XIII Doors – Into The Unknown

XIII Doors
Into The Unknown
Out: February 20^th, 2025
Playing time: 33:42

The Irish band XIII Doors is presented in the press release as a ‘Hard Rock powerhouse’. The description of their debut album ‘Into The Unknown’ is similarly euphoric – so explosive that it will ‘take the rock world by storm’. Unfortunately, both the press info and the band’s homepage are silent on the date of the band’s founding. However, I suspect that the musicians came together in the summer of 2022. Band founder, singer and guitarist DJ O’Sullivan comes from the west of Ireland, from Shannon in County Clare. He has been active in various bands and theatre projects and has had the opportunity to tour the UK, Europe, the USA and the Middle East. In the forefront of the album release, the single ‘See How Far You’ve Come’ was released, which was obviously a success for the band.

The riffs in ‘Unleash The Beast’ pound right from the start. Powerfully driven by the drums. There are also a few short guitar solos. In ‘Sorceress Of Lies’ the drums boom even more powerfully. Otherwise, the song is mostly in the mid-tempo range. Even when the drums and guitars pick up speed later on, DJ O’Sullivan’s haunting vocals only move marginally out of mid-tempo. In ‘Make A Life Again’ you can hear musical influences from the Middle East. It goes well with the heavy riffs that follow later. In contrast, some of the vocals sound really gentle. ‘Lead The Way’ is a really fast song, with the guitars, drums and vocals going at a high tempo without slipping into Speed Metal territory. Another fast-paced song follows with ‘Face The Truth’. Very hard riffs can also be heard here. The ‘hey, hey, hey’ shouts in the background are sure to get fans roaring along live. Although ‘Into The Unknown’ is a little quieter and more rhythmic, the sound doesn’t lose any of its impetuous power. Oh yes, ‘See How You’ve Come So Far’ is more for the soul. Acoustic guitars can be heard again and again. Even if it’s not a real ballad – the guitar, bass and drums are just too hard – this is the album’s resting point. With a huge guitar solo. The final song ‘Inside’ starts with heavily distorted guitar riffs. It also remains powerful later on – a mid-tempo stomper. There is also a refrain to sing along to. Alongside ‘Face The Truth’, this is certainly one of the live highlights.

XIII Doors have released a convincing debut album with ‘Into The Unknown’. And I can fully agree with the phrase ‘Hard Rock Powerhouse’. Time will tell whether it will ‘take the rock world by storm’. Hard riffs, booming bass and pounding drums drive the singer. In addition, there are always some very good guitar solos. You can really look forward to the follow-up.

XIII Doors – Face The Truth: https://youtu.be/keCl-hiFmQk?si=nDntogTos90v87y5

Lineup:

DJ O’Sullivan – Vocals, Guitars
Flash Murphy – Guitars
Pat “Pablo” Byrne – Bass
Cian “Whoasley” O’Sullivan – Drums

Track list:

• Unleash The Beast
• Sorceress of Lies
• Make a Life Again
• Lead The Way
• Face The Truth
• Into the Unknown
• See How Far You’ve Come
• Inside