THE HAUNTED GUITARIST OLA ENGLUND SHARES HELLFEST 2024 VLOG

 

THE HAUNTED GUITARIST OLA ENGLUND SHARES HELLFEST 2024 VLOG




Hellfest 2024 took place on June 27 – June 30 in Clisson, France. The Haunted guitarist Ola Englund has shared a vlog from the band's visit. Check it out below.

Solar Guitars, launched by Englund, recently unveiled a metal-topped guitar whose surface oxidizes the longer you play it. Check out the trailer below.

LUCIFER'S HAMMER - BE AND EXIST

LUCIFER'S HAMMER - BE AND EXIST

July 12, 2024, 5 hours ago
(DYING VICTIMS PRODUCTIONS)

Mark Gromen

Rating: 8.0

review heavy metal lucifer's hammer

A cinematic soundtrack wash of airy keyboards ("Cosmovision") greets the listener. What has happened? Fret not, as the Chilean traditional metallers kick into high gear with "Real Nightmares", the first proper (real?) song. Few contemporary acts have such a vintage feel. Imagine a mix of Flight, Unto Others and Nestor (not that Lucifer's Hammer sounds specifically like any of the aforementioned), for the prevailing vibe.

Even the punchy opening lyrical track takes a dynamic left turn, midway through, before returning home, in the final stretch. Both guitars get a workout. The vintage (early NWOBHM) sound of hard rocking "Glorious Night" is backed by shuffle drumming, before (temporarily) descending into mellow tones/pacing. Like its predecessor, it too will end much as it began, on a up note.

"Antagony" starts more restrained than the others, and adds a bit of falsetto vocals from single-named guitarist Hades. One for the fans of Nestor! For the first time, the accented English (second) language is evident. A more forceful/piercing high scream introduces the narrative voice-over piece entitled "Son Of Earth". This twin lead offering has more of a legitimate Warlord essence than the recent reformation act's album. Keeping the tempo upbeat, "The Fear Of Anubis" is a full-bore instrumental, full of swirling guitars. Even without lyrics, it's the showpiece (and not without yet another time change, or two).

High On Fire: Forged In Flames

Words such as ‘legendary’ and ‘trailblazing’ are banded around all too often nowadays. With their actual meaning beginning to lose all substance and power. However, when you talk about a band with the kind of pedigree and originality of HIGH ON FIRE, then you’re not too far off the mark using the aforementioned adjectives. Since the formation of the group twenty-five years ago they have taken the metal world by storm, carving out their own niche with their sludge-drenched, thrash metal sound. They have no peers. Nobody sounds like them. And when it was announced that they would be laying down Cometh The Storm, their first studio album in more than six years the metal community at large paid attention.



It’s been a strange few years since the band dropped their previous studio effort Electric Messiah. An album for which the lead single won the band an unexpected (but well deserved) Grammy win for Best Metal Performance. The band’s long-time drummer Des Kensel amicably parted ways with the band, and after a brief stint with touring member Chris Maggio, the band would welcome their new full-time drummer Coady Willis to the fold. This time would also see bassist Jeff Matz join MUTOID MAN and further embellish his passion for middle eastern instruments and guitarist/frontman Matt Pike would release his debut solo album under the moniker PIKE VS. THE AUTOMATON. Also, despite us all being bored of the constant reminders, there was also a world-halting pandemic that put pay to any touring music for more than two years.

With the members of the band having their fingers in so many proverbial pies, one would expect that it could be difficult to allocate riffs and song ideas to particular projects. However, Matz quickly shoots down that theory and explains, “it’s actually pretty obvious when we get writing when riffs or concepts are for HIGH ON FIRE. We have been playing together for so long and the style is so distinctive that we just know what works and what doesn’t.”

“Quite often for my own stuff I use different tunings, that offsets the sound quite dramatically,” adds Pike. (since the inception of the band, they have pretty much exclusively used the C Standard tuning). Close your eyes at any point of this album and listen to the thunderous instrumentals and you can see the boys beating the life out of their instruments with a wall of Orange amplifiers behind them and utter destruction in front, and the fact remains true. The sound of a High On Fire song is as unmistakable and inimitable.


It’s a well-known, well documented fact that Matt Pike is a riff lord. Conjuring up multiple sections per song that any other guitarist would sell their soul to come up with just once. This means that by the time the lads got together to craft their latest album there was never any danger of a shortage of ideas. “By the time we got into the studio we had most of the skeletons for the songs. We always leave plenty of space for creativity, but the main carcass of the songs was down by the time we got into recording,” explains Matz. “The songs that don’t make it onto our albums get locked up in the riff vault. There are hours and hours of riffs and ideas that we like to look back on and rehash at a later date,” tells Pike. “The riff vault is a very, very scary place to go,” laughs Matz.


What makes the recording of the albums even easier for HIGH ON FIRE is the working relationship that they have forged with the production monolith that is Kurt Ballou. A recognised legend and sonic pioneer in his own right with his band CONVERGE and his impressive production/mixing discography, the man has been the unofficial fourth member of the group since the first time they worked together on De Vermis Mysteriis more than twelve years and four albums ago. “At this point he’s a very integral part of the band at this stage. He’s an actual producer, not just an engineer,” explains Pike. “He let’s us cook, but he is always forthcoming with suggestions and little tweaks that help to make this album the thing that it is,” adds Matz.

Another big change to the recording process for this album was the studio debut of new drummer Coady Willis. There was always going to be a question of whether or not the new stickman could fill the gargantuan shoes left by Kensel. However, the lads explain that this worry was never really on their mind once they watch their new bandmate rip. “He has brought a whole new element to the way we play. Des was an absolute monster, but Coady has brought such energy and enthusiasm to the band,” says Pike. “It has been strange though, because there are certain little nuances that he has brought to the older songs that took a little getting used to. We wanted him to bring his own style in, rather than just play like for like and it has meant that we have had to almost re-learn certain parts of twenty-year-old songs which has been a lot of fun!”

Another new addition to the HIGH ON FIRE machine is Pike’s new signature guitar produced by Woodrite. The guitar manufacturer only came to fruition back in 2021 when Woodbine Customs Guitar Shop joined forces with Steve Reis of the Does It Doom? Podcast with the ambition to create guitars and effects pedals specifically aimed at guitarists playing doom, sludge, or stoner metal. “They approached me a little while ago and asked me if I would like to work with them with my own signature model and to help out with their promos etc and I jumped at the chance. They’re fucking beautiful guitars and sound great, I couldn’t be happier with how they turned out,” explains Pike. The Woodrite is now in full rotation in the band’s touring arsenal along with the usual Gibson Les Pauls and the classic Seger custom.

It seems like a really exciting time for HIGH ON FIRE who have picked up exactly where they left off with the astounding Electric Messiah more than half a decade ago with the monstrous Cometh The Storm and with a full calendar of headline tours both domestically and internationally, as well as a full summer of festivals in the pipeline it seems as though these metal titans have no plans to slow down any time soon. And when they are delivering music of this kind of quality time and time again, then why would they!?

Cometh The Storm is out now via MNRK Heavy.

Like HIGH ON FIRE on Facebook.

LIVE REVIEW: Download Festival 2024 – Saturday

LIVE REVIEW: Download Festival 2024 – Saturday
July 7, 2024Elliot Leaver


The morning after the night before and, as Download Festival 2024 opens for Saturday, the arena sees a fresh coating of straw in an attempt to combat the mud and a full day of music on the horizon. Who soared, who flopped, who did neither? Let’s find out…



HERIOT – Opus StageHeriot live @ Download Festival 2024. Photo Credit: James Bridle

It’s 10:25am on the Opus Stage and, for HERIOT, it’s unfortunately all going wrong. The UK metal bruisers should have started twenty minutes ago, but a late soundcheck from stage headliners PANTERA and early technical issues mean they still haven’t played a note…and they’re due off at half past. A late call from the powers that be give them another ten minutes and they take it gleefully, crashing through four songs like Profound Morality with more vitriol and punch than ever before. They still show just why they’re on everyone’s lips, but it’s a wobbly start all round.

Rating: 6/10

FLORENCE BLACK – Opus StageFlorence Black live @ Download Festival 2024. Photo Credit: Matt Higgs

HERIOT playing past their scheduled time means the Opus Stage times are now off-kilter and never fully realign, but it’s not that which dampens Welsh rockers FLORENCE BLACK’s half an hour; it’s more literal than that. Just like THOSE DAMN CROWS the day before, the Merthyr Tydfil trio play in the pouring rain, and whilst they do their absolute damndest – new songs Start Again and Bed Of Nails sound massive – the weather means it’s a less than stellar experience. Oh, and then they’re cut off at the beginning of Sun & Moon due to new time constraints; all rather frustrating.

Rating: 7/10

WARGASM – Apex StageWargasm live @ Download Festival 2024. Photo Credit: Todd Owyoung

WARGASM are another one of those love them or hate them bands, and from their sheer energy as they bound onto stage, it’s clear they have something to prove. They open with Venom, a track that perfectly encapsulates the duo’s dynamic, as they tease each other back and forth and explode into a rage in the chorus. Their style is definitely notable, and while the crowd are freezing in the rain, they dance in almost matching swimsuits, with their backdrop proudly stating, ‘angry songs for sad people.’ Their set is a captivating whirlwind, and as they invite STRAY FROM THE PATH‘s frontman Drew York onto stage for Bang Ya Head, they prove they can hold their own on heavier songs as well as the synth-heavy chaotic style they’re known for. If this hasn’t won you over, it’s at the very least made you remember them.

Rating: 7/10

ALT BLK ERA – The Dogtooth StageALT BLK ERA live @ Download Festival 2024. Photo Credit: Matt Higgs

ALT BLK ERA are still fairly new to the scene, but as the tent fills up in anticipation, it’s clear they’re making an impact already. The duo is made up of sisters Nyrobi and Chaya, and they stun in matching but different romantic gothic style dresses. Their dynamic is so interesting to watch, and as Nyrobi leads the crowd effortlessly, Chaya is more gentle but just as insistent, and they definitely keep everybody engaged. As they power through their blend of nu-metal and punk in a few catchy tracks, they could easily be playing bigger stages in years to come.

Rating: 9/10

THE HUNNA – Apex Stage

While just a few years ago, you’d be more likely to find THE HUNNA on the stages of Reading & Leeds, after a dramatic rebrand to rock, they’ve ended up here, and it seems as though they have to prove themselves. While many of their songs are undeniably catchy, their indie rock sound doesn’t always seem to land on this crowd, who stay fairly still for the most part. This doesn’t knock the bands positive attitude though, and frontman Ryan Potter’s vocals are easily a highlight, as well as a feature from Kelsey Karter. They debut a new song, and by the end of the set, they manage to get people singing along to Trash, a harsh but real critique of the music industry.

Rating: 7/10

BLEED FROM WITHIN – Opus StageBleed From Within live @ Download Festival 2024. Photo Credit: James Bridle

Have things on the Opus Stage resolved themselves for BLEED FROM WITHIN? The short answer is no – once again, technical difficulties clip the Scottish metallers’ set down to four main songs, but they absolute thunder through those tracks with precision and power; The End Of All We Know is well on its way to becoming a modern metal anthem. There’s also the small matter of comedians Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathen, here filming one of their Rob and Romesh Vs… shows, joining the band for a cover of METALLICA’s Enter Sandman that, thankfully, is far more fun than embarrassing.

Rating: 7/10

BABYMETAL – Apex StageBabymetal live @ Download Festival 2024. Photo Credit: Todd Owyoung

After this year, BABYMETAL should be banned from playing on the Apex Stage – in 2016, the heavens opened just before they were due on and delayed their start by 20 minutes; this year, they get through Babymetal Death and are just into Distortion when they’re forced off to allow a passing shower – with thunder and lightning, admittedly – through, another 15-minute delay. They recover well with METAL!! and KARATE before closing with latest rager RATATATA, but the excitement that comes with a BABYMETAL show never reaches the fervour of the beginning. Thanks, Mother Nature.

Rating: 7/10

NE OBLIVISCARIS – The Dogtooth Stage

Oh NE OBLIVISCARIS, how you were let down badly. The neo-classical extreme metallers from Melbourne have some of the most beautiful and destructive music in their back catalogue and it does come through in flashes during Equus and Suspyre, but the sound for their set on The Dogtooth Stage is a disgrace, hitting a nadir when vocalist Marc ‘Xonyr’ Campbell cannot be heard whatsoever, and punters are actually turning round to try and get the sound tech’s attention, roaring with approval when his voice comes through. The final irony? They sound far better outside the tent than in it.

Rating: 5/10

ENTER SHIKARI – Apex Stage Enter Shikari live @ Download Festival 2024. Photo Credit: Andrew Whitton

ENTER SHIKARI are loved by so many, and this is reflected in the size of the crowd and the raucous cheers they get just as they walk onto stage. Beforehand though, they admit online that they were applying pressure to Download Festival about dropping Barclays as a sponsor in support of Palestine, and that because they have, it seems to only add fuel to the fire for the politically charged punks. Straight from the beginning, the hype for this band is next level, and as they charge through a few of their classics with a crazy amount of people singing along, it’s easy to see why.

Whether they have something to prove, or if sets like this just come naturally to them, they take it all in their stride, and songs like Live Outside and Sssnakepit start to feel like anthems. They definitely feel like headliners, and part of this is due to their production. As singer Rou Reynolds jumps into a box and somehow appears on the sound tower, it’s starting to feel more like you’re in a theatre than at Download Festival. He is an extraordinary frontman, and knows how to work the crowd with moments of comedy, like when he throws himself face first into the mud, and moments of sincerity, when he takes the time to condemn the atrocities in Gaza. Ending with the beautiful A Kiss For The Whole World x, there’s an overwhelming sense that ENTER SHIKARI should be headlining by now.

Rating: 9/10

WHILE SHE SLEEPS – Opus StageWhile She Sleeps live @ Download Festival 2024. Photo Credit: Todd Owyoung

Oh WHILE SHE SLEEPS, how Download Festival needed you. With so many issues, there’s an overriding feeling across Donington of “Will ANY band have a good time of things today?”. Well, it might take until ten minutes past six in the evening, but finally someone does, both in terms of the weather and no technical problems. Sheffield’s finest in metalcore bound onto the Opus Stage straight into Rainbows and proceed to tear everything and everyone apart with a fifty-minute set that injects new life into the punters and the overall atmosphere. With a set mainly focused on their last two records – Self Hell and Sleeps Society – the quintet are on the form of their lives. There are a few choice cuts from older records implemented in the set as well and these are just as excellent, SLEEPS thundering through Anti-Social and a sensational Four Walls with total domination, backed by pyro and a sea of crowd surfers at all times. It’s performances like this that are conclusive proof of why WHILE SHE SLEEPS have headlined the legendary Alexandra Palace; continue on this sort of trajectory and it’ll be a matter of months, not years, before they play rooms of that size again.

Rating: 9/10

HOLDING ABSENCE – Avalanche Stage

HOLDING ABSENCE are one of the fastest growing bands in rock right now, and this is reflected in the way The Avalanche Stage fills up before they come on. As they open with Like A Shadow, a clear fan favourite, the crowd echoes the words straight back to them, and immediately it’s easy to picture them playing way bigger stages with way bigger crowds. This is an energy that continues for their whole set, and as always, Lucas Woodland’s vocals are phenomenal, and notably, so are the screams from guitarist Scott Carey. As ALPHA WOLF‘s Lochie Keough joins them for Aching Longing, the excitement is palpable. While some of my personal favourite songs were sorely missed from the setlist, emotions were running high in the tent, and it’s clear that HOLDING ABSENCE are only going to skyrocket from here.

Rating: 10/10

DYING FETUS – The Dogtooth Stage

A full decade has passed since a single Facebook comment saw DYING FETUS open Download Festival on the Apex Stage (after all, why NOT DYING FETUS?), and the death metal legends prove two things on The Dogtooth Stage – one, that a good mix is more than achievable when the sound tech knows what they’re doing and two, DYING FETUS are as feral and savage as ever. Given conditions, the now-aptly titled In The Trenches is an all-out barrage and Subjected To A Beating does just that. You know what to get with DYING FETUS, and they’re always happy to provide it.

Rating: 8/10

CASSYETTE – The Dogtooth Stage

CASSYETTE was a last-minute addition to the Download Festival lineup, a decision that was met with much excitement from fans, and this is reflected in the way that you can barely get into the tent to see her. Her debut album isn’t yet out, so her impact is impressive, and she certainly exudes confidence as she enters the stage in a white Victorian style shirt and matching bloomers. Her vocals are as incredible as always, and with little encouragement, she has the entire audience singing along, and even starting the odd mini mosh pit. She ends with Dear Goth, which is met with deafening cheers as she announces it, and she has a surprising amount of crowd surfers as she screams.

Rating: 8/10

FALL OUT BOY – Apex StageFall Out Boy live @ Download Festival 2024. Photo Credit: Todd Owyoung

While FALL OUT BOY have proved time and time again that they are the perfect festival headliners, Download Festival definitely seems like an odd choice for them, and the crowd is hesitant as they wait for them to begin. We couldn’t help thinking that we really hoped they would switch things up a bit from their usual set, and switch things up they definitely did. As the big screens turn on, they depict singer Patrick Stump in full hospital outfit, singing the fan favourite Disloyal Order Of Water Buffaloes, and where half of the crowd seems somewhat confused, the other half erupts. They quickly enter the stage, and as they play two of their oldest songs back-to-back, it becomes clear that they are performing their version of TAYLOR SWIFT‘s Eras Tour. It definitely seems as though they are playing favourites, with four songs each from From Under The Cork Tree and Infinity On High, which is nothing short of immaculate.


After a long career, FALL OUT BOY have got performing down perfectly, and they sound just as good as they always do. Their production is always impressive, but it’s especially entertaining tonight, with backdrops representing each album, and dancers to only elevate everything. Playing The Kids Aren’t Alright and XO are the perfect choices, and they take a little break for Pete to do somebodies gender reveal, which is surprisingly wholesome. As the end with Saturday, the obvious celebratory choice for a Saturday night, and Pete flies with some balloons, it’s evident that they are the perfect headliners, whatever the festival.

Rating: 10/10

Words: Elliot Leaver, Millie Warwick

And that rounds up our coverage of the Saturday of Download Festival 2024! Keep posted to Distorted Sound we we bring our our coverage of Sunday of this year’s festival soon, and check out our Friday review roundup action here.

Like Download Festival on Facebook.

Unleash The Archers: More Human Than Human July 6, 2024Will Marshall

If you wanted to write an album for the times, a concept epic about a rogue AI gaining sentience and trying to join humanity would certainly be near the top of the list – but when UNLEASH THE ARCHERS were doing those initial story drafts, nobody was talking much about it. Now we live in a world where “generative AI” has entered somewhat regular use and the phrases artificial intelligence or machine learning have become buzzwords companies love to throw around about their latest tech. New album Phantoma has a lot to say about that – so we made sure to ask all about it when we caught up with vocalist Brittney Slayes.



Unfortunately, when they unveiled the record with lead single Green & Glass, the reaction wasn’t what they expected – the video utilises a generative AI model, trained solely on licensed works and it ignited a veritable shitstorm around them. “It wasn’t the greatest start,” is the wry summary Slayes gives of the anger directed the band’s way. She’s keen to correct the record, too; the video itself was in fact filmed, with Slayes playing the titular AI Phantoma and the band all acting in the video. They then licensed art from Bo Bradshaw – who does a lot of their merch designs – to train an AI model that painted the end result after a film studio (RuneGate) animated it in Unreal Engine.

The only other use of AI on the album is a couple of phrases Slayes pinched from ChatGPT; she folded those into lyrics she was already working on. Every other aspect of the album is painstakingly created by hand, and there’s a clear exasperation that people assumed the worst simply because they wanted to utilise AI, in a concept album that centres entirely on AI. “We didn’t realise there were people so passionately against it,” she explains. “We never thought of it as something to fight against – we just thought it was a fun thing to throw in at the end.”

In fact, none of the consumer generative AI tools out there now (Midjourney, ChatGPT, etc) existed when they were storyboarding the album back during the pandemic. “I’m talking Terminator,” she laughs, “Star Wars, Star Trek, aliens, all the cool android stuff out there!” It’s a topic she’s always wanted to address, and in the midst of the pandemic while they were searching for a concept for the new album – it came to her.

One of the big themes, a big realisation Phantoma has is what and who she is, but wants to be more than that; “we’re going to struggle a lot with that as technology gets better. We’re afraid of what we don’t understand,” Slayes opines. “The reaction humanity has is to laugh… she’s just a tool to them.” Whether we ever get to the point AI can think, feel and reason for itself is anyone’s guess, but it makes a compelling tale to weave across the album’s ten songs and also plays into the album’s other conceptual pillar.


“I was writing the story in early 2021,” Slayes begins, “we weren’t touring and the world was an absolute mess. There were riots, governments against one another. So much of what humanity does best, which is divide and destroy.” The darkness that was around her at the time, that she felt about the state of humanity, is something Phantoma sees in her journey, but not until later. Humanity has created AI to do its most menial tasks and freed up their own time for creative pursuits – something she’s actively keen on, giving people the opportunities to flourish as creatives without fear.

But there’s a darkness beneath; “she’s only seeing the best that gets put out there, she becomes a better human by trying to embody the best parts of us. But when she meets humans she realises they’re selfish, apathetic beings. It destroys everything she’s believed up until that point, and it’s a dark moment of revelation.” The idea of only putting our best selves out for the world to see has real world parallels – as all great sci-fi is, it’s informed by a real problem now. For Slayes, that’s the hyper-curated world of social media.


“We’re creating this unreal expectation, especially to young kids who aren’t as exposed to the world as we are. They live in these social media bubbles, so that’s all they see and know. They think this is life when it’s just a small portion and everyone only posts the good stuff.” Phantoma sees all this, just as Slayes looks at the world people live in now, particularly when we were all cooped up inside for years, and asks the question – why are we like this? Why can’t we just be ourselves? Take the stadium rock, balladeering Give It Up Or Give It All, where Phantoma asks herself this.

That moment is a warning, one underneath the darkness, but ultimately has a hopeful message. “It’s hope for the future, while not ignoring what we’ve done,” and ultimately the decision, backed by a show-stopping chorus, is taken to keep fighting and try to be more human. Again, Slayes wants listeners to take something else from this; the second layer of meaning is all about pursuing dreams. “It’s a reflection of every person’s choice to maybe do something that pays bills but isn’t your passion, or taking the leap, to say I have trust in myself that the future can be something better.”

As they now know, some people aren’t necessarily open to having that conversation simply because the band made one creative choice they dislike; but that does Phantoma and everything UNLEASH THE ARCHERS have created here a great disservice. Chock full of exciting guitar leads, a star turn from Slayes vocally and ostentatious synths, Phantoma is rooted in their past but, just like its subject, takes an exciting step into the future, resolutely forging their own path in spite of any pressure to live up to the high expectations after the stellar Apex and Abyss album cycles.

“You always want your next record to be the best you’ve done, but you also can’t let that be your frame of mind when you write,” she begins. “The moment you start writing for other people is the moment it loses that personal touch, that emotion, and feeds into the monster that is consumerism in music these days.” It ties into her own approach to social media, and one she takes to heart with the band. “I never read comments. Never. It’s the absolute worst place you can go as a creative person, because you pour your heart and soul into your work and then you’re just waiting for one person to spout off an opinion they haven’t spent one second thinking about.”

If there’s a particular message to take from the online shitstorm that surrounded Phantoma and almost derailed the album before people could even hear its message, as well as the whole album itself, it’s an almost offhand remark Slayes makes. “If you perpetuate hate and negativity, it’s not a good place to live. Choose happiness, choose to be kind, choose to live in a world that has a little bit of light in it.”

Phantoma is out now via Napalm Records.

Like UNLEASH THE ARCHERS on Facebook

25 YEARS OF SABATON - HEROES ALBUM RE-ISSUED ON LIMITED EDITION COLOURED VINYL FEATURING TWO BONUS TRACKS UNAVAILABLE VIA DIGITAL PLATFORMS

25 YEARS OF SABATON - HEROES ALBUM RE-ISSUED ON LIMITED EDITION COLOURED VINYL FEATURING TWO BONUS TRACKS UNAVAILABLE VIA DIGITAL PLATFORMS





Internationally acclaimed heavy metallers, Sabaton, are celebrating their 25-year milestone in the music industry. They have shared the following message:

"We’re celebrating 10 years since our Heroes album came out and to mark this momentous occasion, we’ve launched a strictly limited 10th Anniversary Heroes vinyl in Heroic Green! If you’re a collector, you’re going to want to get your hands on this gem. It's store exclusive and available in very low quantities, so you can’t get it anywhere else! The coolest part? It includes 3 bonus tracks, 2 of which have never been released on digital platforms. Get yours now!

P.S. The limited 10th Anniversary Heroes vinyl is also available in Transparent Violet!"

INTRODUCING: Cherym

CHERYM are more than just your average pop-punk band. They are a band of misfits seeking to explore genres while expressing exactly what is on their minds. Hailing from Derry, they entered the scene determined to make their mark. The spark was lit when founding members Hannah Richardson and Nyree Porter had the incentive to start a band in high school. Vocalist/guitarist Hannah comments, “we did it because we thought: the boys are doing it, so why can’t we?”



Like many bands starting out in the DIY scene, they did so without knowing what to expect. With a basic knowledge of the guitar, Hannah helped build a legacy from the ground up. Moreover, they sang to become the voice they wanted to hear growing up. They didn’t know what kind of music they wanted to put out there, but they knew they wanted to be part of the scene. Fast-forward six years, and their debut album Take It Or Leave It sees the light of day. The band have performed at American and UK festivals, and have recently completed on a UK tour of their own.

CHERYM represent the under-represented. While the representation of female, queer and non-binary musicians is getting better, there is still work to be done. The band wastes no time in claiming their space. They prove this while they, in their own words, are “unapologetically themselves”. Hannah says, “we do not tolerate a single bit of bigotry. We want to find the people who will resonate with our music and find themselves through it too.” Through doing so, the band have crafted a safe space for fans old and new.

When asked to describe their music in three words, “Punk. Rock. Realism”, are the words Hannah chooses. And they are right, their songs do revolve around those things. When talking about their latest album they say, “it has taken us a long time to get to the point where we can say exactly what we want to say. Our album is a wee bit more outspoken and I think it is way more exciting to see how it will resonate with the fans and anyone who has listened to our music before.” Musically, CHERYM is a band for hard-hitting topics that need to be voiced, made more palatable through a rock, pop-punk sound. “We stand for our politics,” Hannah says, meaning the politics of the band and what they have been through. Among such politics are religious trauma, the queer experience and being neurodiverse in a neurotypical world.


There is an endless amount of proof that CHERYM are here to conquer. ‘You can keep your comments, comments, comments off my body’ sings Hannah in Alpha Beta Sigma. The song name-drops Andrew Tate who should know drummer Alannagh Doherty is a trained martial artist with a blue belt – they reveal in a fun fact – should he decide to come for the band.


Undeniably, speaking on a breadth of personal topics is the key to their success. Musically, they are inspired by a range of artists. “We are influenced by the punk scene,” Hannah says. “I like a lot of music from Riot Grrrls because it was the first time I saw women doing loud, shouty music.” They are influenced by bands like BIKINI KILL. Meanwhile, drummer Alannagh draws inspiration from the likes of GREEN DAY, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE and METALLICA. “As a drummer, you can’t just sit in the back – you need to put your stamp on things,” Alannagh comments. The amalgamation of bands makes CHERYM who they are today: rockers the world needs to see. And they mean business. They are evolving their sound. Alannagh says, “[Our] EP Hey Tori was like ‘let’s play around with ideas’. But our latest album [Take It Or Leave It] is more serious.”

You may ask: is their live performance as exciting? Well, the answer is yes. An attendee of a CHERYM live show can expect “Lots of energy and loud noise. A whole load of fun…All craic, no crap!” Alannagh says. A memorable show for the drummer was with NOVA TWINS at Glasgow’s King Tuts where the energy was particularly high. “People were bouncing and I was like ‘oh my god, they are gonna go through the floor!’” Evidently, adrenalised fans like those in that crowd live to tell the tale.

CHERYM’s plans for world domination involve new music “a lot sooner than people think, and a couple more surprises that we can’t talk about!” Alannagh hints. Furthermore, the band’s tenacity has earned them a support slot on the Irish leg of the ENTER SHIKARI tour. For a band going against so many odds, there is no stopping them yet.

Take It Or Leave It is out now via Alcopop! Records.

Like CHERYM on Facebook.