Walking into the Spirit Store on Friday the 13th, I felt very out of place amongst the assembled masses of Dundalk head-bangers. It seemed to be a week filled with this most popular of alternative genres, Dublin’s streets were also swarmed with these hirsute music fans as Judas Priest and our own Obsidion held court on Tuesday night. It was difficult to find a seat, so I resigned myself to standing at a table in the back, this afforded me a clear view of the stage and another remarkable thing I noticed was the fencing protecting it…At this point I felt that Mark Dearey could start worrying about the floor caving in.

Of One Blood appeared just as I had taken up my vantage point and their frontman, Alan, announced their first song, Iron Maiden’s “The Trooper.” The vocals fell out of time once and once only during this song and this set, admirable as this was their first ever gig. The rhythm section was very tight, holding down the galloping beat easily. The Ibanez wielding guitar virtuosos also shone, although this was marred slightly by the fact that Simon’s guitar was slightly too quiet, nonetheless this did not diminish his performance. Their next number, “Desensitised,” an original, was heralded by a barrage of thrash riffs, thumping bass lines and pounding drums. The band’s progressive influences were evident here as this song contained varying time signatures and many different sections. The drums were a tad repetitive in places but this could be accredited to the length of the bars. Although the guitars in particular were very heavy, an accessible bridge melody could be discerned which set this song apart, giving it a unique colour. Richie, the bassist, was spotless as he would prove to be throughout and the vocals were particularly impressive, ranging from a deep growl to a chilling shriek. This song was a masterclass in modern extreme music and not for the faint hearted.

They followed this with Megadeth’s “Hangar 18,” nailing the rapid intro and handling the guitar solos of Friedman and Mustaine with relish, even embellishing them in some places. The main guitar during the breakdown was still too quiet and the song lost momentum slightly although this was no fault of the band. Mikal’s drums were excellent here and the bassist was obviously enjoying himself. Their penultimate track, another original “The Grim Remorse,” had a similarly heavy intro to “Desensitised,” and there was a hint of Slayer to the opening bass and guitar riffs, these guys like to start hard. The drums were polished now and the vocals were also deeper in parts although they did erupt into the odd scream. The chorus was catchy and melodic while still being brutally crushing; I felt at this point that this band could have a real future. This feeling was compounded as Dermot executed some disgusting open string pinched harmonic whammy dives, even a mouthful to say, before he launched into an incredible sweep picking solo which was equalled and continued by a totally on form Simon.

They finished with the classic Pantera track, “Revolution is my name,” with Alan giving a worthy and faithful Anselmo performance. The drums here were again great and the bass was also good although it was a little quiet during the guitar/bass interplay section, this was again no real fault of the band. The guitar leads were cleverly harmonised, mirroring Dimebag’s double tracked solo well. These guys are a very accomplished band, each member capable of mind-blowing shred, the set was admittedly dogged by some sound difficulties but this is often inevitable in dealing with this genre of music. Of One Blood, with their first gig, have secured their place in the halls of Dundalk’s metal elite.

mookblog!