N.E.W. Metal Productions All Dayer
N.E.W. Metal Productions All Dayer
18th October 2025
Mcleans Pub, Pentre, Deeside North Wales
Review by Alun Jones
Halloween is over, so time for yours truly to get back to being the legendary Rock Journo that I was born to be. Spooky month is a big deal chez moi, so we’re taking a trip back a couple of weeks here for a fairly recent All Dayer at Mcleans, Pentre, which was organised by our good friends North East Wales Metal Productions.
As usual, there was a great selection of bands playing throughout the late afternoon and evening, though sadly there’s always some last-minute shuffling of the line-up where someone can’t make it. No matter, there was more than enough to get your fangs stuck into.
First up, all the way from North Yorkshire way, were Alt Rock trio Kath and The Kicks. I was most excited to see this band, as they’d been unable to make a previous appearance here. A really solid, professional set with a machine-like drummer, powerhouse bass, and Kath herself on super compelling guitar and voice. A bit like Joan Jett fronting Soundgarden but much more fun, it was loud, intense and grungy, and a great start to the day. I loved them, and hope they come back soon!
Syntara were next, a young group who took to the stage with supreme confidence. Their music is best described as “Modern Metalcore”, which is not really my scene, man – but their performance was captivating. They owned the stage like they’d been born behind the drum kit. My only advice would be they need a live bass player to fill out the sound. Oh, and they need to get rid of the utterly vile-looking, funny-shaped, headless guitars. Other than that, very impressive.
Travelling up to Pentre from Leicester, Voidwalker brought the Technical Death Metal along with them to bedazzle us all. Another ultra-confident band, Voidwalker unleashed a Tsunami of sonic venom, a dual guitar attack driven by a relentless rhythm section. Their front man prowled the room and growled and roared above the thunder. Powerful and performed with obvious fervour, Voidwalker’s set was brutal but unmissable.
When a bloke stands on stage wielding a huge medieval broad sword, you kinda sit up and take notice. This was how Hiraeth began their set, and though the sword soon disappeared, I stuck around anyway, ‘cos they were great. Playing Black Metal inspired by Welsh folklore, history and culture, the band are excellent performers and obviously have a passionate message to get across. They’re also a lovely bunch of people. BENDIGEDIG!
Deified were our final band of the evening, and they were very worthy headliners. A five-piece band from Merseyside, they’ve been around a few years now and have developed a confident presence to deliver their mighty Metal. They didn’t bring any merch, but they did bring a set of huge, aggressive, and uncompromising Metal that devastated the entire building. Here’s hoping we get a new Deified album soon.
And that’s your lot, kids! Another successful N.E.W. Metal Productions event showcasing some fine musical talent. More soon!
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Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Alun Jones and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
