A wild week of new releases for us to check out this week, featuring some huge names in country, metal and rock. Let’s dive right in!
Chris Janson: Wild Horses
So, any long-time readers of this site will know how much I loved and raved over Chris’ last album, even when commercially it didn’t do incredibly. So, I was pretty hyped for this release heading into it. Honestly, I’m not quite sure what to feel about it after a first listen. It’s slower than I was hoping for, more of a Tim McGraw or Kenny Chesney over the more rocky, swagger-dripping sound of his last release. There are certainly good songs on here, like ‘Me & a Beer’, ‘Up to You’, ‘What I’m For’ and ‘Hung Up On’. However, this thing is 15-tracks long and there is a lot of slower songs that all have a similar vibe to them. The slower tracks aren’t bad at all either, but there is so much out there at the minute doing the slow, radio-bait McGraw thing, and Outlaw Side of Me felt like a breath of fresh air in the mainstream country scene. I miss the southern rock for a lot of this, and while it’s a damn solid country release, it has disappointed me a little. For that, it gets a 7.5/10. The good songs are GREAT, but I don’t see myself revisiting the album as a whole much at all.
Fit for a King: Lonely God
Another release where we loved the last one and feel like it doesn’t get nearly enough love; the Texan metalcore collective are back with album number eight. Having checked out the singles beforehand, this feels like a safer bet of something I’d love and will live up to the hype. And yes, it does in fact live up to said hype. It’s a very modern sound, the production being massive and there being plenty of synth filling out the sound. It very much feels like the next step of evolution to the ground-breaking Sempiternal, yet a step down a different path to the likes of Spiritbox. And while the cleaner bits are good, the high points of the album for me are where it goes heavier, and especially the breakdowns. The contrast between both parts honestly make both better, too. Songs like ‘The Temple’, ‘Extinction’ and the title track are all awesome and great examples of what I was on about. Plus, we also have not one, but three incredible guests that also make for massive highlight tracks. From Alpha Wolf (their closest neighbouring band) to The Plot in You to Chris Motionless, they all add so much to already fantastic songs!
So yeah, safe to say I loved this! I would say there were a couple of tracks that felt a touch weaker than others, but there are so many incredible standout songs that it’s still a very solid album overall. While I wasn’t quite as blown away by this as The Hell we Create, I think it’s more to do with heading in with that expectation over it being a quality issue. There is so much to love here, and I’d put a lot of it with some of the bands very best songs. If anyone is even passingly into metalcore, check this out immediately! A very solid 9/10 from us!
Luke Morley: Walking on Water
The sophomore solo album from the Thunder guitarist is a fun, varied listen that goes by in a flash. Combining elements of blues, soft rock and even stuff like Brit-pop and country at times, each song feels different yet still distinctly fits together. It feels like it’s a cross between Thunder, Enuff Z’Nuff, Quireboys and Dead Daisies, in the best way possible! Songs like the opener, ‘Texas’, ‘Always a Saturday Night’ and ‘Bullets’ are all person highlights, but there really isn’t a bad song on the whole thing! It fits in pretty perfectly with the current NWOCR and rock revival scene in the UK, and is a real awesome entry in Luke’s already fantastic discography. If you’re into rock in any capacity, this is well worth checking out! It’s simple but a lot of fun, and is a very solid 8/10 I’d say!
Harvested: Dysthymia
The debut album from the Canadian death metal group follows up their 2022 self-titled EP pretty perfectly. It’s brutal, technical death metal at its very best, and immediately this band needs to be bigger than they are! From the bands title track as an opener through ‘Unending Madness’ and ‘Voices of the Void’ to the huge closer, it’s just over half an hour of brutal heaviness and insane pace. It’s certainly not going to be for everyone, but if you’re into the heavy stuff it is well worth a listen. The band are all incredibly talented and I have no doubt this album is going to push them to the next level. It’s straight up classic death metal, but with a great modern-production edge. A solid 7/10
Eli Young Band: Strange Hours
The first new studio album from the Texan country band in three years , and it’s a bit of a banger! Not that I ever thought it wouldn’t be, but it’s nice to have such a strong release from a band over two decades into their career. It’s 43-minutes of southern rock-infused country awesomeness, and is so hard to pick highlights as it’s all so good! The band have been on a hot streak over their last few releases, and this very much continues that in the best way. From slower ballad tracks to more boot-stompin’ numbers, this release has it all and is arranged rather perfectly. If you are in any way a country fan, check this out immediately! I’ve been a fan of them for years at this point and this very much lived up to my hype for it, being up there with one of their best releases. It gets a very easy 9/10, and is going to be something I’ll be spinning for months to come!
Lloren: It’s Always Sunny in LA
Though not the sort of stuff we normally cover here, this is an incredible slice of pop rock! It’s stadium-filling, infectiously catchy, precisely written and highly produced pop music, but has enough edge and alternative-ness to it to keep it fun and interesting. It gives off vague modern Taylor Swift vibes, yet is also more varied and interesting than that. In that vein, there is a slight country feel to it, at least in terms of the tracks’ arrangements and vibe. Songs like the opener, ‘Like This’, ‘Like I Need’ and ‘Lonely Hearts Club’ are all personal highlights. It’s definitely not going to appeal to every reader here, and is certainly pretty slow for the most part. However, there are some good tracks on here, and overall it’s a very easy release to listen to, even just in the background! It’s very Taylor, very Chapel Roan, very Jonas Brothers, but also something else in there rather unique and individual that hooked me in when I very first listened and wanted to write about it. A solid 7/10 from us!
The Armed: THE FUTURE IS HERE AND EVERYTHING NEEDS TO BE DESTROYED
So, firstly, in regards to the title the title… mood.
The fifth album from the hardcore punk collective goes expectedly hard, though isn’t really my sort of thing. I get that the whole point is the messy, abrasive nature, but when even the ‘catchy’ melodies can also grate a little, and the heaviness is more of a wall of sound over any sort of major riff or breakdown, none of it really appeals to me. There are sections of vocals that I think are choruses in stuff like ‘Purity Drag’ or ‘Gave Up’ that are almost melodic and enjoyable, but something around it stops my enjoyment. The closest thing to a “good” track for me was ‘Broken Mirror’, and I feel like a lot of that is due to a guest artists called ‘Prostitute’. ‘I Steal What I Want’ was okay too, but still isn’t something I’d optionally choose to listen to often. I completely get the sentiment and the attitude and feeling behind this, but I will never get the actual sound. I never thought I’d get into black metal more than the more hardcore side of things! If you like this then that’s fantastic. They clearly have a pretty solid fanbase. However, though I feel like an old person just typing this… it’s just a lot of loud, angry noise! 3.5/10, I’m sorry!
Ashes of the Sun: Gods With Machines
The debut solo album from the Freya and The Last Season bassist was done completely by him, from the instrumentation to the artwork. The only thing that he had some help on was the mixing and mastering, done by Jason Randle. It’s an insanely impressive achievement, especially when the album itself is damn good, too! The descriptor of Metallica and Megadeth meets Alice in Chains and Shinedown is a very accurate one, and makes for a pretty interesting listen! ‘Sophisticated Clowns’ has a great intro and sets the tone for the rest of the album perfectly. Then you have tracks like ‘Save the World’, ‘A New Way to Die’ and ‘The Lost Ones’ that are all big other highlights of the release. It’s easy to see why these tracks didn’t make it onto his other bands’ works, they wouldn’t quite fit in, but I’m so glad they’ve finally gotten to see the light of day and given the chance to shine! Ethan is clearly an insanely talented musician, and has crafted something that I’d recommend any old-school metal-fan check out! It’s heavy and got elements of everything from doom to thrash to grunge, and definitely feels pretty unique. It gets a solid 7.5/10 from us!
La Nouvelle Musique: Self-Titled
The second album from the husband and wife psych-folk duo just this year, the band have not hesitated to make an immediate stamp on their niche side of the music scene. It’s quirky and not typically my sort of thing, but there’s something about the way that it’s written and arranged that really hooked me in and kept me interested. It’s dark at times, but also has an early punk/new wave edge to it, too. Songs like ‘New Blood’, the epic ‘Spirit Level’ and ‘Still Life’ are all personal highlights. The pair are clearly very talented songwriters and musicians. It’s not something I’d revisit often, but it’s a damn solid release and I very much see the appeal of it for others! If you’re into either psychedelic or folk music, this is certainly worth at least checking out! It feels rude giving it a 6.5/10, but honestly if I liked this genre it’d definitely be a lot higher, trust me!
Zandi Holup: Wildflower
The debut album from the rising country star is really a tale of emotion; be it from her powerful, interesting vocal delivery to her absolutely phenomenal lyric writing. It’s all pretty slow and stripped-back, very much a neo-traditional release. But whether it’s empowering tracks like ‘Go Find Less’ and ‘Dirty Wings’ to heartbreak songs like ‘Doing the Time’ and ‘Cowgirls Don’t Cry’ there is so much goosebump-enducing emotion throughout this entire release. And it’s hardly those four songs to rave about either. Nearly every track on this thing is a highlight in their own right! It’s somehow familiar while also feeling rather fresh, and a lot of it is down to her instantly recognisable vocals. It’s an incredible debut release, especially when before now it’s just been singles leading up to this album. She’s going to be a big name in the country scene sooner rather than later, and I already can’t wait to hear where she goes from here! For now though, it’s an easy 8.5/10!
Vertebra: The Same
The brand new album from the thrash/death metal band is about exactly what you’d expect from the genre. It’s very old-school in its influences, definitely reminding me of early Exodus and Death. The talent of the members is off the charts, everyone working their asses off and having their own times to shine plenty throughout. And the mix, while a little harsh, is very well done, with everything being heard on every track; it’s fittingly agressive-sounding. Tracks like ‘Humanity’, the epic ‘Overcoming the Void’ and the closer are all personal highlights, but there isn’t a bad song on the whole release! Heck, the bass on ‘Blessed Are the Forgetful’ is that good it actively makes me feel like I should never touch mine again! If you are an 80s thrash/death fan, I can’t recommend this album enough. It’s a fun, heavy, balls-to-the-wall 45-minutes, and well worth a listen as I’ll certainly be revisiting it again in the weeks and months to come! It gets a very easy 8/10 from me!