Tag Archives: prog

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The Great Balloon RaceCork folk/psychedelic

What you may need to know…

01. Last time we checked in with The Great Balloon Race, they’d just released single Chocolate Beans, a venture into jazzier climes.

02. They’ve finally put the last bits in order for their second album, Gently, Gently, releasing via May 5th on Leeside label KantCope.

03. Streaming above is the live video of Daryl and John, filmed by Blair Massie, as featured on the new long-player.

04. Catch them live on May 5th at Coughlan’s on Douglas Street, Cork, launching the long-player. Available for digital download or in a cassette/download bundle.

Thoughts: First thoughts on listening to the album in advance are those of a band finding their feet and moving with assurance into new waters.

The Great Balloon Race

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ShardborneLimerick prog/technical metal

What you may need to know…

01. At last, an excuse to talk about Limrock proggers Shardborne and their ridiculous array of riffs.

02. As well-known for tireless work in mucking in on metal events in Limerick as they are for their intricate, technical metal, the band emerged at the tail end of the last decade, releasing debut E.P. Aeonian Sequence in 2011.

03. Streaming above is the band’s debut album, Living Bridges, released in 2015 via Out on a Limb Records, and available for download on the band’s Bandcamp.

04. Catch them playing Fred Zeppelin’s in Cork in support of Guilty Optics‘ album launch this Thursday. €7 in the door, kickoff at 9.

Thoughts: One of the leading lights of Irish metal, a considered fusion of technical metal precision and prog-rock exploration.

Shardborne

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Iron Mountain – playing Dolan’s alongside Shardborne

What you may need to know…

01. Woodwind and uilleann pipes lead the prog-rock march of Limerick five-piece Iron Mountain.

02. Debut album Unum, initially a self-release, has recently been reissued and repackaged as part of their deal with German metal label/distributor Prophecy Productions.

03. Streaming above is the video for leadoff single, Enthralldom.

04. See them next on Monday July 25th at the Kasbah in Dolan’s, Limerick, as part of a double-dose of hometown prog, alongside the phenomenal Shardborne.

05. They then head away to Germany to partake in Prophecy Fest, in Balve, alongside bands like black metal/shoegaze luminaries Alcest and Les Discrets.

Verdict: Progressive, psychedelic and krautrock influences provide another new angle on our own trad/folk, with impressive results.

Iron Mountain