Worldwide Metal: Scotland
Scotland, a nation steeped in rugged and vast landscapes and ancient traditions, has long captured the imagination through its misty highlands, medieval castles, and storied past of clans, battles, and cultural resilience. From the echoes of the bagpipes, to the enduring symbols of Tartan and Thistle, Scotland’s identity is both fiercely proud and deeply passionate. Shaped by centuries of struggle, hardship and eventual triumph. Beyond its own rich history, the country has also carved a unique place in the global music scene. Scotland’s heritage, mythology, and raw energy has helped create powerful sonic expressions and messages. Weaving elements of folk, death, and black metal into sounds that resonate far beyond its borders. In this way, Scotland’s cultural spirit continues to thrive not only through its history and imagery but also through the uncompromising intensity of its metal scene.
To kick off a new year of Worldwide Metal in 2026, I reached out to a good friend of mine, Lindsay from the Youtube channel The Heavy Metal Journal. A knowledgeable woman, fellow writer, and a Scot herself, she is going to help me cover the huge musical landscape that her homeland offers and some true acts from the region that you NEED to check out.
Justin’s Pick: Party Cannon
Formed in 2010, the band has taken a unique approach to death metal with songs about partying and even a whole concept album dedicated to the infamous U.S. water park Action Park with their 2024 albums Injuries are Inevitable. Crushing riffs, bombastic drums and insane gutturals, the band truly delivers the heaviness that will make every head bang along in the room in-between shots. The band break the conventional, hard to read template of their death metal peers, with a log that embraces originality but also easily identifiable. As their logo almost pays homage to the classic toy store Toys R Us logo a lot of us grew up seeing. Countless shows feature the band having pool toys crowd surfing across the crowd, and the band performing with them onstage. Party Cannon are a band that you could take to the pub for a good time and then go rolling down a hill drunk off your ass and covered in pee…and wanting to do it again tomorrow even when you’re hungover and covered in bruises.
Lindsay’s Pick: Hand of Kalliach
Hand of Kalliach is a Scottish metal band renowned for their distinctive fusion of melodic death metal with atmospheric Celtic folk influences. Their music features heavy, distorted guitar work, powerful drumming, and ethereal melodies, frequently enhanced by traditional Scottish motifs and instrumentation. The interplay of harsh and clean vocals—delivered by duo John and Sophie Fraser—provides a compelling balance of aggression and haunting beauty throughout their songs.
Deeply inspired by Scotland’s rich heritage and dramatic landscapes, Hand of Kalliach’s lyrical themes revolve around mythology, folklore, and the elemental relationship between humanity and the sea. As their albums are conceptually rooted in mythological and environmental themes. Their distinctive sound quickly gained attention, leading to the release of their first EP Shade Beyond in 2020. Their debut album, Samhainn, channels Celtic myths and the cycles of the natural world. Their second album, Corryvreckan, released after signing with the renowned metal label Prosthetic Records, continues this journey. Corryvreckan expands on the band’s engagement with Scottish legend, taking its name from a famous whirlpool off the west coast of Scotland and weaving tales of the sea and ancient forces into their soundscapes.
Justin’s Pick: Hellripper
The one man act Hellripper is an act that truly captures the roots and origins of heavy and extreme metal. As part of the resurging speed metal scene with acts like Midnight and Bewitcher, Hellripper has consistently been releasing banger after banger with each studio album since the debut Coagulating Darkness in 2017. With thrash heavy roots and extreme first wave black metal aesthetics akin to the forefathers of the genre Venom and Bathory, the band is just a non-stop behemoth of sheer speed, intensity and heaviness. The band’s most recent album, 2023’s Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags, came out of nowhere and ended on a lot of best of 2023 lists. Bringing the band’s main man, James McBain, and his talented musicianship to the forefront. If you want straightforward, intense extreme metal that just keeps you banging your head with no reprieve or respite, then Hellripper is the band you NEED to check out.
Lindsay’s Pick: Sgàile
Sgàile is a progressive metal project known for its lush soundscapes and emotionally charged compositions. Blending elements of progressive rock, metal, and ambient music, Sgaile’s sound is characterized by intricate guitar work, atmospheric keyboards, and dynamic shifts that range from gentle introspection to powerful, soaring climaxes. The music often employs layered vocals and complex rhythms, creating a cinematic listening experience that appeals to fans of both classic and modern progressive music scene.
Founded in the early 2020s by multi-instrumentalist and composer Tony Dunn, Sgàile began as a solo endeavor, with all music, lyrics, and production handled in-house. The inspiration behind Sgàile comes from a deep appreciation for the storytelling tradition found in progressive rock and metal. Drawing influence from bands such as Porcupine Tree, Opeth, and Anathema, Sgàile explores themes of personal transformation, nature, and existential reflection. Each album is conceptual, weaving together songs that tell a cohesive narrative or explore interconnected ideas. The debut album Ideals & Morality, for instance, delves into the journey of self-discovery and the challenges of confronting one's inner demons, while subsequent releases have expanded to include broader philosophical musings and reflections on the world’s beauty and sorrow.
Despite its relatively recent inception, Sgàile has gained a dedicated following for its thoughtful compositions and evocative album concepts, establishing itself as a unique and innovative voice within the progressive music scene.
Justin’s Pick: Saor
My last pick is the atmospheric folk/black metal act Saor. Since the band’s formation in 2013, this one man project helmed by Andy Marshall, truly embodies and captures the sheer essence and history of Scottish history and lore. From the debut album Roots in 2013 and standout tracks like “Carved in Stone” and “A Highland Lament”, to the band’s 2025 release Amidst The Ruins, the band is just improving in not only its production and quality, but the creative instrumentation, storytelling and just overall great eclectic folk-inspired black metal. Songs like “The Sylvian Embrace” and “Glen of Sorrow” are just beautiful and heavy all at the same time. Amidst The Ruins is an album that truly encapsulates Saor in a nutshell and potentially could be the band’s best album and I would not be surprised to end up on a lot of Best of 2025 lists.
Lindsay’s Pick: Chestcrush
Chestcrush is a Scottish extreme metal band known for their relentless intensity and boundary-pushing sound. Formed in Edinburgh in 2020, Chestcrush quickly established themselves in the underground scene with a style that blends elements of black metal, death metal, and grindcore. The band’s music is characterized by abrasive guitar riffs, guttural vocals, and chaotic song structures that evoke comparisons to acts like Anaal Nathrakh, Full of Hell, and Dragged Into Sunlight.
The group’s discography begins with their self-titled debut EP Chestcrush, released in 2020, which showcased their raw approach and uncompromising energy. This was followed by the full-length album Vdelygmia in 2021, a record praised for its relentless aggression and bleak atmosphere. In 2022, Chestcrush released the EP Apechtheia, further expanding their sonic palette and cementing their reputation for innovative extremity in metal which was followed up by their explosive and intense sophomore album Ψυχοβγάλτης.
Chestcrush’s sound is often described as a fusion of grinding brutality and atmospheric dread, with influences drawn from both classic and modern extreme metal. Their albums explore themes of existential despair, nihilism, and psychological turmoil, making Chestcrush a compelling force in the Scottish and international metal scenes.
That’s going to do it for my time visiting the isles of Scotland and another edition of Worldwide Metal. Did you dig some of the bands that me and Lindsay featured in this edition? Were there any bands you think other readers should check out? You can also let me know what country I should travel to next, so I can stamp my metal passport on my journey to discover Worldwide Metal. I also wanna thank my fellow traveler Lindsay for helping me with this special collaboration. You can check out her YouTube channel The Heavy Metal Journal. She is also a writer for The Moshville Times if you’d also like to check out her work there too.
