Palaye Royale: Death or Glory

The Vegas pop-rock band returned this last week with their fifth album. It’s no secret I didn’t like their 2022 album too much. However, I went into this with an open mind and the hope of being proven wrong…

I wasn’t. I still don’t really get the hype for this band; they most certainly aren’t for me. I’m sure a lot of people will love this, but I’m certainly not one of them. Heck, if anything it feels like they took a step back after Fever Dream and went ‘Maneskin are popular these days, let’s do that’, and y’all definitely know how I feel about them. The tracks that didn’t do this and instead felt a bit more MCR/P!ATD, like ‘Just my Type’, ‘Self-Loathing Conversation’ or ‘Dark Side of the Silver Spoon’, are better. However, they’re still nothing special, in this writers honest opinion. The best track on the album for me was probably the ballad ‘For You’. It felt the most genuine and had a great hook to it. Sadly, it just feels like a bunch of stuff that’s been done before, and done better by others. It’s fine, it’s passable, it’s listenable, but completely forgettable. Either that, or it’s a good idea that turns into a half-arsed pop track instead of something genuinely interesting, like the Manson-esque ‘Mister Devil’.

Yeah, so as you can see, this isn’t for me. If you like it and the band, awesome, and clearly they have plenty of fans to be able to be playing Wembley Arena. But man, this was a slog to get through, and I’ll definitely not do it in full again. 4/10

Wintersun: Time II

Following up 2012’s original over a decade later, Jari and co set themselves a very tall task. Initially being written and starting out around the same time as I, the sheer amount of delays have surely put plenty of pressure on this album from the neoclassical metal band’s fans. Honestly, it’s been that long since I first experienced the original, it’s hard to compare the two upon an initial listen. However, II is certainly a fantastic release within it’s genre. If you like proggy, epic folk/power metal, this is certainly the album for you. And of course, all of the members are insanely talented and work their asses off throughout. While I found my personal highlights to be ‘One with the Shadows’, the whole album is pretty killer, and works perfectly together as a whole, clearly begging for a full-listen experience every time.

However, I find myself comparing it to Tool’s last album, in that while it’s fantastic, it can truly never quite live up to the hype behind it. I’ll certainly be spinning this again, but it sure isn’t going to be a go-to album for me from this year. 8.5/10

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: Wild God

The Australian alt-rock legend and his band are back with their 18th studio album. Anyone who knows the artist or other similar post-punk people like Lou Reed or Tom Waits will know what quirky, epic soundscapes to expect with this, and it certainly doesn’t disappoint in that regard. The opener felt surprisingly reserved, but the title track that followed was incredible, and showed the man (and his band’s) incredible writing talent. Other highlights include ‘Final Rescue Attempt’ and ‘Long Dark Night’. Don’t get me wrong, this certainly won’t be for everyone, but for those that are into his usual soft-art rock stylings, you’ll love this. While it’s not 100% my sort of thing, I can’t appreciate the hell out of it, and listening to the album as a whole was a real cool experience. 8.5/10, this man is a genius.

Oceano: Living Chaos

The deathcore band are back with their first album in seven years. I somehow hadn’t heard of them much before now but damn, this is a solid album! It’s heavy as anything, as to be expected by a band around at the boom of the genre in the mid-late 2000s, and still carry a similar energy today. Much like Nick Cave above, it’s certainly not an album for everyone, but if you’re a fan of the heavy you’ll get a lot out of this, just like I did. Songs like ‘Mass Produced’, ‘Into the Flames’ and the awesome ‘The Price of Pain’ are big highlights. However, there isn’t a bad track on the album, and at just over half-an-hour, the album is in and out almost too quickly! The band are all insanely talented musicians and songwriters, and this album is a technical masterclass from each member. They should be so much bigger than they are, but hopefully this album pushes them to that point. I’ll certainly be listening to this more as the weeks go on, and it’s an easy 8/10 from me!

Troy Cartwright: Bygones

Another whiplash-change-of-pace on this list, as we now have the third album from a rather interesting country artist. Rolling Stone named Troy one of the top ‘10 new artists you need to know’ back in 2017, and not long after signed with the huge Warner Music Nashville. However, given all of that, I haven’t heard him be brought up all that much, even given his 2022 release was pretty well received. Hopefully this release kickstarts back up those conversations, as it’s a really awesome country album. It’s a beautiful album that reminds me of a more chilled-out FGL release. And, at only 10 tracks and 31-minutes, it’s damn short for a Nashville-produced country album these days, so the steadier pace didn’t drag on me as much as it could have done. Songs like ‘Over You by Now’ and ‘How Smart I Am’ are big highlights for me personally, but there isn’t a bad song on the album. The only thing that may work against it is that almost all of it was released prior as singles; there is almost nothing new here. However, I’d only heard a couple of the singles before this, so it was hardly an issue for me! If you’re into chilled-out radio-country, this is some of the best out there. And as I said earlier, hopefully it finally pushes Troy to the level he should be at! 8.5/10

Tuk Smith and the Restless Hearts: Rogue to Redemption

The sleaze/AOR/classic rock rising star is back with his sophomore album, and it’s fucking fantastic. Heck, don’t take my word for it, just listen to it. The opener is a great modern rock song, but following it up is ‘Glorybound’, an absolutely fantastic track that sounds like it was ripped out of the 80s in the best possible way! Heck, the whole album is very much in that vein, a clear tribute and follow up to bands like Poison, Bon Jovi, Whitesnake and even some Aerosmith/Rolling Stones. Heck, the title track is straight-up Thin Lizzy, and it’s incredible!

The more I listened to the album, the more I fell in love with it. Every song is fantastic, and it’s utterly impossible to pick any specific highlights. I’d recommend this album to anyone, no matter what sort of music you listen to, it really is that good. Tuk and his crew have written an incredible album here from front to back, and have a huge new fan in me! I’m already desperate to see it live, and I’m sure it’s gonna be pretty damn high up on our albums of the year list come December! 9.5/10

Zacthelocust: All I Am

This is a very bittersweet album. This awesome slab of Welsh pop punk is the bands debut album, but is also dedicated to their vocalist, Cory James, who sadly passed away back in May. First things first, Cory sounds incredible throughout this entire album; absolutely killing it on the vocals. And this album is a fitting and awesome tribute to him and his musical ability. Having said that, I understand the band are planning their next project, and I can’t be happier about that, because I would love to hear more from the band.

The album as a whole is awesome too, a tribute to the late 90s/early 2000s alt rock and pop punk scenes. And having grown up in that crazy time where this sound completely saturated not just the mainstream but seemingly everything, I loved it and it somehow even gave me a bit of a nostalgia rush. Having said that, it is just a touch heavier than that sort of sound at times, making me almost hear the Metallica influence the band tout. There are so many amazing songs on this, but standouts for me include the opener, ‘Take Me Away’, ‘Golden State of Mind’ and ‘This is my Life’. I say this over and over, but we really don’t do enough pop punk on this site. I know it isn’t as popular as it used to be, but any time I get to check out any new bands in the genre, I love it! It’s an easy 8.5/10 from me. I look forward to hearing where they go from here!

Nails: Every Bridge Burning

Some hardcore punk now, with their first new studio album in eight years. Heck, it’s barely even an album, at just 17-minutes. However, it is a short, sweet 10-track assault on the senses, and it’s heavy gloriousness. It’s not for the weak of heart, but as someone who’s slowly been getting more and more into the hardcore side of metal, I LOVED this. Tracks like the title one and ‘Dehumanized’ are highlights for me, but honestly all tracks are about on par with each other. It’s hard to even find what else to say about it; if you like hardcore punk you’ll love this, and even if not give it a try! It’s not something I’d listen to often, but it is a damn good release. 7/10

Marianas Trench: Haven

The pop-rock Canadian’s new album is their first full-length release in half a decade, and their sixth overall. It was also far better than I was expecting. My Mrs is a big fan of the band and so as such I have given them a go in the past, but never quite got into it. However, this has an air of prog and epicness to it, giving off heavy Queen/Muse/Yes vibes in all the best ways. It’s emo Queen, and shockingly I’m here for it. Heck, metalheads don’t castrate me for this… but it’s kinda Jonas Brothers… in a good way!

Josh Ramsey has some of the most impressive and underrated vocals in the game, and the harmonies are truly phenomenal throughout. Heck, even the guitar riffs even got a touch interesting and heavy at times, if sadly tucked behind the synth a bit too much sometimes. Tracks like the absolutely stellar opener, ‘I’m not Getting Better’ and ‘Ancient History’ (that horn, DAMN) are all huge highlights. And while musically it’s still not 100% my thing, the whole album flowed well and went by in a flash. I’m gonna have to give their back catalogue another try I think, because if it’s anything close to this sort of quality, I’m sure I’d actually love it! I can’t give this any less than a 9/10, it’s one hell of a fun listen!