For a little over the past decade, The Distortion Project's Saturday evening shows (doors are 5pm with a 9pm curfew due to the venue doubling as a student club) have provided a welcome haven for Belfast's metallers, as well as a showcase not only for rising local talent but also an outlet for often overlooked visiting acts. And, with most gigs in and around the price range of four bands for a fiver, it is a highly affordable refuge... Yes, many a pleasant weekend has been spent therein, checking out a new band or re-acquainting with old friends.

Tonight's openers are Downcoil, who deliver a huge sound and a set of good solid metal, with elements of Killswitch Engage, System Of A Down and Pantera: their rhythm section is as solid as a rock, and there's some great guitar work, with the standout track of the evening being the punchy and aggressive 'You Can Have Her'.

Sandstone's hard-edged psychedelic groove counts the one and only Bruce Dickinson among its fans, and tonight's performance is a pleasing introduction to the band, who have just released their third album, 'Cultural Dissonance' (on Limb Music, in case you're interested). Combining elements of Sabbath, Iced Earth and Led Zep, their songs are characterized by Stevie McLaughlin's sweeping guitar solos combined with memorable - and, in places, danceable - hooks, while vocalist Sean McBay holds the audience's attention like a cross between Ian Astbury and Eddie Vedder. Surprisingly, it's two tracks from their six-year old debut album, 'America' and 'Building Castles', which are the most impressive, although 'Leaning On An Arrow' does have the effect of sending this reviewer scurrying to the merch stand to blag a copy of the newbie.

Alaskan Death Jacket are in the mood to celebrate - and justifiably so - as frontman Pete Knives reveals that, just 24 hours earlier, they have inked a deal with Rising Records... news which is greeted with ecstasy by their small but very vocal following in the mosh pit. It's not hard to see why they've been snapped up, as the likes of 'The Truth Will Set You Free' and closer 'The Last Emperor' are very impressive - a good solid bass and drums combo, the two guitarists are very tight and work well together and Knives is a powerful frontman. The band celebrate by totalling nailing a brutally heavy version of Chimaira's 'Nothing Remains'.

Tonight's headliners Sinocence are one of the Distortion Project's perennial favourites, with the careers of both the band and the promoter having been virtually synchronous over the past ten years or so. Tonight, the band are on top form, proving once again why they are not only leaders of the local thrash scene, but also one of the most pre-eminent across Britain. Songs such as 'Making A Monster', 'Eviscorate' and 'God Complex' are characterized by long instrumental passages filled with light and shade via the guitars of Moro and Anto, which are in turned backed up by the tighter than a nun's fanny rhythm section of Davy and Jim (who is an amazing bass player, it must be pointed out). Sin, as they are affectionately known, are about to enter the studio to record their latest album, the follow up to 2009's acclaimed 'Scar Obscura', and the pair of tracks aired tonight - the excellent 'West Of Eden' and 'October Razor' - bode well for this being another must-have release in the British heavy metal canon. The quartet are experienced enough to admit that they are no longer in a position to become global superstars - and nor would they probably want to be - but, they still enjoy playing their music and producing consistently good metal tunes, to the extent that they probably could still teach the likes of Evile, Huron, Malefice or Sylosis a thing or two!