That’s right, kiddies. We’ve got SO MUCH new music to cover this week, we’ve had to put it on a second page! Let’s continue…
Greengoat: A.I.
Some psychedelic doom up next from Spain. The band’s debut full-length is a really interesting listen that draws immediate The Sword comparisons from me. Like check out the opening track and tell me that doesn’t remind you of ‘Iron Swan’. It’s certainly not a bad thing. The vocals add more of a desert rock vibe to it all too, almost like Kyuss. And honestly, for another duo, a guitar/vocalist and drummer, their sound is incredible. It sounds so massive and full, and I’d love to hear if it’s the same live.
Tracks like the opener/title track, ‘Burn the End’ and both parts of ‘Naraka’ are definite highlights. But honestly, it’s another fully solid album. There’s some alt/post-grunge sounds to it as well, and everything fits together pretty perfectly. My only worry would be where they go after this album, as there is only so much you can do with two people in this genre. However, I’d honestly happily take a repeat of this similar thing again, as it’s that good. For anyone more into the stoner/doom side of things, check this out, you won’t be disappointed! 8/10
Hiraes: Dormant
The German Melodeath band are back with their sophomore album. Straight out the gate the listener is hit with an awesome, heavy riff that sets the tone for the album perfectly. The pace stays lightning quick too, and Britta’s screams fit perfectly over the top. There’s the obvious Arch Enemy comparison to make, but more of their older stuff with Angela, back when their die-hard fans still liked them. However, we do get glimpses of more modern melodeath too on tracks like ‘Undercurrent’ thanks to the flashes of cleaner vocals.
Sadly, there isn’t much to say about the band outside of that comparison. If you know Arch Enemy and the general genre, you know what to expect here. That’s not to say it isn’t an incredible album though, and ranks pretty high in the genre for me, honestly. Tracks like ‘We Owe No One’ and ‘About Lies’ are definite personal highlights, but the whole album is fantastic. If you’re looking for heavy, look no further than this band and this album. They are very much the future of melodic death metal, and this album feels like it solidifies that point. They have a big new fan in me, and it gets an easy 8.5/10
Charles Esten: Love Ain’t Pretty
Country star Charles Esten released his highly anticipated debut album this last week, and safe to say it’s excellent. If the four great singles weren’t already enough to get you to check out this album, I can very confidently tell you that any country fan will love this. Taking a slower, more reserved, almost traditional approach to the genre, some of it almost takes the form of 80s pop-rock as much as a southern sound. A couple even sound similar to a Bruce Springsteen feel. Even still though, his powerful vocals still ground it firmly in country.
There are plenty of highlights too, from singles like ‘Make You Happy’ and the rockier ‘Down the Road’ (with the awesome Eric Paslay) to album tracks like ‘In a Bar Somewhere’ and the opener. As a debut album it’s an amazing release, and a great introduction to a name that is surely going to be massive sooner rather than later. It’s the perfect album to chill out too, but also has enough variety and up-beat tracks to keep it more than interesting to listen to in one sitting. It’s a very easy 8.5/10 from us!
Dymytry: Five Angry Men
The Czech metal outfit have achieved huge international success in recent years, touring with the likes of Lordi and even the mighty Pantera. A lot of said success seems to be attributed to the band releasing an English version of their Revolt album. Looking to follow that up this year with not only their first European headlining tour, but also this new English album. So, lets see if the five angry masked men can deliver on the hype, shall we?
Their unique blend of heavy, modern and power metal is certainly entertaining to listen to. It’s like a combination of Saxon, Sabaton and Five Finger Death Punch, and takes the best elements of all three. The instrumentation is solid and heavy, the riffs being massive and awesome. Meanwhile the vocals fit perfectly over the top, powerful and even get pretty harsh at times. I can see why they’re a BIG name in their home country, and can see them being set to explode into a massive name globally after the release of this album. Tracks like ‘Everything is Black’, ‘Three Steps to Hell’ and ‘The Revenant’ demonstrate their talents and sound perfectly, and could be huge hits. If this band don’t become the next big thing, I’ll eat my hat (or one of). That’s how confident I am in how great this album is. It’s a 9/10 from me, it’s awesome!
Hellmann: Born, Suffering, Death
Some ‘Death & Roll’ next, which if it’s anywhere near as cool as it sounds is gonna be awesome. It’s definitely death metal, that much is for sure. There is a certain Motorhead level of rock’n’roll to it too though, especially in the awesome lead guitar lines and the bouncy, blusey riffing is favourite ahead of the typical thrash-inspired style. It’s not only out there and quirky enough that it held my attention throughout the entire album, but it’s also a really awesome, unique sound on top of that. If you are still unsure, I’d say ‘Desktop Activist’ is probably the easiest track to dip your toe into and the best example of what I’ve been saying. However, highlights also include ‘Bringer of Death’ and ‘Unnecessary Consuming’.
This album certainly isn’t for everyone, but I loved it. The heavier vocals over the top of generally lighter instrumentation has been done before, but never to this extent or this successfully, in this writers opinion. They took what Entombed started (even doing an awesome cover of ‘Out of Hand’ on the record) and build on it perfectly. It’s a fun listen that I would recommend to any heavy music fan wanting something a little different. Hopefully they tour near me soon as damn, this would be a lot of fun to see live! 9/10
Lucifer: Lucifer V
The classic/hard rock/doom metal band are back with, you guessed it, their fifth album. I’ve been familiar with them for a few years now, and still nearly missed this album’s release. So, big shootout to our good friend Tom at CGCM for reminding me!
The album itself is awesome. From the doom riffing to a more rock’n’roll pace to the amazing vocals, all of it fits together perfectly. Tracks like the opener, ‘Riding Reaper’ and the doomy ‘The Dead Don’t Speak’ not only demonstrate exactly what I’m saying, but are huge highlights of an album chocked full of them. Honestly, if you like any sort of hard rock, stoner or doom stuff, I’m sure you’ll love this album. There isn’t a bad track on it and it’s up there with some of the best stuff they’ve ever written, personally. 7.5/10
Kalt Vindur: Magna Mater
The black metal band are back with their sophomore album, a follow-up to 2020’s …And Nothing is Endless. Long-time readers here of New Music Mondays will know that black metal typically isn’t my sort of bag. However, this was an enjoyable listen. I think the pretty decent mix certainly helped, something you don’t often get with the genre, even these days. Some of the riffing was great too, and there is no denying anyone’s talent in the band; from the guitars to the drums to the screams, it’s all incredibly well done. I wouldn’t go out of my way to listen to any of it again, but I also wouldn’t turn it off if it came on. As an album as a whole every track works very well together. I’m sure fans of the genre will LOVE this album, and it’s certainly not bad to my ears by any stretch. ‘Bless Us’ was probably my favourite track! I’ll give it a 6/10, but I’m sure it would be much higher for a black metal fan.
Drew Davis: Holloway Nights
Drew Davis channels very similar vibes to Pulp or Billy Idol with this release. Right from the opening track it’s got that synth-pop-rock feel, sounding awesome and epic. Having said that, there is also some heavy Muse vibes throughout, most notably in some of the vocal delivery and the lead guitar parts. It’s a really great combination, and thanks to the stellar mix it all sound fantastic together. There are plenty of highlights, including this opening track as well as the title track and the incredibly interesting ‘In the Name’. Unfortunately I didn’t quite get into every track, there are a couple in the middle that didn’t do it for me. However, overall it’s a damn enjoyable album, and if you’re into the sort of sound and genre, you’ll love it. 7/10
Corax BM: Pagana
The band describe this album as Pagan black metal, and it’s hard to argue there. However, the band approached it a little differently, and I really enjoyed the result. Instead of the usual over-used tremolo-picked guitaring throughout, the album was recorded on two basses, really adding a chunky sound below the vocals that I loved. I also love the clean, operatic vocals used sporadically throughout. Even still though, some of the screams were pretty catchy, too. While it’s still not 100% my thing, this is certainly the sort of black metal that I could get big into with more listens! There isn’t a bad track on the album and the title one is probably my favourite among them. 7/10, good stuff!
Conner Smith: Smoky Mountains
Some mainstream-feeling country again with Conner’s sophomore album. And, honestly, it’s fantastic. I know it’s mostly pretty generic, but there’s enough rock and traditional country instrumentation that backs the more pop-centric vocals that made me fall in love with it. Tracks like ‘Creek Will Rise’, ‘Heatin’ Up’ and ‘Boots in the Bleachers’ are huge highlights, but honestly there isn’t a bad song on the whole album. It almost has a touch of Goo Goo Dolls and other early 2000s alt-pop to it too, which was awesome. There isn’t anything all that new or innovative, but it’s a very good country album in the style of Luke Bryan or Blake Shelton. If you’re a fan of the genre, you’ll most likely love this like I do! 8/10, good stuff!