A little more than 40 years ago, a movement developed among classically trained musicians who also were fans of rock music which saw them experiment in merging the two disciplines, as well as throwing elements of jazz, folk and other musical forms into the mix:  the result was prog!  Over …

It may be four-fifths of a decade since Lordi firmly put their particular brand of comic book metal well and truly on the international map with their sensational, tongue-in-cheek win at the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest – an achievement which equally abhorred and united metallians across the continent – but …

I’m a great believer that when you go to a gig you should make every effort to see and support every band on the bill… but, sometimes circumstances conspire against you. And so it was that, due to a scheduling conflict, as Belfast’s own Overoth (pictured left) took to the …

There’s an old saying that all good things must, eventually, come to an end, and so it is that, after a run of 11 years, Firefest this year (apparently) threw its final fling, with a combination of established favourites who had graced its stage over the past decade or so, …

Bloodshot Dawn have just completed the three-date Irish leg of their tour supporting their just-released second album, ‘Demons’ (reviewed here:  http://planetmosh.com/bloodshot-dawn-demons/).  Following the third and final night in Belfast, your intrepid PM interviewer ventured into the rather chaotic dressing room to share a beer and a chat with the band’s …

They’ve found the keys, they’ve given the Big Truck a service, and they’re ready to put it back out on show… As exclusively revealed here on PlanetMosh earlier this month, Northern Ireland’s favourite hard rockers, Trucker Diablo, are back in action after an eight month hiatus. Following on from the …

Atencion cabrones… one of the most underground of underground metal acts are returning to action! Masked Mexican banditos Brujeria have once more emerged from hiding, signed a deal with Nuclear Blast Entertainment and are poised to release a new album next year. In typically mysterious Brujeria style, that is all …

In battle, in life, in the music business, there is nothing like having a plan of attack to help you achieve what you want to get out of any or all of them… and you certainly cannot fault Newcastle noiseniks Metal Moth for not planning ahead, with this debut EP …

I first came across Bloodshot Dawn around about 18 months ago, when they played in front of a pretty small crowd in a tiny club here in Belfast, opening for the extremely disappointing Scar Symmetry in a gig which proved that some bands really should be more careful as to …

According to historical records, pirates (at least in their commonly perceived historical incarnation) may have sailed into many ports but they never quite ventured as far north as Britain – and certainly never as far as the shores of what, at that time, would have been Carrickfergus Bay. However, British …

When I first came across young Armagh metallians Sentinel, opening a charity gig in Belfast, I must admit that I wasn’t overly impressed:  but then, as I said, they are young (drummer Jordie Kelly is still only 15!) and it was only their third ever live performance… Move the clock …

Sometimes, no matter how well you think you know your local music scene, you suddenly find you don’t know it quite so well as you did, as something comes completely out of left field and makes you ask “where the fuck did that come from?”. In this case, I had …

Black metal is a genre which, in many ways, is split straight down the middle – between those who seek to live merely on its past glories and those who desire to drive it forward and re-establish its relevancy in the modern era:  those content to don the antiquated corpse …

Definitely – and defiantly – one of the most impressive acts to have taken to the New Blood Stage at this past summer’s Bloodstock, East Anglia’s SynaptiK have subsequently produced a debut album that is fervent, fresh and vibrant in equal measure. Straddling, with consummate ease, the death, groove, progressive …

It’s very rarely that PlanetMosh finds itself in a room filled with plush velvet-covered armchairs and rich mahogany woodwork, adjacent to a bar that serves the most expensive cocktail in these islands – a Mai Tai which will set you back a mere £1,000!  Yet, here we are:  nestled in one …

Irish folk metallers Cruachan will released their seventh studio album – their first for the specialist folk, medieval and pagan metal label, Trollzorn Records – on December 5. ‘Blood For The Blood God’ – the artwork for which is pictured right – will carry on the ‘blood’ trilogy begun with …

One complaint which is often articulated about many bands on the Northern Ireland scene is that they over-expose themselves – playing the same venues week in week out, so that the novelty (if there is any) quickly wears off.  This is most certainly a criticism which cannot be levelled in …

For the second time in three days, Belfast’s hardcore fans were treated to a visit by genuine legends of the scene, this time in the shape of NYC stalwarts Madball.  And, for the second time in three days, the honour of setting the scene (sic) fell to Belfast’s very own …

Dublin retro metal crew Stereo Nasty played their first ever live gigs this weekend, when they opened for Darkest Era on the latter’s first homesoil headline gigs for more than two years… talk about a baptism of fire! PM grabbed a quick chat with the band following the second of …

After debuting the track at Bloodstock earlier this summer, Bloodshot Dawn have now released ‘Smoke And Mirrors’, the first track to be taken from their forthcoming second album, ‘Demons’, which itself is due for release on October 26. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBapV_1JAeE Frontman Josh McMorran said of the video: “It’s a play through …