Liam BarrettHaving previously graced the stage at Dolan’s Warehouse, a year ago, during the Siege of Limerick heavy metal festival, XIII Doors made a triumphant return to the same venue for their first headline gig in Limerick city. Continuing their tour of the UK and Ireland to promote the launch of their debut album Into the Unknown (keep an eye out for our review, coming soon!), the band played to a sold-out crowd in Dolan’s intimate Kasbah Social Club.
The night started early, with enthusiastic support from up-and-coming local band Settler and established English rockers The Hot One Two. Both delivered solid sets, keeping the diehards in the crowd entertained as the venue began to fill, embracing an atmosphere of fun that is sometimes sorely lacking within the heavy metal scene.
But it was the headline act that the audience was here to see. This was essentially a hometown crowd for Shannon native DJ O’Sullivan, the band’s frontman and principal creative force, and they met him with an appropriate roar of cheers when they finally took the stage.
What followed was a short but polished set, delivering note-perfect renditions of songs from their debut album. And while XIII Doors is very much DJ’s vision, he has assembled an impressive collection of musicians to accompany him. Cian O’Sullivan joins his brother on drums, while Hedfuzzy’s Pat Byrne cuts a reliable figure on bass, showcasing an impressive overhand playing technique on occasion. Meanwhile, Metallitia’s own Flash Murphy adds some proper old-school metal credentials on guitar. Murphy even takes a moment in the spotlight to sing lead vocals on a cover of Alice in Chains’ “Them Bones” (AiC being a clear influence on XIII Doors’ style).
The songs themselves are solid, though few are particularly remarkable. Unsurprisingly, the singles “Lead the Way” and “See How You’ve Come So Far” make the strongest impression, though the rest do little to distinguish themselves from one another. Perhaps this is a consequence of the sound quality at the venue, which did the band no favors. But while XIII Doors may not have yet delivered something truly original, they make up for it with energy and technical precision in their performance. And with the level of musical ability…
