Tonight’s gig had it all. After a reported 90 minute delay, Guns ‘n’ Roses finally come on stage. An object is thrown and Axl storms off - end of gig. Or was it? He’s back for a few more songs. Then off again, as the house lights go up. 14,000 Irish GnR fans are left bewildered, angry and €70 out of pocket. It would be - and is - hilarious, were it not for the fact that this kind of beaviour is completely unacceptable.

But from who - the bottle thrower or Axl?

It’s been a long few years since Hexxed’s last release and the band’s subsequent exit from the gigging circuit. They’ve spent that time reconstituting both their lineup, and indeed their sound. Veteran fans of Irish metal will notice substantial change.

These days the band revel in polyrhythms, samples, and new stylings within the technical metal base. Lorcan Archer takes time to assess what’s become… Hexxed 2.0

Drudkh occupy a special, albeit miniscule corner of extreme metal appreciation and lore. Evolving out of the sorely missed Hate Forest, they’ve kept themselves to themselves, without releasing even so much as a photo. They’ve never yet done an interview: verily, their music does the talking.

‘Handful Of Stars’ is more open than their last, haunted efforts. Yet the band retain their signature style, and their stoic, powerful drive. While joining the evolution of the underground around them.

This so called ‘deathcore’. Would it be rum to ask for a cull? Time’s moving on, we’re all busy, and most pertinently, nearly all of it is appalling. A lie of a genre, made worse by saddos with silly hair, picked up by a few record labels and pumped out of a great plastic Bertha somewhere - it’s gone on too long.

And Hell Followed With (balls name) are from like, Detroit Michigan, and have neat sweaters and vintage merch. They also want you to create their next music video to save, sorry, win $500. Will somebody please make it go away?

Dublin will soon be under its yearly thunderstorm of doom. The Dublin Doom Day is coming back, and featuring a host of bespoke Doom talent - some of whom have made the event the priority of their gigging schedule.

Whom indeed? Hour Of 13, who are using it not only to launch a live career, but also recording and album from the proceedings. Exciting. Main man Phil Swanson may be a down to earth guy, but his mystical music takes Lorcan Archer to another plane altogether…