I'm very proud to finally publish this article. For all of the support I give to the world of heavy metal, I realised a couple of years ago that I paid very little attention to the what's been brewing on my doorstep. I always thought the Scottish metal scene never really got any attention in the metal media I've read over the years so I decided I would shine the spotlight on it.
I originally drafted Hella Caledonia two years ago as my main feature article for my NC studies in media. However I always felt it wasn't as strongly written as it could be so for my Graded Unit project during my HND studies, I decided to revisit and re-write the article. I hope you enjoy it and the article inspires you to check out some of the awesome heavy metal bands we have here in Scotland!
In the world of heavy metal there are numerous renowned scenes that come to mind. San Francisco Bay Area thrash, Norwegian black metal, Swedish death metal and many more. These historical metal scenes have had an undeniable influence on heavy metal overall but there's collections of killer artists in lesser known scenes that are rising throughout the metal world. Looking homeward towards Scotland, there's an intense racket brewing beneath the rolling glens and industrial cities.
People Make Glasgow, as the city council displays proudly around town, and Scotland's biggest city makes for a huge part of the national metal scene. However it’s not been without its issues as it’s grown over the past decade. “The local scene was small and it still is to an extent,” said Joe McGregor of the city’s North of the Wall festival, “When I started running shows there were a few select bands that you would ask who would do the shows you proposed to them but now there’s loads.” Glasgow hardcore mob Kingpin have a more pointed description of the scene at the time. “Lots of mostly-terrible bands full of enthusiastic young people getting stiffed by pay-to-play promoters,” they put bluntly.
Over in the capital is another epicentre of the Scottish scene. However with the Edinburgh
Fringe festival being a priority, the local authorities often overlook the city’s homegrown talent
for the rest of the year. Building new residences in close proximity to venues has led to the
closure of many of the city’s stages over the years, with the death of the iconic alternative haunt
Studio 24 in 2017 being particularly poignant. Local thrashers Black Talon are critical of the lack
of support. “Edinburgh Council should start to show a bit more respect for local music rather
than continuing their ‘cultural’ remit of bending over backwards for the Fringe and ‘fuck the rest
so we can build another 200 student flats’,” they explain, “The closure of venues means the
death of live music so it all depends on that.”
Shredding at 200bpm to the present, there’s more metal bands in Scotland than ever before
making waves both at home and abroad. The thrash metal community is particularly strong with
each band bringing their own unique take on the genre. From the harsh punk-fuelled blackened
thrash of Hellripper, Venomwolf and Night Fighter to the crushing crossover of Kingpin and
Daniel Wax Off, to the more straight-up approach of Ifreann, Thrashist Regime and Amok,
Scotland’s thrash scene is vibrant and thriving. With support from promoters like Shredinburgh
Promotions regularly putting on shows full of local bands and social media communities
like Central Scotland Thrash, the scene is well and truly alive.
From the vibrant to the visceral, Scotland has produced some killer death metal that’s bludgeoned its way to overseas eardrums. Brutal bands like Cerebral Bore, Man Must Die and Scordatura have made bloody waves across the UK and abroad with plenty of festival appearances and rave reviews in online and print media. Like a lot of popular forms of Scottish music, the heavy metal scene isn’t shy of its historical and traditional influences. Blending haunting atmospheres and distinct folk sounds with black metal is another popular export, with the epic stories of Saor and Cnoc an Tursa also rising to prominence on foreign shores.
Despite the problems affecting the metal scene over the years, the scene is thriving. However, it’s up to the community to keep it going. “Thankfully, the pay-to-play element of the metal scene in Glasgow has really died off over the years, so less bands are getting ripped-off by shady promoters,” Kingpin said, “However, those shows generally made it easy for bands to just turn up and play. Without that happening, bands and local music fans need to pick up the mantle and put on shows themselves.” Black Talon add “It only really takes a handful of enthusiastic and dedicated promoters to make a difference”.
Outside of the Central Belt the scenes are smaller but no less dedicated to supporting homegrown metal, despite familiar issues related to venues. The Aberdeen scene is home to Hellripper. “When we started it was quite strong,” they said, “The main change is that our primary venue Downstairs has sadly closed. The scene is still strong and dedicated, just smaller. Our new venue, Musical Vision, is amazing and has helped keep it alive even though it’s just a rehearsal space.”
Over the past decade the number of metal gigs happening in Scotland has noticeably increased. With an ever-growing roster of bands and enthusiastic promoters on the scene, there’s plenty of local gigs and international bands hitting the major cities in any given month. “There's some really dedicated people who put in serious work to bring awesome lineups here,” Glasgow’s Venomwolf said, “North of the Wall, COG Promotions, Blood Guts & Beer Events, the Audio/Lords of the Land festival team and a few others have put on incredible shows of bands people never thought would play here, and they run them well.” Scottish fans of anything be it music, sport or otherwise, have a reputation for being crazy and loyal. In the metal scene it’s no different with the sweat and electricity flowing both onstage and off. “Scottish metalheads can be wild,” Turbyne recall, “We’ve seen some crazy stuff at some Scottish shows that would shock!” The intense atmosphere and killer lineups extend beyond the small club gigs with the festival circuit also growing. Lords of the Land and North of the Wall have been particularly instrumental in bringing many, sometimes exclusive, legendary bands and underground heroes to Scotland, as well as attracting more ragers from overseas to visit the scene. “The atmosphere is great, especially at North of the Wall,” Joe McGregor explains, “it’s always got a sense of excitement around it…almost like Scotland is welcoming Europe and the bands from different countries and their fans!”
Despite still being small in comparison to others and with plenty of challenges ahead to maintain it, the future for the Scottish metal scene is bright. “We would love to see the DIY ethos and general spirit of community continue to grow in the local metal scene,” Kingpin suggest, “ We’d like to see an all-ages venue become available in the city centre in order to be able to keep bringing in younger faces to support the scene. We would also like to see more bands and promoters pushing harder to promote themselves,each other and drive up attendance at shows.” With more bands and promoters than ever, and a growing metal community, there’s an undeniable support for Scottish metal both at home and abroad. Times are tough at present and the music industry as a whole is facing many difficulties. As long as Scotland’s metal community continue to support it and help it grow, the only way is up.
A special thanks to all of the parties who took part in the interview process for Hella Caledonia two years ago, especially to Kingpin, Black Talon, Turbyne, and Venomwolf for providing and granting permission to use their photos. To see more of each photographer's work, check out their links below. Firebird Media (Jim Costin): Facebook Allan Maxwell Media: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram Conundrum Images (Stefan Rosic): Facebook | Instagram
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