Metalhead Series: 9 Alternative Metal bands from Ireland
Had enough of annoying Christmas jingles? No problem, just listen to some alternative metal! There are a great number of excellent alternative metal bands from Ireland that you could listen to instead.
Alternative metal is a fusion that mixes heavy metal with influences from alternative rock and other genres you would normally not associate with metal. It is often seen as the more “approachable” kind of metal due to the use of more melodic and less harsh vocals and screams. Here are nine alternative metal bands from Ireland that’ll help you stave off the Christmas stress you will have to endure around this time of year.
Between The Lines
Hailing from Galway, Between The Line explores the battle between light and darkness through their diverse mixture of rock and heavy metal music. Their gritty, haunting vocals often give way to melodic and soulful passages that form a wonderful dynamic. The songs on their first album are pretty lengthy but their unique musical and vocal tones varying in each track certainly make it worth listening to.
Recommended Album:
Following The Signs
Following The Signs is a metal band from the city of Cork. The band was founded in 2017 by vocalist Dan Hayes and they self-released their first EP in the same year which consisted of four tracks. The band quickly became known in the local metal scene through being featured on different metal-related websites and radio shows such as the Irish Metal Archive and Burning Metal Ireland. The band’s popularity is still growing and we can expect great things from them in the future.
Recommended Album:
Death Can Wait
Death Can Wait is a metal quartet that was formed in Enniscorthy in 2018. They combine an energetic style of heavy metal with harmonic passages, mixing the features of various metal subgenres into their sound and making it as lively and heavy as they can. What sets this band apart from their contemporaries, as well as their incredible melodies, is the impressive vocal range of their vocalist Brian Colfer.
Recommended Album:
Marabou
The band Marabou was formed in early 2011 in Wexford. They quickly gained a healthy following and established themselves as one of the fastest rising alternative metal bands from Ireland. Marabou draw inspiration from all aspects of heavy metal and infuse their musical influences and personal experiences into a wholly unique sound. Their live performances are packed with raw and visceral energy that have to be seen to understand their true potential.
Recommended Album:
Archaós
Archaós are a four-piece alternative metal band from Cork. Taking influences from a wide range of rock and metal music, the band have molded their own original sound. They started gigging in Cork in 2017, the same year they released their debut EP, and have since extended their reach to Dublin and beyond. The band released their first music video this year as well as their sophomore EP ‘Liberation’.
Recommended Album:
We Come In Pieces
The metal band We Come In Pieces formed in 2010 and started on the fast lane. They started gigging three days after their first practice and recorded their debut album three weeks later. Then they started touring all over the country with the likes of Frank Turner, Tubelord, Throats, and many other bands. After six years of relative quiet, the band released their third album ‘Stop the Rot’ in 2018.
Recommended Album:
Minus Ten Thousand Hours
Minus Ten Thousand Hours are a three-piece alternative rock/metal band based in Dublin. The band takes their inspiration from all genres of music – from pop, rock and reggae to metal, funk and more, you will recognize something of everything in their music. Since releasing their debut album ‘igtkmbffsikhdd’ in 2016, the band now aim to play on as many stages as possible to present their energetic and unpredictable live shows to audiences far and wide.
Recommended Album:
This Place Hell 
The band originally formed in 2013 under the name The Devil Wants Her Swagger Back in Dublin. They decided on a name change in 2017 ahead of the release of their EP ‘Contempt’. The band takes influences from all eras and subgenres of metal to produce their own sound. This Place Hell spent most of their time after their EP release travelling across Europe and the UK and playing at festivals such as the famous Bloodstock Open Air festival in the UK.
Recommended Album:
New Secret Weapon
New Secret Weapon is an alternative/progressive band that formed in the aftermath of the first KnockanStockan Irish Independent Music Festival in 2007.The three-piece band became known for their harmonious and smooth vocals mixed with deep and snarling guitars. They quickly rose to notoriety in local circles, captivating Dublin audiences with their largely improvisational guerilla-style live shows.
Recommended Album:
As well as two honorable mentions: the Metalcore bands Making Monsters and Words That Burn are seen as Alternative Metal as well.
Have you seen any of these electrifying Alternative Metal bands from Ireland live? Think we have missed any? Let us know in the comment section below!
