, Warpath, Sarcosis, Pogram, Overoth, and we got to mention the older bands who have been around longer than us even, Morphosis and Putrefy. What will the future hold for Abaddon Incarnate? Are you already in the planning stages for album number 5? Unfortunately no we are not. We are still in the studio with Album number 4 at the moment, finalizing the artwork. We will probably self release a live album sometime next year, we shall see. After next summers fest and tours we will probably get down to writing again, Ive had a few new ideas already just fucking around in the recording studio so the material is there hiding in the depths of my ancient brain yearning to unravel itself and burrow its way out into the daylight. Hah. Im sure the other guys have plenty of ideas as well. Any last comments? Yes come to our album release party, keep your eyes peeled on the www.myspace.com/abaddonincarnate for upcoming news and dates. Buy our new album Cascade when its released. Also watch out for the re-release of Dark Crusade through Sentinel records with new artwork and some bonus material. Thats due out in 2009. Cheers for the interview. Long Live Northern Blaze Zine!

It is great that once again Putrefy are unleashing an album upon us. What have you done to improve on 2006s self-titled? Right Ill be honest about this question. We worked on improving song writing and playing, trying to create something true to ourselves, the debut album were not fans of. Listening back to the recording it makes me cringe when I realise the drum sound I thought was cool, is actually shit. Guitars werent the job either, so for the new album "One Nation Under Gore" we planned in advance what guitar sounds we wanted, I wanted a more natural, but bigger drum sound, bass sound to be cleaner etc, Basically to have everything heavy but with clarity still shining through, I think we did a good job on the new recording, some things arent perfect but we wanted a natural sound. Our live sound was a guide to do this, overall Im very pleased with the new album, and hope everyone out there digs it. Why did it take from the bands formation in 1992 until 2006 to release the debut, while it has taken just over 2 years since to release the second album? the first line up split up in 1995. I finally got a line up again in 2000 that was strong enough to start the comeback. We had enough material for the debut album in 1995 and we actually was offered a 6 album deal just before we split. To answer the second part of the question, if the constant line up problems hadnt been a issue, wed be probably thinking about finishing the writing for the 3rd full length. Are you already in the planning stages for releasing another slab of Cranium Smashing Brutality for future release? Yes indeed, we have started the writing process for the next album. Itll be more brutal, faster, heavier; were gonna push ourselves harder playing wise, but still keep the trademarks

in the putrefy sound. I like to see each album as a big development. About the recent 3-way split, why did you choose in particular to collaborate with Vomitous Rectum and Blasphetized? And who was responsible for that sick cover art? We recorded some tracks with a friend and let Jon from Grindethic Records hear a couple of rough mixes as he wanted to hear the new shit. He said Grindethic wanted to release these songs we had recorded for a gap release before the new album. It could have been a MCD or something, but when Grindethic wanted to use the tracks for a split CD, we just thought why not? Grindethic did well for us with the Lust So Vile MCD, so the decision was easy. The cover art I think was done by Sam in Ingested, Im not 100% sure. Is there any other sick puppies out there that you would like to do a split with in the future? Are there any young Irish Death Metal bands you are proud of you would like to do a split with? The bands Id do a split CD with is endless, I could be here all day, but Ill name a few bands Id love to do a split CD with. Devourment Dying Fetus Soils Of Fate Mortician Irish bands for a split Id say; Abaddon Incarnate Morphosis Warpath Nephridium

Atrax Mantis Skewered (IF ANY OF THESE BANDS ARE READING THIS, PLEASE MAKE IT HAPPEN) Which do you think is more important; staying brutal or traditional, or having a sense of individuality in an overcrowded scene? How do you keep your sound fresh from release to release? I think you can do both. I consider putrefy as a old school American Death Metal-influenced band with a modern twist; old school meets new school. Individuality is cool and that, we try to be ourselves musically and we play what we like in Death Metal. I dunno if our sound is fresh from release to release, but we always will try to better the previous recording. I dont listen to much brutal shit at the moment due to not wanting to replicate some other band I might be getting into and its working for me, I always think the more you listen to a band the more youll copy them if a similar riff is played etc. so Im trying to avoid all that. A little snooping around on myspace will reveal Jason to be the President of a group called NIDM/NYDM. Can you tell us a little bit more about this group? How far back do your links with the New York scene go? NIDM/NYDM is the Irish chapter of the NYDM, which is the New York Death Militia. Its a large group of people worldwide who do a lot for metal in general with chapters in many countries, booking gigs is a part of it. Most of them are for charity, fundraisers, promoting radio stations, promoting bands, promoting the metal scene in general. NYDM gets a lot of shit from people who have no clue in what they do, I just say fuck them. Will Rahmer gets a lot of shit online due to the incident in Poland (in which he reportedly attacked a taxi driver with a knife and stole the cab), and just him in general. What ill say is the guy has been nothing more than brilliant to us. Connor (Brown, Putrefy guitarist/vocalist) will agree he did some good shit for us for the debut album. He asked us to start a chapter after we released the debut album, the Irish chapter is growing. Were planning our 3rd NIDM gig for mid 2009,and hope to have a killer line up for it. As far as members etc. go, apart from myself, Connor is the vice president, Steve Finnerty (Abaddon Incarnate) is the captain, and there is Eoin Byrne (Pogrom) this is just a few in the Irish underground involved in NIDM. Putrefys links to the New York scene goes back many years, Id say from the beginning. I was in contact with

bands like Internal Bleeding in 1992. Ok, serious question; what would be your chosen weapon in a zombie breakout situation? Chainsaw of course. What would you say in response to politicians and sociologists who claim that violent video games, movies and music (like Death Metal) make children desensitised to violence and more likely to commit violent crimes? Have you ever had to defend your art against criticisms like this? yeah Ive had some shit about it, but they should look into it more. Its not real what we write about its always been a twisted dark humour. To safe-guard kids seeing it etc. just include a warning label.,we included a disclaimer on the new album regarding lyrical content to protect the band in this aspect. Certain music isnt responsible for people committing crimes; its in their genes most likely. I dont worry so much about it, our stuff has always had an element of humour in it, it was the same when we did the Presumed Dead demo. Some of your song titles and sound-bytes could be construed as misogynist; what link if any do you think can be drawn between violent music and violent pornography? Do you think exposure to such media could influence violent sexual offenders (the Ted Bundy syndrome) and does this enter your thinking when you write songs? Like I said its twisted dark humour. If people take it serious, well they fucking need medical help......a nutcase is a nutcase no matter what they listen to. Any last comments? Thanks for the interviews, some decent questions for a change. Hope to see everyone in the pit. Thank you www.myspace.com/putrefy05 One Nation Under Gore (pictured above) is out now on Metal Age Productions.

With roots stretching back almost as far as the founders of Death Metal (Possessed, Death, Autopsy etc.) Morphosis were one of a few bands from that era who were unknown by the majority and barely remembered by the minority, seemingly lost to the mists of time. That is, until now. Founding member Vinnie OBrien was kind enough to answer these questions. Prepare to meet your daddy

When did Morphosis form and when and why did you split? How does being a band in the Irish scene now compare to back then? Myself and George have been at this since 84 or 85. It was 1990 before we recorded the Asphyxia demo. We changed our name to Morphosis to avoid confusion with a Belgian band (who interestingly enough featured Christian Olde Wolbers of Fear FactoryEditor), but I don't remember when exactly though. We split in 95. It was becoming a pain in the hole trying to hold a stable line up, and I was sick and tired of all the hassle. It is a very different now alright. The net makes such a difference to the old days of sticking stamps on letters. As far as Ireland goes, the overall ability of the bands is much better. There's a lot going on like Winterfest and other big gigs that would have never been seen back then. It would have been unheard of for Irish underground bands to play abroad....If you were based in Dublin it would have been a big deal to play Cork or Belfast for fucksake.

it, we'd try to reform the band. Neither myself nor George were ever in other bands so you'd need to ask the other lads that one. As for civilian life, it's always good to have some interest or outlet from day to day life. As yourself and George (AKA David Thomas, bass) are the only remaining members from the old days did you at any point try to reform with either former vocalists, Paul Marten or Darren Moore before finding the otherwise unknown Squelch? Yeah, we tried to get Paul back on vocals but he was having none of it. Darren stepped up not longer after we reformed and said he'd do it if we needed a vocalist. As he was a drinking buddy we thought it was a great idea. He just got too busy with his main band Mourning Beloveth and couldn't do it anymore. Some members of Morphosis went on to be other bandswhat happened to those members who didnt? Did you still follow Irish extreme music even while you werent involved in creating it? Pete Murray is the only one still doing anything-he's playing drums with Acrid Nebula. All the other guys just got on with life like everybody doesmortgage, marriage kids. Nah, didn't follow the scene at all.

What led to the decision to reform? What did Morphosis provide for you that your other bands/civilian life couldnt? He's still denying it, but it was George's idea. Initally, we were just going to jam a bit, but we can't really play anything except Death Metal (to be totally honest) so we just said fuck

Some people in the Irish scene speak about Morphosis in

very high regard, saying that the early material was ahead of its time. Without being too modest, do you accept these laurels, and more broadly, why do you think Morphosis were the best remembered of defunct Irish acts from the early 90s? I dont know why anybody would say that really. Maybe because we disappeared a decade ago people fondly remember a band that never existed. To be honest, although there were some good bands back then, there was a skip load of shit too. It could be that we were there very early on and that we played anywhere we could....It all wore off once we came back anyway:) While Morphosis was inactive did you continue to follow what was going on in the Irish scene? Which Death Metal acts from Ireland, if any, from the present or intermitting years have impressed you? No, not at all. When I did start going to gigs again, the first bands I encountered were Sinister Demise and Primal Dawn. I'd put my money on Overoth right now. Do you think the Morphosis reunion might inspire other old school Irish acts such as Abhor, After Life, Muck Savage or Ogre to follow your example and reform? Nah, doubt it. It would be up to themselves. I couldn't see us have any bearing on it. How did being in the studio to record Rise of the Bastard Deities compare to the recording of your demos back in the day? How do you rate the new material against those earlier efforts? The demos were recorded on analogue reel tape. No pro tools or pod modelling back then. That sort of recording is a lot more honest and raw. It's very hard to keep things tidy though as little things like fingers moving on strings between stabs etc are difficult and time consuming to remove. Likewise, with the amount of technology available now it's difficult to know where to start and stop with it. There's a lot to be said for just putting a mic to an amp and be done with it. Half the album is old material, half is new. We trimmed down the structures a lot so the songs are a lot shorter now. It's pretty much the same type of stuff we're writing as before. Do you still have photos and flyers etc remaining form those early days of the scene? Have you ever considered an online archive of such mementos of the Irish scenes formative years? Maybe a couple in the bottom of a bag somewhere, but I never kept any on purpose. We had some old stuff on the band's website before we got rid of it. I think somebody on Metal Ireland was looking at doing something like that a while ago. (Since this interview there is now a Metal Ireland wikiEDITOR) Is Rise of the Bastard Deities to be he only release to see the light of day from this reinvigorated Morphosis or is there more to come? Is this band now a full time consideration? Right now, I dont know. We have enough material to do the guts of a second album alright, and there was no intention to split once "Rise... was done. Its really down to whether we can put the time in or not.

What does the future hold for Morphosis? A lot of frustration and disappointment probably:) With the album coming out we gave Scobes at Sentinel our word that we'd do whatever we could to promote it as far and wide as possible. Considering he's struggling to pay the rent month to month it's the least we can do.

Morphosis Timeline
Circa 1984Asphyxia form. The number of Death Metal bands worldwide around this time can more or less be counted on one hand.

1990- Asphyxia finally release the Conflagration demo. By now there are hundreds of Death Metal bands worldwide

1992- Asphyxia become Morphosis and a single-track pre-production demo is distributed at gigs.

1993-1995- 2 more demos are releases before the band splits, Modus Operandi in 1993 and Malicious Malfiguration in 1995.

2007-present- Morphosis reform with 2 new members, Squelch on vocals and Mass Extinctions Sam Lambert on drums. They begin recording again and building up a solid live reputation. April 2009- Rise Of The Bastard Deities is released. Get it now people! http://www.myspace.com/morphosisdeathmetal

For a band who seem to take 10 years to do anything it seemed like a miracle to be able to include Lesshelp in this issue, even if this interview was only completed days before going to print. Northern Blaze captured Lesshelp vocalist and Belfasts international man of inaction Baggy to discuss the important things in life; alcohol, spides and riff thievery. To start off lets clarify a few things. When did the band start? What was the origin of the band name? Now theres a story, actually its fairly simple story. Mates of mine had a band called Helpless, they did a 2 hour set of thrash covers and a few of their own, and they played in and around Belfast 1990 1992. I used to hang round their practice rooms the odd time and as I had a car used to ferry gear and people about too. But their singer was notoriously always late for practice; he had a hen-pecked relationship with an emotionally unstable girl who basically wouldnt let him go to practice. Cut a long story short I used to get up and jam out a few short grind songs while waiting. Things then moved to the 4 track and drum machine where me and Daff (Helpless/Lesshelp bass player) decided to write and record a demo tape. Key objective was to sell one copy! As well as being around longer than most Metal bands in the north Lesshelp were also ahead of their time in respect to the fact that you defined what a spide was (on the sleeve to your 1995 demo?) Years before hatred for all spide/chav kind became universal. My first question therefore is with your uncanny ability to lead public opinion did you ever consider careers in politics? I first heard the term spide in or around 1990, though obviously spides existed, just no one had though to give their social grouping a name. Chav does indeed come a lot later. Ill be honest when I see what passes for local and regional politics I dont reckon I would do a bad job. I mean I couldnt really do a worse job. Could I? What has changed in the camp of your mortal enemies (the spides) since you began? Has Belfast gotten better, worse or stayed much the same? Not really sure, I suppose it may have got better, but their still there waiting in the wings for any chance for a good riot or wrecking session. You only have to look at recent rioting in Belfast July 09, all in the name of a drunken laugh, just makes outsiders think the rest of the country is also imbeciles. As we all know spides love to fight as long as they have plenty of backup what is the biggest number of spides a member of Lesshelp has had to face down? Well let me see, there was the time a bunch of spides hurled bricks at us in Black Staff Square our crime? Not buying a telegraph of a junior spide who was selling them in the square! In a completely possible situation where Belfast really was knee deep in spide zombies what would be your weapon of choice and why? Not only is that a good question, I reckon its a good plot for a movie. The weapon of choice hmmmm....? Some sort of antiBuckfast dispensed via a flame thrower type device I suppose would be the obvious choice. Lesshelps love for the jungle juice is as legendary as the band itself so if you wouldnt mind putting these liquids in order, starting with the tastiest and running down to the most disgusting. Feel free to add to the list; Harp, Buckfast, Diamond White, piss, Frosty Jacks, Smithwicks well funny you should mention that we discussed this only the other day. Think bottom of the list is definitely always going to be tennants!!

Bucky Diamond White Smithwicks Frosty Jack Harp piss old stale piss Tennants You made a mention recently of an upcoming DVD release. Will it really star Johnny Vegas as Baggy? (For readers not versed in British comedy Johnny Vegas is commonly known as the fat funny man off the television.) Did you actually get City Arts Council funding? And when can we expect to get our hands on this? Ahhh yes the DVD well yes, Mr. Vegas was contacted but his agent is speaking to our people and stuff and some people are going to do lunch and have a sit down and stuff. The format of the DVD I can exclusively reveal will possibly maybe be this: - A short movie entitled the metal bitch project about a hapless crew of metalheads trying to get to a lesshelp gig. -The 2002 limelight gig full audio of desk and 2 video angles -The 2007 Katy Dalys show two video angles and some sort of audio -The rockumentary who the hell are Lesslelp? Featuring footage of recording City Knee Deep and the first ever gig in 1994 plus other crap! -The promo videos and of course the 3D promo videos Hopefully the debut showing will be on the big screen depending on the whole Arts Council/Spielberg thing. Considering how noisy the band actually are things have been considerably quieter since the live album in 2002. Do you have any plans for another album any time soon? What other commitments (musical or otherwise) have held back Lesshelp in recent years? Being in other bands, going to see other bands, sharing the drummer with about 5 other bands has been the main delay. There are plans for another album, its been nearly 10 years since we started to write Dont Settle so reckon we are probably overdue a new one. We have around 80 song titles ready to go and music for about a few of them. Do you think that people knowing the identity of the bands members (Baggy has done time in Sludge-masters The Naut (RIP) and War Iron, Chris drums in Honey For Christ and Daff and Marty were in the now defunct bands Nil and Spindrift respectively) makes wearing hoods now a little bit pointless? Have you ever been a victim of stupid laws regarding being kicked out of a shopping centre for wearing your hoods up? Nah not pointless more like a trade mark of the band now. As for shopping centres, no not yet. Did get asked to play the opening ceremony for the newly extended Connswater shopping centre though. Like a lot of Grind bands Lesshelp are known for writing incredibly short songs. On the occasions you do get together to write material how does the creative song writing process go? Which of your songs over the years are you most proud of penning?

Very good question. Writing usually has Daff coming up with the riffs, then we organize a bunch of riffs into songs, sort drums, add guitar and then lay vocals over the whole lot. Usually a rough 4 track type demo first then try and record it a bit more professionally. As for the songs - I love A Whole Lotta Spides, I know strictly speaking its not a riff that we wrote, but the first half of the song is the riff to A Whole Lotta Rosie by AC/DC, the end of the song is the riff from A Whole Lotta Love by Led Zeppelin, which is the same notes, turns out AC/DC ripped off Led Zeppelin before we ripped them both off great. Were obsessed with cheese, heavy metal kettle, musky manky, spides drive novas and of course 195 decibels....... How many gigs have you played to date? Is such a low number due to laziness, other commitments or because there are too many spides and not enough time? When are you planning your next gig? There have been 10 gigs in 17 years; originally the low number was due to lack of drummer, but now its just part of Lesshelp. More gigs will follow. Near positive there will be one in April 2010 if not before. Im not sure how closely you follow the Irish scene but you might have noticed two other bands as potential challengers as Irelands kings of funny Grindcore; Christorgy and Ill Eat Your Face. Do you see a gig with all 3 bands a possibility for the future? Has certainly been mentioned to Christorgy at one point. Dont know the guys in Ill Eat Your Face, but sure its probably do-able, on paper at least!

What will you do after answering these questions? Interesting question. Im going to head to the Rosetta bar and see a load of local metal bands, great way to spend a Saturday night me thinks. Thank you!

http://www.myspace.com/lesshelp

Sorrowfall with their amazing talent, energy and constantly shifting creativity and are a band who are hard to ignore. Now with an overhaul at the mic stand and a stellar debut full length and live reputation to live up too, all eyes are now definitely focused on one of Irelands most promising acts. We caught up with guitarist Chris Collins to see how hes holding up under the expectation I think FMR will still be fresh in everyones memories so lets start there; how do you think you performed on the day in relation to your other performances over the last 5 years? Was the atmosphere different in anyway knowing it was Sleeves last gig? It was definitely special. The Mandela Hall is a great venue and the Full Metal Racket festivals always have a buzz about them. I'm not sure how our performance weighed up to other performances in the past but all four of us had a great time on stage that day (all five of us if you count the guest appearance of festival organizer and our manager Corey Barkley) But no there was no atmosphere as such. We all knew that Sleeve's time in the band was coming to an end and it felt right that his last gig was at FMR I think he got the send off he deserved. Elaborate a little please on the creative differences that led to Sleeves departure- was it a case of one side wanting to take the material in a more progressive direction? Did Sleeve initiate the departure, or yourselves? Anyone who has heard the three tracks we recorded at The Oaks Studios in Enniskillen can tell you that our sound has changed a lot since Prayers Of The Faithless. We have evolved some (dare I say it?) progressive tendencies which have drawn us away from the Sorrowfall that everyone is familiar with. I'm not going to say too much about the direction the band is taking because at the moment we're still discovering it for ourselves, people are just going to have to wait for the next CD before making their minds up as to whether they like the new sound or not, but I have a feeling they will. As for Sleeve, he just didn't dig the new sound as much as the old one. Poley, Eddie and I were all on one page and he was on another. Which is fine, I'm not trying to make him out to be the bad guy or anything but we were trying to force ourselves to work in a very unproductive environment which wasn't good for any of us. Eventually we would have ended up at each others throats and Sleeve saw that and had the good sense to bow out gracefully before any serious conflict arose. It was his choice to leave not ours but I think he made a good one, for himself and for us. Time will tell. Seeing as Sleeve fulfilled his remaining live commitments with the band can we take it that the split was amicable? Do you maybe see Sleeve coming back in the future for one off gigs and the like? Yeah he left us on good terms. Sleeve and I have known each other for nearly 20 years, we've grown up together. The fact that we are no longer band mates doesn't change any of that. As for him coming back? I cant see it happening. Will we ever work together again? Probably, but It wont be in the near future and it wont be with Sorrowfall. How is the selection process going for finding a new bassist and vocalist? Do you hold a preference for whether to have 2 new members or a single replacement who can fulfil both roles? Considering how long youve all known each other will it be difficult to incorporate a new member into the fold? The search is over, we have our guy, one guy taking up bass and vocals. As I type this I'm waiting for him to send me an email containing a rough outline of a brand new song with his vocal and bass track added, the anticipation is palpable. By the time this interview is released his identity could be common knowledge but right now only a few people know who he is. We've known him for some years now and he is a complete genius, a really really excellent musician whom we are very excited to have join us. People who are familiar with the Irish metal scene will be familiar with his work and the ties that he has with us. His transition into the band has been really quite painless so far, he fits in well. Do you think therell be reluctance in people to reply considering the weight of expectation on whoever fills Sleeves shoes? Im not sure if youve noticed, but you are quite popular you see. I think we always knew who we wanted. Getting him took a little time but there was only ever one person who could fill the gap vocally. The problem we faced was that most people who expressed an interest and we felt could take on the role and do it well lived too far away. While there were about three

people we looked at who could have done a very good job for us they simply didn't live close enough which would have just created an endless list of logistical nightmares. We jammed with one other bass player with the view of becoming a five piece. But in the end it just made more sense to stick with four and have our new vocalist pick up the bass as well and so far he has been proving that we made the right choice. So is it Sam then? I couldnt possibly answer that directly ;) lol How much do you think the lineup change will affect the writing for a follow-up to Prayers of the Faithless? The next one is going to be completely different. The writing process we have now is so far removed from our usual method its unreal. We've already been a lot more constructive in the last few weeks than we have been in the last few years, which is good from our point of view. The new guy has already been very productive and brought a lot to the creative aspect of the writing process, opening new avenues that we previously would not have been able to explore. Number two is going to be good. Different, but good, the music we have written so far is a lot darker, a lot colder.

Do you ever hope to one day own a Sorrowcopter big enough for the band to actually fit in? Man, we're going to have a squadron of Sorrowcopters! Right, you must surely be close to playing around your 100th gig together now. Which shows and which bands have you played alongside have been most memorable? Getting a phone call at 2pm on a Saturday afternoon asking if we would like to support Armoured Saint that evening in the Spring and Airbrake was pretty memorable. Also watching Sleeve get so nervous while supporting Green Carnation that he introduced us to the crowd with Good evening Dublin, we are DUBLIN from Belfast!! Being a big Emperor fan I think the prospect of playing on the same stage as Tchort got to him a little. That and he was pissed by the time we hit the stage. I think one of the major highlights for us have been the gigs we've played with Thurisaz from Belgium. We supported them when they came over and played three dates in Ireland and then we went over to Belgium and played a couple there. They also shared the stage with us at FMR a few weeks back. They are truly a stunning band and great, great guys. They cant drink for shit though (lol) but seriously, check them out they rock! It might be difficult to gauge but for all us anticipating your return with pants-pissing excitement, how long do you think it will take for Sorrowfall to get back on the live circuit/back in the studio? Give us six months, give or take a couple. You wont be disappointed. This one isnt really a question but if Poley and Eddy happen to remember Mrs Wynne from good old Our Lady And St. Patricks College Knock, she seemed surprised and maybe a little disappointed when I told her Sorrowfall were still at it. Any thoughts on that?

On the issue of the DVD what were the factors restricting it from being a physical release? And what was the suspect piece of literature about photographing children doing in Chris bathroom? Money mainly. Its such a crappy excuse but we just couldn't afford to put it out there. Also time had passed and it just didn't feel relevant anymore. Sleeve leaving was the final nail in the coffin so we just decided to stick it up on youtube and let people watch it there for free. It was really well shot and edited by Fastville Productions and we are really grateful for the effort they put in because its going to be nice to look back at that night in a few years time. As for THAT book, Poley came across it (hopefully not literally) in this little weird shop somewhere in England. It appears in Sorrowcribs and at the start of the interview as a little goof. Thats about as scandalous as it gets I'm afraid. Looking back now on both the album itself and the launch gig captured on the DVD how do you think youve evolved? What do you think your thoughts will be looking back on these formative moments 10 or so years down the line? We're very proud of the first album. I think in ten years time, if we are still going we will be very grateful to everyone who helped make it happen, especially Sleeve.

Believe it or not she taught all three of us at different stages. She was disappointed? I'm more surprised by the fact that she even knew the band existed!

The unreleased DVD Prayers of the Faithless: Live at the Rosetta is available at; http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=B6B60351BCE47 EF5&search_query=sorrowfall

Rob Zombie once said the kids who like Metal look like they like Metal. Overoth may no longer be kids (although the maturity and orientation of their old school Death Metal sound belies their still young years) but they definitely look like they love their Death Metal. Sitting with them outside Belfasts Empire venue (as inside while theres a rugby match on isnt the ideal place to set up a Dictaphone) the collective t-shirts among us read like a whos who of the best of the genre (Vader, Asphyx, Obituary) and it soon become clear this isnt going to be a regimented interview. In fact before long it turns to little more than a drunken discussion of our favourite genre but before we all got stocious I did manage to ask a few important questions, starting with the bands origin

Andy E (bass/vokills)-3 years and 1 month ago we played our first gig in Auntie Annies. Wed been practicing the Overoth stuff for about 6 months before that. We used to be called Ashes Of Alchemy which I didnt like, it sounds a bit emo-ish. We wanted to change it to Sepiroth like from Final Fantasy 7 or SepherothSomething with that evil -oth sound. A mate of ours came up with Overoth one night. Paul (guitar)- But the three of us have been playing together as soon as we picked up our instruments at 13 years old. We met Gary in tech, our drummer who isnt here today [aside]because hes a cunt [laughs.] Andy E- And then you know how it is, you play shit music until you can star playing better music. Like (Paul) Dempeys favourite place to write music is on the shitter. Like Kingdom Of Shadows [the bands upcoming debut album] literally is shit music. Northern Blaze- So you have toilet epiphanies then? Paul- Aye, thats just how it is. Andy P (guitar)- You cant print that though, thats a secret of the trade. If you do everyone will be writing great music on the shitter. NB- Maybe thats were Morbid Angel wrote all there best tunes? Andy E- Maybe we should have asked them that when we played with them? Paul- On the toilet with as line of coke thats were their influence probably comes from. Andy E- Aye, druggie bastards the lot of them.

Ok, so that may have gotten off topic quite quickly. But despite the accusations about their drug habits anyone who has listened to Overoth will undoubtedly have picked up on their love of David Vincent, Trey Azagthoth and co. Andy P- Our first favourite bands were like At The Gates and In Flames Andy E- But that wasnt the stuff that influenced Overoth. The first Death Metal band I listened to and was influenced by and still am to this day were Morbid Angel. Carcass came along shortly after. Necroticism was one of the first Death Metal albums I ever owned and I didnt but it, I stole of a mate of mine who was a punk. The same with my first Morbid Angel album actually, so if it wasnt for a dirty fucking punk I might never have gotten into Death Metal. NB- Those two arent youre only influences though I take it? Andy E- When you listen to us its hard to pick out individual points of inspiration. But if you mix up all the best old school Death Metal in a big fucking cauldronMorbid Angel, Obituary, Vader, AutopsyIts the style we love the most. Andy P- Its definitely the most fun to play. Back on Pathway To Demise [the bands first demo] we were faster and more technical but on Death Personified we slowed down a bit.

Andy E- over the last 3 years we definitely have gotten slower and I think a little bit more mature. The album is a little bit of both those I think. NB- A lot of people say the old school isnt relevant any more Andy E- But theres so much shit now like Brutal Death Metal, Extreme Death MetalFuck-Your-Mother Death MetalI think soon therell be a place for old school Death Metal again. Once you wade through all the shit myspace bands its the old school bands who sound freshest. NB- So who is there in Ireland who sounds fresh to you? Andy E- Theres only a handful really like Condemned, Warpath, Nephridium, Morphosis, Abaddon Incarnatetheyre the boys really sticking out for me. Andy P- Abaddon Incarnate like; Ive never known another band that could drink 50 beers and still go onstage and play an amazing show. Andy E- Basically if you say the old school is irrelevant, dont come to our shows. Go buy an album by Nailed To Your Mums Flaps or something. Andy P- Its all that inward breathing vocals that I dont like about a lot of modern Death Metal. Of all the animals to make yourself sound like a frog or a pig; theyre just shit animals.

Andy E- I know its not the same with the other guys here but I do listen to some Deathcore. Bring Me The Horizon are actually quite a good band. Ive heard good things about The Black Dahlia Murder too. Andy P- Decapitated are a really good modern band. Andy E- Its a shame about Vitek though. Hes up there, jamming with Chuck Schulinder in heaven. Somehow the conversation turns to the Scottish Hard Rock band Nazareth who were just days away from playing Belfast and I saw it as a good time to bring up guilty pleasures. Andy P- Bon Jovi? Paul- Come on, I fucking love Bon Jovi. I grew up with all that stuff like Boston, Nazareth and Genesis. Andy E- I dont understand the idea of a guilty pleasure. If you like it why should you be guilty? Andy P- Eiffel 65 [laughs]. But I dont feel guilty because its fucking good! Paul- Limp Bizkit? I do feel a wee bit guilty about Limp Bizkit. Andy E- We all had that. Im glad I never had a Limp Bizkit hoody or anything. I had a Blink 182 t-shirt which happily got burnt though. As well as pumping out 2 great demos prior to the album one thing that cant be avoided about this band is their stellar live show, and it is something clearly important to them. Andy P- We never really go out (live) and play something if we havent rehearsed it 100% Andy E- Bullshit. What about the encore we did in Switzerland that was brand new? Andy P- Aye I was already off and back stage and the promoter came up and said youse have to play another song, these boys are loving it. They were all shouting something like UNE CHANSON! which apparently means one more song. Paul- We were going to do a Massacre cover but I couldnt remember how the first riff went. Andy E- So we ended up playing a new song called Forbidden Realm and I dont think wed practiced it in about a month but we pulled it off. Andy P- I think were getting better because were getting more mature Andy E- But its also because weve been playing Together now forwhat? 8 years? Garys been with us for 5 years. Paul- Fuck off. Seriously? That long? Andy E- Ill admit were not always 100% live but learning to cover a mistake is a trick weve learned. When we played Oath Of Flesh supporting Obituary somebody played the wrong riff or went into a riff too early. We lost it a bit and were playing instrumental for about a minute and I was thinking I need to finish this; I need to come in with the vocals. And I dont know if these guys saw me at the sides of their heads but we just went into the last chorus hell for leather and it sounded perfect, like it was just another version of the song. It was a fuck up but it sounded good.

Paul- That reminds me of a friend who got Autopsy on vinyl for his birthday and he was telling me its really good but the vocals are really sick and processed and I was thinking that doesnt sound like Autopsy one bit. He had been playing it on the wrong speed. Andy E- The moral of the story is if you only have money for one album buy Left Hand Path by Entombed on vinyl because then you have two albums. Play it at normal speed you have a Death Metal album and play it too slow and you have a Sludge album [laughs]. This shouldnt make you think that Overoths listening tastes are restricted to the old school.

Of course a benefit of having a stellar live reputation is constant support slots for bigger Death Metal bands who come to Ireland. Paul-We supported Massacre but they were a bit shit. Andy E- Extreme Noise Terror were there too though; being able to support both those was brilliant. Weve also supported Desecration, Gorerotted, the Mexican Disgorge and Obituary. NB- I spoke to you briefly at a Sorrowfall gig a few weeks before the Obituary gig and you were very excited. Andy E- It was a great show but it was a bit annoying to watch Ralph Santolla. Andy P- Just constant soloing between songs Paul- Yeah, Trevor would come in with just a cool wee solo and Ralph was all like oh yeah look at me, I listen to Dragonforce and Joe Satriani. Andy E- I love supporting big bands because we do get a bigger crowd but at the end of the day you just have to play your best at every gig you do. And sometimes the shows weve headlined have been better. Like the aftershow for Primordial in Dublin; there was like 250 people packed into Fibbers (Dublin Metal bar) chanting our name. Andy P- Thats what its all about. It puts a big smile on your face. Andy E- And then you get people coming up to you saying Im glad you organised this, youse were better than Primordial. And I was like; Aye mate, whatever. Keep on smoking whatever that is your on. NB- Any other favourite support slots? Andy E- Akercocke definitely. Jason from Akercocke is a fucking legend. He even remembered all our names the second time they came to Belfast. Andy P- The first time we saw them we had no idea what to expect. Andy E- We were like 16 at Download Festival. Its horrible to admit it but we were going to go see Soil. Soil cancelled and we saw Akercocke were on at the same time so we went and checked them out. From that day forward weve just been the biggest Akercocke fans. Paul- It was a fucking dying shame seeing them on the Stephen Nolan show [topical debate show in Northern Ireland- this clip is available on youtube] Andy P- Yer man hadnt a fucking clue what he was on about asking them shit like whats so great about the antichrist? What sort of question is that? Andy E- [adopting Jason Menodozza voice] Well its a bit of an abstract question isnt it Stephen? And then there was that stupid grey haired Christian bastard you (Andy) used to have to serve coffee to. Overoths live exploits arent restricted to home shows and every high profile support slot they can land. NB- So youre off to tour Sweden again soon?

Andy E- Yeah with Volturyon. Brilliant band. Andy P- Theyll be coming back here soon too. Belfast and Dublin and possibly Cork. We said wed sort out a few dates for them in Ireland and next thing you know weve got two whole weeks over there. Andy E- We get a proper wee holiday too. Hotel, everything paid for and all. I wish we could do the same for them. Andy P- We could maybe afford to give them 2 beers a night, a pizza and one of them can sleep on the ironing board. The restll have to sleep on the floor. Andy E- See trying to sleep on the floor and walk the next day. Andy P- Were not trying to be tight but thats the way were used to doing it over here too. Paul- you could do it and maybe play one or two gigs no bother but any more and it drains you. If you dont get a decent nights sleep chances are youll play a shit gig. Andy E- Ill probably have to bring that Zen of Screaming DVD along to train my voice up. NB- Anything else you want to add before the tape runs out? Andy E- Kingdom Of Shadows. Our brand new album. 10 tracks, one instrumental. Itll be out soon, make sure you buy it.

Not really much else to say is there? Keep an eye out for Kingdom Of Shadows and watch out for Overoth coming to destroy your town soon. www.myspace.com/overoth

I hear you have a new EP ready soon. Why has there been a gap of almost 4 years since "Where Gods Look Away"? OWEN: Well firstly the band had to be restructured on a personnel level. Then we had to learn to play together as a unit again. Also there were a few things musically we wanted to introduce, a few things we wanted to let go off. We were sure we wanted to make a serious leap forward but that has always been the core concept behind the band; progression. NIALL: After the band's restructuring, we took the time to focus on what we really wanted to play and discover more about music in general. We didn't want to feel the time constraints of preparing material for an upcoming gig so we took the time to progress naturally and work towards a new release which we would self-produce musically. 4 years sounds like a long time, but we wanted to make sure that we were making the right decisions and we still don't feel under any pressure to release prematurely. Has the gap provided you with vigour to tackle the bands future more strongly than before? What have you done on the new material to push your musical boundaries even more than before? OWEN: We had a long period of playing as a 2 piece, Niall and I, drums and guitar. From having the full sound of a 4 piece we went back to the bare bone basics. This period encouraged us to push ourselves, especially into the realm of polyrhythms. Most bands work hard on trying to lock together but we were trying the opposite. We've also been developing our ability to improvise. Niall decided to become a musical

drummer as opposed to an athletic one and I shifted my focus on the guitar away from technique alone and into more open, feel based playing. NIALL: I joined the band and remained with it for the simple fact that I felt it always pushed forwards. What we're doing on the new release is no different, despite the new line up. As Owen says, we started looking at different techniques and taking a slightly different approach to music. I don't think our approach is altogether unique to us, i.e. polyrhythms, but the fact that we've been looking at this kind of thing is, for us, a step forward, and anything that comes from this point will be a step further forward. I like metal, including 'death metal', but playing in the strict drum styles of that genre was limiting me creatively, and I was expanding my tastes, listening to older music including jazz and tribal stuff, which has lots of strange time signatures. I think it was only a matter of time before I spoke up in the band about shifting our focus, even just little, away from metal. I think it has worked in our favour, so in answer to the question, yes, I think this period has given us time to shift our focus to a collective progression, which, I feel, is pretty clear in the music. Hexxed no doubt have an individual flair but who would you consider as your main influences? OWEN: For me personally music has less of an influence now than ever. A good book or a long walk is more likely to inspire me to write music. However artists I currently enjoy... Van der Graf Generator, Tool, Behold the Arctopus, Morbid Angel, Mars Volta, Camel, King Crimson, Cynic, Floyd,

Miles Davis, KTU, Rush, Spawn of Possession... the genre is unimportant, in my mind music divides into 2 categories; that which is connected and that which is not. NIALL: I think Owen reflects my own sentiment here exactly. To put down all the things that influence my creative mind each and every day would contain pretty much anything. I don't think it's what inspires you, more how. Hexxed are usually regarded as being quite a progressive band and musically accomplished band. When you are writing material do considerations like "is this techy enough?" factor into your thinking? Does the stereotype of a Tech-Death band being a clash of pretentious egos hold true for Hexxed? OWEN: Ego left this band a long time ago. Actually a core concept of our latest release centres around removing ego. A certain amount of ego is required to achieve self awareness but everything after that should be obliterated. Inflated ego restricts the creative process. Everyone in the band has their moment of leadership but because we've removed the ego no ones nose gets put out of joint if an idea isn't accepted. The greater good of the band comes before an individuals personal agenda. "Is this techy enough" isn't the kind of question we'd ask of ourselves. Technical music for technical sake is probably the worst form of music. Equally, the 'less is more' theory is good but only if you are aware that very often 'less' really is just that, less. It's a matter of appropriateness and learning to play what the music requires. NIALL: We often write music with a general theme in mind, rather than concentrating on making it sound 'technical', and our egos definitely don't clash. We give equal time to each other's ideas and, as Owen says, those ideas can be simple or complex, depending on the imagery/concept/theme we want to portray. How far do you consider yourself a Death Metal band, considering you don't sing directly about death or gore, the usual lyrical fodder of the genre? What does inspire you lyrically? OWEN: I don't think death metal can be defined by it's lyrical content. Do I consider Hexxed a Death Metal band? Well we use many of the tools of the genre but their application and the bigger agenda is quite far removed from the stereotype. Lyrically I'm inspired by many things; but mostly quantum theory and jam doughnuts. NIALL: The only reason I listen to any gore metal is because I find it amusing. I think we don't primarily aim to be amusing, nor do I think we are a 'Death Metal Band'. If someone else listens and says "Yeah, that's definitely death metal", I won't disagree simply because they can call it what they like. The title of the genre is unimportant to me. What is important is that people (even just us!) listen to it and feel a connection with the message within. Is image of no purpose to Hexxed or do you feel there is an important image of intellectualism above the norm in Metal that goes hand in hand with your music? OWEN: There is, of course, a certain aesthetic to the band, for example we carefully consider if the artwork is congruent with the music. However do we purposely try to create an air of

intellectualism? No, we do what we do and allow others to interpret. In fact by asking that question and using the word 'intellectualism' it implies that you have chosen to perceive (at some level) the band in that way. That isn't something that the band has created, you have created that image either through the opinions of others or through your own interpretation. Do you have any particular attraction to vinyl releases or was "Where Gods Look Away" a one-off? NIALL: Vinyl is undoubtedly a nice medium. I own many vinyl, but the attraction is somewhat diminishing with time, due to the more convenient compressed computer formats, and the CD. For this reason, I think we'd have to think carefully about making another vinyl but I wouldn't rule it out as a possibility. OWEN: Yeah doing more vinyl is a possibility. Do you feel like outsiders in the Irish Death Metal scene? What other bands in the scene impress you? OWEN: Do we feel like 'outsiders'? How might an 'insider' feel differently to an 'outsider'? I don't really think about the band in those terms. There are lots of Irish bands that impress me not all of them death metal. Countervela, Scald, SUG, Condemned, Pogrom and many more. NIALL: Yeah, I don't think the terms 'outsider' and 'insider' actually describe anything real. Where are the boundaries drawn? Nor do I think of there as being a 'scene'. In any case, there are some cool 'local' bands that would get talked about between us including Black Stylus, Red Enemy (not from NI) as well as the others that Owen mentioned. Which is more important to you and why; recording or playing live? Are you going to commit to more live activity after the new EP is released or will Hexxed gigs remain a rarity? OWEN: Both are important. After the EP I'd like to gig although Hexxed gigs will still be a rarity, maybe something like 3 or 4 a year. NIALL: With the time we've taken away from the live stage, I think we've become more focused on recording for now, but the focus will swing slightly at some time in the future. For now, I don't see the live stage for us as presenting as good a medium through which to communicate our ideas as recording/producing. However, just as things have changed for us up to now, this view could also change in the future. We will undoubtedly play our new material live. How and when that will happen isn't really on the agenda just now, but once the time comes we will make everyone aware. Any last comments? OWEN: The new EP is called 'The Synapse Collision' and features artwork by Glyn Smyth. It should be available by the summer. NIALL: Yeah, Owen has flexible arsehair. HEXXED: Cheers for the interest www.myspace.com/hexxedmusic

Greetings Mr Barrytron and Mr The Boy. Lets jump straight in; tell us about your new DVD? Boy: Its a decent 20 mins of finely edited drunken bullshit with sweet grind tunes and tasty dresses. It made of crap we have filmed over the last year really since The Clit DVD, loads of gigs, plenty of parties and the usual getting high at home on a Monday night. The Tron put it all together and were gonna throw it out sometime in the summer maybe. Its called The Clitenning and all should own a copy. BIG TRON: The thinking behind it was that a DVD would quickly and easily showcase the band and is something that you could put on with a few mates and beers...this means that more people will hear about us and see us through their friends. We are a good live band too so we want people to see that. Will there be another CD this year to follow the DVD? Boy: We have some hot new tunes alright so planning on doing a full length album alright. Might be called Where The Fuck Is The Milk? but thats unlikely. We're re-recording a split EP we did last year at the start of the summer and then we will plan the new album. Gonna bang out our new tunes tonight in Dublin, Wonder if anyone will notice. THE TRON: Yeah we were considering doing a big album at the start of the year called 'Irritant' but that's been tooled off for the time being because we are so fucking poor. I had soda bread with mustard and mayonnaise on top the other day for my dinner. Next move after the trip to Holland is to release the DVD and re-record with Phil The Cool (our main, MAIN man). Your lack of vocalist seems to be a touchy subject. Was there a conscious decision in the band to not have a vocalist? How far would you agree that in the Grind genre the sound bytes are often more important than lyrics at expressing the songs meaning? Is there underlying

meaning at all to Ill Eat Your Faces songs? BIG TRON: Fuck that shit. This drives me bananas. You don't understand how many times some fucking arsehole will come up to me and say "oh if you were a real band you'd be good", or "if you got a vocalist you'd be cool". It's reluctance to accept new things. Why do we have to have a vocalist? That's what I want to know. We love playing with bands and for people who just accept it and don't instantly wonder why it doesn't conform to the standard rules for a rock band. The samples thing, yeah I know what you're saying, some bands just take the piss. I listen to fuck all grind anyway. I like C&BT and Sanitorium but after a while you need some Diana Ross or something. Cephalic are great but they just do their own thing really and aren't your typical 'grind'. Boy: Never noticed it being a touchy subject? I prefer it; if we had a vocalist then it would be far easy to just do the same old things. And of course everyone would just call us a shite Pig Destroyer then or something. We have a few lyrics there and here but I dont think there is any big need for them here. Our songs are based on stuff we get up to or have done. Mostly things that make us laugh and thats meaning enough for me. You would be surprised how many tunes relate to a certain shithole house we used to live in. BIG TRON: We have songs about violence, fat birds, people with speech impediment, retards, The Pope, wolves, people who are fucking shitheads, whatever. How did the bands name come about? Boy: Something to do with Vinnie Jones being sound to air hostesses. BIG TRON: Yeah I read something in the paper about 6 years ago - Vinnie Jones (the English ex-footballer-turnedactor) said it to an air hostess while drunk on a plane. Most people think its a fun name. Considering the existence of 3 great comedic Grind entities

in Ireland (the other two being Lesshelp and Christorgy) do you feel that this is enough to declare a new movement in the genre? Have you considered a one off gig with all 3 bands? BIG TRON: To do that would be pigeonholing I think. I don't think we should play with other grind bands at all actually. We get the best response at more mainstream gigs. Plus, I don't consider us a comedy band at all. What, like Lawnmower Deth or Cannabis Corpse? I would consider us entertaining with no agenda whatsoever. If we decide to go gory or political or whatever then we can and everyone else can fuck right off. I feel like we are doing our own thing and that's why it's special to me. Boy: Well we dont consider ourselves a comedy band. Were just a band that digs short songs and having a laugh while playing. Dont see the point in playing stuff I dont enjoy, it just so happens we base our songs on our stupid lives and deep love of cans and rotund persons. People find it funny, we have a laugh playing a shouting stupid shit but its not on planned. Its just how it happened when we played our first gig. Why not make it a laugh? Always a good night then.

from me has wanted to ask; are the stockings you were when you play live used or fresh? And do they hinder your ability to play your instruments? Boy: Depends if there is a local Tesco around with a cool 20 denier I can purchase. Otherwise its whatever is in my bag or none. Ya, I cant see shit when the room is dark. Makes it more exciting for me, Thats a lie actually. I just take them off then. BIG TRON: Sometimes we will buy new ones. Sometimes we will use some girl's. It's hard to see past all the clitsprinkles and flange-detritus that clogs up the gusset of your typical birds' stockings, though. They get sweaty and smelly, man. Ever smelled a pair of tights a girl has just removed fairly saucy to be honest. I'm not a fetishist either, there's a real wham off them. Do you drink before you go onstage? Boy: Yep. Some cool Dutch Gold or Bavaria usually goes down in the jax. BIG TRON: I can't drink and play, I fuck up and it's not worth it. I'll get mangled afterwards though for sure. Are you excited about playing this years Blastonbury festival in Newcastle? Any chance of their being a Belfast date soon? BIG, BIG TRON: It should be wild. Heard about Anal Cunt's antics there the last time they played so I'm very excited. Abaddon Incarnate are top cunts too so we'll get pissed with them and try not to get wiped out on the mean streets of Newcastle. I heard it's a hard fucking place. Belfast...dunno yet. We got an offer there recently but with petrol etc it's pricey to come up so we'd need a solid guarantee or series of gigs to do it. I like playing up there so we will eventually. Boy: Ya that should be a laugh. Should be a sweet party atmosphere and just get hammered and watch a shitload of cool bands. I Cant wait to see Joe Pesci and Jesus Crost. Probably hook up with Abandon Incarnate and do many cans with them. They are good men. Very good men. No plans for Belfast. Played up there a few times with For Ruin and its cool alright. Would like to hit that Bunker place again. Sure, hook us up with a gig. Wahey? Boy: No, Im too hung over and I have to drive to Dublin now. No waheys. Shhhhhh!!! Stupid Brandy! BIG TRON: I'm a deeply unhappy person, so whenever I say "wayhey" it's actually a tragically ironic cry for help to anyone who will listen. The same goes for 'yahoo' and 'hurray'. Any more comment? Boy: Were hitting Holland soon for a tour (April 10th - 13th) and Germany (Berlin, June 27th) so that should be good stuff. One lucky fan is coming with, too. The competition was fierce for the prize. BIG OL TRON: I stopped while writing the answers to these questions twice to jerk off and eat sandwiches. Cheers for the Interview!

Were you pleased to be on the Terrorizer unsigned CD? How did it come about that you were included on the comp.? Boy: It was cool that we were on it. We havent played in UK yet so thought it would be an easy way for people to hear us over there. We just sent them our songs and money and it was a done deal. THE AMAZING TRON: We sort of sat thinking "should we bother?" because the money could have gone on t-shirts or something, but then we thought of the distribution and said "fuck it". Our name is sort of memorable also, so even if they don't listen initially, they might read the inside page again while taking a shit or something, and make a conscious decision to check us out. Maybe. Considering the range of your other musical projects, you both seem to have very diverse tastes. What has been rocking your boat recently? Boy: Im into a lot of stuff like Birdflesh, Kate Bush, Japanther, Wolf Parade and Cephalic Carnage. Their last album Xenosapien is fucking savage. That Merryman! Mint. MGMT are rocking my ears at the mo. Love that mini korg. Mixed with The Trons love of undulating 80s sounds, it makes a tasty mix for jamming. GOOD OL TRON: I listen to lots of 80s rock and pop. I really love old pop music, and try and get as much of it as possible. Def Leppard, Cannibal Corpse, Mike Oldfield would be my top three all time faves but I listen to loads of shit really. I really hate Elton John though. And the Lightning Seeds. God I hate them so much. They were so bad. Oh, and I hate Kula Shaker too. Remember them? Terrible. I really like Cryptopsy also, and Blotted Science although I haven't purchased the album yet but I will. I hate the Cranberries. They suck and suck HARD. Gong, King Crimson. I like Earth, Wind and Fire and Funkadelic. Freddie King, the R&B guy from the 70s. Anything really. A question that Im sure at least one other person apart

THE BEST OF THE REST

As much as Northern Blaze has tried to represent the Irish Death Metal scene in this issue with a range of its best bands but there is inevitably way too many to possibly fit them all in. Unlike in the last issue though where I simply listed off all the worthy Black Metal bands in Ireland, I have here provided a much fuller and comprehensive round up article though telling you exactly why these bands need to be checked out now. Atheos them? Heres the proof that Death Metal made by the under 20s can have substance instead of just style. Carnn Rising

Best Cut: The Death Of Utopia EP (2009) Why you should check them out; Because there is usually a big rift between music that is technically advanced and music that is emotionally deep. Atheos are a new-ish band from West Meath (theyve been around but off the radar since forming in 2005) that brilliantly manage to bridge this gap to make mature, well-written and emotionally grabbing Technical Death Metal for fans of Gojira, later period Death and Mithras. Their first EP is due out soon on Underground Movement. Atrax Mantis

Best Cut: At The Dawn of a New Dark Age (2003) Why you should check them out: Because if people knew incest sounded this good there would be a lot more bands like Corks resident supergroup who feature members and former members of Mael Mrdha, Hallowed and For Ruin (and even the RTE Symphony Orchestra.) Of course other commitments has meant a few gaps in the discography (4 years between the second album and 2007s Vercingetorex EP) Although hopefully this should be remedied sometime this year by the arrival of Bituriges, Carnn Risings third full length offering of Morbid Angel and Vader-style brutality, Slayer paces and riffing, and of course the trademark Iron Maidenreferencing melodies. Coldwar

Best Cut: Condemned To Hatred EP (2008) Why you should check them out: Brutal music thrives in the strangest places sometimes and Kilkenny would probably be counted as one of those places. Perhaps it is Atrax Mantis isolation though that means they create non-trendy breakdown-free brutality that is the antithesis to what most young Death Metal bands produce these days. If youre sick of the Deathcore train but are wanting to check out young talent in the genre then look no further. After all they are no older than Decapitated were when we first fell in love with

Best Cut; Bloodfire Sunset (2007, Underground Movement) Why you should check them out; Lets do the maths; 3 albums of furious crusty Hardcore-meets-Death Metal + boundless dedication to touring (mainland Europe is one thing, but how many other Irish bands have played the US

without major label support?) + a vocalist who looks like he could beat Henry Rollins in a bulldozer eating contest + support slots to greats like Napalm Death and Extreme Noise Terror = huge success, right? Well no, not really. 10 years in existence now and its shocking how often youll find Coldwar lower on a bill than Irish bands with half Coldwars pedigree and years of experience. Their greatest exposure? A brief mention in a comic strip in 2000 AD (check out the cell on their myspace.). But maybe thats for the best? A band with this much unparalleled devotion will probably remain underground heroes forever. Also, NB would like to express their sadness at the recent passing of Coldwars Skinny Paul.

Why you should check them out: They may have the worst band name in this article (or at the very least draw for that title with Showered In Vomit) but Criminal Jammage have in the last year become Dublins favourite Metal support act and have opened up the stage for bands as diverse as Abaddon Incarnate, Primal Dawn and Valediction. Now at last it seems the band are ready to take their modern take on Death Metal with influences ranging from Strapping Young Lad/Zimmers Holes humour, The Haunteds melodic approach, Skinlessstyle brutality and the modern cool of The Black Dahlia Murder. Their debut EP is due to be released very soon indeed and on the back of their live show Criminal Jammage are bound to be elevated higher in the Irish Death Metal stakes. Days Of Night

Condemned

Best Cut; And Thats How I Found Them EP (2005) Why you should check them out; The Heavy Metal gods really do have it in for some bands dont they? Condemned have been around since 1993 and despite mixing together seamlessly old school Death Metal, Brutal Death Metal, Jazz, Technical Grind and quite unprecedentedly, Dance music. And do they get the recognition they deserve? Of course not. This band have been dogged by lineup difficulties, struggling to get things released (4 demos in 16 years) and being overshadowed by more well known bands of the same moniker. None of this detracts from their brilliant material though. Look out for their next CD- that song theyve being playing live The Dark Place is a fucking beast of a track. Criminal Jammage

Best Cut: The Sky Is On Fire EP (2009) Why you should check them out: Because they play tight Black/Death Metal in the vein of Dissection, Opeth and Dark Tranquillity which is brought to life on stage by frontman Liam Hughes who knows the power of a bit of theatrics. Like a lot of their fellow Cork bands Days of Night know that playing what you want how you want is more important than fitting in with trends. Plus in some photos the vocalist is the spit of Primordials Nemtheanga. Decayor

Best Cut: Re-Occurring Times Of Grief EP (2009) Why you should check them out: because after 2 unremarkable demos Decayor have overnight matured their Death/Doom sound way beyond their years might suggest making them easily one of Irelands most talked about bands, on the strength of both their live show and recorded material. As if to confirm this lot as a new powerhouse in Death/Doom right in Mourning Beloveths own back yard, the Kildare veterans have even snapped up Decayors Pauril Gallagher as

Best Cut: Rapid Fire Capital Punishment EP (2009)

their new guitarist. Like old school Death Metal, this style of Death/Doom can sound a little tired and overdone but again, both can be revitalised if played with suitable dedication and occasional straight homage to the genres forbearers. Decayor have managed on their EP what Mourning Beloveth did on Dust; playing Death/Doom in its original form but by doing so, revitalising it and reminding the listener why it is so good. Devilmakesthree

crew should be out some time this year and should be picked by all fans of Morbid Angel, Death and Massacre. On top of this Existing Threat are seen as one of the norths strongest live acts, making it to the final of the Metal to the Masses competition and have also opened for the mighty Obituary. Flesh Impaled

Best Cut: Bless By Gore 5 Way Split (2008, Death Mutt) Why you should check him out: Because most ultra-Brutal Death/Grind (especially that of one-man bands) tends to be of negligible musical quality and almost indistinguishable from all similar bands in the Suffocation/Devourment/Disgorge style of things. But that is why sickos love it and why theyll probably love Flesh Impaled too. This is the project of Belfast bro Rik Irwin but despite being more or less a one man band, Flesh Impaled already have a fair few gigs under their belts with all the usual suspects in Ireland (Putrefy, Abaddon Incarnate, Overoth etc.) but also have journeyed to the UK and even the US to play with Putrid Pile, Viral Load, Insidious Discrepancy and more. Look out for more releases coming soon.

Best Cut: The Subservient EP (2009) Why you should check them out: Because this Belfast quartet has proven that a 6 year absence from recording has only helped to better their slightly proggy/techy but instantly catchy Death Metal assault. A perfect blend of Earache-style old school attitude and song-writing, and new school groove and heaviness; a debut full length cant be far off to follow up their outstanding recent EP. Largely to do with the gap between releases DM3 are hugely underrated in Ireland and are yet to start making an impact elsewhere but that could change as they look set to take the Irish Death Metal throne by storm.

For Ruin Existing Threat

Best

Best Cut: December (2007, Sentinel Records) Why you should check them out; Yes they were featured last issue in the roundup of Black Metal bands but For Ruin are a band that belong equally here, or in any discussion of Irish Metals cream of the crop. Starting out as a solo project of frontman John Murphy in 2003 (but with songs dating back as far as 1998) For Ruin have evolved since then onto one of Irelands most hopeful acts. Their debut album December was a hopeful blending of Scandinavian Melodic Death Metal

Best Cut: Hostile Ground demo (2006) Why you should check them out: Because this band only care about two things; playing Death Metal the old fashioned chaotic way and playing it fucking brilliantly live. The debut full length album from this Northern old school wrecking

through an equally melodic Black Metal grinder that calls to mind Rotting Christ and even though the snippets of upcoming album Last Light have lost the hyper-melodic guitar tone of the debut, the sophomore release is sure to be another storming album with the Chuck Schulinder influence stamped even more across this new material. Ground Of Ruin

(i.e. the Chuck Schulinder way) but with enough veering into more melodic (At The Gates) and technical (Necrophagist) avenues to keep things sounding fresh. An underrated but still valid contender for a place in Irelands Death Metal upper echelons. They have also started to spread their noise on the airwaves with airtime on Phantom FM and Near FM in their hometown of Dublin.

Mutilated Messiah

Best Cut: Cloaked In Doctrine EP (2008) Why you should check them out: Because this band isnt constrained by the usual boundaries of extreme Metal. Imagine the melodies of early Gothenburg bands like At The Gates mixing with some epic Black/Thrash la Destroyer 666 in Dissections backyard and youre maybe half way there. Having already upped the professionalism on their last EP with greatly improved production, but still a filthy old school aura, Ground Of Ruin are on the cusp of doing something really special. Still underrated in Ireland Ground Of Ruin are perhaps capable of making themselves known on an international scale and have already ventured abroad to Germany for both the prestigious Way Of Darkness and Queens Of Metal festivals.

Best Cut: split w/ Nunslaughter (2007, Hells Headbangers) Why you should check them out: Because every Death Metal scene needs a Bogey-Man, a mysterious fringe entity who plays Death Metal with Rock n Roll simplicity and who reminds us in the midst of technical progression and musical advancement what Death Metal was all about in the beginning. Internationally this role has been fulfilled by Nunsluaghter and Sathanas, and the many dozens of bands they have inspired. Now Ireland has one of their bastard offspring, the brainchild of Paul Septic and Dan Blood Dog (no photos available) who have to be one of Irelands most reclusive bands. As well as no band photos existing, they ignored repeated interview requests for this issue and even apparently have two whole as of yet unreleased albums which tie together an epic tale of zombies, demented sorcery and devil-worship. Also ideal for fans of Slaughter, early Asphyx and early Bolt-Thrower.

Last Judgment Nephridium

Best Cut: Feed The Beast EP (2009) Why you should check them out: Their EP may share a name with the album by those California Exodus-baiters Bonded By Blood but Last Judgment are a completely different kettle of fish. They play Death Metal the proper way Best Cut; The Great Wave EP (2008) Why you should check them out; Because any Death Metal band can pummel your skull into mush but Nephridium have

the rare talent of being able to do that with well-written songs and not having to rely on constant blast beats. This is mature and technically able yet also punishing and brutal Death Metal from Dublin that rips like Cannibal Corpse in their Vile/Gallery of Suicide prime with a smattering of Severe Torture for good measure. Also, make sure you type Nephridium into youtube and check out their 23 month year old band mascot Jack The Wee Lad. If this band can get toddlers into brutal music then the future of the genre seems to be safe. Open Casket

Why you should check them out; Because in an age where young Death Metal bands sound as though their first discussion on forming was what the band shampoo should be Osmium seem to have gone the completely opposite route and sound as though they just picked up their guitars and started playing with no concern for the ears of the listener. This spontaneity results in an ear-raping mix of brutal vocals that call to mind Devourment and Prostitute Disfigurement, thick and catchy riffs of the Cannibal Corpse variety, extreme blasting la Skinless, the odd bit of Necrophagist-style technicality and even some Illdisposed melodies. Yes its a cocktail of severed bits from across the genre but this Dublin 5-piece has got it spot on. So impressed were we that the won last years inaugural all-Ireland battle of the bands, the Crypt Trials. Pogrom

Best Cut; Rivers of Blood demo (2007) Why you should check them out; Old school song writing, old school brutality, old school band photoThis young Cork 4-piece knows that old school is best. The production of the guitars on the demo was unfortunately a little weak but all the bases were covered nonetheless; catchy riffs and well written tunes la Death and Deicide, early nineties brutality that references Cannibal Corpse and Suffocation, Mortician-style chaotic drumming and vocals that bring Autopsy to mind. The spirit of the late 1980s and early 1990s in well and truly alive in Cork! Open Casket are also an important name in the NIDM, the Irish branch of Mortician mainman Will Rahmers worldwide Death Metal fraternity. It is also worth mentioning guitarist Paul OCallaghan (AKA Chainsawgutsfuck) and his Black Metal side project Diabolicus which you might expect, is also old school to the fucking bone. Osmium Primal Dawn

Best Cut; The Fury of Silence demo (2005)

Why you should check them out; because according to those Nazis over on metal-archives.com this band arent metal enough to be added to their site because they sound too much like Deftones. Apparently. In reality this is a knockout mix of old school Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel and Carcass but updated for the new century in a seriously proggy way that will appeal to fans of Meshuggah, and yes indeed also Deftones. After a bit of an absence these important players in the Irish Death Metal scene are preparing a new demo; avoid it at your own peril.

Best Cut; Rise of Chaos demo (2008)

Best Cut; Zealot EP (2006, Northern Horde Records)

Why you should check them out; despite being rarely applauded Primal Dawn are nonetheless veterans of the Irish Death/Black Metal scene and having served time in bands like Abaddon Incarnate, Mael Mrdha and Eternal Helcaraxe has helped them to no end in creating no frills and balls to the wall Black/Death/Thrash in the vein of Immolation, Zyklon and Darkthrone. Things have been a bit quiet from these guys ever since the Zealot EP but a debut full length is promised soon and Primal Dawn sound like a band who with serious effort could really deliver. Sadisture

together a live lineup with Austen and Walsh. Since then Sarcosis have shared stages with Warpath, Slave Zero, Overoth (hell, every Death Metal band in the country almost) as well as overseas visitors like Amputated and the bands big heroes, Disgorge (the Mexicanos not the Americanos.) After you check these guys out youll wonder how I got so far in this paragraph without mentioning the Mexican pathological overlords so much is their influence stamped across Sarcosis; excessively long song titles, sound effect intros (such as from the legendary Gunther Von Hagens), completely unreadable logo and vocals that sound like a bong hit; everything a growing Goregrind freak needs! Showered In Vomit

Best Cut; Raped By Faith EP (2009) Why you should check them out; Astute readers may remember that this band was given a live review all the way back in Northern Blaze issue #1. On that night supporting Sorrowfall they played well but overall seemed quite unremarkable. Since then Ive seen the name cropping up on various gig posters but that couldnt prepare me for how much these old school revivalists have matured since then, in no small part due to the addition on a fourth member. Already considered a sterling live act, I am predicting that Sadisture will be just as punishing when they bring their cocktail of Deicide, Cannibal Corpse and early Sepultura together on their first proper EP which should surface some time this year. Sarcosis Best Cut: Mind Over Matter EP (2008) Why you should check them out: Because there is something ultimately retarded about the Grindcore genre, particularly the gory end of its spectrum. You can either try to deny this and take your art seriously, or you can take the Scotty The Zombie (sole member of SIV) method and revel in the silliness of it all. The project was started when Scottys main band (the international unit of Death Metal tomfoolery that is Zombie Virus Infection) went into hiatus and he needed something to focus his love of cartoons, tinny drum sound and more or less complete inability to play guitar on and so, Showered In Vomit was born. Since its inception in 2007 there has been 2 EPs, a demo and a 3way split (the latter on USAs Mulligore Records, the only release not available for free download from grindingputrefecation.blogspot.com) but nothing released this year. Could we have heard the last from SIV? Sinister Demise

Best Cut; Sepsis Sacral Carna demo (2006) Why you should check them out; Sarcosis: lit. An abnormal formation of flesh. If ever there was a band name to get Gore freaks salivating then there it is. Abaddon Incarnates bassist Steve Finnerty started off this Goregrind 2 piece with his mate Kenny back in 2005 and then put out their only demo to date a year later. Not long after Kenny departed leaving Steve to put

Best Cut; Eluded By Enlightenment (2007)

Why you should check them out; Like Primal Dawn, Sinister Demise are members of the slightly older school of Irish Death Metal, having been around for 12 years now (albeit with a 2 year hiatus.) In addition to this, guitarist David Knott played in Fifth Dominion, probably Irelands first Tech Death band forming all the way back in 1991. Despite this impressive lineage however, Sinister Demise have so far only put out 2 demos, both of which are hampered somewhat by their production and, to which even the band will admit, laziness in the songwriting department. However, a sneak peak of upcoming material reveals that good things might be just around the corner for a band pulling strains of Grave, old Suffocation and Gorguts screaming into the modern era. Skewered

Why you should check them out; Brutal Death Metal + Hardcore = skinny jeans, fringes and generic breakdowns, right? At least thats how it usually goes. Slave Zero however have created a very very unique sound by dragging Carcass and Obituarys brutality kicking and screaming through the groovier aggressive end of Hardcore (where Hatebreed and Eyehategod butt heads) with some melodic leads to top it all off. And the result is absolutely explosive. Few bands have the honour of saying that their heroes are big fans but both Hatebreeds Jamey Jasta and members of Born From Pain have been seen sporting Slave Zero shirts. You want more recommendations? Check them out yourself and you will understand the hype. Solace of Nadir

Best Cut; Promo 2009 Why you should check them out; Because this brutal Dublin quartet have thrown us something of a curveball on their second release. The band are aptly titled because their debut demo (2007s Homegrown Brutality) was a filthy kebab meaty riffs, brutal lyrics, deadly blasts with some sick cover art to boot, but it contained absolutely no surprises for a band who count Skinless, Cannibal Corpse and Devourment as chief amongst their influences. Their more recent promo CD however hints at something a little more mature. Imagine Brutal/Slam Death Metal as a thick bloody steak; what Skewered have done second time around is they have trimmed away the fat and left us with a slab of visceral Death Metal that the listener can really sink his bloodthirsty teeth into. Forget the more br00tal than thou bands; Skewered are a band who have their heads screwed on and are shaping up to do something really special. Slave Zero

Best Cut; Advance Through Bewilderness EP (2008) Why you should check them out; In some ways SoN are the black sheep of Irish metal being that they sit on the periphery of both the Irish Death and Black Metal scenes. Their EP was produced (very sinister and coldly) by fellow Cavan-man Praetorian (of Eternal Helcaraxe and Primal Dawn) but they more commonly share stages across the country with the likes of Sinister Demise and Overoth. Despite this somewhat misfit status however, it seems nothing can stop the constant progression of their musical melange that encompasses Vader, Spearhead and Primordial among others. Definitely ones to watch. Viraetas

Best Cut; Exempt From All Tolerance (2009)

Best Cut; none yet!

Why you should check them out; They may not have cut a CD yet, and nor do they have much name recognition in Ireland but the one thing this Dublin 4-piece do have in abundance is the balls to do something slightly different. Because of this I couldnt resist leaving them out of this article, or off the accompanying CD. There is still lots of room for improvement but Viraetas mix of groove, brutality and progressiveness (essentially equal parts Lamb Of God, Carcass and Opeth) is intriguing nonetheless and they are a band I am expecting great things from. Vomitous

Why you should check them out; Bands like Warpath are sometimes easy to overlook. They form in 2005 and declare war on the world; the world rolls its eyes and goes on. Warpath make their statement of intent in 2007 with the Gorefare album. Its mix of Dying Fetus-like brutality, Putrid Pile-like sickness and Hatebreed-like pure aggression catches our attention, but doesnt make enough impact to make it unforgettable. In 2009 the band play support to sicko legends Lividity, not on a single date, but on a full European tour. And then to top it off, they release a live split together. Ok maybe there is something more to this band than your run of the mill Brutal Death. I mean how many bands get to go on tour and do a split with one of their heroes after just 4 years together? I bet every third generation Devourmentworshippers from Edinburgh to Adelaide are green with envy. Ok Warpath, you know have our full and undivided attention.

And the rest of the best of the rest

Crucifracture: Brutal Death in the Desecration vein www.myspace.com/crucifracture Cryptus: one man band from Limerick for Bolt Thrower fans www.myspace.com/cryptus101 Dyslucsic: silly and bizarre Stoner Rock/Death Metal http://www.myspace.com/dyslucsic Death Warrant: Swedish style Melo-Death from Derry http://www.myspace.com/deathwarrantmusic Dominus: long running Cork-based Black/Death Metal band http://www.myspace.com/irishdominus Diphtheria: War-obsessed, self-professed Chaos Metal www.myspace.com/diphtheriaireland Gargantuan: Death Metal from the William Shatner boys http://www.myspace.com/gargantuanbrutality Impurium: some good Deathcore for a change http://www.myspace.com/impuriumband Kerbstomp: Kilkenny-based brutality http://www.myspace.com/kerbstomps Kiriath: very techy young band in vein of The Faceless http://www.myspace.com/kiriathband Sebek: up and coming melodic and technical band from Cork http://www.myspace.com/sebekthegod Thoughts Of Ruin: slick and modern Melo-Death/Metalcore http://www.myspace.com/thoughtsofruin Zealot Cult: Serious Old School assault with ex-The Swarm and Victim X members www.myspace.com/zealotcult

Best Cut; Devoid Of Divinity demo (2009) Why you should check them out; Brutal Death offered up on a silver platter of classic songwriting. Not my words but that of Terrorizer magazine. And the applause for this Belfast 4-pieces most recent 3 track demo doesnt end there (check out the review of it later in this issue.) Metal Irelands Ciaran Tracey has said there is a middle ground in Death Metal based on great songwriting and sticking to basics. It is this middle ground that anybody who hears Vomitous is sure to agree they occupy, up there with the greats like Morbid Angel and Cannibal Corpse. Cynics would call this middle of the road. I call this meat n potatoes Death Metal with great blasts, vicious vocals and song hooks all over the show. Pretty soon Earache or some other label is going to decide we should all party like its 1991 again and when they do, Vomitous will be the kings of the new breed. Wondering why these songs sound 14 years old? Apparently thats because they are 14 years old! Warpath

Best Cut; Gorefare (2007)

Zombified: No gods, no government, just zombies! Autopsystyle DM with Pete of Condemned and ex-Overoth drummer Gary http://www.myspace.com/zombiefodder

In this issue weve looked at the vast range of Irish bands across this spectrum with quality that arguably surpasses the output of other countries these days. This article aims to do something a little different though. Mark my words (and those of Overoths Andy Ennis earlier) that soon there will be a place again for old school Death Metal which I think makes the time ripe to re-explore the genres evolutionary phase. But rather than doing so from the much viewed perspective of looking at those pioneering bands that we all know (Death, Obituary et al.) this article will concentrate on the unsung heroes of the genre. Genocide music industry. Despite how killer some of their material was their highest point was a Roadrunner Records comp. called Teutonic Invasion pt. I. The contract of this sampler LP inevitably spelt the end for the band as it stipulated that the bands involved could not sign a contract with another label for a full year. This meant that by the time Poisons window was reopened a year later, it had already been closed by their frustrated split. A tragedy end to a band who never go their break. Excruciation Ok, so Im kicking things off with a band that Im sure at least a few people will know (and will be sorely disappointed if you dont) quite simply Genocide were Repulsion before they were Repulsion. Scott Carlson and Matt Olivio even played in Death for part of 1985, the same year as they released their second demo Violent Death. The previous year saw Toxic Metal and in 1986 they released The Stench Of Burning Flesh before evolving into Repulsion, where most Genocide songs were improved for Repulsions Horrified LP in 1989. What is more is that you wont need to spend endless amounts of cash on ebay or time on more obscure websites to hear these songs; they are all on the 2003 repressing of Horrified. If you want the original tapes though, all I can say is happy hunting. Hellwitch

When you think of Swiss Metal you think of Celtic Frost, Samael and Darkspace, and maybe if youre into your underground BM, Paysage DHiver but Excruciation are not a name thatll immediately pop into your head. But surely somebody must have heard of them. The word online is that their 1985 demo The Fourth Apocalyptic Rider was not officially distributed but somehow managed to receive airplay on Metal radio shows worldwide and garnered comparisons to Hellhammer. Their Last Judgement EP the following year apparently went on to sell somewhere in the region of 10,000 copies. Despite this, and probably due to their split in 1991 and the general ignorance of Swiss Metal (outside of the bands outlined above) very few people these days recognise the name. They reformed in 2005 though with one album to their name since.

Funny how a band who were from Florida formed the same year as Morbid Angel and Obituary (or at least their earliest incarnation Xecutioner), who were hardly latecomers to releasing a debut LP (Syzygial Miscreancy in 1990) and after no less than 6 demos simply arent a household name. What is probably even funnier though has to be that their 1984 Nosferatu cleverly utilised a cushion and textbook as a drumkit but the band later evolved into arguably one of the earliest exponents of Tech Death. The band reformed in 2004 with an EP and split since in preparation of a comeback album to be released this year, although only frontman Pat Ranieri remains from the original lineup. Poison

Archenemy

Like Poison, this band suffers from a spot of unfortunate name sharing with a more widely known band. This makes finding info about them online rather difficult (as does the fact their vocalist shares the name of a well known comic book artist Victor Mora) but those purveyors of all things ugly and old school Hells Headbangers Records last year re-released both Archenemy rehearsal demos as the Violent Harm compilation. Death Strike

And no, not the Sunset Strip band, this one of Germanys earliest (if not THE earliest) extreme Metal bands from all the way back in 1982 and their story highlights how young bands often have their futures wiped out by the cold face of the

Another one that the biggest old school heads among you might know, this was Paul Speckmanns (he of Master and Krabathor fame) first band. Mr. Speckmann might qualify as

Death Metals most indecisive man because after one demo in 1986 (Fuckin Death) he called time on Death Strike to concentrate on Master with whom he completed their legendary self-titled debut in 1990 before doing the exact opposite; retiring Master to refocus on Death Strike. Then would you believe it, after expanding the Fuckin Death demo into a full length in 1991he ended Deathstrike for good and returned to Master. He might be a potential schizophrenic but when it comes to Death Metal the good old way few do it better than Speckmann. Funeral Bitch and Walpugisnacht are other early Speckmann bands that should be checked out too. Insanity

In the burgeoning extreme Metal scene of the mid to late 80s the lines were incredibly blurred between where Thrash Metal stopped and Death or Black Metal began. Of all the bands who bridged this gap though Devastation (hailing from New Jersey, not to be confused by the Death-tinged Trash band from Texas of the same name) have to come somewhere near the top of the list for proficiency and great material. Thankfully then Brazilian label Marquee Records have recently re-released both the bands 1986 demos, their only album (1987s Dispensable Bloodshed) and 2 never before released live shows as a 3CD boxset making the bands entire discography available as one purchase. Incubus/Opprobrium

This San Francisco bands 1994 debut album Death After Death is an underrated gem in itself but there isnt really much out there that can better Insanitys 5 demos from between 1985 and 1989 for purely chaotic Death Metal. Constant instability has always hampered this band but thankfully the debut album has just been re-released as a 2CD package called Chronicles of the Cursed with plenty of demo and unreleased live tracks keeping the nutters who like their Death Metal messy happy. The package also comes with a patch and is limited to 1000 copies. Messiah

Chances are you have heard of this band, or at the very least their vocalist Francis M. Howard. Skull Full Of Maggots by Cannibal Corpse? Stronger Than Hate by Sepultura? The Brazilian growler (by way of New Orleans) lent his pipes on both. Original copies of their 1988 killer debut Serpent Temptation are pretty hard to find. The album was rereleased in 1996 on Nuclear Blast with different song titles and re-tracked vocals and then that second version was rereleased again in 2000 with the second album (1990s Morrisound Studios recorded Beyond The Unknown) as a bonus disc. This makes original copies of Beyond The Unknown difficult to track down too as the only other rerelease was last year on Metal Mind but under the name of the bands second incarnation Opprobrium. If you cant wait to find the wax though http://www.paranoizenola.com/frames.html has made the mp3s of the original cut of Serpent Temptation available (all legal and everything.) Protector

Every dictionary in the world ought to refer to this Swiss mob in the entry for underrated. After 3 demos with some of the strangest vocals ever recorded, 1986s Hymn To Abramelim is essential listening for anyone wanting to follow up on the bands in this article- if only to hear the killer vocals that were simply years ahead of their time. Somehow though the follow up Extreme Cold Weather never quite achieved the status of an under-cherished gem although, this isnt really surprising as polar bears arent the most brutal thing to adorn an album sleeve. Of their later albums 1991s Choir of Horrors is also strongly recommended. There are plenty of re-releases abound that means these albums shouldnt be hard to pick up, but Nuclear Blasts 1990 compilation of the first 2 albums is best avoided as it leaves out several tracks and completely deletes the interludes between songs. Devastation

Germany was by 1988 of course no stranger to extreme MetalKreator, Sodom and Destruction without a doubt were 3 of the most extreme Thrash bands. But quite why Protector, even now after 3 brilliant compilation CDs put out by I Hate Records arent hailed as Godly even in Germany is beyond reason. Everything from their surprisingly well produced 1897 Misanthropy EP to the brutal and catchy Death/Thrash early 90s albums of A Shedding of Skin and The Heritage deserves to be checked out immediately.

CD REVIEWS
A Distant Sun- VI MMIX Some bands do take a bit of time to get their act together which this issue proves with the big gap between the new Devilmakesthree and Vomitous releases and their previous efforts. A Distant Sun then have been kicking around since 2004 and played a few high profile support slots to the likes of Thryfing but only now have unleashed this 3 track demo which seems to prove two old clichs; on the part of the band, a little hard work goes a long way and on the part of the listener, good things come to those who wait. Nothing about these three tracks of atmospheric mid-paced Blackened Death Metal seems rushed. Evidently a full year not gigging and concentrating on this 20-odd minutes of music has paid off but at the same time, nothing seems forced. The band moves between stomping and punishing Death Metal with a melodic touch (more Stockholm than Gothenburg) to wonderfully atmospheric Black Metal of the Helrunar variety with a grace that is both deliberate an organic. However it is they do it, the result is gripping and backed up by a great production that (except for at one point in the opening track) gets the mix of the gravelly vocals and dreamy guitar tone just right. Agalloch are the most important namecheck here, particularly the opener Mourning The Idol which also has a touch of Primordial in the drumming department (and the song titles could easily have appeared on any Primordial record) while the remaining two tracks go off in to much more morbidly dark territories. Its important not to forget though that this is 2009, and this kind of stuff really isnt original any more, but one thing you cant accuse this Dublin 5 piece of is pretentiousness. There is no corpsepaint here, no grainy band photos that try to look evil or menacing and nor are the songs overly long and unwieldy. Anything surplus to requirements it seems has been chiselled away to leave song great and emotionally engaging dark Metal. Even the cover art is wonderfully understatement so that the music and only the music comes up under your scrutiny. Now of course theres no accounting for taste but if youre a fan of melancholic Metal of any stripe this should come up smelling of roses under your critical microscope. This will easily be one of the most emotionally-involving and professional demos of the year in Ireland. [8] Abaddon Incarnate- Cascade (Metal Age Productions) They may have swapped in their messy old school Death Metal for a blistering Grindcore approach between the first and second albums back in 2001 and since then, progression is not a word that you associate with this band. Consolidation, now that is more like it. Not really a consolidation of what the two previous albums achieved (as they were both somewhat rushed and lacking in substance, Dark Crusade especially) but rather a consolidation or a realisation of what those albums promised to achieve. At last, Abaddon Incarnate have really arrived! First of all hats must go off to new drummer Johnny King who bends what was thought previously possible behind the kit with the speed of his blasts and the drum fill on Kill Or Be Kill emphasises just how great a performance he puts on even when he isnt blasting. Of course though blasting is what he does best and consequently what he does most. As soon as the Hammer Horror intro to the album gives way to the opening track Strappado (the form of torture depicted on the cover art), from then on it is just song after song of furious blasting, great clarity on the growls and screams, and a surprising amount of variety and originality when it comes to vocal lines. Towards the middle of the album we are afforded a bit of breathing space as the fading out guitar lead on Burn With The Sun God followed the resurgent Hammer Horror soundbyte intro to Altar Of Scum provides us with the only track changeover on the record that doesnt have to be measured in milliseconds. The track following this, After The Dying Time, is the albums real breaker and as the pace slows right down with Johnny able to explore his drumming more fully while Steve and Bill indulge in a bit of Black Metal-style riffery before its blitzkrieg time again and we plummet through another 7 tracks of blistering Grind before arriving at the bordering-on-ridiculously fast closer Eater Of Worlds, Devourer Of Time. Credit also has to be given to Trackmix studios for their brilliantly balanced production that has made this easily Abaddons best record to date, a hard act to follow for Irish Death Metals lesser sons and also, one of the Death/Grind highlights of the year so far. [8]

AFearna- An Gaisce At this rate by next year Ireland will be swarming with anonymous Black Metal entities like this one, with just 3 tracks and a cover art to go by. That said this anonymity is an advantage in the reviewing sense that the air of mystery allows the reviewer to concentrate solely on the music. Once the spell is broken (such as by the recent Myrkr interview on metalireland.com) and I have a face to put to the music, who knows what might affect the review. But at least for now with AFearna I can just crank up the volume and let their warped vision of the genre take me. The first thing that grabs you upon listening is the drums. The production is raw; not quite recorded in a cave-raw but more of a gritty post-Industrial raw, and yet the imbalanced mix has the advantage of pushing

the strongest component (i.e. the drums) to the fore. The postIndustrial influence becomes stronger when the tasteful smattering of samples and noises crops up; their usage is not quite as subtle as the bands obvious reference point, Altar Of Plagues, but still they do not cause it to veer too much out of the realm of Black Metal. The dominating drums are of course another similarity to the fellow Munster-men (so much so that I wouldnt be surprised at the involvement of at least one of the AOP boys) but as the whole ethos of post-Black Metal would dictate, AFearna veer off into slightly different and individual pastures. The Electronica influence is much more pronounced than most other bands of this ilk, particularly with the use of breakbeats, but also this demo is much more folky than most post-BM. Primordials sorrowful grandeur is planted into Mallacht r Mthair (fittingly so as the demo title can translate as the heroic or also a boast) and the guitar solo reminds me greatly of Krodas Funeral of the Sun. Who knows if that one day we might unravel the mystery of this band, but until then this demo simply is what it is. And what it is, is a bold and intriguing way to spend 30 minutes. [7]

Altar Of Plagues- White Tomb (Profound Lore Records) Great minds know no bounds and Altar Of Plagues are living proof of this. If you though 2008s Sol EP was mindblowing then be prepared to lose all concept of what extreme music can be. I defy any other band in the world to weave together such emotive Black Metal, ear-raping PostIndustrial and Sludge and soulcleansing Post Metal-style winding staircase riffs with such a thread of continuity and beauty. This isnt the kind of music you just listen to; this is music you have an experience with. How you experience it is entirely up to you; go for a walk in the woods with this on your mp3 player, lie motionless on the floor, going outside and lie in the snowhowever you choose to listen this is an album that will provoke a reaction in even the most restrained of people. Structurally this album is split into 2 chapters each of two tracks. Make what you will of the song titles and liner notes but to me personally this album speaks the beauty of nature. Not just its creative side, but its destructive side also; the delicate balance upon which life itself relies. As the album progresses the guest vocals from Graves At Seas Nathan Misterek provide the perfect horrifying aura of the unnatural force of human wrath upon nature and if you close your eyes you can clearly see the burning of forests, the polluting of rivers, the flattening of hillsMaybe this isnt what White Tomb will speak to you but by fuck it will speak something, even if only to remind you what happens when boundaries in music are broken. The Japanese film director Hayao Miyazaki once said that children should only be allowed to watch one film a year and it should be a film that will show them the beauty of friendship. With the same applied to music, were we only allowed to listen to one album a year it should be an album that touches on some deeper level than shallow entertainment and remind us of the limitlessness of imagination. In 2009 there will probably be no other album that could achieve that as well as this one. [10]

Area Bombardment- Iron Will (Skullline Records) The presence of a review on a Martial Industrial/Neo-Folk album in what is ostensibly a Metal zine might baffle a few of my readers but if you lot are anything like myself then Dublins one man master of minimalism might be of interest to you. If you are willing to look a little bit beyond your usual boundaries that is. There is too little space here to fully explain the similarities between the hard to nail down genre that Area Bombardment operate in and Black Metal, but in aesthetic terms a link has to be drawn between how the celebration of European culture (and specifically in this case themes of war and blood sacrifice) that is abound in both. Witness here the photos of decaying monuments to military greatness that are a visual extension to Area Bombardments art and its hard not to be immediately reminded of Primordials To The Nameless Dead. Scan through the song titles and this comparison seems even more appropriate, particularly in the lack of parochial focus (Oslo and Ukrayina are very specific granted, as is Fountains of Blood which has connotations of Paris); the aesthetic of historical deeds remaining in the age of concrete that weaves this diverse and experimental album is equally applicable to any nation, just like the aforementioned Primordial opus. Witness this also in the epic opening and closing military orchestrations Glory and Eternal and the album centrepiece For All We Have We Are. The political affiliations of some insiders (and the ignorance of many outsiders) has meant a tarring of the NeoFolk/Post-Industrial scene as having Nazi or Fascist connotations (just like in Black Metal) but to an open-minded listener and regardless of the (unverified) political views of Area Bombardments sole-contributor M.P., this is simply an artistic representation of universal aspects of European history; honour, sacrifice, bravery and blood. In purely musical terms this is a masterclass in tastefully minimalist song-structuring and could specifically be likened to Albin Julius/Der Blutarsch for its use of military sampling and Throbbing Gristle for that Post-Industrial weirdness. However like most pieces of art of its type Area Bombardment says something individual but yet also universally appealing, and like the films of Leni Riefenstahl has to be looked at without ideological blinkers to fully understand its resonance. [7]

Arkantoth- 8 Track Demo The Black Metal underground is tolerant of a lot when it comes to a lack of sophistication and a low level of musicianship (heck bands like Von even largely owe their kvlt status to their inability to play) but when it comes to computer generated drums many Black Metal fans become uneasy. Arkantoth might at first inspire a bit of trepidation as not only are the drums digitally programmed but all the instruments (aside from the very fucking raw vocals) in this one man project are computerised. And yeah, this might take a while to get your head around but when it comes down to it

this is not that bad a listen, especially as this demo CD is freely available on request from Arkantoths myspace. As well as being innovative (in a kind of lazy way) with the digital instrumentation this isnt just bog-standard conventional Black Metal, although there is plenty of that too, owing a huge debt to early Darkthrone. Rhythmically the digitalised drums sound more akin to Death Metal than Black but also with a pseudo-Industrial sound to them. This Ambient/Industrial element brings to mind Abruptum as an obvious reference point and the keyboards on Fleshlust even hint at a more conventional Electronica sound, which is hardly surprising since Arkantoth counts Depeche Mode as an influence. There is even a punkish element to refrain on Christwhore (Raped by the Holy Ghost) to diversify things further. The anti-Christian focus of the lyrics though keeps this firmly rooted in Black Metal and yet there is just enough going on here out of the ordinary to make this demo stand out just a little bit. It would of course be an overstatement to say this is essential for fans of Darkthrone, Abruptum and Beherit but if you can spare the time (seeing as you dont need to spare any money) and this sounds like your cup of tea then it could be worth the small investment. [5]

Funnily enough though, despite checking none of the genres apparently essential criteria, Caro Maledicta have created a piece of art truer to the Black Metal ethos than any other I have heard so far this year. If I can level any criticism however it is that Caro Maledicta are trying too had to be regressive and anti-musical, making parts of this EP sound insincere but all the same this is something that stands alone on the current Black Metal landscape. [7]

Castero- Infiltration Remediation Those that remember Northern Blaze issue#1 might recall the kind words spoken about this bands first demo The Hunted, which is what makes the step down in quality on Infiltration Remediation [4] such a disappointment. First of all, be preprared for some fiddling with your stereos equaliser; anything that can detract from the ridiculously booming drums and flat tyre vocals, and shift focus onto the guitars which prove to be this discs redeeming feature, can only be a good thing. It must be noted that the guitar display is pretty admirable, particularly the solo on the song Time Of Dying, but it seems as though every time this demo gets good, the plodding drums and toddlers poetry competitionstyle lyrics are only a few moments away ready to knock the whole thing back into the dirt. Essentially when Castero are good they are pretty good, but when they arent they have a tendency to bore the listener to no end. Overall this demo has a darker feel than the feelgood Metallica/Black Label Society vibe of The Hunted but aside from the rather doomy opening bars of Take My Life Away the injection of darkness seems to be a failed quest, and could definitely do with a bit more attention paid in the lyrical department. A bold departure gone wrong you might say, but an optimistic point of view could be that Castero are just still struggling to find their feet. To this point, some of the problems of Infiltration Remediation have been rectified on the more recent Sounds Like A Plan [5]. All the Thrash elelments of The Hunted are more or less gone with the Stoner Rock groove turned back up this time, and now the darker vibes are sitting into the overall sound more easily. The mix is greatly improved this time around too; the drums, guitars and bass finally sound like they belong together and arent competing to drown each other out. The vocals still sound a little distant and detached, but in a way that calls to mind early Sabbath material. Unfortunately though vocalist Johnny is still no Ozzy, but his improved lyrics at least can now keep the listener interested for the first 4 tracks. The uninispiring lyrics from the last demo are back on Die With Me which put a dampener on the end of the disc and not even some cool riffs and solos can rescue the track from the now purely comical vocals. In fact, this demo probably could have done without the title track instrumental that is tacked onto the end as well. Overall S.L.A.P. is another incremental progress for this band but they are still a long way away from producing anything that could be considered a finished product.

Caro Maledicta- Benediction EP In defense of his new album 1349s vocalist Ravn said that with Black Metal the only rule that counts is that there are no rules. Keyboard Black Metal warriors will no doubt bemoan this stance saying that tradition should always be followed in Black Metal, ignorant it seems to the satanic principles of individuality that the genre was formed on in the first instance. While musically Caro Maledicta are atypical they are certainly true to these principles and on this EP have created an antithesis to an oversaturated scene constantly rehashing Transylvanian Hunger. Back in issue#2 when Northern Blaze interviewed this mysterious quartet they said that they do not really consider themselves to be Black Metal, a statement that had to be taken with a pinch of salt considering the obvious debt that the first 2 demos owe musically to Beherit, Mutiilation and yes indeed, Darkthrone. This 5track EP however, really is something else. Admittedly, apart from its ambient/noisy outro An Inheritance of Chapped Lips and Barren Wombs is a lot like some lost LLN tape, but that is about as conventional as this disc gets. The ritual aspect of the music has increased dramatically giving the whole sound a much more hypnotic quality and the bands are starting now to really live up to that descriptor of Black Ritual Noise. Take the Industrial-esque sampling on Scrutiny And Punishment for example, or the purely ambient interlude track Assumption. And then there is the fucked up riffing on Labia Mea Aperies and the massive noisy chords of that tracks intro that gives this EP its most frightening moments. And then we move onto the lyrics; dont expect any crude references to raping the virgin Mary or even well-crafted antReligious metaphors. This isnt anti-religious music; this is a piece of religious ritualistic worship in musical (or rather antimusical) form. Pressing in low quantities makes more sense for this band than ever before because if the internet criticism of the new 1349 is anything to go by, Black Metal fans arent going to like this one bit. Theres no blastbeats, no super-fast riffing, and no band photo taken in the woods.

Circadian- Maid Of The Mist A year on from Circadians selftitled demo and there is a welcome big step in maturity. All the same influences remain except that Circadian now less resemble a teenage Maiden cover band and are starting to mark out their own niche. The American Thrash and Groove elements have been increased as have (perhaps paradoxically) the Celtic elements and the epic feeling. One day Circadian might have to discard one side of this odd equation but for now the weird sound of Pantera jamming with Skyclad seems to work. Just about. The title track kicks off with a fairly professional sounding production and a hefty dose of the epic before switching back and forth between the groove and slightly folky bits, the latter of which turns out to be more aurally pleasing. At times Circadian sound like a hundred other Pantera wannabees but when they move into Celtic and Trad Metal territory they show real potential. On the intricate bass intro and riffing on the demos highlight Age Of Cataclysm in particular this sounds like something that might appeal to fans of Darkest Eras recent Journey Through Damnation, if it wasnt for all the sub-par Pantera noodling that is. Credit needs to go to this young Downpatrick 3-piece for their balls in attempting to mix these two styles (and not without a little success) but particularly on The Echo Imperative and the re-recorded Damnation one influence seems to be distraction from the promise that can be heard in the other. Still for a bargain price from their myspace this makes a decent listen and if the band can learn to focus their strengths rather than emulating their heroes then the next release may just be a clincher. [5]

this style, although Decayor manage to keep things slightly fresh and avoid sounding too much like their Kildare counterparts. Despite this closing track Weeping Willows has the legacy of Dust all over it, but more in a sense that they have so early in their career been able the match the indefinable vibe that has made Mourning Beloveth the Death/Doom kings. The new princes of the genre? Quite possibly. [8]

Devilmakesthree- The Subservient 6 years on from the previous release Voice of the Underdog and Devilmakesthree dont so much reappear on your radar but explode with such terminal velocity that you wonder where they were all this time. A bit of reshuffling in the ranks sees bassist Dave McCallum now manning the mic and it really makes a hell of a lot of difference. But overall little has changed about this band; all the hallmarks of their old-schoolmeets-new-school, slightly proggy in parts but ultimately traditionalist Death Metal sound remain. The biggest change though simply comes in increased maturity and the awesomeness of the songs they are spewing out. Plus, these songs probably will kill in a live setting. Recent Napalm Death comes to mind as a good reference point on Extinguish The Eternal (and most of the old Earache roster are good comparisons throughout) and despite Dave sounding like a pissed off builder for the duration there are a couple of standout catchy vocal refrains, notably Do as I preach, Not as I do on Obsequious Faction and the mantra-like Devoid of reasoning, Devoid of feeling chant of closer Timeless Horror which lifts the whole EP even further with its more emotive feel. Its this kind of menacing yet feeling-driven aura that the Belfast boys really need to latch onto to stand out even further from the Irish scene and to occupy their own niche but even without it, this is a perfectly good listen. Expectations will be high for Devilmakesthree follow-up, whether this materialises as another EP or a full-length. Theyve shown us the potential, now lets see what they can really do. [7]

Decayor- Re-Occuring Times Of Grief There is just something about Death/Doom- when it is done well with passion it can be spectacular and on this EP, this is certainly the end of the spectrum Decayor are leaning towards. What is more, this isnt just passion that has to fill a void left by a lack of musicianship; this is a 30-odd minute feast of rich and emotive production, enormous riffs and deadly growls. For the most part it is nothing that you will not have heard before (especially if youre a fan of old Paradise Lost) but as well as having all the essential features of the genre (melancholy, slow tempos, a little bit of the epic) Decayor really shine with the occasional use of keyboards, a killer solo on Weeping Willows, a standout drumming performance by Gary Byrne throughout (but especially on The Sacred Heart Is Bleeding) and some very well-thought on song-writing across the board. Pauric Gallaghers vocals cant go without mention either, a bit of Black Metal-style screeching backing up his bone-rattling growl here and there, and what his clean vocals lack in conventional singing ability they making up in adding a certain level of grimness to the music. Of course though, when a band shows up in Ireland playing this style you cant go long without the shadow of Mourning Beloveth looming overhead demanding comparison. In fact, its amazing that I even managed to get this far into the review without mentioning the Irish kings of

Drugzilla/Hatewire- The Passion Of St. Tibulus Speedcore- the fastest and nastiest offshoot of Techno and the genre favoured by Co. Clare artist of the year (which theyll glad boast about at every chance) Drugzilla, who also toss a bit of our beloved Extreme Metal into the mix for good measure. Imagine Japanese Nintendo-tronica loon DJ Scotch Egg jamming with The Berzerker after a vicious cocktail of Buckfast, ecstasy and Father Ted: The Complete Series boxsets and you get the basic picture. The metronome defying drum machine sounds less like your head being beaten like a Lambeg drum and more like a mingun going off in your skull. The vocals sound like Kevin Sharp having a scrap with some lions at the zoo and the beats are so ridiculously intense they would give yer fella from Aphex Twin a scorching case of

Alzheimers. In short this is retarded, heavy and essential listening; it may not strictly speaking be Metal but the bar for the extreme has well and truly been raised in Ireland. Believe these boys when they tell you this is music so filthy you need to wear a condom. Sharing the CD-space are England-based Nekro-Techno merchants Hatewire. In short, if Varg Vikernes had of spent less time farting about in the woods having homoerotic sword battles with Abbath, and more time drinking Special Brew this is how Black Metal might have turned out. A good comparison would be to think of a faster Ewigkeit with a more abrasive edge, or Axis Of Perdition with a sense of humour. Trying to crown one of these two deranged projects as superior would be foolish as they complement each other so well here and the remixes of one anothers material is a refreshing change to the 3 of our songs and 3 of yours attitude most bands have to split releases. By now all 50 copies of this are probably gone but keep a look out for future releases and keep a box of Durex handy. [7]

really needs to stand out. Like Enecare it gets the job done, but it is still too damn ordinary.

Fireland- Fireland Just when you think theres not enough epic and bombastic Trad/Power Metal coming from Ireland then out of the blue bursts Fireland. Ok, maybe not quite out of the blue as a few out there might know the core Fireland members from that Northern Hard Rock entity, Riffmaster General but Fireland are still a bit of a surprise from a largely extreme Irish scene. But is this self-titled full-length any good? It starts off strongly enough with the hook-laden melodic catchy number of Servants of the Dark and a few other early tracks stand out too, like the infectious Gods of Love. This really is a band with one foot in straight up Metals classic era (not surprising considering vocalist Andy Baxter played in English Scorpions-a-likes Masque back in the 80s) but thankfully this is wrapped in enough modern production and sensibilities that it avoids the realm of simple rehashing that seems to be the remit of this New Wave of Trad Metal that is doing the rounds at the minute. They mightnt be the worlds most interesting band but theyve got their own identity, which is more than most can say, and this probably kills in a live setting. A couple of the songs are a bit samey and there is a little hiccup when Andy inexplicably goes from the dominating vibe of Scorpions-meets-Iced Earth-meets-W.A.S.P. into some sort of hideous half-rapping la Queensryches Empire, but for the most part this is enthralling stuff. Until of course you get the untitled closer track 13 and the weird rapping is back. Seriously lads what are you at? You could have ended on a major high note with one of the albums strongest tracks (Widow by Morning) but you just send it all tits up. This should have gotten a higher rating, but because of the antclimax of incredulous proportions this has to be a [6].

Enecare/Marks Of The Masochist split (Satans Millennium Records) Even for people quite knowledgeable about Irish Black Metal Enecare, the one-man machine of misanthropy, is often overlooked. This is not really surprising considering Enecare could more accurately be described as fitting in with a small USBM scene centred around the work of Antihuman (the man behind Marks Of The Masochist) and Lurker (whose rsum includes Toil, Gravestench and even Irelands other USBMfriendly band Necrophile) but all the same I couldnt resist reviewing this. Although their tracks appear second on this CD Ill look at Enecare [6] first and there really only is one way to describe how this sounds; fucking horrible. And I dont mean in an early Norwegian cant-afford-decentrecording-equipment kind of way. Black Metal this nasty, fuzz-ridden and dripping with malice can only be intentional. If Satan ate kebabs, Enecare would be his filthy midnight drunken snack. A lot of people find this kind of Black Metal pretty laughable and some times rightly so. It has the grainy black and white band photo, single corpse-painted band member with Latin name (Vermiis Obscurus), no myspace, no official website everything that usually makes the genre a laughing stock. However this almost slavish obedience to the kvlt aesthetic is one of the things that makes Enecares misanthropy so believable. This side of the split is not without its actual moments of musical achievements either; Perversion is where the atmosphere of this music is at its most palatable. However while this demo certainly gets the job done, and requires a fair bit from the listener in regards to picking out the melody hidden beneath the static, it is a little bit too ordinary to match the quality of some other recent Irish Black Metal. Briefly onto Marks Of The Masochist [6] then. Unlike most of Antihumans other projects (this also includes some guy called X on vocals) this fits more readily into the Depressive/Suicidal subgenre of Black Metal, both lyrically and also in the cleaner guitar tone that prevails throughout. However, the rawer style of his other material still bleeds its black filth over this ad prevents it from achieving the level of cathartic atmosphere that truly great bands of this sub-genre

Fivewilldie- Slung From A Tree Here we have the debut album from these Cork Doom-ridden Hardcore-mongers. Doomridden Hardcore; you mean like Sludge? Well kind of. There is plenty in common here with the Iron Monkey and Raging Speedhorn school of all things ultra-heavy but there is much more to this band. In fact Fivewilldie take a step back from Sludge and seemingly draw most of their influences from the genres forerunners; throughout the album the stomping riffs often have as much in common with traditional Sabbath-style Doom as they do with Sludge, and leaning more heavily towards the Cathedral-esque stoner side of things. Hardcore is definitely the key element in this bands sound though and thankfully it is Hardcore of the more scuzzy and dirty kind. The lack of polished production values actually benefits here particularly in how the vocals being rather high in the mix turns out to be the albums strongest point. Ogre-sized vocalist Andy is the strongest

element here and his howls make Jamey Jasta look like the prancing poser he is, but still has an emotional depth that shows just how puddle-shallow many other Hardcore vocalist actually are. This deeper layer of longing and melancholy in the vocal department actually draws a strange likeness to My Dying Bride at times, but more importantly it is perfectly complemented by the spattering of Cult Of Luna-like Post Rock-isms that dot this album. All in all this heady mix of influences makes for some very heavy and uncompromising music but thankfully never boringly so. Fivewilldie always seem to have some undercurrent of something more than pointless heaviness brewing beneath the surface that instantly is making them one of Irelands most interesting Metal/Hardcore acts. By the sounds of things, this is probably just as amazing live. This is an album that certainly leaves you hungry for a second helping so let us hope it is not too long before the arrival of a sophomore release. [8]

Ful Na Seanchoille- Demo Although I contend that my Irish Black Metal special in the last issue was fairly comprehensive, I did fail to predict that the ideological divisions are becoming more pronounced. As it turns out the unidentified creative force behind Ful Na Seanchoille (lit. blood of the ancient forest in Gaelic) was prompted to commit this foul noise to tape after reading a book by a man called Edmond Spenser, advisor to Queen Elizabeth I that Ireland couldnt only be pacified by extermination of the indigenous population by way of a genocide-causing famine. FNS may not be pagan, and there is certainly no Folk elements here but with this historical focus and lyrics in Gaelic in mind this band belong roughly in the ideological camp along with bands such as Geasa and Eternal Helcaraxe. Musically however, Ful Na Seanchoille (due to play their first ever show supporting Gospel of the Horns in September) have much more in common with Irelands occultist Black Metal brethren i.e. Caro Maledicta. FNS mix the ritualistic repetitiveness of Beherit, the ugliness of Von, the haunting atmospheres of Darkthrone and on occasion, the Rock n Roll vibe of Venom. Add in one hell of a cavernous production (that makes early Immortal sound like it was recorded by Timberland) and some baying wolf vocals and this all gels to great effect. The great misfortune is that youve probably heard a dozen demos like this; a few of them probably better but many much much worse. If you are a connoisseur of the rawest and nastiest Black Metal tapes however, this is a cut above the glut and well worth tracking down. [7]

Ground Of Ruin were more content to simply put out whatever material they had rather than waiting until they had something as special as this to unleash. Of course the three demos showed marked progress with each one and provided an interesting taster of what they might be able to achieve with something more well thought out and professional, but the huge leap in quality on this EP would probably have been more impressive if the band had of waited until they had this material and made this their first release. But rest-assured this is quality fucking material. The Ground Of Ruin of four years ago are not the Ground Of Ruin of today and it shows in how they have at last hit their stride stylistically (which I will come to in a moment) but also aesthetically. The cover art to this 3tracker (4 if you include the acoustic intro) may not be quite Dan Seagrave standard but its portrayal of an evil priests, zombies and goats gets you fired up for what is sure to be a bullock-rocking mix of Death, Black and Thrash Metal before you even get the disc in the CD tray. But once it is in there, it doesnt disappoint. The aforementioned intro melts away into the opening Thrash riff of the title track which despite its simplicity and how often it is revisited throughout the 7 minute long song, never brings you to tedium. Tonally, the guitars sit somewhere between the Gothenburg and Stockholm sounds with a Blackened atmosphere to them that has Dissection stamped all across it and it is undoubtedly this unashamed mixing of almost every extreme Metal style (ok they never go into Doom but the whole 20 odd minutes of it is quite varied in the tempo department) that makes Ground Of Ruin for the first time and a beard-twirling prospect. Production-wise it is a vast improvement on previous efforts, still thankfully free of modern soullessness but with a clarity that brings the melody to the fore and shows that Ground Of Ruin are not interested in sounding overly raw and nasty simply for the sake of being true. Ground Of Ruin achieve that already simply by how well their cocktail of Dissection, Slayer, Destryer 666 and Impious flows together. [7]

Heinrichreich- Druid It was only last issue that this German-Slovak/Irish one man project appeared and here Jrg Heinrich is again with Heinrichreichs debut full length, a landmark for Northern Blaze also as yours truly is mentioned in the liner notes. Straight of the bat it has to be said that this is a marked, although not huge, move forward from Heinrichreichs previous effort. Not only now is the guitar sound more palatable but the fury of Heinrichreichs Black Metal blast has expanded making a more involved listening experience. Simultaneously though, this could attract fans of raw and primitive BM before alienating them with the inclusion of folk instrumentation for the first time on this release. For the most part on this release Jrg unfortunately fails to nail down the common dark atmosphere that can make a successful blend of Black Metal and Folk truly awesome (Green Fields Of Hibernia makes a good crack at it though.) And yet strangely this provides an interesting contrast of textures on the album; the balance is constantly shifting between the free-flowing Folk moments and the suffocating Black Metal. As was said before this mix of styles isnt always successful but when it does work (as on Samhain and Immortal March) it works

Ground Of Ruin- Cloaked In Doctrine EP Until now Ground Of Ruin have been a fairly easy band to overlook. This could be down to any number of factors; being in an overcrowded genre in an overcrowded Irish scene was no doubt one but also a lack of quality control. With three demos preceding this EP it is probably fair to say that

well enough. The production is another letdown on this album as it does nothing to help the occasional incongruity of the blending of Folk and Metal and in places it gives the traditional instruments a processed sound. Thankfully this is no concern when the second instrumental track (An Goria Mr) kicks in and all is forgotten in the rich and organic sound and the Bathory-esque epic atmosphere. The biggest improvement on this release is in the structuring and songwriting, albeit this is not perfect either. Really when dealing with this subject matter and fusion of styles it is best to either match the heroic epicness of European Folk music with similarly epic Black Metal, or to supplement the darkness of Black Metal with the darker side of Folk. Heinrichreich fulfils neither of these and for the most part the mix of raw Black Metal and rather jaunty hey-nonny-ney Folk shows a band not yet fully comfortable in its own skin. As a taste of what Heinrichreich is capable of though, this album leaves one wondering, if not exactly ravening, for what the future might bring. [6]

Honey For Christ- All Hope Was Strangled 7 Some bands need blastbeats, corpsepaint, eyeliner, screaming or ridiculous amounts of distortion to give their music the element of darkness while some like The Rolling Stones, or Katatonia in recent years, simply dont. Honey For Christ are most certainly in the latter category and this by far their darkest and greatest recorded material to date. The opening riff to All Hope Was Strangled is aggressive without needing to be overstatedly so and never before have Andy Clarkes vocals been so spot on. The structure of the song is somewhat unorthodox and yet so simple and effective in how it juxtapositions the aggressive bordering-on-Thrash parts with the sing-a-long refrain and the more subdued passages that occupy the middle of the song before going back into the glorious chorus once again. If youre struggling to pigeonhole this band then dont bother- its Heavy Metal. Dark, fucking honest, no frills Metal and it simply fucking rules. Most of the time all clearly defined genre boundaries do is allow less imaginative bands than HFC to recycle other bands ideas over and over and rarely does an attempt to stand away from all the norms succeed. Not only do Honey For Christ achieve but everything about this from the vinyl release (limited to 250 copies) to the professional-looking promo shots (helpfully loaded onto a CD-R along with the mp3s, live photos, bios etc.) shows that Honey For Christ are quickly becoming a proper band. If the HFC boys can transfer this brilliance onto a full length release then theres no reason why they cant be one of the biggest ambassadors for Irish Metal on a bigger scale. For now though us fans are treated to a re-recording of Orion Dust (originally on the EP The Art Of Self Abuse And Soul Erosion from all the way back in 2000) with drummer Chris stepping up to the mic to create an interesting song in its own right. If you werent at the launch night for this single then snap it up from www.honeyforchrist.com quick. And while youre at it, get one of the awesome HFC cigarette lighters too. [8]

Infinite Defilement/Egemony/Flesh Impaled- One Man 3 Way Split (Sevared Records) Brutal Death Metal is something that is difficult to get right. To pull it off you need to have killer riffs, brutality that makes you shit your pants (not laugh them off) and song-hooks galore. To hear me talk about a band that has got this nailed down skip to the reviews of Putrefy in this section. As for this split, this is a manual on how not to do it. If you want to know what Australias Infinite Defilement [2] sound like you dont even need to buy this CD. Just think of a drum kit made of those little plastic childrens drums along with a couple of biscuit tins. Next imagine some very unimaginative guitar riffs over the top except that the amp only has about 6 watts. Now have Kermit the Frog slurring like a drunk. Thats right, you got it. Next stepping up is Italys Egemony [4] who sound a little bit more professional and yet still not a vast improvement on the first part of this CD. As well as some well executed sound-bytes in the intro track The Birth Of Malignancy the drum sound is more tolerable and the guitars a bit better as well. And Kermit has stopped attempting to sing which can only be a good thing. Now it sounds as though hes taking Miss Piggy doggy-style. Not a great standard set so far and not exactly a great challenge for Lisburns own one man psycho to surpass it. But even in this lowest of hurdles Flesh Impaled [4] falls short. Unless you are playing this on a media player on your PC or on a stereo which displays the track numbers youll probably not even notice where each band ends and the next begins on this split. Thats really how similar the programmed drum/weak guitar sound/animal noise vocal mixture from each of these 3 bands is. Flesh Impaled come out sounding like a mix of both the other bands, only now Kermit has resorted to alternating between smoking a bong and burping into an empty baked beans can. Worst of all though this is just one of hundreds of aimless splits out there like this. Every sub-genre of Metal has a practical purpose for the listener, whether its the cathartic strains of Doom and Black Metal, the cleansing feel-good cheese of Glam and Power Metal or the feeling like you just want to party when some Thrash comes on. For those of us not currently incarcerated in mental health facilities, his kind of material though, really is just a waste of disk space.

Kiriath- Anaconism EP All the way back before issue#1when I was doing my very first ever interview with Waylander their vocalist Caran spoke from his own experience of reviewing CDs to explain to me how objectivity could never be possible, especially if the reviewer is negatively predisposed to the genre in question that the band being reviewed play (hence why Waylander got 1/10 in Kerrang on their first album- by an Offspring fan.) Now youve probably picked up in this issue that my views on Death Metal can pretty much be summarised as old school is best which should in theory at least mean I will be somewhat biased in my views on young Kiriaths first outing of Tech

As Fuck Death Metal. Now I must admit that Ive never really listened to much of this Beneath The Massacre/Psyopus etc. kind of stuff but that isnt because I have any kind of negative opinion of it; the reason is simply because sometimes its impossible to put down that Obituary record and listen to something new. But from what I do know about the technical side of the genre, this is not bad stuff. The fact that Kiriath only formed this year is quite startling because at various points on this 4 track EP Kiriath have a tightness that is uncharacteristic for a young band, especially one who have only been together a few months. Of course though at times the polyrhythmic bits merely sound like a complete mess to me like a lot of Technical Metal does (which is why I never got into Meshuggah) but when this album works it reminds me of fellow Belfast boys Condemned. Being able to play widdly-widdly is pointless if what youre playing doesnt make sense and at times Kiriath do hit this pitfall (the incessant finger-tapping on Carthiginian Peace sounds like a cat being strangled- and not in a good way either) but when the technicality is more understated, like on either of the first two tracks here, it is more digestible and at times even enjoyable. The production thankfully is not completely vacuum-packed and pro-tooled to hell and the liberal use of sampling throughout reminds me of Fear Factory and this helps to add a bit of soul to what can often be a completely soulless form of music. This isnt going to convince everyone that Technical Death Metal is a valid replacement for old school song-writing, and Im not completely convinced either, but this stuff has potential. The most obvious point of reference would be those American kids The Faceless and if they can elevate themselves to supporting the likes of Cynic with this kind of material, there is very little stopping Kiriath from being able to achieve that too. [6]

songs and a quality production (Komodo Studios need to take the credit here); whats not to like? [6]

Last Judgement- Feed The Beast When you review over a dozen bands of roughly the same genre in a short space of time they often meld together in ones head making them hard to distinguish between and thereby raising the quality by which it is required to impress you. Last Judgment play heavily Thrash influenced Death Metal that draws from both the Florida and Gothenburg schools and their particularly thrashy verse riffs have a tendency towards dullness that I previously thought only Arch Enemy were capable of. This is why the opening bars of the title track that is up first on this disc do not really excite, or give the listener the impression that they are in for something spectacular, not least because the same pace and repetition of riffs is kept up for a solid five minutes. Second track The Sleeping keeps up more or less the same story although the greater use of melodic leads this time around and more exciting tempo changes break up the tedium quite robustly. The predictable chug train returns as The Prophecy kicks in and it sounds as though we are in for much the same but then the generic waters break and the dynamic chorus floods in. Of all the reasonably lengthy tracks on here (only The Sleeping clocks in below 5 minutes) this 8-minute plus monster is the one that deserves to be as not only has it got a chorus reminiscent In Flames at their most balanced it also sees the guitarists being able to flex their finger muscles with some fairly impressive solos as well as a the discs best vocal performance and some surprising quiet drum fill bits that show Last Judgement are not a one trick pony. There are still a few bits of needless fat that could be trimmed away from this song but it is where Last Judgements potential shines through most clearly. The oddly titled W5 keeps the standard high with some more great lead guitar work, some more technical movements that remind me of Necrophagist but things dip for the worse again Accept No Flaws which turns out to have the most tedious of all the filler riffs on offer here with repeated listen. Last Judgement have an odd talent of being able to switch between moments boredom-inducing repetitiveness and dynamic moments of promise but with some serious effort the latter may start to outshine the former on future releases. [6]

Languished- Demo All around Ireland there are bands with the unfortunate fate of having no other local Metal acts to share gigs with, and are too far from the cities (Belfast, Dublin and Cork at any rate) to be part of the main thrust of the Irish Metal scene. Warrenpoints young Death/Thrash crew Languished are one of them and in light of this demo, more is the pity. Any elitists out there on their impossibly high stools will probably dislike this on account of how these young whippersnappers play Death Metal and yet their biggest influence is Lamb Of God. Now, Im not a big fan of LOG either, but I have to give this a fair review and in all fairness, its not half bad. I can see wisdom in the argument that young metalheads ought to branch out in the kind of bands they claim influence from rather than apeing the big obvious names of American metal (Cannibal Corpse and Slayer seem to be on these guys playlist a lot as well) but when they play with such conviction and passion as these guys, its hard not to like it. Besides, its not like they claim to be anything other than a mirror to their favourite acts (they even do a Lamb Of God cover live) and what is more, over these three tracks they actually are a little bit more than the sum of their component parts. Take the slightly epic intro to The Somme for example, or the soloing on Primal State and youll see that Languished do have a bit of ambition songwriting wise as well as an abundance of talent. So overall theyve got riffs, exuberant vocals, shredding solos, decent

Morphosis- Rise Of The Bastard Deities (Sentinel Records) This is one that has been waiting in the darkness for far too long to be unleashed upon an unsuspecting and stagnant Death Metal world. Is it the cataclysmic album to bring about the apocalypse that the anticipation around this record has led many of us to hope for? No, unfortunately

it falls just short of that mark. Neither is this groundbreaking, but it is an amalgamation of the best bits of the genre with all the crap cut away and its played with the kind of conviction that elevates it above about 90% of the modern Death Metal out there. The insanely heavy production lends itself well to Morphosis updated old school feeling, an atmosphere thats not really surprising considering that half of these songs are over 15 years old. This is an album that bridges old school masterful song-writing and new school head-removing brutality. Even when the tempo is turned down a few notches you still feel skewered by Morphosis dirty kebab of a bass tone and like youre being dragged through broken glass at teminal velocity and yet amazingly, this powerful aggression never feels forced or uncontrolled. In fact Morphosis have that air of control in Death Metal that usually only the masters like Morbid Angel can exude. This isnt for the casual listener; this isnt for people who like breakdowns, fret-wanking and pinch harmonics. You wont find any melodic solos, Metalcore-style song hooks or clean vocals (although Nemtheangas guest blackened rasp on Kindred is a nice addition); this is for people who like to be torn in half by their Death Metal with no nonsense beforehand. Is it the Death Metal album to end all Death Metal albums? No, but it is better than the new Cannibal Corpse album which should put things in perspective. [8]

the stereo envelopes you in feelings that you never knew these songs could. Is there is anything that can be criticised about this release? Not unless you want to get really anal and moan about the awkward shape of the patch but few will register this as a complaint. This is just as essential for seasoned Mourning Beloveth fans as it is for newcomers and just as essential to the genre as Gothic, Turn Loose The Swans or The Silent Enigma. Of course only 100 lucky souls were able to get there hands on this (meaning by the time you read this they are probably all gone) so sorry I had to be the one to tell you all what youve missed. [10]

Mourning Beloveth- Dust (Sentinel Records) For most Mourning Beloveth fans out there going back to the bands debut album might be difficult seeing as it is unlikely that any of them have managed to go a week without listening to the most recent masterpiece A Disease For The Ages since they bought it. But while A Disease For The Ages was no doubt a brilliant album (I know thats not what I said in the review I gave it in issue#1 but bear with me), it was one of those albums that grows on you over repeated listens. Not necessarily a bad thing of course but certainly different from Dust which is an album where the strike of beauty from the very first notes of The Mountains Of Mine is just as powerful whether your hearing it for the first time or rediscovering it after weeks, months or years of absence. It never loses its charm and nor does it grow on you; it never seems to get any better because Death/Doom really doesnt get any better than this. Mourning Beloveth were hailed as the saviours of the genre when this was released back in 2001, at a time when the Peaceville three had lost the plot a little bit but because of its sheer brilliance Dust wasnt just the perfect album for that time; it isnt the perfect album for any time at all. It is just a perfect album. What then is the virtue of a vinyl re-release? Well considering that Sentinel already rereleased the album on CD a while back with some bonus tracks (but not however a pack of cigarette skins, a patch and a poster which this bundle contains) the album was never going to benefit from just another CD re-release. More to the point though, having to get out of bed/off the weed encrusted sofa to change sides means the listener is unable to absorb the spellbinding beauty all in one go but this only makes for a different, but by no means inferior, listening experience. Now you can give each of the five outstanding tracks the focus it deserves as you read the lyrics from the stunning gatefold and

Myrkr- Black Illumination (Debemur Morti Productions) Myrkr had steadily been building a reputation for excellence throughout the European Black Metal underground which was probably what has led them to what would appear to be a continuing relationship with one of the scenes best labels. Even parting ways with original vocalist Vordr couldnt dampen the expectation around this record, Myrkrs longest and most accomplished outing to date. In fact, in the wake of the Slidhr/Rebirth Of Nefast split last year which became the new landmark of Irish Black Metal I think all observers of Myrkr were anticipating this release even more, if only to see what the two of the creative minds behind that split could achieve together as one entity (new vocalist Wann is one half of Rebirth Of Nefast while Gast is the sole member of Slidhr, as well as one of the minds behind Sol Axis.) Well people let me tell you, this record is dripping with malice, malignancy and determinism and it does not disappoint. The trademarks of Myrkrs previous releases (i.e. the cold and jagged riffs, insidious cymbal-heavy drumming and barely perceptible yet memorable rhythms) are still present and correct while Wann brings to the table an atmospheric and cloyingly semi-religious feel to the proceedings as well as his impressive and un-obtuse screams. Both of these were displayed brilliantly on the aforementioned split but with the clear and dynamic (but still unmistakeably dark and eerie) production here allows them to reveal themselves completely. Its unfortunate that I am reviewing the CD version because for now I can only imagine how pristine but also how unnerving this must sound on the LP version. Apart from the closing self-titled track which takes the tempo down slightly and reveals some more excellent angular riffing and also the ambience that finalises Bound By The Forgotten this is single-minded and orthodox Black Metal from start to finish. However, much like the Sol Axis EP also reviewed in this section Joseph Deegan (AKA Gast) and his cohorts have managed to raise the bar for Irish Black Metal again and even if Im at odds as to how they do it so well they have proven that even the well-worn and timehonoured formula can still be very fucking effective indeed. The only difference is, with time Irish Black Metal is continually getting better and better and perhaps even ready to teach the rest of the world a few things about creating some truly devastating dark music. The best Irish Black Metal release yet? Quite Possibly. [8]

Orpheus- Theory of I EP After a while of reviewing countless demos Ive sort have gotten the impression that trying to mix together too many styles usually results in disaster, like some sort of sonic equivalent to a pizza and ice cream combination. This Waterford 4-pieces effort however leans more towards being a successful melange of melodic singing, low growls, Tech-Death riffs and Swede-style melodic heaviness. Heard it all before? Strangely not, Orpheus manage to shake up relatively overused influences into an instantly interesting cocktail of their own. Sigma shows the band being able to stand strong without relying on guttural vocals, the title track shows off the bands technical guitar play whereas The Fate Of All Divine elevates the songwriting by dipping into ballad territory before the end. If a criticism has to be made it is that the EP is a little inconsistent with really the only constant being the clean vocals but when its all thrown together it somehow manages to work. This is forward thinking without being groundbreaking, adventurous but not pretentious and all in all 5 tracks that are never dull to listen to. Hopefully this material will slay live and the band have a perfect chance to prove that when they open this years Low End Fest in their hometown. This band may well prove to be one to watch. [6]

Pagan Heritage/Sombre Labyrinthe Hymns Of Suicide Split 12 (Runic Records) As much as globalisation and the advent of the internet has been bemoaned in Black Metal circles it has no doubt made this split vinyl between two Belgian bands (although Pagan Heritages sole member W.C.E. Timmer resides in Dublin) released on New Jersey-based label Runic Records that much easier. Despite this trans-Atlantic appreciation of technology Pagan Heritage [6] is a great exercise in straight up Black Metal with hypnotic drumming and a strong undercurrent of simple and effective riffs and folky melodies. There is diversity on this side of the split too with Torn Apart and The Final Battle likely to appeal to those who like their Black Metal melancholic and the middle track Der Ring des Nibelungen shows a love for epic mythological themes. However without a strong vocal performance to tie the whole thing together many listeners will remain unengaged by this and unlikely to remember Pagan Heritage amongst the hundreds of Black Metal hordes out there. Sombre Labyrinthe [6] come up a little underwhelming as well, mainly because of a lack of tightness in the two-pieces raw and aggressive attack and once again, a deficiency in the originality department. However they still provide an interesting anithesis to the melancholic airs of Pagan Heritage with their faster and more hateful sound and rawer production which is backed up in places by hymn-like chanting vocals. Even if neither effort will set the underground on fire hats must still go off to Runic Records for the beautifully put together package. While it may have been better suited to a split by more conventionally Depressive/Suicidal Black Metal acts one really has to respect

the striking and original cover art. Be warned, copies of this are going fast. Putrefy/Blasphetized/Vomitous Rectum- Vomiting Putrid Blasphemy (Grindethic Records) Take everything about Brutal Death/Grind that holds it back; the childishly simple riffs, the retarded piggy vocals, immature porno CD covers, the Utterly-Butterly tub drum sound, the 2 minute songsTake all that and forget it because this split is the rare sound of mature Brutal Death Metal. County Antrim Gore veterans Putrefy [8] should be familiar to most readers and despite these 4 tracks being recorded in very close proximity to the self-titled debut album in 2006, the progression is obvious. The Goodfellas movie soundclip explodes into the funky and bouncy brutal assault of opene Cranium Smashing Brutality (Mutilated Slutfuck pt. II) and immediately the listener should place this a cut above the average Suffocation derivative. Putrefy have always been a cut above their contemporaries but this has such a variety in riff, tempos tones and atmospheres than it simply cant be explained in print. You really have to listen to hear how far Putrefy have come. The essential elements of brutality and misogyny are still present and correct (witness the cum fart soundbyte on Slurping On Cuntslop and the zombie wanking over the dead baby on the front cover) but this is rich-sounding and full-bodied Death Metal that bodes well for an exciting future for one of Irelands top bands. Rebirth In Brutality indeed. As is typical with splits, one bands effort has to hold up the other (s) but thankfully Putrefys young inexperienced bros in Blasphetized [6] and Vomitous Rectum [5] are both perfectly proficient players and just about keep up the level of quality already displayed by the more experienced Putrefy. Croydons Blasphetized at least bring an anti-religious aspect to the song titles and soundbytes (but unfortunately not to the non-existent lyrics) which gives them a little something to stand out from the usual Grindethic fodder with. Staten Islands Vomitous Rectum come up the shortest of the bunch unfortunately although their workmanlike Brutal Death/Grind is mildly entertaining. Both these younger bands though really only serve as filler to beef up what was already a stellar Putrefy release. Putrefy- One Nation Under Gore (Metal Age Productions) If this is the kind of album Putrefy are putting out after just a few years back together with a solid lineup I am positively chilled by the thought of how killer their material would be if they had never gone away. The self-titled of 3 years ago was a decent wee album; flawed production-wise and not too brave either, but after the brilliance of One Nation sets in though that debut slab will have the same kind of status as Abaddon Incarnates The Last Supper; fondly remembered, but endlessly bettered by the later offerings. The first thing that grabs the listener on this album is very similar to the effect of spinning the new Morphosis cut; be prepared for the treacle-thick guitar tone or else your ears might start to bleed on the first note! The drum sound has been vastly improved too, giving some furious blasts over which to layer riff after riff as well as some

seriously groovy basslines. The song-writing department is where the Ballymoney boys have really stepped up their game though; Slurping On Cuntslop has been re-recorded from the 3-way split to take on a whole new level of brutal dynamism while new cuts like the Deliverance-referencing Raped By Rednecks and the barnstorming title track stick out with their sheer brutality, sick vocals and instantly memorable riffs. Not only does I Wore Her Head As A Hat give testament to the bands great taste in bad movies (it features a slowed down soundbyte of Steve Buscemi in Con Air) but it brings a new level of haunting atmosphere to the bands sound as does the instrumental interlude in the new 12 minute version of Cranium Smashing Brutality which closes the album, now packed with even more killer riffs. All of these are songs that after hearing even just once, youll be itching to hear them live. Overall this is a bridge album; bridging the gap between the bands past (from the 90s demos all the way to the self-titled) to their still unwritten future. It also perfectly bridges the gap between todays paradigmatic ultra-brutal slam-style and old school meat n potatoes Death Metal where great songwriting is of paramount importance. Yes its brutal, at times its juvenile and for the sake of the band members safety I hope no angry feminists in their hometown get their hands on the lyric sheet but at the same time Putrefy never lose sight of penning mature and catchy songs. Its a balance that is rarely found in Death Metal but Putrefy have achieved it with alacrity. [9] Red River- Demo 2008 Is there a market out there for this stuff? For a lot of people the very idea of Southern Rock melding with Thrash should be quite abhorrent but this 5 track disc has an almost American radio-friendly (read as Nickleback-esque) catchiness that makes it more infectious than Chlamydia. Unlike the other band currently pumping out music roughly along the same lines (that being Castero), Red River have not taken their peers darker direction and elected to stay more in the party time realm than ever before, and to be honest, they are all the better for it. The riffs are catchier than Castero, the production fuller, the vocals more exuberant and the lyrics more thought out. The radio friendly moments a l Black Stone Cherry are sometimes unfortunate and probably enough to make a Skynyrd fan puke in his pint but for the most part, all they do is add a bit of welcome gloss to what sounds like Zakk Wylde jamming with Municipal Waste. There are song hooks a plenty here from the hummable chorus of All Souls (which appeared on previous CD Evolution), to the spastic vocal refrain to Critical Elimination and the keep-on-telling-yourself-it-doesntsound-like-Limp-Bizkit what the fuck is happening? sing-along of closer The Laboratory. On paper it shouldnt work but on disc it somehow works and Red River deserve credit for this alone. What is more, these boys can back it up live. [7] Sacred Ground- Into The Ruins This is getting beyond a joke. For Ruin, Ground Of Ruin, Utopian Ruins, Engines Of Ruin, Divisions Ruin there really isnt much more room for anything else in the Irish Metal/Hardcore scene with the word ruin in it. And this is

even truer now that this Portadown 3-pieces 4-track demo has come to light. The packaging doesnt do much to excite; every thing from the band name to the song titles are pretty typical, if not clichd, Metal fodder while the front and back cover images are so low resolution that the whole thing is given an air of amateurishness which cant really be a good thing in a style that thrives on being polished. However musically I can find little to fault this band. The lyrics particularly on The Swarm show some talent despite the clichd nature of the song titles and they are perfectly sound on the song-writing front. For many people At The Gates influences cycled through American Metalcore is about as relevant in 2009 as Status Quo are, but Sacred Ground certainly demonstrate that there is still a bit of life left in that particular old horse. Under A Burning Sky for example builds that same kind of breaking-point overwrought emotional tension that Killswitch Engage or As I Lay Dying have, which on a tiny fraction of those bands studio budgets, is quite amazing. Furious blastbeats and more guttural vocal moments show more in common with European Melo-Death, or even the Florida school of Death Metal in places however. And then theres the slower passages in that stretch The Swarm to a mighty 7odd minutes that speaks of the smidgen of Doom influence the band mention in their press release that adds yet more variety. There are faults of course; the drum mixing is terrible in parts and the demo could probably do without the unremarkable fourth track Pleading For Change but for a geographically isolated band on their first outing this is pretty applaudable stuff. The recording of a full length and the bands first gigs re promised before the end of the year and Northern Blaze is hotly anticipating both. [6]

Sandstone- Purging The Past Ever heard of this Derry 4 piece? No, me neither until recently. Turns out Bruce Dickinson has heard them though. And he liked them so much that they were featured on his Radio 6 show. And this album (their second following on from Tides of Opinion 3 years ago) got an 8/10 rating Metal Hammer. Well a bit of publicity and celebrity fanship never hurt anybody but none of this impresses unless they can deliver the goods. Instantly, it is clear why Brucie is a fan and that is because of how much they sound like Maiden at times, especially on the intro to Critical. Queensryche provide a good reference point too for all the melodic and slightly proggy bits but at the same time there is one major letdown. And that is that vocalist Sean just doesnt have the pipes to live up to his air-raid siren influences. The vocals on the slower moments (take ballad and a half Sleep for example) are perfectly fine but, and perhaps for lack of trying, Sean doesnt have that same sense of sounding like he is singing to thousands even when in the studio that Dickinson or Geoff Tate has. Admittedly this might be a bit too much to expect of a still relatively inexperienced band who are no doubt recording on a budget but Sandstones singer seems too much like hes resting on his natural talent and not pushing himself enough. For this reason then most of this albums tracks sit north of mediocre but still a fair bit south of electrifying. For the most part the songwriting is tight as is the musicianship but it is a struggle to take a Heavy Metal song called Happy Birthday seriously, partly because it just isnt that heavy. Sandstone

arent the first band to make the mistake that being melodic should mean that they shouldnt also be heavy but that is an unfortunate factor that pops up here on the album. Purging The Pasts saving grace though is the track Son of Carthage which summarises really what this band is about and is truly their best effort; some heavier riffs, lots of proggy-but-neverpretentious solos, solid songwriting, melodic singing and even the occasional breakdown that reminds of the Guns N Roses influence that was much more prominent on the debut. If next time the band can fill an album with songs like these we might end up with a truly killer band on our hands. [6]

Scthanna- Riders of the Sidhe Back in issue#1 of Northern Blaze I remarked how I would only include the finest of Irish Metal, no matter how broadly that may be interpreted, into these pages. Still this issues review session sees me breaking my pledge somewhat, but not without good reason. Dig out your old copies of your glossy Metal mag of choice and aside from those hacks who gave Cruachans Tuatha Na Gael 1 out of 10, youre bound somewhere to see the phrase this record will get many Metal fans into traditional music, or something to that effect. For years the actual crossover arena, people with a Metal background giving a modern take on Folk, has been quite small with only Fejd and Hagalaz Runedance springing to mind. The stamp of inspiration from both these two is evident somewhat in this Downpatrick two-piece alongside of course Waylander from the next county over, and also perhaps surprisingly they count bands like Drudkh among their inspirations. In short, this is nothing but thoughtfully composed and well executed Irish folk and at last it seems we have a purely Folk band with the power to cross over into the hearts of metalheads without the need for anything as uncouth as an electric guitar. When Folk crosses over into Metal it is usually pretty obvious which bands have no real passion for traditional music outside of their experimentation, as opposed to those who love both with equal amour. Of course there is no Metal at all on this 4-track demo but if there was, Scthanna would no doubt be one of the latter bands. Despite this, Scthanna have chosen to have some part in the Metal world (this is distributed on Newtownabbeys Midhir Records) rather than the world of BCC 2 documentaries on The Dubliners et al. that masquerade as the be all end of all of Irish Folk, which in itself is something to be applauded. People with a fondness for Agallochs textured approach will find a lot to find exciting here and as for Cruachan and Waylander fans, this sweeping and epic, yet wholesome and unpretentious blend of steel-stringed guitar, bodhrn and tinwhistle. [7]

seems that any band with their heads in 2009 rather than 1986 cant be considered Thrash, but expect those kinds of speedy rhythms throughout this second full length, calling to mind at various points Megadeth and Machine Head. Metalcore might be used as a tag of convenience even though there is no core on here at all. In fact, there isnt really any harsh vocals at all- this is upbeat, jammed with riffs, solos song hooks, melodies, furious drumming and dare I say itit sounds a bit like Trivium. If my calculations are correct about 50% of readers just skipped to the next review so let me re-phrase that; it sounds like Trivium would if they were any good. The Thrash riffs, the melody, slick production, poppy choruses; its all there and youve heard it all before at one point or another but despite this Sinocence have one thing going for them that gives them an identity of their own. And that is good fucking songs. The song-writing is a big step up from 2005s debut Black Life Still Pose and they could win hands down over any other band on the Rising Records roster in the songwriting stakes. Listening to this album though I cant escape the feeling that a lot of people arent going to like this and even if you have seen Sinocence live and were impressed, the heavier songs here like Rule As One might be a bit of a disappointment as they lose a good bit of energy on disc. Listen with an open mind and you could get caught up in the pure enjoyability of this record. The highlight has to be the album centrepiece Art Of Seperation where things get slowed down a bit like Rise Against at their most radio friendly (there goes the other 50%)- and it really fucking works. If youre still reading this do yourself a favour and check it out. [7] Skewered- Promo 2009 I was tempted to say here that the difference between Skewereds first demo Homegrown Brutality in 2007 and this new cut made it sound like a completely different band but with closer research, it turns out it was a different band as that first demo was a collection of rough cuts from the bands former days as Necrosis. So while this is in fact the first real concerted effort of Skewered I still think its prudent to compare it to the previous outing. Explaining the difference between the two demos is done best by comparing them to the difference between the second and third Cannibal Corpse records. Butchered At Birth has some of the Corpses most seriously brutal lyrics but it still belongs very much to their youthful, exuberant and musically immature early period while Tomb Of The Mutilated is endlessly superior thanks to its step-up in terms of songwriting, technicality and also just a little bit in terms of production. It is pretty much the same story here; Homegrown Brutality did exactly what it said on the tin; it was fun, fast, gory, misogynist and above all plain fucking brutal. There is nothing really changed in the bands influences this time around (except that the slower paces give me the impression that Asphyx has slipped into their regular rotation) but somehow this is much more mature. The clearer production helps this to no end but it has something to do as well with increased catchiness of the riffs, the consistent vocal performance and the odd little technical nuance (like on the intro to Skewered). The re-recording of an older track Wretched Cum Slut helpfully underlines this progress even more as it means we can immediately compare the Skewered of old and their new, more considered approach to brutality. What baffles me though is that when Skewered are clearly

Sinocence- Scar Obscura (Rising Records) Considering the tastes of my readership probably consists mainly of Extreme Metal, trying to review this release before alienating all of you before the end is a difficult task but here it goes. First of all, this is quite hard to pigeon-hole; with the Thrash Revival still twitching it

capable of making this material work why they dont stretch it out a little further. Of course this material is not original by any stretch of the imagination but it is still pretty fresh sounding and would remain so even if these songs clocked in around the five minutes mark (as they stand none of them exceeds three.) Nonetheless this is exciting stuff and certainly leaves one salivating at the prospect of a Skewered full length.

Slave Zero- Exempt From All Tolerance (Double Standard Productions) After listening to this it becomes funny just how inadequate the description of Death/Thrash Metal on Slave Zeros metalarchives page is. There is so much going on in this records 35 minute span that it is quite a lot to digest sonically all at once. There are parallels with both recent Napalm Death and Abaddon Incarnates live punishments in the multi-layered vocal attack, a big Jamey Jasta influence on the shouting vocals, pure Sepultura-style Thrash aggression, Suffocationesque brutality, moments that call to mind Cephaliac Carnage or Misery Indexs modern take on Grind and to top it off a big smack of Born From Pain-like rhythmic pounding Hardcore. Oh and how can we leave out the melodic leads and solos (on closing track Vengeance in particular) that could have been taken straight from either of the last two Carcass albums? So there are a dozen bands that Slave Zero have obviously been influenced by (did I mention theres some Sludge a l Soilent Green in there too?) but do they sound like any of them? No, at least not all the time. The great thing is that you can hear all these elements in every song and the huge punch up of styles never seems out of place. Its an intricate and delicate mix, and technically executed in places as well but you never get time to wonder if there is too many ingredients in the cake and that is because you are constantly being hit squarely in the fucking face with it. Straight For The Jugular isnt just a great song, it is this bands mission statement; as soon as the Gary Oldman in Leon soundbyte fades (if youve seen the movie youll know the one) you are taken by the throat and for 35 minutes you are Slave Zeros bitch as the pummel you repeatedly without ever letting up. But dont be fooled into thinking this is unsophisticated though; song titles such as Engineering Opportunities To Ordain The Innocent show the care that has gone into the socially aware lyrics and everything about the battery of sonic violence sounds as though has been thoughtfully prepared. Where to pigeon-hole then you might ask? Deathcore? Well, its not wrong to say that this is a mix of the best bits of Brutal Death Metal and sometimes equally brutal Hardcore but to lump this in a genre dominated by fringe-sporting boys who cant even grow chinpubes yet (or write a decent song for that matter) would be a great disservice to Slave Zero. Grindcore? Well tempo-wise Slave Zero never really kick it into fifth gear but this is an album that should hopefully remind people that the Hardcore side of the equation is just as important to Grind as really fast Death Metal. Who cares what you call it at the end of the day; what Slave Zero have done is taken influence from every dried up and stagnated sub-genre in the field and thrown it together with such energy that while it may not be groundbreaking, it is still positively head-splitting. [8]

Sol Axis- To Mark The Ages (Sentinel Records) Sol Axis reputation as Irelands first serious contender to be taken seriously in the wider Black Metal scene was well sealed even before Sentinel Records decided to release this comprehensive compilation of all Sol Axis material ever laid to tape. The unfortunate brevity of Sol Axis tenure is testament to the great minds that were in Sol Axis including members of many other now forgotten Irish acts and Joseph Deegan on vocals who has since raised the bar for Irish Black Metal even higher than Sol Axis did here with Slidhr and Myrkr. Included naturally is the 2005 EP of the same name as this release. It is in short; Black Metal to the fucking core with Mayhem and old Gorgoroth being the prime influences as well as an almost Rock n Roll directness to the assault that bleeds of Mtorhead filtered through early Bathory- which is why there is no surprise as to why Raise The Dead is covered here in honour of Quorthon. Following on from the EP tracks (for first time ever on CD) is the very rare 2004 self-titled demo helpfully re-mastered by Mr. Deegan which brings them production-wise up to the same standard of pure hatefulness that the EP had. And to be honest, Icebound from the demo turns out to be the best track on here. Personally I find the constant cymbal splashing on the EP a little grating which gives the demo tracks the edge over say, Through The Red Soil from the EP which happens to re-appear on here rather redundantly as an alternative version. Thankfully though we get another two unreleased tracks, the ridiculously furious To Mark The Ages (which was strangely left off the EP) and yet another Bathory cover, this time The Return Of Darkness And Evil, to round things off in glorious fashion. You might bemoan the fact that not one but two Bathory covers is a little fanboy-ish but overall, this is no big deal. Sol Axis were by no means groundbreaking in a musical sense; straight-ahead, orthodox Black Metal but played with conviction, fury and enough personality to mean that Sol Axis remain an individual act. In relation to Irish Black Metal however, this was of paramount importance and is still a benchmark for future Irish acts to be measured against. [8]

Sorrowfall- Prayers Of The Faithless: Live At The Rosetta With the original lineup now broken the time is right to go back 2 years or so to the launch gig of their debut album, helpfully caught on video. First of all though this review has to lament the 2 unfortunate circumstances that prevent this fulfilling what DVDs of local bands are all about; getting together with your mates, having a few cans and trying to spot yourself in the crowd. This is prohibited partly be the camera being fixed on the band themselves for most of the show (be prepared to witness Sleeve failing to teach Collins the art of synchronised headbanging early on) but mainly due to the fact this is not actually a physical DVD release. Instead there is the upshot of no reason for a Metal fan in Ireland (or reader of this zine from elsewhere) not going onto youtube to check it out. As a document of how killer

Sorrowfalls original lineup actually was live, each of us will probably have memories that will do the job better, especially considering the 2 years of improved gigging that followed the night caught on camera here but nonetheless this will provide a decent digital memento to a truly tight live unit with only Sleeves somewhat inconsistent vocals letting the performance down here. As to be expected the camera work and sound quality are a bit ghetto but keep watching right to the end; by the time the second to last track A Prayer To The Emptiness kicks in the crowd has really come alive and Sleeve looks positively evil. Some introductory footage including some mildly entertaining interview clips, Chris with two prostitutes (apparently), a helicopter, some suspect looking literature concerning photographing children and Poley in bed with a stuffed toy of Luigi rounds things off in a suitably goofy fashion. All in all this is a good way to spend 40 or 50 minutes but the burning question still remains, is there any point to these kind of releases? That I reckon, is a question that only the future can answer. Somebody better keep a copy of these vids safe because regardless of whether Sorrowfall end up on the main stage at Wacken in ten years time, or as an almost forgotten footnote in Irish Metal it is almost certain that somebody is going to want to see this again for a bit of reminiscing to a time before Poley had dreads, Eddy wore orange trousers and Sleeve talked shite about demons in between songs. Temple Of Opposites- Temple Of Opposites demo It can only be a good thing that the number of quality Irish Black Metal acts is rising, even if it means there is an increasing separation into two camps. So while the outsider steeotype of Ireland being full of Pagan bands will doubtlessly continue, Temple Of Opposites join the ranks of Irelands Occultist/Satanic hordes alongside Slidhr, Myrkr, Caro Maledicta and Rebirth Of Nefast. And what an entry statement this is. This is impossibly raw Black Metal in the vein of Darkthrone and early Watain with buzzsaw guitars aplenty, incessant blasting and vocals that sound like a strangled cat which fans of true Black Metal are sure to love. But this band are no plagiarists and neither are they a one trick pony; Cunnus Diaboli has a hypnotic and psychedelic air about it while The Flagellants Den has a surprising and instantly memorable Black n Roll riff tossed right into the middle of the proceedings. Naturally this debut demo isnt perfect; the mixing is inconsistent across the 3 tracks, the second song cuts out very abruptly and more attention definitely needs to be paid to the vocals but what this demo is, is a rarity. Not often do bands of this ilk have even a slight semblance of their own identity but with this demo you dont really get the feeling that this could just be outtakes from Under A Funeral Moon which tends to be the case with a lot of first Black Metal demos, especially ones like this which are limited to 50 copies. This is something that Temple Of Opposites should definitely be applauded for on their first effort. By the time you read this all 50 copies will have probably been snatched up but if you are a fan of nasty, regressive, traditional Black Metal this is definitely worth getting your hands on; 5 years down the line this will stand out in your collection against all the Darkthrone clones as a band willing to play something a little bit outside of the box. [7]

Thoughts Of Ruin-Reclaim The Throne (Underground Movement) Reclaim The Throne is the debut from Cork-based Melodic Death/Groove/Metalcore troupe Thoughts Of Ruin, something you would be unlikely to guess upon a blind listen as the foreign production (France) gives them a sound a little bit quite unlike most Irish bands at the moment. The upshot of their chosen studio is the production is crisp and professional yet not entirely devoid of warmth and feeling, but a possible downside being that it sounds somewhat, for want of a better word, American. Most of the way through this full length Machine Head and Kataklysm are the best points of reference with an occasional bit of Gothenburg influence shining through here and there. The riffs are effective, heavy and groovy but unfortunately the breakdowns are generic (surprise surprise) and the lyrics are nothing to shout home about either. There are a few noteworthy moments such as the dynamic and catchy choruses to The Despised and Relic; the former also boasts quite a kick-ass solo (albeit it does sound like an out-take from The Blackening) and the latter containing a bit of old fashioned Florida-style blasting. Semi-acoustic passages on GodComplex (but less effective on Inner Demon) are also worth mention and show a trace of song-writing flair. However these moments of interest do little to offset the monotony of the rest of the songs and they could never remedy the cringe-worthy Kill! Kill! Kill Them All! chanting on Relic or the Nu Metal referencing guest vocals courtesy of their producer Kallaghan on God Complex. It seems as though every time Thoughts of Ruin come up with a good song hook there is some mind-numbing genericism waiting just a few bars away. If youre anything like this reviewer then therell be times listening to this album when youll nod in approval, feel like going up to the Thoughts Of Ruin lads, ruffling their collective hairs and say well done lad. On the other hand for the rest of the album youll most likely be fidgeting, yawning, inspecting your nails and counting down the number of tracks left until you can get back to listening to Morbid Angel. Its unfortunate that the moments of shining quality are spread to think across the 8 tracks to make this a truly worthwhile purchase. [6]

Two Tales Of Woe- A Conversation With Death Band mission statements are a funny thing. Usually they are pointless self aggrandising (like every Devourment-derivative band who claim they are the most br00tal ever!), or they are just simply never live up to it (which is obviously not the case with the classic We are Motorhead and we play Rock n Roll.) Two Tales Of Woes memo however (Heavy n slow the way of the Woe!) is absolutely spot on. Prepare yourself for a slew of NOLA-sized riffs that just keep on coming (unfortunately to a point where it gets a little repetitive) mixed with some classic Rock n Roll swagger on the solos, beerswilling choruses from the bellow-lunged Carl King and some back and forth interplay between melancholic atmospheres

and more triumphant moments and youve got this album in a nutshell. Some attention needs to be paid to the vocals. First of all, Carl has one of the best voices in Irish Metal at the moment. His soulful croon alone should dispel any comments to the effect that some Dublin boys have no business playing this Southern Rock-influenced style but the real downside is in his lyrics. You have to applaud the band for keeping their lyrical focus throughout this debut album but at the same time the thematic consistency means the same words seem to pop up in the (admittedly) catchy choruses time and time again. Furthermore the similarity between the riffs on a few songs means the vocal patterns have a repetitive quality to them. Yet on this album the listener never loses interest; this has to be one of the tightest and most professional self-production jobs, especially for a band who have only been together for a few years), in the last few years and the clean and modern sound gives the whole album a head-nodding quality that might well have been lost with a fuzzier or sludgier job done behind the desk. This suits the style though because although there are the moments where Crowbar in particular are reminded of, this is at hear a fun-loving Metal album and one of the best debuts of the year. [7] Valediction- The Bleeding Tower At the time of writing this four track EP has still not yet been released on CD but it has been sitting on their myspace for long enough and their constant gigging activity makes this Dublin 5-piece kind of hard to ignore. A review of Cork Winterfest in a more commercial magazine described Valediction as having a pub rock demeanour and while that may be an accurate descriptor of their live performance, this is a lot more professional than that would suggest. The production job is top notch which is usually a requirement for this kind of keyboard-based Power Metal but unlike most of their contemporaries, Valediction dont overload the listener with vocals that suggest the vocalists predilection for tight trousers; instead the same irresistible vibe that makes you want to tap your heels and rock out is translates just as well on record here as the band do on stage, albeit in a much more subtle way. One criticism is that sections of the first three songs sound quite similar which makes them hard to differentiate between but they are catchy slabs of straight up Metal nonetheless. It is however, closing track The Siege Of Dis with its much darker tones and Death Metal backing vocals that steals the show. When you add it all up, this ticks all the important boxes; its catchy, versatile and it doesnt sound like everything else out thereValediction are definitely one to watch out for. [7]

However the other danger of using the for fans of phrase is that it will make the band in question sound like a second rate copy cat, but Vomitous have two things to counter any argument to that effect. First of all, there is a god reason why this sounds like it should have been on any number of American Death Metal albums of the early 90s and its not because Vomitous are masquerading as old school; Vomitous are old school. Guitarist and band mastermind Alan Gill has been struggling to get these songs recorded since he started writing them 14 years ago, and they almost very nearly didnt get recorded at all. Now with a stable lineup at last Alan says this demo was only intended as a small taster if what the band is capable of which, if these 3 tracks are anything to go by, is quite a fucking lot. Which brings us to the second edge that Vomitous have to their blade and that is what Death Metal is all about; the passion. This demo proves that in this genre a band can create superior material without an ounce of originality as long as the passion and determination is there. 14 years is a long time to wait and it must take some grit but at the end of a long slog Vomitous are at last ready to teach us all how to party like its 1991 to again. The demo is available for free by contacting the band and also as a split CD with Norwegian Death Metallers Unspoken, available on Musikk And Mystikk Records. [7]

Vomitous- Devoid Of Divinity For Fans Of is a pretty lazy way of reviewing any kind of musical release, but when the influence of Deicide and Suffocation (as well as Malevolent Creation, Incantation and lets face it, every old school American act ending in -ion) is slapped so heavily across this demo it is kind of hard to avoid.

Wreck of the Hesperus/ De Novissimis Split 10 (Stitchy Press) I recall recently reading about a Portuguese Doom Metal band which took 5 years after conception to get a stable lineup, a further 2 years to record a demo and a total of 12 years before a full length finally materialised and to me, this sort of sets the tone for many a Doom band out there. It escapes logic then why a band so filthy and slow as Wreck of the Hesperus should be so prolific. This reviewers ears have barely recovered from the nightmarish analogue horror that was The Dilapidated Sky (reviewed in issue#2) and even considering that Northern Blaze missed out on the intervening Rotism single it seemed all too soon to subject myself to another bout of sewer-dwelling madness. Naturally I wasnt disappointed. After the sheer minimalism of The Dilapidated Sky their offering here (Raw Sewage Heart) seems positively virtuosic by comparison. Of course Im am being sarcastic if you cant tell; this is crushingly slow and heavy stuff with sickening vocals and ethereal drumming that creates disgusting sonic patterns over bed of drones laid by the guitars. Once again Wreck of the Hesperus have created the musical equivalent of a decaying building as it falls oh so very slowly into rubble and dust [7], which is why it is quite surprising that on Worthy Of Nothing fellow Dubliners De Novissimis [8] have come out on top on this split. While they may not have the hypnoticism of their ratmen accomplices, the bleak atmosphere is that little bit more palatable and their Crust Punk snottiness sets them a little afield from much of the Doom pack, both in Ireland and beyond. Grab this stellar release from Stitchy Press before its too late.

LIVE REVIEWS
Full Metal Racket Fest 2009 (@Mandela Hall)

greatness; a great band name and great songs. They are an interesting curiosity on todays bill but if Greece has produced another Firewind then this isnt them. After this it demands a lot of energy to kick things up a notch and Sinocence [8] are perfect at providing this adrenaline shot. Exuberance reaches levels that border on the ridiculous as these hometown boys tear through tune after tune of well crafted, sorta-groovy, sorta-thrashy balls to the wall modern Metal. Its digestible, catchy and hits your senses faster than the free can of baby wipes-flavoured energy drink we were all treated to. Both of these things may not be to everyones tastes but Sinocences enthusiasm and dedication is clearly paying off and they deserve the positive reaction they get, and their recent signing to Rising Records too. Considering that this isnt their first time on Irish shores (this show is the last on a 4-date mini-tour) for Belgian lads Thurisaz [8] (not the Finnish pantomime metallers) most of us know what to expect. For those who dont, this is an earraping crash course in how to get a melting pot of styles right. Here the grand atmospheres of Emperor meets a punishing wall of noise approach to Death Metal and topped off with an undeniable sense of modernity and coolness. This is direct and pounding extreme Metal with a strong melodic strain, an atmospheric sensibility strangely reminiscent of Primordial at times, and above all they are not to be missed by anyone. Check them out now.

The incremental growth of Belfasts annual all-day fest of all things Metal has sky-rocketed this year, and everything about it seems to be placing it well above its rival fests. Openers Decayor [8] are testament to this. Luckily with such a killer venue as the Mandela Hall and great sound crew behind them the Donegal boys manage to avoid the usual curse of the opening act (i.e. shite sound.) And by fuck by does it do wonders for their brand of atmospheric Death/Doom. Ive said a few times already in this issue but this is a band to take note of for the future. Due to a bit of bill reshuffling (involving health concerns over one of the members of Sinocence), For Ruin [7] follow and although the sound brings out their muscular Death Metal leanings and hateful Black Metal side the lead guitar proves to be a little too low in the mix and consequently much of the melancholy that is so evident on disc is lost live. Nonetheless the play ferociously and the tracks previewed from the upcoming sophomore album Last Light positively slay. A big hand to Barry as well (AKA Mr. The TRON of Ill Eat Your Face) for filling in on short notice.

The old adage third times a charm seems a bit askew here as up next are the only disappointing act of the year. Airged Lamh [6] are not afraid to show their influences on their sleeves, frontman Stavros Giannakopoulos has got his Andy Deris moves down tight and they get a fair few horns and peals of applause from the not insubstantial crowd gathered on the floor. But unfortunately there are two key areas where these Greek visitors fall short of achieving Power Metal

Following on from Thurisaz are their Irish touring buddies Sorrowfall [8], beyond any doubt one of Belfasts best loved acts of recent years and with the performance they put on tonight it is easy to see why. Emotions are running high as this is pint-sized vocalist/bassist Sleeves final show but for the most part it is just business as usual and another memorable performance. Its when the set is cut short in the middle by technical difficulties that the real tragedy of Sleeves departure is clear though; Sleeves eplacement will assuredly be just as capable in the bass and vocals departments but what is really inimitable about Sleeve is his stage-banter and his personality that frontmen twice his size often fail to have. Setwise the new-ish song The Lonely God (or the wanker, as Sleeve dubs him) and the cover of Bathorys A Fine Day To Die stand out but the highlights could only ever be two songs; the rousing opener The Forest and the equally mighty closing number Wicked Potion (which sees the organiser Corey Barkley appear on stage also.) Now roll on all the clichs; Sleeves boots will be difficult to fill, hell be sorely missed, hell always occupy a special place in the bands history etcjust because theyre clichs doesnt mean they arent all true. So long lad

This is my third time now seeing the tragically split Celtic Legacy [7] and its a performance very much consistent with the two previous. The crowd has thinned considerably since Sorrowfall and as they have elected to do all day, many punters are content to sit up on the balcony rather than give it rice down the front. Frontman Ciaran Ennis seems exasperated by the lack of crowd participation in their Celtictinged Trad. Metal stylings, until of course they break into the 10-minute epic The Resurrection. This slow burning ballad worthy of Maiden is what ultimately turns the entire performance around (much like it did on the unsigned stage at Bloodstock 08) and by the end of their slot the crowd has doubled in proportions and the Dublin-boys crowd response is much more fitting to the energy they put into it. From a band who thrive on crowd participation to a band who seem oblivious to their audience, subsequently becoming only bystanders (or victims) to their barrage, next up are Scald [8]. There is no stage banter, no gimmicks and no attempts to pander to the crowd; just a punishing mix of Grind, Sludge and Crust Punk. Its either something you get or you just dont but today a surprising number of people do get it, even if the rest seems completely repulsed. Set list-wise this spans the power trios entire career with songs from the debut all the way up to the brilliant Larva and Cocoon from 2007s Fluke album. Naturally the Vermaculus album is ignored but with live performances of Scalds nightmarish noisemongering as rare as it is, then a full live rendition of that ambitious project may indeed be on the cards for a later date. Scald are too sonically ear-raping and idiosyncratic to fit in on a bill of crowd-pleasing acts but somewhere there does have to be a foil to balance things out and if nothing else, Scald achieve that with perfection.

Next up its time for some more fist-pumping Heavy Metal in its purest form, this time provided by NWOBHM underdogs Steve Grimetts Grim Reaper [9]. Everything about them seems to suggest that Grim Reaper shouldnt even be here. After almost 30 years in the game they are still plagued by a severe lack of pundits despite their prowess and even those metalheads who do know Steve Grimetts name are more likely to know him for his brief stint in Onslaught. There is even something quite wrong about seeing a man in his 50s with a stage persona somewhere between Bill Byfford and Meatloaf, but who dresses from the waist down like a 15-tear old emo-girl (heartagram Vans, stretch jeans with skeleton handprints on the arse and all.) Against all this though Grim Reaper are hands down the best band of the entire day. This is more entertaining that Judas Priest were on the Priest Feast tour; does that put it into perspective or what? Grim Reaper are underrated Metal gods and the crowd are quick to recognise this. There is an immediacy to their songs that puts them instantly on par with established classics like Living After Midnight and Denim And Leather. Tracks like See You In Hell and Fear No Evil are the greatest Metal anthems youve never heard and we are truly graced to witness them tonight. We are well into the evening tonight and the floor is filling up for Melodic Greek Black Metal legends Rotting Christ [8]. Frontman Sakis introduces each song with stony demeanour but this spell of grim seriousness is broken by the sheer enjoyment the band are having on stage, Sakis even occasionally jumping around merrily like a child having a sugar rush. A rare thing it is to have a Black Metal band with both artistic integrity and that crowd-pleasing x factor; truly in a class of their own.

Up until tonights headliners we have been blessed with absolutely sterling sound quality and minimal technical difficulties so it is quite worrying when Adrian Erlandsons drum mics need attending to only a few songs into the performance of Paradise Lost [8]. This static adds to a band who are already renowned for being characteristically moody on stage and this somewhat limits the crowd interaction in the first half of the show, although Nick Holmes does manage an unintentional moment of comedy by muttering what fucking else can go wrong? in thick Yorkshire brogue before slamming the microphone so hard into the mic stand that it momentarily breaks. Things pick up around the halfway mark though when sing-a-long classics like As I Die and the

massively underrated Erased are aired while recent killers (The Enemy in particular) and material from the upcoming album sit perfectly alongside. Naturally though its the mighty Gothic that whips the crowd up to frenzy point. Who knew that music so melancholy could be so cleansing and audienceinvolving? The appearance of one of the sound technicians to work up cheers for an encore is so effective that it from the front row it sounds as though a riot is breaking out behind and the Northern miserablists are thankfully only too happy to treat us to a three-pronged closer including Say Just Words that gives the day a perfect ending. A massive applause to Corey Barkley for raising the bar and best of luck to topping this should he ever decide to resurrect FMR. Metal Blade Assault Tour + Condemned (@The Limelight)

anything else (there is no doubt that most people are indeed here for The Rotted) but one certainly has to admire the tenacity with which they throw themselves into this performance. The deteriorating sound holds back the catchiness that both Anterior and Malefice display on record but strangely tonights headliners The Rotted [8] prove to be the most infectious, despite Bens vocals getting completely lost in the mix. The debate is probably still dragging on somewhere on line as to how good a move the bands new direction was but there is no doubt that most of the old Gorerotted material would have never been able to match songs like Angel Of Meth or Its Like Theres A Party In My Mouth (And Everyones Being Sick) for directness, catchiness and a general good fucking time. Ben McCrow barely stands in same spot for more than 5 seconds the whole set and he works the meagre crowd like a puppeteer controls a toy, inciting horns and raised fists with the simplest of gestures. A 45 minute set really does seem a bit short for such a great band but with only one album of material under The Rotted moniker and a probably desire to be taken seriously as a separate entity from Gorerotted theres not much else to go on. Despite this we arent just served up Nothin But A Nosebleed; The Rotted make sure we eave the venue with a thoroughly smashed up face. See you next time you crazy bastards!

Decayor + William Christ & The One Man Orgy (@Laverys Bunker) While a 5:30 door time for a Saturday gig might be a bit odd it suits this reviewer fine as it puts me in plenty of time to catch the last train home and the small crowd gathered for Condemned [8] dont seem to have any qualms about it either. Tonight the local lads are on top form and tight as fuck with all the usual technicality, brutality and intricacy out in full force. The not so new anymore unreleased material seems to get better and better with each performance and soon enough songs like The Dark Place will overtake longstanding classics like Leave Me Alone (Or Ill Kill Again) in the favourites stakes amongst the Condemned die-hards down the front. The patchy sound holds Condemned back slightly, especially the low growls, but for the most part this is a great performance. Also, whoever had the idea of selling Condemned fridge magnets was a genius. Next up are Welsh boys Anterior [6] who prove wrong the lazy sods who have decided to brand them Metalcore. Sure they arent the most original of bands and they do share key Scandinavian influences with most American Metalcore of the last 5 years but these guys definitely deserve to have a shirt with FUCKING METAL AS FUCK BOYO printed across the back. This is competent and digestible Metal with the melodic tailcoats of Gothenburg mixed up with a bit of 80s shredding for good measure (and vocalist Luke Davies throws in some funky gyrating dance moves too) but apart from a few dedicated fans down the front, this doesnt make much of an impact on an embarrassingly small crowd. Malefice [6] fare a little bitter and this time the Metalcore tag makes a bit more sense, especially given the Hardcore-like energetic delivery on stage, but this is more up Devildriver street than down Killswitch alley. Again like Anterior their relative failure to get the crowd going is more to do with their style being quite far removed from that of the headliners than Tonight is a night of firsts it seems; it is I think at least Donegal Death/Doom boys Decayors first headlining show in Belfast, but perhaps more excitingly, the first ever live appearance of the Skintown Black Metal/Grindcore horde just below them on the bill. Unfortunately I showed up too late tonight for Hybris and Arcane but thankfully just in time for WCATOMOs 35 minute onslaught of violence. This band is an amalgamation of Christorgy (featured in the last issue) and one of the sole-member John AKA Lord Tiberius Nyarlethotep other projects, William Shatner. Tonight they are fused together in some sort of hideous mongrel and do you know what? In all their corpse-painted, toga-sporting, greencostumed superhero drumming, impossibly tall guitarist-toting fury William Christ And The One Man Orgy [8] prove on their very first outing to be one of the Norths strongest live Metal acts. Surprising for a band with song-titles as daft as Beating Bono To Death With Bob Geldoff? I guess its just something you have to see to believe and plenty enough people have turned up tonight to see if this band are as entertaining as the name suggests. And while the set is chocfull of laughs (Mushroom Flavoured Swiss Roll and the improvised 30 second encore elicit the side-splitting the most) the punters get a great show as well. A hard act to follow but the second appearance in Belfast in a little over a month sees Decayor [8] really hitting their stride with this whole being really really fucking good lark. Theres still a fair bit of debate (quite literally) at the bar about the quality of Paulric Gallaghers clean vocals on The Sacred Heart Is Bleeding and while they may not be aurally pleasing in the conventional sense they are nonetheless entirely in sync with Decayors atmosphere and provide a jolt of individuality in their traditionalist Death/Doom miserablism. A classic song on top of the EP tracks provides a great end to the night; four quid well fucking spent.

Northern Blaze would like to thank Steve, Jason, Vin, Chris, Barry, the two Andys and everyone else for the interviews. Cheers also to Bob, Eddie, Jrg, Alan and everyone else who has sent CDs for review. Thanks to Jon, Darragh and Scobes for stocking the zine as well as No Sign Of Life, Total

Holocaust and all the other labels who Ive traded with. Double thanks to Jon for the advice and to anyone who has given me encouragement, Amee most of all, the one person I couldnt have done this without.

Upcoming Gigs
Wednesday 31st March: Suffocation + Annotations Of An Autopsy + Nervecell + Fleshgod Apocalypse + Burning The Masses (@ Whelans, Dublin 22+BKG adv./25 door 7.30 pm) Saturday 3rd Aprl: The Wounded Kings + Eternal Helcaraxe + Brigantia + Corr Mhona (@ The Lower Deck, Dublin 9 adv./10 door 8pm) Sunday 4th April: Siege Of Limerick feat. Mourning Beloveth + Sirocco + The Wounded Kings + Fivewilldie + On Pain Of Death + 21more (@ Baker Place, Limerick free entry 12pm) Eyehategod + Tomitoshi (Saturday 3rd April: with Coldwar @The Academy, Dublin 25+BKG 7.30) (Sunday 4th April: with War Iron @The Limelight, Belfast 17 6pm) Friday 16th April: Erebus + Balmog + Eternal Helcaraxe (@ Fibbers Magee, Dublin 7 7pm) Friday April 16th: Stormzone + Black Freeway + Double Wide + Circadian (@ [apparently] National Boxing Stadium, Dublin TBC TBCpm) Saturday 17th April: Glyder Album Launch gig (@ The Village, Dublin 10 7.30pm) Saturday 17th April: Gama Bomb + S.S.S. + Visceral Attack + The Lobotomites + Sorcery (@ The Speakeasy, Belfast 7 7.30) Desecration (Thursday 22nd April: with Condemned + Devilmakesthree + Kiriath @The Limelight, Belfast 8.30 9pm) (Friday 23rd April: with Flatline + Atrax Mantis + Wound Upon Wound @An Cruiscin Lan 10 8pm) (Saturday 24th April: with Purefy + Warpath + Overoth + Nephridium + Zealot Clut @Fibbers Magee, Dublin 8 7.30pm) Cathedral + Church Of Misery + The Gates Of Slumber Tuesday 27th: @The Village, Dublin 22+BKG adv./25 door 7pm) Wednesday 28th April: @The Limelight, Belfast 18.50 9pm) Negura Bunget + Fen + The Way Of Purity (Thursday 29th April: @The Limelight, Belfast 11.50 9pm) (Friday 30th: @Fibbers Magee, Dublin 15 8pm) (Saturday 1st May: @An Cruiscin Lan, Cork 10 8pm) Bolt Thrower + Rotting Christ (Sunday 2nd May: with Morphosis + Overoth + For Ruin + DJ Nemtheaga @The Button Factory, Dublin 16 7.30pm) (Monday 3d May: with Overoth + Devilmakesthree @The Limelight, Belfast 12 9pm) Satuday 8th May: Distortion Project 10th Anniversary feat. Primordial + Orange Goblin + Hexxed + 18 more (@ Limelight/Katy Dalys/Spring And Airbrake, Belfast 20 2pm) Lord Vicar (Saturday 19th June: with Old Season + Refraction + Howlin Widow @The Pint, Dublin 15+BKG adv./17 door 8pm) (Sunday 20th June: with Brigantia + Howlin Widow @Auntie Annies, Belfast TBC 8pm) Deicide (Monday 28th June: support TBC @ Spring And Airbrake, Belfast TBC TBCpm) (Tuesday 29th June: support TBC @ Whelans, Dublin TBC TBCpm) Sunday 18th July: Sepultura (@ Dublin Academy 25 7.30pm) Saturday 18th September: Dublin Doom Day II feat. Mourning Beloveth, Pagan Altar, Griftegard, Brigantia + more TBC (@ Fibbers Magee, Dublin 20 TBCpm) A Storm Of Light (Saturday 2nd October; with Stand Up Guy + Refraction @ Whelans, Dublin TBC, TBCpm) (Sunday 3rd October: with Stand Up Guy + Slomatics @ Spring And Airbrake, Belfast TBC 8pm)