Kick-started in the summer of 2007 by two enthusiastic metal fans with one joint vision, Soundshock UK was the brainchild of former Rockbeast.com contributor Lee MacBride and photographer and web technician Asif Salam. The two created Soundshock with a sight to give special exposure to as many new and exciting upcoming young bands as possible, as well as provide a fresh take on metal and hard rock’s new-found popularity in the 21st century.

Through tireless self-promotion and advertising through various mediums, the website’s stock began to grow both in terms of the interviews being provided and the rising number of new additions to the staff. By the end of 2007 the likes of Apocalyptica, Dark Funeral and Tarja Turunen were amongst the interviewees being added to Soundshock’s résumé, and with more and more new album reviews being published online with each passing week, the year ended on a massive high for the site and its personnel. 2008 proved to be similarly successful, with new bands such as Stone Gods and Knights of the Abyss sharing equal webspace with veterans such as Dark Tranquillity, Cradle of Filth and Duff McKagan amongst others.

With more writers and photographers joining the team than ever before and a view to expanding the website’s coverage to include festivals and other high-profile events, the future looks increasingly promising for Soundshock. There will soon be a view to include more electronic and ambient genres of music in our reviews sections, and although the overbearing emphasis will of course continue to be directed towards the alternative, such developments can only mean even greater things are to come for the site and its readers. Hop on, get involved, and let us know what you think.