Metal 2 The Masses // The Grand Final 2026 // Northern Ireland

This is it, folks, we have arrived at one of the most important rock and metal nights on the local NI music scene in 2026.

For so many of the bands we know and love across the local scene, who throw themselves into this competition year after year to grab a chance to play Bloodstock Open Air Festival. Now there are other competitions to get involved in, Battle of the Bands with cash at the end of it, but the prestige of being called M2TM Winners, sharing a stage at Bloodstock with the best the UK and beyond offer and of course sharing a weekend with the likes of Saxon, Lamb Of God, Slaughter To Prevail, and of course Judas Priest, Jesus wept!

All of the bands here tonight earned their right to be here, all I can hope is that all enjoy their experience up there, leave their nerves at home and embrace the opportunity in front of them to make their mark.

Up first tonight, Aires Air. A three-piece proggy band that captured the hearts and minds of everyone in the room when they played across the competition. They fuse heavy subject matter with melodic proggy goodness, and tonight is no different. The occasion does not seem to be fazing them, which is great to see; the tasty basslines against the melodic guitar lines soon coalesce into a cacophony as their set builds to a crescendo. A great way to start the evening and a reminder to all that they need to be on their game. #firstshotsfired

Up next, we have Merys, a band in a similar vein to Aires Air, but one that tends to go off on tangents a little more. We did equally love and scratch our heads at Merys in their earlier shows, often with heads melted, trying to make sense of what we were watching. This band have a vibe! But it is an equal part nuttier than squirrel shit and musical genius! They always have the room captivated, like a magnetic force you just can’t look away from, a bit like that opening scene from ‘Crash’ if ya know ya know!

Two bands in, both are on fire. If you think it was tough calling a heat or a semi-final, this one is going to be a killer.

Up next, we have Shortest Straw, a band that deviates radically from the first two bands with their own brand of savage, modern death metal. The energy level of their set is off the charts; everyone on stage is fully committed, pouring every inch of their being into it. It is a furious collection of tunes that pummel you from start to finish. I may have mentioned it before, but I really dig their frontman, huge stage presence, and he kinda reminds me of a young Peter Clarke (Strangle Wire), another stellar frontman and a powerhouse live. Their set flies by, every track is short and sweet, so as not to overwhelm your average Gen Z metalhead with their goldfish-like attention span! Three down, three to go and up next we deviate once again to something a little more mainstream in Arc Dakota.

10 pm start for our only female-fronted band in the final this year. These guys have done well to get themselves into the final, as they are surrounded by bands, genre-wise, that are so left-field by comparison. Arc Dakota is a more stereotypical mainstream rock band with a strong melodic edge over a hard-rocking sound. I can see plenty of heads moving in the crowd, so they certainly brought a fanbase with them throughout, which is great to see. They’re very proactive on social media and seem to be building up a solid fanbase, which is what you can hope for with any band involved in the competition. You have to maximise the opportunity where you can; they have a really easy-on-the-ear sound that resonates with everyone in the room. It’s a nice change of pace in an evening packed with musical rollercoasters and the deepest, darkest thoughts of deprived minds, and that’s just the judges.

Microtonal up next, and what a whirlwind these guys are! A furious set of tasty thrash that has the Voodoo faithful whipped up into a frenzy! Their set is a relentless barrage of tunes that go straight for the jugular, an unforgiving collection of songs that offers no respite or opportunity to catch your breath. I’m sure those guys must lose a few pints of water up there, sweating their balls off delivering that set. Thrashtastic from start to finish, the band’s energy is off the charts, left to right, everyone is headbanging like their lives depend on it, all I can see from the rear of the room is a fury of hairs in the air being backlit as they live their best lives for that gnarly 30-minute set, a nice palette cleanser before our final band of proggy goodness.

Muted Tweed hit the stage at 11:30 to a slightly sparser room, as by this stage, everyone else had competed and those who dragged their fans along were outside enjoying a beer, smoking their brains out, awaiting the results.

These guys are great, I love what they do and how they do it. A really pleasant surprise in this year’s competition: alongside Merys and Aires Air, we have seen a shift in the dynamics of the final from previous years, which were Death, Thrash, and Groove Metal-heavy, to a much more varied bunch of bands spanning many genres. It’s great to see and realistically represent the face of the modern music scene with so many prog, instrumental bands rising out of the ashes like a phoenix, grabbing a McD’s on their way home from a late Friday night gig! Mmmmm McDonald’s 🫠

In 15 minutes, when Muted Tweed lay down their proverbial guns, that’s it, folks. The judges will gather and decide the fate of these six bands. #squeekybumtime

Before I wrap up how it all played out, I do have to acknowledge the journey we all took over the last 5 months, so many great bands, so much talent on show. Nobody comes into this competition as the finished article. Life is a journey, being in a band is a prison sentence, but one of choice! As someone who runs a site, deals with press releases daily, if you had any idea what you are up against, in terms of volume of bands all jostling for position, you wouldn’t get out of bed in the morning! Something needs to change radically within the music industry to help support and bolster up-and-coming bands, but we are very lucky here in Northern Ireland with such a thriving scene, driven by some really cool and important characters, least of all Mr James Loveday, who lives and breathes The Metal Scene locally. Let’s keep it that way, it is why, as James pointed out, Simon Hall of Bloodstock HQ LOVES the NI Metal Scene, the quality here way outweighs that of most regions in the UK, and why so many NI bands get the opportunity to play across the board at BOA each year. Ringfence what we have, get out and support those gigs, bands, live your best life with your mates in the front row of a hot, sweaty gig, and I’ll see you all again next year!

A BIG thanks to James for having me along for the ride, all the judges and weekly fanboys for the craic and sanity checks across the year, the staff at Voodoo for doing what you Doodoo, the kids at Metal For Life for their invaluable services to the local scene and of course all the bands who brought a smile to my face over the last year. What will I do with my Friday nights now?

James took to the stage around 12 on Friday night to announce that Microtonal took the crown this year!

Congratulations to the excellent Microtonal on winning last night’s Metal 2 the Masses NI competition! Superb performance from the lads. I thought all 6 bands brought their A game and played out of their skins. Once again the talent and diversity on display was a genuine pleasure to witness. Airies Air, Merys, Shortest Straw, Arc Dakota and Muted Tweed – thanks so much for making this a truly memorable final. I’ll be working with all of you again soon!

Sincere thanks to the judges who have been brilliant throughout and have given their time, energy and wisdom to every round, including the final. Gareth Ruddock, Shane Hughes, Mark McGrogan (who took these photos. Thanks Mark!), Mark Ashby, Andrew Coles, you are absolute legends to a man! Special mention to Garry McConnell who once again donated his drum kit for all 10 shows and Alicja Cygan for doing the door every week. Couldn’t do it without you support and help. Cheers you guys!

I was delighted to have Metal for Life NI at every show again this year. Their importance to us as a community cannot be overstated and it was a pleasure to see and talk to the volunteers every week.

Finally, thank you to everyone who showed up last night and throughout the competition. Last night was the 3rd year in a row the final has sold out and it gladdens my heart to see that you are all still on this journey with me and you are all as passionate about Metal 2 the Masses as I am. You make it what it is!

Keep up with James gigs here: The Distortion Project

Thanks again kids – Photography as always by moi @flashartmark – please feel free to use/share the images on your socials – Just give us a wee tag!