Another typically stacked week of awesome new music for us to check out this week, and it’s a rather heavy one! Let’s sink our teeth in!

Danko Jones: Leo Rising

The 12th studio album from the Canadian hard rock trio comes just two years after their incredible last release. Not only did we love Electric Sounds, but we’ve already checked out a couple of the singles and loved them too! Their balls-to-the-wall attitude and energy is so damn infectious, and it’s impossible not to have fun when listening to the band. That is definitely still the case here, too! It’s 37-minutes of punk-infused hard rock from start to finish across 11 awesome tracks. And while all are amazing, single ‘Diamond in the Rough’, ‘I Love it Louder’, ‘It’s a Celebration’ and ‘Too Slick for Love’ are personal highlights. It’s an incredibly easy listen from front to back though, and goes by in a flash. Danko is a riff machine, and his lyrics and delivery are full of attitude and just a lot of fun.

However, I do have one slight negative; it’s not quite as good as Electric Sounds. That would have been a tough task, as that has become my favourite album from them. This is still a great release, but it’s hard not to compare them a little. The singles and high points are every bit as good, but the album as a whole isn’t quite as banger after banger. Still, if you like the band or the genre in general, you’ll still love this just like I do! It gets a still-solid 8/10 from us, though it might get even higher with more listens!

Mélanie Pain: How and Why

The Nouvelle Vague frontwoman returned with her fourth studio release this last week. It’s a nice, chilled out indie-folk record.

You want more than that? Honestly, I’m struggling here, guys. It’s a pretty album, and an easy way to pass half an hour. Tracks like ‘Magnolia’ and ‘Senden Daha Güzel’ are good. However, it’s a little boring. Then again, it is not really my sort of thing. I completely see the appeal, and she has a cracking voice as well as a talent for lyrics writing. But I’ll probably never listen to this again. It didn’t do anything for me; it was too subdued and the instrumentation was barely anything. If you like it then awesome, and my deepest apologies for giving this a sad 3.5/10

Cassidy Paris: Bittersweet

The sophomore album from the young Australian classic rocker is every bit as good as her debut. Right from the offset it’s packed with catchy vocal hooks and some awesome AOR instrumentation. ‘Butterfly’ is a fantastic track and sets the tone for the album perfectly. Then you have tracks like ‘Nothing Left to Lose’, ‘Wannabe’, the bluesy ‘Give Me Your Love’ and ‘Brand New Day’ that are all massive highlights. However, there really isn’t a bad track on this album! It’s a touch long at 44 minutes, especially when almost all the songs have a similar sound and energy. However, I certainly couldn’t think of a track to cut, as they all very much have their place here. She very much fits in alongside Chez Kane in an awesome revival of this sound, and I am more than here for it! My only slight issue is with the mix, as it occasionally gets a touch muddy, and could have maybe sounded even bigger and packed a bigger punch at times. But still, it’s a very minor gripe towards an incredible rock album! If you are at all into an 80s style, check this out as soon as you can! A very easy 8.5/10

When Nothing Remains: Echos of Eternal Light

The first time the band have returned to the studio in nearly a decade, this is a slab of gothic/doom metal excellence. I didn’t know the band heading into this so didn’t know what to expect, but it wasn’t something so grandiose and cinematic. From the opening piano melody that builds steadily with the big drums and distorted guitars into true heaviness with the screams, it drew me in right from the offset. However, that also shouldn’t take away from the hauntingly beautiful clean vocals throughout too, fitting just as well as the screams. The rest of the release very much continues in the same feel and vein, too. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a pretty massive undertaking at over an hour, and is certainly not for everyone in terms of sound. But, if you are at all interested from my description, this is a damn rewarding listen and worth a full one, for sure! The band have created something special with this return release, and prove that they are damn good at crafting not only songs, but full albums. I’m not even usually into this sort of style, but I couldn’t get enough! It gets a solid 7.5/10 from us!

The Smith Street Band: Once I Was Wild

This is like Frank Turner if he leant more into his punk roots on his solo stuff. It took a touch of getting into, but by a couple of tracks in I was really enjoying this! The Australian punk/pub rock band’s seventh studio album is a fantastic listen packed with emotion-filled lyrics and delivery, catchy choruses and some fantastic, almost Midwest Emo instrumentation. And, despite it having some pretty bittersweet topics at times, it still feels upbeat and is a fun listen, incorporating plenty of mid 2000s indie influence into things too. I honestly cannot praise the lyrics and vocal delivery enough either, multiple times I had to restart the song as I had goosebumps. True emotion is getting harder and harder to come by in music these days, and this band deliver it hard throughout. It’s also incredibly hard to pick highlights; every track is just as good as the last. However, the lyrics to the title track are honestly incredible, and has definitely been a track I’ve revisited a fair bit over the last few days.

It’s insane to me that I’ve not checked these guys out before, they have a BIG new fan in me and I am now desperate for them to tour over here again soon! If you are at all into everything from pop punk to garage rock, folk-rock to Midwest emo, this is worth checking out as soon as you possibly can. I’m a little obsessed, and will definitely be checking out their previous releases ASAP. DAMN. 9/10

The Pretty Wild: zero.point.genesis

What a debut album! I only discovered the sisters-fronted modern metal/metalcore band a few weeks ago, but have already become a pretty big fan, and have been eagerly anticipating this release. It very much didn’t disappoint! Right from the INK-like opener this album is balls-to-the-wall in its heaviness, quirkiness but also it’s huge catchy hooks, and I am here for all of it! That is not only followed up by the awesome title track, but then the single that got me into them in the first place, ‘living ded’. It’s an INCREDIBLY strong open to an album! However, the quality doesn’t at all drop from then on out. ‘button eyes’ is a Coraline-inspired banger of a slower track, ‘priestess’ is brutally heavy and ‘OMENS’ is a great radio single. And even then, we’re only halfway through the album!

Yeah, this thing is awesome from front to back. It’s very Ice Nine Kills, but also has elements of more radio-ish bands like Spiritbox and even Bad Omens at times. They’re touring over here with Sleep Theory next year which is a great fit, and I may have to get tickets, for anyone who needs another comparison! The only thing missing is some awesome Sugarman-like lead guitar bits, but that’s more a personal preference; everything from the riffing to the drums, screams to cleans is fucking awesome. For someone who checks out a lot of new bands, these have got IT, and got it in spades. They’re going to be massive sooner rather than later, and this is an incredible starting point for that. I’m going to be spinning it a lot over the next however many months, and I can’t give it any less than 9.5/10. It’s rare I’m this excited about a new album and listen to it through in full multiple times in one day!

Bloodbound: Field of Swords

Studio album 11 from the power metal titans follows up 2023’s Tales from the North pretty perfectly. As you can tell, I very much enjoyed that release, and am so glad they’ve returned with a vengeance! It’s another 45-minutes of epic, heavy power metal spread across 11 awesome tracks. It still very much has the same issue as I had with their last album, it’s all pretty similar throughout, but that doesn’t stop it from being a good album! Tracks like ‘As Empires Fall’, ‘Land of the Brave’ and ‘Pain and Glory’ are excellent, and there really isn’t a bad song on the release! It’s just another solid, straight-forward early 2000s power metal album, and honestly it’s hard to say much more about it, in a good way! All the band are insanely talented and are really at the top of their craft when it comes to their genre at this point, able to release a great album in their sleep, I think! If you are into the genre this is one not to be missed! 8/10

Spock’s Beard: The Archaeoptimist

The prog rock underground legends are back with their first album in seven years, but they have certainly not lost a step in that time! Opener ‘Invisible’ is so very Styx in the best way. Then you have tracks like ‘Aforthoughts’, ‘St. Jerome in the Wilderness’ and the truly epic, 20-minute title track. Heck, and while I’m at it, the other two songs are pretty great too! Just six tracks spread across an hour definitely isn’t for everyone, but as a musician and a fan of this style, I absolutely loved it. And even if you aren’t, you at least have to appreciate the sheer talent on display here. Everyone is working their asses off throughout and is a true master of their craft. And, all five of them have come together to show that they are also incredible songwriters, to boot! If you are on the fence, they at least ease you in with a couple of shorter tracks, so it’s definitely worth giving it a try! An easy 7.5/10 from me, and while it’s not something I’d revisit particularly often, I’ll definitely be spinning it again.

Angelmaker: This Used to be Heaven

The fifth album from the Canadian tech-deathcore band goes hard, dude. Heck, the opening number is under two minutes and is heavier than a lot of their contemporaries I’ve heard recently. Honestly though, the band do deathcore in a fantastic way, really leaning into both ends of the genre plenty throughout. It’s hard to even compare them to other current titans in the scene like Lorna Shore or Slaughter to Prevail, as they all do things fairly differently. However, I would argue that that’s probably a great reflection of a genre that has really made a comeback in recent years, diversifying in the process. It channels the epic power-death of Lorna at times, and even has hints of the nu stuff from Slaughter at times, but also much more closely follows a modern Whitechapel than anything… which is amazing! It’s a genre that I’ve really gotten into a lot the last year or two too, and this is a fantastic demonstration of everything I love from it. From ‘Rich in Anguish’ to ‘Silken Hands’ to the epic, two-part ‘The Omen’, there are so many highlights. And even though it’s 46-minutes long, it goes by in a flash. For anyone into the heavier side of metal, this is one for you! Another solid 8/10!

Annisokay: Abyss – The Final Chapter

This is an odd release. Taking a leaf out of Atreyu’s book, the band have combined their recent EP outputs into a full-length album. However, it feels a little less planned-out and far more rushed than the former did. Part I came out over two years ago, and then we had nothing until April of this year when we got Part II. Then, seven months later, this drops to very little fan-fair. And then on top of that, it’s only got three tracks on it that weren’t on the previous two EPs, and two of them were put out as singles in August and October. Hilariously the one new track, ‘Silent Anchor’ is one of the best songs on the album. It feels more like an exercise in boosting streaming numbers over the epic conclusion of a years long project full of thought and passion.

As for the music itself, the band have always had a bit of an identity crisis. Sometimes it works for them, other times it doesn’t. The sometimes sound like a modern metalcore band, sometimes more alt rock akin to Smash Into Pieces or even blending in elements of power metal and even Spiritbox at times. I completely get that European bands are a lot more of a melting pot, but it does sometimes make for a jarring listen here. Tracks like ‘Ultraviolent’, the aforementioned ‘Silent Anchor’, ‘Get Your Shit Together’ and the Any Given Day-featuring ‘H.A.T.E.’ are definitely highlights. The rest all kinda blurs into one, outside of a half-decent breakdown or vocal hook. Honestly, the EPs on their own were pretty good too, but when pushed together into a nearly hour-long release it really highlights their flaws more and shows off the predictability of the band. Something that started pretty good just ends up bland and bloated. So yeah, while it’s not bad, at a time where alt/metalcore is really getting some bangers released in it, this is largely forgettable. If you like band it’s worth a listen, but I’d just stick with their last or the EPs, personally. 5/10

Humming Whale: Chasing Rabbits

This is like a more hardcore version of Tool, and it’s fucking awesome! It’s prog in nature, but definitely in a heavier vein and with more umph behind it. Think Tool meets modern indie-hardcore like Turnstile. However, they add plenty of other styles and influences too, from alt/nu metal to post grunge to even some more symphonic/power metal leanings. It’s an incredibly interesting listen that I couldn’t not check out from front-to-back in one sitting. Every track is incredible, and the album has a fantastic flow to it throughout, them all feeling different while slotting together perfectly. However, tracks like the title one, ‘Waves’ and ‘Rover’ are personal favourites. I know the band have been going for a good while at this point, but even then this being their debut album is mad, it’s such high quality! What a statement this release is, showcasing that they are here in a massive way immediately. They certainly have won me over in a big way, and I cannot wait to hear where they go from here. However, until then, and while I wait to hopefully be able to see them live at some point in the future, I’ll be spinning this plenty. The band are insanely talented and honestly, surprisingly unique, not something I can say all too regularly any more. Check this out if you are at all curious! 9/10

Netherwalker: Odyssey of Respair

Damn, this is giving big Lorna vibes! Don’t get me wrong, it’s a bit more on the tech-death side, and there aren’t as many crushing breakdowns, but in terms of epic, huge, heavy symphonic deathcore, both bands are right there together at the forefront of the sound. Oh, and this is another phenomenal deathcore release in a week packed full of great heavy music. The sheer thought put into not only the cinematic nature but the mixing and panning of the thing is incredible, and definitely something for other bands to take notes from. And it is also almost laughable heavy, in the best way possible. I barely unscrunched my face for the full nearly-hour. If I’m a wrinkly old man by 30, it’s because of these guys right here. And, while every track is awesome and the flow throughout is exceptional, ‘An Opulent Pilgrimage…’ and ‘Frost Troll’ are personal highlights. It’s another release that won’t be for everyone, but if you like deathcore this is certainly a release to be checking out! The sheer talent on display from every member of the band is incredible, and it gets a solid 8.5/10 from us!