"The riffs hang and reverb as the funereal drums plunder and power through the opening couple of minutes. This slow to mid-tempo arrangement is both hypnotic and narcotic, as another lead guitar soars psychedelically over the fuzzy and distorted noise"

Has the Irish metal scene ever been in a healthier position? I don’t think so. The stellar releases continue, week in, week out, but what’s even more striking is the quality and the innovation that adorns them. Bands are challenging themselves and are not afraid to take a gamble. With this in mind, I had a listen to Belfast’s Puresonic Outcasts, and y’know something, they epitomise everything I have just mentioned. Their latest EP, which was only released two weeks ago is a perfect example of a group of musicians that can fuse many styles, sounds and even decades together and come up with something quite new and very fresh. Harnessing seventies doom and psychedelia as the blueprint, Endless Contemplation is a must have for all metal heads.

The first track for instance, Humanoid, grooves and grinds through a funky riff that is joined by a smothered dual lead guitar that adds depth and menace to the track, until the melody swarms and asphyxiates. A deep gravelled vocal adds another layer to the track and before you know it, you’re hurtled into the throes of a Sepulchrally crafted, old-school monster of a track that pounds and pummels right to the bitter end.

Mudlarker follows, and this track changes gears with its doom-soaked atmosphere and its brooding bass guitar. The riffs hang and reverb as the funereal drums plunder and power through the opening couple of minutes. This slow to mid-tempo arrangement is both hypnotic and narcotic as another lead guitar soars psychedelically over the fuzzy and distorted noise. Slow motion head banging carries the listener right through to the end of this track, before paths change once more with the following piece of music.

Flashes of the nineties doom revival come in shape of a Paradise Lost styled melody on the third track Om. It may be slow paced, but it’s laced with harmonics and more stoner ambiances that sink their teeth in and don’t retreat. The trajectory changes somewhat once the vocals enter the equation, transporting you even further back into the evolution of doom and gloom with its Sabbath styled subcurrents and trippy, intoxicating groove. To add to that crazy headspace, the next track, Aural continues this mood-altering euphoria with its dreamy, silky guitars that float like a dense fog, embellishing that psychotropic trip even more as the pace picks up and the swagger overflows with glistening duel guitaring and hypnotic percussions.

Desceration and Politics of fear bring us back to the start of the EP with more Sepultura styled arrangements and more deep gritty vocals that nestle deep into the mix, never overpowering the insane riffs and drums that orchestrate the show. This maybe an EP but there is so much to absorb here with Endless Contemplation. It’s like a time machine that you have sat into, and while sampling some mind-altering hallucinogens, you’re blissfully transported through decades of musical gloom, that's laced with mind altering highs. This EP is a trip everyone should take.

Puresonic Outcasts have really set the bar high with this, and I’m confident there’s plenty more in them. If you crave old school death metal that is bursting at the seams with heavy stoner riffs and doom inspired phases, then this EP with satisfy the hunger. The EP has been available since 26-05-2022, so I suggest you hit their Bandcamp page and check them out.