Some BIG releases for New Music Monday this week. Whether it’s massive, legendary bands or smaller ones breaking through, we’ve got a bit of everything!
Green Day: Saviors
Joe: The punk rock legends are finally back with their 14th studio album. After a widely panned last release, the band appear to be going back to their roots with this one. And, if the majority of the singles are anything to go by, we should be in for a good album again.
It’s certainly a Green Day album, that’s for sure. It very much feels like a culmination of all of their previous sounds. Whether it’s 21st Century Breakdown on the opener or ‘Dilemma’, a more Dookie feel to ‘Look Ma, No Brains!’ and ‘1981’ or Warning with ‘Bobby Sox’. And that’s just the first three songs on the album! Billy Joe had been quoted in saying that it’s a combination of Dookie and American Idiot, and he certainly wasn’t wrong. But it also has elements of more traditional punk or even Rancid with the likes of ‘One Eyed Bastard’ and overall does have a slightly darker feel and energy sometimes which was nice. It’s certainly an interesting listen and kept me hooked throughout with it’s changes in pace and style.
It is a good album, and certainly better than their previous one or the trio from 2012. It’s not quite Dookie or American Idiot, but then again, that’s an almost impossible task for any band. It feels like there’s a surprising amount of filler, especially in the latter half of the album. 15 tracks may have been a tad ambitious. However, there is plenty to love on the album, and some very strong tracks. It’s an 8.5/10 from me. Green Day are back on form!
Saxon: Hell, Fire and Damnation
One of the best exports of the NWOBHM scene and a band that should have been just as big as Maiden, Saxon are back with their whopping 23rd studio album. Now, that’s a LOT of music to release, so of course there are gonna be some misses as well as hits. However, the band have been one maybe the best run of hits of their career from 2013s Sacrifice onwards, and this album is very much the same. From the title track to ‘Fire and Steal’ to ‘1066’, there is plenty of old-school metal to love and enjoy. There isn’t a bad track on the album though, and it was pretty damn hard to pick out highlights!
Honestly, as nice as I was about their last album, I have to say that I haven’t really listened to it much at all since that initial review. I don’t think it was as good as their previous three albums. This one, though, is easily up there with not only those three, but ANY of their top albums. There is no way a band nearly 50 years into their careers should be this good. I’m calling witchcraft. Either way, I love this album, and it has very much renewed my love of the band once again. One of the best NWOCR albums I’ve heard in a while, so no pressure on Judas Priest’s new one in a couple of months… 8.5/10
Sleater-Kinney: Little Rope
Joe: The alt-rock duo returned with their 11th studio album this last Friday. It’s most certainly noise, that much I can tell you. It isn’t my sort of thing in any way, however. It feels at times like they try to go for a Runaways, girl-punk style, but never quite go hard enough for it to pay off. Other times they just do a combination of indie and messy noise-rock. After sitting through the whole album, I would sadly tell you not to bother. It very much feels like a ‘I listened to this album so you don’t have to’ situation. I’m certain this band has fans, and if you are one of them and you like this, awesome. But it’s sadly a no from me. I’d be happy if I never heard any of these songs again. The closest one to ‘good’ is probably ‘Say It Like You Mean It’, Below. 2/10
Neck Deep: Self-Titled
Max: Neck Deep are back with another album and as always it is a lot of fun, but also it follows the same trend that can be found in other Neck Deep, and other pop punk, albums of having deep lyrics and lyrical themes through out that will reward you for listening to what they are saying but also won’t punish you for just vibing along to the album. I can’t say that everything in this album is exactly perfect but it is incredibly good. The drums and guitars have a lot of energy and some more technical aspects that are able to sit within the tracks and not distract from what else is going on. Overall there isn’t much to say about this album but with what there is, it is quite good. 7/10
South of Salem: Death of the Party
We’ve already checked out this awesome album! You can read our full review here!
Nico Moon: BETTER DAYS
So I ummed and arred about whether to cover this album or not. It’s country-leaning, for sure, but also has a lot of pop involved. However, I listened to the album as I mulled it over, and found myself enjoying it more and more. Tracks like ‘SOMEWHERE SOUTH OF HERE’ and ‘BETTER DAYS’ are upbeat, modern-country awesomeness in the vein of Seaforth and BRELAND. And of course HARDY had a hand in the album, like he seems to with all country releases these days. The track he features on, ‘AIN’T NO BETTER PLACE’, is another banger and an easy highlight.
Honestly, the whole album is just a good time listen. It very much feels like the evolution of the like of Jack Johnson, but given a country facelift. It’s impossible to listen to this music and not have a smile on your face. It is feel good country-pop, and the more I listen to it, the more I like it. It’s the perfect album to put on and relax to, or have on in the background while working or cooking. I know it isn’t going to be for everyone, but it’s an easy 8/10 from me!
My Glass World: Assorted Marvels
The pop-rock duo are back with their seventh studio album. It’s certainly an interesting listen! Skirting between indie, pop, jazz and easy-listening effortlessly, it never bored me, that’s for sure. And practically every style has its standout moments. ‘Citizen of Nowhere’ is a fun, stomping blues rock track. Meanwhile ‘White Out’ has more of a jazz/ska feel thanks to the horn. And the organ and vocal delivery on ‘Before we Were Here’ gave me fantastic The Doors vibes. There’s a lot going on here, and a lot of it is excellent. All of the tracks I’ve named already are big highlights of the album.
My only real negative on the album is that at times it doesn’t sound all that big. I understand that when it’s just two people, that is sometimes hard to achieve. However, with all the interesting instrumentation throughout, it would have been nice to have had a really full sound. At times I really wanted it to explode in like a Dorothy track or Zeal & Ardor’s ‘Bow’. However, it does have a very old-school rock feel for the most part, and for a good half of it it actually works for the band.
Still, it’s a really good album that grew on me more and more throughout. It definitely won’t be the last time I listen to the majority of these tracks. And I also think they’d be really interesting to hear live! It gets an 8/10 from me!
Electric Black: Late Night Lightning
Joe: a second prominent band in the NWOCR movement in the same week, aren’t we lucky? It’s a second album that shows that the UK underground scene is stronger than it’s been in years and is one of the best scenes in the world right now. This is sleazy, foot-stomping awesomeness from start to finish, and packed full of incredible tracks. Highlights for me include the opener, ‘Come on Over’ and ‘Master or Disaster’. Honestly though, the whole album is worth checking out for fans of the genre or general rock/blues. Very much Deep Purple and Wolfmother’s lovechild. I’m gonna have to see these guys live over the summer, as this stuff would sound awesome live! 8/10
Final Coil: The World we Inherited
We’ve already checked out this awesome album! Read our review here!
Inver: On This Earth
Joe: Labelled as ‘dark gothic metal’, I definitely hear just that with Inver’s debut album. At seven tracks and just over half-an-hour, it’s also incredibly concise and well put together. It feels like the love child of Him, Cradle of Filth, and Pulp, but with an industrial and power metal twang, and I am all for it. Heck, there’s even some more synthwave stuff in here too that screams 90’s in the best ways. It’s the sort of thing I’d LOVE to see live, as I think it would have an even greater impact.
There isn’t a bad track on the album, but songs like ‘Tarnished Son’ and ‘We All Get Lost’ are definite highlights. The album as a whole is worth checking out though, especially if you’re a fan of more gothic music or any of the bands I listed before. It’s fantastic for a debut, and I cannot wait to hear where they go from here. 7.5/10
Stank Finger: Three Finger Discount
Joe: Despite the gross names, this is actually a solid pop/ska punk album. Heavily channelling a 3rd wave ska sound, Less Than Jake, Rancid, Mad Caddies etc. Then there are faster, heavier tracks that resemble more Sum 41 or Anti Flag. Overall, it’s a hell of a lot of fun. I have to admit I didn’t quite get into it at first. However, as soon as I heard the Pirates of the Caribbean inspired ‘DMTNT’, I was hooked ’till the end. It’s a massive highlight track, as is the following track, the very Less Than Jake-esque ‘Radio’. The Sublime-like ‘Dib Dab’ and the quicker ‘Help Yourself’ are also big highlights.
Going back, the opening couple of tracks are fine, but they’re nothing compared to what comes later in the album. Outside of those, this album is incredibly strong, a lot of fun and a truly great punk record. In a time where we really don’t get enough of this sort of music, this is a very bright light in the dark, and will fill the void for me easily until the next Interrupters or Less than Jake album. Being a 90’s kid who grew up with this type of sound, the band have a huge new fan in me, and I have to see this live as soon as. I’m going to be spinning this album a lot over the next few weeks and months, so it’s a very easy 9/10 from me!
Metalite: Expedition One
Joe: The Swedish power metal band’s ambitious concept album came out on Friday, and honestly blew me away. I was vaguely familiar with the band, in that I’d heard a track or two before, but had never checked out a full album. Now four deep, if the other three are as good as this, I’mma have to check them all out immediately!
The cosmic story is grandiose and epic and fits with the power metal sound surprisingly perfectly. For a genre that is so often based around medieval settings, I was not expecting it to feel so natural to add a sci-fi element into it. The whole band do their jobs perfectly, whether it’s the guitars, drums or Erica’s flawless vocals. And, as you’d want with any album but definitely a concept one, there isn’t a bad track across all of it. To the point where it’s honestly hard to pick just a few highlight tracks, they’re all excellent. My only slight issue is that all the tracks have the same energy and huge-feel and pace; there isn’t much variety. It’s hardly an issue when it’s all this good, but it would have been nice to have had a true ballad or something in here somewhere!
Overall, though, it’s a really incredible power metal album. I’ll be listening to it a lot in the next few weeks, and it could even be up there among the albums of the year come December! 9/10