Author: UberAdmin

Words That Burn/Dream Awake/Diamir – Belfast, Limelight 2 – 29 June 2019

There’s an old saying about spoiling the ship for a ha’p’orth of tar, and unfortunately this album launch show, which had promised so much, especially as it also marked the headliners’ first foray north of the Irish border in something like two years, was marred by one small but very important factor – and that, critically, was the inability to hear a large amount of what was going on… something that would be pretty essential, especially at a metal show, we’re sure you would agree…

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VIDEO OF THE WEEK – Lionize

For a while it looked like this week’s chosen audio-visual treat with two clear front-runners battling for the honours. But then, at the last minute (quite literally), Maryland funk ‘n’ rollers Lionize came out of left field, hurdled the fences and raced around the final corner to grab the glory with this quirky clip for new single ‘Loneliest Whale’.

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Download – Donington Park – 16 June 2019

Considering how much of a washout the week leading up to it had been, the weather had been remarkably cooperative for Download 2019. Sure, it’s muddy, but then you’re standing in a field in England – what else do you expect? So, when Sunday rolls around and the sun actually starts shining through properly for the first time all weekend, it feels like a real triumph to close the weekend on, aided in no small part by the variety on offer for the final day of the festival. If Friday was the classic rock day and Saturday almost the exclusive territory of metal, then Sunday is the day for oddballs and outcasts, a mixture of metal, rock, alt rock and extremity that shows the full span of diversity in our world.  

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Download – Donington Park – 15 June 2019

If the Friday of Download 2019 was all about celebrating the grand old names of rock, Saturday is an infusion of fresh blood that could yet completely change the game. Don’t believe us? Well, take the fact that first up on main stage Saturday morning were heavy metal Maori maestros Alien Weaponry, all the way from New Zealand, who played to a massive crowd – particularly for a Saturday morning that will likely hold more than a few hangovers… Rich Hobson kicked his into touch to bring us his highlights of the second day’s action in the mud of Donington…

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Kapala – ‘Termination Apex’ (Dunkelheit Produktionen)

Despite all the criticisms levelled at it, one thing that Download recently demonstrated is the truly global appeal of metal, with acts from the likes of Nepal, Mongolia and even Iran taking front and centre stage ad turning in captivating performances (well, according to our man who was there). One region which has been at the forefront of promulgating the darker end of the extreme metal sound has been the Indian sub-continent, from where bands have been slowly emerging into the light of global recognition, and now seem to be doing so at an increasing pace. The latest to grab the attention, in the most ball-gripping of manners, is Kapala.

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