10 Great Irish Bands to Make Your St. Patrick’s Day Metal as F*ck

For most of us, St. Patrick’s Day is just another excuse to get hammered, and I’m not mad at it. I’m sure I’ll end up downing a Guinness and a shot or two of Jameson or Redbreast with my friends at some point this weekend too. It happens. But let’s not forget that St. Paddy’s Day (not “Patty’s”) is just as much a celebration of culture as it is about partying, and Ireland is a stunningly beautiful country with a storied history and a vibrant, infectious spirit. Traveling there is absolutely on my bucket list, but until such a time as I am fortunate enough to walk its idyllic cliffs and rolling hills with my own two feet, I’ll have to contend myself with appreciating its many exports.

We don’t typically think of Ireland when it comes to metal, but rest assured, they know how to shred and blaspheme with the best of ’em. Here is just a sample of some of the best, most diverse metal acts that the Emerald Isle has to offer.

Happy St. Patrick’s day, everyone. If you’re drinking, do so responsibly. Sláinte!

Gama Bomb

Arguably one of the most famous acts to come out of Ireland, there’s just no denying the energy and lighthearted humor that Gama Bomb bring to the table with their particular flavor of thrash. Imagine if Iron Maiden played way faster and had goofier lyrics. They just put out another new album a few months ago, and the first song is about a pharaoh being brought back to life as a giant cyborg programmed by Anubis himself, with the line “Egyptron, I’m the freaky one, do ’em and I’m gone just like Don Juan.” And that’s just the start. Yeah, I’m sold.

Primordial

Another easy choice given that they’ve been around since the early ’90s and are signed to Metal Blade Records, but of course these guys take themselves much more seriously. Primordial’s signature slow paced black metal and darkly poetic lyrics have made them a staple for decades now, and their most recent album How It Ends shows no indication of them slowing down anytime soon, despite the name. They don’t bust out the folk instruments quite as often as they used to, and even back in the day they were still primarily black metal, but they still make an appearance from time to time, and it’s always awesome whenever it happens.

Abaddon Incarnate

Dublin’s own Abaddon Incarnate sit somewhere between death metal and grindcore, not quite fitting into one category or the other. It’s got all the societal pessimism, d-beats, and relatively short song lengths a grind fan could want, but there is also a steady stream of blast beats and shredding guitar solos to appease the metalheads as well. Whatever you wanna call it, this shit rips. Definitely a hidden gem who should be getting a lot more attention than they are.

Crimson Butchery

A badass death metal side project of the guitarist from Gama Bomb featuring Kevin Talley as the studio drummer? Don’t mind if I fucking do! Crimson Butchery put out an album called Repulsive Exhibition last year, and it’s got all the lightning fast grooves one would expect from a seasoned thrash guitarist, but the drums and vocals are decidedly beefier this time around. They even thrown in a slam or two for good measure. I mean, it’s got a song called “Regurgitated Genitals” on it, what more could you want? Time will tell if this ends up just being a one-off passion project, but whether or not the band continue on after this album, it’s still well worth a spin.

Aborted Earth

These guys are weird, no ifs ands or buts about it, but in a good way. You’re never entirely sure where this band is going to go, and some of it is ugly, but it’s always fun, and that’s what counts. You might get segments with lo-fi beats, some kind of weird emo pop punk mashup (see the video), or legitimately furious, whiplash inducing grindcore. Their first EP is essentially just really good old school death metal, but it’s also very straightforward, whereas later on it became a dice roll. Aborted Earth strike me as the sort of band that just do whatever the hell they feel like doing in the moment, and it’s hard not to respect that. I’ll let you be the judge. Bear in mind that this song is just one example in a catalog full of weird, obnoxious shit.

Slung From a Tree

So far all of the bands on this list have been from in and around Dublin, which makes sense since it’s the single largest metropolitan area in the country. But of course there’s so much more to Ireland than just Dublin, so let’s branch out a bit. All the way from County Limerick comes the stoner sludge/doom quartet Slung From a Tree, a perfect band for those looking for some shameless Black Sabbath worship with black metal shrieks on top. Solid music to burn one down and zone out to, if you sinners are into that sort of thing.

Belial’s Throne

How about some good old fashioned Satanic black metal? After all, Ireland is a predominantly Catholic country, so there had to be a pushback at some point. Hailing from County Carlow to the south, Belial’s Throne have a crisp, clean sound that makes their particular brand of black metal go down smooth as silk despite sounding just as evil as any of their contemporaries. It’s a bit more mid-paced, but that just means the blast beats hit that much harder when they do kick in. Definitely a worthy addition to any black metal enthusiast’s collection.

Corr Mhóna

It’s an Irish holiday, so it would be wrong not to include at least one band that writes all of their lyrics in Gaeilge. Corr Mhóna consists of two pairs of brothers, and three of the four of them share vocal duties equally, which surely is no easy task. Although most of the vocals are harsh screams and bellows a la black metal, they’re also not afraid to bust out some really solid clean harmonies from time to time, and that’s the thing that impresses me the most. Despite being an avid death metal fan, I also have a huge soft spot for a good strong melody, especially when it comes out of left field.

Strangle Wire

Ok, technically these guys are from Northern Ireland, which is its own separate entity, but whatever, close enough. They’re part of the same landmass and they’re celebrating today too, plus this band fucking rules, so on the list they go. They’re heavy, they’re groovy, and they put on a hell of a live show. I was lucky enough to catch these guys on tour with Defeated Sanity, Malignancy, and Prophecy last year, and I’ve been a fan ever since. Here’s hoping they manage to make their way Stateside again soon, because they did their country proud that night.

Atheos

Last but not least, we’ve got some dark and unsettling tech death from County Westmeath, home of what is commonly believed to be the oldest operational bar in the world, dating all the way back to 900AD. That alone is enough to put stars in my eyes, but add in the fact that there are also castles, abbeys, scenic lakes and hills, and at least one cool metal band who call the place home, and I’m about ready to hop on a plane right now. Atheos have a unique sound that sits in a very weird space between tech death and atmospheric black metal that I didn’t know existed until I heard them, but whatever it is, I dig it.