A quieter week of new music this week with a lot less MASSIVE releases. However, that doesn’t mean it’s any less awesome! Check it all out with us!

Extreme: SIX

After far too long, 15 years to be exact, Extreme return with their highlight anticipated album. One of the most talented bands in the world, they don’t get nearly the credit or praise they deserve. However, this album is phenomenal. I’d expected it from the singles I’d heard, but there really isn’t (nearly) a bad track on it.

It’s rare that an album these days doesn’t have some big epic intro, but here it just gets right down to business with lead single ‘RISE’. Then we reach one of the best tracks the band have ever written, and one of my favourite tracks of the year, ‘#REBEL’. It’s a little cringy lyrically for sure, but it’s massively catchy and the solo is *chef’s kiss*. Honestly, Nuno is just as good as he ever has been, if not somehow even better. And that’s not to take away from the rest of the band either, who are just as good.

Some may dismiss the album after the first four tracks, and I have to admit it was an odd choice to front-load the album with every single one of the singles. ‘SMALL TOWN BEAUTIFUL’ is a cracking ballad and arguably better than the one they used as the single. ‘THICKER THAN BLOOD’ had some cool electronic parts and dynamics to it that made the riff and chorus even bigger and heavier. The album gets a bit slower by the end which is a shame; it would have been nice to have ended with a bang. However, ‘HERE’S TO THE LOSERS’ was a great track and hit home in a horribly self-deprocating way. We just ignore ‘BEAUTIFUL GIRLS’… I don’t mind pop but it was not a good pop song…

Overall, a fantastic return from the band. I really wish we had more from the band as I LOVE every album. But I’ll take what I can get, and this is a good get! 8.5/10

Scar Symmetry: The Singularity (Phase II – Xenotaph)

I feel physically assaulted by that opening. However, fuck me, ‘Chrononautilus’ is a heavy, fast, yet proggy, catchy masterpiece. It’s whiplash in the best way, like a lot of Scar Symmetry’s stuff is.

That is how the vast majority of the proggy melodeath band’s seventh album is. And the fact that this is their first release in nine years is insane. I remember a friend of mine being big into them after Phase I, so this makes me feel old. The odd delay between albums (thanks, Meshuggah) made anticipation high, and from what I can tell, they haven’t disappointed!

While I couldn’t get into them at their last release, I’ve definitely grown to love the heavy stuff a lot more and liked a lot of this. Obvious radio-single ‘Overworld’ is great, ‘Hyperborean Plains’ is a melodic yet insanely heavy masterpiece, and ‘Soulscanner’ is maybe my favourite track on the album.

However, I do get some of the criticism, too. A lot of it does follow a similar format. It’s an hour of repeating tracks. And, given that this album was mainly written in 2016, it does feel a little stale. A lot of bands have done this sort of sound and evolved past it. So while Phase I felt groundbreaking and adventurous, Phase II feels, maybe through no fault of its own, like it’s playing safe. 7/10. Still great, but not quite as groundbreaking as could have been expected.

Godflesh: PURGE

A second album that shouted its track titles at me this week. However, unlike Extreme, I have no idea how to feel about this. Wait, scratch that, I do. I’m not a fan. Honestly, I don’t get it. It’s like a whole album of the messy, weird, decidedly worse parts of Machine Head’s debut album. There’s a few alright riffs and the sporadic-at-best hard vocals sound good. However, everything is drawn out FAR too long. There’s letting a riff breathe, and then there’s creating a six minute track of just that riff like ‘LAZARUS LEPER’. And the WHOLE ALBUM is like this.

Yeah, I don’t get it. I’m sure there are those that do, just like Metal Injection’s review, but it’s not for me. The hip-hop edge to metal was a fun idea in the early 90s, but it feels massively dated these days and has been done better by others. 3/10. I’m sorry, this bored me to tears.

Laura Cantrell: Just Like a Rose: The Anniversary Sessions

The late 90s, early 2000s country sensation (No relation to Jerry, I checked) is back with her first album in nine years. Conceived back in 2020 to mark 20 years since her debut, this album is a celebration of everything she has written and achieved in those two decades.

Opening on a fantastically produced honky-tonk number, ‘Push the Swing’, the album gets off on the perfect foot. Meanwhile tracks like ‘Secret Language’, a beautiful love ballad and a great slower number. Heck, it’s a surprisingly angry album beneath it’s relaxed, chilled country exterior. ‘I’m Gonna Miss This Town’ is a scathing teardown of a hometown in the modern age, while ‘AWM – Bless’ goes after, well, the American White Man. Both are cracking tracks and really show Laura’s amazing songwriting skills. Another massive highlight is her duet with longtime friend Steve Earle in a reimagining of her hit, ‘When the Roses Bloom Again’.

Overall, it’s a great traditional country album. Fans of Laura will know exactly what to expect and will no doubt enjoy it. And general country fans will find plenty to enjoy too! 7.5/10

Agora: Empire

We’ve already covered this awesome album! Check it out here!

Legion of the Damned: The Poison Chalice

Thrash legends Legion of the Damned return with their 13th studio album. It’s pretty much what you’d expect from a thrash/death metal band this late into their careers, too. It’s heavy, fast and a lot of fun. However, much like Dieth’s album last week, it does little of interest that qwe haven’t already hear from the genre in the last three decades. I get not every band is setting out to reinvent the wheel, and tracks like ‘Contamination’ and ‘Retaliation’ were definite highlights and great tracks. It definitely wore thin on me pretty quickly though after I’d heard the first couple of similar tracks. If you’re a big death metal fan, you’ll probably love this. Otherwise, meh.6.5/10

Shakra: Invincible

Owen: Swiss hard rock group Shakra release their new album Invincible this week, a monumental 13th studio album for the band. Like many others around the world, the group’s plans for the last few years have not gone smoothly due to the pandemic. The groups last studio album was actually released in February 2020, right as the world began to lock down. So with an album out and the group ready and raring to get on the road they had to drop tools and rethink. Luckily for us they decided rather than sit and wait for the world to get back on its feet they would carry on writing new music for their fans. This album is the product of these pandemic writing sessions and have taken inspiration from the worldwide panic and feeling that the world was standing still.

Standout tracks include; ‘The Matrix Unfolds’, a high-speed guitar led track showing the band at their best. ‘As I lay down to Sleep’ is a soulful balled allowing vocalist Mark Fox to show off his talent, and ‘House of Rock’ a powerhouse of classic rock showcasing the best of this group. 7/10

Dream Wife: Social Lubrication

I’m sorry for any fans of the band. Or to the band themselves, if they happen to read this. No, I didn’t like this. I think a good 90% of it comes from the vocals, too. It’s very nasally, reminding me of Cerys Mathews in all the worst ways. And the punky screams were grating. The spoken-word kinda delivery half the time also didn’t work for me, but it never has outside of the odd Lou Reed track. And some of the lyrics were really, really cringy (looking at you, ‘Hot’). All of it combined to make a not-so-enjoyable experience from the get go.

Obscure reference time: it reminds me of Zooey Deschanel’s intentionally terrible band in the movie Yes Man.

The rest of the band are actually pretty enjoyable. I like the old-school Arctic Monkeys meets funk-pop thing they have going on. And I also know that this music is definitely not written for me. There are going to be a fair amount of people out there who are huge fans of this band who are going to hate this review. If you like this album, awesome, I’m so glad. But I really struggled to get through it all. 3/10

King Howl: Homecoming

Owen: From the opening few moments, King Howl let you know what you are in for with their newest release, Homecoming. Hailing from Sardinia, the group have taken big inspiration from 1960’s American pop culture which is well reflected in their heavy blues sound. The 11-track album is said to be conceptual, describing the life of a young American protagonist who escapes a secluded small town on a train and encounters the challenges of life on the road.

Honouring the 60’s influences for track 10 the band have covered ‘Gimme Shelter’. The iconic 60’s track fits in well to the rest of the album and its interesting being able to compare the vocals of Pani to the great Mick Jagger, who’s vocals on this track are well imprinted on most peoples memory of the song. It is, however, missing the incredible female soul and gospel aspect originally provided by Mary Clayton for the Stones. It would have been brilliant to hear the band bring in some strong female vocals to pay tribute to this cover. Overall, a solid album from King Howl, I can see this album performing very well live with audiences all over Europe and the US. 7/10

Dayshifter: Hiraeth

So, when I was told about this band all I was told was they were “Melodic Hardcore” and genuinely that is the most fitting explanation of this band possible. They stick to this, and they know they are good at it. From the screams to the swelling chorus and the beautiful melodies that carry across the entire album, it really is something to listen to and it is somewhat reminiscent of Casey with the emotion and hard-hitting lyrics. There’s no wonder that this band has played gigs with Oceans Ate Alaska and Loathe. It is clear that this band wants to develop their craft and continue on to bigger and better things and I genuinely believe that they will within the next five years. 8/10