By Monk
For a sense of occasion, it’s hard to beat a release party. Unless, quite possibly, it’s a double release party – which is exactly what this evening was all about, as two of the biggest noises on the Northern Ireland extreme metal scene came together to jointly unleash their latest EPs onto the largely unsuspecting Überverse… so, I hardly needed a second invitation to head down town to my favourite venue to join in the birthing rituals \m/
I make it up Voodoo’s infamous narrow stairs to find self-styled “anti-fascist riff machine” Frayed Ends BC – who themselves released their most recent EP earlier this year – already in full flow, ripping through their frenetic brand of grind-infused deathcore with frantic energy and shit tonnes of unadjusted “fuck you” attitude. While their set obviously focuses on the short sharp shock that is the aforementioned EP, they demonstrate their continued development by throwing in at least one new tune (that I can make out from Eddie’s between-song cajolments), showing that they won’t have to #Strive too much to continue to garner attention on the hardcore scene on both side of the Irish border.
- ‘Strive‘ is out now.
- Frayed Ends BC open for Splitknuckle at The Deer’s Head, Belfast, tonight (Friday 14 June). They then open for Public Serpents at the same venue on Saturday 6 July.
Ushering into their own grotesque world, Congenital Abnormalities continue to open up the hardened deathgrind vein with the precision of a surgeon slicing into your carotid artery with a Stanley knife. They have more emphasis on the vocal growl and howl, with frontman Brian cajoling and almost intimidating as he continually straddles the wedges and demands our unbridled attention. Dense, dynamic rhythms are coupled some seriously understated technical guitar interplay, resulting in a combination of brutality and melody that treads the fine line between both with an indelicate ease. It’s just a pity that their set seems to be cut slightly short.
- ‘A Resurgence Of The Grotesque‘ is out now.
- Congenital Abnormalities play Offal Fest at Rebellion, Manchester, alongside To Violently Vomit, Amputated, Kraanium and many more on Saturday 26 July.
Things take a decidedly darker twist as Insidious Void set the atmosphere with an intro tape combining industrial and tribal vibes, before the demonic trio unleash their hellish soundscape (sic). Big, winding riffs of blackened DM are delivered at an forbiddingly unrelenting pace, all the while retaining all the intricacies and inherent melodies this style of music requires. The result is that their densely dynamic, energetic and enervating slabs of melodic BM are delivered with easy confidence, rounding off in suitably nihilistic yet expansive style another superb, tightly delivered showcase of the more extreme end of the NI scene in all its darkened shades.