Another big week for releases, with some absolutely massive and awesome albums put out across country, rock and metal! Let’s dive in!
Architects: The Sky, the Earth & All Between
This was one of our most anticipated albums of the year, and spoiler alert, it lives up to that anticipation. Don’t get me wrong, they’ve put out plenty of singles ahead of its release, which got the hype up and reinforced that it was going to be great, bit everything about this is utterly brilliant. Firstly, Architects are HEAVY again, for anyone who didn’t hear ‘Seeing Red’ until now. This album goes as hard at times than anything they’ve done in their careers. Like, 2025 Architects has no right going this hard. Sam is PISSED, and an angry Sam is the best Sam. Some of the breakdowns are absolute filth, and every time a low scream hits I’m pretty sure I… get very happy. However, it also keeps a good few elements of their last couple of elements, blending them in perfectly with the harsher overall sound. The massive, ethereal, melodic choruses are fantastic and there’s plenty of catchiness to them. And even when they do full tracks in that style like ‘Everything Ends’, it sounds awesome and is genuinely a fun listen when the whole album doesn’t sound the same. While I did enjoy parts of their 2021 and 2022 releases, this certainly feels like a step back up and a return to form!
In terms of highlights, where do I even start? The album is full of them! I already have half of this on my personal playlist from the singles released, and found myself adding more on there from album tracks. It honestly feels like an important, seminal record, almost like Sempiternal was. If this is where metalcore is headed in the next few years, count me all of the way in. This should be the album to push Architects to the level of major festival headliners, and there truly isn’t a bad song on it. I cannot recommend this album enough. It’s set the standard for the year, at least in terms of metal, and is going to be a tough one to beat. 10/10, easy.
P.S. huge shoutout to House of Protection and Amira Elfeky who kill it on their features!
Kip Moore: Solitary Tracks
We’ve already checked this awesome album out! Read the full review here.
Avantasia: Here Be Dragons
The German metal opera returned with another studio release this last Friday, and it may be their most ambitious yet. Three discs spanning the 10 new tracks, instrumental versions of all of them, some extended/reworked versions, and some live stuff. It’s an incredible ambitious project over 140 minutes. However, it’s a good release, and all are definitely worth a listen so were worth releasing.
In terms of the new stuff, it’s another great installment into Tobias’ discography. From the surprisingly glammy opener and ‘Bring on the Night’ to more Queensryche/Maiden stuff to all out power/folk metal, there is plenty to sink your teeth into. Said opener and ‘Phantasmagoria’ are personal favourites, but everything track is damn good and if you’re a fan of the styles or band, you’ll love it too! I do, however, have to say that I didn’t enjoy it as much as their last release. Still though, it’s a good album and certainly lives up to the epic metal opera standards and moniker. Plus, sneaking ‘Retun to the Opera’ onto the second disc was a great decision; giving a shoutout and bonus to fans of their early work. However, it does show Tobias still has this sort of stuff in him, so it may work to piss off fans as much as please them!
The rest of the two other discs do feel a little like fluff/padding, but I’m sure hardcore fans of the band will get a lot out of them, still!
So yeah, certainly not a bad release at all! If you like the band or power/folk metal in general, I’d recommend it heartily as you’ll definitely get a lot out of it. However, for me it’s not quite as good as their two-part debut, or their last two, as all four albums simply felt more connected and interesting. It’s a solid 9/10
Ironically, both Avantasia and Architects put out their last albums on the same day. Weird how they’ve changed in that short amount of time. I was not expecting them to switch!
Abandon Alien: Disturbing the Neighbours
I know absolutely nothing about this album other than that our friends over at Grand Sound PR let us know a release date, that it’s somehow the second album release of the year from the band, and the brief words on their Spotify bio. By the sound of things, both of their current albums up on streaming have been released before, and are just now hitting streaming. However, regardless, this sounds awesome and I want to highlight it here!
It very much is in that grungy alt-rock area that the band describe themselves as. However, it definitely feels on the heavier end of that spectrum. It definitely gives like the harder side of Bush or Creed vibes. Heck, all I hear in the vocals is Scott Stapp or Eddie Vedder, there’s definitely that style and cadence going on. But it sounds awesome, and fits over the fuzzy riffing and solid drums perfectly! Tracks like the opener, ‘Not Done’ and ‘Control’ are all personal highlights. The whole album is packed full of pretty great songs though, especially if you like grunge. My only slight issue with the album is its production. If it had a bigger sound, and the vocals (and particularly the harmonies/multi-tracked) were a little more fitting, it would make it all the more incredible. Still, it isn’t a bad release at all, and I’d love to hear it live as I think it would hit even harder! It gets a solid 7/10 from us, and I’mma have to head back and check out their debut!
Heaven’s Reign: Northern Lights
This is an awesome slice of 80s hard rock/sleaze from the UK veteran’s debut album. It’s all fun guitaring and riffs, soaring vocals, catchy melodies and huge harmonies. Tracks like ‘Here we go again’, the title track and ‘Bad boys’ are all great, and personal highlights of the album. However, if you’re into this sort of music, you’re bound to enjoy the whole thing! Don’t get me wrong, it hardly brings anything new to the table and certainly doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it’s a fun listen and a damn solid debut release for a band that have got a lot of hype around them thanks to plugging away at the scene for so long. Check this out if you’re a fan of the AOR/80s hard rock style. It gets a solid 7.5/10 from me!
Light Dweller: The Subjugate
The black/death metal solo project of Cameron Boesch is back with its fifth full length release, and first since 2022. It’s about exactly what you’d expect from the description, to be honest. If you’re into that sort of thing, I’m sure you love this. Sadly, as much as I am getting more into/accepting of this sort of style, it’s still not particularly my sort of thing. Don’t get me wrong, some of the talent on display across every instrument and the screams is insanely high, and it’s all clearly well put together, written and produced. But I’m still a radio boy at heart and not having really much along the way of catchy melody does knock it down a few points in my book. I completely see the appeal of this sort of thing, especially when it’s just one person doing all of it, but it sadly isn’t for me. 4/10
JD Clayton: Blue Sky Sundays
Some more country up next, the sophomore release from the neo-traditional, chilled out singer-songwriter. There’s a bit of a blues tinge to it right from the offset too, which I LOVED. The opener, ‘Let You Down’, sets the tone for the album perfectly and is a massive highlight of the release. However, every track on this thing is amazing, and it’s pretty difficult to pick outright highlights to put above the others. Every track is awesome, and it flows so well through a fantastic, relaxed 35-minutes. It definitely has a southern rock aura to it as much as it does a country one, and it honestly feels pretty unique, at least these days. The closest thing I can compare it to is something like Duane Betts or even a little Flatland Cavalry. There’s even a bit of Chris Stapleton on ‘Arkansas Kid’, which is a phenomenal rockier song! Heck he even does a fantastic cover of Tracy Chapman’s iconic ‘Give Me One Reasom’. If you’re a fan of country, blues, southern rock or just good, chilled music in general, I cannot recommend this album enough. He has a huge new fan in me and if there is any justice in the music industry, he’d be a massive name off the back of this. 9/10
JIZZY PEARL’S LOVE/HATE: Punk Rock Fiesta!
The Blackout in the Red Room legend is back with his first solo studio effort, and it’s exactly what you’d expect and want from the man! As much 80s LA sleaze as it is punk rock, it continues Jizzy’s legacy perfectly and starts a great new chapter in his career. It’s short and sweet too; in and out in eight awesome tracks. It drips with swagger and attitude, and is packed full of awesome riffs, even more awesome solos, and Jizzy’s signature raspy vocals fit perfectly over the top!
I was hooked from the opener, but honestly I feel like the album surprisingly only gets better as it goes on. He’s known for his foot-stomping rock, but I found the slower ‘Can’t Be Wrong’ to be one of my favourite tracks on the album because of the dynamics of the track. And the one-two punch of it being followed by the equally excellent ‘I’ll Be Your Shadow’ was awesome. However, none of the songs on this are bad by any stretch, and if you like Love/Hate’s particular brand of noise, this is very much the album for you! It’s just a damn good-time listen, and I can’t give it any less than 8/10. Great stuff!
Risen Crow: Requiem for a Damned Love
The debut release of the Italian melodic power metal band is a damn good first album. The band are insanely talented players and songwriters, and that is on display perfectly throughout. Tracks like ‘Black Widow’, ‘Revelation’ and the epic piano closer are all personal highlights. However, there isn’t a bad track throughout, and it’s really well put together, flowing well and not feeling like nearly 40-minutes by any stretch! They have entered into an incredibly saturated market with the sub-genre currently and may have to fight hard to stand out. However, that shouldn’t take away from this being an awesome release, and a fantastic way to kick off the bands career. It’s a solid 7.5/10 from me!
The Five Hundred: GHOSTWRITER
The local (to us) modern metalcore legends put out their highly anticipated third album this last Friday. The release show sold out the iconic Nottingham Rescue Rooms, and it’s easy to see why, as this band are awesome and this album is incredible! It’s a very modern sound, pretty close to the likes of Bad Omens and Bring Me the Horizon or even Architects’ last couple of albums until this one! Still, we do get a few heavy parts too, and. I honestly feel like that is when the album shines the brightest. Tracks like ‘NEW WORLD’, ‘EMPTY HOPE’ and ‘ECHOES’ combine the usual sound throughout this with a heavier style that feels like the band I knew them as back in the day, and were easy highlight tracks. However, the evolution of the band has been fascinating, and has produced something with this release that truly stands out in their discography. Would I have preferred it a little heavier overall? Sure. But clearly the band are doing something right with this release, and it’s a damn good album to listen through in full if you are into this sort of style. It sounds massive, the production is awesome, and there are plenty of catchy and memorable moments throughout. It’s a solid 8/10 from us!
P.S. shoutout to Eddie & The Wolves/Audiomage’s Ben Gains on co-writing a couple of tracks on it, ‘RAINMAKER’ and ‘BODIES’; both are also great songs!