Another week and some more awesome new music for us to check out. Let’s look at it all below!
Of Mice and Men: Tether
Joe: The Californian metalcore band are back with their eighth studio album. This is now the fourth album without Austin and with Aaron at the front, and the band have changed a lot in those four albums. The band have adopted a lot more of a synth-driven, lighter sound than their early work. That’s not exactly a bad thing, and there are still some big riffs and unclean vocals throughout. However, this album reminds me a lot of their last one, Echo. As you can see by my review of Echo, it didn’t really feel like anything special. I’m not sure if it’s because my music taste has gotten a lot wider in the last two years since that review, or whether the quality has genuinely dipped. Either way, this won’t be getting reviewed as highly.
‘Integration’ is a terrible opening track, having the most basic of ‘heavy’ riffs but outside of that piggybacking on the early 2000s post-grunge/butt-rock sound. ‘Warpaint’ is at least a tad heavier and one of the closer tracks to their old sound. Tracks like ‘Shiver’ and ‘Enraptured’ are simple radio-bating dark, synthy rock songs with little to no substance, simply a big hook. Meanwhile tracks like ‘Eternal Pessimist’ try to do the heavy thing with the harsh vocals and heavy instrumentation, but hidden amongst the other songs it simply feels kinda cheep.
The way the band flipflop between the two sounds feels messy. Aside for a couple of tracks in the middle, it feels like a band that don’t know who they are and want to write two separate sounds. ‘Eternal Pessimist’ and ‘Into the Sun’ are the two tracks closest to highlights for me. And even then, they don’t particular measure up to a lot of the stuff out there in any genre that they mix together. And it’s a shame too, as this may be some of Aaron’s best vocal performances. There’s almost a MJK vibe with a lot of it. I was never much into the lighter side of 2010’s metalcore, and this is some of the worst of it. 4/10
Max: The band has moved away from the hard-hitting metal core of their earlier days and more towards the modern metal style that has found popularity in recent years. This is not necessarily a band thing and there is clearly and audience for this genre and it is clear that Of Mice And Men do it well. The self produced album definitely has its shining moments and it will definitely be fun to see it live. Whilst some people will and always will find issue with bands moving away from the genre that gained them fame but it is good to see bands develop and find their roots in different genres. Overall this album doesn’t have the same kick for me as their earlier albums but the band is still very good and is still on the top of their game. 7/10
Joe Bonamassa: Blues Deluxe Vol. 2
Joe: The sixteenth studio album under the guitar god’s belt is a follow-up to his 2003 album. In is words, Bonamassa wanted to see how much he progressed as a musician in the span of 20 years. Remembering how much I loved the first volume when checking it out for this, this new release has a lot to live up to.
It does just that. Being huge fan of the soulful, jazzy blues style of the album, of course I was going to love it. However, the playing and writing are both off the charts, as well. Tracks like ‘It’s Hard But It’s Fair’, ‘I Want to Shout About It’ and ‘Hope You Realize It’ are all amazing. But honestly, there isn’t a bad track on the album. There are plenty of catchy vocal lines, especially when the backing vocals come in over the top, and I can’t get enough of the insane guitaring or the amazing horn playing. For anyone into jazz, soul or blues, this is definitely an album for you. And, compared to Vol 1, it is just as good, and Bonemassa should definitely be proud of his progression as a musician! 9/10
Carnifex: Necromanteum
Joe: I really didn’t expect to love this as much as I do. While Overtone has certainly helped me get into the heavier end of metal, I wasn’t expecting to enjoy a deathcore release quite this much. Right from the brutal punch to the face that ‘Torn in Two’ opens on, it has the listener gripped and hooked throughout. From the crushing riffs and drumming to the brutal gutturals and screams, to the insane lead guitaring and even the amazing orchestral parts behind it all, it’s all a masterpiece in heavy music.
It’s definitely not an album for the faint of heart, as far as metal goes. However, tracks like the opener, the title track and ‘Architect of Misanthropy’ are huge highlights. It’s a truly evil sounding album that, between the brutal instrumentation, Nightmare Before Christmas-like synth and orchestration in the back and the fitting album artwork, feels like the perfect release for this spooky season. If you’re into all things br00tal, check this out! 8/10
Darius Rucker: Carolyn’s Boy
Joe: The country/blues singer-songwriter is back with his eighth solo album. The Hootie & the Blowfish alumni sounds just as amazing as he ever has, his voice being so effortlessly powerful and beautiful, and his playing and songwriting being top notch.
It’s hard not to have a smile on your face all the way through opening track ‘Beers and Sunshine’ and follow-up ‘In This Together’. They contrast very well with slower, more reflective tracks like ‘7 Days’, ‘Sara’ and ‘?’. Also, the track featuring the amazing Chapel Hart (review of their debut album here), ‘Ol’ Church Hymn’ is fucking fantastic too. Their style and vocals fit perfectly with Darius’. Then you have the slightly rockier, slightly Hootier single, ‘Fires Don’t Start Themselves’ that is an instant modern country classic.
My only slight issue with the album is that it’s 45+ minutes and 14 tracks long, and a fair few of them are similar in feel and sound. Every track is amazing and this is a fantastic album, country or otherwise, I just get a little bored quick with slower tracks. However, I can’t not give this a 9/10, amazing stuff!
Iron Saviour: Firestar
Joe: The German power metal titans put out their 14th studio album last week. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a band quite this consistent with their releases, with most only have a year or two between them. So, the fact that the quality is still so high, especially when they put out an album just last year, is impressive. Tracks like ‘Curse of the Machinery’, ‘Through the Fires of Hell’ and ‘Across the Wastelands’ are all awesome. It’s honestly hard to say much about this. If you’re into power metal or NWOBH you know exactly what to expect out of this album, and will love it. Everyone does their job well and it’s a good, fun album! 7.5/10
Dogstar: Somewhere Between the Power Lines and Palm Trees
Joe: Firstly, I love this album title and artwork. I don’t know quite why, it’s just awesome.
The first album in 23 years by our lord and saviour Keanu Reeves and his band is an uplifting slab of pop/indie rock awesomeness. Their 90’s/early 2000’s sound is refreshing in 2023 when bands of this genre try to sound like Cold War Kids or Arctic Monkeys. They sound a combination of Arcade Fire, U2 and Foo Fighters, which I can’t help but love. Tracks like ‘How the Story Ends’, ‘Lust’, ‘Breach’ and ‘Glimmer’ are all solid highlights. Heck, ‘Breach’ reminds me of something Johnny Silverhand would have put out, which is very cool. However, the album is full to the brim of chilled out, awesome tracks.
I’m so glad this band got back to putting out music again. At least something good came from Covid! It’s just a shame that their older stuff isn’t on streaming stuff, as I’m not all too familiar with it and would love to go back and check it out! Unfortunately, my only complaint is a similar one to Darius’ album. However, it still didn’t take away from my enjoyment! 8/10
Old Dominion: Memory Lane
Joe: 18 tracks at just under 55-minutes. *sigh*. Let’s do this.
This is actually a phenomenal album. Opener ‘Stay Drunk’ is a modern country masterpiece; a catchy, stadium-filling ballad full of huge vocals and great harmonies. So is the title track. So is ‘How Good is That’ and ‘?’. Do you see where I’m going with this? Don’t get me wrong, there are tracks that have a slightly different feel to them. ‘Different About You’ has a slightly more upbeat feel and some jazzy/John Frusciante style guitaring. ‘Sleep Without Drinking’ has a real emphasis on the bass that the other tracks don’t which was great. And the incredible Megan Moroney adds a beautiful layer to ‘Can’t Break Up Now’ with her duet with Matthew Ramsey. However, generally, it’s a long-ass album with a lot of similar (yet awesome) tracks.
Nashville has such an issue with quantity/quality control over these last few years. I completely get it, more tracks to stream equals more money. The math adds up. However, it makes for these slogs of albums with a lot of similar tracks and filler. I’d have preferred 10 fire tracks. However, I suppose it’s a testament to the artists (*writers) to be able to produce so many great tracks.
I enjoyed a lot of this album, but as a whole it’s not something I want to revisit in full any time soon. 8.5/10
Prong: State of Emergency
Joe: The thrash/heavy metal veteran’s 13th album is fucking awesome. Now, I’mma hold my hands up and admit that until this review, I’d never even heard of the band. Being from the UK where they seemingly never tour, they have slipped completely under my radar. It’s a shame too, as I love this album!
Firstly, to get this sound out of just three people is insane. They’re gonna have to come over to the UK, or I go back to Europe, to see how well it translates live. Curiosity doesn’t even cover it! Secondly, those three guys work their asses off throughout this album. The riffing, technical soloing and powerful vocals Tommy Victor gives out are all amazing, while Griffin McCarthy’s first outing with them on drums proves that he’s wickedly talented. And of course, Jason Christopher is the usual underrated bassist.
And the variety in the sound is great, too. Whether it’s the crossover thrash elements of ‘The Decent’ or the more groove oriented riffing of the title track or straight up thrash of ‘No-Existence’, it’s clear that this band are masters of the late 80s heavy sounds. All of the tracks I mentioned are awesome, but honestly it’s so hard to pick certain highlights. All the tracks are great in their own way and all have their own highlights within.
This band have a HUGE new fan in me and I can’t wait to go and check out their back catalogue! 9.5/10
Citizen: Calling the Dogs
Charlotte: Citizen’s ‘Calling the Dogs’ feels semi-commercialised grunge/ alt-rock. I’m not sure what genre it can be assigned to, but I like that about this album and makes it my favourite one of theirs so far. It switches between upbeat anthems to gritty vocals, almost reminiscent of the Arctic Monkeys or The Sherlocks. Favourites on the album are opener ‘Headtrip’ and ‘Lay Low’. 8/10
Svalbard: The Weight of the Mask
Joe: The album artwork is sick. However, I didn’t quite ‘get’ this. The hardcore vocals over the sometimes pop, sometimes black metal instrumentation felt messy and confusing. I don’t get black metal at the best of times, but taking away the usually at least atmospheric vocals with something more in-your-face didn’t appeal to me. Everyone involved is clearly talented at what they do, the finished product simply isn’t for me. It all sounded the same, too. I do have to say, thought, that the mixing is fantastic, at least. And on the rare occasions where the vocals cleared up, it sounded great! It’s definitely going to have a lot of fans, but I’m unfortunately not one of them. 3/10
Torn the Fuck Apart: Kill. Bury. Repeat.
Joe: With a band name and album title like that, of course it’s some brutal death metal. I’ll tell you what, it goes hard for it’s 40+ minutes, too. Heck, even the mixing is in-your-face, with everything feeling like it’s turned up to 11 and right there at the front. If I’ve written those in a way that make them sound like bad things, they aren’t at all. I surprisingly liked this album way more than I thought I would! There are a lot of fantastic riffs throughout, and the low growls are really impressive. It’s probably not something I’d revisit often, but I’d LOVE to see these tracks live and if anyone’s into this sort of music you’ll love it! 7/10