We finally got back to promoting some shows last week, and what a first gig back it was! Two awesome bands in an awesome venue, what more could you want?! Check out just how much of a blast we had below!
Y’all should all know the drill by now. Best band in the world with the best bassist, yada yada. In all seriousness though, it was a great fun gig! We sounded pretty good out end, and I am so thankful to everyone who came down a little early to check us out! Everyone who came down has made not only this event possible, but future ones too (yes, keep your eyes peeled!). But yeah, it was an incredibly fun, incredibly warm 45 minutes, and I feel like we’ve really refined the setlist over the last few months into all the very best songs. The upcoming album stuff in particular is really standing out currently, and I cannot wait to finally record it and start putting it out. If you haven’t seen Eddie & The Wolves yet, what are you waiting for? Get your asses down to a gig!
After a brief changeover, the mighty Juliet’s Not Dead took to the stage. Somehow it had been a while since I had seen them, so having them grace the stage at one of our own shows, at a venue I love, was truly awesome! And my god, they owned that stage for the full hour! The band were all on absolutely top form, sounding awesome, and really played their asses off through the whole set. Stevie is an amazing frontman, holding the crowd in the palm of his hand from start to finish. However, every other member of the band put on a show befitting of their get reputation, too!
And, as for the setlist itself, it was awesome! We got all the best tracks from their massive latest album, with the likes of ‘Open Fire’ and ‘Last One Standing’ being particular highlights in that regard. However, they also still managed to squeeze in a couple of older, firm fan favourites, too. The crowd were very much there to see them and they certainly didn’t disappoint, playing everything they could possibly want to hear! The band have been on the precepts of breaking out to the next level for a while now, and their stage show and performance very much reflect that. I already can’t wait to hear the new music they’re working on (which we even got a sneak preview of here too), and I’m sure that will almost certainly do that for them!
And there we have it folks, an awesome night of hard rock music from two hungry young bands! I may be bias but I don’t care, go and see the both of them whenever they are next near you, you certainly won’t be disappointed! And the venue is also great, the sound being excellent throughout. And, as I said above, there is certainly more of our shows to come there, so keep your eyes peeled!
An absolutely massive week for new music this week, featuring some massive names from the rock, metal and country worlds. Let’s check it all out!
Brothers Osborne: Watertown
Album five from the country duo is certainly an interesting release. I’ve been a massive fan since their debut and we LOVED their last album. This one, while I don’t think opens very strongly, is definitely a grower! I’m a CoJo fan, but ‘Born and Raised Hell’ was an oddly chilled way to open a Brothers Osborne album, and single ‘R.I.P.’ feels a lot more fitting. It’s a massive, catchy and infectiously fun country rock track like only the pair can do, and is an easy highlight. Then you have the likes of ‘High’, ‘Stubborn’, chilled, summery single ‘Bottle it Up’ and the Stephen Wilson Jr. featuring ‘Tough Kid’ that are also big highlights.
However, I do have to say, a lot of this is on the slower side. I know they have always had a more chilled-out side, but it is usually used to compliment the rockier songs. This feels predominantly slower, though. None of it is bad by any stretch, but it does mean I enjoyed it a little less than their self-titled release, or ones before that. I completely appreciate this will be the sort of sound they wanted to play for this record, and they still get plenty of time to show off their incredible talents. It may grow on me, but for now after a first listen, I do have to say I’m ever so slightly disappointed. Still, it’s a solid slower country albums with a couple of songs still having their fun rock flair near the start. Up to ‘Doors’ is a really excellent album, but the pace certainly slows after that. 7.5/10, but hopefully that goes up with another few spins!
Polyphia: BE NOT AFRAID
We’ve already checked out this awesome new album! Read the full review here.
Tony Iommi: From the Dark
Somehow the first solo album in over two decades from the Black Sabbath legend, this is over 40 minutes of excellent doom riffing and writing, and I love it! Tony’s riffing is phenomenal, as expected, and Jorn’s vocals fit over the top perfectly, being a criminally underrated singer these days. And, the rest of the band kill it too. Karl Brazil kills it behind the kit, especially given his change of pace, ans Fury/Mercyful Fate’s Becky Baldwin is one of the best bassists on the scene today. The whole album is excellent and flows fantastically, it going by in a flash. Songs like ‘Black Times’, ‘Beyond the Dead’ and ‘Return of the Arbalist’ are personal highlights, but honestly the other five tracks are just as phenomenal! It’s almost criminal we haven’t had a full release from him in 13+ years, and I’m so glad we’ve finally gotten more of his powerful, evil riffing again. It’s an album that took me back to my youth in the best way possible, and is one I’ll certainly be spinning again plenty moving forward. A very easy 8.5/10 from us!
LOCASH: CHRIS & PRESTON
Album six from the country duo comes barely a year after the excellent Bet the Farm, and continues that momentum amazingly! It’s exactly what you’d expect from the pair, and is a fantastic half-hour of pop-adjacent country music. And, while the likes of ‘These Days’, the Parmalee-featuring, Rupert Holmes’s-inspired ‘Let the Country Music Play’, ‘YES’ and ‘Fish Her Off My Mind’ are all personal highlights, there really isn’t a bad song throughout! I don’t know what it is, but the band scratch all the right itches in my brain, and I can never get enough of them! It’s just the right amount of rock, pop and country cheese all rolled into one, and the pair’s voices and writing compliment each other perfectly. I think it’s honestly impossible to dislike the band, and the fact that they have pumped out such a crazy amount of high quality music in just 18 months speaks to the sheer talent involved! I can’t give this any less than 9/10. It’s maybe slightly less packed full of bangers as their last record, but only barely, and is still a release I’ll be listening to a lot of the rest of the year!
Beyond Extinction: Three Swords
Following up on their excellent debut album last year, the Essex death/extreme metallers once again kill it with another four tracks! Heavy doesn’t even begin to cut it; the brutality and aggression of the riffs, screams and drums is downright evil and disgusting in all the best ways. And, every track is as good as the last, each song flowing effortlessly into another and making for 16 minutes that goes by in a flash! Having said that, single ‘The Estuary’ is particularly incredible, and my favourite on here. The band honestly kill it throughout, all getting their own chance to shine, and the songwriting speaks for itself. It’s certainly not going to be for everyone, but I loved every second of it. I can’t recommend it enough to anyone even slightly into the heavier side of metal. It’s every bit as good as their album, and honestly the conciseness may make it even better for me on repeat listens. Another very easy 8.5/10 for the band!
Stand Atlantic: GODBREATH
Album five from the alt rockers picks up perfectly from where 2024’s WAS HERE left off! It’s half-an-hour of catchy, pop-punk infused hard rock, and I enjoyed every second. The band are so seasoned and polished at this point, playing and writing their style excellently alongside some top notch production. While tracks like ‘NEXT2U’, ‘So Cool’ and ‘HeadRush’ are personal favourites, there really isn’t a bad song throughout. If you are a fan of the band or this sound, you will surely love this! With this style being bigger than it’s been in well over a decade, this album could very well be the one to push the band to the stratosphere, and it is certainly good enough to do so! While not quite as strong as their last album, mainly because it doesn’t have as many memorable tracks and moments, it is still solid release, and one that gets an easy 7/10 from us.
Baby Lasagna: End the Party
The second studio album from the Eurovision alumni is a damn fun party metal release! We missed his debut and, though I remember enjoying his entry in the show, I honestly didn’t know what to expect with this. So, because of that, I was rather blown away! However, even without my expectations, it’s still a damn good album in its own right! ‘Anyway’ opens the record excellently, while the likes of ‘My Show’, ‘Sedated’ and the title track are all other massive highlights. However, every track on this is excellent, and it flows excellent. It’s far heavier than I expected it to be after ‘Rim Tim Tagi Dim’, with there being some awesome screams and huge riffs and breakdowns throughout. It’s very much a modern metal/metalcore sound, but also with a healthy dose of everything European; think Electric Callboy but with a twist of both Bad Omens and even some power metal and Europop. If you are at all interested I cannot recommend checking it out enough, and I’m going to be listening to this a LOT moving forward. Another very easy 9/10 from us this week!
Jacob Hackworth: What Took You So Long
The debut EP from the breakout country star is a beautiful, chilled out 20+ minutes of music. While it’s generally a little short and not fully my sort of thing when it comes to the genre, there is no denying how great it is, and how bright a future Jacob has! Single ‘I Wanna Quit’ is a massive highlight, as is ‘Help Yourself’. It’s very much a modern, Morgan Wallen-esque pop country sound, so if you are into that sort of vibe then this is well worth a listen! I’m at the very least curious to see where he goes from here in terms of his style, sound and career, and I certainly wouldn’t turn this off if it came on again. So, while not inherently my thing, I think the shorter length helped its case, and it gets a solid 6.5/10 from us!
Mason Hill: World so Wonderful
We’ve also reviewed this album in full, aren’t you lucky?! Check it out here.
Wolves in the Throne Room: Estuary
The first new studio album from the US black metallers in over half a decade picks up right where their previous works left off. It’s exactly what you’d expect from a modern black metal album and, while I am usually indifferent towards the base genre, I actually quite enjoyed this! Don’t get me wrong, I’d very much still prefer it live than on track, but I had a good time with the tracks here too. The band’s talents are off the charts, both in terms of playing and songwriting, and the dynamics throughout were really fantastic. And each track flows into another pretty effortlessly too, making the insane 50 minutes spread across just six songs surprisingly palatable. Because of that, it’s hard to pick sole highlight tracks, but I’d definitely recommend giving it a full listen if you can. It’s certainly not a release for everyone, but if you like black metal this is well worth checking out! An easy 7/10 from us!
Hector Gannet: The Great Shakedown
Album three from the “modernist folk” Brit is a damn fun collection of tracks! I wasn’t familiar with him before this, but I had a great time with it. It’s quirky and interesting and feels pretty unique in terms of its sound and delivery. The sheer depth of production and instrumentation is fantastic and makes it all sound and feel huge, and the writing around it is great! It has elements of everything from jazz to folk, easy-listening to rock, and reminds me of everything from The Cat Empire to Tom Seals to even a bit of Tim Armstrong. Tracks like the opener/title track, singles ‘Seven Signs’ and ‘The Mother Tongue’ are big highlights, but the whole album has a definite appeal to it. There is maybe one too many slow songs in the latter half, but that’s where his folkier side and lyric writing really takes president, and is still fantastic! It’s another release that isn’t for everyone, but is well worth a listen if you are interested! 7.5/10
Ghostemane: AM:FM
The trap metal pioneers ninth studio album comes after a far longer gap between records than any of his previous, with there being a whopping six years since ANTI-ICON. He shows that he has not at all lost a step in that time with this release! His unique blend of nu, industrial, gothic metals and hip-hop is so interesting and fun, and leads once again to some really awesome moments through this 33 minute album. Tracks like ‘Deux Ex Machina’, ‘Miazma’, ‘Cyberia’ and ‘Noose Knot’ are all fantastic, but I honestly loved every song on here. It feels like what Manson would be putting out if he hit the scene in the 2020’s, but there is plenty of other influences too, from Static-X to SOAD, Fear Factory to P.O.D. to early Slipknot.
So yeah, if you can’t tell, I LOVE this! It’s right up my street and everything about it is awesome. Even if you are slightly curious do yourselves a favour and check this out, it’s a release I’d recommend to anyone! Even with the slight energy lull in the middle, it’s still fantastic. It’s arguably the best release he’s ever put out, and it’s another album that gets a huge 9/10 from us this week!
Alex Henry Foster: The Fragile Beauty (Of New Morning Hopes)
Solo album six from the Your Favourite Enemy frontman is a dark, reflective prog/alt rock collection. It gives big Placebo vibes in the best ways. It’s another fantastically interesting listen, packed full of some amazing lyrics and vocals, and some really fitting instrumentation. However, I do think an hour of gloomy, trash tempoed music at once was a bit much for me. The opener and ‘Springtime’ are personal highlights. And, while the rest of the album isn’t bad by any stretch, it’s a release that is very much designed for a full listen, as there aren’t many songs that stand on their own much. It’s incredibly well written and if you are into this sort of style it is absolutely worth giving a spin. It may still grow on me, as I do want to give it another listen, but for now it still gets a strong 6.5/10 from me!
Ignea: Monumental
The modern metal Ukrainians add to their already impressive discography perfectly with album four. It’s massive and grandiose, packed full of soaring vocals, melodic moments and huge soundscapes. And, from ‘Dreams of Lands Unseen’ to the Combichrist-featuring ‘Prefab’ to ‘What Buildings Dream of’, there are some truly fantastic songs throughout! The bands ability to shift between brutal heaviness and huge melodic moments is insanely impressive, and on show throughout the whole album perfectly! It may honestly be their strongest overall release yet, having a bit of something for everyone. They are definitely a band to watch as I can see this pushing them to even greater heights, and it gets a very easy 7.5/10 from me!
LEADFEATHER: Catch the Silvertrain
The sleazy/bluesy UK rockers chase their 2025 debut EP with another corker here! Six tracks all as good as the rest, and that are every bit as good as anything from Roll the Dice. It’s easy to see why the band are gaining quite a bit of momentum already, as they are all such talented musicians and songwriters. It’s another release that it’s incredibly hard to pick highlights from, as every song is so good. From the boot stompin’ openers to the acoustic ballad in ‘The Answer’, it’s all excellent! If you are at all into any of the genres this release or band encompass, this is an absolutely must-listen! They have found their home comfortably in the NWOCR scene, and it won’t be long before they are at the very top of it if they keep putting out releases like this! 8.5/10
The Flower Kings: HOPE
More prog, this time from the Swedish legends. Being the middle part of a trilogy of albums started last year, I did go back and check out LOVE before this. Honestly, the two pair up perfectly together, even if it does make for 129 minutes of music overall! Prog is always a fun one for me as I don’t listen to enough of it but can certainly appreciate a good band doing it well, and this is certainly it! The band are all absolutely massively mind-blowingly talented, and I love that they have written just four tracks here and split some up into multiple parts, giving everything so much time to breathe. Don’t get me wrong, it can get weird at times, and is an album that definitely isn’t for the faint of heart or those new to prog. However, I found myself getting lost in it, and having a lot of fun in the process. I’m very curious to see where they go with part three, but will happily be spinning this again in the future too! 7/10
The instrumental prog titans themselves are back with their first album in nearly four years. I enjoyed that when it dropped, and have become an even bigger fan since then with more listens and a couple of live sets. The singles so far for this album have been great, and there is a lot of hype for this release since it was announced. You’re excited, I’m excited, so let’s dive right in!
The album starts perfectly as it means to go on, with an insane guitar riff. The tone on the guitar is incredible, and the grandiose nature of the buildup with the other elements give off big rock opera vibes. Weirdly the closest thing I find myself comparing it to is Marianas Trench, which is certainly not a bad thing! The electronic beat coming in behind it was an interesting choice, suddenly switching gears perfectly into Igorrrterritory. It’s somehow not quite what I expected from the band, but I’m already loving it! Of course Tim and Scott kill it from the jump, but Clay and Clay also get plenty of time to shine too. The dynamics of the track are off the charts, keeping me constantly alert and interested despite the instrumental nature of the band. And, having said that, the choir towards the end of the touch was catchy, and a nice touch! It’s an excellent way to start the album, and a firm early highlight!
Lead single ‘WITH EYES TO SEE’ continues with the electronic elements. The R&B/house/disco elements and beat fit surprisingly excellently alongside the bands own instrumentation, and add an interesting element and twist we haven’t heard hugely much from the quartet. Honestly, it works really well, and makes for a damn fun listen! It also makes it seem like the guitars have a little harder work making some creative ways to play around it all. And the guitaring is honestly so interesting and different throughout the track, I’m a little obsessed. It feels like Tom Morello in its levels of out-there-ness. And some of the drops get pretty heavy too, especially in the latter portions. It’s a really interesting, creative and fantastic track, and was such a good choice for a single! Another easy highlight, and one that easily makes the playlist!
‘SCREWTAPE’ has some insane guitaring to open it, but carries the same energy and swagger as the previous song did. It does so in a little more brief a manor, and I feel the guitars get to show off a bit more throughout compared to ‘WITH EYES…’. Some of the playing in the second half is honestly mindblowing, just like everything they have put out before. It’s the closest to old-school Polyphia we’ve gotten so far, yet still fits in excellently with the vibe of the rest of the album so far. Honestly, it reminds me just a touch of STATICA, but if that EP was done well. Another great song!
Another single, ‘POWER IN THE BLOOD’, is another fantastic showcase of utter guitar godness. It’s three and a half minutes of insane playing from everyone involved, but Tim and Scott are very much at the forefront of it again. Having said that, some of the drum work is also incredible. And again, like the opener, the dynamics here are excellent, dropping down and building back up again perfectly. At one point it felt like it has a callback to ‘ABC’, which I really loved, and it fit with the track amazingly. It’s a fantastic song overall, and another fantastic single choice. More classic Periphery, injected with this new electro tinge for good measure!
The slower pace and Asian instrumentation to open ‘THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO’ was a nice touch. However, outside of that it followed a pretty similar vibe and theme to the other tracks. The same could be said for the brief ‘NEAR DEATH’, and ‘J-BOMB’. All are great songs in their own right, but on a 12-track instrumental album, there are bound to be a couple that feel a bit more like “album tracks”. It doesn’t at all take away from the quality of the songs, or the sheer phenomenal talent on display throughout them, just that there isn’t quite as much to talk about from them, and they are all a touch on the similar side.
‘MARK OF THE BEAST’ has a bit of a west-coast hip-hop vibe to its opening, alongside everything else going on on this album. It made for a lot of fun. Weirdly, however, it also has some of the heaviest moments on the album! It’s another song that has enough variety and of a different feel to it to really stand out, and is another firm personal highlight of the release!
The final single from the album, ‘CAN YOU FEEL IT’, is another fantastic song that easily could be a big radio hit. It’s like Polyphia’s answer to a 90s club banger, and it works so well. It’s very much in the same vein as ‘WITH EYES…’ earlier on, but is such a fun, interesting style that it’s impossible not to love it. And, being later on in the release, it makes for a fun return to the house/R&B-heavy formula. It’s easy to get lost in the sounds and massive scape they create, but alongside that is some truly incredibly playing by everyone involved. Amazing stuff!
The final three tracks from the album are more of what you’d expect the band and this release. Again, all are good, with the closer being particularly excellent, but there is only so much you can do with this style and without vocals. If you are into the band this is of course music you absolutely have to check out, but they do feel like a little left-over tracks chucked towards the end of the release. Still, I would happily listen to all three again, and they round out the album well!
Overall: This is another really great release from the prog rockers! It feels like another creative leap from the quartet, doing something rather different compared to their previous work. There are some that are easily up there among some of the top tracks the band have ever produced, and there certainly isn’t a bad song throughout! I was slightly sad when I saw they didn’t have any guest vocalists on this release, unlike their previous album, but I honestly didn’t miss it that much. The band are so talented they make it so easy to not need vocals on their songs. I would definitely recommend this to anyone, regardless of what you’re into, and I’ll definitely be listening again!
The return album from NOWCR pioneers Mason Hill drops tomorrow, and has a hell of a lot of buzz around it! Being just their second studio LP, it has even more pressure on it coming a full five years after their huge debut. However, the singles so far have been excellent, and being a fan since they broke out I am extremely excited to be diving deep into this to tell you just how excellent it is. Without further ado, let’s do this!
The album starts off in a huge way with ‘Burn it Down’. A grandiose opening gives way to a huge, boot stompin’ riff, running excellently through the verses. Speaking of the verses, new vocalist Thomas Ward kills it from the jump, his voice effortlessly both melodic and having some great grit to it. It all builds to a massive, arena-filling chorus, exactly how the band are known for these days. And the track is heavy too, in the best way! It reminds me of when Kris Barras took a heavier turn post COVID, but done in the most Mason Hill way possible. And it helps that the production is truly top notch, everything feeling and sounding MASSIVE. Hell, we even build to a pretty ch0nky breakdown in the middle, fitting the vibes of the track perfectly, and followed excellently by a fantastic, blistering guitar solo. This is an amazing track, an early highlight, and the perfect way to open an album like this!
The heavy, bouncy vibes continue on single ‘Twisted’. Another amazing, Alter Bridge-like riff sets a steady pace, and means the verse stays pretty metal-adjacent. The vocals through it are catchy enough as they are, the melodies reminding me a little of their Scottish brethren in Anchor Lane, but the chorus is absolutely HUGE, the backing and harmonies adding even more weight to it all. It almost has a Fear Factory tinge to it in the best way; that kind of technical industrial metal fits surprisingly well with their hard rock routes. Another comparison (a lot, I know) but it is kinda like the early days of Fozzy, the good pre-‘Judas’ days. The bridge is again pretty heavy, but bridges the gap between the choruses perfectly. Overall, it’s another excellent song, and was a fantastic choice for a single!
Another single, ‘Hurricane’, slows up the pace a touch. It’s still heavy, but has a bit of a pop metal edge to it, almost like a Bad Omens/Architects-esque sound. It’s the perfect change of pace at this point on the album, and is another excellent song in its own right. Ward gets a chance to really shine vocally and show off his impressive range, but everyone else kills it just as much throughout the track. The chorus is awesome, but almost every vocal line and melody is catchy in its own way. We also get one of my favourite guitar solos on the album tucked away in the middle. The structure and composition is pretty standard, but serves the single formula perfectly and is so well done. It’s a real different sound compared to a lot of their peers in the NWOCR scene, but it will certainly serve them well and surely push them to new heights!
The heaviness picks back up for another excellent single, ‘Tainted Wings’. The chorus is most likely the high point, with the ‘oh’’s being instantly memorable and are bound to be a big fan favourite in a live setting! However, the rest of the track is good too, a mid-tempo, melodic hard rock track, reminiscent of the 2000’s US radio rock scene. It feels like maybe the most formulaic single on the album, but that is hardly a bad thing. It’s an excellent track in its own right, and is right up my street in terms of sound. The band are four for four so far on great songs!
‘Stay for a Little While’ is the ballad track of the album, and fits rather excellently in the middle! It’s once again a fantastic vocal performance from Thomas, and the entire arrangement and production of the track is awesome! It’s brimming with emotion in the lyrics, delivery and tone, and breaks up the heavier tracks on the release excellently. I’m honestly shocked it wasn’t a single itself, but is certainly another high point on the album, that’s for sure!
‘Resonate’ has the best riff on the album to open, keeping the energy high with their now trademark heaviness from this release. I love how much it drops back for the verse too, almost having some post-grunge vibes to it, and the vocal delivery over the top is excellent. It explodes into heaviness with the pre, some amazing harsher vocals making it sound MASSIVE. Then we have the trademark massive chorus, just as good as any other on the album. It gives off big early Chevelle vibes, and I’m a little obsessed! Hell, the bridge is simple but fits the song perfectly and is equally awesome. It’s potentially my favourite track on the record, and a song I’d recommend to anyone! Easily one that makes the playlist!
Tracks like ‘Without You’, ‘Silence’ and ‘Oxygen’ are more awesome tracks. Despite being later on in the release, you’d be foolish for looking at them as “album tracks”. All three are amazing and fit in with the rest of the songs perfectly. The latter two remind me more of their debut album than a lot of this, which certainly isn’t a bad thing. Meanwhile, the former is another massive highlight on an album honestly chocked full of them! They all have a bit of a similar vibe and feel to them, which is why I’ve grouped them together a little, but it doesn’t mean any of them are even slightly bad. From the riffing to the vocals to the solid drums, it’s all incredible. I cannot get over how good this album is!
The last single from the album, ‘Remember’, again has a post-grunge/proggy, Chevelle feel to it, and was a really interesting, fantastic choice for a pre-release. The vocals are the high point of the track but honestly, everyone is killing it throughout. It again has a bit of a modern edge to the vocal delivery, almost giving Skynd in the best and most surprising way possible. It also leads surprisingly perfectly into the epic closing track, ‘Drag the Chains’. The slower, delicate opening minute gives way to a stomping, heavy, awesome riff before soon dropping back again. It gives off slight Sleep Token vibes surprisingly, but definitely the good side of said band! The levels of the track, between the multi-layers of vocals to the keys to the rock instrumentation, it all feels so massive. Everything about it is amazing and fits together so well. And, my gosh does it all make it a truely excellent way to close out the album! To the surprise of no one, it’s yet another massive highlight!
Overall: I absolutely loved this. As someone who enjoyed their debut, this somehow tops that, as the band take another huge step forward in terms of songwriting and production. Every track is amazing, with some being easily up there alongside the very best the band have produced. And, it all fits together perfectly, the whole album going by in a flash! I cannot recommend this release enough to absolutely anyone, regardless of what style you are into, it really is that good. Don’t be surprised to see it high up on our albums of the year list come December!
A quieter but no less stacked week of release for us to check out this week, covering plenty from rock, metal, country, and even dipping our toes in gospel and rap! Let’s dive right in, shall we?!
Kid Rock: Halfway 2 Jesus
I ummed and arred about doing this album. His crazy right-wing and super Christian turn in the last few years has certainly been different, and not in a good way. Some of his views these days I don’t agree with, but hell, if James Hetfield can claim to be apolitical(lol) then I can at least try!
Honestly, musically it’s not bad. The gospel stuff is well done, the southern rock, late 2000s part of his sound is still great. There’s even some slight NO-jazz elements that I enjoyed, and ‘Heal My Faith’ almost feels like a Devil Without a Cause/History of Rock era track. However, it’s the track with the worst guest appearance. I’ve honestly lost a tiny bit of respect for Eminem for doing this collab, even if he was probably the best part of the record.
Though, I do have two main issues with the album. One is the bloated 71-minute runtime, an issue I also had with his last release. The other is, of course, the theming. I really have nothing against people being religious, and part of me gets it given everything in his personal life this year, but it’s a rather preachy album, and it’s rather hard to look past that and solely focus on the music. ‘Broken Hearted People’ is easily my favourite track from the album, a stompy country rock track and a lot of fun. A bit of the early album is good too, but a lot of the later half is a touch slow and samey. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a bad release, and it will surely have its fans. But it simply isn’t what I want to listen to when I spin Kid Rock. So, for that, I can’t give it any more than a 4/10
Joe from the future hear. I have since seen articles saying he used Suno’s AI generation software for the choirs, instead of paying an actual group of artists to do so. Yeah, that’s shitty, dog. That drops this easily down to a 2/10.
Gloryhammer: Space 1993: Wrath of Kor-Virliath
We’ve already checked out this awesome album! Check out our full review here.
Devin Townsend/DreamPeace: Harmonic Dharma
This is the first release under Heavy Devy’s relaxation background music project since his slew of albums in 2023. And honestly, with me having become a brand new daddy this week, it was just what I needed! It’s 45-minutes of pure bliss. I know I have been a bit critical of his ambient stuff in the past, but I totally get it now. Who needs them albums of whale sounds and rainforests sold at odd gift shops (I may be showing my age there!) when you have Mr Townsend creating music to sleep and meditate to! Hell, even the baby liked it! I don’t have much to say or analyse with this one, not like I have any specific tracks to dive in deep with. Honestly, I’m not even going to give it a rating, it doesn’t feel right to given the nature of the project. However, if you have insomnia or just need to relax, throw this one, I can’t recommend it enough!
David Allan Coe: A Million Reasons
The first posthumous release from the outlaw country legend is a welcome return after 20 years without music from him. Nine songs lost to time until now, an acoustic version and even an intro done by the Nature Boy himself, it’s a damn good release from start to finish. From the title track to the rocky ‘Take Your Job and Shove It’, ‘Free my Mind’ to ‘Only God Knows Why’ are all personal highlights, but the other songs are just as good, honestly. If you’re a fan of classic DAC or outlaw country in general, this is very much a release for you. I certainly had a good time listening! I don’t know if the plan is to put together more stuff from his unreleased material like other sadly passed on country stars, but I kinda hope so if they’re going to be as good as this! A solid 7.5/10!
Kid Bookie: Cheaper Than Therapy II
Following up 2024’s Songs of the Living/Songs for the Dead, yet being a direct sequel to his 2021 album, the trap metal/rap rock Brit once again kills it here. Firstly, at 34-minutes spread across nine tracks and an interlude, it’s the perfect length, the only slight issue I had with Part I. And also, it’s packed full of great songs, making it pretty hard to pick highlights! Having said that, his trap cover of Slipknot’s ‘Disasterpiece’ was pretty interesting and rather awesome! It’s not going to be for everyone, but has some great heavy moments, some fantastic raps, and some pretty big choruses designed to be played to huge festival crowds. Mr Bookie is an incredible talented vocalist and writer, and his band kill it throughout too. However, the guests are just as excellent, ranging from Corey Taylor to Kate Nash to Rose McGowan, all adding to the tracks they are on perfectly. If you are into him already, or trap/modern rap/trap-pop, this is very much an album worth spinning! Or heck, if you are all curious, give it a try, you may be surprised at how much you like it! I had a good time listening, and will certainly be spinning it again! 8.5/10
Temperance: Arcani
The power metal Italians once again knock it out of the park with their eighth studio album! It’s a fair old chunk of music at 55 minutes, but it is so very worth it if you are a fan of the genre. It’s epic, grandiose, heavy and catchy all in equal measure, with every member of the band killing it at their respective positions. Powerful, melodic vocals from Michele and Kristin? Check. Some awesome riffs and soloing from Marco Pastornio? Check. Marco Sacchetto and Luca holding down the rhythm section perfectly? Check. And, from the opener to ‘Lean into Fear’, ‘Forgiveness’ to ‘The Man of Moonlight’, there are some really great songs throughout! However, there really isn’t a bad song on here, all of it flowing impressively well together. It’s very power metal, so if that is your thing you will absolutely love it. However, it may not be your thing if you don’t do the likes of Hammerfall or Avantasia. Still, I had a lot of fun with it, and it’s another great addition to their growing discography! 8/10
Mother of Graves: The Light That Keeps Us
The doomy melodeath band returned with their third studio album this last Friday. It’s a massive, gloomy 45-minutes of music, and I had a great time with it! Firstly, it’s really well put together, with the writing and production and dynamics being top notch throughout. Everyone worked their asses off on the whole album too, all clearly being masters of their craft. And, between ‘Through the Pale Shade’, ‘Eventide Angel’ and ‘The Beggar’s Allegory’, there’s some really amazing songs on here! However, the whole album is damn good, and the tracks flow excellently into each other. If you are into this side of metal, I’d absolutely recommend it. I’ll certainly be listening again, and I need to go and check out their previous releases, as they definitely have a new fan in me! Another solid 8/10!
Emily Ann Roberts: Thread
We’ve also reviewed this EP in full, aren’t you lucky! Check it out here.
Leadbelcher: Heaven’s Bloated Corpse
This is a really brutal, excellent debut album. 22 minutes of utter carnage, falling somewhere between death, grind and hardcore, it certainly isn’t for the faint of heart. However, if you like the heavier side of metal, this is absolutely a release for you! It’s hard to pick highlight songs as they’re all pretty similar and run so perfectly into one another, but are so very good throughout! It’s refreshing to hear a release in this style not have terribly mixed vocals. They’re great, but so are the brutal riffs and frankly insane drumming. I had a good time with this and would LOVE to see it live. For now, I’ll settle for spinning this a few more times at home, and already can’t wait to hear where they go from here! 7.5/10
Of Spite: Raisu EP
Following up on their 2023 album with this three track EP, the Finnish “Stumblecore” quintet is quarter of an hour of brutal growls and some insane riffing. Much like with Leadbelcher above, it certainly isn’t for everyone, but I had a great time with it, all three songs being as good as the last. Some of the guitaring honestly blew me away, there being some real 2000s metalcore and melodeath runs and leads throughout, adding some great melody to the heaviness. And we also get some fantastic soloing on each track too, really giving the band a bit of a unique feel to them that I am really liking! It’s like a heavier melodeath, and I’m honestly shocked I haven’t heard more of this style around. Do yourselves a favour and check this out, regardless of what you are into, it’s that good you surely can’t not love it like I do! I already need more of this ASAP, pump it into my veins, but for now I can’t give this any less than 9/10
K. Michelle: Jesus & Whiskey
Album seven from the modern country superstar is a brief, fun affair! I surprisingly wasn’t very familiar with her before this outside of her name, but I really enjoyed what I heard! It’s interesting, as this felt like exactly what COWBOY CARTERwanted to sound like, except Michelle has nailed it here. It’s country rooted, but has elements of everything from pop to rock, R&B to roots, and plenty between! It’s also packed full of highlights, from ‘Damn Good Friend’ to the Blush-featuring ‘Anything’ to single ‘Jack Daniel’s’. However, none of the songs are back, by any stretch! It’s maybe a touch slow for me overall, but that certainly doesn’t take away from the quality of the music. It’s certainly non-traditional or pop-focused, but is definitely worth checking out if you’re into your roots/country stuff. I had a good time, and am curious about her earlier work. 7/10!
3FORCE: Strange Peace
Album six from the Russian electronic trio dropped last Tuesday, and I have spun it a lot since then! It’s a fantastic, epic journey, and surprisingly heavy for the genre. It gives off Carpenter Brutvibes in the best ways, as well of of course being perfect for a video game soundtrack. ‘Status Quo’ kicks things off perfectly, while tracks like the title one and ‘It Could be Worse’ are also great! The whole album is solid though and, while it can be a little samey at times, it’s a very easy listen, 40 minutes going by in a flash. It’s certainly not for everyone, especially with it being wholly instrumental, but it’s a rare release that I am completely happy without any vocals on. Maybe the odd spoken word thing would be interesting, but the instrumentation really speaks for itself throughout. The whole darkwave scene has really taken off in recent years, and these guys are truly at the forefront of the pack, and for good reason! If you are at all interested, give this a spin, you won’t be disappoint! A very easy 8/10 from us!
Zach Bryan: Young Manhood and Other Donatable Organs
Country’s most controversial star is back with another EP, just nine months after the awesome With Heaven on Top. To the surprise of no one, it’s another excellent release! ‘Lodi When’ is the perfect opener. Then you have the Dusty Rhodes-opened, rockier ‘Robot Killed the Working Man’ which is a big highlight. The tracks with Lana Del Ray and Turnpike Troubadours are both fantastic too, each artist contributing perfectly to their respective songs. The other four songs on the release are also amazing, with ‘Dog Days’ being another particular highlight. His particular brand of country-Americana is so good, and the emotion in his lyric writing and delivery is still top notch. I almost prefer a shorter release from Zach, as his albums can be a slight slog at times. This fits perfectly with the rest of his stellar discography, and is well worth a listen for anyone interested! 8/10
John Diva & the Rockets of Love: Your Favourite Drug
The fourth album from the German glam metallers continues on their stellar discography perfectly! 10 head-bangin’, boot-stompin’ rockers all as good as the last, and combine to make an incredibly easy 34-minute listen. The opener sets up the album perfectly, while the likes of The Gems-featuring ‘Favourite Drug’ and ‘Love is Cold’ are all personal favourites but as I said, there certainly isn’t a bad track throughout! It’s a very European sleaze sound, reminding me of everything from Dust Bowl Jokies to Kissin’ Dynamite, though there is just a touch of The New Roses in there too. So, if you are into that, this is definitely a release for you! I’ll certainly be spinning it plenty in the weeks and months to come, and it gets an incredibly solid 8.5/10 from us!
Defects: Artificial Icons
This is an absolutely amazing alt metal/metalcore album! The British quartet’s sophomore release is jam packed with brutal screams, awesome riffing and drumming and some really massive choruses, the best of everything! Right from the opener/title track I was hooked, and not let go for the full 43 minutes. It’s honestly another release in which it’s truly impossible to pick highlight tracks. Even the slower songs like ‘Where did I go Wrong’, ‘The Other Side’ and ‘State of Mind’ are excellent, and fit the tone of the album perfectly! While this is mainly a release for those into the heavier side of metal, the three afformentioned tracks certainly fit in more with a lighter crowd, so honestly whoever is interested give this a listen ASAP! It is every bit as good as their debut, if not somehow even better, and they deserve every bit of love and momentum they are getting. I absolutely love this release, and don’t be surprised to see it high on our top albums listcome December! 9.5/10, amazing stuff!
A year removed from last year’s awesome Memory Lane, the country singer-songwriter is back with another massive, highly anticipated EP. The Voice alumni has been killing it in the decade since she nearly won the competition, with so many amazing albums, EPs and singles under her belt. She has been a constant, fantastic force within the country scene for years. Hell, the singles from this release so far have been great, and have me incredibly excited to give this a spin. Without further ado, let’s dive in!
The title track sets the tone for the EP perfectly. It’s a chilled-out, slowish number that highlights Emily’s phenomenal vocals. She makes it all sound so effortless, even when she puts a bit more power in in the choruses. It gives off big Colby Caillat vibes in the best ways possible. The instrumentation is simple but fits excellently behind the vocals, and some of the harmonies throughout on her voice are great. The chorus is big for the style, and effortlessly catchy. I’m honestly shocked it wasn’t a pre-release single, but will surely be a big radio hit now that it is out! A great start to the release!
Speaking of singles, the most recent, ‘Lonely Boy’, is up next. Again, her vocals are phenomenal from the jump, and the real focal point of the track. It’s also a bit more uptempo, there being a little more to the instrumentation and feels a lot like a 90s/early 2000s radio country hit. There’s a touch more power to her voice throughout as well, really getting to show off her impressive range, and the lyrics here are great too! The chorus is sure to be stuck in my head for days to come, a real earworm, but the whole track is catchy in its own right. And all the strings, be it the guitars or fiddle, really kill it through the whole nearly-four-minutes. It’s even better than the opener and certainly an easy early highlight, a very good choice for a single. No wonder it’s already caught some momentum!
The higher tempo and more barn-burner vibes continue through ‘Garden Grow’, and it’s amazing! Speaking of barn burner, it actually reminds me of the Dan Davidson track of the same name. It’s got a bit more of a Shania or Reba vibe to it, the guitars giving it a rocky edge that I loved. The lyrics are amazing too, maybe my favourite of the release, and once again the harmonies on Emily’s vocals through the chorus are phenomenal. We even get a short-but-sweet duelling solo between the guitar and fiddle, which bridged the gaps between choruses excellently. I am honestly a little obsessed with this track already; it’s one of my favourite country songs of the year at this point, honestly. A song that easily makes our playlist, and one I’d recommend to anyone!
The pace drops again for the final two songs on the album, but it honestly feels perfectly fitting. ‘When I Do’ still has a bit of anthemic vibe to it, especially in the big chorus, and there is plenty going on in the instrumentation. And the male vocal harmony pairs so incredibly with hers on this track, maybe the best of the whole EP. Then the release closes on the other single, the stripped-back ‘Laundry’. It’s a very simple arrangement, mainly focused around her vocals and an acoustic guitar. Once again that AMAZING vocal harmony comes in for the choruses, alongside a simple drumbeat and some more strings in the back. Despite the slower pace and chilled vibe, the arrangement is still great! Both songs are excellent in their own right, and fit in with the other songs on the EP perfectly. The closer is a great ballad and another good choice for a single, but that shouldn’t take away anything from ‘When I Do’. It is, however, the perfect way to close out the release, it really building to a grandiose sound by the end!
Overall: I absolutely loved this! Every track is as amazing as the last, and they all fit in perfectly with each other. Her vocals and lyrics are incredible throughout, but her backing band also work their asses off, killing it through the whole damn thing. I cannot recommend this enough to anyone even vaguely into country music, and I’ll be spinning it plenty in the weeks and months to come. Despite her being a big name already, this deserves so much more love than it will surely get. What are you waiting for? Go listen to it!
The modern power metal legends are back this Friday with their highly anticipated new album. Not only is it a follow-up to 2023’s Return to the Kingdom of Fife, but it seems to be a direct sequel to 2015’s much loved Space 1992. Now, long time readers here will know that I have a bit of an up-down relationship with the band, having loved them during Thomas Winkler’s run but struggling a little when they switched singers with their last album. Still, the singles I’ve heard from this so far are great, so I’m curiously excited to dive in and see what the album as a whole is like!
A grandiose, pretty long intro track sets the epic tone perfectly and expertly blends into the lead single from the album, ‘Ultimate Sacrifice’. The track itself explodes in with a huge, heavy riff and a fast pace set by drummer Ralathor (Ben Turk). The synths and keys from band leader Zargothrax (Chris Bowes) give the sound so much depth and size too, it feeling massive from the outset. Soon enough the powerful vocals come in from new-ish comer Sozos Michael, fitting over the top of the instrumentation perfectly and instantly having a catchy energy to them. The chorus is absolutely massive and even more catchy, the harmonies and gang vocals adding so much to it all. It’s immediately a hook that is going to be stuck in my head for days to come! The spoken word bit in the bridge continues the story of their band excellently, and we get a brief, awesome technical solo to follow it. It’s an awesome song in its own right, being exactly what Gloryhammer are all about, and was a great choice for a single as well as an opening track!
Album track ‘On a Quest for Aberdeen’ continues the same vibes as the opener perfectly. It’s another excellent modern power metal track, with all the trappings and glorious cheesiness. It’s a pretty similar formula to the previous track too, with a more simple verse and a huge, multi-vocalled, catchy as anything chorus. The vocals in the bridge were great, the harmonies working even harder as the notes push up to an impressive register, somehow feeling like it builds the track even more! And, we get another fantastic solo from Ser Proletius (Paul Templing), the harmonised second half being particularly excellent and memorable, though the whole part gets plenty of breathing room this time! It’s another awesome song, so massive and catchy!
Onto another single next with ‘Die with a Sword in My Hand’. And, what do you know, it’s another similar, grandiose power metal track! It certainly still works though, especially this early on the album! The chorus is fun too, more chanted than a big harmony-filled one, making it a sure-fire fan-favourite live. It also has maybe my favourite solo on the album, the tone on the guitar being so good. It’s another good song; exactly what you’d expect from the band and another good single choice!
By ‘Silver Talon’ I did start getting slightly tired of the same style, pace and lyrics for a fourth straight song. It’s a damn good song in its own right, and very enjoyable in isolation. Hell, it even fits perfectly with the rest of the album, in terms of both sound and theming. But my easily-distracted brain and ears could have done with something slightly different by the time this track rolled around, especially when we’re getting closer to the midpoint of the album.
I got a little bit of my wish with the following track, single ‘Starfighters of Leuchars’. While it still has some heavy guitars and drums, it does feel like a slower song overall. And, I really loved the Danny Elfman vibe to it with the synths and horns and backing vocals. It made the track a LOT of fun. Yet, it still fits in perfectly with the album and bands discography as a whole, the chorus being absolutely huge and another big earworm. It feels like it’s designed to be played to huge festival crowds around the world! I think Sozos gets the most chance to shine vocally on this track too, really showing off his phenomenal range. It’s another awesome song, and one that easily makes our playlist!
Single ‘Warriors of Auchtermuchty’ brings us back to the bands typical sound again, though certainly in a catchy way with another huge chorus and some call-and-response vocals in the verses. The same can be said for ‘Pax Galactica’, though it does have a touch of Elfman to it like ‘Starfighters’ did. Both are good songs in their own right, and once again fit the album well, but are certainly similar to others on the release. If you are big into their sound though, I’m sure you’ll love it!
The final three tracks are generally more of the same. ‘Demonic Devotion’ and ‘Hammer of Fate’ are your typical Gloryhammer album tracks. However, the closer (with a stupidly long title that I’m not going to type out), is proggy epicness, and a lot of fun! Don’t get me wrong, it has all the hallmarks of the bands sound, but it’s all dialled up to 11 and everything gets so much time to shine. The storytelling throughout is excellent, as is the playing and the vocals, while the composition is truly off the charts. Hell, we even get some screams tucked away in the middle here, which were a nice touch and broke everything up well! Don’t get me wrong, it’s still pretty cheesy, but you know exactly what to expect when heading into a Gloryhammer album, and this is very much all of that. I had a good time with it, and it sums up and closes out the release rather perfectly!
Overall: This is a good album! I know I have mentioned a bit of the negatives towards it I’ve felt, but that shouldn’t take away how great a release it is overall. It’s exactly what you’d expect and want from a Gloryhammer album: straight up epic modern power metal, and on that it absolutely delivers. If you are a fan of that style I’d absolutely recommend giving this a listen, ASAP! There are some tracks on here that are honestly career highlights, even if I wouldn’t necessarily spin the album as a whole every listen. It’s a dam solid addition to their growing discography, and I at least enjoyed it more than their previous one!
Another week, some more great music across the rock, metal and country world. Let’s check it out!
Greta Van Fleet: Palace for the People
Five albums deep into the not-so-young-anymore bands career and everyone should know exactly what to expect at this point. The perfect combination of Rush, Led Zeppelin and Jethro Tull, it’s old school, semi-prog rock at its best. And, while I did enjoy it more than ‘23’s Starcatcher, it’s still just… fine. Tracks like ‘Heart and the Beat’, single ‘Play Your Games’ and ‘Call my Own’ are personal highlights, and while none of the rest is especially bad, it’s not hugely my sort of thing. The band are all incredibly talented players, but Josh’s caterwauling grated on me a touch at times. I also found the choruses rather repetitive, and the album as a whole is rather strung out and long-winded at an hour long. Their current folkier edge is interesting, but it leads to a generally slow pace that gets boring by the mid-point. I didn’t think I’d be saying this, but I actually miss their early days when they just copied Led Zep. The epic vibe is cool, but gets old when it’s every track. They are clearly doing something right as they are an absolutely massive band, and this release will have plenty of fans. But outside of handful of tracks, I’m not one of them. I don’t think I could do the album as a whole again, honestly. It gets a rather generous 6/10 from us!
Chase & Status: Generic Everything
The heavy drum & basers returned with their seventh album this last Friday. It’s certainly not a release for everyone, and even I was a little up and down on it. I do find myself enjoying their heavier tracks while not being a fan overall, and it’s very much the same here. The opener was okay, the distorted guitars in the back and the dynamics being great. Songs like ‘Essa Ta Quente’ (feat. the legendary Skrillex) and ‘Gone Too Far’ (feat. Debbie) are also pretty good. However, a lot of the rest of it is not my sort of thing, and the aforementioned tracks were pushing it honestly. They’re certainly one of the weirder choices to be adopted into the heavier scene, and that’s about the only reason I thought I’d give it a spin. If you’re into this sort of style you’ll probably enjoy it, but I’d happily not listen to it again, honestly. It’s objectively pretty well crafted and put together, but from a personal standpoint I got bored, so can’t give it much more than 4.5/10. Sorry guys. Maybe a couple of heavier collabs would have reeled me in a lot more!
Twin Temple: Doomed Lovers
Jade: Straight off the bat, it feels like I’m listening to a haunting, gothic version of Grease The Musical. The whole album has a very theatrical feel to it which really draws you in. It at the very least made me curious. Lead vocalist Alexandra James has the most stunning voice, which really stands out from other artists with its vintage style. It’s not something you hear very often any more and it’s nice to go back to that more vintage style of rock and roll. Some of my favourites of this album are ‘Possessed’, ‘I Want Blood’ and ‘Someone In The Walls’. It’s a fun style and if anything a little on the too short side for my liking, I just want to hear more! Especially when it’s been a little while now since their last release! Still, it’s an album I’d recommend to anyone into a more vintage style of rock. 7/10
Left to Suffer: Unwelcome Guest
Max: This one is a little disappointing. It’s a fine album but that’s it. There isn’t anything standout or particularly notable throughout the entire album and all it really did was make me want something more on each track. Now I know what you are saying: making people want more is generally a good thing, but not when on every track people are wanting some kind of flavour or substance. To put it bluntly this album was a bit boring and a let down. 5/10
K-Man & the 45’s: Heed the Call
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; we don’t cover enough ska on this site. However, it does mean that on the odd occasion that I do get to cover some, I’m a little obsessed! And, of course, this is no exception. It’s 36 minutes of fun, catchy and creative reggae-rock, and I loved every minute! It’s packed full of fantastic tracks from front to back too, from ‘Clark St.’ to ‘Oh Yeah Attitude’, ‘Working in the Sun’ to ‘I Wanna Live’ and everything in between! I love that they cover quite the variety of sounds too, from all three generations of ska, making it a constantly interesting journey. This was somehow my introduction to the band, but they have a massive new fan in me, and I can’t wait to go back and check out their previous three albums! They’re all such incredibly talented musicians and songwriters, and we don’t have nearly enough of this sound around these days. I’d recommend this to anyone, and will certainly be spinning it plenty moving forward. A very solid 8.5/10 from us!
The Temperance Movement: New Promise Land Incorporated
The first new studio work from the UK blues rock supergroup in close to a decade finally dropped on Friday to much hype. It’s exactly what fans of the band would expect from them, and is a lot of fun! As a blues/southern rock fan, I had a great time listening to this. From ‘Eat You Alive’ to ‘Love Kicks’ to ‘Always Been Love’, there’s some great stuff on here, too! Honestly, there isn’t a bad song throughout, even if the noticeable dip in energy and tempo the later in the album it gets a bit much by the end. Still, the band are effortlessly talented and if you are a fan of their earlier stuff, or the softer side of blues/Southern rock, this is absolutely an album for you! I’ll certainly be spinning it again, and I do think it’s a grower, but for now it still gets a solid 7/10 from us!
Lucy Gallant: Forbidden Fruit
Following up 2023’s Flowers EP, the self-described bohemian folk-pop artist is back with another great five tracks! It’s chilled out, catchy, well written, and some of the notes she hits with her vocals are insane. It’s just a really easy 17 minute listen, and one that I’d honestly recommend to anyone. ‘F YOU’ is probably my personal favourite, an infectiously catchy anthem, but there truly isn’t a bad song throughout. The Bond-like ‘Venom’ is also incredible. She feels wholly unique, something rather hard to do in 2026. I’ve spun this a good few times this weekend alone, and I will most likely keep doing so plenty in the weeks and months to come. She has a big new fan in me; there is something about her writing and vocals that is just entrancing. I can’t give this any less than 9/10, it’s fantastic!
Werewolves: You’re Weak and you Know You’re Weak
Max: This album was quite good. It’s as punchy and aggressive as ever from Werewolves with barely a breath taken between the pummlings you receive as the listener. I think this one might be a little hard to listen to for some as it really is just pure extreme metal, but if you are in to that, I think you are really going to enjoy it. It isn’t exactly reinventing the wheel when it comes to what metal is and what Werewolves do, but that doesn’t make it bad and considering the Aussie outfit are planning on going 10 for 10 when it comes to albums per year. I think this is a really good stance for being on year 7 of that, however I do have a fear that the fatigue might set in soon which would be a real disappointment.
So yeah, if you want some kick-ass metal that isn’t pulling any punches then here you go, just don’t expect anything revolutionary. 7.5/10
GASSED: MENTAL
This is 11 minutes of pure aggression, heaviness and carnage. A balls-to-the-wall punk release that doesn’t let up for a second across all eight of its tracks. And, honestly, I love it! And, at its compact length, it’s an incredibly easy listen, and it’s so easy to get lost in the sound and the emotion of it all. I may have been throwing hands around my living room… having said that, the one-two-punch of ‘THE HAND’ and ‘’RECLAIMED’ is awesome, and certainly highlights despite the whole release being truly excellent. This is the sort of hardcore that I need more of in my life, and this band deserve so much more love than they have had currently. They have really exploded on the scene the last couple of years, and I can see this album(?) pushing them up a couple of levels as it is truly excellent! I am going to have to see this live, and I cannot recommend it enough for anyone even vaguely curious or into the genre. 9/10, pump this into my veins!
Celtic Cross: Meet Me in the Kitchen
The return release from the New-York-based Irish folk-rock band comes a whopping 12 years after their last album. In that time, they have very clearly not lost a step, however! This is a beautiful 20 minutes of heartfelt folk-based music, though it has elements of everything from country to rock, Americana to even vague bluegrass vibes too, and of course some pop elements too. From the opener to ‘Slán Go Fóill’ to the rockier ‘Toss it Back’, there’s some is some great stuff on here. However, the other half of the tracks are just as good, it all being plenty varied and constantly interesting. It really has something for everyone! And, honestly, it’s awesome, the band deserving a lot more attention and praise than they’ll get from it! It’s an EP I’d recommend to anyone, and is yet another artist that have a firm new fan in me! Another very solid 8/10 from us.
Sickmind: Babel Tower
Jade: This one has been a bit of an odd experience for me. I’ve been left wanting more…not more to listen too, I just expected more from this album with the clear talent all of the members have. The drums follow the guitar riffs and it sounds absolutely insane. It almost over shadows the vocals a bit. I’m drawn more into the instrumental side of the band, I feel like the vocals get a bit lost. I really want to enjoy them; for all intents and purposes it’s exactly the type of vocals I enjoy with death metal. I don’t know if it’s the way the album has been mixed but it’s just not quite there. I’m not getting the aggression that I feel is there. It’s such a shame because the drummer is so incredibly talented and is doing some insane stuff in these tracks. Same goes for the guitar riffs and heavy bass. Everything is working so well until those vocals come in. For me at least it weakens the overall presence that I feel like you usually have with death metal.
With that in mind, it makes the album feel too long, and all a bit too similar to be able to sit and enjoy the full 44 minutes. There are most definitely still highlights that stood out, those being ‘The Chaos Beneath Our Feet’, ‘Humanness’ and the title track. These particular songs all just stood out the most to me, and really showed me the potential of the band. I know this is the first release since the band rebranded themselves, and I do still look forward to seeing what they do next! It’s certainly not bad, but I struggled to get into it as a whole. 6/10
Idolvein: This Place I Leave Behind
The follow-up EP to 2025’s fantastic Where We Became Spirits, the alt metallers once again knock it out of the park here! A collection of their singles from the year, alongside two more awesome tracks for good measure, it’s half an hour of great, heavy, melodic music. From the more pop-inspired opener to the post-hardcore new one ‘My Last War’ to the ballad-like ‘The Ways We Remain’, the release kicks off incredibly strongly. The rest of the EP follows their lead excellently, and makes for a great, varied listen throughout! The mathy, Dance Gavin Dance-like ‘In the Hands of Thieves’ is also a massive highlight. It’s easily up there alongside their last release, if not even slightly better once I’ve sat with it a little longer. It’s also a release I’d recommend to anyone even slightly into modern metalcore/alt metal. The band keeps going from strength to strength, and it’s another easy 8.5/10 from us!
The Pineapple Thief: Far and Wide
Just two and a half year removed from their last massive release, we got another great album from the British prog rockers. As a big ol’ fan of Tool, and these being like a lighter version of them, I loved this! The band are of course incredibly talented musicians, but are such good songwriters together too. The likes of ‘Hold the Ashes’, ‘This Empty Space’ and ‘Who Wants It?’ are all personal highlights, but the whole album is great and has a really fantastic flow. 47 minutes goes by in a flash, and is a surprisingly easy listen for a prog album. This certainly won’t be the only time I spin this album soon, and I can feel it growing on me even more each time. And, even still, I can’t give this any less than a massive 8.5/10. Great stuff!
Sagittarius: Abomination of Mind
The debut album from the heavy metal revivalists is a great 34 minutes of music! Having some great thrashy riffs and drums, but combined with some powerful, catchy vocals, it feels very much the perfect combination of 90s Priest and early Metallica. And, from ‘Disaster Dawn’ to the dark, epic ‘Dead Inside’ to the closer, there is plenty to love throughout. Hell, my only issue would be that honestly, it may have been a little short! Still, if you are into your old-school metal this is well worth checking out, and I’m excited to see where they go from here. 7.5/10
Sueco: PARTY’S OVER
Album four from the emo-rapper/pop-punker is interesting if nothing else. I was familiar with the name from him featuring on others’ tracks, but this is the first real deep-dive I’ve managed to have with the man himself. Honestly, I found myself enjoying it a lot more than I expected to. It’s an incredibly modern sound, reminding me a lot of the likes of Stand Atlantic, most of his album guests, or even MGK a little. However, it feels a lot less disingenuous a sound than the latter artists modern work. ‘ARE YOU ENTERTAINTED?’ is a big early highlight, while the likes of ‘TRUST MYSELF’ and Scream 7’s ‘REARRANGING SCARS’ are also good. Don’t get me wrong, there is a bit of a lull in both energy and quality in the middle, and some of the lyrics do hit a bit cringy at times. However, it isn’t inherently a bad album, and those more into this style or Sueco as an artist will probably get more mileage out of it than I do. I probably wouldn’t throw it on often, but also wouldn’t turn it off if it came on again. 6.5/10
Joshua Slone: Long Life Living for a Lover Boy
Following up his debut album from this time last year, the rising country star put out a collection of another five great, emotion-filled tracks this last Friday. It’s slower and rather stripped-back, continuing on the vibes from his album excellently. ‘Morehead State’ was a personal favourite track of mine, but there really isn’t a bad song throughout. It’s a little slow for me typically, but is a good release to sit and relax to, and is the pretty perfect length for a sound like this. He’s got a great voice and is clearly a very talented songwriter. 7/10, good stuff!
Hollow Bone: Onar
The sophomore album from the experimental post-metal Italians comes over six years after their debut, but builds on the sound expertly. It’s dark and heavy and technical and proggy, and begs a full listen in a dark room with headphones on. It’s certainly not for everyone, but I had a good time here! The band are all insanely talented, and have crafted a truly massive soundscape with this release. And, while I very much recommend listening in full, I do think ‘Meltdown’ and the Tool-like ‘Presence of Eagles’ are personal highlights. If you like slower, grandiose instrumental metal, this is certainly a release I’d recommend! Another solid 7/10 from us!
Mad Painter: Island Poetry
Another sophomore album this week, this time from the Boston blues collective. Now, I do have to say that at pushing an hour in length, it is a little long, especially when it’s largely at the same steady pace. Still, in isolation, tracks like ‘Empty Bottles’, ‘Nektarized’ and ‘Stand Your Ground’ are a lot of fun and very much personal highlights. It’s a real old-school, Quo-like sound, and it’s impossible not to have a good time listening, regardless of what you’re into. The band are all clearly talented, and all get their own chance to shine plenty throughout with some great vocals, drums, bass, riffs and solos. If you are even slightly interested, I’d give this one a spin, despite the daunting length! It may be a grower for me, but even then it gets an easy 7.5/10 from us for now!
Matthew Goodnough: Your Loss, My Misery
The debut album of one of the hardest working people in the country scene the last few years dropped this last Friday, to much hype and fan-fair. Having listened to it, it deserves every bit of that hype, too! ‘Nothing Left to Say’ opens the release in perfect, rocky fashion, while ‘Finding Bones’ follows it up excellently. Then you have the likes of the title track, ‘Dirty Myrtle’ and ‘Cradle Rocker’ that are just as great! It reminds me a lot of Koe Wetzel or Treaty Oak Revival, but somehow has both a bit more rock and radio-country to it, dialling back the more indie vibe they both have to fantastic results, at least for this writer! My only thing is that it is maybe a little similar throughout, though having said that 45 minutes went by in a flash for my first time, I had a blast. His vocals, writing and delivery are all awesome, and his band are working their asses off throughout. He has an INCREDIBLY bright future ahead of him, and a huge new fan in me. An incredibly easy 9/10 from me!
Fail the Enemy: Sandcastles
The first EP from the alt rock/metallers since their 2018 self-titled debut, the trio demonstrate that they haven’t lost a single step in that time! This is 21 minutes spread across five excellent tracks honestly each just as good as the last! They feel pretty unique, at least in terms of the UK scene, and between their songwriting/composition and the production it all sounds really awesome. Having said that, the trio themselves are also fantastic, playing their parts perfectly. The whole EP has a grandiose, epic vibe to it, and I’d recommend anyone interested listen to it in full, you certainly won’t be disappointed! Hopefully we don’t have to wait so long for their next release, as I can’t wait to hear where they go from here. However, until that point, I will gladly continue to spin this! 8/10
Day two kicked off excellently with Alabama Crow! They had plenty of energy right from the jump, all putting on one hell of a performance. What’s more, they all looked like they were enjoying themselves together up on stage, which always makes for a great experience. And, what’s more, the crowd showed up big for them so early on. I hadn’t seen them live before but I am already desperate to see them again. Hell, they’d flown under my radar overall honestly, but definitely have a new fan in me. Certainly a band I’d recommend to anyone!
Now, y’all should all know by now my deal with Eddie & the Wolves. “Best band in the world”yada yada. But this was quite a bucket list venue and festival for us, so from the bottom of mine and the rest of the wolves’ (and Edd’s) hearts, thank you to every single person involved for looking after us, and everyone who came down early to check us out. We sounded incredible, and it was one of the most fun gigs any of us have ever played. Hopefully it won’t be the last time we grace the stage at KKs! Oh, and Eddie & the Wolves rock, obviously.
The sheer talent Red by Night have for their age is incredible! And, even with some early technical difficulties, they still won over so many people through this set! Being a bit of a change of pace again, it felt like a more modern indie/hard rock infused with the more traditional elements, which set them apart in a great way. And the energy they brought to the stage was nothing short of infectious! I wasn’t familiar with them heading in, but they’re another that have gained a big fan in me. These guys have a real bright future ahead of them, and I already can’t wait to see where they go from here!
Thieves of Liberty are another damn solid band representing the scene, and put on another incredible performance like they are known for! Blasting through some of the biggest fan favourites from their 2024 debut, it was a lot of fun to watch them do their thing. They feel like veterans of the scene already and carry themselves like pros, putting on an effortless, polished performance through their full set. It had been too long since I’d seen them live, and I won’t let it get that long again!
Our good friends in Fangslinger once again blew me away, along with the rest of the crowd! Their blend of hard and Southern rock, alongside a sprinkling of metal, will never not be awesome, and it is somehow just as fantastic live as it is on track! The quartets talents together and individually is off the charts, and in particular their vocal harmonies are spectacular throughout. The setlist was awesome, too! A journey through the very best from their debut album, hitting every excellent high. They’re another band at this festival who have exploded on the scene at high momentum, and look like there is no stopping them on their rise to the top! Their stage show grows more and more each time I see them, and they’re another one I’d happily recommend to anyone!
This House we Built have been gaining a lot of momentum in recent years, and rightfully so! They’re another band that bring so much energy and passion to the stage that it’s impossible to not have a good time watching them! They skirt the line between punk, sleaze and hard rock expertly, and played a fantastic set packed full of their two massive albums. And, on top of that, new track ‘Desires’ was an easy set highlight, making me immediately excited to hear where the band go next. For now though, this is was an awesome show, and they’re another band I’d highly recommend checking out!
Blue Nation are another band that I somehow hadn’t seen live yet, but was blown away by! I remember very much enjoying their last album back in 2024, and they are true veterans of the scene and even pre-NWOCR. It very much shows in their live performances, as they are so very polished and refined throughout. And, whether it was tracks from The Ordinary People or from their excellent, extensive back catalogue, it all hit so well in the fantastic live setting. They deserve every bit of the love and praise and push they are getting, and they are one of the best live bands in the scene today!
Then, the mighty Fury took to the stage! We saw them just last year on the same tour, but they turned everything up to 11 with this headline set! Playing the very best of their amazing latest album, alongside their earlier massive hits, the setlist was awesome throughout. And the stage show they put on was well befitting of a headliner, too! From the outfits to the extra drummers to the sheer energy and crowd interaction throughout, it was truly spectacular to behold! They’re another band where it’s incredibly easy to see why they were picked to headline, and they deserve every bit of praise and love they have been getting. Another band that feel like veterans of the scene, and are somehow better than ever before! An incredible and very fitting way to close out not just the day, but the festival as a whole!
And there we have it folks, two days of awesome hard rock music at one of the best venues in the country! All of the crew and staff were incredible all weekend, the sound was phenomenal and the crowd seemed to love every minute of it. Lord knows we did! I cannot recommend any of the bands or the venue itself enough, check them all out ASAP. And here’s to next year’s event already!
Somehow this was the first edition of this festival we’d managed to make it down to. Celebrating it’s 5th live year at the iconic KKs steelmill, it also played host some of the very best of the scene in 2026! We had a blast from start to finish (although we sadly couldn’t make the Friday pre-show party), and wanted to rave about just how excellent it was!
Kicking things off with a band were the awesome Revenant. I’ve been a fan of them for a few years now, loving their EPsand seeing them live back in February. However, this was somehow even better than that last time! They had me and the pretty packed-out crowd in the palm of their hands from start to finish, and put on a fantastic show fitting of the opening slot. From their heavy hitters like ‘Best Medicine’ and ‘e’ to so-far unreleased songs to even a cover medley or two, it was a really great 40 minutes of live music! And, the stage presence they all had together was magnetic. They are very much firing on all cylinders currently, and I already cannot wait for the album they’ve been teasing!
It had been far too long since we’d seen the last band, Joanovarc. Our last time was way back at Rockin’ the Bowl years ago, and the band have changed a lot since then. However, I enjoyed them just as much here as I did there! They had a heavier edge to them than I remember this time around which I loved, and it kept the energy high throughout. The sound as well was phenomenal, not just for them but for everyone throughout the weekend, and it certainly helped too. New tracks ‘Mechanical Overlords’ and ‘Money Machine’ were particularly highlights, but the whole set was pretty great! The band really feel like they’ve gelled these days, and it made for an awesome set!
Next up were the wild Germans, Sweet Electric. Being a long-time fan of Brad Marr from his early days in Massive, I can never not love the guy live. I have never seen a more born performer and frontman, he is so incredibly captivating to watch throughout. However, the band he’s surrounded himself with are also fantastic, matching his energy and stage presence perfectly. They all bounced around that stage from start to finish, and it was one hell of a set! And, on top of that, their setlist was awesome! Being heavy on their incredible new album, but still having plenty of the classic tracks from their debut that brought them to the dance, it was perfect. The crowd were loving it too, interacting a lot and hanging on every note. This was one of my favourite sets of the weekend, if not the whole year, and I already can’t wait to see them again soon!
Brave Rival took to the stage soon after and blew the packed-out crowd away! They were a bit of a change of pace after the hyper, sleazy energy of Sweet Electric, slowing things down and adding a dose of epicness to the proceedings. However, it made for just as fantastic a set! Lindsey Bonnick is one of the most underrated vocalists in any scene today, and the other three are such phenomenally talented musicians and songwriters. I had in my notes that they are like a blusier Evanescence, and that felt exactly right to me. The extended soloing section in the middle was particularly goosebump-inducing. They felt so very polished; ready for a step up to massive arenas and venues at this point. And as I said, it was a nice change of pace from the rest of the day so far. I had a blast with them and, while it wasn’t the first time I saw them, I thought they were even better this time, and it certainly won’t be my last!
Next up were local-ish glam rockers Midnite City. Another band that I have seen a fair few times at this point, but sadly one that I can’t quite get into. I love a few of their songs on track, and they are good live, but something about it doesn’t quite click for me as much as some of the other bands on the lineup. Don’t get me wrong, they’re a great band, and the tracks that I liked that they played were great. ‘We Belong’ will always be a fantastic live song, especially to close their set, but the crowd seemed a little low energy for a lot of it. Still, I’d happily see them again at another show like this down the line, and if you are more into the glam/sleaze stuff than I am you’ll most likely love it!
Even a member down due to an unfortunate family crisis, Doomsday Outlaw still killed it! Honestly, they stepped out onto the stage like they had something to prove, and blew the roof off the joint in the process. John is a fantastic frontman, and the crowd matched his energy throughout the set. And, the other three members held up their end excellently. You wouldn’t have even been able to tell that they were working stuff out a little on the fly, as they handled it like complete professionals and played their asses off. Blasting through a wide variety of their extensive back catalogue, running through all their excellent hits, the setlist was awesome too! I will forever love this band, and having seen them twice this year, they are still very much on top form!
I have somehow been waiting to see Hollowstar for years at this point. One of the early pioneers of this whole movement, they haven’t been hugely active in recent years, and had to pull out of last years event at last minute. However, they more than made up for it here, and they played their heart out for the packed out crowd, and everyone went nuts for them! Hopefully we finally get some more studio stuff from them soon (if their socials are anything to go by it’s a yes), but until then I’d happily see them again soon!
And just like that, we reached headliners The Lazys. Another band that I’ve been a fan of for years at this point and have finally had the opportunity to see live, and they didn’t disappoint! Over an hour of boot stompin’, high energy Aussie hard rock at its very best. Playing the very best from their three albums, including personal favourites ‘Nothing but Trouble’ and ‘Half Mast Blues’, to their more recent, explosive singles, and all played to perfection while the band threw themselves around the stage for the packed out, adoring crowd, it was the best way to close out a day like this! The band were so fun and polished, proving why they are born headliners, and I am already desperate to see them again soon!
We had the pleasure of chatting to our good friends Revenant at KKs Steelmill the other weekend at NWOCR Fest, about their set, upcoming album and their plans for 2027! Check it out below!
How was the Set?
Oh, it’s good, yeah. Fantastic! Yeah, sounds great out there. The sound is really good!
Is this the first time you guys have been to KK’s?
Yeah! It’s a cool club!
It seems like it’s becoming a bit of a bucket list venue for bands these days!
Yeah! For me personally, being a guitar player, yeah, this is it! And it’s always nice when a venue and the staff know what they’re doing. They’ve been great to us, they made everything sound great.
You guys snuck in a couple of new tracks as well! How are they going live so far?
Yeah, they’ve been pretty well received so far! A couple of people, hopefully, are starting to learn the words. It’s sort of like the ones that we’ve been working on for our new album and stuff like that. We just want to road test them a little bit, you know? We’ve played them all year this year, haven’t. But yeah, they’re probably some of the first tracks that we wrote for the album, so it’s like, why would we not play them?
This is it. I feel like people are almost a little bit hesitant these days, and at least in rock world, to play songs that aren’t put out yet, so it is quite nice to see bands try out new things!
I think, you would… you’d be silly not to play this stuff live because also you kind of… people hear it and they go, “Oh, that one sounds great,” and then they buy it and they go, “Oh, great, it’s on the album!”
So I last spoke with you back in February when you were with Preacher Stone. How’s the last 7 months been?
Yeah, and we’re trying to write, we’re trying to finish the album and we go, “Yeah, so we’re not going to do anything, we’re just going to finish the album,” and then someone calls and goes, “Do you want to do this?” And we go, “Oh yeah, we do. We really want to.” So yeah, we’ve just been trying to get the album finished, and then pick up a couple of support slots, stuff like that. And then the summer holidays, everyone’s busy. Matt got married and took some time off! It’s just busy, life is busy. Being in a band is busy. It’s hard to set time aside.
You guys seem pretty busy for the rest of the year really as well, right? I saw there’s a few more gigs lined up!
Picking up from there, yeah. We’ve got the Valknut tour with Soul Revival and We Three Kings. that’ll be good fun. Get your tickets! We’ve got… we’re playing Cornwall Rocks next weekend. Newark. Yeah, we’re all over the place! Planet Rockstock. We’re going to Scotland. First time there, so that’ll be cool. That’s going to be a long drive. But yeah, it’s going to be great. And then we can take some time off over Christmas!
No Christmas gig planned this year, then?
No no, absolutely not. We did one last year! Our last gig’s with Brave Rival in Portsmouth. December 17th!
Then you’ve only put out the one track this year, which was the cover. Has it been weird not putting as much out after a full on couple of years?
Yeah, I’d say it was a bit weird, we’ve had to take a bit of time off to write the new stuff. So we’ve got quite a lot now under our belts. We could do EPs, right? But we’ve put an album together, and it’s brilliant! So I think it’s nice to keep a really good body of work, but I’m sure we’ll say, after 3 months of it being out, we’ll be like, “Oh, we want some new music.” You’re always trying to feed everyone’s kind of, “Oh, we want some more music? we want some more music!” a bit.
Yeah, I feel like the music industry runs so fast these days, like everyone just listens to it and goes, “Cool, what’s next?”
I think you have to be. Having done this for a while now, you have to be confident enough to say, “Stop,” and then write the new stuff. And then because the people are always going to want you to play somewhere! But yeah, we’ll probably go, “Right, okay, what’s next?”
I feel like once you’ve got a full collection and it feels like an album as well, it’s hard to try and separate it up if you did want to do more EPs. Like, if it’s all written and it sounds right, then it’s the right thing to do, I think.
I just look at it like this way: If you’re an artist, you’re just going to do what you do. And the “Oh, we’ve got to do this and we’ve got to do that” side of it, to me, doesn’t really come into it. I’m just going to turn up and play with my friends and we’re going to make some music and it’ll come out when it’s ready. That’s how I look at it.
How’s the Kickstarter going for the album?
Yeah, all good. Fully funded at 100… 60% or something? Something like that. Yeah, which is fantastic! 26 backers, which is great considering that we said about it in July. My dad did half of it. I’m joking! I mean, there’s nothing coming out until like springtime, so March, April time, and there’s 126 people straight away going, “Yeah, yeah, cool, right, we want it.” So that’s really nice, actually. That feels, that’s really comforting!
I assume it’s all written then. Is it getting close to all being recorded?
Yeah, there’s a few more bits to do. Then it’ll probably be good. By the end of the year, 95% I’d say. 95% finished. Sweeping the dust, stuff for cutting. Sam’s got to do his bits. He’s got to put his like parsley, this parsley on the side of the steak that we’ve got ready now. I mean, it’s almost ringing the bell to say it’s ready, it’s ready to go. Fly, my pretty!
Then you’ve got to work out what singles to put out, from when, and all that kind of thing. All that fun stuff!
Oh man, don’t remind me!
Then, have you guys got some stuff rolling into next year? I’ve seen a couple of bits in January. I imagine you can’t probably talk about it but is stuff coming in for after that?
Yeah, actually to be fair, the year is looking fairly busy already! Especially for the first six months. And then, you know, back end of the year, we don’t know what’s going to happen, but that’s the music industry. But yeah, it’s looking pretty busy. It’ll be revealed soon enough!
