Another absolutely STACKED week of New Music Mondays, with everything from metalcore to country to prog to jazz. Let’s dive right in!
All That Remains: AntiFragile
ALL THAT REMAINS ARE BACK, BABY. This album has been a long time coming. It’s been seven years since the band’s last album, and after their return to form on 2018’s Victim of the New Disease, it’s felt like forever waiting for a follow-up. Well, said follow-up certainly doesn’t disappoint, and more than lives up to the hype! This is an incredible slab of melodic metalcore from start to finish, and very much transported me back to my childhood with the old-school sound. It’s like it was 2008 all over again, and I loved it! Tracks like ‘Kerosene’, ‘The Piper’, the title track, and ‘Poison It’ are all huge personal highlights. However, there really isn’t a bad track on this album; it’s 43-minutes of heavy awesomeness! The riffs are ch0nky and melodic, the drumming is fantastic and both Phil’s powerful cleans and screams sound awesome in equal measure.
Hopefully they do a UK tour for it as I’m desperate to see it live. I can’t believe we are lucky enough in 2025 to get this and a new Killswitch album within months of each other. They have a lot to beat with this album though, that’s for sure. Even with the slightly cringy album title, it’s still fantastic. Melodic metalcore is back, and I can’t give this any less than 9/10!
Morganway: Kill the Silence
The Americana/rock/indie genre-hoppers are back with their third studio album. It’s another fun, chilled-out listen. ‘Boy on the Train’, the Americana-y ‘Feels Like Letting Go’, single ‘Halfway Tonight’, and ‘Goddamn Time’ are all huge gems on an album packed full of them. The beautiful piano/acoustic duet with Alyssa Bonagura to close out the album is also fantastic. It’s the perfect album to sit and chill out to, and very much fits perfectly into each of the three genres they tout. I love the multiple vocals and harmonies, and the strings each time add so much to their sound. If you’re a fan of any of the genres I’ve mentioned above, or artists like Stevie Nicks, Janis Joplin, Thin Lizzy and Little Big Town, I can’t recommend this album enough! It’s a solid 8.5/10 from us, if you want something relaxed, check it out!
The Night Flight Orchestra: Give us the Moon
We’ve already checked out this album! Read the full review here.
Admire the Grim: Resist
The Finnish melodeath band dropped their highly anticipated debut album last Friday. Immediate spoiler alert; it’s a bit good! The riffing stood out right from the get go and is amazing throughout. It very much reminds me of Ascendency-era Trivium. As well, of course, as the obvious Children of Bodom influence. Meanwhile the harsh vocals keep it very much grounded in death metal; though the chanting and backing definitely add for a catchy element to things. And of course, the drums are holding everything down perfectly and working their ass off! Songs like the opener, the title track and ‘Choke on Your Words’ are all awesome and personal highlights. However, there really isn’t a bad track on the album. We even get a great little acoustic medley in the middle, breaking up the aggression perfectly and somehow fitting the vibes still.
For a debut album, the quality of this release is insanely high. Everyone is crazy talented, and they are clearly fantastic songwriters. The band clearly have a big future ahead of them, and Katri will surely be a badass role model for female fronted heavy bands, as she kills it throughout. This is an easy 8.5/10!
The Heavy Souls: Have you Got a Soul
The highly anticipated debut album from the heavy blues/southern rock/NWOCR band is finally out, and goddamn is it good! It’s packed full of all of the riffs and catchy, powerful vocal melodies. It feels like it wears its inspirations heavily on its sleave; everything from Rival Sons to Skam to These Wicked Rivers to even Wolfmother and Highly Suspect. However, it also feels like they build on everything those bands bring to the table and combine each element perfectly. Heck, it almost has some stoner/doom vibes going on too on tracks like ‘Sleepwalking’ It’s so hard to pick highlight tracks as it’s all so good and flows together fantastically. It’s certainly not gonna be for everyone, but I absolutely loved it and will certainly be listening to it a LOT over the coming weeks and months. It’s yet another absolutely incredible debut album, too. It gets an easy 9/10 from us!
L.S Dunes: Violet
The sophomore album of the rock supergroup is just as good and interesting as their previous release. The band aren’t afraid to go heavy with tracks like ‘Fatal Deluxe’, but also embrace their lighter, indie and emo styles plenty too. It feels like it blends together all of the members’ other projects together perfectly. From the screams to the cleaner, emo vocals to the awesome guitaring and drumming, it’s all really great! Tracks like the aforementioned one, ‘Machines’ and ‘Paper Tigers’ are all huge personal highlights. However, if you’re into the heavier, darker side of emo, this is definitely an album for you! With My Chem’s uncertainty around future music releases, it’s so nice to hear some music come out written by Frankie Iero. It’s a fair substitute too, as this is a damn good album! 8/10
Lunar: Tempora Mutantur
This slab of quirky prog metal from the US blew my mind a little bit! The bands fourth studio album opens perfectly with ‘A Summer to Forget’, opening so very Mr Bungle and building in heavier elements throughout, the screams boardering it on death. It’s an easy early highlight track. Said heavy vibes continue through recent single ‘Fall Back Into Old’; an 11-minute masterpiece of heavy screams, incredible riffs and awesome drumming. And we’re only 2/8 tracks into this songwriting and playing masterclass! It’s honestly so hard to pick further highlights as every track is amazing. From the Dream Theater ballad-like ‘Weakening Winter’ to the beautiful piano-and-harmonica ballad of part I of the title track to the technical heaviness of the third part and closer. It’s all chaotic, beautiful brilliance, and truly deserves to be listened to all the way through at least once. The band are finally playing their first live show (after being together 11 years!) this year, and hopefully it’s the start of a run of them as I am already desperate to see a lot of this live. It won’t be for everyone, but I loved this and will certainly be listening to this again! It gets a solid 9/10!
Neon Union: Good Years
Oh look, it’s yet another amazing debut album released last Friday! This time it’s a country duo already taking the genre by storm. It’s easy to see why too, as this is a truly incredible album. It’s like a slightly heavier Florida Georgia Line; giving me less-cringy bro country vibes. It also has plenty of other influence to it, be it Willie or Brookes & Dunne or Buffett. It somehow has plenty of variety while still all fitting together perfectly and filling their niche in country. Whether it’s slower, ballad stuff or more up-beat, boot-stomping stuff, it’s all SO GOOD. I ended up with the vast majority of it on my personal playlist, that alone should tell you how good it is. It also means, yet again, it’s impossible to pick a few highlight tracks, as there truly isn’t a bad song on the album.
My only slight issue is the arrangement. It starts off with a bang but drops off into a few slower tracks in a row towards the middle/end. However, the harmonies make even the slower tracks fantastic, and the album still finishes on something upbeat with ‘This Side of the Dirt’. It’s a very minor gripe, and it’s still an absolutely amazing album regardless. So amazing, that even despite what I’ve said, it still gets a whopping 10/10!
Bullets & Octane: Demos and B-Sides, Sweet Lil Singalongs
Though I wouldn’t usually cover these sort of releases, it might as well be an official release given how much of it is practically brand new music. Plus, I’ve been a fan of the band for years at this point, and the infectious brand of fun, energetic punk-rock was an easy choice to add to the list. It also helps that it’s a fantastic album! ‘Born to Fly’ is an awesome opener, and songs like ‘It’s Too Late’, ‘Alright’ and ‘Radio Revolution’ are also incredible. There once again isn’t a bad song on it, though. It’s a real shock some of these didn’t make the cut for an actual release, as there is plenty of quality throughout, and it makes for a solid album in its own right. If you want something punk/hard rock infused, this is definitely one to be checking out! It gets a solid 8/10 from us!
Mad Parish: The Dust of Forever
Oh look, even more prog! This time it’s spacy, old-school AOR-metal style prog album, though. Clearly drawing inspiration from everything from Yes to Rush to Black Sabbath to even Judas Priest and Coheed and Cambria, it’s a fascinating sound and style, and one the band do so well. It’s another album that’s so hard to pick highlight tracks, too, as it is very much designed to be listened to in full. Heck, there’s even a comic book out that follows the story of it, if that doesn’t motivate you to give it a listen cover-to-cover, I don’t know what will! It’s epic, well written and everyone is hugely talented and working their ass off throughout. It’s one hell of an ambitious second album that really does pay off in spades.
My only slight issue, like with a lot of albums that have this problem, is the length. 21 tracks, regardless if a few are interludes or not, is a lot. Yes, there’s a lot of great music on it and given its prog nature it’s rather expected. It’s even put together rather fantastically, with sides A-D and five tracks each, all having an interlude or two. But still, my tiny attention span struggled a little.
Still, as I said, there’s plenty of awesome songs and musicianship throughout. If you are into this sort of style of music you will find so much to love. Just strap yourself in for one hell of a journey. I’ll certainly be listening to this again, or at very least the more-than-a-handful of tracks I loved! It will most likely grow on me with more listens too, as the concept and story is fascinating. I may have to get the comic! 8.5/10
Cymande: Renascence
The old-school British funk band are back with their first album in a decade. It’s another fantastic, chilled-out release, and makes for a very fun listen. There is plenty to love, but songs like the reggae-like ‘Road to Zion’, ‘Coltrane’ and ‘I Wanna Know’ are personal highlights. It’s slow and certainly not for everyone, but I had fun listening to it and it’s certainly a good one to sit back and relax to. They’re incredibly talented songwriters and players, and though I don’t know too much about the genre, it’s encouraged me to dive deeper, at least into the band. It’s a solid 7.5/10
Grayscale: The Hart
The modern alt/emo rock/pop-punk titans are back with album number four. Honestly, growing up when this sort of scene and style was booming, it gave me a lot of nostalgic vibes, and I loved it! Right from opener ‘Kept Me Alive’ it was awesome, and 40 minutes of poppy alt rock goodness. Other highlight tracks include ‘Let Go’, ‘Some Kind of Magic’ and ‘Not Afraid to Die’. However, there really don’t have a bad song on this album! It’s very BOYS LIKE GIRLS and We The Kings, so again isn’t for everyone. It is certainly a little cringy, especially in 2025. But I thought it was a damn good album, and will certainly be listening to it a fair bit moving forward! It gets a solid 8.5/10 from us!
Kelsy Karter & The Heroines: Love Made Me Do It
The rock’n’roll quartet are back with their highly anticipated sophomore album, and to the surprise of no one it’s another utter banger! Giving off vibes from Avril to Pretty Reckless to My Chemical Romance to even the greats like Rolling Stones and Bowie, the band do their own thing throughout and keep their unique, fantastic style up incredibly. I listened to it front-to-back in the car and am a little obsessed since. The modern-pop inspiration, like Chappell Roan and Ava Max, shines through on tracks like ‘Hotel Flamingo’; a welcome addition to the mainly rock-focused sound.
Honestly, it’s impossible to pick highlight tracks. Every single song on this release is phenomenal; every second of this 50-minutes is amazing. From beautiful ballads to up-tempo bangers, all of it is awesome! I cannot recommend this album enough, and urge absolutely anyone reading this to check it out! There’s a reason they’re as big as they are, and for their second release to somehow top their amazing debut is something else. I can’t not… 10/10!
P.S. shout-out to the production throughout, which is stellar!