WHEN there are songs that range from the Dublin crowd singing 'Hairy Dick' to a master class in guitar from Jeff Waters of Annihilatoryou know it was a special night.

As part of the European tour from this trio the gig in The Button Factory could have been seen by the bands - like the previous night in Bristol - could have been seen a warm-up for the extended run of dates across the continent; but that didn't mean each band wasn't giving their

_{The word “prolific” springs to mind when thinking what to write about Absolva – as well as all the usual musical superlatives of course! Absolva become the first band to score three NI Rocks album recommendations since I started posting these back in mid-2012. The band’s third studio album “Never A Good Day to Die” is released through Rocksector Records on 12th October and once again they deliver an excellent mix of great vocals, frequent heavy riffs and occasional softer moments. It certainly rates a recommendation along with the previous albums “Anthems to The Dead” (May 2014) and “Flames of Justice” (Nov 2012). There was also another recommendation for Chris Appleton’s solo album “Restless” earlier this year!}

 

_{I’ve been a fan of Voodoo Vegas since I first saw them supporting a tribute band in The Empire in Belfast back in January 2010 and bought their live CD. In 2013 they released their first full studio album called “The Rise of Jimmy Silver” and I posted an interview with the band in June of that year ahead of a headlining appearance in The Pavilion in Belfast. I’ve been looking forward to hearing some new material from the band and was pleased when Stampede Press sent through the latest release from Voodoo Vegas a few weeks ago. The new EP entitled “Hypnotise” is released on 12th October and it certainly doesn’t disappoint!}