Auditory Shrapnel: BETWEEN THE LINES, KILLFACE, STRANGLEWIRE… Posted: 07/02/2017 by John O'Brien

Well now! It’s been a while since our last ‘Auditory Shrapnel’ feature… hasn’t it? So much killer material being released by Irish bands these days, it’s hard to keep up. But in the last week alone there have been a few killer promos and teasers drop ahead of upcoming full releases or as an introduction to a new group. So we’ve decided to pick out a few choice cuts that have caught our ear.

Between The Lines

So without further ado let’s kick thinks off with a new offering from Galway heavy rockers BETWEEN THE LINES. The band have teased the first track ‘Southern Steel’, from their upcoming eponymous debut album. A chunky and brooding number that originally surfaced a few years back as a Demo that the band recorded under their previous moniker BLACK TOOTH.

Nicely evolved from the earlier version of the track, it’s been slowed down in parts… quickened a touch in some… and even totally re-arranged or re-imagined in others! Opening with a subtle Middle-Eastern vibe that builds into nice and hefty main riff that reminds a little of ALICE IN CHAINS. The lead work is pretty good too, doing just enough and doesn’t overstep the mark. The hypnotic aura emanating from mid-section adds a nice touch and leads nicely into a deadly groove to close things out. BETWEEN THE LINES debut album is ready for release and due to land later this Spring. Be sure to check it out!

Killface

Dublin bruisers KILLFACE have been very quiet of late, or so it would seem. But nothing could be further from the truth as the death metal outfit have just dropped brand new track ‘Beast Or Meat’. Their in-your-face and unashamed death metal approach hasn’t changed much during their absence. If anything they’ve tightened the screws and greased the gears a bit more.

New drummer Stephen Roe, formerly of XENOCIDE, makes his presence well felt with a solid battery of double-bass and blasts spattered throughout. The guitars are razor sharp, tight and focused. And Zammo’s vocals are course and nasty, as ever. Later this year KILLFACE will release their second album “Buried Beneath Flesh” which will follow-up 2013’s “Feeding The Dead”. The band are also confirmed to play at the next Earrach installment of the Siege Of Limerick on the 16th April, as well as dublin’s Unleashed Festival in September.

Strangle Wire

Also just dropped over the weekend was a debut single and music video for new Belfast death metal band STRANGLEWIRE. The band seems to have literally just appeared out of nowhere and featured members from CONDEMNED, THE OBSCENE MACHEINE, ZOMBIFIED, HELPLESS, LESSHELP, WAR IRON, ONCOLOGY, FUCKHAMMER, PUTREFY and more.

The band announced themselves and released their debut single and video for the track ‘The Games They Play’ through their facebook page on the 3rd February.An absolute stomper of groove laden death metal that simply leaves you begging for more. A proper release is sure to follow, but for the time being the facebook video, even with reduced audio quality, shows that STRANGLE WIRE are more than capable of going toe-to-toe with the best in Death Metal.