Formed in 2018, Ravenlight play an energetic brand of Progressive tinged
Symphonic Power Metal which have gained them a reputation as one of the
most exciting and unique bands to emerge from the Irish Metal scene in recent years.

Starting with their 2018 EP release “End of the World“, Ravenlight quickly
made their mark on the local scene and further afield with a number of shows
across Ireland, including an invite to support progressive metal legends
Evergrey in Dublin in March 2019.

At the start of 2020, Ravenlight went back to the studio and recorded their
debut album, Project Genesis, which was released in June 2020 across
Europe and Japan via Novus Records, gaining positive reviews and press
across the continent. Unfortunately due to the pandemic, live shows to
promote the album were postponed indefinitely, however instead of resting on their laurels, Ravenlight returned once again to the studio to record their 2021 covers EP, “Intermission” alongside a series of music videos shot over various lockdowns.

With restrictions easing, Ravenlight made their long awaited return to the
stage, with a delayed album launch show, a mere 21 months after the release
of the album, an appearance at the Siege of Limerick festival and shows
supporting Firewind, Cruachan and Stormzone across Ireland. Ravenlight
have made their return, stronger than ever on the lead up to their long awaited second album, Immemorial.

Channelling their live energy into this new release, Immemorial features 10
tracks of hard hitting Power Metal showcasing a range of styles and themes,
from the reflective Spiral, to the grandiose Springtime Lament, this album
highlights the band’s evolution and determination from the past few years.

Their album is due on the 27th and we were sent on an advance of the album. I have to say I’m very impressed! Symphonic Power Metal is not my thing generally, but what this band are doing is unique to the Irish scene and offers something completely different. It also helps that they’re extremely good at what they do!

I’ve always thought that if this band could break into Europe aka Germany/Holland etc, they’d have a great chance to really kick on as those countries really embrace their form of music. I don’t know their plans, but hopefully a festival door opens somewhere?

I highly recommend this album to fans of the genre and I shall add all the previously released tracks from the album so you can make your own decision.

8/10

Follow them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RavenlightNI

The Enigma Division are set to release their long awaited self titled debut album on the 27th of January. Featuring the virtuosic talents of guitarist Conor McGouran [ex-Xerath], with acclaimed producer/mixer/composer/drummer, Ben Wanders [ex-Xerath/Shardbourne], and Ronan Burns (International Man of Mystery) , with guest appearances from William Alex Young (Defences), Derek Sherinian (Sons Of Apollo/Planet X/Dream Theater), and Sam Bell (Mask of Judas/Solo).

I had my niece/nephew here at the weekend for his 6th birthday. They had their Nintendo Switch and Xbox Series S, after many games of Fortnite (which we won five games) together and all the questions I was wrecked! It was 8pm and I sat down with a beer and had to look for something to watch. I spotted a Korean film JUNG_E and went with that. Really enjoyable film if you’re into Asian sci-fi. It was the perfect film in hindsight as after it had finished I checked my emails and was extremally happy to see Oran at Overdrive.ie had sent me on an advance of the album. I stuck it on and oh my dear lord this was everything I expected it to be and more! It’s eight tracks of absolute brilliance! I listened to it twice in the end, then realising it was late and I’d drank too much listening to this masterpiece.

As the band have released five tracks ahead of release (which will be all posted here), there’s a good advertisement already out there for those of interest. Wait until you hear the others! Echoes In The Deep in particular. Holy tap dancing shit! Kaleidoscope is utterly brilliant too.

What can I say? Man, how can this be put into words? It can’t basically! It’s just another level! The guitar playing is out of this world. The keyboard/synth sections are just magical. Then you have Ben’s amazing drums and vocals with Ronan holding it all together nicely. The lyrics are incredible and it feels like something from a science fiction epic with a true dystopian feel throughout. There’s valleys, dynamics, amazing leads/solos, it has it all and done to absolute perfection.

I’m going to say it! This is the Irish Dark Side Of The Moon. This has never happened to this degree before and like DSOTM it’s ahead of its time and timeless brilliance. It’s genuinely that good to my ears.

It’s a true album and body of work. When you listen to it as intended, it reaches another level. The tracks are all excellent, but as a body of work. Wow! Perfection!

Album of the year? Absolutely! Nothing will get within a country mile of this. It’s a special album. One that comes along every now and then and just absolutely blows your mind!

In closing, this is one the best albums I have ever heard. It’s magical! Absolute perfection that gets better with every listen.

10/10

Pre-order at this link: https://theenigmadivision.bandcamp.com/album/the-enigma-division?fbclid=IwAR23H48OS1DsmHlNEPkfyUAL8vV3iOaa9NmYMqpO_d1jEGU7ZxKbZfPmr3Y

Follow them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheEnigmaDivision

All previously released tracks here in order of appearance on the album for your listening pleasure.

Catch them at Bloodstock 2023 on the Sophie Lancaster Stage.

NINE ALTARS – ‘The Eternal Penance’
(Good Mourning Records / Journey’s End Records)

I’ve been waiting with baited breath for the debut Nine Altars album to drop, and now finally ‘The Eternal Penance’ has arrived. A traditional/epic Doom Metal band from the UK featuring members of Winds of Genocide, Uncoffined, Thronehammer, Enshroudment, & Lucifer’s Chalice, their three track debut opus has been put out on CD by Good Morning Records, and will also be available on LP from Journey’s End Records. A quick note on the magnificent cover art; its “Church Ruins In Snow” from 1853 by Carl Georg Adolph Hasenpflug, and is perfect for an album of this nature.

Opening track ‘The Eternal Penance’ is a doleful first offering; it speaks of a person’s inner turmoil and how they seek death as a release from their never ending burden. There are religious overtones to this track that are hinted at but never said outright. In sympathy for the sombre story unfolding throughout this opening track, the slow, laborious melody also rings out an eternally melancholy rhythm, with beautiful guitar melodies and mournful bass tones being complimented by a deliberate drumming style and a vocal performance that hits all the right spots in this remorseful doom laden track.

Despite the tender meaning behind ‘The fragility of Existence’, there is a harder tone to the guitars on display during this song, and the sorrowful vocals are more soulful and powerful. Meanwhile both the performance on the drums and bass remain sturdy and intricate, adding some very solid layers to an already strong performance. Final track ‘Salvation Lost’ picks the pace up noticeably for the album’s finale, with an overall sound similar to that produced by Lucifer’s Chalice; that being a faster flowing rhythm, playful tones from the vocalist and a great deal more groove to the bass and the riffs.

Nine Altars have produced an old school masterpiece for modern times. A powerful and soothing album all at once; an album you’ll want to crack open the wine for and experience over and over again.

(8/10 – Marksson)

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064321533637

There was no spiel or prattle in the press release about the new Hate Forest album, and rightly so. What can you say about the career to date of Ukrainian one-man band Hate Forest that isn’t already known? So on to the new album ‘Innermost’ which was released this week by Osmose Productions, and is adorned by minimalist, bleak toned cover art that is very much a Hate Forest staple.

Opening track ‘Those Who Howl Inside the Snowstorm’ really does set the tone for the whole album. The name alone suggests a maelstrom of noise and chaos and Hate Forest doesn’t disappoint. A cataclysm of roaring riffs and thundering drum tones surge forward unapologetically and don’t abate until well into the second track, ‘By Full Moon’s Light Alone the Steppe Throne Can Be Seen’. Hate Forest have also opted for a slightly sparse and minimalist tone on the production that really adds to the cold, hostile vibe of the album.

This wouldn’t be a true Hate Forest release with a few more ambient interludes thrown into the mix, and they do creep up every now and again to temper the ongoing whirlwind of bleak urgent noise that is this albums default setting. Yet even at Hate Forest’s most vicious sounding, a haunting, grinding atmosphere is created. I’d say that the third track ‘Ice – Cold Bloodless Veins’ pretty much sums up the aura of ‘Innermost; cold, aloof, and hostile.

‘Innermost’ is an easy album to like, despite its brutal one-track mind. It has a grim flavour that is decidedly Hate Forest and a marauding temperament throughout.

8/10 – Marksson

www.facebook.com/osmoseproductions
https://osmoseproductions.bandcamp.com/

WYNTER MYST – ‘Solstice MMXXII’

A quick review of a new single release that dropped into my inbox yesterday. I’ve long been a fan of the works of one Steve Blackwood, whether that be his work in a couple of excellent bands, or his solo works, of which there are many. Wynter Myst is one of his more impressive outlets and this brand new single entitled ‘Solstice MMXXII’ is a follow on of sorts from 2021’s ‘Equinox MMXXI’.

This time around Mr Blackwood has  provided us with a veritable feast of windswept, ice laden riffs that mingle fluently with slow, grinding guitar melodies. The backbone of this track comes in the form of relentless blast beats and punishing bass play, whilst the vocal work is that of one man with myriad voices, ranging as they do from feral uncontrollable screams of rage, to mournful tones and anguished howls. And as ever with the work of Wynter Myst, the ebb and flow of the track is compelling, heart wrenching and bleak.

(Marksson)

https://wyntermyst.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/wyntermystuk/
https://www.instagram.com/wynter_myst/

IMMORTAL POSSESSION – ‘The Resurrectionist’

Canadian Death Metal band Immortal Possession originally started out way back in 1989 and lasted until the mid 90’s. In that time the band unleashed four demo releases before calling it a day on the band. Then, in 2020 things sparked to life once more and a video release fittingly entitled ‘30 Years of Festering’ was put out. Now though the band have gone one step further, and they have released a debut album more than 30 years since their inception, which they have named ‘The Resurrectionist’. 

As you might expect, these Winnipeg Death Metal miscreants have a decidedly old school sound that leans heavily on hard hitting riffs and maniacal sounding rhythm guitar in order to create a solid sounding base from which to work with. Interestingly the band have opted for a style that showcases their sense of songcraft more than outright brutality, and whilst they do fashion a large amount of punishing guitar leads, mixed with rumbling bass and a brash drumming style, they do so in such a way as to not be detrimental to the overall melody of the tracks on offer. 

Tracks such as ‘Delicacy of Disease’ are of particular interest to me as I love slower paced chugging Death Metal; I really feel that bands can create a far darker, more brooding sound in this way, and the subtle use of backing synth in places also adds to the effect magnificently. A few words on the bass play during this album. If you’ve read a few of my reviews you’ll know I love a dominant and prominent bass style and the bass tones on offer here fit the bill precisely.

In many ways there is a primitivism to the bands sound and style on this album, but only works in their favour. Welcome back to the fold lads, your debut album has been worth the wait. 

(7/10 – Marksson)

https://immortalpossession. bandcamp.com/album/the-resurrectionist
https://www.facebook.com/ImmortalP666/
https://www.instagram.com/immortalpossession/

Rotlaust is the solo project of Jack Penders, a man that has been around the Irish scene for many years now. I was a fan of his previous band Dead Aeon, who I saw live at Monsters of Rot 2014, and knew he had a solo project but not much else if I’m honest.

Alan of Record Replay Productions contacted me about their promo video for his track Nascent and I checked it out. Impressive, most impressive! An incredible video and track that grabbed my interest. It didn’t prepare me for this!!

I was fairly sure I had picked my Irish album of the year and then I heard this! It’s a Progressive Blackened Death metal masterpiece! The concept is an exploration of various stages of depression and anxiety, with each track representing a different stage, and it delivered on every level. This is beautiful in its most tragic sense. If you were going to describe the subject matter with this form of music, it doesn’t get better than this! The theme, dynamics, great use of samples and more over the nine tracks just grabbed me and refused to let go.

To be honest, it’s as good as any Irish release over the years and I’ve heard a lot! This is absolute perfection to my ears. Especially the concept behind it and craft to bring it to this amazing conclusion.

This is going in my end of year list. The only question is it 1 or 2? It’s an agonizer as both albums are incredible that have a similar concept and very heavy.

I cannot recommend this album highly enough and it deserves more attention. It’s crafted to perfection and some amazing guests to include Stephen Rahaman ( Dichotomy/DME), Barry Christie (Vile Regression), Stephen Cannon (This Place Hell), Benjamin Ellis formerly of Bloodshot Dawn and more, along with Kevin O’Connor (Dichotomy).

10/10

Check out his amazing video for the track Nascent. Video by https://www.facebook.com/RecordReplayProductions.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RotlaustMusic

Bandcamp link: https://rotlaust.bandcamp.com/album/the-dirge?fbclid=IwAR2eLALmj6NkmNKttvNwSYMlMaNhffhWPZXH9q4ZqYSq0ptjs1eiUjoFls8

Nomadus are set to release their debut album Axis Primordial and it’s nine tracks of absolute brilliance!

It’s an album full of riffs, excellent lead guitar and great dynamics. Groove too! Plenty of groovy thrash. I ran into Ash earlier and he had this to say about it!

Joking aside, this is most definitely going to be in my best of list this year. Start to finish it’s an absolute tour de force of riffs, groove, thrash and more. This band definitely have their own sound in regards to the Irish scene and are making a real name for themselves to include a slot on the New Blood stage at Bloodstock and a UK tour on the way next year. This album will go a long way in aiding their rise and they’ve given us an absolute monster here.

The band have released two tracks in advance of the album’s release. Fraction and Scent of Death, which are a good way to advertise what’s to come. Both are included here along with a pre-order link.

I was a fan of Nomadus before hearing this album and I’m fully onbaord now. So technically brilliant and a real punch to the songs. Your head automatically starts to move during the songs and it gets better with repeat plays. I’m on my second playthrough now and absolutely loving it!
9/10

Axis Primordial is released on November 25th via Distortion Project Records.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nomadusni

Bandcamp (Pre-order): https://nomadus.bandcamp.com/album/axis-primordial-2?fbclid=IwAR0gk07PBn7P25Oys2HqBuesR1YXTEA1GkR8v0zA-sNPrkTQ4a9bmXPLzmA

I was sent an advance of MOLARBEAR’s new album You Need Gods. All I can say is, holy shit!
What an amazing progressive sludge album that’s without question a very strong contender for Irish album of the year,
The lyrics, the riffs, the everything!
It’s just something different and it’s MOLARBEAR! Nobody else in our scene sounds like this and holy shit lads and lassies, this is a monster!
Ten tracks in all over a thirty minute overall listen. That may sound short for a progressive sludge album, but it absolutely nails it! I gave this a few listens before giving my thoughts. It gets better every time!
They have released two tracks in advance of the album’s release via Cursed Monk Records on December 23rd.
They haven’t got you ready for this!
9.5/10

Preorder: https://cursedmonk.bandcamp.com/album/you-will-need-gods

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/allhailmolarbear/

DUNGEON CRAWL / THRONE OF IRON – ‘The Side Quest’
Wise Blood Records – 2022.

Super prolific Indiana Heavy Metal band Throne of Iron have teamed up for a split collaboration with Californian Thrashers Dungeon Crawl for a quick bout of Dungeons & Dragons themed metal antics, facilitated by Indiana label Wise Blood Records.

Featuring seven tracks, things get under way with Dungeon Crawl and the eerie 80’s sci-fi styled synth tones of ‘Minions of A Dark Master’ which leads quickly into ‘Where the Coin Falls’, a straight up fast paced Thrash affair that oozes with gnarly bass leads and catchy powerful riffs. They play a simple Thrash style that rages along nicely and harks back to the genre’s golden era, which shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise with them being from the San Francisco bay area. Whilst Dungeon Crawl don’t necessarily break the mould of Thrash, they do still offer up an adrenaline fuelled romp of flailing guitars, a pummeling drumming onslaught and savage vocals.

Throne of Iron tend to write the longer tracks of the two bands, and their Old School Traditional Metal sounds are the ideal second chapter to this split release. Intricate flowing guitar leads are the order of the day, with a slightly muffled drum tone and a fairly powerful vocal style completing the ensemble. Like the previous band, they don’t try to reinvent the wheel with their style but you’ll be hard pressed to find yourself not grooving along to this little slice of nostalgia.

I may not get all of the DnD references in this split but both bands know how to put on a show. Yet another strong release from the roster of Wise Blood Records. (Marksson)

https://throneofiron.bandcamp.com/music
https://dungeoncrawlofficial.bandcamp.com/music