The Dark Cookie checks out the youngsters from Irelands latest offering…

Let’s be honest there really wasn’t much to consider “good” with Covid, but the one thing that shit-show did do was amp up the creativity of certain talented beings, and there has been a ton of excellent albums, Eps, singles etc. from bands old and new.

EXPEDITION from North West Ireland fit nicely into that latter category. Originally formed in 2020, out of necessity to counteract the boredom of lockdown, these ridiculously young lads fully of talent, snot and anger have to date released their first single “Within The Shadows” in ’21 and an EP in 22 “A Good Day To Die” and while working on their first album have NOW dropped this tasty single “Solitude” to whet our appetites.

“Solitude” hits, nay, slaps you in the face from the get-go with its decidedly old-school iron-hard licks before launching into something akin to very early Di’Anno era MAIDEN, brash, fast, Punky Metal, but with a huge twist, Caoimhghin Boyle’s vocals which range from a punk snotty shouter to a very modern metal bellower, a bit of a shouter and enough grunt to interest most young Metalheads, and not alienate us older Thrashers.  But if the other lads (and I do mean lads. I have pants older than this lot!) were not up for the challenge, this would not be anywhere as good as it is, and boy can they play, and damn it is GOOD!

Heavy enough, fuck yes!. Fast enough, hell yeah, and I have to say another step up in quality, from their previous, excellent, yet naive previous output, which really bodes well for the album.

With lads like these coming through, the scene is far from dead! Bring it on!

Solitude was released on the 26th May – So check it out now on SPOTIFY