Gealach (new BM from Cork)

[Eoin McLove]

I just gave this lot a listen and their demo has plenty of promise.  There is a fairly heavy Darkthrone influence which is alright by me. The Draighean on bass and vocals is not the same Draighean who played bass and vocals in Geasa I'm assuming as he sounds quite different, but who knows.  I'll keep an eye open for a physical release. It's always good to see decent black metal emerge from here.

https://gealachireland.bandcamp.com/


This reminds me,  I have yet to grab the Chapel Flames album...

[Ollkiller]

Not the same Draigheen. Ya it's a savage demo. Nice mix of styles and riffs are well catchy. I know the lads. A lot of promise there.

[Cernunnos]

Loving this!

[Abandon All Hope]

It's a bit boring in fairness.

[Abandon All Hope]

Chapel Flames + 1 

[keeper of kalessin]

Im really enjoying it, as you say nice darkthrone buzz off it.

[Pentagrimes]

Had a listen and it was ok, didnt really grab me but I'll be curious to see them at Siege,may translate better live .

At the risk of kicking off a row,further confirmation that Slidhr aside, we really dont excel at black metal here.

[Kurt Cocaine]

At the risk of kicking off a row,further confirmation that Slidhr aside, we really dont excel at black metal here.

Totally agree pal. We need another famine.

[Eoin McLove]

Had a listen and it was ok, didnt really grab me but I'll be curious to see them at Siege,may translate better live .

At the risk of kicking off a row,further confirmation that Slidhr aside, we really dont excel at black metal here.

As always JD and Wann reign supreme and this, while showing early promise, doesn't challenge that theory.  Still,  they have my ear and I remain hopeful that they will grow into a worthy contender.

I'm on a huge traditional BM buzz lately (listening to Moonblood at the minute) and I'd love to hear a band have a real go at a proper 90s sound. We need Geasa (Starside only) part 2 to emerge.  The Darkthrone element in these lads' sound very much appeals.

There's a new Fuil na Seanchoille record coming that may well get close to scratching that itch.

[Pentagrimes]

This isn't terrible or anything just to clarify, it has all the right ingredients, it just seems a little pedestrian. It doesn't have the venom or malice. or even the sheer weirdness, that BM needs. Which is I think the common problem with a lot of the stuff from here. I'd say the same about Chapel Flames or Molde - both are grand for the style but are just missing the real nastiness I look for in this kinda stuff . It's just very tame or something.

I'm not a big black metal fan in general though, and like Andy I suppose what I do listen to is more the ratty 90s "recorded on a four track" type stuff, and growing up around that has very much shaped/warped my perception of BM.  I don't think we need another Geasa or "Dark Romanticism" though.

[Eoin McLove]

I'd be happy with a good rip off of either of those demos but I'd love to hear a band capture the essence of either while delivering something that is their own. 

[Pentagrimes]

I'd be happy with a good rip off of either of those demos but I'd love to hear a band capture the essence of either while delivering something that is their own.

This.

[blessed1]

We also have zero symphonic black metal bands which is my preferred style.
I was at Carach angren on a Saturday night in Dolan's and was expecting it to be full but it was fairly empty which surprised me.
Is it just a case of that style not being popular here at all?

[Pentagrimes]

Dunno, it's the age old debate isn't it? we've always been a bit behind  with any kind of metal really - when Death Metal was at it's peak in the early 90s there were only a handful of bands, and even fewer doing it well, and it seems like when Black Metal kinda took over in the church burning era it was definitely popular with listeners but of the handful of short lived bands that popped up the standard was pretty poor. It just seems to be the one underground genre no-one here bar JD and that earliest Primordial stuff has really cracked.

I suppose it took the latter half of the 2010s for us to really get good at death metal (though that's kind of dying off now, no pun intended) so come about 2024 we'll have an amazing raw, inventive BM scene. You'd think years of Catholic repression + loads of beautiful natural scenery would be a recipe for savage black metal, but nope 

[Snare]

Nice one for the heads up McLove. Sounds interesting to me, much prefer it to the Chapel Flames chaos, that's not my thing at all.

I was passing the old homestead in Ballyvolane the other week and saw a lad in a Mayhem t-shirt with a guitar over the shoulder looking like he was heading to the bandrooms in Blackpool so was wondering was there new heads about up to no good. Wonder was it this crowd? Anyway looking forward to checking them out at Siege.

Forgive my ignorance, what's this "JD" ye're on about? Carnun and Moonfog anyone? Nails did a cool Moonfog video on YouTube but I can't find it right now.

Just found this re JK of AOP: 
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/lifestyle/culture/from-black-metal-to-bliss-signal-913447.html

Also just found out about this Wexford sham, I must check it out:
https://gaoth.bandcamp.com/releases

The best for last, albeit some dodgy mix up's this contains some class surprises (esp. For you Jamie!), I just found this pure gold:

https://youtu.be/dvZfX2oAOuc