The Smashing Skull Sessions – Details, episodes & analysis

Alternative punk duo CRASHFACE are back with their brand new single and chaotic music video for 'MANIAC', which features a guest collaboration from Wargasm's Sam Matlock. Along with the new track, the band have announced their brand new upcoming EP, LIFE AND DEATH IN THE WASTELAND, due for release 13th September. "This one is for embracing crazy. Continuing on from the story of 'C.H.A.I.N.S.A.W', 'MANIAC' persists with venom in expressing frustration with the modern world, specifically the music industry (The Wasteland), especially in what it's forcing artists to do in order to be "relevant". Our brother-in-crime JAW has made this video what it is and knocked it out the park yet again. We wanted it to maintain an Edgar Wright-esque jagged edge while staying true to our aesthetics, and I think we've nailed it. And massive shout-out to the legendary Slim Jim's in London for letting us do this super last minute! I had the song idea for a while but got pretty stuck, then showed it to Sam while we were hanging out and he was all in. The man is chaos but it's exactly what this chapter needed. And it's a cute 360 because Sam actually helped me write and record the first ever CRASHFACE song, the solo in 'System At It' is him playing! So it's pretty fitting that he's helping us kick off our third EP." I got to sit down with members Charlie and Otto from CRASHFACE where we talked about their new song, 'MANIAC', featuring Sam Matlock from Wargasm, Reading Festival and the filming of their music video for, 'MANIAC', and more! Avalible on all streaming platforms. Check out CRASHFACE here: https://www.instagram.com/crashface/ Track played: 'MANIAC', ©️ all rights reserved CRASHFACE Edited by Richie Duhig of The Metal Cell Podcast. Like, subscribe and always support the scene. Horns up and stay safe 🤘🤘 The Smashing Skull Sessions: https://www.instagram.com/thesmashingskullsessions/

From Italy, Hideous Divinity are a death metal band compromised of members from Aborted and have been active since 2007. With 5 albums, inclduing their 2024, 'Unextinct', release, going on tour with Nile and bringing the Italian death metal with them. I got to sit down with Enrico, Stefano and Eduardo before they hit the Opium stage playing Nile, Intrepid and Pestifer where we talked about Father Ted, the recording process for their new album, 'Unextinct', and how the tour with Nile, Intrepid and Pestifer was going. With great stories, chats and banter this is not one to be missed. Avalible on all streaming platforms. Check out Hideous Divinity here: https://www.instagram.com/hideousdivinity/?hl=en Track played: 'The Numinous One', ©️ all rights reserved Hideous Divinity Edited by Richie Duhig of The Metal Cell Podcast. Like, subscribe and always support the scene. Horns up and stay safe 🤘🤘 The Smashing Skull Sessions: https://www.instagram.com/thesmashingskullsessions/

It's been five long years since "party doom" riff merchants GURT released their last crushing opus "Bongs of Praise", now on June 7th 2024 they are set to return with their latest, crushing-ist opus yet, "Satan Etc". A lot has happened in the band members lives since 2019, some suffered tragic losses, some welcomed new life into the world, some grew awesome skullets. Not to mention that global event in 2020 that kept us all inside. Left to ferment in frustrating circumstances has led to the new material being more aggressive and abrasive than previous offerings, whilst still retaining that signature GURT silliness and swagger. In January 2024 GURT took these new songs into the mighty Monolith Studios in London and under the watchful eye of Steve Sears, they birthed the magnificent, monstrous "Satan Etc". This album marks GURT's 5th collaboration with Sears, who always coaxes the best out of the band with a healthy mixture of positive support and scathing insults. When asked about the influences and inspiration behind this album vocalist Gareth Kelly states "it's about survival in the very fucked up world we live in, but of course delivered in the bands tongue in cheek style".Drummer Bill Jacobs says " we wanted shorter punchier songs to go with the new aggro vibe, nothing to do with us being older and fatter" whilst bassist David "Spicy" Blakemore enigmatically adds "I've been listening to lots of Slavic hardcore!". Delving into varied topics, from bodged vasectomies to the beauty of brown cars, from self pleasure on Arrakis to the wholesome matter of how damn much Gareth loves his kids, "Satan Etc" is the sound of the band ready to get back to doing what they love most: having a great big sludgy party with their rabid fans. PARTY DOOM HAS EVOLVED. I got to sit down with singer Gareth Kelly where we talked the recording of the new album, how the band got their unique name and more! With great stories, chats and banter this is not one to be missed. Avalible on all streaming platforms. Check out Gurt here: https://www.instagram.com/gurtsludge/ Track played: 'Appetite for Construction', ©️ all rights reserved Gurt Edited by Richie Duhig of The Metal Cell Podcast. Like, subscribe and always support the scene. Horns up and stay safe 🤘🤘 The Smashing Skull Sessions: https://www.instagram.com/thesmashingskullsessions/

The Gloom In The Corner is an Australian metalcore & cinema core taking listners on a journey with their music, following a storyline in their albums and creating their own universe featuring character Sherlock Bones whose story is full of twist and turns. I got to sit down with members Mikey (vocals) and Jesse (guitarist) before they hit the stage of Whelans Main Room in Dublin where we talked about how the band got their unique name, the recording process behind their new single, 'The Jericho Protocol', and their first time in Ireland. With great stories, chats and banter this is not one to be missed. Avalible on all streaming platforms. Check out The Gloom In The Corner here: https://www.instagram.com/thegloominthecornvr/?hl=en Track played: 'The Jericho Protocol', ©️ all rights reserved The Gloom In The Corner Edited by Richie Duhig of The Metal Cell Podcast. Like, subscribe and always support the scene. Horns up and stay safe 🤘🤘 The Smashing Skull Sessions: https://www.instagram.com/thesmashingskullsessions/

Profiler is a Nu-Metal reawakening from the mind of vocalist and guitarist Mike Evans. This band is inspired by those who have incited change in genres, arts, and theories. It's a weight of legacy that Profiler is comfortable shouldering, backed by SharpTone Records, its home since 2020. After starting as a solo project in Bristol, UK, Mike stepped out from the studio and onto the stage, enlisting bassist/vocalist Joe Johnson and drummer Oscar Hocking. In early 2023, Oscar departed to be replaced by Brad Ratcliffe, cementing the line-up that would forge 2024's debut album, A Digital Nowhere. I got to sit down with the full band, Mike (Vocals and Guitar) Joe (Bass) and Brad (Drums) before they hit the stage in Whelans Main Room in Dublin where we talked about how the tour was going with The Gloom In The Corner and Vended, their favourite albums of 2024 so far and how the recording of their debut album, 'A Digital Nowhere', was. With great stories, chats and banter this is not one to be missed. Avalible on all streaming platforms. Check out Profiler here: https://www.instagram.com/profilerband/?hl=en Track played: 'Operator', ©️ all rights reserved Profiler Edited by Richie Duhig of The Metal Cell Podcast. Like, subscribe and always support the scene. Horns up and stay safe 🤘🤘 The Smashing Skull Sessions: https://www.instagram.com/thesmashingskullsessions/

A tight powerhouse of a band; urgent, questioning, loud and fierce. Together they play heavy and direct modern rock ’n’ roll: massive riffs and powerful, melodic choruses, fuzzy guitar, pummelling drums and bass, pin-balling between heavy alternative rock, grunge and punk. They also have a lyricist who can’t help but use his band as a platform to air anxieties and raise questions about the world we live in. Debut self-titled album was released in July 2022 to critical acclaim and 'You Are Not a Slave' is the fourth release from their sophomore album Design, scheduled for release on 4th July 2024. Earlier single from Design called ‘The Shameful’ was selected as Metal Hammer’s Track of the Week. AMONGST LIARS toured in autumn 2023 supporting Theory of a Deadman across the UK and have just come off a very successful 3000 mile 15 day French tour in February 2024 supporting Ayron Jones. A July UK tour with some HMV in-stores is currently being finalised around the launch of Design and more support tours are being worked on for autumn 2024. I got to sit down with Ian George, the vocalist of the alternative rock band Amongst Liars where we talked about the recording of their upcoming album, 'Design', how the band got their name and how the band started and so much more! With great stories, chats and banter this is not one to be missed. Avalible on all streaming platforms. Check out Amongst Liars here: https://www.instagram.com/amongstliars/ Track played: You Are Not A Slave', ©️ all rights reserved Amongst Liars Edited by Richie Duhig of The Metal Cell Podcast. Like, subscribe and always support the scene. Horns up and stay safe 🤘🤘 The Smashing Skull Sessions: https://www.instagram.com/thesmashingskullsessions/

From Austin, Texas, Emily Wolfe is a singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer. She's on a mission to breathe new life into rock n roll with her powerful vocals and shredding guitar style. Teaching herself guitar from the age of 5, her 3rd album, 'The Blowback', delves into topics such as womens rights, injustices and addiction. I got to sit down with Emily before she took the stage in the 3Olympia on the first of two nights with The Gaslight Anthem who were on the final strecth of their European tour campaign. We talked about her favourite Gaslight Anthem album, the recording process for The Blowback and so much more!! With great stories, chats and banter this is not one to be missed. Avalible on all streaming platforms. Check out Emily Wolfe here: https://www.instagram.com/emilywolfemusic/?hl=en Track played: Dead End Luck ©️ all rights reserved Emily Wolfe Edited by Richie Duhig of The Metal Cell Podcast. Like, subscribe and always support the scene. Horns up and stay safe 🤘🤘 The Smashing Skull Sessions: https://www.instagram.com/thesmashingskullsessions/

The debut EP The Great Becoming Of Captain Fuzz is a prologue recounting the meeting of the crew, all motivated to build a spaceship to escape the ecological and social problems of a planet in decline. The band tells us about their debut: "As a series of humano-droids equipped with a fragment of consciousness is being marketed, the beginning of a new civilizational era emerges, plunging humanity into decline. Not equipped with this fragmented consciousness, the first prototype of this series, OB-1, divides opinions due to its immense power. As a precaution, it will be locked up until the outcome of its destiny is sealed. From its cell, OB-1 intercepts a phone communication between a certain Captain Fuzz and the individual known as Professor Tricks regarding a mysterious invitation from space. The possibility of an escape from Earth leads OB-1 to organize its escape, inviting its creator, Tank, to join this space quest. OB-1, Tank, Captain Fuzz, and Professor Tricks ready, the crew, however, cannot be complete without their final encounter with the gunner Rocket. Assisted by the latter, the five of them will be able to finalize the construction of their spaceship: the Butterfly Bulldozer." I got to chat to members Aubin (guitars and synth) and Manuel (guitars and synth) about their debut EP, 'The Great Becoming of Captain Fuzz', how the band got their unique name and so much more!] With great stories, chats and banter this is not one to be missed. Avalible on all streaming platforms. Check out Butterfly Bulldozer here: https://www.instagram.com/butterflybulldozer/ Track played: BTFBDZ ©️ all rights reserved Butterfly Bulldozer Edited by Richie Duhig of The Metal Cell Podcast. Like, subscribe and always support the scene. Horns up and stay safe 🤘🤘 The Smashing Skull Sessions: https://www.instagram.com/thesmashingskullsessions/

Since 2018, Oldham brothers Jacob and Joe Parkinson have been launching a full-scale assault on the UK thrash scene. As founders of UK Thrashcore hopefuls Tortured Demon, they’ve independently released two albums, and worked with various members to bring their trademark live show to eyes and ears nationwide. Before turning 18, they’d already toured with UK thrash royalty Evile and Xentrix, and laid the foundations of their second album ‘Rise Of The Lifeless’ - which would go on to receive critical acclaim from publications including Metal Hammer and Distorted Sound - whilst still in school. Combining Thrash riffs and Hardcore breakdowns with technical drums, all whilst maintaining a firm focus on quality songwriting, Tortured Demon aim to breathe a breath of fresh air into the UK metal scene. The band have built a loyal live following nationwide thanks to their impressive history of high-octane shows for a band at such an early stage in their career, culminating in their first headline tour - the 'Tour Of The Lifeless' - in October 2023. Packing venues nationwide, Tortured Demon cemented themselves as a legitimate UK headliner, despite having no agent, management or record label at the time. This is a testament to the hard work and extreme dedication that Jacob and Joe Parkinson continue to pour into their craft, even after 5 years on the road. I got to to sit down with guitarist and vocalist Jacob Parksinson before he and the band took the stage of Whelans, playiong with Evile and Psykosis. We talked about their gig in Dolans the night before, how the tour was going and so much more! With great stories, chats and banter this is not one to be missed. Avalible on all streaming platforms. Check out Tortured Demon here: https://www.instagram.com/tortureddemon/?hl=en Track played: Rise Of The Lifeless all rights reserved Tortured Demon Edited by Richie Duhig of The Metal Cell Podcast. Like, subscribe and always support the scene. Horns up and stay safe 🤘🤘 The Smashing Skull Sessions: https://www.instagram.com/thesmashingskullsessions/

Speaking on the album release, WRISTMEETRAZOR's Justin Fornof (vocals) comments: “This is an incredibly important record for us, Degeneration combines everything we have built with our first two LPs into the strongest iteration of our band. This is us at our most misanthropically realized. The heaviest - both lyrically and musically - and most dynamic presentation of who we are and what we’ve done.” Having solidified and fine-tuned the strengths of their latest incarnation onstage, the newly upgraded quintet found themselves with a renewed focus leading into Degeneration’s gestation period. During this moment of rare quiet WRISTMEETRAZOR sought the production, engineering, mixing and mastering skills of Randy Lebeouf (The Acacia Strain, Dying Wish, Kublai Khan). Ushering themselves into near total isolation in the woods of New Jersey, the writing and recording process for Degeneration was one of acute solitude, only leaving the studio’s cabin three times during the 30 day lock-in between almost non-stop 12 hour recording sessions. Degeneration’s backdrop of self-imposed seclusion bore fruit as the album’s lyrical focus began to develop. Whilst there are still traces of WRISTMEETRAZOR’s established world of Nietzchian philosophy and twisted romanticism, Fornof found himself gravitating towards themes of misanthropy, apoplexy, and moral, political and religious hypocrisy within society. I got to sit down with Justin and Elaine where we talked about the albums recording process, how the band got their name and so much more! With great stories, chats and banter this is not one to be missed. Avalible on all streaming platforms. Check out Wristmeetrazor here: https://www.instagram.com/wrist.meet.razor/?hl=en Track played: Trepanation ©️ all rights reserved Wristmeetrazor Edited by Richie Duhig of The Metal Cell Podcast. Like, subscribe and always support the scene. Horns up and stay safe 🤘🤘 The Smashing Skull Sessions: https://www.instagram.com/thesmashingskullsessions/