London’s SEVEN SISTERS have been kicking around since 2014, steadily building a fanbase and receiving no small share of critical acclaim for their high-energy, NWOBHM-inspired heavy metal. After extensive gigging both in the UK and across Europe, the band have finally released their much anticipated eponymous debut album on High Roller Records.

The album is an extremely polished piece of work, paying homage to early Iron Maiden, amongst others, while avoiding the trap of derivation or the tiresome “tribute” sound. IRON FIST sat down with guitarist GRAEME FARMER to get the skinny on the origin of the band, what inspires them and why the hell they’re named after a nondescript tube station in North London.

Tell us how Seven Sisters got started. How did you all come together as band? Graeme: Me and Kyle had been talking about working on a project together for quite a while, but never really got around to doing anything about it until late 2013/early 2014. I went round his for a jam, and we ended up writing ‘The Warden’ and ‘No Guts, No Glory’ in the space of a few hours. After that, the rest of what became our demo tape came together pretty quickly and we recorded … Read More

It’s increasingly hard for this life-long psych-doom obsessive to get excited about new bands, but the new generation is starting to spin some interesting tales. One such act is Sussex space rock three-piece Riddles. There is a definite garage-psych vibe going on with catchy raw fuzz leads cutting through some very British vocal delivery. It’s refreshing stuff. “We are definitely influenced by our own sound,” fills in charismatic mainman Jimi Riddle. “But there are some key bands that brought us to find it, like Hawkwind, Stooges, Motörhead, early Sabbath, Pentagram and Orang-utan. But it doesn’t end there, there are so many great genres and powerful bands to come out of the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s, it’s almost impossible to list every band that made us create the vibe we have.” The broad range of influences seems to have allowed them to create a distinct sound thus far, but are they part-timers or ambitious chaps? “We all put a lot of time and effort into this band and I think we all believe in it as its own entity. You get back what you put in and so we’re putting a lot into it. It’s like a plant, we’re giving it … Read More

Something has been stirring in the waters of the Mersey over the last few years. The Old Ones have clearly awoken in the Liverpool Scene with the likes of Black Magician and Conan exporting excellent Northern darkness to the rest of the country. Joining them is Crypt Lurker, an extremely promising young death/doom band who offer sinister riffs and atmosphere of claustrophobic, terrifying brilliance. Front Man J.C.H explains the bands approach and unique sound:

“Our brand of doom metal is one that I find difficult to put my finger on, despite it’s inherent simplicity. This perhaps arises from a disparate set of influences from across our line-up. Nonetheless, things could certainly be described as crawling, monotonous and claustrophobic, I’d like to think.”

Having just released their debut EP, ‘Baneful Magic Death Worship And Necromancy Rites Archaic’ on underground label Ulthar, the band take their occult concept seriously and there is real thought and praxis behind the project; “The name Crypt Lurker was intended as being a subtle reference to the process of seeking liminal spaces, places like the crossroads, a sea cave or a crypt, which mark the threshold between realms; similar to the significance of sitting upon a burial mound and … Read More

Disgusting, crust-ridden speed thrash. From the North of England. Utter scum. We can’t get enough. Al Osta (vocals), Oliver Turner (guitars), Callum Cox (drums) and James Lawrence (bass) admit they have a “penchant for all things heavy and fast” but that’s an under-fucking-statement, for sure. With a nod from Fenriz on his blog, Satanic Dystopia are heading for the big smoke and Live Evil Festival. “We were nothing more than some frosty dudes bonding over a few choice bands whilst yearning to play evil and fast music,” they admit of their formation. “It clicked from the off and we just started writing. Satanic Dystopia was birthed into this wretched world.

“It invokes the feeling of post-apocalyptic wastelands and horror, something all good thrash is about,” they continue of the name choice. “The song titles and lyrics give the feeling of total annihilation and violence, something that will play a big part in our artwork and overall aesthetics.”

Cult movie fans, SD write songs like ‘Double Denim Shotgun Massacre’, admitting that “the band is all about paying homage to films of lesser quality, but brilliant films in their own right. There is an incredible world of crazy horror, sleaze and action beyond the … Read More

The neo-thrash trend fronted by the likes of Municipal Waste and Evile may be waning but there are still many clinging on to the roots of the genre and resurrecting it with equally ancient, scuffed up hi-tops. Cue Southampton’s Desolator, who despite only starting two years ago have made quite a name for themselves. The trio made up of Jamie Brooks (vocals/guitar), Felix Dock (bass) and Sam Talbot (drums) love playing fast and Brooks sums up their sound perfectly; “Speed thrash ‘n’ roll! Thrash for us should be unhinged and fun, stripped down with every instrument being pushed to excite!” Desolator’s consistent desire to party has done them favours, with a constant flow of gigs around the country, gathering a mental mass of followers. Their first gig was at one of the UK’s many thrash all-dayers back in 2011 and despite only having two songs written, the band invited eager ears. “We couldn’t believe our luck, it was an unbelievable way to start,” recalls Jamie. From then on there’ve been support slots with the likes of Cannabis Corpse, DRI and Sacred Reich, giving the three-piece more opportunity to showcase their energetically live shows. “Our recent show in Belgium at Thrash Till … Read More

Toledo Steel are a tasty new addition to the slowly rising gang of young, old school UK metal troupes. “I’m a fan of swashbuckling films, the age of swords and gunpowder and I used to fence, so whilst trying to think of a band name that packs a punch I remembered Toledo Steel, as swords made from it were strong and hard to break,” drummer Matt Dobson tells us. “Stainless Steel didn’t quite cut it!” The four piece formed in late 2011, in Southampton, after shared friends warned of mutual plans to form a band influenced by NWOBHM and ’80s metal, saying; “We wanted to create a sound that more or less keeps the flame burning for the people we look up to.” A solid demo won them some supports slots for the likes of Iron Knights, High Spirits and Cauldron around the UK. Matt offers that; “playing to a crowd that are really into old school metal and really like what you’re playing means you must be doing something right.” The Steel are indeed an effective live unit with tasty playing and a natural energy that is both genuine and fun. So what’s next for these keen newbies? “We have … Read More

Something wicked this way comes, billowing down from the decaying North on winds of plague…or of genocide, as the case may be. Visions of nuclear fallout and apocalyptic raids summon wrenching flashbacks for some, and provide lyrical fodder for others; Durham’s Winds Of Genocide have always fallen into the latter camp, but now, with death/doom project Uncoffined, two of its members have ventured further afield, beyond the outskirts of Chernobyl and down along the cemetery road.

 “The band formed officially in early 2011 after myself and Glynn [Alkohall, guitars] started jamming on doom riffs during breaks at Winds Of Genocide rehearsals, where I would jump behind the drumkit and we would start jamming on Vitus riffs,” Kat Shevil explains. “I personally have always loved the dark, evil, morbid vibe of a lot of the bands who blend such a mix of traditional doom and ancient death metal together, it has a certain atmosphere in it that other styles do not possess, plus the crushing heaviness of such music has always attracted me to it. We are definitely much more inspired by the old school doom metal stuff, old Black Sabbath etc, but there is some ancient death metal, death/doom, Hellhammer, old … Read More

It seems fitting that in the same issue that we celebrate the legacy of Voivod that we also delve deep into DECEPTOR, a power trio from London, England. Though not musically similar to the Quebecois maniacs, there is a direct line between Voivod’s dystopian vision and Deceptor’s. Newly signed to Shadow Kingdom and with a new album ‘CHAINS OF DELUSION’ ready to be unleashed onto an unsuspecting world, Sam Mackertich (guitars, vocals – with a scream to beat Halford’s!), James Ashbey (drums) and Paul Fulda (bass, vocals), are injecting new RAM into thrash’s overloaded motherboard.

 

Having formed in 2005, you pre-empted, supported and have now outlived the mini UK thrash boom. Do you miss the scene’s peak? James: “I miss the sense of community and the great times that were had amongst friends. The scene at large never had a huge amount to say musically, and those bands who were simply rehashing an already cloistered sound have predictably fizzled out, but I still value all the friendships that resulted from those years.”

You must be happy with, might we say excellent, new release ‘Chains Of Delusion’ and the Shadow Kingdom deal? Sam: “The stars really aligned for us, we managed to record the EP … Read More

Forming in 1993, it took Yorkshire, UK’s traditional metal mob ASOMVEL 16 years to put out their debut full-length, but 2009’s ‘KAMIKAZE’ was the attack British metal needed. Four years on and the band are not resting and in the wake of the death of founding frontman JAY-JAY WINTER they are fired up and ready for their next onslaught. 

Forming in the early 1990s and almost adopting the name The Hairy Mary’s, Songs Of Praise were never really on the agenda for this Yorkshire outfit. Luckily the band conceived by Lenny Robinson and Jay-Jay Winter chose the less hirsute moniker of Asomvel and another classic UK heavy metal group slowly emerged. Asomvel, which actually has no significant meaning, saw a band with no real goals or direction forming from humble origins as Lenny reflects: “I asked Jay if he wanted to start a band, ‘cos I got on with him. He was the coolest bloke in town and we seemed to have the same attitude to things. I was gonna play bass (‘cos I had one) and Jay was gonna sing and we were gonna have two guitarists. Of course, nobody else was interested, so Jay ended up with the bass … Read More

“Doomed to death, damned in hell.” Few have summed it all up quite as succinctly as Japanese burial advocates Coffins, but our own Indesinence have surely taken that tenet to heart on their latest album and Profound Lore debut, ‘Vessels Of Light And Decay’. The album is a desolate affair, downtuned towards the serpent’s lair, littered with pummelling riffs and sepulchral howls, and masterfully executed by homegrown talent. Are Indesinence England’s Great Doomed Hope? You’d be hard-pressed to convince us otherwise.

“Each of us are here to shine, for some length of time, as bright as we are able or as circumstances allow; then we must reach an end to make way for new beginnings, yet still struggle to secure some tiny shot at immortality through our work and deeds. And so do these songs. Much like our previous work, we view the album as an individual take on what are admittedly typically “doom”-centric themes: the passage of time, and the sometimes overwhelming inevitability of the certainties this entails. It could be broadly described as the rude awakening following [2006 debut] ‘Noctambulism’s hazier, dreamlike horrors, to face something more ‘real’ but no less intense,” muses their guitarist and vocalist, Ilia Rodriguez, … Read More