Tag Archives: Review

Now in it’s fifth year, the Steelhouse Festival is one of the UK’s more remote festivals.  Although only four miles from the nearest town, Ebbw Vale, Hafod-Y-Dafal Farm’s mountain top location means it is not the most accessible – especially in a weekend dominated, in both the build up to …

Florida-based power duo Cave Of Swimmers trace their roots to an early friendship developed in 1999 by Guillermo “GE” Perez and Arturo “Toro” Garcia when they were both only 15 and still in fourth grade in their native Caracas, Venezuala.   The duo relocated to Miami in the early 2000s and continued …

Inception of Inhumanity is the debut offering from melodic death metal group Shrouded. Based in Lisburn and Antrim in Northern Ireland, their cd has a lot that I like. There is the bones and most of the flesh of some outstanding tracks but it has more elements that took me a little while to …

“I told you we’d be fucking back!”  It may be somewhat unusual to start a review at the end, but drummer Brann Dailor’s closing remarks to the audience are important for contextualizing what had happened over the previous hour-and-a-half or so.  You see, it had only been a little more than …

It could be argued that, although they hail from the Midlands of England, Diamond Head share an affinity with Belfast:  after all, it was they who helped shape the sound of the nascent Metallica – a place in history they share with a band from this neck of the woods, …

The venue for this evening’s long-awaited return to Belfast by Pat McManus – it has been almost exactly a year since ‘The Professor’ last graced a stage here – is the basement of a pub situated in Belfast’s oldest known building, McHugh’s Bar.  Built back in the 17th century it, like …

Ah well, here we are… it’s a Wednesday night here in Belfast and it’s officially the start of the week;  well, as far as Team PM is concerned anyway, with the prospect of six gigs over the course of the next five nights, starting with tonight’s long overdue return to …

Die No More a young four piece NWOBHM band from Cumbria formed in  2011, since then they have impressed people with their energetic live shows. They released self-financed, four track, début EP ‘Blueprint’ in 2013 which led to them being signed by Rocksector Records with whom they released their debut …

Gasoline Outlaws emerged on to the Northern Ireland rock scene at the turn of this year, when former Black Freeway/Last Known Addiction singer Matt Fitzsimons, freshly returned from a sojourn down under, re-united with his brother Chris and in turn teamed up with former Yellow Sam guitarist Adam Parkin and …

Imagine the most ungodly hour possible for a self-respecting metallian to be crawling from their pit – and then move it back an hour or more… well, while most of our readers were most likely turning over for your second sleep, your reviewer was up and about in the wee …

This evening’s gig – featuring the somewhat ironically named LA punks The Bronx and Florida-based grinders Torche – was originally scheduled to be two separate affairs, with the two bands playing in neighbouring venues within the same complex.  However, the promoters – and, co-incidentally, the venue owners – quickly managed …

Graveyard Johnnys a Punk/Psychobilly trio from Chepstow formed in 2008. With a self-funded EP, ‘Streetblock and City Lights’ and debut album ‘Songs From Better Days’ already under their belts. A few line-up changes along the way, they released their latest offering ‘Dead Transmission’ via Bomber Music on the 11th May …

Enniskillen’s Charlie’s Bar is fast becoming the location to find the finest in rock based music in the local and surrounding area.  It is constantly been utilised by many promoters who bring in a variety of musical acts to cater to a vast array of people. On this occasion, Penny …

There is something morbidly fascinating about goregrind.  It’s a musical sub-genre which often inhabits the darker, more taboo elements of the human psyche, addressing lyrical issues which many, more mainstream, artists only dare to skirt around with the comparative finesse of a housewife cleaning her most precious porcelain compared to …

It’s the middle of May and spring is supposed to have sprung with summer allegedly around the corner – but, guess what?  It’s feckin’ freezin’ and it’s sheeting it down – so, there’s nothing else to do but forsake the backyard barbecue for another weekend, plunge out into the night …

The Dynamic Aussie Duo strikes again! Right from the word go The Graveltones second album ‘Love Lies Dying‘ hits you like a rampaging rhino that tramples all over you, backs up, and for good measure, tramples all over you again and again to make sure the job is done! That …

“The Fleece is a better venue but I felt this gig would be more fun.” Jeffery Johns, affectionately known as Big Jeff, is in attendance tonight at the Marble Factory, having turned down the chance to see Russian Circles down the road at one of Bristol’s more established venues. Something of a …

When the line-up for this, the fourth of the five opening heats in the first ever Bloodstock Metal 2 The Masses competition to be held in li’l ol’ Norn Iron was announced, it was generally considered that it would be by far the tightest yet… and so it proves to …

In the latter half of 2012, Northern Ireland heavyweights Sinocence emerged from what can be best described as a period of transition – one characterized by personal issues for certain members of the band, coupled with a (at the time relatively) recent line-up change – to produce the first volume …

For any artist, the launch of a new work is a special occasion.  For Norn Iron’s premier heavyweights, Sinocence, the unveiling of their new EP – the second instalment in their ‘No Gods, No Masters’ triptych – called for that something a little extra special.  And so the band assembled …