Author: Team Uber

Belushi Speed Ball – ‘Stella 1/Stella 2’ (sonaBLAST! Records)

Belushi Speed Ball – ‘Stella 1/Stella 2’ (sonaBLAST! Records)

Posted by | Jan 29, 2021 | ,

Now and again a band comes along who, among the hundreds of submissions we receive every week, stand out purely and simply because of their name. Belushi Speed Ball are one such example, standing out because of their nominal link to one of the greatest comedic actors of his (or any other) time. It didn’t take much more to pique boss man Monk’s interest – especially when he also discovered that, despite only being a new name here at ÜRHQ, the quintet have been slowly building a reputation over the past seven years or so with their fun-filled, tongue-in-cheek brand of crossover thrash, placing them very firmly in the same bracket as personal faves such as Municipal Waste and Toxic Holocaust (and, yes, he’ll admit it, even Gama Bomb), while also adding in GWAR-esque theatrics. In fact, the TH connection is further solidified by the fact that this, a “double EP” rather than a “proper” album, was mastered by the latter’s Joel Grind…

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Harakiri For the Sky – ‘Maere’ (AOP Records)

Harakiri For the Sky – ‘Maere’ (AOP Records)

Posted by | Jan 29, 2021 | ,

For the last decade, Austrian metallers ‘Harakiri For the Sky’ have been enthralling fans with a blend of atmospheric, melodic black metal. They’ve built up a devoted following with the release of critically acclaimed albums such as 2018’s ‘Arson’ a record that delivered a bleak yet captivating sound that made it a must for many. 2021 brings about their fifth full length release and sees them once more delivering a weighty record of dark, mesmerising melodies accompanied by punishing riffs and rhythms.

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Aborym – ‘Hostile’ (Dead Seed Productions)

Aborym – ‘Hostile’ (Dead Seed Productions)

Posted by | Jan 29, 2021 | ,

There’s something to be said for branching out into the unknown, to try and create something quite different from the norm. Generally, it means either a spectacular success or a hodgepodge mishmash of something that just sounds incoherent, but either way, DJ Astrocreep can generally appreciate the ideas someone has behind something, even if the execution of the idea is sometimes clumsy. Seeing a band describe their latest album as, “…a kaleidoscopic weird mix of psychedelia, electronic music, rock and experimental music” therefore immediately grabbed my attention – the question was, would it live up to its billing?

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Evert Snyman – ‘Hot Mess’ (Mongrel Records)

Evert Snyman – ‘Hot Mess’ (Mongrel Records)

Posted by | Jan 28, 2021 | ,

It is perhaps a common preconception, or even misconception, that when you come across someone’s solo album that you might well expect something completely divorced from the reality which you have enjoyed from them to date – i.e. a stripped back, acoustic album or a sound which bears no relevance to that of their “main” project as the artist concerned seeks to explore other creative avenues. The music business is littered with exemplars of both sides of this coin – just as it is with ones whereby said solo sidebar possesses an easy familiarity which is almost instantly identifiable and doesn’t take you too far from your expected comfort zone…

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Alpha Boys – ‘Saviours Of Rock ‘n’ Roll’ (Sliptrick Records)

Alpha Boys – ‘Saviours Of Rock ‘n’ Roll’ (Sliptrick Records)

Posted by | Jan 28, 2021 | ,

For every person that inaccurately, repeatedly and self-servingly claims that “rock ‘n’ roll is dead” (and not that we’re not looking at any particular multi-millionaire “rock star”, are we?), there are myriads of others asserting otherwise, and indeed equally louding claiming to be the genre’s saviours. The latest to do so are Swedish deathpunk quartet, who make no bones about their declaration on the title of this, their debut album. But do they live up to their own hype(rbolae)? Well, there’s only one way to find out, isn’t there?

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