https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7zjw9ixMzk 2009 was the year that Sheamus finally made the jump to the big leagues and like any promising emerging talent, he needed a theme song that would suit his hard-hitting, in-ring style. Cue the heavy metal juggernaut 'Written In My Face'. The track sees Jim Johnston find his inner Lemmy, concocting killer riffs at will and laying down a pounding drum-kit flurry that keeps this hardened beast in continuous motion. The best thing about it too is that it really feels like a complete song and it's not far away from being a great heavy metal song in its own right. Check out the expression-seeping, guitar solo if you don't believe me. It possesses a mythology that plays on his Irish heritage (something the WWE likes to do with its international superstars) and the vocals, both lyrically and musically, embrace this historical narrative to the point where it verges on pirate or viking metal territory. He may have a new theme song but 'Written In My Face' will be remembered as the initial war cry of the Celtic warrior. It just so happens it's a bruising headbanger of a song in its own right too.
Music Journalism graduate and freelance writer from Northern Ireland, who enjoys scouring the music archives for the best sounds from the past and present. Writer for the awesome publications WhatCulture, Metal Injection, Scribol, The Gamer, and Prefix.