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new music mondays

New Music Mondays: Kenny Chesney, Tom Morello and More!

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Yet another MASSIVE week for new releases, from country to rock to metal. Let’s check it all out together!

Kenny Chesney: Silver Sands Marina

The country legend is back with album 21, following 2024’s Born surprisingly closely. Firstly, he clearly read my last review back then, as this is almost half the length of that release, and much better for it. Secondly, this is an awesome collection of classic Chesney music, and I love it! While the opener kicked things off a little low energy and awkwardly, lead single ‘Carry On’ follows it up excellently and is a certified banger. Tracks like single ‘Goldfish’, ‘Shot a Car Into Space’ and the Colbie Caillat-featuring ‘What We Got Going On’ are also big highlights, but there really isn’t a bad song throughout! Sure, it’s a touch on the slower side again, but when it’s a shorter album it’s a hell of a lot less of an issue. That and the guy is pushing 60, so it’s rather expected. It’s so very late 90s, early 2000s country, and I loved every second of it! It’s crazy that at this point in his career he’s still putting out such high quality material, and it gets another solid 8/10 from us!

Tom Morello: Everyone Gets Everything They Want

The first solo album from the guitar legend in nearly five years is an interesting one. It feels like a tail of two halves, yet both halves don’t necessarily run as the first six tracks and then the last six. The instrumental opening into the title track had me pumped, and both are awesome tracks! Then it got a little weird for a bit. I genuinely had to watch the video for ‘Adjourn It’ to be able to hear that it was actually Serj, and a couple of the tracks after it didn’t do much for me. The song with KNEECAP was surprisingly pretty good, as was the Worldwide Rebel Songs-like ‘The Last Rung of the Ladder’ and the Audioslave ish ‘Pretend You Remember Me’. However, as an album as a whole, I don’t think I’d revisit it a whole lot, just the songs I like. Tom is still a phenomenal guitarist, and has clearly passed that gene down to his son who gets plenty of time to shine on the tracks he’s on, and I still surprisingly like his folky vocals. But his songwriting is in a strange place at the minute, tugged between his earlier solo stuff and a more modern metal sound, and it leads to slightly mixed results. I’d still prefer an all-out RATM track or two, but this is still good, and I’d recommend it to anyone even slightly interested! 7/10

Europe: Come This Madness

The rock legends are back with their first new studio album in nearly a decade. And, honestly, it is far better than I feel most expected it to be! ‘One on One’ is the perfect opener, setting the darker, heavier AOR tone of the album up excellently. From there, we get a solid 10 other tracks, all slotting together amazingly and leading to a very easy 41 minutes of listening! This sort of sound fits Joey’s vocals these days perfectly, and the band all work their asses off throughout, all getting plenty of time to shine, whether it’s big riffs, awesome solos and drum fills. Tracks like ‘Come This Madness’, the epic ‘Scandinavian Eyes’ and ‘The Devil’s Back’ are all personal favourites, but there really isn’t a bad song throughout! If you are at all an old-school rock fan, this album is an absolute must, and a showcase of just how amazing the band are still, nearly fifty years into their careers. 8.5/10, awesome stuff!

Warren Zeiders: No Breaks

Jade: I’ve not come across Warren Zeiders before, but straight off the bat I really like his voice. It’s really easy to listen to, super smooth with a little bit of a twang to it. He’s got that sound that fits quite nicely into what you would class as stadium country, but has a slightly more stripped back feel to it. You really get that feeling with the title track. It’s quite soft and builds up to more of an epic chorus. And the vocals in the chorus are pretty damn dreamy. I get my fix of country cringe with ‘overrated’ featuring Bellah Mae. More upbeat than the previous tracks, catchy and their voices blend like butter. What more could you ask for from a country love duet!

I do enjoy more of the upbeat side of country, and although a lot of the tracks on this album are more on the slower side, they are all so different which just pulls you into it more. It has the potential to be the most incredible experience at a more intimate gig, but could easily fill a much bigger venue and give massive energy. Especially with the more stripped-back verses that go into the catchy, punchy choruses. ‘Drinking Game’ is the perfect example of this. I really enjoy how much range Warren has in terms of style. He has switched between stadium country, to bro country and then even hitting us with a slightly more rocky vibe. The way he uses his voice in ‘Looks Good On You’ and ‘Souvenirs’ is giving a more country Nickelback vibe, and I’m here for it.

Honestly I could absolutely gush over every single one of these tracks, which has me presently surprised. It’s almost like there is a song for everyone on this album which is pretty refreshing for country artists these days. Regardless if it was a slower track or not, each track does its own thing, I wouldn’t really say any are one in the same. I have very much come away a fan and will be going back to check out some of Warren’s earlier stuff. 9/10

Lacrimas Profundere: Lay Me Down O Silent Fear

We’ve already checked out this awesome album! Read the full review here.

Volucrine: Chapter V: Renewal

Max: I don’t have the longest review out there on this one but here are my thoughts. The album is a pretty hard hitting and enjoyable ride front to back coming in at a somewhat longer 52 minutes, spread across 13 tracks. I’d say that there is a relatively standard formula of chunking riffs, some decent clean vocals, and then a breakdown or screamed chorus which I initially thought was this bands strongest point. However the clean vocals and more melodic points started to become more and more enjoyable. And then you get to my favourite track in the album hands down, ‘Drift’. I get that’s its the cliché emotional song in the later half of a metal album but damn is really good. Just everything about it is gorgeous and I wish for more like that. However it does also expose the album to its biggest issue in my opinion, Pacing. whilst it is mostly fine with no disjointed or jarring moments, the flow between ‘Swans’ -> ‘Drift’ and ‘Drift’ -> ‘The Future That Never Was’ is quite abrupted and feels a little out of rhythm with the rest of the album.

That being said, that is a rather weak criticism that is only used when you need to say when an album isn’t perfect. So ignoring that, the album is really quite good and one that I would recommend. Hopefully I can catch this group on tour at some point. 8/10

Wheeler Walker Jr.: Pullin’ Out

The apparent final album from the crass, comedic country genius is an expectly damn fun half-hour. If you are familiar with him already, you know exactly what to expect. If you aren’t, you may be in for a shock! It is certainly a lot if you’re a bit more conservative on the sex and drugs side of the world, but it’s hard not to have a good time with it regardless. It’s cleverly written, and the music is always surprisingly excellent and well produced behind the silly vocals. Tracks like the bluesy ‘Whiskey Dickin’’, ‘Old Piece of Shit’ and ‘Why Aren’t Suckin’ my Dick?’ are all personal favourites, but the whole album is pretty great! It’s a hard one because while I do think the joke may have run it’s course a little, it’s hard to not still love his music and his creativity, and it will be sad to see him go. If you like silly country music, this is absolutely the album for you! 8/10, I’ll certainly be listening to this plenty moving forward!

Nothing but Thieves: Stray Dogs

Following up 2023’s excellent Dead Club City, the English alt rockers have gone a bit heavier with Stray Dogs, and certainly in a good way! The title track sets the tone perfectly, while songs like ‘Testosterone’ and ‘AI.Jesus’ follow its lead. It’s a little bit Royal Blood or Deftones, you know, if Deftones were good. Then you have more expected-sounding tracks like ‘Evolution’ and ‘Baby Kool’. The album does sadly lull a bit too long in energy around the middle, but even those slower songs are still good. While I wouldn’t say it’s quite as monumental or memorable as their last release, it’s still a damn good album in its own right! The band are all so damn talented and, while they are a massive name, they deserve to be even bigger with their stellar recent output! There is plenty of greatness to sink your teeth into, and it goes by in a flash despite its length. A very solid 8/10 from us, and another album I will happily be revisting soon!

AJJ: Dirty Old Power

Album nine from the folk-punkers is an absolutely fantastic half-hour of music! While I remember somewhat enjoying 2023’s Disposable Everything, but it is also an album that I’ve revisited a lot since, and has grown on me a lot. This album, however, hit me immediately and I had a blast throughout! Honestly it’s hard to pick highlight tracks too, as I enjoyed every one in its own quirky way. Every song is different as well, making the album so interesting throughout. It’s chilled-out (aside for ‘Phlamethrower’), fun but also so very well written and put together, with some of the lyrics being really damn good. The band are true masters of their craft at this point, and have crafted something truly special together with this release. If you like the quirkier side of rock and folk music, I’d definitely recommend you check this out ASAP. I’ll certainly be spinning this again plenty moving forward, and it gets a very easy 8.5/10 from us!

Metalite: Discovery

Another band that I LOVED the last album of, and another band that once again knock it out of the park with their new album! It’s yet another amazing collection of fantastic modern power metal like really only Metalite can do. The release opens fantastically with the one-two punch of ‘Our Time has Come’ and ‘In Case of Emergency’, while ‘The Metal Elite’ and ‘Wings of Fire’ continue the excellence throughout. What’s more is there isn’t really a ballad on here either, it’s balls-to-the-wall for a full 46 minutes. Usually I’d feel like it would be an odd choice, but it absolutely works here! Every song is amazing, and it is a damn good follow-up to Expedition One. They are one of the most underrated bands in the modern power metal scene, and feel like true frontrunners alongside Dominum when it comes to quality output. I loved this, and it’s an incredibly easy 8.5/10 from us!

Max McNown: Leave on a Light

We’ve also checked this out in full, aren’t you lucky?! Read it here.

Coldrain: OPTIMISE = OPTDEMISE

Jade: I have very much enjoyed the odd coldrain track here and there over the past couple of years. However I will admit I’ve never taken the time to actually listen to an album in full. So what better time than now with this never release?

Coldrain is a band that gives me everything I love, from screams you’d expect in metalcore alongside melodic vocals, which combine in the best way. The opening track ‘OPTIMISE’ did not disappoint, and god did it remind me why I like this band so much. Masato’s vocals are just so impressive going between such cleans to those nasty, aggressive screams. Sais cleans really shine in the next track ‘CHASING SHADOWS’. I will say I have absolutely no idea what I’m taking about when it comes to any sort of instruments, but I can appreciate how hard the rest of the band slaps. Katsuma beats the hell out that drum kit throughout, and there is crazy impressive guitar from Sugi and Y.K.C. Of course we can’t forget how chunky the bass line is in these tracks thanks to RxYxO.

If you want a song that shows all of that then ‘INCOMPLETE’ is the one for you.
And holy moly, I was not ready for “FREE FALL”. God damn I had to take a second for how heavy that was. Those screams are so filthy. Then to bit hit with a dirty breakdown midway too. That one is straight on my playlist! ‘EX-HUMANITY’ give a bit of a different vibe, still very good, but definitely more of a track with the intent of getting a message across to listeners. Which don’t get me wrong is the running theme throughout the album, touching on how people have changed and what humanity is anymore. This particular track just feels a little more direct to that sentiment. I wasn’t expecting a ballad on this Album, but ‘SING’ is exactly that, and it’s bloody beautiful and an amazing showcase for Masato’s vocals yet again. The album finishes on ‘SAVIOR’ which is way more walking the line of hardcore than the rest of the album. Kenta Koie features in this track, who I’m not personally familiar with, but god damn is he impressive! Those screams really are something else, and it fits so well alongside Masato’s vocals and the rest of the band. It couldn’t be a more perfect collab.

Overall, this has been a really great album, some tracks definitely outshined others but the stronger ones were spaced nicely through the album which gave it a good pacing. This is one I would definitely recommend checking out! 8/10

Pyre of Descent: Albedo

The first release from the German gothy, proggy metallers since the pandemic times is an epic 50 minutes of darkness and chaos. Let’s get the obvious out of the way, it’s certainly not going to be for everyone. It’s only six tracks, with the closer being over 13 minutes in length. However, I had a good time with it! Everyone involved is super talented, playing their asses off, and I love that the tracks flow into one another! It’s a heavier version of old-school goth music that I never knew I needed in my life until now! ‘Die for Us’ and the epic, plodding ‘At Sea’ are personal highlights, but the album as a whole is well worth a listen if you’re interested. The band very much have a new fan in me, and it’s a very easy 7.5/10 from us!

Scorpion Milk: Flesh Masks for Skulls

Following up on last year’s debut album, the band very much continues on its journey of cult post-punk/gothic-metal music. It’s dark but high energy and surprisingly catchy throughout. Opener ‘Dreaming Skulls’ is a lot of fun, and sets the tone for the EP excellently. However, every track on here is just as good as the last, and makes for an incredibly easy, fun listen. If you are at all into this sort of style, this is absolutely something you need to be checking out! The band have a new fan in me, and I already can’t wait to hear more from them. Mat McNerney is an incredible talent and mind in the music business, and doesn’t get nearly the flowers he deserves! 8/10

Godflesh: Decay

Less than two years removed from their last massive album, the doom masters are back with another crushing 40+ minutes of music. It is very much an acquired taste and not at all for everyone, including myself to be honest. It’s a lot of the same riff over and over, and the mix is very odd, the vocals being so low in it. ‘Living/Ending’ is probably my favourite on here, and none of it is bad at all, just not my thing. If you are into grandiose, traditional doom/stoner stuff, give it a spin, but I shan’t be trying it again, sadly. 4.5/10

Stryper: Throne of Thorns

Barely two years removed from their last album, the glam/heavy metal legends are back with their 15th studio effort. If you are familiar with the band it’s exactly what you’d expect, and that isn’t at all a bad thing! It’s packed full of awesome riffing, solid drumming and some catchy-ass choruses. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a tiny bit on the religious side for me, but it doesn’t take away much at all from the awesome writing and musicianship. Tracks like ‘Here in Your Heart’, ‘Carry the Flame’ and ‘Alone Again’ are all personal highlights. The whole album has their typical brand of grandiose, epic metal, especially when it comes to those more soft-rock choruses, and while it does get a very slight touch repetitive by the end, it’s impossible to think of any songs that I’d change or cut to change that. The band have added yet another great release to their solid, growing discography, and this is a must for any fans of the band. 7/10

Dylan Gossett: Ramblin’

As if last year’s Westward wasn’t good enough, barely a year later the modern country superstar somehow knocks it even further out of the park with his sophomore release! Right from the opener I was hooked, and wasn’t let go for the full 44 minutes. His blend of country, folk and Americana is phenomenal, and his lyrics and the delivery of them throughout is captivating. ‘Love and Such’, ‘Honeysuckle’ and ‘Head in the Clouds’ are all massive high points for me, but honestly the whole album is spectacular. Even with the ending quarter being generally o the slow side, it still went by in a flash, and I loved every minute of it. I honestly cannot rave about this album enough, and it’s just as good as his first, if not somehow even better. This is an album for anyone even slightly a fan of any of the genres I mentioned above, and I can’t give it any less than a 9/10. Amazing stuff!

Red Code: Traces of unease and discomfort, Pt. 1

The debut EP from the alt/prog metallers is a fantastic 23-minutes journey through each members’ experiences. Each of the five tracks are not only great, but so interesting and fantastically written, and all represents and sounds like a different sound and angle of the band. Because of that, it’s honestly so hard to pick individual highlight tracks, as this really feels like an EP worth listening to in full at least once! I already can’t wait to hear where the band go from there, and they deserve so much love already because of how good this is! It’s heavy and melodic in all of the best ways, and everyone involved is so very talented. An easy 8/10 from us, and I can’t wait for part 2!

Mikey Ball & The Company: Keep the Fire Burning

The sophomore album from the hard rockers is a short, sweet, awesome affair! It’s got not just an old-school rock feel to it, but almost a punk edge too. It gives off vibes of everything from Ricky Warwick’s solo stuff to Social Distortion to American Aquarium. And, at under half an hour, it’s an incredibly easy listen! ‘Pressure’, ‘No Time to Lose’ and the closer are all personal highlights, but the other four songs are also awesome! The band are all very talented players and songwriters, and work so well together. It’s a name that I’d seen around a lot recently but hadn’t had the pleasure of really checking out much until recently. However, the band have a big new fan in me, that’s for sure! I’ll be spinning this plenty in the week and months to come, I’m sure, and it gets an easy 8/10 from us!

Lawrence Rothman: Here Lies Love/Sawdust to Stardust

Another country release for us this week, this one a bit more slower and steadier. It’s a beautiful, stripped-back release, and if you’re into that sort of style you’ll love it! I had a lot of fun with it, even if it did get slightly long-in-the-tooth by the end. ‘A Word’s a Weapon’ and ‘Worn Out Woman’ are personal favourites of mine, but all are equally as great in quality as they are in sound. Lawence has gained a real cult following over his previous four albums, and it’s easy to see why. I’ll certainly be going back and checking them out, as despite it not fully being my thing, I did have a good time listening to it! It’s the perfect album to throw on and relax to, though some of the lyrics are really deep and emotion-filled at the same time. A solid 7/10 from us!

new music mondays

New Music Mondays: Muse, The Pretty Reckless and More!

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An absolutely massive week of new music for us to check out across the spectrum. Let’s dive in!

Muse: The Wow! Signal

It’s always interesting when we get new music from the Devonshire trio. One of the biggest artists of my childhood, they are still one of my favourite bands now. You never quite know what to expect from them, and even the singles have been pretty varied. However, all have been great, so to say I’m hyped for this release would be an understatement. Plus, it’s their first new music since 2022’s Will of the People, and damn did we love that album!

Well, it certainly doesn’t disappoint! This is a 45 minute journey through the very best of rock, pop and even metal. All four main singles have been fantastic, and fit even better within the context of the album. The rest of the tracks are just as awesome too, the whole release having a grandiose, epic feel to it like only Muse can do. ‘The Sickness in You & I’ is maybe my favourite track on the album, and up there in the upper echalone of their music for me already. Heck, the Gojira-like breakdown at the end is honestly phenomenal. Then you have the Ellie Goulding-featuring ‘Hush’, and the equally Bond-esque opener, and the beautiful, epic closer, and the album as a whole is so incredibly solid. It also feels like a culmination of their career so far, honestly. ‘Cryogen’ is a straight-up Origins of Symmetry track, ‘Be With You’ would comfortably fit on Resistance or 2nd Law, ‘The Dark Forest’ would fit perfectly on Black Holes and ‘Unravelling’ is very much a ‘Drones’ track. Then you have the out-there ‘Nightshift Superstar’ that is straight-up disco-rock in the best way.

I may be becoming across as a fangirl, which I certainly am, but I cannot adequately tell you how great this album is. It’s excellent from front to back, and after 45 full minutes (twice already this weekend, I may add) it has just left me wanting more. It’s my favourite release from them since at least Drones, but it is more varied and well-rounded than that album, so may grow on me even more than that with more listens. Surely it’s not their best release since Black Holes, right..? Almost all of this has ended up on my personal playlist, and it’ll likely end up very high on our top albums of the year list come December. I can’t give it anything less than 10/10. Wow indeed!

The Pretty Reckless: Dead God

Momsen and co. finally brought us a followup to 2021’s massive Death by Rock and Roll this last Friday. I’m going to say right from the jump that that album grew on me in a big way the more I listened for the months after. Hopefully this one does too…

While I wasn’t a fan of the cold open, single ‘For I Am Death’ is a great track. Stuff like ‘Dragonfire’ and the Audioslave-like ‘Dark Days’ are also pretty good. However, the rest kinda blends together; not much stood out and I found myself getting a little bored. The band are damn talented, but they haven’t really evolved much in their 16 years of releasing music, I’m kinda over it now. They’ve never been an ‘album band’ per say, yet the closest they came was their last release. This feels like a step back in that regard. A few good tracks and then stuff that will be breezed over and forgotten about by the next cycle. In the nicest way possible, like I said in my review of them from Download: if it wasn’t for Taylor Momsen being involved, I don’t think anyone would care. If you like this album that’s awesome, and as I said I do hope it grows on me like their last did. But for now after a spin or two, I can’t give it much more than 7/10. Not bad but my least favourite of their albums so far.

Cody Johnson: Banks of the Trinity

One of the biggest international country stars around currently, and well and truly cements himself as just that with this release! It’s the perfect combination of early 2000s radio country with a modern edge to it, and even at over 50 minutes it goes by quickly and easily. It’s packed full of highlights too, from the opener to the Brothers Osborne featuring ‘Fool Proof’, ‘I Have’ to ‘Kissing a Married Woman’ to ‘Thank Somebody Country’. There is certainly a bit of downtime throughout, but he’s so good that even the slower or not quite as good tracks are hugely entertaining. He even manages to get away with some of the typically country-cheese lyrics from being such a great vocalist and songwriter. And it helps that his band work their asses off throughout, too. While I do still prefer Ain’t Nothin’ To It as an album as a whole, this is up there with his last couple as a close second. If you are at all into country, give this album a spin, you certainly won’t regret it! 8/10

Butthole Surfers: After the Astronaut

The alt/noise rock legends are back with their first studio work in two and a half decades. Though the tracks were originally recorded back in ’98, it’s at least given a modern mix and production to set it apart from their previous stuff. Having said that, you can still tell at times that it was written at the turn of the century, certain elements like the scratching giving it away. However, it is interesting that some of the topics and issues they sing about are still relevant today, all these years later. It’s honestly kinda sad. While not quite my sort of thing typically, I have always found the bands work interesting, and this was another release I found myself enjoying. ‘Jet Fighters’, ‘Venus’ and ‘They came In’ are all tracks I found myself enjoying and will certainly listen to again, even if I won’t repeat the album as a whole all too much. If you like the quirky stuff, this is worth a listen, but it certainly won’t be for everyone (most people). Still, there is no denying their impact to music, and this release fits in perfectly with the rest of their discography. 6/10

American Aquarium: New Ways to Lose

Fuck, I forgot how much I love this band! They are like country’s answer to Social Distortion or The Pogues, and I can’t get enough. Southern punk, almost. Honestly, the whole thing from front to back is incredible, too. Much like Muse, most of this ended up on my personal playlist, and I’ve spun it multiple times over the weekend already! It’s impossible to not have a good time listening to this, even when your getting your heart broken by the bittersweet ‘Favourite Hello’, and 34 minutes goes by in a flash! And, as such, it is impossible to pick just one or two highlight songs, all of them are fantastic in their own right. It may be my favourite album from the band, which is honestly saying a lot! It’s chilled out, rocky and emotional all in the perfect measures. If you are a fan of any of the bands or genres I’ve mentioned already, do yourselves a favour and check this out ASAP, you’re sure to love it as much as I do! I cant give it any less than 9/10, and it may grow on me even more through the rest of the year!

Hawxx: The World Splits Open

We’ve already checked out this awesome album! Read the full review here.

Boneripper: Radiant In Ruin

The sophomore album from the Netherlands metallic hardcore outfit goes hard right from the offset! ‘Oracle of Lies’ sets the tone of the release immediately, as well as being a big early highlight. Then you have tracks like ‘Damnation’, ‘Borrowed Breath’ and ‘Refuse Persist’ that are also bangers in their own right. However, the whole album is fantastic, there not being a bad song throughout. And for a fairly long album (12 tracks) it goes by in a flash, not at all feeling its length. I like the couple of interlude tracks thrown in too, making the album feel more alive, and the closer in particular was excellent.

The band are all hugely talented and so damn good at what they do. Wearing their inspirations on their sleeve, they straddle the line between beatdown, metallic and metalcore amazingly, the closest comparisons for me being the likes of Hatebreed and even Pro-Pain. I was new to the band upon checking this out, and they have a big new fan in me! I am already desperate to see some of this live (a trip to Europe sounds perfect right now) and I can’t give it any less than 8.5/10. Amazing stuff!

Willow Avalon: Pink Pocket Pistol

This third album in three years from the neo-traditional country artist, and it has a tough job following up Southern Belle! Spoiler alert: it sadly doesn’t quite reach those heights. Don’t get me wrong, tracks like ‘Easy on the Eyes’, ‘Hell in a Handbag’ and all three with guest features are great. She is still a fantastic lyricist throughout, too. However, I found a lot of this was just a touch slow, and as such it all blended together a little for me. None of it is bad by any stretch, and if you like an old-school, chilled out sound you’ll probably love this. However, her last release felt like a bit of a breath of fresh air, an exciting blend of old and new, and this isn’t the follow-up I’d hoped for. As I said, there is definitely some fun, great stuff on here, but as an album as a whole I won’t be revisiting it all that often. She still has a hugely bright future ahead of her, but it doesn’t quite live up to my hype for it, given her previous output. Still, the tracks I named are awesome, and fitting additions to her discography! 7/10

CJ Wildheart: Devil

The punk legend followed up his 2025 release in quick fashion with another banger of a release! If you know CJ, you know exactly what to expect from the album, and I mean that in the best way! Between ‘The Art of Being Free’, ‘Diva’, ‘One of the Boys’ and ‘Twenty Two’, there are some tracks up here that I’d honestly put up alongside his best. It’s punk through and through, whether it’s his older brand of Wildheartsy stuff, or a more Celtic tinge to it. As much as I loved SLOTS, I may like this even more! If you are at all into punk, this is an absolute must-listen. It’s just a lot of fun, showcasing that CJ still very much has it decades into his music career! I’ll be spinning this a fair bit moving forward, and can’t give it any less than 8.5/10!

Georgia Webster: EVERYTHING MUST GO!

Album two from the country pop rising star is a chilled-out affair, and a very easy listen. At only eight tracks across 27 minutes, it goes by in a flash, and has some great stuff up there with some of her best. ‘2 YEARS’, ‘SYDNEY’ and the closer are all personal highlights, but there certainly isn’t a bad track on the release! She fits perfectly alongside other modern popish artists like Olivia Rodrigo, and is most certainly going to keep getting bigger and bigger the next few years. It’s certainly not going to be a release for everyone reading this article, but I had a good time listening to it, and will certainly be spinning it a fair bit over the coming summer. For now, it gets a solid 7.5/10 from us!

Druidess: Trip Meadow

The Newcastle-based doom/stoner metallers dropped their highly anticipated debut album this last Friday. Spoiler alert, it’s a bit good! It’s seven incredible tracks packed full of insane riffing, solid drumming and some catchy-as-fuck vocal melodies. It immediately reminds me of The Sword’s heyday (goddamn I miss when they were pumping out great music), but also has elements of everything from Clutch to Red Fang to Orange Goblin. And as I said before, every song is as good as the last, it being nearly impossible to pick highlights. Having said that, the proggy, epic title track is pretty rather excellent! Everyone involved in this is so talented; from the playing to the writing to the production, it’s all excellent. As far as debut albums go, this is fantastic, and the band are going to go incredibly far if they keep up this quality. It won’t be for everyone, but if you like your metal sludgy, epic and massive, give this a spin, you won’t regret it! 8/10

Amberian Dawn: Temptation’s Gates

The first album from the symphonic metallers with new singer Nicole Willerton at the helm, this feels like another big step forward in the bands already sprawling discography. The first studio work from the outfit since 2020 (aside their 2022 ABBA tribute album), it shows how far the band have come in that time, refining their sound into the genre’s purest form. Nicole is the perfect fit, her vocals being a huge high point of the release, while the other four compliment her perfectly and work their asses off throughout. From ‘The Vision of Dreaming’ to ‘Unchained’ (those screams were unexpected and awesome!), ‘Undying Colours’ to the epic closer, it’s all so good. My only complaint would be that it’s a little samey throughout, but when it’s this good it’s hard to be that mad about that! If you are into the genre, do yourselves a favour and give this a listen. Another very easy 8/10

James O’Hurley: A Beggars Belief

This four track EP follows his album from last year rather perfectly. Combining two live-recorded tracks from said album with two brand new ones, it’s a short yet great blues release! It’s rather stripped-back and chilled out, but offers a different perspective on the rising star. The new tracks fit perfectly alongside the other two, and it creates an awesome 15 minutes of music. ‘Roulette’ is a personal favourite, it almost having bond-song levels of grandiose to it. However, all of it is great. If you are a fan of James or blues rock as a whole, this is well worth giving a spin! I’ll certainly be listening again, that’s for sure! 7.5/10

Taxi Girls: Static

Some more punk for us this week, this time the debut album from the Montrèal four-piece. It’s a lot of fun, and gives off big Distillers vibes in the best ways. From the opener to ‘Auto Hysterics’, ‘Kill Your Darlings’ to ‘Don’t Leave me Hanging’, there is so much to love throughout. It’s somehow the perfect blend of old-school and modern punk, but also has a unique vibe to it as well that is very Taxi Girls. I’d never heard of them before I got emailed about this release, but they have a big new fan in me, and are set to be a big name in the scene sooner rather than later! They encapsulate that DIY punk energy that the likes of Amyl and Wet Leg have brought to the dance before them, with the added bonus of actually making good-sounding music on top of that. If you are all interested, give this a listen, you’ll love it as much as I do! A very easy 8.5/10

Stonecast: Expand Crimson Chaos

Firstly, what a badass artwork! And, while we’re at it, what a badass album! The bands first since 2019’s I Earther, while it still maintains it baseline of traditional heavy metal, they experiment a lot through their 46 minutes here. The opener is straight up Doom metal, and it’s awesome! ‘A Ce Lieu’ has more of a thrashy, groove metal edge to it. ‘King of Hell’ goes in more of a metalcore/melodeath direction. The title track has an air of power metal to it, even. Between these, ‘Against the Tide’ and the closer, there is so much awesomeness to love throughout. There isn’t a bad track across the entire release, and it goes by surprisingly quickly. The band are all insanely talented musicians and songwriters, and have crafted their most cohesive and best album to date with this! I’d recommend it to absolutely anyone into metal, and I can’t give it any less than 9/10!

Fox N’Vead: Playing the Game

Album three from the North Carolinian four-piece perfectly blends alt rock with their country/southern background, and continues to grow their discography amazingly. The title track was slightly rocky for me, though they are clearly all accomplished blues players. However, ‘Waiting’ is a phenomenal southern-tinged hard rock track that called back to the early 2000s rock scene when it was so prevalent perfectly. Tracks like ‘Waste Away’, ‘High Agenda’ and ‘Grounded’ are also fantastic. There are some tracks that I don’t enjoy as much as others; the slower, softer ones don’t quite hook me in as much. However, overall it’s a damn good album! It’s up there alongside their previous two, the group building up an incredibly strong back catalogue. They feel wholly unique, finding a fun niche for their sound that works for me more often than not, and I’ll certainly be listening again! If you like the rockier side of country, or the alt side of Southern rock, give this a try! 8/10

Interviews & Features

Dreamspy: ‘the songs themselves determine and dictate the sound.the songs themselves determine and dictate the sound!’

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We sat down to chat with Anssi Tamminen, brainchild of Dreamspy, about his sound, writing and future plans. Check it out below!

How would you describe your sound?

DreamSpy’s sound could be described quite simply as atmospheric rock. My music tends to create vivid imagery in the listener’s mind—at least that’s what many people have told me over the years. With guitars total absent from the mix, the synthesizers are given room and sonic spectrum to paint entire worlds.

The bass tone can be quite aggressive at times, but the synthesizers soften the overall sound considerably. Using an electric upright bass in this kind of music is also somewhat unusual; it’s an instrument that has been with me for nearly 30 years.

I vary my vocal delivery depending on the song, and I like to weave plenty of reverberant and heavily processed backing vocals into the mix. All in all, I think the songs combine a human, unpolished performance with mechanical elements. A kind of cyborg in its own unique way.

Is it ever daunting being a solo project? I assume you’ve been in bands before, how does it differ doing solo stuff?

Not at all—working solo is actually a lot of fun. 🙂

I have 25 years of experience playing in bands and have seen both the good and the bad sides of it. Even back then, I was the one writing the songs, while the rest of the band arranged and developed their own parts. I also led the band and was responsible for various other aspects of the project.
Now I do everything myself, which is certainly challenging, but also very interesting and rewarding.

You’ve just released your third album through the project. Would you say your sound has evolved much in compared to your debut?

Each album has its own distinct character, even though the basic building blocks have remained largely the same. With the second and third albums, I’ve always tried to introduce something new, mainly in the drum and bass departments. In the end, however, the songs themselves determine and dictate the sound. The three-year gaps between releases undoubtedly play a role as well.

Is there a particular story or theme of the album, or is it more on an individual track basis?

None of the albums have a unifying concept or theme. The lyrics mostly revolve around introspection and exploring the subconscious, though there are other subjects mixed in as well. But, all of the albums share an underlying sense of escapism.

It’s possible that the fourth album will be more cohesive, at least lyrically.

What is the writing process like for you?

I go through the bass riffs I’ve recorded on my phone. The riffs that groove well with the drum parts I’ve programmed make it to the next stage. A bass riff might end up as an intro, the foundation of a verse or chorus, or sometimes simply as inspiration for something else.

If I manage to develop an interesting vocal melody for a rough song idea, I usually end up finishing the track. The synthesizer parts are added last.

I handle the recording, mixing, and mastering myself.

Have you ever managed to play the stuff live? Would a tour be an end goal, if not?

I’ve thought about it and even experimented with it. On YouTube, you can find a “studio live” demo performance on the dreamspy616 channel where I demonstrate the “concept”.
As for live gigs, I’ve had my fill of them in the past. I don’t really feel any compelling need to get back into performing live.

If you could have written one song from history, what would it have been and why?

The world is full of great songs, but I can’t really put any single one on a pedestal like that. I’d rather keep chasing that one truly outstanding song of my own—the one I haven’t written yet! 🙂

new music mondays

New Music Mondays: All American Rejects, Periphery and More!

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The usually stacked week of new music for us to check out, from metal to country to rock! Let’s get right into it!

The All-American Rejects: Sandbox

Somehow this is only the fifth album from the alt/pop rockers, and their first since 2012’s Kids in the Street. A lot has changed in 14 years, both in the music industry and in the band itself. Heck, the world experienced Humpadoo since their last release! So, to say there’s been a fair bit of hype around this release may be an understatement. I’m a fan of the band and have been since my childhood, so I’ve certainly been excited about the prospect of new music from them, even if the singles have been slightly hit or miss…

The album as a whole is reflected rather perfectly by the singles. None is bad, per-say, but there definitely tracks that I love and ones that I am not as into. Singles like ‘King Kong’ and the title track are great, as are songs like ‘Eggshell Tap Dancer’ and ‘Staring Back at Me’ are also big highlights. However, there are a few that, while good, I can take or leave, personally. The songwriting and style has matured (of course, Tyson and co aren’t in their 20s any more), getting a little darker, more indie and more introspective. It’s at least interesting to hear this side of the band, while there’s enough of their older sound to keep their OG fans interested. I feel like as an album it may take more than a couple of listens to get into fully, and it may grow on me even more in that time. However, for now, I had a good time with it, and it gets a solid 7/10

Periphery: A Pale White Dot

Following up 2023’s critically acclaimed V, the djent masters followed it up on Friday with, you guessed it, their eighth studio album (go figure). It’s more of exactly what you’d expect from the band; heaviness, plenty of catchy melody, crazy arrangements and technicality off the charts. They very much keep their title of ‘your favourite metal bands favourite metal band’, at least from a playing perspective. Heck, their OG fans, the ones Miss Sabrina Carpenter sings about, hate it, so that should be enough of a glowing recommendation as is! They cover just about every base of their song across a brief-for-them 47 minutes, and it’s hard not to be blown away by it! Tracks like ‘Talk’, ‘Heaven on High’ and ‘Everyone Dies Alone’ are all personal highlights. However, the whole album has a great flow to it, going by surprisingly quickly.

It still blows my mind that the band aren’t bigger, even with them being quite a niche sound. However, this is honestly up there alongside their best stuff, in this writers humble opinion, and could easily push them up to another level. If you are a fan of the band, or the genre they all-but created, do yourselves a favour and check this out ASAP! It’s clear the impact they’ve had on the genre, with a lot of bands taking inspiration from them, but no one does it quite like Periphery. It’s a step above Djent is Not a Genre for me, and will certainly be in my regular rotation for the next few weeks. I can’t give it any less than 8.5/10!

Robin Beck: Living Proof

The first new album from the AOR singer in nearly a decade, and it’s yet another banger! The title track/opener is the perfect introduction, while songs like ‘Karma’ and the catchy-as-anything ‘Na Na Na’ are other big highlights. The whole album is great though, being solid all the way through and going by in a flash. It’s insane that a woman in her 70s still has this powerful and amazing a voice, and the songwriting around it is just as excellent. It’s insane to me that she wasn’t a bigger name in the US or the UK back in the day, as she’s always put out bangers. However, I’d put this up there alongside any of her previous stuff, so hopefully this will finally be the album to push her to that top level. I’ll be spinning this release plenty moving forward, and would recommend it to anyone into the softer, anthemic side of rock, get this in your ears immediately! A damn solid 8/10 from us!

49 Winchester: Change of Plans

We’ve already checked out this awesome album! Read the full review here.

Pro-Pain: STONE COLD ANGER

I’m sorry, but this is fucking EXCELLENT. The first new studio release from the hardcore thrashers in over a decade, and the quartet show that they have not lost even a fraction of a step in that time. The guys are PISSED, and it makes for a raw, angry and fantastically written record. The opener sets the tone excellently, and it’s almost impossible to pick highlights as every song is as good as the last! The only slight weak-link for me is ‘UNCLE SAM WANTS YOU!’, as it leans more into the punk/hard rock territory with the riffing, but it does have some of the best lyrics on the release. How they aren’t at the top of the heavy world I’ll never know, as they’ve always had an incredibly solid back catalogue. Maybe them returning after some time away from the studio will finally get them more of the recognition they very much deserve! All four of them are so incredibly talented, from the riffing to the drumming, vocals to the lyrics to the arrangement. It’s nestled perfectly between Hatebreed, Machine Head and American Headcharge, and I loved every second! I’m so glad they’re back, and I can’t give it any less than 9.5/10. Check this out immediately!

The Karma Effect: Cruel Intentions

Album three from the NWOCR stalwarts honestly may be their best yet! They take inspiration from the early originators of the scene, as well as the expected 70s and 80s influences, and build it all into something uniquely their own. From the opener to ‘Raised on Rock N Roll’, ‘Bad Manners’ to ‘Waiting on a Miracle’ to the closer, the release is packed full of incredible songs. The whole thing has not only a driving stomp and swagger to it, but a sense of urgency to it. It feels like the band have a chip on their shoulder, something to prove, and it makes for fantastic listening. They seem as cohesive as ever, with every band member working their asses off and getting plenty of time to shine. They have already been fast-rising, but this release will surely push them to even greater heights! An incredibly easy 9/10 from us!

Russel Jamie Johnson: Self-Titled

This is a damn good debut album! Nestled somewhere between blues, soft rock, indie and soul, it’s a sound that feels like it’s made a big comeback in recent years, and I am all here for it! His vocals are good and his lyrics are fantastic, both combining together to create a fun, emotion-filled listen throughout. Tracks like ‘Who We Used to Be’, ‘Come for a Drive’ and the closer are all excellent and personal highlights. However, while none of the tracks are bad, I do think even at it’s short-ish runtime, it does drag just a touch in the middle. A lot of the songs sound similar in terms of style and pacing, so while all are great in their own right, I think I’d take them as individual tracks over an album as a whole, on occasion. Though, when it’s all so well written, it’s a rather small complaint, really! If you’re into any of the genres I’ve mentioned, this is well worth a listen, and I’ll certainly give it another try at a full-listen soon; it very well grow on me even more! However, until then, this gets a solid 7/10

Acid Reign: Daze of the Week

I’m being treated, I never get two thrashy albums in the same week any more! It’s been a little while again, with their last studio work, The Age of Entitlement, coming out back in 2019. However, it’s another stellar thrash album! From the title track to ‘Alonely’ to single ‘Sorrowsworn’, there’s some truly awesome stuff on here. Heck, there really isn’t a bad song throughout. If you’re a fan of the genre I’d definitely recommend checking this out, it’s a good classic throwback release to its 80s/90s heyday. The band are all damn talented musicians and songwriters, and have crafted one of their strongest releases to date with this. I’ll definitely be spinning this again in the weeks and months to come, and it gets a very solid 8/10 from us!

CASANDRA: ISLA TRANQUILITA

The follow-up to her 2025 self-titled album, this brief EP is a great, chilled-out slice of alt-pop. While not typically my sort of thing, I found myself enjoying it a lot! Her lyrics and delivery are phenomenal, being a tribute to her late great aunt, and it all juxtaposes well with the lighter, bright instrumentation. The opener and ‘SOLUTION’ are personal favourites, but the whole EP is so well put together and goes by in a flash. If you’re at all interested, I’d definitely recommend giving it a spin, you might be surprised like I was! A rather easy 7.5/10 from me!

Best Band: The People’s Club

The energy and vibe put forth by the band name very excellently reflects the style of this album. It’s a chilled out, fun and silly 41 minutes of punk, and I’m all here for it! Heck, even the artwork perfectly fits the tone of everything; the MS Paint-style of all of their albums is honestly incredible. Musically, it won’t be for everyone, but I actually had a blast listening to this, the band have a new fan in me! It feels a little Mighty Boosh in the best way possible. From ‘Bog House’ to ‘Head Full of Juice’ to ‘Another Decay’, there’s some definite highlights, too. And, while none of it is bad, it does drag a little towards the end, with it all being pretty similar in vibe and pace. Still, as I said, it’s a good fun listen, and worth giving a try if you’re into a more old-school punk vibe. 6.5/10

Braxton Keith: Real Damn Deal

Somehow this is the debut album from one of the biggest rising stars in country today. I have to admit I’d seen the name around a fair bit but had never had the chance to check him out, so always figured he’d been around longer than he has been. It’s easy to hear why he’s such a fast success, though! This is a fantastic traditional country album! Right from the opener I was hooked, and wasn’t let go for a solid nearly hour. Songs like ‘I Dreamed You Dreamed of Me’, ‘Little Bit by Little Bit’ and ‘Prescription’ are all big other highlights, but there really isn’t a bad song throughout. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a touch long, and certainly lulls a little at times due to its generally slower pace. However, each track on its own is excellent, and the top songs are truly excellent. If you’re a fan of an old-school country sound akin to Zach Top or Riley Green, this is an absolute must of an album for you! I’ll be spinning at least a good chunk of it again pretty regularly, and give this a pretty solid 8/10

Shakey Graves: Fondness, Etc.

Album five from the Americana artist is a beautiful, bittersweet release. It’s a chilled-out, stripped-back affair, especially compared to a lot of stuff on this list, but I couldn’t help but fall in love with it from the very first track. It feels dark yet somehow also uplifting and relaxed in equal measure, and really feels like a vibe that only Shakey can do. Songs like ‘When the Love is New’, ‘The Boilermaker’ and the closer are all fantastic and big personal highlights. However, the whole album just has such an excellent flow to it, even having a couple of instrumentals across its short, nine-track run. It’s the kinda thing to throw on and just sit back and relax to, or you can really dive into the incredible lyrics and get lost in them, too. No matter how you consume the album, it’s a great release into the indie-Americana world. I can’t wait to see him live later this year, and will certainly be listening to this plenty in the run up to that. I can’t give it any less than 7.5/10, and it’ll probably grow on me more with more listens!

Frozen Sand: Fractals: A Light Among Shadows

Album two from the prog metallers follows up on their debut that dropped nearly a decade ago. Continuing on the Fractals monicker and theme though, it very much feels like the perfect continuation. It’s also nearly an hour of brilliant technical playing, heaviness and some damn catchy, melodic vocal lines. In other words, the perfect prog metal release! Also, it’s another album that is absolutely stacked from front-to-back, there not being a bad song throughout and it begging to be listened to in full. However, ‘Fracture’ itself is absolutely amazing, being one of my favourite metal tracks of the year so far, honestly. The band are so darn talented and if this album doesn’t push them to many more ears globally, that’s actually a crime. It’s a pretty ballsy move to put out a prog metal album the same day as Periphery does, but honestly I think these guys do it even better! The riffing is utterly phenomenal, and everything from the drums to the screams to the powerful cleans all compliment it so well! This thing is amazing, and gets an easy 9/10 from us!

Toria and the Terror: The Operating Table

This trio of fuzzy horror-punk tracks is a great collection that immediately leaves me wanting more! I absolutely love that it’s a style that is coming back in a big way the last couple of years, especially with female vocals, immediately reminding me of The Darts. This is definitely up there alongside that album in terms of quality, all three tracks being as good as the last, and having just such a campy, cool energy to them. And, between the vocals, the instrumentation and the arrangement, it’s all so good, and all fits together to make the perfect horror vibe. In case you couldn’t tell, I loved this! The band have a big new fan in me, and I’ll be listening to them a lot moving forward! I can’t give it any less than 8.5/10, great stuff! Now I just need a full album…

Interviews & Features

Idolvein: ‘We have a pretty ridiculous bank of demo tracks!’

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We had the pleasure of chatting to the amazing alt-metallers Idolvein about their recent single output and their tour! Check it all out below!

How would you describe your sound?

Pretty eclectic really. Whilst we always aim for something catchy that’s going to separate us from the next band, we’ve written various tracks across the rock and metal spectrum. We’ve ranged from some frenetic tech metal, synth-led style material to some more post-hardcore/hard rock style tracks too. Our latest single even takes a lot of influence from blues guitarists and some soundtrack style stuff, so we never feel particularly compelled to limit ourselves to a specific sound.

You dropped “Where We Became Spirits” nearly a year ago, how has it been since then?

It’s been good! The tracks on that EP were really just a way of us establishing our sound and the overall aesthetic we’ve wanted to use to present this project. Since then, we’ve tried to build upon what we started with those songs, creating a diverse group of singles that are releasing throughout 2026.

You also just dropped a new single the last couple of weeks, right? “Enrapture Me” seems to be doing really well!

Thank you very much! The response has been great so far and people seem to be enjoying the change-up in vibe. Whereas our first single this year “Today’s the Day I Die” somewhat bridged the gap between last year’s EP and the sound we’re starting to develop now, this latest track feels like a bit of a standout because it’s a lot different to what we’ve previously released. Whenever we’ve played it at a show, it’s tended to grab attention as it usually tends to be the most atmospheric song on the night and feels pretty unexpected at a metal show.

Is more writing still going ahead now?

With the recording of all this year’s planned releases now complete, it is something we’re  beginning to start actively looking at again. We have a pretty ridiculous bank of demo tracks that’ll likely be worked on further, plus we often have new riffs and ideas circulating between us all the time. It probably won’t be too long until we’re starting to consider the next step with recording more material.

What is the writing process like for the band?

Historically, it’s started with either Jack or Caelan bringing some form of instrumental track to the table in the form of a demo. This then gets shaped and potentially restructured by whatever vocal parts come next, then it’s a collaborative effort between everyone to finalise their parts before the song’s recorded in the studio. There are obviously exceptions to the rule where someone may take the lead on putting pretty much everything together, but usually it’s a little more collaborative.

Had quite the run of shows already, right? I saw some photos from both Derby and Notts, looked like great gigs!

They were good fun! Those were our first two shows of the year. In Nottingham we opened for WREX alongside Ruena, who both put on an amazing show. In Derby we celebrated the release of our first single of the year, so that was cool as well. We brought along an Idolvein branded Costco cake for everyone to chomp on too, so that definitely helped bring the vibes.

Busy rest of the year planned in terms of shows? Saw the co-headline with Endscape, how was it?

That was a great tour! We had a lot of fun playing alongside those guys and we hope to see them on another show soon. Later this month we’ve got shows in Cheltenham with Black Orchid Empire and Mansfield with Syncolima, both of which we’re very excited for, plus a tour in July with our friends in Infirm of Purpose. There’s some more stuff planned for later in the year too which hasn’t been announced just yet. It’ll be an exciting rest of the year!

What do you think of the state of the scene currently?

It’s a tough one because there’s so many great bands out there, plenty of which we ourselves  have been fortunate to play with at this point, but the nurturing of both live and original music has dwindled so much over time that a lot of bands are struggling to justify the time, effort and resources required. We’ve thankfully managed to land on a pretty cohesive group where we’re all looking to move in the same direction, but even a strong collective can struggle when the current landscape so heavily favours the soulless pursuit of social media acknowledgement in  place of artistic integrity. That also doesn’t begin to factor in the growing number of AI tracks finding their way onto platforms and generating horrifically large numbers of streams from unknowing listeners.

With that said though, there’s enough talent in the scene, plus support from publications like yourselves to help overcome the growing challenges and turn the tide!

Do you have a dream tour lineup you’d want to be a part of? Anyone you’d want to support or friends you’d want to bring along?

The obvious heavy hitters right now would be touring with bands like Bring Me the Horizon and Bad Omens, but it’d be cool to have some sort of all over the place all day event. Us and Endscape can open up the day, then Giant Walker, Lowlives and The Five Hundred, probably Philip Sayce to bring some blues licks, after that Novelists, Bilmuri, Meshuggah, Bring Me the Horizon and John Mayer, then Tate McRae to end the night with some pop vibes. Stylistically very cohesive, of course…

If you could have written one song from history, what would it be and why?

Probably whatever’s got the highest streaming numbers right now. We could use the royalties to fund some more stuff for the band and record more of our music! Otherwise though, something like ‘Everybody Wants to Rule the World’’s always a good shout. Generational tune.

Thanks very much for taking the time to interview us! We always appreciate anyone who takes an interest in our band. If you’d ever like to hear some previews of our upcoming tracks or projects we have coming up, please email us at deceivedaudio@gmail.com. We’d be more than happy to share new stuff for any early access reviews, interviews, etc. Thanks again!

Caelan, Ryan, Oli and Jack – Idolvein

News

Novacaine Festival Returns for 2026!

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After a hugely successful debut on Saturday 4 October 2025, Novacaine Festival quickly established itself as a new platform within the UK alternative music scene. The inaugural event was headlined by The Five Hundred, with main support from Bleed Again, alongside a diverse line-up including DACRA, Night Thieves, Reckoner, Broken Empire, and local rising artists Reanimate, Our North, Dead Demons and Ocean Thieves. With the 2025 event coming close to selling out, the festival’s mission was clear from the outset: bring together established touring bands and emerging talent from across the UK while delivering an uncompromising live experience for fans.

Now, Novacaine Festival returns on Saturday 28 November 2026, raising the bar once again!

Headlining the event are post-hardcore heavyweights As Everything Unfolds. The band released their third studio album Did You Ask To Be Set Free earlier this year and continue to build momentum across the alternative scene, with major festival appearances already scheduled including Download Festival.

Joining them as sub-headliners are Tropic Gold, whose explosive rock ’n’ roll energy and rapidly growing fanbase make them a powerful addition to the bill.

Elsewhere, TheCityIsOurs and FOXHAUNT add further weight to the line-up, reinforcing Novacaine’s commitment to pairing established names with ambitious rising artists ready for bigger stages.

More acts will be announced within the coming months. You can already pick up your tickets for the event here!

Event organiser Scott O’Shea said: “First, thank you to everyone who helped turn my dream of launching a music festival into a reality. Our debut show was an incredible night, and the support we’ve seen throughout 2026 has been beyond anything I imagined. None of this would have been possible without the bands, Corporation, and most importantly the fans who showed up and supported the event.

2026 will be the biggest show I’ve put together so far. The aim is not just to grow the festival but to keep creating opportunities for rising artists while giving something back to the community that helped build this. One of our biggest supporters last year was our 2025 compere, Robert Fulton-Hamilton. Rob brought huge energy to the night, introducing every band and conducting interviews throughout the event. Those interviews will feature in upcoming magazine releases, and I’m delighted he’ll be returning in 2026 as our official compere with RJFH Music.”

Reviews

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

new music mondays

New Music Mondays: Skindred, Wage War and More!

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Another stacked week of New Music Mondays for us to check out; a bit of everything across the rock, metal and country world. Let’s dive right in!

Skindred: You Got This

The Welsh dub-metal titans returned with their ninth studio album this last weekend. As massive fans for years now, we loved Smile, and it’s going to be hard to follow up.

To be brutally honest, I don’t think it does quite reach the heights of Smile. However, it’s still a very good album! We’ve already gushed over the opener plenty, while tracks like single ‘This is the Sound’, ‘Big Em Up’ and ‘My People’ are also excellent. Plus, the acoustic-reggae ‘Broke’ is a fantastic track, as well as being horribly relatable, and breaking up the album in the middle perfectly. However, the other half of the album doesn’t stand out as much. They’re all good, don’t get me wrong, but it feels like a few album tracks over Smile’s banger-after-banger. The band have always been a bit more of a singles/live based band, and this still fits perfectly into their discography. I prefer it to Big Tings and Volume still, and I do think as a whole it could grow on me more with subsequent listens. If you are a fan of the band, I would recommend checking this out ASAP, and I can’t give it any less than 8.5/10. I just need to see it all live, now!

Wage War: IT CALLS ME BY NAME

Max: Once again an EP, it was a very fun venture. It is raw and intense and doesn’t give an inch. It starts off with lots of energy that is just pounding your senses the entire time and it doesn’t get lighter from there. With the energy staying all the way to purify which is just nasty, really it was a great ending. I also want to highlight Karma as a track to listen to, whilst I wont spoil it, it has some fun sounds and elements that show the depth that this band really has. Honestly I don’t have a bad this to say. Really just go listen to it now. 10/10

They Might Be Giants: The World is to Dig

Following up their January EP almost immediately, the alt/art rockers’ 19th mainline album is certainly their typcial brand of quirkiness. Opening a little weirdly, ‘Wu-Tang’ is their fantastic, expected surf/rock’n’roll revival sound. Then you have songs like ‘Je N’en Ai Pas’, the funky ‘Get Down’, ‘Character Flaw’ and ‘In the Dead Mall’ that are all big personal highlights. Some of it is a bit too odd for me, but there is enough here that I loved and had a good time with, and it’s a surprisingly easy album to listen to in full given it’s length. If you are a fan of the duo and their particular brand of noise, this is well worth checking out. They are one of the few bands that haven’t needed to evolve their sound, even decades later, as they’re so quirky and varied it just works still. Honestly, I think I enjoyed it more than their last album (five years ago, damn I’m getting old) so it gets a solid 8/10 from me!

From Ashes to New: Reflections

Album five from the US alt metallers is another fantastic addiction to their discography! I remember loving Blackout when it dropped, and this very much continues to build on everything great about that release. ‘Drag Me’ is the perfect opener, setting the tone of the release fantastically. Then you have tracks like ‘Black Hearts’, ‘(Not) Psycho’ and ‘Darkside’ that are also massive highlights. There’s maybe a few too many slower, ballad-like tracks, especially early on, it feeling almost like I was listening to Bad Omens more than FATN. However, that will surely get them more listeners, so I definitely get why they’ve leant that way! It’s still a good album with enough heaviness and nu-metal vibes to keep me entertained for the most part. If you are a fan of the band or of any of the genres I’ve mentioned prior, this is well worth giving a spin. I’ll certainly be listening again, that’s for sure! Another easy 8.5/10 for the band from us!

Two Ways Home: Patience to Play

We’ve already covered this awesome album! Check out the full review here.

Kill the Silence: Resolve

This EP nestles itself perfectly between modern metalcore and early 2010s post-hardcore. It’s fucking awesome! While some would argue seven tracks is more of an album, but when it’s of this high quality it doesn’t even matter what it is! ‘The Final Word’ and ‘Superficial’ are personal highlights, but there really isn’t a bad track throughout. Heck, the breakdown on ‘Forever’ is one of the best I’ve heard in a very long time! The band are so incredibly talented at both songwriting and their chosen instruments, and there is no way they aren’t going to be a big name in the scene sooner rather than later! And, for their first EP in nearly seven years, it is absolutely phenomenal! I can’t give it any less than 9/10!

Nekrogoblikon: The Boiling Sea

Max: Now whilst this is more of an EP as it is an album, it is worth taking a look at. It is decent-ish but you have to be ready to get in to this with the weirdness if you have never listened to them before. The five tracks were good, and there is definitely something in here but to be honest this album/ep it just a bit middle of the road. The five new tracks are certainly alright, but for me a couple of the tracks didn’t really land, namely ‘Fiend’. The five live tracks also didn’t really do anything for me and to be honest I didn’t really enjoy the mixing too much. 6/10

P.S. it is, at least, phenomenal artwork!

Ryan O’Reilly: Native Companion

The fifth studio album from the UK-born, Berlin-based folk-pop singer (not the Canadian ice hockey player, glad I checked) dropped last week. It’s a beautiful, chilled-out half an hour, and an incredibly easy listen! It combines together a handful of his recent singles, but adds some new stuff into the mix as well. The pop elements give it a late 90s, early 2000s flavour, almost like a Hootie vibe, and it combines with the folk-Americana style fantastically. From the opener to ‘If you Know’ to ‘If This Doesn’t Hurt’, there are some great tracks on it. It is a touch slow at times, especially by the ending few tracks, but it’s still high enough quality that it’s hard not to enjoy it. If you’re into more of the chilled stuff, this is well worth a listen, but it certainly won’t be for everyone. A solid 6.5/10 from us!

LØLØ: god forbid a girl spits out her feelings!

The sophomore album from the fast-rising Canadian emo pop-punk singer-songwriter picks right up where her debut left off! It’s an incredibly modern sound, fitting perfectly alongside modern pop heavyweights like Olivia Rodrigo or Sabrina Carpenter, as well as the likes of Charlotte Sands, Taylor Acorn and Kelsy Karter. It’s fun, filled-with emotion and incredibly well written. It’s chilled out yet vulnerable, being a surprisingly perfectly combination. From ‘me with no shirt on’ to ‘delusional darling’ to ‘American zombie’, there are some damn good tracks on here. My only issue is that it’s all so similar. It’s all at the same sort of low-fi level, never quite hitting that high gear I kept hoping it would. I guess that’s kinda the appeal though, right? But still, 13 similar sounding songs in a row did make me a touch bored by the end. Still, if you like this sort of style, this is definitely an album for you! It’s all high quality, despite the similarity. I won’t be rushing back to listen again, but it’s certainly good, and will at least be spinning a few tracks from it fairly regularly! 7/10

Gypsy Pistoleros: Dark Faerie Tales

Following up Church of the Pisoleros from just last year, this new album is another great entry into their ever-growing discography. The opener/title track is the perfect opener, dark and punky yet still effortlessly catchy. The energy stays high through a lot of it, and songs like the ballady ‘She’s Getting Stranger’, the heavy ‘Behind the Mask’ and the super-fun ‘Prince of the Damned’ are all also massive highlights. It feels pretty short and sweet too, going by in a flash and packed full of great songs. Each chorus is incredible, and the instrumentation more than lives up to them for the most part! I do have to say that I don’t think as am album as a whole it’s quite as good as their last. However, it has maybe some of my favourite tracks from the bands history on it, and the rest is damn solid too. And hell, it may grow on me, because I am definitely giving this thing more spins! It’s easy to see why they are one of the most respected bands in the NWOCR scene, as have got such a consistent, amazing output of new music, this release included! It’s a lot of fun throughout, and is a very easy 8.5/10!

Owen Riegling: In the Feeling

Flowing up on his debut album from 2024, the rising country/indie-Americana star once again knocks it out of the park here! Giving off vibes of everything from Kip Moore to Wells Ferrari to even Kings of Leon, it’s a fantastic sound that perfectly blends the old and new. ‘Phone Call From Home’ sets the tone of the album perfectly, and is followed up perfectly by ‘Rest of My’. Then you have tracks like ‘Same Blood’, the southern rock ‘Going Missing’ and ‘Last Thing on my Mind’ that are also huge highlights. However, there really isn’t a bad song on the release, and it has an excellent flow to it. It gives off vibes of both Koe Wetzel and Tyler Nance, and it’s clear to see just how bright the future of this sort of music is!

He has a big new fan in me, especially with how much I am getting into this style of music in the last couple of years. It’s got everything from catchy, anthemic parts to plenty of emotion, stripped-back instrumentation and more rock-based stuff. If you like any of the genres I’ve mentioned, I honestly cannot recommend this album enough. I’ll be spinning this again plenty moving forward, and I can’t give it any less than 9/10! The only thing that dropped it a touch was the slower pace/lower energy of the last few songs; a different arrangement may have pushed it even higher!

Last Ten Seconds of Life: The Dead Ones

Max: This was a very solid album, the grooves throughout were honestly great and every tack really flowed which made for not only very easy listening, but also made the tracks connect nicely. I think you can potentially find issue with there, as it was definetly a little too blurry at points but I personally think that this is just splitting hairs. I think that there is most certainly ways that they can continue to improve their craft but as for this album I think it is really quite good and a most listen overall. 8.5/10

Death Warmed Up: Wildcard

The debut album from the UK hard/sleaze rock-metal revivalers is a fun 40 minute jaunt of stomping riffs, soaring vocals and some catchy melodies. There is no denying the bands’ talent, all five of them killing it from the very first note to the very last. They also very much wear their inspirations on their sleeves, this feeling ripped right from the 80s. Honestly, that’s both a good and a bad thing. It’s a great sound, and the band do it to perfection, but it also doesn’t exactly bring anything new to the table that hasn’t been done hundreds of times before. Tracks like ‘Inside my Mind’, ‘Roulette’ and the bands namesake are all great, and the album as a whole certainly isn’t bad. But the Geoff Tate vocals did grate on me a bit by the end, and I simply think that in the current resurgence of new bands doing the 80s stuff, there are a few out there that do it a little more interestingly, in this writers opinion. It’s still well worth checking out if you are into the style, and still gets a solid 7.5/10 from us!

The Devin Cuddy Band: Livin’ Hard Ain’t Easy

The third album from the Toronto-based, country-ish singer-songwriter is a fantastically fun, chilled out affair! It’s an old-school sound, skirting the lines between classic country, soul, Americana, bluegrass and even just a splash of a general alt vibe. Tracks like ‘Two Hosers’, ‘Prairie Wind’ and ‘Greasy Maggie’ are all personal highlights, though every track is pretty great. It’s all rather relaxed and easy to listen to, 33 minutes going by in a flash. However it is also packed full of emotion perfectly when needed! It’s certainly not an album for everyone, but I had a good time listening and will definitely be revisiting again! Check this out if you are interested, and it gets a solid 7/10 from us!

Interviews & Features

Eye of Melian: ‘In this age, I feel like connection is something that can never be emphasised enough!’

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We sat down to chat to the wonderful Martijn and Johanna of symphonic band Eye of Melian ahead of the release of their brand new album this coming Friday. Check out us talking about it and their touring plans below!

How would you describe your sound?

Johanna: I think we have created a new genre. It’s a combination of symphonic music, Hollywood music score, combined with ethereal pop music. That’s what it is in my mind!

The new album is out soon now! How does it compare to your debut?

Martijn: Yep, February 20th! I think with the first album we really established like… ‘what are we going to do?’, you know? Discovering yourself as a music entity. The second album, you can walk deeper into the forest, so to speak. You’ve discovered the forest and now you can go down deeper alleys and run. That’s the big difference, I think the second album deepens that sound; makes it a bit more happy, a bit more sweet, more contrast. It’s been a wonderful process making this album, very organic.

What’s the songwriting process like for you guys?

Martijn: I wish we could say we have a garage where we can all chip in together on a weekend, but that’s not how it’s going! How it starts is I simply start playing piano and I just play away what I feel like. It sounds a little flat, but it’s actually very pure, you really play what’s in your heart. I let myself be lead by the music, and it grows from there. Then I give what I’ve got to the rest of the team. We’re really blessed, I think we have a dream team, everyone has exactly the same idea of what it is that you need. There’s so much faith and respect and trust for each other so it’s really like Christmas to give the songs away and unpack what comes back. I’m never nervous, it’s always excitement!

It goes to Mikko for the arranging and orchestral stuff. I do some already but he can do it way more refined than I can! Robin writes lyrics and of course Johanna sings and plays violin, and also does vocal arrangements! I have melody lines they sometimes follow but sometimes they’ll have their own melody lines or alterations. It’s a very organic process and I love it!

Do you take a different approach to writing for Eye of Melian compared to your other work?

Martijn: Yeah, it feels very different! This is vacation! I love writing for Delain, I’m writing for Delain right now, but it’s a different animal, I really have to come up with more. Imagine two dogs; you have a German shepherd and you have a golden retriever. Eye of Melian’s more of the retriever, I just let the dog do its thing and I follow it. Then you have the Shepherd who’s like ‘I wanna go out, let me run!’. They both have their charm but are very different!

Is there a theme running through the album or is it more separate stories?

Johanna: I would say each are individual tracks, but they all fall under the umbrella of ‘forest of forgetting’. That’s the essence that wraps them all together! It’s tapping into your souls, the serenity that’s in there underneath all the worry and the noise of the world.

I Know you have a release show and then a tour after. It’s a lot of theatres as opposed to rock venues, right?

Johanna: Yeah! I used to be a solo artist for 10 years, a pop career, so those venues are really familiar to me, my home base. For me it feels very familiar, but for you Martijn I hear that it’s different.

Martijn: It’s new! It’s very different. I think this type of music really fits well in theatres; you can sit down and allow yourself to float away with the music. I’m very excited for this new experience. And I’m very happy that Johanna knows this scene, it comes very natural!

It’s your second run of shows, right? You did some last year too?

Johanna: Yes, we started out actually with a few support shows for my other band, Auri. One show in Finland and three in Europe. It was a wonderful way to get our feet in the water, y’know! Also, I think we’re still at the starting stages, trying to figure everything out. There’s a lot of novelty still, but it’s a wonderful journey we’re all very excited about. We can’t wait to see where it goes. But some things you learn along the way as you start doing it!

It must be cool to be able to bring these songs to life on stage, too!

Johanna: That’s what I’m most looking forward to, for sure!

What can people expect from an Eye of Melian show?

Martijn: It sounds a little bit hippy, but I hope we have a really wonderful exchange of energy. When we see people enjoy the music, that gives us energy as well. We hope people will experience the music in a really intense way. Johanna sings but she also plays violin. We have piano, we have Kai Hahto (Nightwish/Wintersun) on percussion for the upcoming shows. For the release show in the Netherlands Troy will join us, who is also I’m Johanna’s other band. There are so many connections happening musically that are really exciting. I hope people will enjoy the ride and, together with us, discover what we can do by taking this on the road.

I was curious to see how much of a band you were bringing with. I imagine you can’t tour with a whole orchestra all the time!

Martijn: That’s the big dream! But we have to start somewhere, so we have some orchestral parts on tracks, but we also play a lot of stuff too! Mikko will play the keys, I have my piano, we have acoustic guitars and backing vocals and Robin and also Johanna’s brother will join us onstage for backing vocals. The vocals are there and we tried to build it up. But eventually, an orchestra would be the best!

It sounds like an almost family ordeal though which is great, getting people from bands you’ve known for years involved!

Johanna: It is like a family, and that’s the best thing for me about all this. It’s so heart-connected, and that’s the sort of energy we want to bring to the audiences.

Have you got a busy rest of the year planned after the tour?

Martijn: Well, this is our second album but it also feels like the first as our first album was more like trying out the water. We just signed a deal with an international agent, as well as a Dutch theatre agent, so we’re also working on theatre shows for next year. Hopefully we can do festivals too. We would love to tour everywhere, but we’re going to see what’s possible. We will be on the road much more, that’s for sure!

Fingers crossed we can get a UK show at some point!

Martijn: Absolutely! We both love touring the UK!

Johanna: It’s like my second home, there!

Do you have a dream tour lineup you’d want the band to be a part of?

Martijn: Good question! What do you think, Johanna? Hans Zimmer, maybe?

Johanna: Oh, that would be amazing! Really any composer gurus who are out there touring at the moment, I think that would be the ultimate dream! But just to share this experience with kindred spirits, people who feel like family to you, is what is most important to me! Making indelible memories with the people that you love! And also connecting with the audience through the music and getting to meet the people out there in the world. In this age, I feel like connection is something that can never be emphasised enough. Things seem so fragmented, awful things are happening in the world, so to hold onto that connection that we’re all part of this universe, all part of this magical planet earth that we get to breath a few breaths on and then continue on our journey in another form, is truly special. Remember what truly matters in this world.

new music mondays

New Music Mondays: Buzzcocks, Softcult and More!

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Another week, and some more awesome rock, metal and country release for us to check out!

Buzzcocks: Attitude Adjustment

The punk rock royalty returned with their 11th album this last Friday, their first in four years. It’s fine. For a band that formed a whopping half a century ago now, I at least have a lot of respect and admiration for Steve Diggle for what he’s done for the scene and who he and the rest of the band have influenced over the years. But this was honestly a tough listen. It feels and sounds incredibly outdated, showing that Steve hasn’t evolved at all as a songwriter after all these decades. It’s the same early-punk/power-pop as they were writing in the 70s. I know that will certainly appeal to some people out there, but the rest of the music world has very much left the band behind at this point. There are modern bands writing better stuff in this style, while punk got a lot more interesting after the bands heyday, in this writers humble opinion.

The closest to a highlight track I had was ‘Seeing Daylight’, but honestly I struggled to get hugely further through the release without losing interest. There are certainly going to be fans of this out there, the band are still sat on 600k+ monthly listeners, but I am sadly not one of them outside of a couple of older hits. This did nothing for me, and I can’t give it any more than a 3.5/10. Technically fine, but painfully dull.

Softcult: When a Flower Doesn’t Grow

The debut album from the self-professed riotgaze band is certainly interesting. Once again it’s not my sort of thing, I don’t ‘get’ any shoegaze at all really, but I at least see the appeal of it a bit. It’s not something I’d go out of my way to listen to, but if it came on in the background I’d probably have a good time listening. The band are clearly talented, and there’s some good drumming and riffs at times throughout. I think the vocals are my main issue; having them in that droning style throughout didn’t pull me in, despite some good lyrics. The run of ‘Naive’ through to ‘She Said, He Said’ was the best part of the album for me, but the whole thing is pretty solid overall, an easy 30-minute listen. If you are into a punkier, indie edge to shoegaze, this is definitely a release for you. A solid 6.5/10 from us, and it may grow on me more with more listens.

Francis Rossi: The Accidental

The new solo album from the Quo legend is a fun, if long, release! Opener ‘Much Better’ sets the tone perfectly, and songs like ‘Back on Our Home Ground’, ‘Going Home’, and ‘Beautiful World’ are all big highlights too. However, 14 tracks across nearly an hour, especially when all are a similar vibe and pace, is a lot. I love Quo as much as the next guy and it’s always great to have more songs that so distinctly like them. And when we aren’t getting new Quo any more, I’ll happily take Rossi doing the exact same sound for his solo ventures. So yeah, it’s a damn good rock album, and is a lot of fun to listen to. Very simple and to the point. But it does get a touch repetitive around the halfway mark, let alone by the end. I’d definitely recommend checking this out if you’re a fan of the band, or just into old-school rock music in general. It’s a solid 7.5/10 from us!

Kanonenfieber: Soldatenschicksale

We’ve already checked out this awesome album! Read our full review here.

HANABIE.: HOT TOPIC

The highly anticipated new EP from the Japanese metalcore band combines together a few of their latest amazing singles, alongside two new tracks, to create an awesome 15-minutes of heaviness! ‘ICONIC’ dropped recently and has been a mainstay on my rotation, while ‘Spicy Queen’ has been stuck in my head the last eight months since its release. And older track ‘GIRL’S TALK’ is of course a banger. Then you have ‘…About you’ and the closing track that are every bit as good as the others. The video-game-esque latter is honestly a big highlight of the whole thing from how utterly left field it is. The bands chaotic energy and heaviness is off the charts, yet they still have plenty of melody and catchiness to boot. There is no one out there like HANABIE., and they always make for a fun listen. They clearly don’t take themselves too seriously, which is refreshing these days. If you’re into the wilder side of metalcore, I’d definitely recommend checking this out! 8/10

Emily Scott Robinson: Appalachia

The folk/Americana singer-songwriter returns with her first studio album in nearly five years, and has produced something just as beautiful as ever. It’s 40 minutes of chilled-out, emotion-filled acoustic music, and I loved just getting totally lost and eveloped in it. It’s not tyically my sort of thing, at least not to enjoy this much, but something about Emily’s incredible vocals and lyric writing had me hooked. It’s almost impossible to pick highlights, though all three duet tracks are utterly phenomenal, giving even more depth to her sound. If you are into relaxed Americana-folk, this is certainly a release for you. Not one I’d revisit often, but certainly one I’d happily listen to again! 7.5/10

The Chuck Norris Experiment: Hot Stuff 3

Another in the Swedish punk-infused hard rock band’s collection of b-sides and it goes far harder than it needed to! Their ‘Stairway to the Stars’ cover opens the release perfectly, setting a great tone moving forward. That’s swiftly followed by album highlight ‘Hammersmith Palais’, with other album highlights like ‘The End of the Great Credibility Race’, ‘Habit to Support’ and ‘Electrify Me’ being spread through the album. However, the whole album is a great, fun release, and begs the question how a lot of these tracks haven’t made it onto full releases in the past. It’s impossible not to have a good time listening to this, and the band are so very underrated! If you are at all into the band or just the wider heavy punk genre in general, I’d definitely suggest giving this a listen! I can’t give it any less than 8.5/10. I wish more bands still did this style, and I’m so excited for them coming back to the UK this year!

Danny Dela Cruz: So Long As There Are Stars

The debut solo release of the former Inglorious/Thrxnes guitarist is a real showcase of his sheer phenomenal talent. Five amazing instrumental tracks that show the breadth of his playing skills, and all excellent in their own right. Instrumental stuff is certainly not for everyone, but this is definitely worth checking out if you are even a little bit curious. Clearly inspired by greats like Vai, Sambora and Malmsteen, he firmly plants himself up alongside all of them with this release. ‘Life’ and ‘As the Pages Turn’ are personal highlights, but the whole release is amazing from start to finish. I’ll definitely be throwing this on again in the coming weeks and months, and it gets a very solid 7.5/10 from me. And to put that into perspective, that’s high from me for both an instrumental release and an EP!

Tinsley Ellis: Labor of Love

The blues guitarist followed up 2024’s Naked Truth excellently with this stripped-back release. The vast majority of it just Tinsley’s guitar and low, powerful vocals, but he packs so much punch and emotion behind it all that I was hooked throughout. From ‘Long Time’ to ‘The Trouble with Love’, ‘Sweet Ice Tea’ to ‘Too Broke’, there is plenty to love here. However, there isn’t a bad song throughout. Once again, it isn’t a release for everyone, and it does get a touch samey by the end, but Tinsley is such a good songwriter that it’s hard not to still have a good time listening. If you’re an old-school blues fan, check this out ASAP! I’d love to hear him with a bit more of a band behind him at some point, but this is also still great regardless! 7/10

TarLung: Axis Mundi

The Austrian sludge doom trio released their first new album in nearly five years last Friday, and go just as hard as ever with it! This thing is packed full of incredible riffs, solid drumming, heaviness and some amazing growled vocals. And they give everything plenty of room to breathe too, just eight songs spread across the 38-minute runtime. ‘The Valley of Nowhere’, ‘Sea of Drowned Souls’ and the title track are all huge highlights, but every song in this fits and runs together perfectly. The band are so insanely talented, and it’s criminal that they aren’t bigger than they are at this point! If you like your music heavy and sludgy, this is certainly an album you need to be listening to! They have a big new fan in me, and I will certainly be spinning it plenty in the weeks and months to come. A solid 8/10 from us!

Gitika Partington: Twelvefold Number 1-13

Yep, a whopping 13 full-length albums, all in the same day! We had the privilege of chatting to Gitika about the feat last week, and it makes me appreciate these even more than I already do. Each has a slightly different feel to it, though all keep within her vague folk/easy-listening style, and each certainly have highlight tracks. ‘They Dance an Eleven’, ‘Virginia Wolfe’, ‘Own My Shit’ and ‘I’m the Only One Who Knows’ are a handful of the songs that stood out to me. It’s an insane achievement to release this massive a volume of work anyway, but for a good portion of it to be high quality and enjoyable is even better. It’s certainly not my sort of thing normally, but I’m so glad I was sent through the presser for it as I did have a good time listening. If anyone’s at all interested, it’s worth a listen. And, while I probably won’t revisit the project outside of the odd song here and there, I didn’t hate it at all. Gitika should be hugely proud of what she has managed to accomplish here, and in terms of the music itself, I happily give it a solid 6/10, though it would be higher for the sheer balls and confidence in the work she has!

Contrasts: False Idol

The debut EP from the modern alt/metalcore Welsh collective dropped on Friday, and honestly blew me away! It perfectly walks the line between brutal heaviness and huge, arena-filling melodies that few bands can truly pull off well. And, because of that, all four of these tracks are amazing! It’s impossible to pick highlights as all are as good as the last. Even the slower ballad ‘Armageddon’ is awesome, and fits the tone of the release excellently still. These guys already did some great stuff in Upon Those Dying and Giving in to Ghosts, and they are very much continuing that trend here! I can see big things ahead in the bands’ future, and this is a fantastic jumping off point for all of that. I can’t give it any less than 8/10, great stuff!