LIVE REVIEW: Raucous Rabid Bitch of the North 7" single launch

WENT to a party and a gig broke out...such was the case on Saturday (16th January) when Rabid Bitch of the North gathered together friends, family, acolytes, fans and a range of long-haired types to launch their new single, the 7" vinyl 'Green Eyes'.

Even before the doors of the Voodoo in Belfast opened there was a palpable sense of excitement, for what was sure to be one of the first Distortion Project gigs of 2016.

To celebrate this the first 20 punters through the door were treated to a shot of Jack Daniels to warm the cockles of the metal heart on a chilly night.

Opening act, Erosion, were a late addition to the bill, and while they have many veterans of the Northern Ireland metal scene, this was one of their first public appearances.

With a meaty sound and a range of dynamics the band scream potential, but have some raw edges that will be ironed out with more appearances. Approved nods throughout the gathering audience that there is much more to come from Erosion.

Bracketing the openers and headliners was the monster from County Armagh that is Astralnaut, the beast of a band that rumbles with such a deep end that the very foundations of Belfast itself threatened to collapse.

Southern groove metal re-invented for the myths in the mists, where the footsteps of giants are brought to life with a bottom end that could liquidise internal organs.

As Erosion brought contemporary metal to the party and Astralnaut brought the deep groove, so Rabid Bitch of the North emerged on to the Voodoo stage with their 21st Century take on the New Wave of British Heavy Metal.

Blending the dexterity of Maiden and the ferocity of Motorhead, RBOTN are a three-piece that have grown in stature across the last number of years.

What that means is that the crowd that had assembled around the stage are familiar with the songs - indeed on sale together with 'Green Eyes' was the 2014 best of so far CD 'From the Kennel To The Castle' - that have seen them evolve.

Opening with the frantic 'Sisyphus' it was clear that Joe, Gerry and Chris were intent on not only entertaining the audience, but enjoying themselves on stage.

By the time 'Defending Two Castles' was complete the stage was enveloped by such a large amount of dry ice that seeing the band was a struggle and some members of the audience were visibly distressed.

It took a couple of songs for the 'fog' to dissipate, just as the 'star' song of the set 'Green Eyes' was unleashed and Joe's vocals reached improbable high notes.

His bass work is perhaps one of the under-estimated weapons in the Rabid Bitch arsenal. Gerry's complex riff patterns and solo forays steal the show as Chris batters his kit into submission.

Visually the band are the epitome of what a metal act should look like - beards, cut-off denims and pulling the 'shapes' without becoming clichéd.

There was, of course, a Motorhead song as a tribute to Lemmy, but it was the two closers that had the crowd and band enjoined in raucous riot of metal.

'Trapped in 1999' is simple good fun, with Joe's vocal gymnastics adding to the wit of the track. And, while we gathered together - with the rest of the population watching 'z-list' celebrities or reality crap - RBOTN ended with the rallying cry 'Us Against Them', a song of solidarity which most in the venue sang along with gusto.

On the surface this was just another gig, but in reality this was the way metal should be celebrated - minus the OTT dry ice next time please.

Review by Jonny

Pictures by Darren McVeigh

 

COMPETITION: Win tickets to see Slipknot and Suicidal Tendencies in Belfast

RIGHT you lot, we're feeling generous again. You all like Slipknot, right? (Shut up you there in the corner and take your floppy fringe elsewhere!).

Belfast Metal Heads Reunited and RockradioNI have teamed up with those good folks at MCD and we're offering you the chance to win not one pair of tickets to Slipknot in the SSE Arena on 15th February, but two pairs of tickets to see the madness. And, you get to see Suicidal Tendencies too!

There are two ways to snag the tickets.

Firstly, get your lazy asses down to the Voodoo on Saturday night at 8pm for the launch of Rabid Bitch of the North's new 7" single Green Eyes. There will be a raffle for the first pair of tickets. All proceeds supporting The Distortion Project.

See, it's very simple. Just go down, pay a measly £6 to see three bands (RBOTN, plus support from Caustic Gods and the mighty earth-shaking Astralnaut). And, as you sup your pints and nod your heads you can throw your hat into the raffle ring. The draw will take place that night before Rabid Bitch of the North shatter the Belfast night. Oh, and the first 20 people through the door get a shot of Jack Daniels.

What else would you be doing on a Saturday night? Sitting in watching sh*t like 'The Voice'?

So, that's the first shot at the pair of tickets. The next?

Answer this simple question. What was the name of Corey Taylor's Christmas single?

Send your answers here before midnight on 22nd January. Competition rules are simple - if you're not in you can't win!

And then there was the Seige...and Northenr Ireland lay waste to Limerick

IT was not intended that the intrepid band of brethren and sistren from Northern Ireland would be attempting to review the Siege of Limerick - the six-monthly gathering of a tribe of long-haired and loud types.

However, it is worth a line or two to congratulate the bands from Norn Iron for tearing up Dolan's, causing geological faults across the west or Ireland and tsunamis to roll across the Atlantic...

As your trusty editor managed to take the 'longer route' to Limerick we missed what is reportedly a great set from Altus.  We also learned that our colleague in reviews Mel has a road rage issue when caught behind traffic...

But when safely booked in, with our bellies filled through the excellent fare in Dolans, we ventured forth into the increasingly packed venues.

Wandering around we perchanced upon the eclectic Rather Be Alive who were entertaining, with a mixture of deathcore, funk and System of a Down...it shouldn't have worked, but it did.

Leaving that aside, we were mainly focussed on the Norn Irish contingent.

There was meant to be a timing clash between War Iron and Maverick, but owing to the main stage running a bit late we were able to enjoy the deathly rumbling and sludge of War Iron; however seeing as they had a guitar on stage it was a little unusual for regular viewers. That didn't detract from the bottom end destruction of many people's internal organs.

With guts churned into liquefied jelly we made our way to where Maverick were rapidly converting the crowd. On paper Maverick shouldn't have had a chance amidst a crowd mainly consisting of fans of the more extreme end of metal spectrum.

Did they fuck - Maverick won over the crowd with their hail and hearty rock, as infectious smiles beamed across the audience. Beside us two men wearing Carcass and Cannibal Corpse t-shirts began headbanging and throwing shapes that displayed sheer enjoyment.

'Rock 'n' Roll Lady was bellowed out by the Northern Ireland fans; 'Got It Bad' was as infectiously dangerous to the cerebellum and central nervous system; 'In Our Blood' got underneath everyone's skin in a good way; and, 'Paint by Numbers' wove patterns of light and shade across the blackened venue. God help The Poodles because Maverick are going to give them a serious run for their money when the Northern Irish rockers go on the road with them. Grins on band and crowd alike - job done!

With the representation from the province of Ulster well and truly established yet more was to come.

Astralnaut have been gradually building up their 2015 presence after two plus years of steady growth and development.

In Limerick the Armagh monsters brought their mighty sounds to life, with a set that straddled the earliest to the latest. It was as if from the mists the titans of the ancient Ulster knights had grown tall and brought the power of mysticism, gave it muscles and applied it to a musical brutality that gave birth to groove.

From the bottom end of Astralnaut to the sound of windows breaking across the entire country as Joe from Rabid Bitch of the North hit note so high that they induced a resonance wave fit to fracture even the sturdiest glass. It is as well that most pints were being served in plastic containers...

Undoubtedly even Joe, Chris and Gerry could not have expected the response from the crowd as mini-mosh pits emerged and stage diving got to such an extent that a queue formed to be the latest to launch themselves from the stage.

The contrast of Joe's Rickenbacker bass, Gerry's riffage and soloing alongside Chris pounding the kit into submission with the high-pitched singing brought a sheer joy to all in attendance.

'Us Against Them' and '...1999' were just two of the many excellent songs as Rabid Bitch proved that 'Defending Two Castles' is not only possible, but inevitable when this trio take to the stage.

From the NWOBHM inspired of RBOTN to hardcore....

It's Belfast hardcore...do
you have a problem with
that?

By Any Means are not only experienced, but still have the joy of taking up musical arms writ large upon their attitude.

Quickly they had madness spreading across the audience. Keep Paul on stage?  Not likely. Keep Paul from riffing out? Impossible. Chris and Gavin from laying down a rhythm that roared? As per usual...

But, there is nothing 'as per usual' about any By Any Means set. The passion of the band spreads to all present. 'Built on Respect'. Too fucking right!

From there as Panic Cell once sang "Black Juice down, it's gettin' a little bit hazy; I look at you and I don't know what you're saying". Well we weren't there to review the Siege...

Overoth were as always excellent by all accounts, and Alunah brought their Brummie take on contemporary metal with spirit and verve.

Siege of Limerick was a delight, heralding the bridge between the Celtic seasons of Cutios and Giamonios. [Yeah - drink may have been taken, but we still do our research.]

The whole thing can be summed up in a words from our colleague in metal, Donal: "Mighty!"

Lost in the moment

Have drums, will hit 'em

Guitar wank face level eight achieved

The roar and the riff

Paul proves he can out-pose Zakk Wylde...

Apparently people enjoyed themselves at Siege...

How to hit the high notes, Joe explains to eager listeners that you need
to have really, really tight jeans to sing the chorus of ...1999.

LIVE REVIEW: Satan slayed by Nomadic Rituals, Astralnaut and Zlatanera

SATAN ran away...

###     Dateline: 30th August      ###

###  Location: Limelight2   ###

 

Issue: The Distortion Project's RockD with Nomadic Rituals, Astralnaut & Zlantanera

SATAN is a pussy. He ran away when the sheer heaviness and unholy racket was brought to bear by three acts, each determined to layer more and more slabs of musical meat.

Your review team risked the demons, djinns, fiends and hellhounds left by the fleeing Lucifer on Saturday evening.

Fortified by pints of a mystical brew we watched as the spirits of Aleister Crowley and Anton Le Fay nodded ethereally in approval as metal rained down.

Nomadic Rituals sludge fest rained down a slowed down noise. Musical malfeasance; a solid wall of bass, guitar and drums. You know you're in for an endurance test when Mark on drums has nothing to do for the first minute and a half...

Craig and Peter's effects laden performance produced an unholy cacophony, with Craig's agonisingly passionate roars and Peter's wailing strings. While undoubtedly good at what they do, perhaps a little less of the effects next time.

Musically magnificent, mystical emerging from the mysterious County of Armagh, where strange tales rise like mist around the rolling drumlins, come Astralnaut, a ten-legged groove machine.

Where the Limelight2 to be attended by the remnants of ancient peoples, they would be dazzled by light and amplification, but would soon offer their praise to their lords that brought Astranaut's sound to this earth. Demons, djinns and other denizens of the dark corners cowered before the might.

But there is much, much more to this weighty beast of a band. Their ability to put a Northern Ireland stamp on what would otherwise echo of southern groove metal should propel them yet further.

From mellow bellowing to roaring rage Thomas led the line, with Gaz weaving ancient incantations on his six-string JonJoe locked down the rhythm on bass, tight with Stephen's drums.

However, Saturday was one of the last appearances of Pearse on the 'Naut's rhythm guitar. It didn't stop him raging out backing vocals and tying down the sound.

With songs from their releases 'In the Gaze of the Gods' and 'Thieves, Beggars and Swine' aired Astralnaut are accomplished performers, and, as agreed by our review team and several others we respect they were on fire - tight and terrifyingly good.

Headliners Zlantanera have - for those that do not know - is made up from former members of Residual Effect, Stand-up Guy and Interrrogate. This impressive pedigree has been finding its legs over the past year. Now they deliver the promised riffage in a fierce, fiery set of fundamentally furious metallic assault.

From 'A Bad Too Far' through 'Holy Man's Crook, and 'Advance of the Clodhopper' it is clear that Zlantera have risen...

It might have been vocalist, Andy's birthday, but that didn't take the sinister edge in his roars, nor the guitar attack of Willie and Andy. The remaining demons and djinns fled lest they be 'Hooked, Kicked, Hooked Again'. as Anto's bass rumbled and Keith's drums pounded.

What struck most in this set was the potential of Zlantanera, and their potential to grow yet further.

And, as the denizens of Limelight2 emerged agog from the Distortion Project into the Belfast night's peacefulness the faux evil of Satanists, devils and demons had ran, cowering as they realised that metal owns the night.

Nomadic Rituals conjuring, Astralnaut's mystical roar and Zlantanera slaying - another superb night from James Loveday's Distortion Project.

Review by Jonny & Zakk

 

### End of Despatch ###

This is metal; this is Belfast, this was Donum Dei, September Cross, Astralnaut and Conjuring Fate

OKAY, let's get this straight, heavy metal comes in many flavours, many forms and many variations in quality: but put four bands such as Donum Dei, September Cross, Astranaut and Conjuring Fate on stage and you end up with the glorious mayhem that only pure metal can bring to an audience.

On Saturday (June 7th), gathered for The Distortion Project's majestic RockD presentation, the skies cleared as James Loveday welcomed growing numbers to the altar of metal in the Limelight2 to toast the launch Conjuring Fate's 'House on Haunted Hill' ep.

And, with the whiff of joy pulsing through the audience, Donum Dei ripped into their set, proving they have previously untapped resources of talent and songwriting in what was perhaps one of the tightest sets they have produced.

Donum Dei - a celebratory
collision of metal and youth

From the animated Dean Kane (bass) running around like an Energizer bunny on Red Bull and speed, to a masterful lesson in harmony guitar playing from Thomas Marshall (rhythm guitar and vocals) and Stuart McLoughlin (lead guitar) while Alastair Marshall (drums) weaved majestic patterns and threw in shrewd blastbeats to complement the intense set.

McLoughlin proved himself as a six-string master, while Marshall was commanding, taking the point as the Donum Dei patrol seared all in the room. Despite being relatively youthful, Donum Dei played what was probably the best opening set in the Limelight2 for some time. If Carlsberg did opening sets...


Eamon Killen leads
the Cross charge 

With Eamon Killen now taking over vocal duties September Cross have a new dynamic; from earlier NWOBHM influences, they now have a contemporary edge to their sound as Alex Mihail and Ricki Hewitt wove spellbinding patterns.

Again harmony guitars were to the fore, and no bad thing when played with such precision, while Jago (bass) and Boyce (drums) nailed down the rhythm.

The time spent rehearsing and playing more regularly has paid off for the Cross, as they more and more hone their sound and add an identity to their work.

As for Astralnaut...they are a beast on stage, a ten-limbed stalking doom groove from the depths of Armagh; their sound would waken the ancient kings and Cú Chullainn from their graves to once more stalk the hills and valleys with intent.

With the tracks from their recent ep, Thieves, Beggars and Swine merging seamlessly with earlier material they are maturing ever more on stage, and like all bands on display they were enjoying their slot.

Mallon's spiritual singing:
 the Astralnaut's groove

Mallon's vocals deep in resonance, while Gaz and Pearse proved that dynamics are key when playing their unique style of southern groove - and as such JonJoe and Todd proved that when it comes to laying it down, do it right and all will bow before the Astralnaut aural aura of maginifence.

Main attraction of the night was Conjuring Fate, making a long awaited return to the boards.

New members, Gibson (guitar), Legear (bass) and Walczak (drums) have boosted the depth of the sound, while Daly has managed to stretch his voice yet further, and Horner worked magic with Gibson.



Phil Horner - Fate conjuring
metal majesty 

You could easily say that this was a great performance from Conjuring Fate, but it was so much more than that. This was not a night of parochial chest beating, this was a world class set. Put it against the dross so many PR and label based acts are polluting the airwaves and TV 'metal' channels and Fate stand proud.

Tommy in the midst of a
rapturous crowd chants the
Conjuring Fate odes of metal

Focussing on some classic material and tracks from the new ep they produced a slick, but emotionally grounded performance, as grins on audience and band grew wider and heads once more banged, and horns were aloft as Stormzone's Steve Moore joined the band on stage for more axe delight.

Keep this type of gig going and Fate will reach further into the consciousness of wider listeners.

Never mind your genre splitting, never mind your typecasting of bands, never mind any metal snobbery, never mind the style police, June 7th was a triumphant invasion of metal. Nothing less than metal from four fantastic acts who ripped into their performances with gusto.

It was also good to see so many turn out for the evening's delights, from members of other bands through to fans both young and old.

Heavy metal - as TenaciousD said: "You cannot kill the metal", but no tongue in cheek codology is necessary when the pure heart of metal beats so strong in the hearts of Donum Dei, September Cross, Astalnaut and Conjuring Fate.

Review by Jonny

Additional contributions by Zakk

Photos courtesy of Paul Wharton.

Words and photos are exclusive copyright and retain intellectual property. The named bands and non-profit sites are free to use any or all of the above with attribution. All other uses are available with the written permission of the site owner and with appropriate recompense

Thieving your soul, begging for your ears & overall swinish rock behaviour - Astralnaut's latest aural assault

WE all love Astralnaut, don't we? If you don't prepare to re-evaluate as the Armagh-based five-piece release today (May 14th) their latest five-track ep, Thieves, Beggars and Swine - a monstrously dense slab of groove, stoner metal.

Easy listening? Not a bit of it! This is an intense journey through fuzzed-up, down-tuned guitars, rolling rhythms and just the right quantity of meandering around themes of past, present and future.

Following the release of the ep "In the Gaze of The Gods" it was always going to be a difficult task to top it's rolling intensity. But, on "Thieves...." Astralnaut have not only achieved that level of excellence they have extended their reach to achieve a maturity in their soundscape.

Thomas' vocals sound more impassioned, Gaz seems more prepared to wander around the traditional stoner lead guitar paths, while Pearse weaves rhythm guitar patterns atop JonJoe's solid bass thump and Stephen's drum stylings.

From opener 'Ego Eccentric'  to eco rallying cry of 'Mac Tire' it is immediately a compelling listen. The last chords of 'Mac Tire' echo classic Sabbath riffing, leading neatly into 'Neopium' and its devilish drone.

In many ways what Astralnaut have achieved on this release is a double linkage: reaching back to the ancient bogs of Ulster's dark spiritual days and bringing them up to relate to the modern techo-age; and, musically stretching the proto-metal of Iron Butterfly through Sabbath, via Cathedral, to today's  doom and groove rock.

Clark Phillips (Great Northern Productions) has mixed and mastered the right amount of aural backdrop to overpower the sound without overbearing vocals, guitars etc when necessary: a contemporary take on the drone/doom/stoner sound.

Bringing the metal!
Astralnaut

Midway through 'Neopium' the doom-rock and slowed down section works as a counterpoint to the rest of the ep's groove heavy march, as Thomas lowers and lowers his voice with musical backing lowering and lowering ahead of a heavy rolling conclusion to the track, powered by Stephen and JonJoe, allowing Gaz and Pearse to hammer listeners into total submission.

Down will be casting look over their shoulder in the shape of 'Utopian Dawn', which might be the shortest track on the ep - clocking in at just under five minutes - but is by no means a track lacking in substance.

Concluding the set on this new release is the epic slab of 'Dethroned' in which there is 7 minutes 46 seconds showcasing the Astralnaut vision. Impassioned, virulent, challenging, and varied this is a defining track of the quintet's career so far. Merging the anti-war theme with such a sonically searing track is a perfect mélange of varying rhythms, musical excursions and vocal explorations.

Thomas explains to eager
audience why metal means
much more than X-Factor
Or something like that...

What makes 'Dethroned' and the rest of the ep so fitting is that the evolution of Astralnaut has not moved too far from the template of their previous releases, with even the artwork on this release harkening back to "In The Gaze Of Gods".

And, the evolution of the music is not so far removed that of "Gaze..." that the songs will not fit into a varied live setting,

Darwin's theory of evolution, and its further development by Dawkins et al dictates that evolution can be explained by gradual adaptations; incremental and appropriate steps in a 'journey'.

This is what Astralnaut have achieved on this release, an evolutionary step on the band's development, another increment that shows the talent in the five-piece.

"Thieves, Beggars and Swine" is not only a fine release from Astralnaut, it is a statement that the band are always ready for the next level, and we certainly can't wait to forthcoming tour dates to hear the songs from "Thieves..." emerge from the dank mists of the bogs like a primal beast to the sweaty, dank glory primitive live setting.

Rockin' our RockD with a feast of thrash and down-laden deep groove

SATURDAY (14th December) was the last offering from The Distortion Project's RockD of 2013, and the Limelight2 reverberated with a feast of thrashing and some series groove.

As a result of work and personal commitments Sinocence were not able to land up for the show, but Donum Dei, Bakken and the awesome Astralnaut laid down tracks and attitudes to give 2013 a great send off for RockD.

Donum Dei are relatively new in terms of the metal gigging circuit, but they put on a fearsome set of straight forward thrash, with flurries and time changes. Stuart and Thomas stuck close on guitars with Stuart's lead work impressive and energetic.

As far as energy is concerned Dean on bass provided the stage presence of the night, bounding across the small stage - the band has the right attitude; play as if you were in front of an Odyssey audience.

The sound was nailed down Alastair in a set that nodded to early Metallica, with a dash of Testament and even at times a flavour of Tank - which no doubt given the age of the players is 'before their time'.

Bakken have added their own unique take on the thrash template with an album chockful of tracks that are given extra legs in the live setting.

Mystic Moghul and Sasquatch are especially impressive on stage, even though Simon suffered equipment problems with leads and sound drop outs. Still, as any band worth their salt knows, you just got to keep playing and Bakken are more than worth any amount of Sodium Chloride....

With Simon leading the line, Mark-Antony worked the sound textures in perfect synch as Niall and Adrian kept it all tight all of the time.

With this consistency and considerable talent we are thinking that album number two should be underway to capture that intensity imbued in the band with their live shows.

Astralnaut are awkward buggers at the best of the time when it comes to reviewers struggling with the setlist. Last time we saw them one of the songs was just called 'New Song'...

To make matters more complicated this time they débuted yet more tracks, which thankfully they later provided the titles of - with the proviso that these titles may change...if the music wasn't so good we could have got really frustrated.

But as said the music is really sound and really grounded. The new tracks have been soaked in the deep southern groove; given a dose of poteen and they're now an Armagh groove mash-up of southern US groove with a Norn Iron twist ofdelight; down-tuned and doomy glory amidst the twisting sounds of metaphorical lows and literal highs.

Opening with four-tracks that look set to make it on to a forthcoming e.p. Egocentric, Neopium, Mac Tire and Parasitic take the Astralnaut sound and add depth, at times slowed down and as heavy as a Coca Cola Christmas truck rolling over baskets of puppies...you know it's wrong, but somehow it works....not the puppy deaths of course, just the sheer weight of these new tracks.

With Emerald Lord of Pleasure and Back to The Bog rounding things off this was a perfect way to wrap up another year of RockD with Thomas roaring out, Gaz leading the guitar attack, backed up by Pearse's intense rhythm work, tight in time with Jon Joe's bass rumble and Stephen's pounding of the tubs - it all rocked the foundations of The Limelight.

Astralnaut continue to grow in live stature and with more recorded material due in 2014 should be a truly promising year for the band.

All in all the Saturday gig was a great closer to RockD 2013.

The Lords of awesomeness have decreeed there be a thread of metal glory from Gacy's.

RIGHT you lot - pin back yer lugholes, strap in your wibbly bits and get ready for some awesomeness, for the lords of heaviness are unleashing their hardcore power...

When you have recovered from tonight's Voodoo bash with Asatralnaut, Altus, Bad Boat and Crazy Fuzz you will need some rest and recuperation.

For on Saturday afternoon there shall be a rumble of extreme noise eminating along Ormeau Avenue,

It's source? Limelight2. The reason? The launch of the Gacy Threads split 7". A collaboration with Swiss act Collossus Fall the four-tracker is available as a limited edition yellow vinyl with a download code.

Joining Gacy's Threads in this celebratory event of noise are Five Will Die, Lantern Gale and Tusks.

Presenting this is The Distortion Project. The event kicks off at 5pm. Door tax is extremely good value at £5. And with Jimmy Eat World playing an early show we will have two of the staff team deployed along Ormeau Avenue to generally enjoy the evening in the guise of reviewing it...

Review of the Split 7 to follow.

Astral Bitch transmitting from the Limelight....

WHEN it comes to Saturday evenings it is always a pleasant sojourn along to Ormeau Avenue to see what offerings James Loveday is presenting with The Distortion Project's weekly offering.

Perfectly timed to enjoy some early evening quaffing and riffage we made the long journey to the Limelight2 (well 30 minute journey...) as our owner/editor and death/black metal correspondent to sample the liquid and aural wares on offer for a paltry £5 door tax.

And it was a pleasantly heavy as the gates of hell evening, with a trio of bands playing as if they were Odyssey Arena headliners.

With an all-day, all ages gig underway at the T13 skate park it took a while for the audience to build to respectable levels, but many missed openers Midnight Transmission lay down a heavy, punk edged take on the hard rock genre. Plenty of stagecraft, nice moves and good songs to boot. At times the vocals were a bit lot in the mix, but otherwise a sound opener.

Rabid Bitch of the North kicked off their set with Your Misery. They then ploughed their way through seven tracks with Joe's beard and Rickenbacker bass leading the charge.  With God Of Punishment and Help I'm Trapped in 1999 stand-out tracks: both of which saw Gerry laying down riffs and tight solos.

This was a real improvement on previous RBOTN sets we've seen. Whatever they're taking and whatever they are doing keep at it!

Technical issues saw a truncated Astralnaut set, but their heavy stoner, southern flavoured space groove saw the airing of three new songs, one of which has as yet not title.

The other new songs Ego Eccentric and Mac Fire blended with existing tracks such as Emerald Lord of Pleasure; the bottom end groove tighter than a shark's arse and free-flowing riffs weaving their way around the room like lizards of doom cruising for a victim...

So, The Distortion Project scores another gig for the team; three bands impress and improve their chops...what better way to spend a Saturday evening? Answers on a postcard....

Hectic few days ahead

WHEN it comes to gigs it is fair to say that it is a busy busy time in Belfast. In recent weeks we have had Slayer, Lamb of God, Nine Inch Nails, Bullet for My Valentine, and Gojira to mention just a few...

This week is turning out no different. After Alkaline Trio's headliner at Limelight1 we have Stevie Vai at the Nerve Centre in Derry/Londonderry giving a guitar clinic and on Thursday night he will be bringing his show to the Mandella Hall.

The same night Shizznigh promotions have a stellar gig at Limelight2 with By Conquest or Consent, Death of a Salesman, By Any Means, Nasa Assassin and Sentient (who showed a lot of promise in their début gig opening for Gama Bomb).

Friday will see Maverick, Cross-Eyed Mary, Roco's Riot and the Unprotected at Comrades Rock Club.

Saturday there is a sell-out session with chat and music from Danny and Ben from Thunder at the Black Box, while RockD will be hosting Astralnaut, Midnight Transmission and Rabid Bitch of the North in the usual Distortion Project Limelight2 slot.

With a host of shows coming after that including Motley CrewUK playing with local stellar riffers Screaming Eagles; Bakken at Limelight2, Kip Winger at the Diamond, The Answer, Dark Star Riders and more, let no-one complain that there are not enough rock and metal to keep y'all entertained.

Fuzzed up, down-tuned and spaced out Astralnaut gaze to the Gods

NORTHERN Ireland's a breeding ground for all sorts of hard rock and heavy metal, something we should glory in...and with Astralnaut we have a band that stretch the boundaries of the normal rock/metal archetype.

With a line-up change that sees JonJoe - formerly of the Double Wide - take over bass duties from Damos, now is as good a time as any to look back at their release In The Gaze of the Gods.

Make no mistake Astralnaut make many so-called international stoner bands look as if they are poseurs of the worst kind.

With a support slot lined-up with Red Fang ahead of extensive dates in Northern Ireland and beyond those that dare will enter the fuzzed up, down-tuned and spaced out Astralnaut world.

Here we find the Emerald Lord of Pleasure stepped up a pace from opener Arab Spring, but no less the epitome of where melody lurks brooding in the heart of darkness - a plea for escape but with a whisper to stay put in this world of weirdness.

While Thomas Mallon regales listeners, Gaz Treanor somehow tortures sounds out of the guitar that is almost onomatopoeic to the cries of being "stoned to the end".

We're all Hallions - that peculiar Northern Ireland phrase about behaviours - and The Hallion sees the tone down and the rhythm slower as Stephen Todd and Pearse Donnelly anchor the sound down for the casual listener to feel they have been nailed on to an aural horror-scape.

By the time you take The Oath and get into the Urban Brawl there is enough evidence that Sabbath and a variety of later acolytes have a lot to answer for when music like that of Astralnaut hits the decks.

That is not to say that this is easy listening - there is a platter of distorted riffs and solos that require the listener to engage: stay aloof and you'll just not get the Astralnaut groove.

While this five-tracker was recorded with Damos on bass duties there is enough evidence that JonJoe can take his Double Wide experience to add another dimension to the Astralnaut journey through space and time.

Yet again we have a local band that has stretched the boundaries of a genre, and In The Gaze of Gods is a firm foundation. As to those gazing gods? Well they can get down or get out when Astralnaut are laying down their sound - the weak need not apply.