Preview – Derby Alt Fest

September 27, 2022 — Leave a comment

Derby Alt Fest is only days away, and organiser and Unearthed main man Liam Barlow and the team in association with The Hairy Dog have once again pulled a blinder in pulling together a weekend of talent from across the metal and alternative scene to tear your ears off, for each and every day…. but this is UK Thrashers and for us the day that really matter is THRASH THURSDAY!!

This years Thursday night is stacked with talent, with Bloodstock Alumni from this year and years gone by a plenty coming together to deliver the riffs, we. caught up with all of the bands to get a little tease of what to expect… and give you our own views on what we are looking forward to!

Opening the night on Thursday are West Midlands Technical Death Thrashers Elyrean, as a previous Bloodstock Metal To The Masses Winner, these lads know how to put on a show, but this is the first time we will of caught them without our pal and former reviewer Asa on the mic we will be excited to see what the new line up sound like in the wild!!

We are so excited and honoured to be sharing a stage/festival with so many incredible bands, we would like to thank the organisers for inviting us to play!

For anyone who has seen us before, you know we bring the Thrashy riffs, shredding leads and harsh vocals, but with a couple of brand new songs, a new bassist and Will (Lead Guitar) taking over vocal duties, we like to think we bring a new exciting level to Thrash!
Elyrean 2022

Next up is Kent Metal heads – Enquire Within’ now I’ve never managed to catch the band live before, but we know they have been gigging heavy and really honing their craft, so looking forward to popping my Enquire Cherry and see what all the noise is about!!

We’re really looking forward to playing at Alt Fest – it’ll be the first time we’ve played at The Hairy Dog and it’s been on our list of venues to play at for some time. We’ve played with Hellfekted & Thrasherwolf before when they helped us launch our 2nd album ReBirth in London last year and we can’t wait to catch up with them again. We’ve chosen a really heavy set and have a treat for everyone with our final song.
Rob – Enquire Within’ 2022

Next up is our good friends Thrasherwolf, the London pack continue their growth as they have been gigging hard since Covid to make up for lost time, we last caught them at our Moshin’ The Roof On launch party also in The Hairy Dog. As part of the Trifecta (all playing this weekend) we know they will be howling at the crowd to get us all moving in the pit!

Thrasherwolf cant wait to bring the pack to raise hell for the amazing Derby ALTFEST, sharing the stage with some of the undergrounds top talents we aim to truly howl the roof down.

We adore this festival and it really means the world to be on the bill, love ALTFEST, love Unearthed, love The Hairy Dog and big up to Liam Barlow for putting it on and always making it a superb event every year 🤘 see you all there for ear blistering thrash and neck breaking carnage!
Dan – Thrasherwolf 2022

If you like your Old School Death Metal then the next band are going to get your spidey sense really tingling… All Consumed are HAF… that’s HEAVY AS FUCK, they’ve been slamming your ears with blast beats and riffs for 10 years now and they are not backing down, we’re expecting some deep and neck breaking pits!!

It’s great to play at the Hairy Dog, it’s an awesome venue and has always been a good night. It’s our first Alt fest and promises to be a grand affair with lots of talented bands of which we are proud to be amongst. We’ve changed our set by adding brand new heavier, faster tracks that will feature on the new album, there’s still a couple of the old favourites still in there though. Bring on the pits 🤘
All Consumed 2022

On the back of their Bloodstock Morning Mosh, Hellfekted are one of those bands that keep going from strength to strength, blending traditional thrash, death metal and modern thrash, we are sure the blackened thrashers will set the crowd moving, heads banging and body’s slamming…. watch out for those Walls of Death, and repeat after me … ‘DEATH OF IRONNNNNNNNN’

We’re really excited to get back to Derby Alt fest and Thrash it up!!!

So many great bands on this festival especially the Thursday which you all should come down

Come mosh and get wasted with us it’s going be a good one! SEE YOU IN THE PIT!
Liam – Hellfekted 2022

Finally the Thursday night headliner..and what a headliner they are, Cage Fight are part of the spearhead of the hardcore/thrash crossover scene in the UK, along with bands like Malevolence and Guilt Trip, Cage Fight blend the genres with ease, giving us the riffs that us thrashers expect and the breakdowns that make the hardcore kids bust out their best moves – we caught their set in the S.O.P.H.I.E. Stage at Bloodstock and can’t wait to see them in a venue situation

We are delighted to be playing ALT fest with so many great bands. We guarantee to bring the fire and intend to set the pit off
Cage Fight 2022

And thats it, as we said at the top the Unearthed team have put on a blinding opening night that is becoming a must in any self respecting metal heads calendar, we can’t wait for Thursday… see you in the pit!!

Review – Thundering Hooves -Radiance

September 26, 2022 — Leave a comment

Neil Bolton checks out the new album from Thundering Hooves here’s what he thinks…

This second album from London’s “Thundering Hooves” hopes to build and evolve the sound created on their first release “Vestiges”. This new album “Radiance” has seen members Danial B, and Micheal B fold in a little more of the traditional metal sound into their music; a sound worthy of such a cool band name.

Embers is the first track and displays the goal of black and trad well. The black metal sound is prominent while the gallop of the traditional side mixes well, giving the listener an immediate something to grab hold of.

The gruff, course black metal vocals sit devilishly well in this wonderfully mixed and produced album. It contains the feel, and the dark, and the horror, I am sure the band intended.

The second track begins with a wonderful drum lead, breaking into a song now containing more of the traditional sound, a sound which is similar to current “Darkthrone”. This slow, head-bang inducing, track flows well and contains every element a listener to this genre craves and enjoys.

The title track is next and flows pleasantly from the last. The black metal has not wained and the trad attack is just as enjoyable as ever.

Lyrical inspiration for this album is spawned mainly from gothic and folk horror; a well trodden path that serves our love for the darker more taboo side of literature. It also works extremely well in this instance, but it is the music that takes the lime light, and for good reason.

The tunes are hooky, the musicianship is extremely good, and it is all topped off with very good indeed heavy-metal song writing. Enjoyable guitar solos pop up all around this release adding more to the cacophony. These two gentlemen certainly contain a love and admiration for the history and importance of the past, as well as embracing and creating its future.

The cover artwork fits well displaying a dark charcoal drawing that assists in the atmosphere of this album.

To be honest this review could have been distilled down to these simple words.

This album is very good, very good indeed.

Radiance is out in the UK on the 7th October via our friends at Mercenary Press with cassette and CD pre-orders being taken now.

Review – Condemned AD – Follow a Failing Leader

September 21, 2022 — Leave a comment

Hutch checks out the latest release from Swedish Thrashers Condemned A.D. here’s what he thinks…

Bold, brash, and unashamedly proud of their influences, Swedish thrashers Condemned A.D. rose from the ashes of their former past in 2015 when sole original member Micke (guitar and vocals) alongside drummer Juan and Alex (guitars, bass RIP 2022) resurrected the band. Three EPs followed before their full-length Follow a Failing Leader appeared.

Now, when I say the band are unashamedly proud of their influences, I mean the buggers wear them on their sleeves. You can play pick the individual inspirations on each track, almost a game of metal bingo, for there is everything from Megadeth, Entombed, Tankard, Venom and Slayer oozing out here.

What makes Condemned A.D. a bit different though is that they throw caution to the wind and simply thrash from the opener Will You Feel My Hate through to the rampage of closing track Nothing is Nothing. It’s not original in the slightest and Mike’s similarities to Schmier and Tom Angelripper in the vocal department cannot be underestimated. It’s a gravel coated growl that switches to a gargling roar and back again with ease.

The band’s style leaves little to the imagination. Tracks like Killing Floor and No Gods No Masters draw deep on thrash metal’s cliches, throw them into the mixer and then bring the hammer down in one intense fuelled delivery. The tracks are variable in quality. Killing Floor contains a heady mix of Primordial, Anthrax and what appears to be a bit of In Flames. It’s explosive, aggressive, and at times a little ropey; but to be fair, that’s probably part of the attraction.

The Slayer dominated Save Me from Myself (Bloodline anyone?) highlights some of the weaknesses in the song writing and the vocals, which really struggle. It’s where the band try and go a bit more off piste that they run aground, to mix a metaphor or two. It’s where they go full bore that they impress more, such as the ludicrously titled Suicide by Murder.

How do you conclude a review of an album that is crammed full of songs that are a Frankenstein’s monster of thrash metal. Probably by inviting you to give it a listen and see what you make of it. There are certainly some flashes of quality, but overall, it isn’t going to set the world of thrash alight anymore than a fire in a bin.

“Follow a Failing Leader” will be released on September 23rd, 2022 via Wormholedeath worldwide.

Ex-Savage Messiah member joins Ashen Crown

September 20, 2022 — Leave a comment

Midlands Extreme Metallers, Ashen Crown have announced a change in their ranks.

After the departure of guitarist Jay Rogers, they faced a huge task in finding a replacement who was a good fit both musically and in personality and immediately got to work on finding a guitarist to cover upcoming shows. Sy Taplin (Wired THC, Ex-Savage Messiah, Ex-L-Sol-Tace) was approached by the band, having performed with him previously and being well aware of his playing ability and pedigree, to initially stand in temporarily. After a successful headline set at Beermageddon Metal Festival, Sy and the band agreed that they would like to make it a permanent fixture

Ste Fowkes, guitarist of Ashen Crown said “In one rehearsal, we instantly realised he was a perfect fit musically, the vibe was right and the collective decision to offer him the spot full time was unanimous – We are massively excited to begin injecting Sy’s creativity in to AC and working to deliver a strong follow up for Obsolescence.”

Sy Said:

“About a month ago I received a message off Ste asking if I would fill in on guitar due to Jay leaving the band. Initially, I replied back by asking for a day to think about it, an hour later I responded back to confirm. Being in Wired THC I had already seen Ashen Crown play. My first show live in over 10 years was playing with Ashen Crown so I got to see what the guys were all about. I’m super excited to be announced as the lead guitarist for Ashen Crown!”

Ashen Crown have now set their sights on writing and recording the follow up to their 2019 album ‘Obsolescence’.

You can catch Ashen Crown on; 24.09.22 at Leo’s Red Lion, Gravesend for ‘Sarcoma Fest’ and 30.09.22 at The Flapper, Birmingham for ‘The Attack’.

Review – Hedra – Storm Clouds Single

September 16, 2022 — 1 Comment

Hutch checks out the new Hedra single, released today on Devil’s Clause Records, here’s what he thinks –

I’ll admit that the press picture of Hedra standing in matching shirts with the band’s logo on it was a bit off putting. Uniforms rarely look good. Hell, even Anthrax customised their shirts whilst Machine Head just looked, well, controlled. But putting that aside, who are Hedra? A five-piece from Norwich, the band comprises Jim Marten on vocals, guitarists Kamil Korsak and Zoran Gyenis, bassist Lukas ‘Kozi’ Mosdzenski and drummer James Redden.

Hedra have been around since 2014, and describe their music as being drawn from bands as diverse as Korn, Pantera, and Tool, with the wider influences of U2 and Pearl Jam. The band have released a series of singles and now present Storm Clouds.

The first thing to note is that whilst the influences above are evident, Hedra certainly have their own sound. This is in part to Marten’s vocals which are clean, smooth, and powerful. A veteran who has been around for many years, Marten holds his own against the heavy riff and dual guitar approach. ‘Storm Clouds’ moves quickly, an opening blast deferring to progressive flow, before sweeping moments and huge passages bring the track roaring to life. It’s got a definite late 90s early 00s flavour to it, but with a contemporary twist that gives it a different vibe.

The hook is irresistible, the delicate changes in tempo work well and the band link neatly together. It’s a well-crafted song that ebbs and flows with a grace and fluidity that appears organic. It’s almost cinematic in parts, with a huge middle section that demands attention. The four-minutes fly by, and the track is addictive enough to immediately demand another play. Their style may not be for everyone, but for those that appreciate it, this ticks all the boxes.

Elyrean – The Omniscient One (Single)

January 12, 2022 — Leave a comment

West Midlands Melodic/technical Thrashers Elyrean are back with a new single this Friday.

Now a lot of things have changed in the camp since their M2TM wins and Bloodstock performances, mainly due to the departure of former vocalist and bassist Asa.

The Band now made up of Will Edwards (Vocals/Guitar), Dan Kraushar (Guitar), Daryl Payne (Drums), and new member Josh Richardson (Bass), have shown their commitment with what they do and regrouped to get them back to a position where they can release new music and take the stage again.

This new single ‘The Omniscient One’. Is focused on the topic of climate change, Will says “It’s about people being told the consequences of their actions if they do not change, global warming is a big issue and A LOT of the pollution comes from major corporations.”

The track is a good comeback for the lads, Wills new found voice is darker and more doom laden than Asa’s more blackened thrash rasp, make the track into an atmospheric brooding monster, which, whilst it adds a change in character, the technicality and melody still remains, which is what we have come to except from the band in the track overall, as well as some fabulous production.

We wait with interest to see what comes next from the lads as they continue to grow into their new roles and voices in the coming months, and we look forward to catching them live again soon!

The Omniscient One is due for release on January 14th to all platforms. You can pre-save it on Spotify now from https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/elyrean/the-omniscient-one

LAWNMOWER DETH – Blunt Cutters

January 5, 2022 — Leave a comment

Veteran Garden Tool obsessed nut job thrashers LAWNMOWER DETH are back with a brand new album for 2022, featuring 18 tracks of moshing goodness that will keep all of us old farts bouncing up and down on satans trampoline until we tear it with our Zimmer frames!!

As always the tracks range from the sublime to the ridiculous as the band take us through the twists and turns of the deepest recess of their minds..

Without doing a blow by blow account of 18 tracks we thought we’d talk about some of our favourites… starting with opener ‘Into The Pit’.. the true life story (mine I think) of the ageing Mosher still hitting the Pit… Slip Your Disc!!! The struggle is real Kids!

Raise Your Snail focusses the bands inner Motorhead with a bruising Thrash N Roll swagger about those garden miscreants..Panzer snails, apparently they are Gastropods… everyday a school day!

Deth! Maim! Kill! Is a fabulous thrashy beast that keeps us bouncing up and down and ‘Power Bagging’ is a fabulous blast of nonsense about shopping in Aldi!!

Interspersed with short sharp shocks of blast beats and quick fire vocals, Blunt Cutters is everything a life long Lawnmower fan or fresh faced baby Mosher could want from them…

The new LAWNMOWER DETH album ‘Blunt Cutters’ is out on the 28th January 2022 via Dissonance Records / Cherry Red and available in all the normal places or PREORDER Here and we are sure that the new material will grace a stage for a LD party in the upcoming year!!

Look out for the band hopefully joining us for a chat on our Moshville Radio show in the coming weeks!

Bangover – Close Encounters Of The Thrash Kind

December 9, 2021 — Leave a comment

Moshin’ The Roof On Volume 1 Alumni Bangover are back with an all new 3 track EP to reward us all surviving the year!

These three tracks tick all the boxes when it comes to thrash from these London based thrashers, blending the classic Bay Area sound with a modern crossover vibe and a bit of UK humour!

Opener Close Encounters of the Thrash Kind, starts off with a thrashed up 5 note call to the mothership before the lads launch into the track proper, and what a stomper it is, sing along gang vocals, moshing chorus and legible humorous vocals, this is bound to be a crowd pleaser!

The next track continues the alien encounters, as the band head into Farmer Giles field to check out the crop circles, is it messages from a higher race… or is it just evidence of an alien crop circle pit!!

Finally the band is beamed back down from the Borg to thrash with us humans in a Bay Area homage that is Blood, Sweat & Beers… bang your head and let the violence spread… our feelings exactly!!

And before you can shout stage dive, the three tracks are done, Bangover have done themselves proud with these tracks, with great production and three fun and catchy songs, you can see why they are the UK party thrash band that everyone looks forward to catching live!!

Bangover – Close Encounters of The Thrash Kind is out on December the 17th via Big Cartel, Bandcamp and all the normal streaming sites

You Little Hairy Bastard!

November 29, 2021 — Leave a comment

Manchester dirty blackened d-beat metallers Wolfbastard will be bursting into 2022 with a full length facefucker of an album! ‘Hammer The Bastards’ is everything you could want if you are a fan of dirty heavy metal, taking influences from bands such as Venom, Motorhead, Dark Throne and Discharge, Wolfbastards new album seamless blends the genres and sounds into a high octane, dark and angry slice of thrash ’n roll that will tear out your guts and make pentagrams with them to summon demons!

Featuring thirteen tracks of all out aural assault, this third album by the band takes no prisoners , with the song titles setting out the expectations, songs like ‘Nun Krusher’, ‘Black Friday’, and ‘Graveyard Slag’ all deliver the blackened party vibe guaranteed not to get played at Sunday school, whilst the cover art will ensure priests and vicars wear a hard hat when preaching from the pulpit!

If this is how 2022 is going to get kicked off… then its going to be a hell of a year!!

Check out the first release from the album – Fear The Exxxekutioner

WolfBastard – Hammer The Bastards

Clobber Records – PREORDER

Imperative PR

January 14th 2022

Toom – Behold The Basilisk

October 18, 2021 — Leave a comment

Whilst Doom Metal isn’t usually a staple of the ukthrashers review list, we have all delved into the Cathedral, Sleep, Penance and Trouble catalogues in our formative years, so when Simon from For The Lost gave us a prod about the latest release from APF Records we thought we’d check out this new (old) release from these Suffolk purveyors of stoner sludge…

“For us this release is a time capsule back to a long weekend, just over a decade ago. January 2010; one of the last months of a band we had formed as teenagers. It was the coldest January since the mid-80s and on the night we recorded it was -8° overnight in London, meaning that even the canals just outside the studio had totally frozen.

We smashed out all the tracks in one evening, at the studio which was part of the Uni our friend Jason (who recorded us) was studying at. I recall we had to dodge the security guards to crash in the studio overnight. The next day, we had rehearsals for a show, the day after that, at the legendary Crobar in Soho. My memory of that evening is a blur, but apparently it involved us getting a bus full of people getting kicked off of the bus because we managed to break the doors, Christ knows how.

We also ended up at the opening party for the, now equally legendary, Black Heart and at some point in the night Ted, our guitarist, got headbutted outside a corner shop. Exciting times.”

So what do we think of this 4 track glimpse that has finally surfaced… well firstly at just over 21 minutes, this isn’t one of those Doom EP’s that goes on forever, in fact all the tracks are all fairly condensed and to the point

Opening track (intro) is a reverb and delay laden atmospheric piece that builds into the launch of the first ‘proper’ track – ‘There’s Nothing Cute About Cobra’s’ which fills the air with the distinctive sludge that you’d expect, sabbath esq riffs, and pummelling bass riffs that lock into the vibe that we have all come to associate with the genre, next track ‘Mandark’ continues in the vein, with drummer and vocalist Jack discharging his tortured and tormented vocals as if the end of the world is nigh! Final track ‘Decapodiformes’ continues the assault of the ears, and bone crushing bass lines that continue to reverberate long after the effects pedals have blown a fuse!

In summary, if heavy as fuck sludge metal that makes the ground quake and the walls tremble is your thing, then blasting out some Toom today should literally fill you with DOOM !!

Out now via APF Records