By Chris Rockson

 

Working Title - 'At The Hands Of Death' - Demo

Track Listing

Spirits Of The Sands

MaryAnn

That Which Bounds Me

At the Hands Of Death

Atonal Defiance

 

KILLHEATHEN is a 3 piece Rock/Metal from the Northwest. Their powerful riffs and melodies will shake any venue to it’s foundations. The band was founded by Craig Gilroy, a former member of a well-established rock band based in Warrington, Cheshire. Following artistic differences of opinion and a desire to become a songwriter himself, Craig decided to part company with the band and form a new project with a heavier sound, much like he tried to aspire to with previous projects.

 During a week long music summer camp, he was extremely fortunate to meet Drummer Dale Ellis and Guitarist Chris Madra. During the course with a combination of love of metal and classic rock (and an abundance of alcohol) it became clear that the 3 lads had stumbled across something that might actually work.

Due to other band commitments it wasn't possible for the lads to continue with the project until May 2007, when all 3 lads cut their ties to their other music commitments at the time. With immediate effect Dale, Chris and Craig began producing songs. A few ideas were thought out and scrapped until finally the 1st of many songs in the Killheathen catalogue 'Spirits Of The Sands' was born. Influenced by the 70’s greats such as DIO, RAINBOW, SABBATH, DEEP PURPLE.

Killheathen was finally complete and within a few short months had enough quality songs to perform live. They approached some of Manchester’s best venues and, after some rejections, it was Grand Central that gave them the opportunity to play their debut show. This ultimately put the lads on the map and allowed word of mouth to spread. Following this first performance they took part in the Jack Daniels Battle Of The Bands achieving 2nd place out of 10 well established bands, on just their 2nd gig! This is a must see band and considering the short space of time they have been formed, it will be an unforgettable experience.

Members: Craig Gilroy - Singer / Bassist / Songwriter Craig's experience extends over a period of 7 years. An accomplished music student, holding a degree in musical performance and teaching, as well as an extensive amount of live performances with college/community based projects and successful originals bands, he has gathered the skills required to fulfil the roles required of him.

Dale Ellis - Drummer / Backing Vocals Much like Craig, Dale is an accomplished music student on the verge of completing his music degree with flying colours.

Dale has also been involved in many Community and University based projects working with an array of artists and genres. With these skill achieved he is an excellent musician who can take instantly to any song or arrangement. Combined with his power and aggression, he poses a musician very much in a league of his own. He is the 'Rhythmic Driving Backbone' that is Killheathen.

Chris Madra - Guitarist (June 2007 - August 2008)

Ian Johnson - Guitarist - (Present) Ian's background is of a highly accomplished self taught musician for the last 10 years. He has been involved in many high profile gigs and events, performing support slots with bands like Mendeed, Fozzy, Broadzilla and Breed 77 on a number of occassions. His influences include Zakk Wylde, Jerry Cantrell, Dimebag Darrell and Slash. He's also had the opportunity to meet Zakk Wylde on a number of occassions. His style of playing has been compared to all his influences and he is highly skilled and in his songwriting abilities and vocal abilities also. He is now a great asset to the band, so stay tuned and see him tear up the stage with flaring waves of musical gems. So! There you have it, listen to them, judge them, let them know what you think!

Well, ok, we love a challenge!

The overall sound of Killheathen is awesome, with killer licks and riffs, powerful rhythyms and dark lyrics...pretty much does what it says on the tin! The genre of Metal hasn't changed that much over the years, and there are a million bands blasting down the venues and shredding your ears....however, most rely upon sheer volume to achieve their goal of 'Sonic Reduction', not so these guys. The songs are well written and played by competent rockers, a nice surprise to some of the dross I receive through  the editorial door, I can tell ya that!

The recent acquisition of new guitarist, Ian Johnson, was a smart move by the band. Not only can he play more notes in a song than most could in a week, he hits them perfectly! Couple that with the thumping bass-lines of Craig Gilroy and the powerhouse drumming of Dale Ellis, and the combination is something special.

They are destined for success, and with a full UK tour booked for next month, the signs are all green! I checked them out recently at a warm-up show in my hometown and was blown away...you will be too!

8/10

 

Check out the Killheathen  RIGHT HERE