It was a pleasure to welcome Peter Humphries of stoner/sludge/doom band Godless Suns to the show. The three piece from England, completed by Sarah on Bass/Vocals and Dan on Drums/mixing/mastering are putting the finishing touches to what promises to be a massive riff laden self titled debut album. The band are well respected veterans of the Greater London scene having played in bands like Zolcalo and Season of the Witch. They have a few appearance racked up in Bloodstock and both Pete and Sarah ...
Oct 21, 2022•59 min•Ep. 199
It was a pleasure to welcome Torsten Kinsella (Guitars/Pianos/Synths) of God is an Astronaut to the show. The Irish instrumental/post-rock behemoths have been around for over two decades, and for this special podcast we get to discuss and celebrate the 20th anniversary of their debut album 'The End Of The Beginning'. Myself and Pat O' Regan of The Smashing Skull Sessions chat to Torsten about the latest live interpretation of the album, where the band breathe new life into the record, showcasing...
Oct 14, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 198
The Metal Cell Forums. Join myself, Danielle, Evan and Joe as we talk about bands and discuss topics related to our favourite music....METAL! In this episode we are joined by one half of the organisers of Damnation Festival, Gavin McInally. Damnation Festival is a one-day heavy metal music festival that was annually at the University of Leeds in England, and is organised by Gavin and Paul Farrington. The festival was originally held at Jilly's Rockworld in Manchester in 2005 and this November, i...
Oct 07, 2022•1 hr 41 min•Ep. 197
It was a pleasure to welcome Eternal Helcaraxes, Praetorian (Guitars/Vox) & Tyrith (Drums) to the Podcast. The Black Metal three piece along Oceans on bass, have released one of the best albums of 2022 in my opinion, with 'Drowned in Ash'. To quote Pat O' of The Smashing Skull Sessions: 'Eternal Helcaraxe have mastered and tailored the black metal genre by crossing imaginary boundaries of blackgaze, post-metal and even classical music to bring us an album that doesn't follow the pack, but le...
Sep 30, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 196
It was a pleasure to welcome Daire (Vox/Bass) Charlie & John (Guitars) and new drummer Lachlan of Fornoth to the show. Fornoth have been building up a large following of fans over the past year with an well received appearance in Bloodstock coming off the back of with two terrific releases in April: 'From Across the Moors' e.p and 'Whispers Among the Trees' acoustic e.p. They lay claim to the term 'Bog Metal' but their sound is far more expansive than that as you can imagine; with influences...
Sep 23, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 195
HAINT. It was a pleasure to welcome Ian Booth (guitars/vocals) & Steve Hobson (Drums) of the immense Haint. The trio including Darren Lavery (Bass/Vocals) are steadily crafting songs in the background for the last three years and it's only now we are able to hear the fruits of their intense labour. I talk to Ian & Steve about the reasons why it's taken so long to get these tracks out, a well received debut appearance on Bloodstock and some insights into how they go about writing songs. H...
Sep 16, 2022•46 min•Ep. 194
Myself and Danielle had a brilliant chat with Avi, Killian & Sean guitarists of The Sluagh! The mystique of the band considering they all wear masks along with the ferocity of the music had us intrigued. The Sluagh or Sluagh na marbh ('host of the dead'), were the hosts of the unforgiven dead in Irish and Scottish folklore. The Sluagh have released two studio albums as part of one album cycle, titled ‘Enivid Creatures’. The second album ‘Enivid Creatures 2’ is entirely instrumental and the l...
Sep 09, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 193
It was a pleasure to welcome back Dave Hall (Guitar/Vocals) & Gareth Ruddock (Bass) of Skypilot to the show. We get an exclusive track by track overview of their critically acclaimed new album 'Simple Beasts'. The Northern Irish three piece with Garry McConnell (Drums) completing the line-up have worked hard to get this riff laden eight track album over the line. Recorded at Start Together Studios in late 2021, under the stewardship of renowned engineer and producer Rock O’Reilly, ‘Simple Be...
Sep 02, 2022•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 192
It was a pleasure to welcome Saul McMichael & new singer Madre Tortura to the Metal Cell Podcast. Drakonis released an incredible debut album 'Blessed by Embers' in 2020 but the campaign trail for the album got swallowed up by the pandemic. Though their soul is steeped in Black Metal, Drakonis play a fluid version of it, embracing both melody, distorted guitars, blast beats and some tranquil sections which add to the theatre & storytelling aspect of the band. Saul talks about the impact ...
Aug 26, 2022•31 min•Ep. 191
The Metal Cell Forums. For the first time ever at Chez Le Faux, join myself, Danielle, Evan, Joe and our special guest Peter Meehan, as we talk about the Metal Scene, talk about some brilliant bands and discuss topics related to our favourite music....METAL! In Part 2 we talk about the lack of Irish Metal bands on the Irish festival circuit. Despite most festivals winning plaudits for featuring diverse acts and independent artists, the Metal scene has been completely ignored. We have a really gr...
Aug 21, 2022•43 min•Ep. 190
The Metal Cell Forums. For the first time ever at Chez Le Faux, join myself, Danielle, Evan, Joe and our special guest Peter Meehan, as we talk about the Metal Scene, talk about some brilliant bands and discuss topics related to our favourite music....METAL! In Part 1 we talk about all the recent gigs we were at, discuss upcoming gigs and reviewed four quality Irish releases from Blood Soaked, Skypilot, New Mud and The Sluagh. There's plenty of other stuff to keep you interested as well so crack...
Aug 19, 2022•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 189
It was a please to welcome Padraig McKeown(vocals/guitars) & Cole Kiernan (bass) of extreme/industrial metal band Organ Blender. 'The Galway trio have created a post-apocalyptic world where the soundtrack to life reeks of industrial and death metal but has somehow been injected with a new-wave, avant-garde antidote that has given it a life of its own. And it’s that cocktail of sorts that makes Organ Blender a hugely compelling and highly absorbing proposition.' Pat O' (The Metal Cell reviews...
Aug 12, 2022•39 min•Ep. 188
It was a pleasure to welcome Jason again and Roni for the first time onto the show. Words That Burn are definitely one of the most exciting Metal bands in Ireland at the moment; blistering shows, a string of fantastic singles and all the time building up to the release of their yet-to-be-titled THIRD new album! Jason & Roni did let one or two exclusives out of the bag due to my intense interrogation skills so if you're a fan of the band you'll enjoy it or alternatively you'll definitely be c...
Aug 05, 2022•53 min•Ep. 187
It was a pleasure to Jimmy Blanchfield (Guitars), John Bonham (Vocals) and Dave Copley (Bass) of Old Season to talk about the last few months and what to expect off them heading into 2023. The rest of the band comprises of Jimmy Kiernan (Guitars), Dermod Smyth (Synth) & Anto Walsh (Drums). Formed in 2003 from the ashes of Karnayna, after a few line up changes and 2 releases the current line-up released the critically acclaimed 'Beyond The Black' in 2017, which was recorded at Trackmix Record...
Jul 29, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 186
It was a pleasure to welcome back Jeff (Guitars/Vox) & Rennick (Drums) to talk about their brilliant newly released album 'All Pleasure Is Just Relief'. Danielle and me get a run through the whole album with the lads along with the usual crazy stories that seem to follow the band. It's certainly Strangers With Guns heaviest release yet; it's another step up in both song writing and musicianship, showing you how diverse and imaginative Stranger With Guns have become. Jeff and Rennick recorded...
Jul 22, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 185
This episode is dedicated to the memory of Aisling Kennedy. On July 5th myself, Roger (Cursed Monk Records), Emmet (From The Depths Podcast) & Eoghan (Slung from a Tree) organised a Podcast via Zoom to raise awareness for Rodgers young niece Aisling Kennedy, who suffered a severe brain trauma after being hit in the back of the head by a mirror from a passing truck. A gofundme page was set up for Aisling along with 'Monkfest' a gig in Pharacia in Limerick. Appearing on the gig would be Molarb...
Jul 15, 2022•49 min•Ep. 184
The Metal Cell Forums. Join myself, Danielle, Evan and Joe as we talk about the Metal Scene, talk about bands and discuss topics related to our favourite music....METAL! In this episode we look at the spiraling costs for both bands and punters in travelling to gigs. We reviewed four quality releases from Asylum Road, Puresonic Outcasts, Rupskallex and Unmaker. We get a behind the scene look at Gama Bombs appearance at Hellfest 2022 and there's plenty of other stuff to keep you interested. As alw...
Jul 08, 2022•1 hr 59 min•Ep. 183
It was a pleasure to welcome back God Alone's Cian (Bass/Vox) & Jake (Guitars/Vox) to the show. The Cork five piece have gone from strength to strength since last appearing on the podcast and now with an imminent release on the horizon, it was great to catch up with the lads. Having heard a sneak preview of the release, suffice to say it's the album I always hoped they'd make, it's a game changer for sure! Cian & Jake give a good insight into what to expect with on the music side of thin...
Jul 01, 2022•46 min•Ep. 182
Myself and Evan have a brilliant chat with one the the nicest guys in the Scottish Metal Scene Finnbar Connell, drummer of Below The Neck from Inverness and co-ordinator/promoter at Broken Foundation Collective. Finnbar gives us an fantastic insight into the scene where he is from, how the band formed and what to expect from Below The Neck during the remainder 2022. Having recently completed a tour with Evan's band Worn Out in UK, it was a pleasure to witness first hand the blossoming bromance b...
Jun 23, 2022•1 hr 34 min•Ep. 181
Myself and Howard sit down with Mark Morrissey one half of the legendary Paranoid Beast Promotions. Mark and Con Doyle joined forces five years ago to create an amazing scene for live Metal music in Cork. They steadily grew their brand by hosting some incredible gigs firstly in the Poor Relation before finding their spiritual home in Fred Zeppelins. In between those memorable years; Cyprus Avenue was the venue for the amazing 'Monolith' festivals where the best international Metal bands mixed wi...
Jun 09, 2022•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 180
It was a pleasure to welcome Alex Da Costa (Vocals) & Junior Afrifa (Guitars) of Lock Horns. We have a great chat about the history of the band, playing Bloodstock & The Siege, working on the follow up to the critically acclaimed 'Molon Labe' and of course many other topics were discussed as the lads settled into the interview. Lock Horns next date is an appearance at the Templemore Metal Festival on June the 4th and hopefully we'll see some more dates announced in 2022 even though the f...
Jun 02, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 179
Myself and Danielle had a really entertaining chat with the talented Jake Wallace guitarist of Elder Druid about the yet to be released 'Carcosa' album. It's fair to say they had some delays with it and Jake still won't put a date on the actual release. We discuss their incredible performance at The Siege of Limerick festival and some upcoming gigs that Jake is promoting through his Dark Arts Promo page. I bought 'Lustre of the Dark' Jakes solo debut album, which certainly caused me to appreciat...
May 26, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 178
The Metal Cell Forums. Join myself, Danielle, Evan and Joe as we talk about the Metal Scene, talk about bands and discuss topics related to our favourite music....METAL! We had a cracking episode of The Metal Cell Forums this week and a lot of rabbit holes explored in relation to Myspace. We discuss the effect it had on Metal bands, fans and many other things it may have influenced. We also talk about how the Russian invasion of Ukraine has affected both their Metal scenes. Music wise I play a t...
May 19, 2022•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 177
I had a great chat with Dave Gleeson (Guitar/Vocals), Neill Nevin (Bass) & Mick Carey (Guitar) of purveyors of Doom, Brigantia. John Clarke (Drums) and Dave have been playing together and putting out demos since 1994, however in early 2000 the addition of Neill on bass finally put the band on the path they still tread on today. Brigantia became a four piece when Mick Carey joined giving the band the forward momentum they needed to expand their sound and record the brilliant 'Midnight' EP in ...
May 13, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 176
It was a pleasure to welcome Doom merchants Death The Leveller to the show. Denis Dowling (Vocals) & Dave Murphy (Bass) are no strangers to the Irish Metal Scene with Dave playing in Mael Mórdha and Denis fronting Cursed Earth. We touch upon both of those bands histories and talk about the formation of Death The Leveller from the ashes of Mael Mórdha. The band come into their own in a live setting and having witnessed their performance with Primordial, it was both mesmeric and incredibly pow...
May 05, 2022•1 hr 52 min•Ep. 175
Myself and Evan have a great chat with Ryan, Colin and Chris of Northern Ireland Metallic/Hardcore band Axecatcher. Bursting onto the scene in 2012 the band were quick to make a name for themselves with the first single “The Odalisque” becoming a featured track on BBC Across The Line’s feature 'That New Band Smell. With a string of critically releases behind them the band took a brief hiatus which saw them go through a few line up changes. In 2017, Chris joined and the three piece haven't looked...
Apr 28, 2022•56 min•Ep. 174
The Metal Cell Forums with Danielle, Evan and our special guest John Ard of Bad Reputation and Siege of Limerick. Whilst everyone's ears are still ringing after the 25th edition of Siege Of Limerick and for those who had that incredible feeling of being at a truly immense celebration of Metal in Limerick, I feel it's only proper that we revisit this episode which was recorded via Live Stream on 14th of April before XXV Siege of Limerick. I wanted to give this interview a number and not release i...
Apr 21, 2022•1 hr 49 min•Ep. 173
It was a pleasure to welcome the talented Santiago Kodela (guitarist/vocalist) of Svet Kant to once again join me on the show. The band will be releasing their brilliant new EP called 'Three Faces' on Friday 15th of April. We talk about the creative process that went into the writing of 'Three Faces' and discuss what the rest of the year holds for one of the most unique bands in the Irish Metal Scene. They will be releasing the EP ONLY via Bandcamp, and it can be pre-ordered here: https://bit.ly...
Apr 14, 2022•49 min•Ep. 172
Myself and Evan welcomed Gavin Sharp (Vocals) & Nick Butcher (Bass) of metalcore act Survivalist to the show to talk about their brilliant debut 'VII'. Pat O' from The Metal Cell review page summed the band up nicely: "Survivalist play a powerful and highly technical style of metal, heaving with intense riffs, deep-rooted bass hooks and devastating drums. All this energy is elevated beyond the stratosphere by earth shattering vocals that burn and blister." The lads fill us in on joining the ...
Apr 07, 2022•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 171
In this bonus episode taken from our Live Facebook Stream recorded on the 16.03.2022, join myself, Howard, Evan and Joe as we celebrate the 3 year anniversary of The Metal Cell Podcast. We reviewed five quality releases from Expedition, WhiteRoomNightmare, The Crux, Lacerator and Devilsome. The hot topic of the night was the good, the bad and the ugly of Metal side projects. That caused a lot of debate and see if you agree or disagree with our selections. As always thanks for your support and be...
Apr 05, 2022•1 hr 50 min•Ep. 170
