Baroness / Royal Thunder - Cathouse, Glasgow

I've been a massive fan of Savannah's Royal Thunder's debut EP for a couple of years now, so I was almost looking forward to their set more than that of the headliner.

Photo by Juan Fernandez

Their sound in the live environment was just what I'd hoped for; warm, rich, and with plenty soul, heard in tracks like 'Mouth Of Fire' and 'Whispering World'. Mlny Parsonz' soulful wail is a force to be reckoned with, and when she really lets rip during the chorus of 'Sleeping Witch' you'd be hard-pressed to find another vocalist who can match her range or raw emotion.

Photo by Juan Fernandez

Enough has been written about the trials and tribulations that fellow Georgia residents Baroness have endured in the past, but the overwhelming display of sheer good will between the Glasgow crowd and the band had me near enough welling up. I don't think I've ever seen a band look so grateful just to be playing a show. It's testament to the spirit of the band that they chose to continue, and to pick up where they left off.

Photo by Juan Fernandez

Their set drew from all the colours of their catalogue, with fan favourites like 'A Horse Called Golgotha' and 'Swollen and Halo' from Blue dropped in among the new Yellow & Green tracks, as well as a completely storming 'Isak' from Red closing out the set.

When at some point frontman John Dyer Baizley says "It's good to be back", those simple words are imbued with more meaning than he perhaps even intended. This was more than just another gig, more than just another tour; this was the triumphant return of Baroness.

Read the full in-depth review over at Echoes & Dust...

Black Tusk / Fight Amp / Dune - Ivory Blacks, Glasgow

It's been a few weeks since I've had the funds to attend a gig, and there's been a bit of a drought of good shows of late, so when I heard Black Tusk were coming to town there was no fucking way I was gonna miss them.

It's been a couple of years since I last saw them play the same venue with Howl to a largely uninterested and static crowd, but having seen them inspire chaos in the jam-packed smallest room at Roadburn last year, and inspire my own drunken chaos when I saw them a few months later in Prague, I hoped that Glasgow's rowdy stoner contingent would give those shows a run for their money.

While it was a bit livelier than last time, the crowd still didn't seem to wake up until the last few songs of the night, apart from those old dicks that insist on push-moshing at every show you see them at. Gie it a rest guys, eh?

First on the bill were Edinburgh's Dune. Having previously seen them supporting no less than Eyehategod, I was looking forward to their complex but catchy progressive sludge. For such a recently formed band, they bang through their set with a confidence even many seasoned road dogs lack, guitarist Victor's fleet-fingered solos intertwining with the relentless rhythm laid down by the rest of the band.

With vocal duties split between everyone but drummer Dudley, set highlights like 'When Planets Die' and the tri-vocal attack of 'Red Giant' have a variety lacking in so much modern sludge, and in a live setting you don't know who to keep your eye on, but Dudley's unbridled enthusiasm for hitting things really hard is a lot of fun to watch.

With their forthcoming album Progenitor due out in a matter of weeks, Dune are ones to watch. Keep your eyes to the stars. Or just Edinburgh.

Unfortunately that gives fellow locals Aye-Aye a hard act to follow, and their set of languid stoner grooves fails to keep the momentum going. It's through no fault of their own, they're just up against some of the most energetic, adrenaline-fuelled bands going today. Though they did come "all the way from Madagascar" to play, complete with bringing along some eerily accurate jungle sounds and some extra bongo work courtesy of Q-Ball from Bacchus Baracus / Co-Exist / Every Other Bloody Band In Scotland, and I'm definitely looking forward to checking them out on a bill where they're not quite so conspicuous.

Someone put them on with Skeleton Gong and Isak and I'm there!

Philadelphia/New Jersey's Fight Amp ramp the energy level back up with a set of tightly-wound, noise-tinged hardcore, tracks like the frenetic 'Lungs' from their debut Hungry For Nothing and 'Bad Listener' from their second record, sitting alongside cuts from their latest album, Birth Control. Before seeing them play I wasn't too familiar with them, but their aggressive, abrasive twisting of various Karp-isms has got me trawling their discography. Lovely stuff.

I've already mentioned the frenzy-whipping capabilities of Savannah's Black Tusk, but it bears repeating; if you've never seen this band live, you're fucking up. As much as I like their recorded stuff, I never get the urge to just throw on some Taste The Sin at home, because I'd fear for my furniture if I got too into it. The live setting is where this band really proves their worth, tracks like 'Bring Me Darkness' and 'The Ride' demonstrating the band's sheer unabashed love of playing, as well as just how goddamn tight they are. Guitarist Andrew and bassist Jonathan throw their guitars (and themselves) around with reckless abandon, while drummer James cements his reputation as one of the hardest hitters I've ever seen play, and none of them ever miss a beat. Mental.

For my first foray back into gig-going that'll continue with fellow Savannah... Savannans... Savannah-ites...? Anyway, I'm seeing Baroness in a couple of weeks, so don't sleep Glasgow, get out to the gig, and make it worthwhile for touring bands to venture north of the border!

All photos by Steff Vogeler.

The Sounds Of The Great Grey North

Over the past couple of years there's been a great resurgence in the underground music scene in Scotland. And don't give me this "it's always been there man, you just have to know where to look" pish because I've been looking, for fucking years, and I doubt there are many that'd argue with me that this is the healthiest the scene has been for a long time.

Heavy bands, of all genres, from all over the country, have never been so plentiful, and with this years' inaugural North Of The Wall featuring a 100% Scottish line-up, and the continued draw of Les-Fest, it seems that there are plenty of people out there who recognise how great a time it is for the Scottish underground.

Anyway, the idea of this ongoing blog post was to collate as many of these fucking brilliant bands in one place, and give people a resource if they're looking to check out Aberdeen's grindcore scene, or see if there are any stoner rock fuckups from Glasgow they'd like to listen to with bong in hand, or where the nastiest, most malignant black metal from Edinburgh can be heard. Hopefully this will provide a starting point. Here we fuckin' go:

Atragon

[ http://www.atragon.co.uk/ | https://www.facebook.com/AtragonDoom | http://atragon.bandcamp.com/ ]
Wizard-worshipping doom metal from Edinburgh. Formed in the cold, harsh winter of 2012 over a common disdain for mankind, Atragon worship at the altar of the riff. They desire only to bring about your doom through the powers of distortion, tube amplification & heathen ritual. Volume I available from Witch Hunter Records. See them live on just about every heavy music bill in Scotland.

Of Spire & Throne

[ http://www.ofspireandthrone.com/ | Of Spire & Throne on Facebook | http://ofspireandthrone.bandcamp.com/ ]
Edinburgh's Of Spire & Throne specialise in expansive blackened sludge, which is right up my street. Their latest release 'Vagary' is 21 minutes of torturous, mournful noise that will ruin your day. Go succumb to the misery over at their bandcamp.

Ommadon 

[ http://ommadon.blogspot.co.uk/ | Ommadon on Facebook | http://ommadon.bandcamp.com/ ]
Crushing doom with the impact of tectonic plates colliding. Two-headed dronebeast who record most of their output in isolation up in the Highlands.
All recordings (I-IV) available free through their bandcamp, as well as being collected into a discography tape available through Tartarus Records/Witches On Fire later this year, with new album V coming sometime in 2013.

Headless Kross

[ http://headlesskross.bandcamp.com/ | https://www.facebook.com/headlesskross ]

Psychedelic doom three-piece from Glasgow. Spacey, drawn-out stoner excursions with surprisingly harsh vocals. Recently released a split with Lazarus Blackstar on Head Of Crom which is well worth checking out. Stream it over at their bandcamp.

Sunsmasher

[ Sunsmasher on Facebook | http://sunsmasher.bandcamp.com/ ]

East Glasgow miserablists. Capable of producing a foul racket ranging from sludge to all out noise. One of my favourite local bands of recent times, they don't play anywhere near enough for my liking. Apparently recording new material this year, thank fuck, as I've been playing their Mammothian/Loud/Cult demo regularly for over 2 years now, and I'm fiending for new stuff. Gies a fix, eh guys?

Bacchus Baracus

[ http://bacchusbaracus.com/ | https://www.facebook.com/bacchusbaracus | New album streaming at Bandcamp ]
Glasgow's finest purveyors of whiskey-soaked barroom brawl anthems. Drummer/vocalist Qball manages to channel the hard-hitting groove of Clutch stickman JP Gaster as well as the erudite rasp of Neil Fallon. Catch them live and imbibe as many drinks as you can. New album available through Wasted State Records.

The Cosmic Dead

[ http://thecosmicdead.blogspot.co.uk/ | https://www.facebook.com/thecosmicdead | http://thecosmicdead.bandcamp.com/ ]
All-out psychedelic warfare from Glasgow's most prolific band. In just a couple of years these guys have cemented themselves as one of the greatest exponents of Hawkwind/Amon Düül II worship, even securing a slot at this years Roadburn. If you dig long-form trips around the outer reaches of space, or if you just ingest a lot of substances and would like the ideal musical accompaniment, check out one of their squazillion releases right now.

Voe

[ https://www.facebook.com/voedoom | http://voedoom.bandcamp.com/ ]
The crushing isolation of travailing an endless barren landscape, set to a soundtrack of expansive, reverberating dronedoom. They only have one track on their bandcamp at the moment, but if they continue down the same bleak path, they'll be ones to watch out for if you like a heavy dose of misery in your doom.

Holy Mountain

[ http://www.holymountainband.co.uk/ | https://www.facebook.com/HolyMountainBand |
I first saw these guys back when they were a duo that sounded like a feral lager-soaked High On Fire, though haven't managed to catch them live again since. I oughtta remedy that, as their latest release 'Earth Measures' (available through Chemikal Underground) is an absolute belter. If you don't believe me, either listen to it, or read this fucking hilarious review of it then listen to it.

Bisongrass

[ https://www.facebook.com/Bisongrassmetal | http://www.reverbnation.com/BISONGRASS ]
I just missed out on Bisongrass' last show around my parts, so I guess I'll just foam at the mouth until the next time they come back down from Aberdeen. Anyway, they play solid as fuck stoner rock

No Island

[ https://www.facebook.com/noislandhc | http://nofuckingisland.bandcamp.com/ ]
I caught these guys when they opened for hardcore legends Negative Approach, and was suitable impressed with their intensity. I like my hardcore on the genuinely angry side with a wee bit of the old powerviolence thrown in, so these guys were right up my alley (at night, filled with big cunts that want to kick your head in). Get their EP Let Glasgow Perish off bandcamp and go about punching things.

Hush

[ https://www.facebook.com/hushofficial | http://hushofficial.bandcamp.com/ ]
Did any of you go see Black Breath when they first played Glasgow? Naw ye fuckin' didnae, because me and the guys who play in Hush were the only cunts there. Considering they played to an almost empty room, they let rip with the full force of their set, delivering an intense set of angular hardcore in the vein of Cursed, Converge et al. Go give their Night Music release a listen over at their bandcamp.

Filthpact

[ http://www.filthpact.com/ | https://www.facebook.com/Filthpact | http://filthpact.bigcartel.com/ ]
Crusty grind from Aberdeen. Haven't had the chance to see them play live yet, but I really dig their recent split (available through excellent Scottish noise/doom label At War With False Noise) with fellow grind bastards Sufferinfuck. Who I'll blather about now.

Sufferinfuck

[ http://sufferinfuck.blogspot.co.uk/ | http://www.reverbnation.com/sufferinfuck ]
Grindcore from West Lothian, these guys are fast as absolute fuck. Perhaps unsurprising for grindcore, I know, but there's a ferocity missing from so much modern grind that Sufferinfuck have in filthy spades, they eschew clinical precision in favour of just all out anger and aggression. Lovely stuff. Get their 'In Boredom' release for fuck all here.

Clocked Out

[ http://clockedout.tumblr.com/ | http://clockedout.bandcamp.com/ ]
Glasgow fastcore kings who have the most hyperactive frontman in the city. You really need to see this band live to get an idea of how manic their live show gets. They recently brought out a three-track 7" so go get that.

Skeleton Gong

[ http://www.skeletongong.com/ | https://www.facebook.com/skeletongong | http://skeletongong.bandcamp.com/ ]
Skeleton Gong are fuckin' weirdos. I recently caught them live for the first time, and was met with an intimidating amount of amplification, a double drumkit setup, and a bunch of wild-eyed guys rocking a variety of interesting headgear choices; dreadlocks, cowboy hats, baldys, all cross-sections of mad bastards are represented in the Gong. They also fucking rule, their thick syrupy sludge hitting somewhere between Weedeater and Kylesa, with a more cosmic angle. However you want to try and describe it yourself, gie it a go and download their album 'Eskimo Wizards & The Louisiana Swamp Priests' for free from their bandcamp.

Wheelchair Wheelchair Wheelchair Wheelchair

[ Wheelchair x4 on Facebook | http://wheelchairwheelchairwheelchairwheelchair.bandcamp.com/ ]
More mad bastards, with an almost impossible to google name, Wheelchairx4 specialise in fastcore/powerviolence. I'm sure I've seen them live at some point but I'll be damned if I can remember where, when or who they played with. They've got an album, 'Contraception', up for free download over at bandcamp.

Dune

[ https://www.facebook.com/DuneEdinburgh ]

This relatively new Edinburgh band may not have any releases to their name as yet, but their space-themed sludge offerings have managed to snag them a support slot to EyeHateGod. I'm excited as hell to finally get to see them live, and you should be too. Get down to the EHG gig and support your local sludge band!
Also, buy a t-shirt off them because I drew it for 'em. SHAMLESS PLUG.

Isak

[ https://www.facebook.com/isakisloud | http://isakisloud.bandcamp.com/ ]
Homme-worshipping stoner grooves from the sun-kissed sandy wasteland of Dundee.

Cancerous Womb

[ https://www.facebook.com/cancerouswomb | http://cancerouswomb.bandcamp.com/ ]
Edinburgh's Cancerous Womb play repugnant grind-inflected death metal. They're currently in the process of recording their debut full-length, but until that sees the light of day check out their Fritzl-tastic 'Austrian Basement' Ep on bandcamp.

Cerebral Bore

[ https://www.facebook.com/cerebralboreofficial | http://www.reverbnation.com/cerebralbore ]

Perhaps best known for featuring youtube brutal vocal sensation Simone "Som" Pluijmers, who has now left the band, Glasgow's masters of brutality Cerebral Bore are signed to Earache records and have toured all over the world. Lucky cunts.

Skullwizard

[ Skullwizard on Facebook ]

I'm not sure how much of a full-time proposition Skullwizard are, but when I saw them live recently, they scared the shite out of me. Whoever their vocalist is, she went from wind-whistling shrieks that just about split my skull to dancing around to Journey's 'More Than A Feeling' mere minutes after their set had finished. A truly terrifying proposition.

Jackal-Headed Guard Of The Dead

[ https://www.facebook.com/jackalheadedguardofthedead | http://jackalheadedguardofthedead.bandcamp.com/ ]
Their own bio says it best: 'And there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth, for the earth had spat forth a most vile group of scum; borne loose with steely eyes and ravenous bellies. Their foul purpose is that most unnameable of horrors, the dark art in which even the most sinister backstreet necromancer in Cairo would not dare utter...doom metal. We are a doom band, who also like Lovecraft, weed, and films so raw they'll skullfuck your brain and leave you with a twitch. Enjoy, you cunts.'

Tommy Concrete And The Werewolves

[ https://www.facebook.com/TommyConcreteAndTheWerewolves | http://tommyconcrete.blogspot.co.uk/ ]

Lords of Bastard

[ https://www.facebook.com/lordsareloud | http://lordsofbastard.bandcamp.com/ ]
Self-styled psychedelic megariff dickheads from Edinburgh, the Lords Of Bastard play tightly-wound stoner weirdness that brings to mind Big Business or something equally as odd. Their drummer is tight as fuck. In depth review, eh? Give their latest album 'Cuddles' a blast and see for yourself, I can't do everything for you!

Co-Exist

[ https://www.facebook.com/Coexistgrind | http://coexistgrind.bandcamp.com/ ]
I've seen Co-Exist live but I'm fucked if I can remember who it was with. I remember being impressed by them anyway. This is another of Qball's bands, and couldn't sound more different from Bacchus Baracus, seeing as Co-Exist specialise in furious bursts of grind/death metal. Stream their newest EP 'Skelf' over at their bandcamp.

Horrors That You've Seen

[ https://www.facebook.com/horrorsthatyouveseen | http://htyshc.bandcamp.com/ ]
I first checked these guys out because their vocalist has the same name as a guy I went to school with. Wisnae him though. In their own words:
'Hardcore band from Edinburgh that play more Sludge and Doom than we do hardcore. Hardcore for fans of longer songs and slower riffs. Hardcore to get high to.'
Go get their latest recording 'Smokin, Skatin, Satan' off bandcamp because it's good.

Set Astray

[ https://www.facebook.com/setastraycrew | https://soundcloud.com/s-e-t-a-s-t-r-a-y ]
Hardcore created by angry young men from Stirling. Check them out if you like the NYHC sound and punching folk in the face. New EP available from Glasgow-based label Thanks For Nothing, you can grab a free download here.

Man Must Die

[ https://www.facebook.com/ManMustDie | http://manmustdie.bandcamp.com/ ]
Man Must Die hail from Glasgow and play crushing tech death that sounds like getting your head stuck in a concrete mixer filled with nails and broken glass. So, y'know, pretty good. They're currently recording a new album, and judging by the in-the-studio videos they're posting, it's gonna be fucking awesome when it's done.

Fifteen Dead

[ https://www.facebook.com/fifteendead | http://fifteendead.bandcamp.com/ ]
Fifteen Dead are from all over the shop, but get together to create a raging blackened crust racket reminiscent of Martyrdöd, Skitsystem and the rest of them manky Scando d-beat lot. The whole blackened crust thing is getting pretty big these days, and Fifteen Dead are defnitely in the upper echelons of that scene. Their stuff is available for pay-what-you-want download over at their bandcamp. I highly recommend you go chuck 'em a few pennies in exchange for their stuff.

Ablach

[ https://myspace.com/ablach ]

Ablach might be the only gaelic grindcore band in existence, but if I'm wrong and thereare more out there, please correct me as soon as fuckin' possible because Ablach are incredible. Hailing from Aberdeen, and taking their name from the gaelic for 'Mangled Corpse', they play fast, furious crusty grind with many not-so-subtle nods to their forefathers, both historical and musical.
You can get their album Aon from Moshpit Tragedy and Dha from Grindcore Karaoke. Those recordings feature covers of grind originators Napalm Death, Extreme Noise Terror, Terrorizer and Phobia strewn throughout the band's original material that has a mainly historical subject matter.

Bonesaw

[ http://scottishdeath.blogspot.co.uk/ | Bonesaw on Facebook | http://bonesaw.bandcamp.com/ ]
Why did no-one tell me about this band sooner? I mean, a quick trawl back through the archives of my blog will reveal I'm a total sucker for ugly primitive death/doom, and these guys deliver it in spades full of putrid gravedirt. Their facebook saws 'think Autopsy on a budget' and I'd say that's about right. Anyway, these decrepit bastards come from up Aberdeen way, so I think I'll be venturing up for a wee bit of death metal tourism next time they play. Fuckin' Bonesaw man... lovely stuff.

Easy Bake Oven

[ https://www.facebook.com/Easybakeovenofficial | http://easybakeovenofficial.bandcamp.com/ ]
Easy Bake Oven are a self-described 'Blackened Stoner/Doom' band from Glasgow. I caught them as local support at the Bison b.c./Black Cobra gig a few weeks back and was pretty fucking impressed with their disgusting sludge. Their EP 'Stoner Wisdom' is available for fuck-all over at bandcamp, so what are you waiting for? Get it!

Dog Tired

[ https://www.facebook.com/dogtiredmetal | http://www.reverbnation.com/dogtired ]
Dog Tired are four-piece groove metal from Edinburgh. Think Pantera/Machine Head/Lamb Of God, with a sort of mid-90s Corrosion Of Conformity swagger. Check out their new album 'Titan', available on itunes/spotify.

Roll On Three

[ https://www.facebook.com/RollOnThree | http://rollonthree.bandcamp.com/ ]
Edinburgh bluesy stoners Roll On Three sound like Houdini-era Melvins with guest vocals by Phil Anselmo. At least that's the first impression I get listening to the recordings they have upon their bandcamp, though you should go download it for yourself and tell me I'm talking shite.
In fact, I'll tell myself; the Melvins weirdness is only present in opening track 'My Lost Way', the rest is a bastard hybrid of Down/Superjoint Ritual. So good, basically.

Zillah

[ https://www.facebook.com/zillahnoise | http://zillah.bandcamp.com/ | http://zillah.bigcartel.com/ ]
I first got into Zillah because their old guitarist Andrew Yates was proprietor/meat wizard at my favourite Glasgow food emporium Where The Monkey Sleeps. He's since left both Zillah and the Monkey, and now crafts towers of flesh in the kitchen of Nice N Sleazy. Go sink your teeth into the fucking best burgers in Scotland.
Anyway, enough of the food pimping, Zillah play scorching technical death-tinged metalcore, reminiscent of bands like Burnt By The Sun, which is a very good thing. All of their releases are available for free over at bandcamp, and I recommend their 'Substitute For A Catastrophe' album wholeheartedly. Get into it!

War Charge

[ https://www.facebook.com/warcharge | http://warcharge.bandcamp.com/ ]
Edinburgh's War Charge play pissed off hardcore. You can stream their latest recording 'New World Justice' over at their bandcamp, and order it from Purgatory Records if it tickles your angry bone.

Prelude To The Hunt

[ https://www.facebook.com/preludetothehunt | http://preludetothehunt.bandcamp.com/ ]
Prelude To The Hunt play some of the foulest racket I've heard come out of Aberdeen since the accent. They recently released a split with Manchester's Esoteric Youth on Church Of Fuck, and deserve to be making as many waves as their Manc counterparts. Said split features a blistering cover of Cursed's 'Reparations', if that gives you a idea where they're coming from. I fucking love Cursed, so PTTH get an automatic thumbs up from me.

Dirtdrinker

[ https://www.facebook.com/DIRTDRINKER | http://dirtdrinker.bandcamp.com/ ]
Dirtdrinker are fucking disgusting. Coming across like a twistier Unsane with spazzy discordance ramped up to the max, this Aberdeen two-piece create the sort of noise that burrows their way nto your cranial cavity with their writhing, sludgey earworms. Absolutely horrible. I love them.

The Colour Pink Is Gay

[ https://www.facebook.com/thecolourpinkisgay | http://thecolourpinkisgay.bandcamp.com/ ]
Guaranteed to anger the PC brigade with a name like that, Glasgow-based tech metal motherfuckers TCPiG are a total heidfuck. I don't know how people can listen to this band without wanting to put a screwdriver into their ear canal just to make it stop. If the sound of Japanese cartoon themesongs played by mental patients through warfare grade amplification is your thing, these guys might be your thing. Remember the wonderfully absurd Take A Worm For A Walk Week? Aye, like that maybe.

Scordatura

[ https://www.facebook.com/Scordaturaofficial | http://scordatura.bandcamp.com/ ]
Scordatura play modern tech-y death metal. These Glasgow deviants will be supporting Fleshgod Apocalypse on their UK tour, so get down to Ivory Blacks in October and support your local brutalists. Until then, shred your fuckin' face off listening to their new album 'Torment Of The Weak'.

Exile The Traitor

[ https://www.facebook.com/ExileTheTraitor | http://exilethetraitor.bandcamp.com/ ]
Glasgow's Exile The Traitor play Swedeath-influenced metal that folk who dig Carcass' 'Heartwork' and At The Gates will be right into. They don't have much available for streaming at the moment, but what they do have is solid as fuck. Check them out on bandcamp.

Bleed From Within

[ https://www.facebook.com/bleedfromwithinband ]

These guys are from my hometown and are probably one of the best-known bands on this list. Who'da thunk a band from Hamilton of all shiteholes would get signed to Century Media and tour the world? If I'd known that, I would joined a band and gotten outta there fuckin' years ago. Ah well. Fair play to the Bleed From Within lads for doing so well. Musically they play tight, technical death-y metalcore, so give 'em a listen if that's yer bag!

Agonised Deformity

[ https://www.facebook.com/AgonisedDeformity | http://agoniseddeformity.bandcamp.com/ ]
These guys are from Carluke/Wishaw, two of the biggest shiteholes on the planet. I've seen Eastern European retirement homes with more life in them than those places. So it's only appropriate that Agonised Deformity play brutal, eardrum-obliterating, slam-worthy death metal, that ought to liven ol' Pishy Wishy up a bit! Stream their racket over at their bandcamp and mosh yer way down Wishy 'high street'.

Acatalepsy

[ https://www.facebook.com/AcatalepsyDeathMetal | http://acatalepsy.bandcamp.com/ ]
Edinburgh's Acatalepsy play proggy, weird death metal with occasional pretty intricate bits. So like Opeth, but not really. Their erratic staccato chugging takes a bit to wrap your head around if you're a braindead plodding sludge maniac like me, but they're definitely worth a listen. Do so at the usual place. You'd think bandcamp was fucking paying me to promote them, eh? I can only dream.

Maelstrom

[ http://www.maelstrom-metal.com/ | Maelstrom on Facebook | http://maelstromofficial.bandcamp.com/ ]
Remember Akercocke? The black metal band who played sweaty, Satan-conjuring shows decked out in the finery of Savile Row? Maelstrom sure do, adopting a similar aesthetic for their own gigs.
Scotland's metal gentlemen's blackened death has some symphonic elements, but don't let that put you off, they're not naff and overblown like so many bands who attempt a bit of keyboard noodling.

Coffinsplitter

There's pretty much nothing available online to prove these guys even exist. Pretty sure members of Clocked Out are involved, I've definitely seen them play a show together anyway. They were good. Get it together ya cunts.

Eagletomb

[ https://www.facebook.com/Eagletomb | stream 'Illiad' at Soundcloud ]
Edinburgh's Eagletomb play hypnotic doom. I'm pretty excited to get to see them play in a couple of weeks. Not much more to say than that, check them out if you like Sleep. Because who doesn't like Sleep?

Party Cannon

[ https://www.facebook.com/PartyCannonUK | http://partycannon.bandcamp.com/ ]
'Party Slam' from Dunfermline that basically sounds like the sort of thing you'd dance to at Obscene Extreme if you'd ingested the wrong cocktail of substances that day. Blastbeats and vodka and vocals that sound like hangover farts all in one band, how can you resist!?

Throne O Diablo

[ https://www.facebook.com/pages/Throne-o-Diablo/239517394648 | https://myspace.com/throneodiablo ]
Another band I saw supporting Black Breath a couple of years ago that I haven't really followed too closely, despite them being absolutely hilarious live. Are they meant to be? I don't know, but between the double-necked guitar and generally bizarre stage presence, I was laughing my arse off at them. But then I was also very very drunk.

Barshasketh

[ http://www.barshasketh.com/ | https://www.facebook.com/Barshasketh | http://barshasketh.bandcamp.com/ ]
Okay technically these guys hail from New Zealand, but seeing as they are currently based out of Edinburgh, they get included. Barshasketh play wintry black metal, so they should feel right at home up here in the Northern Hemisphere. Yes, I know NZ gets winter too, but I couldn't think of anything cleverer to say. Check them out if you like it frostbitten.

Achren

[ http://www.achren.com/ | https://www.facebook.com/achrenmetal | http://www.reverbnation.com/achren ]
Scotland's Achren produce a crushingly heavy and uncompromising brand of metal. Raw, razor sharp riffs; death metal growls; black metal screams and dark, brutally driving melody combine to create a unique and commandeering sound which has gained the name ‘Blood Metal.’

Iron Witch / Corrupt Moral Altar - Classic Grand, Glasgow

13. Unlucky for some, as it was the night of the Iron Witch/Corrupt Moral Altar show, when an unfortunate plumbing situation in the basement of the 13th Note caused the show to be cancelled. The promoters managed to find another venue at the last minute, and the two touring bands were able to set up at the Classic Grand, though unfortunately that left no time for local openers Headless Kross and Skeleton Gong. Bummer.

After finding a pub with much cheaper/better booze than the new venue, I eventually headed upstairs to find Iron Witch just starting their set. I was so fucking relieved that the show was still going ahead, I'd been waiting to see them for a couple of years, and they were well worth the wait, their filthy take on vintage sludge the perfect accompaniment to many, many alcoholic beverages.

Their lineup has changed significantly, now incorporating two members from Corrupt Moral Altar, though Chris Fane's acerbic howls are still as tortured as ever, the stumbling, disoriented march of impressively bearded rhythm section, drummer Will Adams and bassist Rick Owen now screeched over by CMA's Tom Dring and John Cooke on guitars.

The set passed by in a whiskey-fuelled blur, at least it seemed pretty short to me, but then I could listen to this strain of feedback and misery for hours. It was just great to finally catch them live, and I can't wait til my next opportunity.

Corrupt Moral Altar's set was a bit more chaotic in terms of both sound, and crowd reaction; people were hanging from the ceiling, throwing each other across the room, spilling drinks all over each other and generally acting like drunken morons, to their set of thick, nasty grind. It was fucking brilliant, the sort of band that would work perfectly on that mud-caked and booze-flooded stage at Obscene Extreme, so someone make that happen, eh?

Despite the setbacks, venue change and losing half the lineup, this was still an excellent show, and the bands and promoters should be commended for their work to make sure it still went ahead. If you missed out, tough shit, you'll just need to wait 'til the next time these reprobates venture north of the border.

Check out both bands here:
http://ironwitch.bandcamp.com
http://corruptmoralaltar.bandcamp.com/

Black Cobra / Bison BC / Årabrot - Ivory Blacks, Glasgow

Don't you just hate it when the local opening band turns out to be pretty good, yet leaves the stage without telling you who the fuck they are? I do. At least duct-tape your name onto the kick drum, scrawl it on your bassist's forehead, do something to let people know what your band is called.

So yeah, the opening band was decent, and if they want to let me know their name, that'd be swell.

[Edit: Turns out it was Easy Bake Oven. They rule. Check them out.]

Norwegian weirdos Årabrot take the stage looking like extras in some bizarre Nordic barbarian b-movie. Their set of writhing, (amphetamine) reptilian noise-sludge is an unusual fit on this bill, but it works well. Their abrasive tones are offset creepily by Bison-horn-hatted Kjetil Nernes' whispering/purring/strangled-throated Yow yelps.

If you got hard over the Melvins/Unsane tour that happened last year, and are really into denim shorts, Årabrot are your new favourite band.

I'm a big fan of Vancouver's Bison BC, but I still haven't gotten around to listening to their latest record Lovelessness, so much of tonight's set was unfamiliar to me, but based on how they ripped through their new set, I am really fucking up by not owning their latest slab of expansive sludge. Soon as I have money guys, I promise.

Since I last saw the band, they have a new drummer who kind of terrifies me. He looks like a clown with no make-up on, his relentless grin never failing even as he smashes the hell out of his kit, splintered sticks flying everywhere.

When they tear into 'These Are My Dress Clothes' from 2008's Quiet Earth, I was back in familiar territory, bellowing along to the weirdest refrain ever. The next song 'Stressed Elephant' is just as heavy as its name implies, and I start to worry I won't even be able to hear the last band's set.

I last saw San Francisco's finest Black Cobra close out Roadburn 2012 to a packed main room, the two members somehow managing to fill that stage with sheer relentless riffage and percussive abuse. Considering they managed to get hundreds of exhausted stoners to bang their heads one last time after 4 days of Olympic-level narcotic intake made their set a total triumph.

This was a week after I'd also seen them play to 20 disinterested Germans as support to the legendary Corrosion Of Conformity. I had really hoped tonight's show would be more like the former, but instead the absolutely dismal turnout kind of put a damper on the atmosphere of the show. What the hell, Glasgow?

Regardless of the low attendance the band were as tight as ever, the short sharp set leaning more towards their relentlessly pummelling material, with none of their more atmospheric, slower songs. So no 'Corrosion Fields'. Bummer, but I can't really complain when given the chance to be one of the few to experience the sheer sonic devastation wrought upon Glasgow that night. My ears are still ringing 48 hours later.

Next time any of these bands come around, miss them at your peril.

All photos by Steff Vogeler.

Dragged Into Sunlight / Bossk / Sunsmasher / Headless Kross - Audio, Glasgow

I was anxious to see openers Headless Kross as they'd just released a split 12" with Bradford's foulest, Lazarus Blackstar, and any band that keeps such company has got to be worth a watch. Their set was different to what I expected, their sound being closer to the stoner-doom of Sleep and Weedeater than the crusty, sludgy mess I had anticipated based on their choice of band to split a record with. Their meandering, psych-tinged stoner grooves shook the already loose ceiling panels of the venue, the harsh vocals threatening to bring them down entirely.

I'm so glad Glasgow is producing bands like this nowadays, and I'm definitely looking forward to giving their recorded material a spin.

I haven't seen Sunsmasher play for way over a year now, and when they open with Mujeres Libres from their Mammothian/Loud/Cult EP I'm happy to hear they're still as devastatingly heavy as ever.

Attacking his bass in between bursts of bile into the mic, bassist Phil is a sight to behold, coming across like a crazed street preacher with access to high-level amplification, while guitarist Neil strangles mangled blues out of his strings. Whenever they get another recording out, look out for it, your bleeding ears will thank you for it.

Recently reformed Kent post-metallers Bossk seem to have been just as big a draw tonight as the headliners, with a few people in the crowd barely able to contain their excitement at finally getting to see the band live for the first time in years.

As soon as they launch into their first song, the excitement is fully justified, as the band weave together achingly pretty instrumental passages, offset by harder-edged sections that put the 'metal' in post-metal. Personally I hate that term, but it does describe what Bossk do so very well, and if you're a fan of the genre and you don't have a copy of .01 and .02, what the hell are you doing?

At one point their own intricately woven melodies fade out to the sound of crashing waves, and... wait... is that a Fleetwood Mac cover?! Yeah, it is. The most unexpected place to hear 'Albatross' ever (well, second to its appearance in those Marks & Spencers ads years ago).

With new material being recorded this year, look out for the continuing triumphant return of Bossk.

I last saw Dragged Into Sunlight at the 2012 edition of Roadburn, where their set time was eaten into by the amount of stuff being set up on stage, and as much as I appreciate their aesthetic, if fannying about with skulls and candles cuts 2 songs out of your set, is it really worth it?

Luckily tonight there is minimal fannying, the candles are lit, the funeral fog (well, smoke machine...) drifting past the goat skull altar and enveloping the room, creating an appropriately suffocating atmosphere.

The anonymous members take the stage, the steady hum of that ominous Matamp backline builds, the samples lead into the familiar intonation of "...it pleases me...to serve you..." and Boiled Angel is unleashed.

This term is overused in descriptions of extreme music, but a Dragged Into Sunlight set truly is an assault on the senses; the near-constant strobe light rendering you unable to even glance in the direction of the stage, the sheer volume seeming to actually force the sound into your ears, the whole time your lungs filled with the acrid stench of more smoke than even the most ardent weedian can cope with.

You don't merely watch or listen to a Dragged Into Sunlight show; you survive it.

I, Aurora erupts from the howling, smoke-spewing thing on stage, and I can feel other victims of the show thrashing heads and limbs against my back. It's kind of hard to tell if they're enjoying themselves or if I might be feeling a few people's death throes. Either way I'm transfixed by the beast with five heads before me.

The set is culled entirely from Hatred For Mankind, with not even the similarly harsh Part II from their recent masterpiece Widowmaker given an airing, though its not like I expected DIS of all bands to conform to any expectations others may have of them.

The candles are snuffed out, the feedback howls, the smoke dissipates, the stage empties, and the crowd drags themselves out to sunless night.

This was one of the best shows I've seen in Scotland, the whole Dragged Into Sunlight set sounded incredible, as did every band tonight, so credit to the venue's soundman for being able to capture the aural assault that DIS unleashes without losing any of the sheer sonic force. I hope there are more shows like this in Scotland now that its beginning to foster a strong homegrown doom scene, as well as continuing to attract touring bands from all over the world.