Abaddon Incarnate’s fifth album ‘Pessimist’ is a monster. Their first release for Candlelight Records (home to Corrosion of Conformity and cult thrashers Pestilence) leaves no doubt as to the band’s intentions of being the fastest and most brutal band in Ireland. A split second after hitting the play button their musical assault begins and the title track churns away at full pelt. Drummer Johnny King (a member of the band since 2007) hammers at his bass pedals with the manner of a man in possession of extra limbs, while simultaneously hammering at his snares in a lightning speed attack, occasionally resulting in sounds clearly inspired by one-time Suffocation drummer Mike Smith. The other half of Abaddon’s rhythm section, bassist Steve Finnerty plays equally hard, his instrument grinding at top speed, not so much bringing an anchoring bottom end – an important part of extreme metal (see early Carcass) – but more adding a layer of buzz-saw noise throughout. The twin guitars of Steve Maher and Bill Whelan, meanwhile shred furiously, their shrill tones cutting through everything daring to stand in their way.
Author Archives: Real Gone
More bands for Norway’s Blastfest
Seven more bands have been confirmed for Blastfest 2015, an extreme metal festival in Norway. Following last week’s announcement that Dark Funeral and At The Gates are set to appear, Norwegian troll-metal band Finntroll and folk/black metallers Moonsorrow are among the new clutch of bands to be added to the event.
A full press release can be read below.
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New video from Kerbdog
Popular 90s alt-rockers Kerbdog have properly returned! They release ‘Congregation’ – a live document of their reunion shows of 2013 – on October 6th, but more importantly have plans to record their third studio album next year.
Northern Oak announce tour dates
To tie in with the release of their superb 2014 release ‘Of Roots and Flesh’, folk metal band Northern Oak have confirmed a short run of live shows.
Those located in the north of England (or willing to travel) can see the band live at the following venues between the end of September and November:
OSTRICH RUN – Acoustified EP
Although the bulk of the material on Ostrich Run’s debut EP could likely be stripped back and presented as simple acoustic pop songs, the recorded results do not resemble the kind of workouts perhaps suggested by its title. While a chunkier electric sound brings a few layers for extra interest, it’s not long after affording the material some close scrutiny that it becomes clear that the Anaheim based duo’s songs just aren’t strong enough to stand naked in an acoustic format. Attempting to cover patchy song writing, Ostrich Run throws a kitchen sink approach at most of their arrangements to detract from their empty sentiments – thoughts and feelings seemingly aimed at a young audience keen to move away from more disposable pop.