Another stacked week of new albums for us to check out, from metal to country. Let’s dive in!
Lacuna Coil: Sleepless Empire
The Italian gothic alt metal masters have gone back to their heavy roots for album 10, and I LOVE it. It’s their first release in six years and it certainly doesn’t disappoint. Whether it’s elements of metalcore, industrial, symphonic, or nu metal, there is plenty going on throughout, yet Lacuna blend every style together masterfully like only they can, creating something fully unique. I nearly didn’t right that line as there is currently a lot out there, especially in the UK underground scene, that is doing this sort of thing, but the fact that they are all heavily influenced by this band shows just how good they are.
I’m struggling to pick out highlight tracks, too. I realised when going back for a second listen that I’d added a good two-thirds of this to my own playlist, so I guess I’d recommend just going away and listening to it all in full! The riffing is ch0nky, the drumming and synth all give it a huge, epic feel and Cristina and Andrea’s clean and harsh vocals (respectively) work perfectly together and sound just as incredible as they always do. Plus, shout out to both Randy Blythe and Ash Costello, who both kill it on their guest slots and are other big high points of the album. I have to say I don’t think I’ve listened to one of Lacuna’s albums in full in a while, but after a couple of listens this may be up there with one of my favourites! It’s an easy 9/10
The War and Treaty: Plus One
The fifth album from the Amiercana/Southern soul husband and wife duo is incredible. You need more than that? Hhhh, fine…
Yeah, I LOVED it. I knew I would, as not only did I love their last album, and this release featured on our most anticipated albums of the year list thanks to its singles. However, I think it even surpassed my lofty expectations for it! It’s hard to compare to Lover’s Game, as much as I want to try, as it is so different. It feels darker and more soul-focused, leaning less into their previous country sound. However, the soul/jazz mix of the early album is truly amazing, and feels pretty unique in modern times. We do get more country/Americana and even bluegrass the later the album goes; a surprisingly interesting and amazing transition that paid off big. Both styles work so damn well too, and the album is absolutely packed full of highlights. Whether it’s ‘Skyscraper’ or ‘Stealing a Kiss’ or the likes of ‘Save Me’ and ‘Love is On Fire’ it’s all brilliantly written, performed and arranged. Mike and Tanya are both two of the best vocalists in any genre currently, and their voices click perfectly together throughout yet again. Some of the notes and power they hit is utterly phenomenal. And somehow, this 18-track, hour-plus long release didn’t feel long at all to me, a rarity for a country/Americana release.
As I said, it’s completely different to their last release, yet is definitely up there in terms of quality. I gave that one a revised 9.5/10 in my albums of the year list, but I think giving this anything less than a full 10/10 is criminal! I’d recommend this album to anyone, immediately!
Dynazty: Game of Faces
Despite the owning track not hooking me, this album is fucking awesome! The ninth album from the Swedish melodic power metal band follows up from their incredibly strong 2022 release perfectly, building on everything we loved on that album and arguably even surpassing it! Everything about it feels massive and epic, from the soaring vocals to the huge instrumentation to the fantastic production. It is also packed full of awesome songs, from the title track to ‘Die to Survive’, ‘Fortune Favours the Brave’ and the epic ‘Dream of Spring’. However, there really isn’t a bad track on the entire album! Nils is such an underrated vocalist, and this may be his best outing to date in that regard. That shouldn’t take away from the rest of the band though, who work their asses off and play phenomenally throughout. I can’t recommend this enough to anyone into power or melodic metal. It gets a solid 8.5/10 from us!
Ron Pope: American Man, American Music
We’ve already checked out this awesome album! Find the full review here.
Rioghan: Kept
The sophomore album of the Finnish rising prog metal stars dropped on Friday, and it’s a bit of a banger! Adding in elements of alt and symphonic and even black/extreme metal to the technical structures and style works excellently, and it certainly builds on the bands 2022 release. And that’s saying something too, as I remember checking out that album when it came out and loved it! It very much takes all the elements they had to begin with and builds on them perfectly, refining their sound even more into something truly unique. From the almost Zeal & Ardor-like avant guarde ‘Hands’, to the dark-synth ‘Skin’, to more acoustic/folk focused, beautiful ‘Hopes’, there is so much variety throughout, and it’s all done so well! Heck, there’s even some modern metalcore tooked throughout which was surprising but great!
It’s so hard to pick highlights too as it’s all incredible and it all has such a great flow to it throughout. Any of the tracks mentioned above could easily count, but also stuff like the epic ‘Motion’ or ‘Read’ are really incredible. The band have somehow topped their impressive debut, and I can’t recommend this enough to any metalhead reading this. Put some headphones on, sit in a dark room and listen to this through in one; you won’t be disappointed! It very much feels like a work of art. I’m desperate to see this all live, too! It’s a very easy 9.5/10 from me!
Manic Street Preachers: Critical Thinking
The Welsh alt rockers are back with their 15th studio album. I don’t think I’ve ever listened to one of their albums in full, but I do like a few of their tracks from over the years. I have to admit, it was a bit of a hard album to get through in full. That opening track is pretty terrible, but it does get better after that. ‘Brushstrokes of Reunion’ is pretty good, as is ‘My Brave Friend’. However, it’s not really my sort of thing, and was a bit of a slog to get through for me personally; it was all a bit slow and similar. However, it isn’t a bad album, and if you are into this sort of style I’d definitely recommend checking it out! 5/10
Midland Railway: Self-Titled
The Manchester-based alt rockers have been building a lot of hype over the last few years, and have finally released their much-anticipated debut album! It’s a lighthearted album that has a real early 2000’s indie vibe, which is a lot of fun. It’s really interestingly written, with the lyrics in particularly being fantastic. Stuff like ‘A Song for Hannah Beth’ and ‘One Day’ are personal highlights, but the whole album is pretty great! It’s indie/punk infused British rock at its very best, and it’s just a good-time listen. The talent in the band is undeniable, and they all work so well together. As a bassist myself, the bass throughout was a huge high point, alongside the lyrics! And while it’s not quite my sort of thing, I still enjoyed it, and would recommend it to anyone who’s a fan of the above genres. It’s also a real good debut album! A solid 7.5/10!
Mantar: Post Apocalyptic Depression
Blackened doom punk metal. It sounds fucking awesome, and it very much is! It’s heavy, quirky and simply a whole lot of fun to listen to! It wasn’t a sound I was expecting to hear or even actually exist, but I’m so glad I managed to check out the album, the band have a big new fan in me. It combines so many sounds and genres together, and does so awesomely. Whether it’s the opening track, ‘Principal of Command’ or ‘Church of Suck’, there’s plenty of great stuff throughout. However, none of it is bad. For a duo, they have created such a massive, interesting sound, and something that feels truly unique. It’s not going to be for everyone, but if you’re into hardcore or heavier punk, I’d certainly recommend checking it out, you might love it as much as I do! I’ll certainly be playing it more moving forward, and it gets an easy 8/10 from me!
James O’Hurley: A Certain Stranger
The bluesy soft rock singer/songwriter spent much of last year building hype up around him and this album through multiple excellent singles, so to say that it’s a highly anticipated debut is almost an understatement. Honestly, I’d say it lives up to said hype too, as this is awesome! Tracks like ‘Maria’, ‘Red’, ‘Four Long Days’ and ‘Bloom’ are all highlights on an album filled with them! Some of his lyric writing is incredible and all the instrumentation is great too. Plus, it all flows effortlessly together, not feeling like 34-minutes at all. It’s a chilled out album that also kinda makes you think and feel, which is never a bad thing! He has a new fan in me, and I can’t give this any less than 7.5/10. Check this out if you like the lighter side of rock!
Serpentyne: Tales from the Dark
Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I went into this with kinda low expectations. I hadn’t heard of the band until a few weeks ago when I saw them at Winters End, and they sadly had a bit of a bad time with their sound there, not doing much to win me over. And I’d listened to them on track a little beforehand, with them doing little for me.
Honestly, there were times on this album where they nearly won me over. The heavy riffing throughout is excellent, and I think that overall when they go harder, they are better. I’m not especially a fan of Maggiebeth’s vocals, but when they’re multi-tracked over some heavy instrumentation, they sound pretty awesome! It’s when that guitar cuts out or cleans up that I start to have issues. Her vocals simply aren’t strong enough to be a focal point, but when the rest of what’s going on is simple drums, keys or bass to compliment the vocals, it doesn’t work. And sadly, that’s a fair chunk of the album, a fair chunk of each song. Instrumentally it’s a lot of fun, but those vocals are sometimes hard to work past! Still, songs like ‘Ghost of Time’s Past’ and ‘Run for your Life’ are fun and enjoyable!
If you’re heavily into the epic, dark symphonic metal stuff you may wanna check this out, but it wasn’t much for me. 4/10
Mastord: Lemmon Lintu
The sophomore album from the Finnish prog band certainly makes for an interesting listen! The band are insanely talented players and songwriters, and have crafted something here that feels different, blending together and almost atmospheric, folky sound to the usual prog style. They clearly take big inspiration from their country and area they live in, and it’s made this a fantastic album. It’s like Tool, ASP and Týr all rolled into one. It’s rather hard to pick out highlights too, as it’s definitely an album that demands to be listened to in full! Having said that, ‘Villi’ is epic and definitely my favourite track of the album! It’s not going to be an album for everyone, but the band have a new fan in me and I’ll certainly be keeping it in my rotation over the next few weeks, that’s for sure! It’s a solid 7.5/10!
Todd Barridge: All the Right Scars
The cover song extraordinaire has put out his much anticipated foray into original music this last week. I’d somehow not heard of him before now, which is weird given that I’m a fan of other artists like this, and even then only heard of him because of a podcast clip I saw of him and BMTH having similar covers of ‘Wonderwall’. However, I’m glad I did hear of him, as this is a great post-hardcore album! It’s like Linkin Park meets punk, but with way more emo to it. I hate to say it, but it’s almost an old-school style nowadays, and I don’t hear too much new in it these days, so having some new emo-skate like I grew up with is awesome! Some of the lyrics are a touch edgy and cringy, but they fit the music rather perfectly.
Songs like the opener, ‘Green-Haired Canadian Girls’, the heavy ‘Joey Sturgis Asked me…’ and ‘Tactless, Tasteless, Obvious’ are all massive highlights. However, the album as a whole is pretty great, and there isn’t a bad track on it! There’s a surprising amount of great riffing throughout. It’s also surprisingly varied in its style and tempos, which is always appreciated! I went into this album with no expectations and was very pleasantly surprised, it’s awesome! A must-listen if you were a part of the 2000s emo scene. He certainly has a new fan in me, and this is an easy 9/10