Blending elements of groove metal and melodic hardcore, with influences from Machine Head and Sevendust, Irish band Asylum Road delivered some absolutely massive riffs on their brilliant EP ‘The Fear’ in 2024. A couple of the vocals might have split opinion with their genuinely abrasive approach, but from a musical standpoint – and looking at the material in terms of tightly played, classic metal, without sounding at all dated – the release was first rate.
The four numbers that make up 2026’s ‘Cerca Trova’ are just as huge sounding…if not even more so. The title cut re-introduces the band with a perfectly pitched groove metal riff which pushes guitarist Paul Sandy straight into the spotlight, and coupled with Eithan Murray’s solid drumming, they make a brilliantly forceful pairing. As the track progresses, a solid sound trumps originality: as the riff takes a hold behind a deep vocal from Darryn McCartney, Asylum Road’s love of ‘Ashes of The Wake’ and ‘Sacrament’ era Lamb of God should be more than obvious to most. That said, they recycle that influence with love; by the time this opening number really hits its stride, this track is a perfectly pitched slab of metal that showcases the talents of those involved in a genuinely effective way. With a brief acoustic interlude along the way, there’s also a hint that these guys have a few extra tricks up their collective sleeve.
‘Mask of Oblivion’ is much heavier in a couple of places but, in many ways, it shows off an even more interesting band. Before their signature heavy sound kicks in, though, an extended intro shares a strong blend of atmosphere and melody. A slow drone fades in, over which a harmonic twin lead guitar drops a slow, mournful tune. There’s a sense of something dark at its heart, and a knowing feeling of something heavier about to emerge, but it’s a fantastic way to open the track. The expected heavy riff brings with it more of a staccato approach, and the sharp edged guitars blend classic thrash and hardcore in a seamless manner, before a huge, gravel edged vocal completes the picture in grand style. Despite the strong music, a strange harmony applied to the chorus threatens to derail the enjoyably heavy sound that’s quickly set in place through the strong verse. It lacks melody and a really off-kilter tone makes it hard to listen to, but it could be said that it’s certainly distinctive and almost unlike anything else. Thankfully the elements built around that offer some great heavy melodies, ranging from the band’s usual blend of metal and hardcore, to a sharp edged lead break which brings surprisingly old school sounds to Asylum Road’s huge musical palate, and even a quiet piano coda that sounds more in keeping with a film score, which brings an even bigger sense of scale to the track. This doesn’t all work, but when it does, it has the potential to tear off your face.
‘Cut To The Bone’ is a touch more accessible in places, but certainly no less heavy. The opening riff is immense: instead of dropping straight into the expected metalcore groove, the band chooses instead to crush their audience with a slow, deep toned grind pushing the guitar and bass parts to the fore. The move into the verse brings more of the expected pneumatics, occasionally making drummer Eithan sound like a genuine force of nature, but there’s still a strong focus on more of a groove metal tone. This not only suits the musicians brilliantly, but creates a very natural sounding backdrop for McCartney’s hardcore infused vocal roar. Factor in a huge sounding chorus and, for most bands, that would be more than enough to sustain a brilliantly heavy four minutes, but these lads have a little more technical heaviness up their collective sleeve. Firstly, somewhere around the mid point of a superb track, the heavy groove shifts up a couple of gears and demonstrates how effortlessly Paul can drop into a classic thrash riff, and at the close of the track, Asylum Road even make time for an intense doom riff, coupling an extreme heaviness and funereal tempo with a guttural roar to bring a pinch of death metal. If you’ve never heard Asylum Road before, check this out first; it showcases all of their best skills.
Rounding out the EP, ‘Death Starts’ takes the band’s groove metal tones and applies them to something a little thrashier to create an ear-catching intro where Paul’s brilliantly abrasive guitar tones are underscored by a huge bass sound from Brian Smyth, before the track explodes into a world of hardcore where an even more abrasive edge takes centre stage. After a few bars of this, it feels as if Asylum Road have reached peak intensity and it’s actually a slight relief when everything is scaled back to accommodate a vocal. But that, too, takes on a slightly different approach with Darryn sharing more of a hardcore/metalcore tone. This obviously works for the band – it seems there isn’t much they can’t handle effectively when it comes to an intense and/or heavy riff – but there’s a feeling they sound much better when hitting upon more of a groove. Nevertheless, this track makes up for that with a brilliant instrumental mid-section where twin lead guitars hint at more of an old school sound and a great solo from Paul brings eastern/Arabic melodies to the table. Overall, ‘Death Starts’ is an impressive slab of hardcore, but in terms of “song”, it feels like this release’s weak link. Then again, it’s up against some serious competition…
With three absolutely killer tracks and one very intense offering that shows potential, ‘Cerca Trova’ is a more than solid EP release featuring material that should offer something of interest to most fans of a more extreme metal sound. Presenting arrangements that feel pleasingly complex without feeling self-indulgent, and with a tonally shifting nature, the best tracks will take a few listens but once they hit, it’s very clear that Asylum Road have all the chops needed to gain a firm hold on the underground metal scene. A recommended listen.
March 2026
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