Under Blackened Skies

Rank #11 Birmingham, UK Metal / Melodic Death Metal / Blackened ...

About

Members: Manu Patel - Vocals, Aaron Sheldon - Guitar/Backing Vocals, Chris Locke - Guitar/Backing Vocals, Paul Hunt - Bass Guitar/Backing Vocals, Tim Wilson - ...

Sounds Like: Lamb of God, Arch Enemy, Soilwork, DevilDriver

Label: A.R.C. Records

Manager: Alan Sutheran

Bio: Born from the loin of the birthplace of metal, five Brummies came together and created a musical storm, enough to raise merry hell and judgement day itself... all whilst having a laugh and not taking themselves 'too' seriously... welcome Under Blackened Skies.

Under Blackened Skies aim to break ... See Full Bio

More Info

Status

: ♫ Just Announced: Dudley, United Kingdom - Jul 5 at The Courthouse http://t.co/8bbPayico3

Press

“First and foremost. Great name for a band of this ilk. Under Blackened Skies!!! That's ace. You'd want to go and see this band at Download - safe in the knowledge that they'd crush you. The song "Faceless Devastation" doesn't disappoint, it does exactly what it says on the tin really. Big chunky riffs, tight musicianship and heavy as hell.”

— Loz Guest, Kerrang Radio! Big Audition Feedback

“Under Blackened Skies is beyond scream bloody murder and looped heavy riffs. They are heavy through and through, but what you get in the middle are nice breakouts of talented guitar playing, an occasional melodic riff, and oh my God harmony.”

— Plantera7, A Metal State Of Mind

“Overall, Faceless Devastation is a great solid release and should propel these guys further into their already outstanding path in the metal scene. I’m hoping to hear a full-length album in the next year or so and see what kind of direction these guys take. The music depicted in this work sets a new standard for their next release, and I think they will easily topple that obstacle. Look out for these guys in the near future as they shred their way through shows, festivals, and tours. These guys deserve a look at for sure, and who knows, they may end up as part of the top releases of the year.”

— Jeffrey Allee, Ultima Music Blog

“They rouse and command the crowd, call out and denounce any who deny their vision, their message of victory and glories yet reached. A prelude to a storm, it’s already clear the end is as far away as ever it was, but we’re none of us concerned as we fight beneath the Under Blackened Skies flag; to find that point of insanity and move right on in, accepting the call to arms and relishing the prospect of setting out onto the field of battle to the backdrop of Faceless Devastation turning our comrades into heroes and our fallen into gods. And whilst it would be churlish to attribute an albums worth of music into a single press-friendly sound bite, perhaps there is one that may go some way to offering the uninitiated an unequivocal insight into the musicianship and mastery you can expect from Under Blackened Skies: This isn’t a band; This Is Sparta!”

— MadasHell Promotions Official Blog

“To sum up this is one powerful EP that is tightly focused as well as produced to a very high standard incorporating fast, melodic, brutal and down-right savagery into the mix with a strong hint of blackened death metal but yet it still offers a more mellow moment to savour. Each track escalates from the previous one and offers intensity en masse. Collectively these guys do stand as one as anybody who listens to this can testify. It does carry its own unique blend of callousness but then again it is to be expected with a death metal band and UBS do not disappoint! ”

— Pagan Tordengrav, Pagan Hel Reviews . . .

“Under Blackened Skies is a sick Melodic Death Metal band with a major thrash metal edge. Their sound is brutally heavy and has a lot of raw power behind it. There is something here that makes Under Blackened Skies more than a melodeath band. Rather than just being another In Flames clone Under Blackened Skies is horrifically solid, frighteningly powerful, and very, very tight.”

— Matt Baggins, Two Guys Metal Review

“'Under Blackened Skies take no prisoners with their sound. Aggressive right from the start, with drum fills hammering away at your eardrums and intense guitar riffs pounding alongside, they leave you pumped up and dreaming of the most deadliest of circle pits.'”

— Gena HollyOake, Heavy Petal - Faceless Devastation EP Review

“Setting the bar high from the off Under Blackened Skies attack their material like they’ve just been unleashed from captivity for the first time. Lead track ‘Bludgeon’ is a truly devastating slab of hardened black/death metal and will no doubt become the band’s calling card in the immediate future, setting the standard in the same way that Machine Head’s ‘Davidian’ or Obituary’s ‘Don’t Care’ did for their respective albums. With slick production values that show the band are looking at the bigger picture, “Faceless Devastation” is certainly an eye-opening debut from a band that have made a bit of a name for themselves on the live circuit and if all goes well then there is definitely a lot more to be heard from Under Blackened Skies.”

— Chris Ward, This is Not A Scene

“As a general overview of the show, the band worked very well together on the stage, running back and forth, generally being somewhat manic and trying to put on a decent show for all assembled. The frontman also tried as hard as possible to get the crowd involved in the songs, jumping off the stage a few times to mingle with everyone at the front. Technically, the music is fantastic, with complex guitar work and superb bass lines that throbbed in the room. The vocals, while not my thing, are exceptionally impressive. At the risk of causing embarrassment, I did not expect such a loud voice from a smaller guy! The songs all had a very similar vein to them in terms of style, and they reminded me of early 80's thrash metal. Considering that's a genre I loved, it made listening to and watching the band an absolute pleasure to say the least.”

— Neil "Khaine" Wallis, Phoenix Rising

“Following on from that were seasoned metal stalwarts Under Blackened Skies who keep the temperature high and the pace fast. Front man Manu immediately takes control of the crowd and for the rest of their set acted as conductor/choreographer for a Black Metal opus of Wagnerian proportions. His crazed stares and banshee howls curdled the blood, with the rest of the band providing the magnificent orchestration to this grand piece of theatrical extreme metal. It’s not hard to see why they went down a storm at Bloodstock, not many bands can pull off this genre with such aplomb, but also with the occasional wink and tongue in cheek. I accept Black/Death Metal is too extreme for a lot of fans but you have to appreciate the technical difficulty to pull it off well, and UBS certainly know how to do just that.”

— Tony Gaskin, Midlands Rocks

“Even though this isn't a full length release, the band has to impress and sum up their sound in less tracks..they certainly do all they can to prove they are the real deal and can produce professional songs! The EP may be named 'Facless Devastion' but the EP itself is certainly not 'faceless' in the sense that it has heaps of character and the band have a strong identity!..and well in terms of devastation, it would be devastating to not give this band a listen! I can't say a bad thing about Under Blackened Skies, however they may be the envy of other metal bands as they may lay them to waste with their impressive hard as nails metal!”

— Carina Lawrence, Carina's Music Reviews & Interviews

“Looking to be one of Birmingham's strongest metal bands on the live circuit. UBS are five Brummies with a blackened death metal mission and they intend to blast your brains out with tunes like "Burn The Suffering" and "Chaotic Empathy". If you want to hear head crushing music then you need to get in the moshpit with this band. Headlining BASEMENT FEST 2011 for a very good reason. This is an exciting band and I can't wait to see this band live. Nuff said”

— Nick Townsend, Ryan's Gig Guide

“Manu from Under Blackened Skies will be providing the screams and backing vocals for Daniel Lioneye when they tour the US in February and March! They will be supporting Cradle of Filth and also playing are Turisas and Nachtmystium! This is going to be brutal!”

— Daniel Lioneye, Blabbermouth.net - Road Runner Records

“We made our way over to the New Blood Stage nearby to check out Under Blackened Skies. Genre wise they are tricky to define due to the sheer mixture of what's on offer, though I'd probably go for math-core tinged blackened death metal. They were solid throughout and showed a lot of potential. [7.5/10]”

— Bloodstock Open Air Festival Review

“Under Blackened Skies are in the international traveller magazine for EasyJet, as part of an article regarding the birth of Heavy Metal in Birmingham. They are featured allongside Black Sabbath and Ozzy, Napalm Death and Led Zepp. Follow this link to see the article ”

— Traveller - International Magazine for EasyJet

“UBS are dedicated to their music, which on an overall basis is best described as blackened death metal, but with a varied style. UBS were a pleasure to see giving their all on the small stage. Vocalist Manu, with waxen death metal skin and bloodshot eyes and all, smiled demonically while bellowing his lungs out, connecting with the audience. The axe-wielders were energetic; guitarist Amit stride-standing, doing solos with guitar vertical and expression manic, or doing an old school, perfectly executed windmill. Aaron, also guitar, with hyper hectic headbanging drawing the impressed attention of two drunk punks stumbling around in front of and, onto the stage. Bass man Paul wrenching those solid strings and radiating a positive energy typical of the whole band. Behind it all, and hidden as is the drummers lot, Andy providing precise, powerful pounding.UBS have great stage presence. Even though probably very few in the house knew the music beforehand, the band won the audience.”

— Thorbjørn Hein, Terrorizer Review

“Under Blackened Skies – Disposition Of Chaos All manner of extreme metal is in evidence here. Metalcore, death metal – both old school and melodic, modern prog, technical death metal, doom, and even folk/battle/black metal crossover. In general it works well, although there are times when it all falls a bit flat and seems over-technical for the sake of it. All things considered, whilst not truly conveying their live menace, this is more than promising. It's always encouraging to hear a band who are prepared to push themselves and try to encompass different genres. I look forward to seeing them play live again soon, and hope there's a full length album in the offing soon.”

— Chop, Chopmusic

“UBS are a five piece band probably most easily categorised as blackened death metal, although they incorporated sections from genres as far reaching as technical death metal, prog both old and new school, metalcore/mathcore mainly down to the precision chops and beatdowns, and, to a degree, battle metal. This sounds like an overflowing melting pot, but they kept it bubbling well, and it was mixed with considerable flair. They attacked their set with added gusto, and provided several highlights. Winds Of War was a true impact song, mainly due to the machine gun double bass pedal onslaught, but they definitely saved the best for last. The instrumental Alone had an almost dreamy feel and was an interesting counterpoint to the rest of their stint, before Part Together concluded their display strongly combining melody and savagery in fine style. UBS were entertaining throughout and set a high standard for the remaining bands to follow. ”

— Chop, Chop Music

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Recent Blogs

At the Mo!
Oct 14, 2009
we are curently writing new material for our debut album and giging or metal hea... [more]

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Songs

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Bludgeon

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Winds Of War

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Videos

Under Blackened Skies - Bludgeon - OFFICIAL VIDEO

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Shows

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Tue
May 21

The Old Angel Inn
Nottingham, UK | 8:00pm
The Old Angel Inn
Nottingham, UK
Tue May 21 8:00pm
- Show Details
- Tickets
Sat
Jun 29

The Salutation Inn
Nottingham, UK | 7:00pm
The Salutation Inn
Nottingham, UK
Sat Jun 29 7:00pm
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Fri
Jul 5

The Courthouse
Dudley, UK | 7:00pm
The Courthouse
Dudley, UK
Fri Jul 05 7:00pm
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Sat
Jul 20

Scruffy Murphys
Birmingham, UK | 8:00pm
Scruffy Murphys
Birmingham, UK
Sat Jul 20 8:00pm
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Sun
Jul 28

Vauxhall motors sports …
Ellesmere Port, UK | 8:00pm
Vauxhall motors sports and ...
Ellesmere Port, UK
Sun Jul 28 8:00pm
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Comments

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Malandra
yo guys, lookin forward to playing with you again at eddies on the 8th september. should be a killer show...its a metal all dayer as ive been told. like our new reverbnation ...
Pace Ride
Wonderful music!!!Absolutely fantastic!!!!
Tommy Stackz™
Just stoppin by to show my support! keep up tha good work
BuRn
sounds great!!!
bikerbob
Great sounds here...Rock on..
The Fores
Great Band! Great Tracks! Great Sound! you kick-ass!!