Another week, some more awesome new music to dive into. You know the drill by now!

Chelsea Wolfe: She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She

The goth/folk singer-songwriter released her seventh studio album last week, and first since 2019. It’s the biggest gap between releases she’s ever had, and in that time it’s clear she’s used it to evolve her sound. Sure, it definitely still has the gothic elements to it and is very experimental, but has a lot more of an industrial/electronic leaning than a folk one. It was slightly disappointing personally, as I love some good dark folk stuff.

However, don’t get me wrong, while it isn’t necessarily my thing, it’s still a good album! It’s like if Stevie Nicks went goth and started singing over less-heavy NIN tracks. Songs like ‘House of Self-Undoing’ and single ‘Dusk’ are good, but never quite hit that high I’d want. It’s a whole album of building up and teasing a drop that never comes. I completely get the appeal of this type of music and I know a lot will love this album, but it isn’t particularly my thing. 4/10

Infected Rain: TIME

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

Tyler Ramsey: New Lost Ages

Ex-Band of Horses guitarist Tyler Ramsey returned with his fifth solo album on Friday. It’s some solid indie rock, for sure. Much like Chelsea above, it’s not really my sort of thing, but I can definitely hear the appeal. I liked when it took more of a folk approach to the sound on tracks like ‘Fires’ and ‘Flare’. It’s not a bad album at all, and if you’re a fan of this sort of music I’m sure you’ll find a lot to love. It’s a great album to put on on a road trip or in the background and just chill out to. It’ll probably grow on me with another couple of casual listens, but for now it gets a 5/10 from me!

Metal De Facto: Land of the Rising Sun, Pt. 1

The Finnish power metal titans have gone from strength to strength in their short careers so far. This is their first full length release since their debut year, and with it being a part 1, the band clearly have big things planned for its release.

Part 1 is a pretty good start, that’s for sure! It’s closer to Dragonforce than Sabaton or Powerwolf, but the instrumentation throughout is off the charts. Tracks like the opener, ‘Heavier than a Mountain’ and ‘Tame the Steel’ demonstrate this and are clear highlights of the album. However, the power metal is so saturated right now and there are so many incredible bands and artists. This is a good album, but I do think it will struggle to cut through the same way that other bands have. Still, it’s packed full of great tracks and I look forward to hearing where the band go with it in part two! For now, it gets a 7/10 from me!

Jack J Hutchinson: Battles

Jack is back with a follow-up to 2022’s The Hammer Falls. We enjoyed that record a lot, so I’m excited to see where he goes to follow it! Honestly, I think I like it even more than his previous album! ‘Constellations’ is one hell of an opening track, followed perfectly by the awesomely heavy ‘Days Are Gone’ and the fantastic single ‘Bullets’. Other heavier tracks like ‘Overdrive’ are also highlights, while slower, lighter tracks like ‘Road to Hell’ or ‘Stay With Me’ break up the album perfectly and are just as good! It’s an incredibly varied album that never once gets boring, and held my attention perfectly through a full listen.

There truly isn’t a bad track on the album, and it’s arranged brilliantly. Jack has already been growing quite a name for himself in the UK rock scene, and this may be his best album yet and the one to push him even more into the mainstream. I’m gonna be spinning this album a lot in the coming weeks and months; I can’t get enough of it! 9/10

Night Slasher: Self-Titled

Dubbed ‘black speed metal’, I can most definitely hear all of that in this album. It’s chaotic in the best way possible. It’s very much the perfect blend of early Venom and Exodus. Heck, it is the closest thing to Black Metal I have heard outside of that album. However, it does have a sense of fun and attitude in amongst the darkness that black metal has never quite had. Opener ‘Ice’ is the perfect encapsulation of what the band are about and their sound, while tracks like ‘Clyster Lizard’ and ‘Pit of Hate’ are definite highlights. It almost has a Motorhead feel to it with the drums and rock ‘n’ roll riffing, too.

It’s certainly interesting and not for everyone, but I really enjoyed it! Much like with Hellmann the other week, it’s weird enough to catch and hold my attention throughout. This year seems to be an experimental one for metal and I am all for it! Maybe this will finally help me get into black metal fully! Why can’t all the genre be like this? There isn’t a bad track on the album, and for those who like things heavy, check this out! 8.5/10

The Castellows: A Little Goes a Long Way

Now, Spotify classifies this as an EP, but it’s seven tracks long so I’m counting it as an album. Plus, we don’t have any country this week, and I run this site and can do what I want, so… bite me 🤷

This is the trio of sisters’ first release that isn’t a single, so there’s a fair bit of pressure on them to deliver. Especially when they exploded onto the scene last year with their debut single, already signed to Warner Music Nashville, and are pushing up to half a million Spotify listeners already. So, does this release live up to the hype?

Yes. Yes it does. It’s neotraditional country done perfectly. Lily’s vocals fit over the simple, chilled-out instrumentation perfectly while the harmonies from the other two are incredible. And the guitaring and banjo playing from Eleanor and Powell, respectively, are awesome. I’m not sure who the rest of the band are on the release, but they also do an amazing job. It’s impossible not to love all seven tracks, as they are all just as good as each other. It’s impossible to pick just a couple of highlight tracks. If you are into country, check this out immediately, I’m sure you’ll love it as much as I do! It’s the perfect chilled out country-Americana album. These girls have a future as bright as the sun, and I can see them playing huge venues in the US and UK in no time. 10/10

tAKiDA: The agony flame

The Swedish post-grunge/alt-rock band return with their 10th album. Somehow I wasn’t familiar with the band before sitting down to do this review. That shall change immediately, as I loved this album. As soon as that amazing, MASSIVE chorus hit in opener ‘Third Strike’ I was hooked completely for the rest of the album. It’s like the perfect combination of early Shinedown and Frail, and I am all for it. I also hear vague power metal influences throughout. Heck, there’s even some comparisons I was drawing to Those Damn Crows; however intentional from either side I’m unsure! It all blends together into a perfect radio-rock soundscape of great guitaring, incredibly catchy vocals and all-round awesome writing. Other highlight tracks include ‘Sickening’ and the truly epic ‘Sacred spell’.

There isn’t a bad track on the album. I could have easily put any of them on the playlist as they are really all highlights on their own. My only slight complaint about the album is that they all have a similar feel and slow-ish pace. In isolation they are fantastic, but together it does get into slight slog territory by the end. There is some difference, but a more up-tempo or heavier track would have been nice to breakup the early 2000s ballads. Still, it’s a small complaint when the tracks are all this good! 8.5/10

Razor Attack: Self-Titled

The debut album of the NWOBHM/power metal four-piece finally dropped last Friday. Firstly, to address the elephant in the room, I’m not a fan of the artwork. The logo looks sick, but the razor blade looks pulled from an early 2000s flash game. That aside, it’s a pretty sick album! The band are clearly talented in both playing and writing songs. Tracks like their lead single ‘Armageddon’, ‘Endless Dreams’ and ‘The Righteous Fight’ are all massive highlights. It all has a very modern-day Maiden feel to it, with a touch of epic power metal sprinkled on top. I do have to say the production could be a touch better on it, but as a debut album it’s hard to get that sort of touch or budget on it first time! As I said, they’re good tracks, and with the right production and mix, this could be up there with some of the best in the genre today. For now, it gets a solid 7/10 from me!

Morbid Saint: Swallowed by Hell

Then Wisconsin thrash-death metal band are on their third studio album, and second since their 2010 return, and show no sign of slowing down. This is a brutal assault to your ears for it’s full 45+ minute runtime, and it’s awesome. If you are into the likes of Slayer or Kreator, you’ll most certainly love this. Tracks like ‘Burn Pit’ and ‘Bleed It Dry’ are personal favourites of mine. Honestly, it’s hard to find much to say about the album as it is so similar, and hardly a new and innovative formula. If you are into thrash or death metal, check this out, you are bound to not be disappointed. And I’m glad that this band are still making music, as they have one of the most sporadic discographies and touring histories ever. It’s a fun album, and easily gets a 7/10