Great Barr's Netherhall set to release new EP at Birmingham show - EP review

Running along the same lines as Deftones and Hacktivist are Netherhall – four Brummy(ish) lads looking to carve up stages with their mixture of staggered riffs and deep, pained guitars.

This is their debut EP – three tracks full of grit and gravel that promise much of a band looking to make their name.

Theyall have local connections. Jake and Paul, both 24, and 22-year-old Tom are all from Great Barr, and they are joined by another 22-year-old, Lewis, from Sutton.

Their youthful approach to the genre gives it new twists, rather than just re-hash Deftones’ alt-metal vibe they have added their own twist, giving some of it a lighter, pop-like vibe to make it more accessible to listeners. But don’t let that make you immediately think radio fodder, this is far more than that.

A post-apocalyptic intro slams ferociously into first track Fade. Picking up Deftones’ penchant for pained and almost tearful guitars it provides a stomping introduction to proceedings with a delicious sing-along chorus to boot.

The percussion, too, slams through you as it largely plays to the moniker ‘less is more’. The end result is a rousing number that should grab you in a live setting.

Then we have Stonedown. It has a more ominous feel with its warning-like intro giving way to aggressive riffs smashed along by thundering drums.

It is the EP’s heaviest fare with more growled vocals leading the line, and shows a darker side to the band that if harnessed and used to this effect could carve out a solid career.

The closing title track has an almost Red Fang vibe at times. Melodic, it then crashes into that desolate instrumental finish that makes this genre so likeable. All the aggression comes out into the open and we have that Hacktivist sound with powerful guitars leading proceedings to show off their musical talents.

Rating: 4/5

Netherhall release their Imacular EP tomorrow at Scruffy Murphy's in Birmingham with support from Pelugion and Broken Spectre.