METAL CULTURE – THE BLACK METAL BREWERY (Edinburgh, Scotland) – All Five Ales

BMB Group“Hi Mark, do you mind if I drop some beer round for you to drink and write about?” said Alex.  “Seriously? Are you winding me up? Of course bud’  I replied…. And soon enough the boss was at my door with a selection of fine ales from the Loanhead based… It’s in Scotland, look it up… Black Metal Brewery, which was spooky as we’d both been to see northern monkey black metallers, Winterfylleth, the night before.

Now Alex has asked me to write about these lovely bottles of brown wonderment because he knows I’m a member of CAMRA and suspects I might know a thing or two about beer.  I’m not a total beer scoring uber nerd but I do drink a lot of real ale. It’s nice. It’s proper. Making it is an art form. Now my wife – Brutal Ruth – says I’m what’s known as a ‘functioning alcoholic’ (she can talk, flat out on the sofa watching ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ with an empty bottle of rose next to her..) but I prefer the term ‘drinking enthusiast’. Continue reading

BLACK TALON – “Endless Realities”

coverIt may only be May, but 2015 has already been awash with fresh thrash offerings, some absolute belters, some a bit flaccid, to be generous. Black Talon now step into the spotlight with their debut long-player, Endless Realities, and something magical is happening. This is genuine street thrash, brought up, full time, in the shadows at the edge of the genre’s history, and splattered with the arterial spray of death metal. If the latter is the input of guitarist Mike Robertson, also of Edinburghian brutes, Cancerous Womb, then it’s well-smoothed around the edges. Continue reading

VARIOUS ARTISTS – “MORGUL Scottish Metal Compilation: 2014”

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MORGUL is a society created by the metalheads, punks and rockers of the University of Glasgow, for anyone who wants to join, and have had an online presence on Facebook for around 18 months.

Focusing on bands that play Glasgow and/or Edinburgh often, Morgul spent Fresher’s Week in 2013 handing out free CDs to interested Freshers, Students, and gig-goers that featured some of the very best Scottish metal, in an effort to increase interest in local talent and gig-attendance.

It must have gone well as they are back again this year with another compilation for the 2014 intake, with another great selection of local talent to whet the appetite of anyone looking for decent live music in the North, including some notable TMA favourites like NNGNN, Cnoc An Tursa, Adabroc, Saor, Man Made Origin, Achren and Atragon!   Continue reading

DOOM OVER EDINBURGH FESTIVAL / Bannerman’s, Edinburgh, Scotland / March 2015

DoomEdi
Festival:                      Doom Over Edinburgh Festival.
Date:                           Saturday 14th & Sunday 15th of March 2015.
Location:                     Bannerman’s Bar, 212 Cowgate, Edinburgh, Scotland.
Post Code:                 EH1 1NQ.
Official Travel:            N/A.

Ticket Cost:                £16 for weekend ticket / £8 Saturday only / £10 Sunday only.

Hot off the press! Continue reading

CANCEROUS WOMB – “Born Of A Cancerous Womb”

CW14Edinburgh’s Cancerous Womb have created a bit of a buzz on the underground UK death metal scene over the last few years. They’ve gigged extensively across the UK and Europe and some of my buddies in other death metal bands have raved about them to me but up ‘till now I’ve yet to have the pleasure of hearing them.

When I got the album through I have to admit that due to the band’s name I was expecting some pig squealing bullshit ‘brootal tech death’ bollocks to come blasting out of my speakers… Fuck me, was I in for a surprise! Continue reading