Acid Age have been described as “psychedelic and phenomenally brutal” which is a fair indication of the eccentricity in their sound.

Formed originally as a speed worshipping thrash metal band in 2013, the band went through various personnel changes until solidifying the current lineup in 2018. Jude (vocals & guitar) Jake (bass and backing vocals) and Aran on drums, began to expand upon their thrash metal sound by way of cutting loose in improvised jazz fusion jams and incorporating elements of death metal, black metal and hardcore punk. The band incidentally stumbled upon a unique and original sound which they affectionately call “War-Jazz”.

In 2019 the band entered the studio to record “Semper Pessimus” an hour long concept album telling the story of Nero, the last Roman emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. The band recorded Semper Pessimus at Analogue Catalogue Studios, a remote studio in rural Northern Ireland which specialises in recording exclusively using analogue equipment on two inch tape.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the album was not officially released until March 2021.

Acid Age immediately began performing the material live with positive audience reception.

In 2023, after a short tour with Evile, Acid Age entered “Metal 2 The Masses” and delivered three heats of their unique brand of psychedelic thrash savagery. This lead to them being hand picked as the winners of the competition by Simon Hall, the booking agent for Bloodstock, the UK’s premier heavy metal festival.

In August of that same year, the worlds state of the art War-Jazz trio did indeed play on the New Blood Stage at Bloodstock as part of a lineup which included some of their favourite bands including Megadeth, Tryptikon and Sacred Reich to name but a few.

In the early spring of 2024, Acid Age released “Live in Belfast” their only official live album which was recorded during a sold out show in The Limelight, Belfast during December 2023.

Following it’s release the band were again, invited back to play Bloodstock but this time opening the entire festival in the seminal Sophie Lancaster stage.

This monumental performance took place in front of the biggest audience the band have played to date with thousands of metal heads headbanging, moshing and crowd surfing for the entire 45 minute set.

PERILOUS COMPULSION

Now in 2025, and with staggering momentum under their feet, Acid Age signed with Distortion Project Records and are about to unleash their magnum opus “Perilous Compulsion” which is 45 minutes of totally unhinged War-Jazz lunacy.

This album delivers 7 tracks of fresh, authentic thrash with a psychedelic twist, making Acid Age one of the most interesting and innovative metal bands of the current age. The artwork was done by DarkSide Art and is based on an original concept by the band

The band comments

“This is a psychedelic symphony of savage proportions. We truly believe Perilous Compulsion is totally original sounding and unlike anything you have heard before, yes the album has progressed within the thrash genre without radically altering it. That’s why we are so proud of it. We can do no better and it is my hope that in 20 years time it will be thought of as a classic”

LINKS
“State Your Business” video
“Rotten Tooth” video
Facebook Page
Instagram
Buy “Perilous Compulsion” here
Spotify link

Born in 2002, Skypilot have been following their own distinct path through the past 18 yrs. Drawing their influences from a wide and varied collection of bands and genres Skypilot simply play what feels right, making them notoriously hard to pigeon hole into any one area of the rock music spectrum.

This approach has served them well so far. Numerous tours have come and gone with bands such as End Of Level Boss, Firebird, Gentlemen’s Pistols and Suns of Thunder. Full UK tours with fellow NI band Stand-Up Guy saw Skypilot cement their reputation on the mainland and win new fans wherever they played. More high profile gigs followed with the like of Brant Bjork and the Bros, Planet of Zeus and the mighty Corrosion Of Conformity, shows that boosted the bands profile and proved Skypilot are comfortable in the big venues as well as the regular club stages.

With 4 EP’s and a full length debut album under their belt, Skypilot showed no signs of slowing down. 2017 saw them play extensively in support of their 4 tracker, “EP4”. Not content to rest on their laurels, 2019 saw the release of the bands second full-length album, entitled “The Affront” which came out on Friday 7th June worldwide on CD, and digitally via Spotify, Amazon, Deezer, iTunes and all digital formats. An accompanying single and video entitled “Superdupernaut” was released on Friday 24th May. The band undertook 3 short tours of the UK (one of which was with up-and coming London Heavy Rockers Blind River) and played the prestigious Siege of Limerick and Bloodstock Festivals, gaining new fans all over the UK and beyond. Bloodstock in particular was a remarkable achievement and the band turned in a stunning performance to great acclaim.

2021 should hopefully see the band broaden their horizons still further in a post pandemic age and plans are afoot for new music and new tours towards the middle of the year.

LINKS
“Superdupernaut” Video
“Stomper” Video
“T.B.D.T.R.” Video:
Facebook Page
Instagram
Twitter
Merch
“The Affront” Spotify Link

Sinocence are Ireland’s premier Metal act, based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The band have just completed a trilogy of EP’s under the ‘No Gods, No Masters’ banner. Volume 3 was released in the summer of 2018 to widespread critical acclaim, which culminated in a well-received performance on the Jager stage at Bloodstock 2018

The Sinocence sound is a veritable tour-de-force in vicious, hook-laden, melodic metal. The band continue to focus on their solid song writing skills and intense rhythm section. With new singer Duane Watson now added the dynamic and energetic sound the public have come to expect from Sinocence will be now be delivered with an added punch. Being based in Northern Ireland, reaching any kind of musical status can be an exhausting task. Undeterred, Sinocence have gone from strength to strength with their collective drive, determination and cast iron will to succeed.

On the live circuit Sinocence have been making one of the biggest noises in the Irish underground. The band have been playing in a thriving Irish scene for over 17 years and have secured endorsements from Peavey and Trick Drums. Now a firmly established staple of the Irish scene the band will once again be looking at live work in the UK and further afield. The band have shared the stage with heavyweights such as Machine Head, Soulfly BFMV, Prong, Lacuna Coil, Soil, W.A.S.P., Staind, Armoured Saint, Sacred Reich and Paradise Lost – the list goes on and on. Invaluable learning experience from some of the absolute best in the business. Sinocence also have gained slots at the UK festivals Bloodstock, Wildfire, headlined the 2nd stage at the Bulldog Bash and travelled to Glasgow to win their Hammerfest Slot (2014) through the Hard Rock Hell competition.

LINKS
“Long Way Down” video
“Ascension Code” Lyric Video
“Full Spectrum Dominance” Lyric Video
Facebook Page
Twitter
Merch
“No Gods, No Masters Vol 3” Spotify Link

Formed in the winter of 2014 against the bleak concrete backdrop of Lisburn city, Northern Ireland, The Crawling use a guttural vocal to combine melancholy with weight, churning out a heavy, doom/death ensemble.

January 2015 saw the debut single ‘Choking On Concrete,’ which put the band on the scene, followed in October 2015 by the critically acclaimed In ‘Light of Dark Days‘ EP. In April 2017 the bands debut album ‘Anatomy Of Loss‘ was released via Grindscene Records, accompanied by five music videos, receiving excellent reviews worldwide, and was streamed exclusively by Metal Hammer UK.

The Crawling have spread the misery drenched album through a strong live performance, with support from a loyal fan base; most notably appearing at Inferno Metal Festival (Norway), Bloodstock Open Air (UK), Seige of Limerick (IRE), Metal Days (SLO), Shellshockfest(Malta), Uprising (UK), Incinerationfest (UK), Mammothfest (UK) and Full Metal Mensa(GER).

2018 is the year for the sophomore release; ‘Wolves and the Hideous White’ featuring six brand new tracks, building on the sound of their debut. The album reflects upon the human desire to belong, the sacrifices made to be part of someone, disillusion from loss of self, and the final inability to escape. 

LINKS
“The Right to Crawl” video
“Wolves And The Hideous White” Video
“Acid on my Skin” Video
Facebook Page
Twitter
Instagram
“Anatomy of Loss” Spotify Link
“Wolves and the Hideous White” Spotify Link