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Unearthing The Metal Underground: The West Country Metal Scene, Part. 3

Every week in Unearthing the Metal Underground, we take a look at three quality bands that haven't gotten as much exposure yet as they should. This week we’ll be taking another look at three metal bands from the West Country (the South West of England,) all with their own take on the genre.

Flayed Disciple

Formed in Taunton, the county town of Somerset in 2008, the awesomely named, Flayed Disciple have been performing their own brand of brutal thrash metal ever since. They released their first record, an EP entitled, "Drawn Viscera" the next year, earning almost instant acclaim in the local metal scene and going on to perform with the likes of South Western thrash legends, Onslaught and New Wave of British Heavy Metal heroes, Diamond Head. In late 2011 they signed a deal with Grindscene Records, which led to the release of their debut full length album, "Death Hammer," which was also given away with copies of the May edition of Terrorizer magazine. The group has been able to perform at a number of festivals over the years, including the ever growing Bloodstock Open Air and will soon be embarking on a trip to India where they will perform a handful of shows along with a slot on the Indian Metal Festival, the very first heavy metal festival in the country, which will be headlined by French death metal outfit, Gojira.

Flayed Disciple - "Ejaculate While Killing"

Flayed Disciple - "The Westboro Massacre"

Control the Storm

Another band from the South West which got to perform at this year's edition of the Bloodstock Open Air festival was Control the Storm, an interesting blend of power and gothic metal, which the band has described as "post- apocalyptic." After hiring vocalist Hayley Martin and bass player, Becky Baldwin, they recorded their first demo in 2011 and received acclaim in the local metal scene, eventually leading them to their aforementioned slot at Bloodstock. The band now has a wealth of new material ready for their next recording, as well as an ever growing number of shows scheduled well into the next year.

Control the Storm - "Day of Days"

Control the Storm - "Hysteric Silence"

Endeavour

Endeavour, like Control the Storm, hail from Bristol, the largest city in the South West (and sixth largest in England.) The seeds of the band were sewn in 2010 by guitarist Iain Davies and bass player Ben Hands, before being joined by drummer George Russell and vocalist Chris Hawkins. Endeavour wear their influences clearly on their sleeves but are still able to blend them into a progressive take on modern, alternative metal. They made their first recordings last year before beginning to appear on stages throughout the South West, rapidly making a name for themselves in the process. The group are currently working on a new series of recordings which are expected to be released in April next year as part of their first official EP.

Endeavour - "Drowning Memory"

Endeavour - "Hangar 18/ Betrayal Of Life"

What did you think of this week's bands? Please feel free to comment about your favorite bands in this article in the comments below or to look at our previous pieces on West Country metal bands here and here, and check back in next Monday as we continue to unearth more underground metal bands.

Ollie Hynes has been a writer for Metal Underground.com since 2007 and a metal fan since 2001, going as far as to travel to other countries and continents for metal gigs.