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High On Fire Sets Islington Alight

Often when it comes to metal gigs in London, we hop on the Northern line and head to Camden for a show at The Underworld, The Black Heart, The Electric Ballroom or if we're being fancy, The Roundhouse. There are other areas in capital's north which frequently host heavier acts though, such as Tufnell Park, Kentish Town or more commonly, Islington, which is where we find ourselves tonight. Only a day after an excellent performance from Crypta in Bristol, it was off to the Smoke to catch another bucket list band of mine, High On Fire, who were set to bring their European tour to the Islington Assembly Hall.

It's a fairly grand venue, with balcony seats, clean hallways and a large stage, which emanates a degree of class, so of course this reporter fit right in with his "Fuck the Tories" badge displayed proudly after being gifted it from the socialists outside the tube station. Following the traditional scramble at the merch booth, it was through to the hall to catch tonight's support, Silverburn, a project from Hark and Taint frontman Jimbob Isaac. Their debut release, "Self Induced Transcendental Annihilation" was unleashed last August and immediately garnered praise, leading to a spot at this year's Desertfest London. It was clear to see that most of the crowd were in agreement. Silverburn offers a meaty sound, very modern metal in its approach and performs with a strong presence, delivering their music in powerful fashion. They're certainly not for everyone, but overall this was a solid performance which would have won them some new fans. More...

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Crypta Takes Bristol Under Their Black Wings

Good things come to those who wait, so they say. Ever since Crypta announced their formation in 2019, British fans of Fernanda Lira and Luana Dametto's work in Nervosa could hardly wait for them to make their way over to our grey and miserable island. Having been there for Nervosa's first UK show in 2015, when they supported Cryptopsy and Brujeria, as well doing my first in person interview with Ms. Lira, it's been a joy to see her and her former band go from strength to strength because they really do deserve every success that comes their way. Finally, five years after their formation, Crypta were embarking on their first headlining run of eight English cities and towns and the anticipation couldn't be greater, especially when I noticed that they were heading to the intimate and inclusive Exchange in Bristol.

The show kicked off with some local flavour, courtesy of Moon Reaper. Describing themselves as "blackened hardcore doom," it is a little hard to pin down their sound, so let's sum it up with this... They were great! Bristol has long been home to many excellent musicians and it's great to see enough like minded ones come together and pool their talents into creating something exciting and enjoyable. Fronted by the charismatic Sirin Bozkurt, who also possesses an outstanding voice, Moon Reaper connects with the audience in a powerful way, far beyond that of a local band with friends in the audience. They've been going for a little while now and had just put out their latest EP, "Black Sun Sorcery," which was of course represented well tonight. Moon Reaper delivers their music with tremendous precision and has a natural stage presence, both of which will help them climb the ranks of the British metal scene. They've already had some high profile support slots, but it won't be long until they're nationwide favourites. More...

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Postmortem Promises Premiere New Single

Essex, UK-based deathcore outfit Postmortem Promises premiere a new single and lyric video by the name of "Beast of the Black Forest III", streaming via YouTube and Spotify for you now below. Alex Teyen of Black Tongue guests.

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Hollow Construct Premiere New Single

International experimental metalcore outfit Hollow Construct premiere a new single titled "It’s A Sickness // I’m Glad You’re Uncomfortable", streaming via YouTube and Spotify for you now below.

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