The Distortion Project – Kicking Off 2025 In Style With Nihilanth, Ketos & From Ruins
It’s hard to wrap your head around it but it’s 2025 and here we are, Voodoo. Belfast for an eye-watering trio of bands who represent the past, present and future of metal in Northern Ireland.
Three modern metal bands that have their fingerprint and DNA all over the N.I Metal scene. From bands back from the dead, rebirths and everything in-between tonight is going to be a seriously hefty collection to get the juices flowing into 2025.
Up first From Ruins, I worked with these lads a while back as they plotted their re-emergence into the scene here in Northern Ireland, making a few appearances at M2TM and the likes the guys have a polished sound and the talent to make an immediate impression. Tonight is the perfect reminder as to what they are capable of. Playing a mix of older tracks from earlier EPs right through to unreleased numbers we get the full spectrum of what From Ruins are all about. 2025 will be a big year for these guys are they properly establish and reacquaint themselves in the N.I Metal scene, no doubt winning an army of fans along the way. Hailing from Ballymoney, they are long overdue for a run of Belfast shows to build on a solid sound and some great recent releases, as I said before watch these lads in 2025 turning quite a few heads.
Back for 2025 with a vengeance are Ketos, it’s been a while since these legends were back together rampaging their way across stages North and South of the border doing their thang! These guys are savage! Highly experienced in the art of metal, Ketos were one of Belfast’s fave bands packed with talent in every corner of the band, when Ketos played you took notice. So it’s great to have them back on stage once again as they shred the faces of the voodoo faithful once again, and of course, witnessing Keith’s blistering guitar work, there aren’t too many lead guitarists of his calibre in the local scene, so that is always a pleasure.
For sure they haven’t lost their touch, they ram home a killer set packed with gnarly tracks that you can feel hitting you in the chest like a sledgehammer. For their first gig in five years, Ketos have announced their arrival back on the scene in fashion. Word gets around fast in this city and come the spring and summer these guys, Ketos and no doubt From Ruins will be back here playing to a packed sweaty crowd of metal-loving lunatics reminding them why they do it.
Tonight represents Nihilanth’s debut headline show in Belfast, deservedly so, these guys have been ripping it up for quite a while and bringing a wealth of experience and talent to the fore. They have real stage presence about them, boundless energy and a brutal sound live that catches every time they play. The groove is hefty, the vocals cutting and the backline a force to be reckoned with. These boys surprised everyone and took the title of M2TM Winners for 2024 beating off some serious competition, they just got their heads down and delivered time and time again throughout the heats to make a mark that drove them all the way to Bloodstock 2024 playing The Newblood Stage.
So for 2025 we see an evolution of a band that has tasted success and with that a newfound confidence and self-belief that what they are doing is resonating and carrying weight within the N.I. Metal scene. Tonight was only a taster, opening the doors on 2025 reminding us of what is tome come with M2TM kicking off at the end of this month. Northern Ireland is dripping in talent, across multiple genres, and multiple venues, there is an army of untapped talent out there all ready to step up to the challenge. Get out there, show them some love, champion those local bands any chance you can.
Photography: Mark McGrogan
I Am Taking Bookings For Band Promos F0r 2025 // DM me on our socials @rocknload
It all Kicks Off Here: Metal 2 the Masses Heat One: https://tinyurl.com/M2MNI-HeatOne
