What a day to be reviewing an EP of an Irish Band, St Patrick’s Day 2026 marks my introduction to Broken Habit’s, Dublin’s very own Nu-Metal/Metalcore/Slam Metal maestros.
I was sent a quick reminder that these cool kids had sent me their EP ‘Nightshade’ to run my eyes and ears over, and today felt like the day to take that on, and boy oh boy am I glad I did! Right from the opening riff, you know you’re in for a brutal treat. This new EP follows 2024’s S.E.D.A.T.E and introduces their audience to a new, more progressive sound as the guys hone their craft and knuckle down on the brutality at their fingertips. This one is a four-track monster that absolutely deserves your attention.
The EP’s opener is like a blow to the head, ‘Reign’ just hits hard, the sick,tasty riffage demands your attention and will have you pulling your best stank face right from the off. It is gnarly with a capital GNAR!! The huge breakdowns and guttural vocals just make you want to wreck the joint! So if you’re at your ma’s this St Patrick’s Day, don’t be sticking it on while visiting, but feel free to mosh the fuck out on your way home.
The EP’s title track, ‘Nightshade’, just delivers, slamming you into the ground like a blow from a sledgehammer. It’s an unforgiving track, punishing in all of the best kinds of ways. This one balances the guttural with clean vocals to bring you a broader taste of what Broken Habit have to offer, no less brutal, visceral to the core, but they can mix it up like the best of them.
The good news is that they used our very own JSR Audio to produce the EP, and you can tell, after working with the likes of Survivalist and Archives, Josh is no stranger to quality metal/metalcore acts coming through his door, looking to sound as badass as their peers. The EP’s third track, ‘Worldeater’, has more of an anarchic feel, harking back to an almost post-punk vibe at times, and is another hefty track that delivers weight with every scream and thrash of those guitars. Before you know it, we are wrapping this beauty up with ‘Forevermore’, showcasing a more modern metal feel and, again, allowing Broken Habit to flex their musical muscles.
A tasty introduction to the band for me, it’ll be interesting to see where these cats go from here. They have all the ingredients necessary to build an army of fans in Ireland and beyond.
Nightshade was released at the end of 2025 and is well worth a spin, a band still on the up and one to watch for the future for sure.
Track Listing
1. Reign
2. Nightshade
3. World Eater
4. Forevermore
