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Jon Pardi, Alyssa Flaherty and Bec O’Malley Rock Manchester Apollo!

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We headed down to one of our favourite venues last weekend to see one of our favourite country artists, like a match made in heaven! We’ve been hoping to see him for a few years now too, with him dropping out of The Long Road a few years back and us missing him on the subsequent rearranged tour. Joining him were two of the fastest rising stars in the genre, one from Nashville and one from Manchester, so it was set to be a fantastic night all-round!

Firstly, a quick shoutout to Randall King. He was supposed to be main support on the tour, but has taken a step back from live shows the last couple of months to work on his mental health and personal life. From what I know of him (even having the pleasure of meeting him a couple of years ago), he seemed like a great guy, and hopefully he manages to work through whatever he’s going through. Mental health is so very important, and it sucks for anyone to be going through struggles. You got this, brother!

Another thing before we talk about the artists; this show made me remember why I don’t go to many big country shows on their own. Goddamn, the crowd was terrible! Talking through not only both supports, but a good chunk of Pardi’s set too, just until his big hits came up towards the end. It really ruins the experience somewhat for those who actually went there to watch the show. I honestly don’t understand the thought process behind paying £40+ to go to a gig and not watch most of it, I canny afford that! It’s surprisingly a younger, more me/gen Z crowd that are doing it too, the TikTok crowd. Shame on y’all.

Anyway, enough negativity, let’s get on with the artists!

Seeming newcomer to the scene Bec O’Malley came off a massive day before, playing Royal Albert Hall for Highways and putting out his first single, and showed up big on Saturday too! He and his two backing players owned the large stage for the entire time they were up there, playing (and singing) their asses off. And, honestly, their set was arguably too short. I get why it was, with only one song released it may have been harder to hold the crowds attention, but he did it masterfully. His unique blend of UK folk, Americana and modern country came across excellently live, and he was a pretty decent frontman, too. Closing on the excellent debut single ‘Let it Go’ was awesome, and a highlight of the night in general. However, his other originals were just as good, honestly! And he even snuck a cheeky cover of Ella Langley’s massive ‘Choosin’ Texas’, to the delight of the crowd! Bec is gonna be a big name in the UK and global scene sooner rather than later, and it felt awesome seeing him get this sort of shot right out of the gate. Hopefully he sticks with his guitarist and fiddle player too, as both fit him excellently!

Next up was Alyssa Flaherty. For just a woman and her guitar, she sure packed out the sound in the theatre! It’s probably because her vocals were powerful and absolutely incredible! I wasn’t too familiar with her heading into the set, but left being a big new fan. Her original music is great, and was performed excellently by just her and her guitar. Honestly, I’d love to see her again with a full band backing her, but this was a great set in its own right! For an acoustic set it was definitely one of my favourites in recent memory!

After a rather short changeover, Mr Saturday Night himself took to the stage! Opening on the tours namesake, it was awesome right from the get-go. Honestly, it was a bit of a shame that we didn’t get more off said album, with just ‘Boots Off’ and ‘Friday Night Heartbreaker’ making the cut. The latter was a massive highlight of the whole night, though! The highlights packed out the whole set, though! Whether it was ‘Tequila Little Time’, ‘Mr. Saturday Night’, ‘Last Night Lonely’ or his collaboration with Thomas Rhett ‘Beer Can’t Fix’, there was awesomeness sprinkled throughout. Then, there was the absolutely incredible run to close out the set; from ‘Dirt on my Boots’ to closer ‘Head Over Boots’, it was banger after banger! There was maybe a slight lull in the middle, but that was more from the crowd not paying attention than any of the songs being bad!

In terms of the performance too, it was amazing! Pardi is a born front-man, and put on an excellent show from start to finish. His vocals are just as good live as they are on track, and when not holding one of his many guitars, he was bouncing around the stage, holding the crowd in the palm of his hand and having plenty of energy! The rest of his band added so much to the show, too! Everyone up on that stage is some of the best musicians at their craft, and worked their asses off from start to finish. They performed like one of the very best of a big-country-bands around, which they very much are! From all of the different instruments being played to the incredible soloing to the energy throughout, it was all a top-class performance. There whole set went by in a flash, and I’d have happily taken another full hour of it!

And there you have it, folks. Three incredible acts putting on an amazing show for a packed out crowd. I had a blast throughout, and the two opening acts definitely won me over in a big way. I’d recommend checking out all three of them both live and on track, and I’ll certainly be seeing them all the next time they’re nearby! It was a fantastic night of live music, and one I’ll not soon be forgetting!

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Change of Plans: How Does 49 Winchester’s Latest Album Live Up to Their Previous?

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The country rock collective are set to release their sixth studio album this coming Friday! As already big fans of their music, we’ve been excited about this one since it got announced. Add to that that the single or two I’ve heard is great, and it’s made this album an absolute must-listen for us! Oh, and add to that the truly beautiful artwork, and this is already set to be a release to remember. Without further ado, let’s dive in!

The album opens on a chilled-out southern rock riff; the guitars setting the tone and the drums and bass following suit excellently. Isaac’s vocals fit seamlessly over the top, keeping the mood and tone relaxed and steady. It rather surprisingly explodes into a catchy, rockier chorus, reminding me of a Darius Rucker kinda sound in the best ways. Having said that, it also fits the vibe of the rest of the song perfectly. The lyrics are excellent for it too, both catchy and packed full of emotion. And the bridge, while simple, has some fun little guitar lead runs, channelling the bands Southern rock roots fantastically. And it drops back to just vocals, piano and some quiet guitars after, giving the track some great dynamics before it bursts back into that awesome final chorus. It’s a great way to open the release, establishing the mood of the album perfectly.

‘Bluebird’ adds a bit more blues to the proceedings, surely intentionally a little punny. Having said that, it still keeps the generally slower pace from the opener, especially with the acoustic, lower verses. It’s all builds perfectly to a massive, arena-filling country rock chorus, one that once again reminds me of that early 2000s sound. And not only that, but we get an epic, Aerosmith-esque bridge and lead bit separating the choruses perfectly. This is a really excellent track, and one that easily makes our playlist. I’m honestly shocked it wasn’t a single, but it could easily be one after release, it would do great as a radio country-rock track!

Speaking of singles, their cover of ‘Changes’ is banger of a ballad. It works surprisingly well as a southern rock song, and is only one of my favourite versions (and there are many) of the track. Honestly, Isaac is probably the best singer to have performed it, in this writers opinion. He puts so much passion and emotion into every line, clearly being a fan of the original. And instrumentally, it works perfectly, the organ, drums and guitaring carrying the somber tone amazingly. It’s interesting to have it placed so early in the album, but it fits rather well alongside the previous songs, so it’s hard to complain!

Songs like ‘All Around Me’, ‘All Over Again’ and ‘Bringin Home the Bacon’ are more tracks that fit in with the opening few. All are boot stompin’ country rock bangers in their own right, with ‘All Over Again’ being a particular personal highlight. And, while I have grouped them together to make the article easier to read, it does also reflect that the album is so similar. It is both impressive that it’s so cohesive, but also makes for an ever so slightly harder listen, at the very least when reviewing. It doesn’t make any of it bad per se, but does make my tiny-attention-spanned brain a touch less likely to listen to them all, especially when they are all so close together!

‘Slowly’ is a beautiful, acoustic-based track that honestly I can’t get enough of. From the simple arrangement that builds perfectly throughout to some of the best lyrics on the release to that chorus that’ll be stuck in my head from day to come, everything about it is amazing. And those vocal harmonies, GODDAMN. It’s easily one of my favourite tracks on the album, and may be up there alongside my top songs from the band in general, honestly. This is definitely one to check out if you are going to dive into any! A damn worthy single!

‘Oh Savannah’ is another beautiful slower song, while ‘Pardon Me’ is another incredible, catchy southern rock track designed to be played to huge festival crowds around the world. Both are great in their own right, but the latter in particular is another huge highlight of the album! And then, just like that, we reach the end to this surprisingly short release with ‘Heavy Chevy’. It’s another good song, giving off Whiskey Myers vibes massively with the vocals. The double track on them was an interesting choice that pays off massively, and once again Isaac puts on one hell of a performance. It builds perfectly through the acoustic stuff into a distorted, rockier second half, the dynamics being fantastic. We even get some awesome duelling guitar solos in the middle, feeling very Skynyrd in the best ways possible. Somehow it’s yet another huge highlight track on an album rather filled with this. It’s also the perfect, truly epic way to close the release, and is another song that’s up there alongside my favourites from the band as a whole!

Overall: This is a great release! It’s a damn good country/southern rock album, jam packed with some real amazing tracks. While it does take a slight dip in energy in the middle, both the start and end are phenomenal, providing some of the best tracks I think the band have ever put to tape. If you are at all a fan of the band or the genres in general, this is well worth a listen! I’ll certainly be spinning it plenty in the weeks and months to come, that’s for sure!

Overall: 9/10

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Suburban Legends and Codename Colin Rock the Bodega!

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It’s been a hot minute since we made it down to The Bodega, and then it was for a pretty different gig! This time was for the ska legends Suburban Legends, returning to the UK after last years acoustic tour, and for their first electric shows in seven years! Y’all should know how big of a fan we are here at Overtone of ska punk by now, and we get far too little come over to the UK these days, so there was no way we were missing this! Of course we were going to have a blast, but read below to find out just how great of a night it was!

It felt slightly odd only having two bands on the bill, but it is becoming increasingly more of a thing in recent years. However, when both bands are this good and get given some time, it’s really hard to complain! And Codename Colin really brought it last night! I wasn’t too familiar with them aside a couple of songs I checked out before the show, but I came away a pretty damn big fan of the band! Even despite some technical issues with the guitar the band played a fantastic set, sounding awesome and coming across as damn professional. They were a little heavier live than I was expecting too, having an air of metal to them, especially in the half-time outros. All four of them were insanely talented too, getting their own time to shine at various stages throughout.

And, their setlist was pretty great! From their amazing originals to a couple of fantastic covers, it honestly left me wanting more! ‘Hit Me Baby One More Time’ was a personal highlight, but I found myself enjoying their original stuff just as much, truly. Hell, the new songs they threw into the set were awesome, and have left me excited to hear what’s next in store for them, release-wise! They played their asses off throughout and clearly impressed a lot of the crowd, including us. This certainly won’t be the last time I see them, and hopefully they’re back nearby soon!

After a pretty brief changeover, it was already time for the headliners! I’ve wanted to see them for so long, not able to make it to their last full tour pre-pandemic, and somehow they didn’t disappoint even with my high hype for them! From the moment they took to the stage I was obsessed. Opening on old classic ‘High Fives’ was a great choice, and kicked off well over an hour of catchy, high-energy ska punk. From Day Job bangers like ‘Arigato’ and perennial closer ‘Whoa’ to more older classics in ‘Hey DJ’ and ‘Bright Spring Morning’ to even ‘Forever in the Friendzone’, the set was packed full of the very best of their back catalogue. And, of course, we can’t not address the Disney songs. From Toy Story’s ‘You’ve got a Friend in Me’ to Lion King’s ‘Just Can’t Wait to be King’, ‘DuckTales’ to ‘Under the Sea’, the band have done some of the funnest ska covers, and Disney covers, around!

And the show the collective put on… DAMN. I don’t have the energy to do what they do now still in my 20s, let alone 15+ years down the line. The energy that every one of them put into their performance was infectious, having the crowd dancing, clapping and bouncing along throughout. Heck, they managed to get a solid 60-70% of the not-particularly-young crowd squatted down, ready to jump-the-fuck-up and pretend to be fireworks. That’s commitment from everyone involved, right there! The choreography was also amazing; synchronised dancing is always impressive but to do it to ska music, as well as sometimes while singing/playing a horn, is honestly awesome!

Plus, everyone sounded awesome. Vincent’s vocals are amazing live, and it blows my mind still that he wasn’t even originally the singer of the band. The backing and harmonies were awesome too, with Aaron sounding great and being a born frontman in his own right. And all the rest of the band absolutely killed it too, being so tight live and sounding really excellent. The talent throughout them all is truly off the charts, and to witness it live was something truly special. Damn, I could gush about this band all day!

And there you have it folks, an awesome night packed full of some incredible punk music! Two bands that I am already desperate to see live again, and would recommend checking out to anyone if they are anywhere nearby you. And, what’s more, it was all at one of the best small venues in the country! I certainly had a blast, and couldn’t have asked for any more!

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Hotter Than the Sun: The Debut Album from AK and the Red Kites!

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The debut album of the Dust Coda front man’s other project drops tomorrow! Their 2024 EP was amazing, and they have only gone from strength to strength since then, so to finally have this coming out is pretty damn exciting! Their combination of blues and hard rock is a lot of fun, so let’s dive right in!

The album opens right into some great instrumentation, an almost punk flavour to the riffing and drumming at first. AK’s powerful vocals soon come over the top, a great, catchy melody over some chuggy riffs. There’s some awesome harmonies and tracking around the vocals too, adding so much depth to the delivery. It all builds to a massive chorus, one designed to be played to huge arena crowds! There’s a touch of the blues the band are known for coming out of the choruses with that riff too, fitting perfectly alongside the punkier rest. We also get an awesome little guitar solo tucked away in the middle, packed full of feeling an emotion, sounding fantastic! This is an amazing song, and a perfect selection for the opener and a single, kicking things off with a bang!

The energy stays high heading into ‘Born to Lose’. Once again I get as much Wildhearts vibes as I do blues, definitely a punky edge to it all. Andrew’s vocals fit perfectly over the simple riffing and driving drums, once again building excellently to a massive chorus. Said chorus fits perfectly into the back of the verse though, the instrumentation staying similar, just getting bigger, making everything sound massive as a result! The lyrics here are great too, packed with attitude and being some of my favourite on the whole album. The solo here is more technical this time, fitting the lighter natural of the song and giving the perfect reprieve from the standard structure of the rest. My only complaint is that it was so short, but I get not everyone wants sprawling solos! Another excellent song, and an easy highlight of the album!

Things turn sharply into the blues direction I expected from the release with ‘Stronger’. It still fits perfectly in with the heaviness and tone of the release so far, but definitely feels like it focuses much more on the blues guitaring than the others. The riffing is awesome, and I LOVED the ‘ooo’s in the build-up intro, too. A stripped-back verse leads to a bigger, catchy chorus. However, that driving riff from the guitar and bass are definitely the main strength of the track. And, even in a track barely 2:30, we still get some awesome lead work out of that second chorus. It’s short and sweet, in-and-out and very to the point, and I think it serves the track well, as any more of the same sort of idea, outside of jamming it out for minutes of proggy soloing, may have gotten a bit much!

Single ‘Karmic Rituals’ heavy’s things back up again, while still very much maintaining that blues riffing awesomeness from the previous song. Andrew’s vocals once again sound awesome over the top, weaving a fantastic melody over the driving drums and bass, the guitar cutting in intermittently Honestly, the closest thing I can compare it to is Mammoth, which is certainly a compliment! The verse is catchy enough, but then effortlessly leads into an expectedly great chorus, catchy and certainly one to sing along to. It’s another short, simple-structured track, but I liked the riffing for the bridge too, and the final chorus hits hard! It’s one that easily makes our playlist!

A dirty blues riff forms the basis of ‘Pearls Before Swine’, the guitar kicking it off but the bass and it’s incredible tone carry it on perfectly through the verse. It has a bit of swagger and attitude to it, making for an incredibly fun listen. Honestly, it’s got some funk rock to it, like a Living Colour or Staggered Crossing, and I’m a little obsessed! The whole thing is massively catchy, but that chorus is on another level! It’s my favourite track on the album, and a song that I’ll be spinning a lot in the coming weeks and months to come. Wow!

Tracks like ‘West Coast Romance’, the title track and ‘Trouble Again’ are more steady-paced, blues-dripping stompers, all as good as the last! The latter is my favourite of the group, the riff being great and AK putting in one of his best vocal performances to boot. However, all are great and fit the tone and pace of the album fantastically, none of them even feeling like album tracks. It was easier to group them together to save me repeating myself with my fan-girling over and over!

‘Sierra Starlight’ is the slower track on the album, but is still infused with blues, soul and roots. It feels ripped straight out of Sinners, almost having a country edge to it. Yet, somehow, it also fits perfectly in with the rest of the album. Arguably it could have done with being a little earlier, as it breaks things up tonally incredibly, but also felt just as natural here. It’s another amazing song and HUGE album highlight, showing off the band’s range impeccably.

The last two tracks left from the album, singles ‘We Belong’ and ‘Cosmic Train’. Both are on the heavier end, more Black Stone Cherry-like than a classic blues thing. They’re amazing songs both in their own right, and were two more excellent choices for singles! The latter in particular is another huge high point on the release, and closes things off perfectly. All three members get their time to shine throughout, and it makes for a damn fun listen! Two more great songs on an album packed full of them!

Overall: This is an awesome release! Every track is as good as the last, and it has an amazing flow to it, going by in a flash. All three guys killed it throughout too, showing off that they are some of the best in the scene right now. They really are going from strength to strength as a band, and this is surely set to push them up to the next level! I’ll certainly be spinning this plenty in the weeks and months to come!

The Score: 9/10

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Voodoo Sioux, Eddie & The Wolves and Tender Vendetta Rock Percy’s Cafe!

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We headed down to one of the coolest small venues in the country last weekend to check out three awesome hard/blues rock bands! A bar that still very much incapsulates the grungy, dirty rock scene of the 70s and 80s, and three bands known for a cracking live show, what’s not to love!

Kicking things off strong were the Wolves-based sleazy hard rockers, Tender Vendetta. Bringing high energy right from the jump, the band launched into an impressive setlist filled with plenty of their own awesome songs. They battled through some early technical issues to deliver fully, too. It’s easy to see why they are getting a reputation as a fantastic live band, and are gaining a fair bit of momentum around the UK. Matty Nicholls is one of the best frontman around in the scene today, and the rest of the band do a great job in matching his energy and stage presence. We even go a cheeky, albeit brief, Sabbath cover, which fit the bands sound surprisingly well, even if they are typically on the faster side of rock. They are certainly ones to watch, that’s for sure!

Eddie & The Wolves soon took to the stage next! Best band ever and all that. Apparently the band have played the venue a couple of times in the past, but it must have been before my time with them. Regardless, it was a blast playing, from the quirky setting to the great sound to everyone packing out the place to watch! Thank you for everyone who came out, I hope we put on a decent set for everyone! It at least felt good from up on stage, that’s for sure!

After a brief changeover, the mighty headliners took to the stage. Outside of seeing their name about on bills, I was pretty unfamiliar with Voodoo Sioux’s stuff, but they really blew me away here! The talent of all four men was off the charts, and was on full display throughout their set. And the energy they brought to the stage from the first moment they stepped onto it was palpable. They had a full 40+ minute set and really made the most of it, rattling off collection of their very best tracks, to the delight of the crowd. They have been around a little while now and have really honed their craft to perfection, putting on one of the most polished shows I’ve seen in an intimate venue, even with the occasional sound issue. They were a fantastic headliner, and a band I will certainly be seeing again as soon as I can!

And there you have it folks, three awesome bands playing at one of the coolest venues in the country, what more could you ask for?! I cannot recommend any of the bands any more, be it live or on track, and I’d certainly implore you to see them live ASAP. And, if you are anywhere near Percy’s Cafe anytime soon, definitely drop down, it’s as awesome a bar as it is a venue! A truly great night!

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One: Sevendust’s Best Album in Years!

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The incredible alt/nu metallers are set to release their whopping 15th studio album on Friday. You’d be hard pressed to find a more consistent band, be it in terms of output, quality or even band members. They haven’t had more than a three year gap between album releases, and have had next to no lineup change across the decades. And, on top of that, they still go hard! We enjoyed their last release back in ‘23, and the singles from this so far have been awesome! So, to say I’m excited for this may be an understatement! Let’s dive right in, shall we?

A massive, nu/industrial riff opens up the title track, immediately showing that after another three years since their last release, the band have not lost even a fraction of a step. Lajon’s powerful, melodic vocals soon come in over the top, and the occasional harmonies and doubled up vocals add so much depth and catchiness, and we’re only on the verse still! It all builds to a massive, arena-filling chorus, and one that’s going to be stuck in my head for days to come! I can see why they’ve played with Alter Bridge a lot recently, as it’s very much like their/Tremonti’s modern sound. We get an awesome guitar solo tucked away in the middle of this too, over the top of a pretty heavy breakdown riff or two. Both Clint Lowery and John Connolly are criminally underrated players, as are all of the band members in general, and they get to shine as bright as Lajon throughout. This is an excellent track and the perfect way to open the album. An easy early highlight!

Some pretty epic synth and keys opens ‘Unbreakable’, building fantastically. It actually reminded me of the theme of the movie of the same name, which I truly hope was intentional. The chorus soon explodes in; massive drums, a great guitar melody and some more effortlessly powerful vocals. The verses are pretty heavy, the riffing behind Lajon’s vocals being almost metalcore, and that snare hit being so good every time. I love it dropping out for the pre too before exploding in with that huge, effortlessly catchy chorus. It honestly gives off vibes of Smash Into Pieces and that more European pop melody, which is an awesome addition to their regular sound. My only slight thing is that there isn’t much going on in the bridge, just a quick, simple, repeating guitar lead and then straight back onto the chorus. Still, it’s a damn strong chorus, one that the song is built well around, and was a great choice for a single!

Speaking of singles, the albums lead, ‘Is This the Real You’, is up next! It’s excellent, from the incredible opening riffs to the groovy, catchy as anything verses and choruses to the heavy breakdown-bridge with the lead guitar ringing perfectly over the top. It’s classic Sevendust, and also reminds me a lot of Nonpoint in the best ways possible. It’s a lot of fun, equal parts heavy and melodic, and is a track that very easily makes it onto our playlist. It’s been stuck in my head periodically since it first dropped, and is easily up there alongside their other big hits.

Somewhat crazily, they get the singles out of the way fast, as ‘Threshold’ quickly follows suit. it’s a slower track but no less heavy. Starting off low was a great choice, the vocals ringing excellently over synth. It also makes it feel even bigger when the chunky guitars and drums come in. And those vocal harmonies/double-tracks… *chefs kiss*. The chorus is another massive one too, designed to be played to huge festival crowds around the world. The band have a fantastic ability at picking the very best singles they can from the album, as all three showcase a different end to their style. And, what do you know, this is another awesome song!

Tracks like ‘We Won’, ‘Construct’ and ‘Blood Prince’ channel more of that swaggering early 2000s energy the band came up in. It’s the perfect blend of nu metal and industrial, Drowning Pool and Static X, and is impossible not to love. The solo in the latter is a big high point of the album as a whole too, packed full of not just emotion but technicality. Meanwhile, that chorus and the dynamics in ‘Construct’ make it another huge highlight song, up there alongside ‘Is This the Real You’. And everything about the latter is amazing, from the chugging riffing to the screams perfectly breaking up the catchy cleans and that AMAZING breakdown. The band have very much perfected their sound over the years, and these tracks show that off perfectly!

Both ‘Bright Side’ and ‘The Drop’ are on the slower, plodding side of Sevendusts sound, almost sounding sinister when combined with their awesome heaviness. They still have their trademark big choruses too, alongside all the chuggy and melodic guitar and bass work. Both are excellent tracks in their own right too, packing out the album phenomenally and feeling every bit as good as anything else before or after it!

The closer, ‘Misdirection’, is the slower song on the album. It’s interesting that they’d choose to do the modern metal/metalcore approach of closing on a ballad. However, it’s an excellent song in its own right, and it’s hard to argue its spot here! It’s quirky; a simple beat with Lajon’s vocals soon coming in rather delicately over the top. It builds excellently with a high harmony soon coming fantastically over the top, alongside a light high-hat beat. I honestly wasn’t expecting anything to remind me of Slipknot’s ‘Spiders’, but here we are! The distortion does come in not long before the two-minute mark, a great riff exploding in with the big drums, but it still feels more like a ballad than anything else. It also gives Tool vibes for me, though I’m not sure why! Maybe it’s the chuggy bit in the middle, or the general melodies used. Either way, this fucking RIPS, closer or otherwise. Another amazing highlight of a track on an album packed full of them!

Overall: This is an amazing album! As much as I enjoyed Truth Killer, this is definitely a step up in terms of quality. Every song is as good as the last, and the album as a whole has a really fantastic flow to it! For a band as consistent with their output as this, some 30+ years at it and on album 15, there is no way they should still be this damn good. If you are at all a fan of the band or the rough genres as a whole, this is an absolute must-listen!

The Score: 9/10

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Songs About Us: Jason Aldean Returns with Another Massive Album!

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The modern country megastar returns with his first album since 2023’s Highway Desperado. While his output this decade so far hasn’t been quite as well lauded after as his previous work, we still enjoyed Desperado, and have been liking the singles from this release we’ve heard so far. So, how does album number 13 compare to the rest of his sprawling discography? Read on to find out!

Opening on a surprisingly slower, southern soul track I’m ’Anytime Soon’, it’s a great song in its own right! The steady pace lends perfectly to Jason’s vocals, it giving off vibes of modern Blake Shelton in the best possible ways. The lower verse builds perfectly into the expectedly arena-filling, massive chorus, and it’s one that’ll be stuck in my head for days to come! It’d make a great single that’s for sure, even if the structure is also surprisingly not hugely radio-friendly. For one, it’s pushing five minutes in length, and for two it has a pretty long extended outro. It adds to the southern rock feel to the track, and also ups the epicness fantastically. It’s a great way to open the album, and an easy early highlight!

The rockin’ vibes continue through ‘Drinking About You’. It still has a steadier pace to it though, and similarly to the previous song it drops down for the verses before exploding into a hugely catchy, boot-stompin’ chorus. The bass was a big highlight through the track, something I’m surprised to say about country music, but Tully Kennedy kills it here, showing how criminally underrated he is. He rather successfully distracts from the vaguely cheesy, typical-country lyrics, too. We get an awesome little guitar solo tucked away in the middle too, breaking the track up perfectly. It’s a more radio-friendly track for sure, but that doesn’t make it any less great. Two for two, so far!

The first single of the album, ‘Don’t Tell On Me’, is also the first closer to a country-ballad on the release. Having said that, it still has plenty of rock elements to it, the distorted guitar adding plenty of depth. Because of said rockiness, it does feel a touch on the darker side for radio-country, feeling closer to Shaman’s Harvest than Russel Dickerson. It follows an expected radio formula and is barely three minutes, but was an excellent choice for a single, having plenty of weight and catchiness and being another huge highlight of the album.

Another single, ‘How Far Does a Goodbye Go’, slows things down even more, stepping into true ballad territory with the main focus being on the acoustic guitar and Jason’s powerful vocals. Some other instrumentation comes in around them, the drums and bass shining at times throughout too, but the focus is very much more intimately on Aldean. Having said that, we do get an AWESOME, Slash-like guitar solos and lead bits throughout, which I loved. It’s another fantastic choice for a single off the album, as it’s a really great song. It also feels pretty different to the previous song, showing off Aldean’s rather impressive range within the genre. A song well worth checking out!

‘Songs About Us’ is the first track on the album to feature a guest artist. Luke Bryan fits in with Jason Aldean like a glove here. The same could be said for David Lee Murphy on the early 2000’s country-like single ‘Dust on the Bottle’. It’s a fun, bouncy track and David does an awesome job complimenting Jason. Honestly, it’s a big highlight of the album as a whole! And, as much as I like Luke Bryan, the track is a little too far-leaning into cheese-territory. It comes across very pandering. The other guest spot goes to Aldean’s wife, Brittany. It’s another ballad, of course, and the duet between them is beautiful. Their harmonies work surprisingly well together, and her voice on its own is also great. It’s an interesting topic choose for a couple to sing to, but it works for them both, and is a good song! It’s a pretty standard country-rock ballad, and an easy choice for another single, but that doesn’t stop it from being a great.

Tracks like ‘Good Thing Going’, ‘Country Into Rock ‘n’ Roll’, and ‘Fight a Fire’ are more rock infused bangers. None are bad songs by any stretch, with ‘…Rock ‘n’ Roll’ being another big album highlight that easily makes it onto our playlist. (Also, the bass on the track is again tasty). However, they are fairly similar tracks, especially to a few other tracks earlier on, hence why I’ve grouped them together here. On an album of this length, I can’t talk about every song separately, or I’ll look like a madman!

Meanwhile, songs like ‘She’s Why’, ‘Backroads of my Memory’, ‘The High Road’, ‘What a Little Heartache’ and, heck, most of the rest of the album, is on the slower side. There is some variety throughout it, don’t get me wrong. Some of it is on the straight-up rockier side, while the likes of ‘Hard to Love You’ are a bit more HARDY-vibed. Both the other singles on the album, ‘Help You Remember’ and ‘Her Favourite Color’ are good too, and fit the pace of the second half of the album rather perfectly. There isn’t a bad song across the whole thing, but 20 tracks is a LOT, especially when a solid half the album is so similar.

Overall: Don’t get me wrong, while the last couple of paragraphs sound a touch negative, this is still a good album. If you are a fan of Aldean already, or general country music over the last two decades, you’ll get at least something you love from this. He’s a hit-making machine at this point, and a good few of these tracks are easily up there alongside his best. But man, I am getting so sick of bloated country albums. Nashville needs to learn to trim the fat, as instead of getting solid albums, we are getting huge albums of a lot of similar sounding stuff, watering down the good stuff when checked out in full. Political leanings aside, this is a good collection of songs, and I’ll certainly be spinning some of the tracks from it again!

The Score: 8/10

Reviews

Patience to Play: Two Ways Home Knock it Out of the Park with Album Two!

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The incredible Anglo-Austrian duo are set to release their highly anticipated sophomore album tomorrow! Featuring a lot of the singles they’ve put out over the last few years, it’s a real celebration of where they pair are in 2026, as well as a hint of where they are headed with some new songs smattered in for good measure. We’re big fans of the pair here at Overtone, even chatting to them last year and getting some hints of this. So, to say we’re hyped that it’s finally here is an understatement. Let’s dive right in!

The title track opens things up perfectly; a hauntingly beautiful acoustic guitar riff that soon has Lewis’ vocals fitting incredibly over the top. Isabella soon harmonises perfectly too, it all building up fantastically to an almost Southern rock sound. The drums and other instrumentation coming in for the chorus was a fantastic choice, adding some great dynamics to it, and makes it feel effortlessly massive. The particular blend of folk, country and rock is awesome and is pretty uniquely their own. Heck, the bridge is phenomenal, giving off elements of the Who in the drums, Slash in the subtle lead guitars, and yet the vocals still firmly ground in Two Ways Home. It’s an absolutely amazing choice for an album opener, and is a definite early highlight!

‘Waiting on Luck’ is a song I’ve loved since first got into them a couple of years ago. It was a fantastic single back in 2022, once again showcasing the bands mesmerising harmonies, and a bit softer a side to them. Isabella kinda takes the lead vocally this time, but the pair do a fantastic job of always showcasing each other’s talents and working together flawlessly. That chorus is also incredible, and has been stuck in my head periodically since I very first heard it! Even though it’s been out a while, it’s a track that I can’t seem to ever get enough of; simple and soft-rock-infused-country, but is so damn good. So far, two for two on excellent songs! And, acoustically (track 13), it was certainly a standout to me when we saw them at The Long Road last year!

The first new track on the album, ‘Room for Love’, is just as good as the previous two tracks! It definitely keeps the soft rock-like vibe to it, the blues edge to it almost giving it a Lenny Kravitz feel to it. However, by the time the chorus hits, the massive harmonies and big-band-instrumentation, it definitely brings in their country-adjacent sound too. It’s all so good, the instrumentation being as much of a high point as the vocals in this track. That riff through the bridge is awesome, and I love the touch of the chatter and keys behind it, making it a real feel-good moment. I’m coming across as a fangirl already, but this is another great track! It’s all fantastic so far!

We get both the full band and the acoustic version of ‘Polaroid Kids’ on this release. While both are similar, they still channel different energies, and it’s well worth checking both out. Heck, after multiple spins of both, I’m still not sure which I like more! The stripped-back nature of the acoustic one focuses more on the lyrics and the harmonies, but the emotion in the full band is palpable. I do have to say I think the spoken word bit fits better with the electric, in this writers humble opinion. However, as I said, both are excellent. They’re anthemic, ballad-like songs and the electric one breaks up the flow of the album perfectly to that point. And, lyrically, it’s maybe my favourite track on the album.

The most radio-country track here, ‘Feet on the Asphalt’, is a great, upbeat, track not too far removed from something like Russel Dickerson or Thomas Rhett. It’s catchy as anything and infused with enough rock to keep it high-energy. And, once again, the vocal harmonies are like only TWH can do, grounding the track to them despite it being a different feel again. I love the playfulness between the pairs vocal delivery in this track keeping it light and catchy throughout. You guessed it, it’s another amazing track, and one that easily makes our playlist!

‘Medicine Man’ is a more blues/rock based country bangers. It feels a touch darker than most on the release, and almost gives off ‘Wanted Dead or Alive’ vibes. And, it has one of the best choruses on the album! We also get a previously-unheard acoustic version of it to close out the album, pushing it much father into the country category in the best way. It takes on more of a Hank Jr vibe to it, the two tracks being so different in sound but both being excellent in their own right.

The following few tracks, ‘She Keeps Time Like a Casino’, ‘Hot Rain’ and ‘Signals in the Smoke’ are all slower songs, much more country-ballad territory. All are excellent songs in their own right, and even though they are one-after-another, it doesn’t feel like the momentum of the release drops at all, most likely due to the high quality. I like ‘Hot Rain’ building to more of a rock ballad by the end, the distorted guitars and soloing adding so much depth to the sound. It’s probably my favourite track of the few, but none of them are bad by any stretch!

‘Hear a Heartbreak’ has more of a soul feel to it, the steady plod and vocal delivery being more akin to Rag’n’Bone or Hozier. It has a fun bounce, energy and swagger to it, and once again when both of their voices entwine together, it’s phenomenal! And it still has enough of their unique brand of rock edge to it to keep it succinct to the album too, a true testament to their writing talents. It’s yet another major album highlight on a release packed full of them!

Meanwhile, ‘Colder Water’ is a straight up Western track, and I am all for it! It’s like I was trapped somewhere between an Eastwood and a Tarantino movie, it was awesome! It’s catchy, and packed full of some fun melodies from both the vocals and the instrumentation. Then you have the last non-acoustic track on the album, ‘Slower Kind of Love’. Honestly, it kinda bridges the gap rather perfectly, having plenty of acoustic elements to it while also having some great drumming for the choruses. It all builds perfectly to the massive bridge and crescendo too, the track being put together excellently. It’s another track I’m a little obsessed with, honestly, and yet another high point of the album!

Overall: This is an amazing album! It explores just about every avenue of country, folk and blues music across its runtime, being long but not feeling like it at all. It’s such an easy listen that goes by in a flash, somehow still leaving me wanting more! Every song is as good as the last, and it’s the perfect showcase of their recent output. If you are in any way into any of the genres named, do yourself a favour and check this out, you won’t be disappointed!

The Score: 9/10

Reviews

Doomsday Outlaw, Eddie & The Wolves and Luna Marble Rock Hallamshire Hotel!

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The incredible UK blues rock/NWOCR stalwarts played a hometown gig over the weekend, packing nearly 100 people into the amazing Hallamshire Hotel! The first stop of their April tour was set to be a doozy, being backed by other local bluesy heavyweights in Eddie & The Wolves and Luna Marble. We’ve been excited to head down to this for weeks now, and there was no way we weren’t going to be raving about it afterwards! Check out all of our thoughts below.

Opening things up with a special acoustic-duo performance where the bluesy Luna Marble. I recently got into them off their amazing debut album, and it was cool to hear a lot of that in a different style here. Plus, for just the two of them, their acoustic guitars and vocals, goddamn did they produce a huge sound! Maria Rico has one of the best live vocals around at the minute, and not only that but has the charisma and stage presence to hold the crowd in the palm of her hand throughout a more subdued set. Meanwhile Dragos backs her up perfectly, providing some amazing playing and backing vocals throughout. Hearing the tracks unplugged takes you on a different journey, but has definitely left me wanting to hear it with the full band soon, too! And we even got a sneak preview of a new song, which went over a storm with the live crowd. They were the perfect openers for this show, and are a band that are rightfully already gathering plenty of momentum for themselves in the UK rock scene!

Next up were the amazing Eddie & the Wolves. Yada yada best band in the world, yada yada future of rock… you know the drill by now. I just want to quickly thank not only the two bands and the venue for having us on the bill with them, but for every single person who came down to see us. We all had a blast up on stage, as warm as it was, and it felt like the crowd enjoyed it too! We’d taken a month off to do some studio stuff, so getting back up in front of a packed out venue was truly something special. And, it at least sounded good on our end, so hopefully it did out front, too! The setlist is refined and we’re firing on all cylinders. We’re all over the place this year so be sure to catch us somewhere else soon if you couldn’t make it here!

After a surprisingly painless changeover, the headliners too to the stage! We’re big fans of the band, and have seen them around a fair bit, so when I say they were on top form yet again here, you’d best believe it! All of them are masters of their chosen craft these days, and come together from their other projects for this one amazingly whenever they’re ready. And, we got a pretty varied setlist from them, too! From older songs to trying out new stuff to their biggest hits, we got a bit of everything, and it was all spectacular. It felt like banger after banger, and their hours set went by in a flash! It’s criminal that at this point they aren’t bigger, but regardless they are still putting on one hell of a show every time they step on stage. I feel like they have a big year ahead of them, and I for one cannot wait to see them again, as well as check out their new music as it drops!

Check out an interview we did with Indie too, here!

And there we have it, folks, a fantastic night full of amazing rock bands! All three knocked it out of the park and are a must-see for any fans of hard or blues rock reading this! The audience in attendance witnessed something special; three bands at the top of their game, playing their asses off, and in a pretty awesome venue to boot! We had a blast and can’t wait to see them all again ASAP!

Reviews

OPVS NOIR Vol. 3: How Do Lord of the Lost Cap Off the Trilogy?

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The German gothic metal titans are back with the third part of their trilogy of albums released over the last year. It’s no secret that I’ve been loving them so far, so wanted to finally do a deep dive on the finale and see how it ends. The band are now 12 studio albums deep as of this releasing tomorrow, so to say they have honed their craft would be an understatement. Let’s sink our teeth into this!

The release starts in not only epic, but heavy fashion. Strings build up into a huge scream from Chris, and a massive industrial riff. It picks up right were Vol. 2 left off in the best way. It drops back for the verse, Chris’ powerful vocals leading us through a very LOTL melody and some great lyrics. Surprisingly, the first half of the chorus drops back even more, just some orchestral elements behind the vocals. However, it just means when that riff and scream kick back in, it’s even more massive and impactful than before! I also love the dynamics of the track in that the second chorus keeps the guitars and drums around, keeping it anthemic but feeling HUGE. It’s also a simple song structure, getting in and out after two verses and choruses. However, it works excellently, and sets the tone for the album perfectly! An easy early highlight!

The first of a good few guest-features us up next, with the incredible Alea joining the band for ‘I’m A Diamond’. It starts low, with the drums, vocals and a great, bassy synth. It builds perfectly with the harmonised vocals and guitars, all leading towards the massive, arena-filling chorus! It feels more like a ballad than the previous track, but is still pretty heavy with the instrumentation, following the bands formula perfectly. The bridge was pretty heavy too, at least until it drops out to the beautiful piano melody. It’s very much a radio track, but I mean that in the most complimentary way possible. It was a great choice for a single, and a track that easily makes our playlist!

Single ‘My Funeral’ heavies things back up again with a dark, gothic riff and melody. It follows a similar vibe and structure to the previous track, but doesn’t get quite as big, the chorus staying a little more subdued and industrial. It was a nice touch, changing things up and keeping the dark vibe. It’s a simple track in theory, but is executed to perfection by a band that have really nailed their sound and writing. And we still got some great screams in the bridge, it fitting the track to a T. This time round it was a bit of an interesting choice for a single, it felt slightly album-track-esque, but was still a good song in its own right!

Another single and another guest slot, this one is so Wednesday 13 I’m shocked it landed on this release and not his album from last year. It’s an industrial track full of attitude and venom, and lyrics that skirt the line between cheesy, excellent and relatable. The pair’s vocals fit together perfectly though, and the band do a great job of changing their sound to fit who they’re working with, which is on great display here! It’s another simple track from a structure standpoint, but is a lot of fun, and would go down a storm live! We even get a fun little guitar solo tucked away in the middle, showing off how underrated of a player Pi is. It’s definitely one to check out if you like more of the light-hearted, horror-infused sound Wednesday is known for, but it still has plenty of LOTL staples throughout too!

Tracks like ‘The Shadows Within’ and ‘La Vie Est Hell’ are truly epic ballads. The former, while having some heavy instrumentation still, feels like it is lead by the piano, and the steady pace works perfectly with the soaring vocals. The latter follows a similar vibe, but trades in the piano for a clean guitar and a more driving, plodding drum. It also featured some awesome vocals from Kissin’ Dynamite frontman Hannes Braun, him fitting surprisingly well into the moodier atmosphere. The track being performed and written in French and being a play on the famous phrase was also a nice touch. It’s a great song and another big highlight of the album for me! It was interesting to put two slower tracks one after another though, especially when we’ve had a few heavier ones in a row!

While still on the steadier end pace-wise, ‘Square One’ is a gothic synth track through and through. It reminds me a lot of Smash into Pieces, or at least a combination of them and Birthday Party Massacre. It’s a simple track that still builds to a massive, infectiously catchy chorus, and fits the band and albums style perfectly. It’s a great song that, while does feel slightly album-track-like, it breaks up the album amazingly, and is still great in its own right!

Another ballad in ‘When Did the Love Break’, a brutal breakup song featuring Xandria’s Ambre Vourvahis. It’s yet another example of how well the band work with other vocalists, and this is a truly beautiful, bittersweet duet. ‘Your Love is Colder than Death’ is another moody, gothic-industrial metal track, at least changing things up a little again following the previous track. It’s not a bad song, but was the point that I started to feel just a little fatigue with the album. It’s been a lot of slower paced stuff in a row and, while they aren’t exactly known for their thrash, the opening tracks had so much energy and having another one slotted in later on may have helped. Still, again, neither are bad songs by any stretch!

The final two tracks of the album are two more epic, ballad-like songs. However, both feel unique to each other, as well as the rest of the release. Cats in Space alumni Damien Edward’s kills it on the first, and the heavy, screamed bridge was an excellent touch. Meanwhile, the closer is a truly epic, grandiose soundscape, closing things off rather perfectly! It feels almost ‘Sound of Silence’-like with its orchestral swells and main focus on the powerful vocals and lyrics. The lyrics in particular are horribly relatable. It’s another huge highlight of not only the album, but the trilogy as a whole, and I couldn’t think of a better closing track.

Overall: This was a great album! I do have to admit right out of the gate that I think my expectations after the last two were rather high, and this didn’t quite hit them. However, as an album as a whole, it is still damn good, and serves to cap off the OPVS NOIR trilogy rather perfectly. And, as an album as a whole, it’s still a great Lord of the Lost release, up there among some of their best. I still think I prefer the previous two, with Vol. 1 now firmly being my favourite album from the band, but if you have the chance to sit and listen through all of the trilogy, I would definitely recommend doing so! They really are the kings of their style, and are proving it time and time again!

The Score: 8/10