AN NCS ALBUM PREMIERE: BULLETBELT — “RISE OF THE BANSHEE”

 

(We thank New Zealand-based metal writer and broadcaster Craig Hayes for the following introduction to our premiere of a full stream of the new album by New Zealand’s awesome Bulletbelt.)

 

Bands like Diocletian, Vassafor, Ulcerate, and Beastwars have done a lot to spread various strains of New Zealand metal around the globe in recent years, and there’s no doubt that the nation’s heaviest music is infecting more fans than ever. Of course, those bands are just the tip of the iceberg, because the New Zealand metal scene is packed to the gunnels with a diverse range of virulent bands, all showing a diehard strength of will.

Case in point: Bulletbelt.

The Wellington-based five-piece features long-serving members from New Zealand’s metal community, and draws a riotous crossover crowd at home. Bulletbelt’s fiery full-length debut, 2012’s Down in the Cold of the Grave, was certainly framed by black metal, but thrash, traditional metal, and punk rock’s vicious bite were all given free reign, too.

 

On Bulletbelt’s new album, Rise of the Banshee, the band holds back none of its myriad influences. Rise of the Banshee features a bigger, broader, and more savage sound from Bulletbelt, with the the punked-up thrash attack of “Deathgasm”, black-hearted screeds like “Murderer’s Collar” and “Minnie Dean”, and a blitzkrieg cover of “Sniper”, originally performed by NZ metal legend The Nod. Rise of the Banshee also features Bulletbelt’s new vocalist, Jolene Tempest, who spits venom over every track, stamping her presence hard on the album.

Make sure to add Bulletbelt to your list of belligerent bands from far-flung Southern shores to track down. No Clean Singing is proud to premiere the full-length stream of Rise of the Banshee.

 

(Rise of the Banshee is out 1 October, on Bulletbelt’s own Headless Horseman label. It’s available for pre-order on iTunes now via this link; and on the release date you can order it on CD or download the music at Bulletbelt’s Bandcamp page; on 1 October it will also be available at Amazon, Spotify, and Amplifier.co.nz.)

https://bulletbeltnz.bandcamp.com/album/rise-of-the-banshee-2
https://www.facebook.com/Bulletbelt