NEWS: Hang on to your inner organs Black Label Society are coming to Belfast

YES! YES! And, all the YESES. Black Label Society are playing in Belfast.

The man mountain Zakk Wylde is bringing Black Label Society to Limelight 1 on April 8th.

Mark the date in your diaries in the blood of the innocents who have yet to revel in the delights in the sheer musical majesty of BLS.

Whether it is shredding, delicate passages or over-the-top solos Zakk Wylde stands head and shoulders above almost all.

Sell a kidney, rent out you house, set up a pledge page - just make you are there on April 8th.

Tickets are a measly £25 go on sale this Friday, November 3rd.

Rock 'n' rollin; heavy fuggin' metal from Chrome Division

THIS is not a side project of Shagrath, this is not death metallers blowing off steam - this is Chrome Division laying waste to preconceptions as they unleash hard partying, heaving slabs of rock and metal on their latest release, Infernal Rock Eternal.

As the band readily admit this is the bastard son of Motorhead, Black Label Society, AC/DC, and the harder US west coast 80s rockers.

For those of you not familiar with Chrome Division, they are made up of an assorted crew of Norwegian reprobates. Shagrath on rhythm guitar is better known to UK audiences as lead anarchic for symphonic death metal act Dimmu Borgir.

The other members are: Shady Blue (from Susperia) on vovals; Kjell Aage Karlsen (from Gromth) on lead guitar; Age Troite (from Shot At Dawn) on bass; and, Tony White (from Old Man's Child).

This is the third album from Chrome Division and by far the most rounded of the releases yet, with more depth to the playing, arrangements and lyrics.

Whereas the début Doomsday Rock 'n' Roll seemed a bit of fun and the second release Booze, Broads and Beelzebub was a little 'sameish', then Infernal Rock Eternal is a smack in your rockin' face.

There maybe an instrumental to open and the BLS flavoured Endless Nights as the second track from there in this is a tremendously fun album, which sees the band in toto amalgamate what seems to be their formative rock and metal influences in a complete package.

While (She's) Hot Tonight and Mistress of Madness conform to the rock 'n' roll stereotypes thereafter there are is a diversity in the tracks from the touching Lady of Perpetual Sorrow through to the 12-bar homage on No Bet For Free's warning about the dangers and evils of Vegas.

The down south Cajun flavour of On The Run Again's opening transmogrifies into a track Cinderella would have killed for when they were at their peak in '87.

Depth in songwriting is revealed on You're Dead Now, a five-minute ode to the recently deceased.

Closing with the punk/hardcore romp of Ol this is a rounded album from a collective that have found their sound developing; a collective that remembers that Chrome Division are a lot of fun, but you really can only enjoy the musical fun when there is a real intent to the music.

Infernal Rock Eternal will unfortunately be overlooked by many in the UK, but they are missing a real rock 'n' roll heavy metal treat - this is already set to be an overlooked contender for album of the year....

Infernal Rock Eternal is out now on Nuclear Blast. We suggest that you buy/pay for a download of it, give it three listens and succumb to its delights.

(PS - the cover art is pretty tasty and may be the basis for many tattooists freehand work in the future!)

Morbid tales and tunes

LET'S face it, a lot of rock and metal tunes are pretty morbid: if you took the cathartic elements away from listening to such dire, morbid lyrics it could really send you on downer. But, on the other hand a lot of tunes are life affirming.

This tangled talk in my own head (well who else is going to listen to my tortured analysis of 'eavy fugging metal') led me to contemplation about what tunes should be played at a rocker/metalhead funeral.

I've always had a few in mind: Black Sabbath's Never Say Die to mess with expectations; BLS's The Damage is Done to have people reflect (I don't expect any mourners, just people turning up in case there's beer at hand); and maybe Metallica's Fade to Black too.

It may be a weird topic for a beered up Saturday night, but does anyone out there have another suggestions? Highway to Hell will not be on the list...too predictable, and Stairway to Heaven is also off the list, as I don;t believe in Heaven or Hell they're out, although Sabs Heaven & Hell is a contender!

So in brief: suggestions for tracks for my funeral, and what would you like to have played as your coffin is lowered?

Happy thoughts everyone!