Gig Review: Signs Of The Swarms

Date: 20/6/25

Location: Downstairs At The Dome, London

Supporting acts: Beyond Exinction, Pintglass

Hell has certainly feared Signs Of The Swarm as they obliterated the night Downstairs At The Dome in London along with the geezers, Pintglass and Essex death metallers, Beyond Extinction, the night before they head to Leeds for Ghostfest; it was a last-minute gig and it was worth going! As usual, Pintglass fucking smashed it and Beyond Extinction too! All 3 bands got the crowd moshing, crowdsurfing and headbanging. 

Beyond Extinction warmed the pit up with Tyranny, and things heated up with Winter Sun. The Essex lads know how to maintain an energetic consistency and have taken the crowd with their soul-stealing breakdowns. @beyondextinction

When I say geeza, you say geeza! These geezas never disappoint. When the pit has lots of high-vis jackets, Stella Artois, and balaclavas. The first time I saw Pintglass was at The Garage back in September 2024, and boy, they know how to party. Their tongue-in-cheek energy was powerful as usual, especially when they played their latest single, PBPOTAP. The crowd all chant 'Geeza'. Believe me when I say this, it ain't no party like a Pintglass party! GEEZA! Ben Mason and Angus Roberton, such an iconic duo! I'll never forget the moment when Angus Roberton held the mic in my direction and got me to yell, "GEEZA!" @pintglass_gthc

Signs Of The Swarms were the icing on the cake that night, leaving the crowd with an immense impression. The breakdown from IWONTLETYOUDIE (it's a popular song for a reason) left the crowd breathless. Beyond Extinction's Jasper Harmer jumped back on stage as guest vocals for Borrowed Time. I was expecting a longer set, but they performed 4-5 songs, including HELLMUSTFEARME and Amongst The Low & Empty. They were out of this world! @signsoftheswarm

No favouritism here because all bands were outstanding in their own way. Lots of headbanging and moshing! The connection between the bands and the crowd were all strong. I'll look forward to seeing them all live again in the future. Also, keep your eyes peeled for more updates from the lads!

Song Review: Snake Eater by Saiko Mantis

Metal Gear Solid meets metalcore.  And nope, this is not a cover for the iconic Metal Gear Solid song by Donna Burke. For those who don't know who Saiko Mantis are, they are a metalcore band from Colorado, US, and have released their latest song, "Snake Eater." They've certainly kept us waiting, huh? Ha, see what I did there?

Snake Eater falls under the nu-metalcore genre, featuring some hardcore vocals; it's a mixture of Kublai Khan TX and Alpha Wolf, which I dig! Groovy turntables, nasty riffs, gnarly yet raw vocals, exciting breakdowns that make you not want to miss it.  

The beginning of the song leaves you anticipating. The line, "You can throw me away", got you thinking "ADTR says you can't throw me away, but Saiko Mantis says you can me throw me away." The band knows what they are doing here, ha!

These boys certainly have put the METAL in Metal Gear Solid! Check out their other songs that feature Metal Gear Solid references. 

What a thrill...sorry, wrong song!

For more updates, check out @saikomantis.mf

For fans of: Kublai Khan TX, Malevolence

Gig Review: Desolated

 Date: 7/6/25

Venue: The Underworld, London

Supporting acts: Lowlife, Bayway, Shattered Realm

Life Is Hard (I agree, Murray) was the opening song performed by London-based beatdown band Low Life, and it ended their set with a groovy hip-hop intro, until it was time to throw hands to some brutal breakdowns and bone-crushing guitar riffs. Unmatched. Desolated vocalist, Tony Evans, made an appearance on stage, just like a cherry on top. @low_life528

Boy oh boy, New Jersey Bayway made the night very interesting, especially from their vocalist, Jayway. He had no filter, it was freaking hilarious. These boys remind me of Body Count and Lionheart, so cool! Digging the hip-hop vibes. It's A Cold World for sure, Bayway. So sweet of Jay to give a fan who was on a walker (Jimmy) lots of love, bless him! @baywaynj

Shattered Realm...oh boy...where do I start? I'm lost for words. @shatteredrealm

Last but not least, Southampton-based hardcore band Desolated had taken the stage by storm despite having their van robbed while they were staying in a hotel in Sheffield. They performed songs from their latest album, Finding Peace, and oh yes, it's heavier and more aggressive. The band's hype man was the main highlight of the show, aside from getting kicked in the jaw.  @desolatedinc

Each band stood out in their own way, so I really don't have a favourite here. 

Here's the link to Desolated's GoFundMe if you would like to make any donations and give these lovely lads all the love: https://www.gofundme.com/f/desolated-van-robbed

Song Review: PBPOTAP by Pintglass

Date release: 30/5/25

Genre: deathcore, hardcore, beatdown

OI OI! You know what time it is. That's right, get your high-vis jackets on and a cuppa because Pintglass are back with another banger, Pintglass By Pintglass Off The Album Pintglass! Oh yes, I smell another LP on the way with more geezacore. Make some fucking noise for the GTHC!!

When I say geezer, you say geezer!

As you all know, Pintglass are a band of construction site workers who are all about that geezer life. The song is 2 minutes and 33 seconds of catchy lyrics, smashing guitar riffs, heavy-hitting vocals, breathtaking breakdowns and more Stella Artois. I am certain that any non-Brit won't be able to comprehend the level of Englishness! Their sound has never changed, and that's what I like about this new track! You'll be two-stepping in your own home and waving your fists in the air, chanting Geezer nonstop! The pits are gonna be brutal when they perform it live. I also want to add that the delivery of this song is on point, especially when they 'you ain't coming home' which is a reference to the England football team because they're well known for making it to the semi-finals or finals. The question is, will football be coming home next year? I believe so.

They have released a music video where they are having fun with their fans. The best part is where Ben Mason (vocals) is so drunk, he ends up breakdancing on a Stella Artois cardboard box that is taped to the floor. He got the moves! They come up with the funniest and creative shit when it comes to making music videos, especially the song with the Swiss cheese geeza Marc Zelli from Paleface Swiss, Site fucking Mentality! 

Pintglass are a band that doesn't take itself seriously, and that's what I love about them; they're also very down-to-earth. They know how to put on an awesome show; the way of the geeza!

You know the fucking name....P.I.N.T. AGAIN! 

Go join the GTHC @pintglass_gthc

For fans of: No Face No Case, Strangled