UK Metal Project IO is the brainchild of The One-Man-Metal-Machine that is Mike Webster

Conceived in 2019 out of the grey skies of Derby England, Mike presents his own style of metal: the most intense, the heaviest and the loudest music available right now

From playing extensively with live bands in the past, he decided to experiment with writing on his own without any boundaries. Incorporating blisteringly heavy riffs, intense vocal performances, big grooves, unorthodox song writing and seriously excessive frequency manipulation at the forefront; this is a project that aims to take heavy music to more extreme and unexplored realms. IO is the result of those experiments. Produced, Performed & Mixed by the Man Himself.

After releasing 3 Singles this year on all major streaming services, the first (aptly named) Day 1 dropped in late April, quickly followed by We Want It all in mid May and the monstrous Over?! at the end of May all gained him a noticeable amount of attention. From this solid base he plans to release his full-length debut album ‘Out of Knowhere’ in December 2019 - a 10 track slab of molten, modern metal that is set to challenge current understandings of heavy music.

With a run-time just shy of 50 minutes, it is a true juggernaut of an album that would take an age to craft for an established band, let alone a debut from one man - no mean feat. And then there’s the music itself; the production is top notch, the performances are as intense as they come, and the sound is absolutely gigantic. The molten riffs and insane double kicks pummel the listener into a grooved out, head banging mess by the end of the epic 10 minute closer Terminate. It’s almost impossible not to get caught up in the groove of every riff and progression, all wrapped up in memorable songs and vocal hooks.

The songs themselves are intensely well thought out, rarely clocking in at less than 5 minutes long, with riffs a-plenty, earth shattering bass and ridiculous drums complimented by a frenzy of harmonics, screaming high pitched leads and Mike’s signature vocal style that brings each song its own flavour. The vocals are a frenzy of long held screams, growls and gutturals encompassed by almost machine-gun fire vocal lines. Though the real separator here, and what sets him apart, is his ability to execute all of these extreme vocal styles with such tight pronunciation, and a unique flow to his lyrics that’s simply undeniable. The lyrical themes hit every spectrum of the radar ranging from raging anger to pain and despair to inner as well as outer contemplations of society and humanity as a whole; where the listener can actually feel each nuance in his genuine and heartfelt performances, all of which are delivered to perfection.

There’s a real flow to the album as it progresses and follows a storyline of self discovery, betrayal and the nature of humanity, hitting the bottom, reaching the brink of insanity and culminating in existential rebirth. That said, each song stands on its own, songs like Day 1 as well as the album’s openers GTFAFM and IFD are truly memorable with such groove and heaviness that the riffs bury themselves in the listener’s memory. The 6 minute epic Once Chance is a real highlight of the album, a full display of song writing ability and rhythmic wizardry with a chorus lead line you can’t get out of your head and ravenous vocal lines that draw focus on internal realisations and refusal to be dictated to or simply run with the herd, but to make a difference in your own life in order to be who you want to be. Burned Out provides a much needed breather after the monolith of heaviness that is Over?!

showcasing some interesting frequency manipulation and destructively heavy riffs throughout, followed swiftly by We Want It All with so much intense groove that it’s almost a relief to be rewarded by the slamming riff at the end of this 3 minute groove-a-thon. Have You Seen It is another big highlight combining more ‘straight-to-the-jugular’ song writing and lyrics, that takes an unexpected turn to layered lead line combinations that crescendo into one of the heaviest riffs on the album. And once you think you’ve made it through this onslaught, the album closer Terminate is there to finish it. Clocking in at over 10 minutes, it’s a destructive slam and groove-a-thon that crushes you with breakdown after breakdown, groove after groove until a final build into the last section of this monstrosity of a song, with an intricately layered tremolo lead that does not let go until you find yourself head banging ferociously and ending the onslaught with the intense vocal lines on the album – truly satisfying!

One thing is definitely clear, he has no intent of stopping here and as satisfying as this album is, it leaves you wanting more. Thoroughly recommended to experience for yourself And with a continuously growing legion of fans across his social media platforms, this guy is well and truly on the rise.

Though he was featured in recently released Lifoti's October/November 2019 issue 10, you can check it from below link's for your country: