Author: Team Uber

Black Hawk – ‘Soulkeeper’ (Fastball Music)

Black Hawk – ‘Soulkeeper’ (Fastball Music)

Posted by | Mar 8, 2023 | ,

Monk was sitting in his local pub the other afternoon, enjoying a few hours of being able to chill and play stupid games on his tablet, when he overheard two “kids” (well, they were in their late ‘teens) discussing bands such as Saxon, Battleaxe and Tytan in reverential tones… feck, did it make the cockles of the boss man’s 56-year old heart feel warm to listen to a couple of post-millennials discussing bands to whom he was listening when he was even younger than they are now \m/

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L’Ira Del Baccano – ‘Cosmic Evoked Potentials’ (SubSound Records)

L’Ira Del Baccano – ‘Cosmic Evoked Potentials’ (SubSound Records)

Posted by | Mar 8, 2023 | ,

Now and again, Monk loves to shove on an album that he can just play in the background while he’s doing much more mundane stuff (like deleting most of the 1000+ emails we receive every day), but then finding that he has to sit up and take notice because this is something much more that, but possesses elements which just force him to stop what he’s doing and pay a little bit more attention than he originally intended…

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Words That Burn – ‘Cut Throat Culture’ (Blood Blast Distribution/Believe Digital)

Words That Burn – ‘Cut Throat Culture’ (Blood Blast Distribution/Believe Digital)

Posted by | Mar 8, 2023 | ,

Monk first came across the metalcore heft of Dundalk crew Words That Burn when they absolutely blew him away with their superlative-overriding second album, ‘Pyres’, which more than ably demonstrated their ability to both combine generic tropes and push them to their extreme. It may have taken them four years to craft the follow-up (well, there has been the small matter of a global pandemic which Covidicated so many aspects of all our lives), but boy have they proven that they have not lost any of their ability to rip heads off at a thousand paces with this declarative third opus.

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The Answer – ‘Sundowners’ (7Hz/Golden Robot Records)

The Answer – ‘Sundowners’ (7Hz/Golden Robot Records)

Posted by | Mar 8, 2023 | ,

You could perhaps be forgiven for believing that, after a break of seven all-too long years, a band would come roaring towards you like a pimped up Harley Davidson and crash through your front door with a strident declaration that “WE’RE BACK!”. In the case of The Answer, however, the renascent Northern Irish quartet have come sauntering up the side street in which ÜRHQ is located, knocked politely, handed us a bottle of smooth sippin’ whiskey and asked “can we come in?” Of course, you can boys…

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Saxon – Belfast, Ulster Hall – 4 March 2023

Saxon – Belfast, Ulster Hall – 4 March 2023

Posted by | Mar 6, 2023 | ,

David Stewart’s introduction to Saxon came at an early age (around ten years old) with ‘The Eagle Has Landed’ live album, which was recorded during their ‘Denim And Leather’ tour. So, as a long time Saxon fan, this was a concert that he was very much looking forward to. On top of that, it was held at the iconic Ulster Hall, a venue that front man Biff Byford would tell us later in the show that they were told not to play as they possibly wouldn’t get enough ticket sales for the location. Well, as fate may have it, whoever told them this, was a little off the mark as Saxon played to a sell out crowd on the night…

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