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new music mondays

New Music Mondays: Architects, Kip Moore and More!

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Another big week for releases, with some absolutely massive and awesome albums put out across country, rock and metal! Let’s dive in!

Architects: The Sky, the Earth & All Between

This was one of our most anticipated albums of the year, and spoiler alert, it lives up to that anticipation. Don’t get me wrong, they’ve put out plenty of singles ahead of its release, which got the hype up and reinforced that it was going to be great, bit everything about this is utterly brilliant. Firstly, Architects are HEAVY again, for anyone who didn’t hear ‘Seeing Red’ until now. This album goes as hard at times than anything they’ve done in their careers. Like, 2025 Architects has no right going this hard. Sam is PISSED, and an angry Sam is the best Sam. Some of the breakdowns are absolute filth, and every time a low scream hits I’m pretty sure I… get very happy. However, it also keeps a good few elements of their last couple of elements, blending them in perfectly with the harsher overall sound. The massive, ethereal, melodic choruses are fantastic and there’s plenty of catchiness to them. And even when they do full tracks in that style like ‘Everything Ends’, it sounds awesome and is genuinely a fun listen when the whole album doesn’t sound the same. While I did enjoy parts of their 2021 and 2022 releases, this certainly feels like a step back up and a return to form!

In terms of highlights, where do I even start? The album is full of them! I already have half of this on my personal playlist from the singles released, and found myself adding more on there from album tracks. It honestly feels like an important, seminal record, almost like Sempiternal was. If this is where metalcore is headed in the next few years, count me all of the way in. This should be the album to push Architects to the level of major festival headliners, and there truly isn’t a bad song on it. I cannot recommend this album enough. It’s set the standard for the year, at least in terms of metal, and is going to be a tough one to beat. 10/10, easy.

P.S. huge shoutout to House of Protection and Amira Elfeky who kill it on their features!

Kip Moore: Solitary Tracks

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

Avantasia: Here Be Dragons

The German metal opera returned with another studio release this last Friday, and it may be their most ambitious yet. Three discs spanning the 10 new tracks, instrumental versions of all of them, some extended/reworked versions, and some live stuff. It’s an incredible ambitious project over 140 minutes. However, it’s a good release, and all are definitely worth a listen so were worth releasing.

In terms of the new stuff, it’s another great installment into Tobias’ discography. From the surprisingly glammy opener and ‘Bring on the Night’ to more Queensryche/Maiden stuff to all out power/folk metal, there is plenty to sink your teeth into. Said opener and ‘Phantasmagoria’ are personal favourites, but everything track is damn good and if you’re a fan of the styles or band, you’ll love it too! I do, however, have to say that I didn’t enjoy it as much as their last release. Still though, it’s a good album and certainly lives up to the epic metal opera standards and moniker. Plus, sneaking ‘Retun to the Opera’ onto the second disc was a great decision; giving a shoutout and bonus to fans of their early work. However, it does show Tobias still has this sort of stuff in him, so it may work to piss off fans as much as please them!

The rest of the two other discs do feel a little like fluff/padding, but I’m sure hardcore fans of the band will get a lot out of them, still!

So yeah, certainly not a bad release at all! If you like the band or power/folk metal in general, I’d recommend it heartily as you’ll definitely get a lot out of it. However, for me it’s not quite as good as their two-part debut, or their last two, as all four albums simply felt more connected and interesting. It’s a solid 9/10

Ironically, both Avantasia and Architects put out their last albums on the same day. Weird how they’ve changed in that short amount of time. I was not expecting them to switch!

Abandon Alien: Disturbing the Neighbours

I know absolutely nothing about this album other than that our friends over at Grand Sound PR let us know a release date, that it’s somehow the second album release of the year from the band, and the brief words on their Spotify bio. By the sound of things, both of their current albums up on streaming have been released before, and are just now hitting streaming. However, regardless, this sounds awesome and I want to highlight it here!

It very much is in that grungy alt-rock area that the band describe themselves as. However, it definitely feels on the heavier end of that spectrum. It definitely gives like the harder side of Bush or Creed vibes. Heck, all I hear in the vocals is Scott Stapp or Eddie Vedder, there’s definitely that style and cadence going on. But it sounds awesome, and fits over the fuzzy riffing and solid drums perfectly! Tracks like the opener, ‘Not Done’ and ‘Control’ are all personal highlights. The whole album is packed full of pretty great songs though, especially if you like grunge. My only slight issue with the album is its production. If it had a bigger sound, and the vocals (and particularly the harmonies/multi-tracked) were a little more fitting, it would make it all the more incredible. Still, it isn’t a bad release at all, and I’d love to hear it live as I think it would hit even harder! It gets a solid 7/10 from us, and I’mma have to head back and check out their debut!

Heaven’s Reign: Northern Lights

This is an awesome slice of 80s hard rock/sleaze from the UK veteran’s debut album. It’s all fun guitaring and riffs, soaring vocals, catchy melodies and huge harmonies. Tracks like ‘Here we go again’, the title track and ‘Bad boys’ are all great, and personal highlights of the album. However, if you’re into this sort of music, you’re bound to enjoy the whole thing! Don’t get me wrong, it hardly brings anything new to the table and certainly doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it’s a fun listen and a damn solid debut release for a band that have got a lot of hype around them thanks to plugging away at the scene for so long. Check this out if you’re a fan of the AOR/80s hard rock style. It gets a solid 7.5/10 from me!

Light Dweller: The Subjugate

The black/death metal solo project of Cameron Boesch is back with its fifth full length release, and first since 2022. It’s about exactly what you’d expect from the description, to be honest. If you’re into that sort of thing, I’m sure you love this. Sadly, as much as I am getting more into/accepting of this sort of style, it’s still not particularly my sort of thing. Don’t get me wrong, some of the talent on display across every instrument and the screams is insanely high, and it’s all clearly well put together, written and produced. But I’m still a radio boy at heart and not having really much along the way of catchy melody does knock it down a few points in my book. I completely see the appeal of this sort of thing, especially when it’s just one person doing all of it, but it sadly isn’t for me. 4/10

JD Clayton: Blue Sky Sundays

Some more country up next, the sophomore release from the neo-traditional, chilled out singer-songwriter. There’s a bit of a blues tinge to it right from the offset too, which I LOVED. The opener, ‘Let You Down’, sets the tone for the album perfectly and is a massive highlight of the release. However, every track on this thing is amazing, and it’s pretty difficult to pick outright highlights to put above the others. Every track is awesome, and it flows so well through a fantastic, relaxed 35-minutes. It definitely has a southern rock aura to it as much as it does a country one, and it honestly feels pretty unique, at least these days. The closest thing I can compare it to is something like Duane Betts or even a little Flatland Cavalry. There’s even a bit of Chris Stapleton on ‘Arkansas Kid’, which is a phenomenal rockier song! Heck he even does a fantastic cover of Tracy Chapman’s iconic ‘Give Me One Reasom’. If you’re a fan of country, blues, southern rock or just good, chilled music in general, I cannot recommend this album enough. He has a huge new fan in me and if there is any justice in the music industry, he’d be a massive name off the back of this. 9/10

JIZZY PEARL’S LOVE/HATE: Punk Rock Fiesta!

The Blackout in the Red Room legend is back with his first solo studio effort, and it’s exactly what you’d expect and want from the man! As much 80s LA sleaze as it is punk rock, it continues Jizzy’s legacy perfectly and starts a great new chapter in his career. It’s short and sweet too; in and out in eight awesome tracks. It drips with swagger and attitude, and is packed full of awesome riffs, even more awesome solos, and Jizzy’s signature raspy vocals fit perfectly over the top!

I was hooked from the opener, but honestly I feel like the album surprisingly only gets better as it goes on. He’s known for his foot-stomping rock, but I found the slower ‘Can’t Be Wrong’ to be one of my favourite tracks on the album because of the dynamics of the track. And the one-two punch of it being followed by the equally excellent ‘I’ll Be Your Shadow’ was awesome. However, none of the songs on this are bad by any stretch, and if you like Love/Hate’s particular brand of noise, this is very much the album for you! It’s just a damn good-time listen, and I can’t give it any less than 8/10. Great stuff!

Risen Crow: Requiem for a Damned Love

The debut release of the Italian melodic power metal band is a damn good first album. The band are insanely talented players and songwriters, and that is on display perfectly throughout. Tracks like ‘Black Widow’, ‘Revelation’ and the epic piano closer are all personal highlights. However, there isn’t a bad track throughout, and it’s really well put together, flowing well and not feeling like nearly 40-minutes by any stretch! They have entered into an incredibly saturated market with the sub-genre currently and may have to fight hard to stand out. However, that shouldn’t take away from this being an awesome release, and a fantastic way to kick off the bands career. It’s a solid 7.5/10 from me!

The Five Hundred: GHOSTWRITER

The local (to us) modern metalcore legends put out their highly anticipated third album this last Friday. The release show sold out the iconic Nottingham Rescue Rooms, and it’s easy to see why, as this band are awesome and this album is incredible! It’s a very modern sound, pretty close to the likes of Bad Omens and Bring Me the Horizon or even Architects’ last couple of albums until this one! Still, we do get a few heavy parts too, and. I honestly feel like that is when the album shines the brightest. Tracks like ‘NEW WORLD’, ‘EMPTY HOPE’ and ‘ECHOES’ combine the usual sound throughout this with a heavier style that feels like the band I knew them as back in the day, and were easy highlight tracks. However, the evolution of the band has been fascinating, and has produced something with this release that truly stands out in their discography. Would I have preferred it a little heavier overall? Sure. But clearly the band are doing something right with this release, and it’s a damn good album to listen through in full if you are into this sort of style. It sounds massive, the production is awesome, and there are plenty of catchy and memorable moments throughout. It’s a solid 8/10 from us!

P.S. shoutout to Eddie & The Wolves/Audiomage’s Ben Gains on co-writing a couple of tracks on it, ‘RAINMAKER’ and ‘BODIES’; both are also great songs!

new music mondays

New Music Mondays: Killswitch Engage, Chase Matthew and More!

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An absolutely huge edition of New Music Mondays this week, with so many awesome releases for us to sink our teeth into. Let’s dive right in!

Killswitch Engage: This Consequence

Max: Killswitch are back with their ninth studio album and as always, it is very, very well polished and the standard that the band has are on obvious display through this release. There are some phenomenal tracks, and every song is good. The production is absolutely amazing as always and it’s great to see that the band aren’t allowing their standards to drop. There is one issue; it’s a little inconsistent. None of the tracks are bad, like I said, every song is good. But some are just so much better than others. whilst this is a somewhat bemusing criticism, I know, it just makes some parts of the album shine so bright whilst the other just seems a little… standard. I think if pretty much any other band released those songs then they would have a great album on their hands but with everything on this album, it just falls a little flat. 7/10

Chase Matthew: CHASE

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

Sin of God: Blood Bound

Fun little behind-the-scenes fact: I first had this on in the car on the way to work. I had some industrial builders lorry cut me up and force me to reverse half-way back down the road. This album helped me get my rage out and was exactly what I needed to mellow me out before I got to work!

In all seriousness though, I fucking loved this. I went in with no expectations but from all the description of them I wasn’t sure if I’d be into it or not. But nope, I am all of the way in. It’s brutally heavy but also so well written and technical. While the main layer is death metal, there is everything from doom to black metal to djenty prog throughout, and the band pull it all off masterfully. Some of the screams are incredible, as are the riffs, and the drummer is working overtime throughout. Just something about the atmosphere they created throughout blew me away. Tracks like ‘Black Waves’, ‘Diabolical Agitation’ and ‘Obulus’ are all huge highlights. However, that’s nearly half the album, and the rest of it is also packed full of bangers! If you are a fan of the heavy stuff in any way, check this out, I’m sure you’ll love it as much as I do. I’m desperate to see all of this live, too. It gets a solid 9/10 from me!

Kameron Marlowe: Sad Songs for the Soul

The third album from the Sony Nashville star is a bit of a departure (or rather detour) from his previous two. It’s a bit more stripped-back and simpler, focusing on more of his sombre style over the crazy big hits of his wonderful last album. We gave that one an 8.5/10, so no pressure on this one. Also, just to add to the no pressure, the album starts with a cover of one of my favourite songs by an artist I adore. However, the cover ‘Burning House’, is amazing, putting a new spin on it while keeping all the same level of emotion. It’s a highlight track for sure, but them again all the other songs are also great! ‘Hello Whiskey’ and the beautiful ‘Highway Song’ are other huge highs for me, but there isn’t a bad song on it, honestly. Yes, it’s a little slower and simpler, but Kameron’s vocals and lyrics are so captivating it’s impossible not to love it. Plus, at only 10 songs, it by in a flash. It’s well worth checking this out if you’re a fan of the man or slower country. He got this sound out of his system, so to speak and did so really well, putting out something unique in country these days and rather unexpected. I’m an even bigger fan of the guy now for taking a risk like this! It’s another 8.5/10!

ONE OK ROCK: DETOX

I remember checking out their last album a few years back when I reviewed it, and while clearly I enjoyed it, I can’t say I remember it much, if at all, so it sadly wasn’t too memorable. This one is certainly not going to suffer the same fate. Right from the opening chorus of ‘NASTY’ I was hooked; it’s really awesome pop rock! It gave off big Fall Out Boy/Set It Off/Marinas Trench vibes in all of the best ways. Then you have the almost Owl City-like ‘Tropical Therapy’, the heavier, Biffy-esque ‘Delusion:All’ and the Paledusk/ CHICO CARLITO featuring ‘C.U.R.I.O.S.I.T.Y’ which are all huge other highlights. The latter even has screams and a breakdown, which I love! However, there really isn’t a bad track on the album. My only slight issue is that they have a bit of a lull later on with two ballad-tracks after another. Both are good, but slow the pace of the release down a little too much for this writer. I still love the combination of English and Japanese too, I’m so glad they brought that back from the last release!

Overall though, it’s a damn good album. If you’re into the mid 2000s pop-rock style, I cannot recommend this enough. There are a few tracks on here that I’ll be listening to a lot moving forward, and overall it’s all pretty great! 9/10

Twins Crew: Chapter IV

The fourth studio album from the heavy/power metal Swedes has been a long time coming, a whopping nearly nine years after their last one! Honestly though, it you’re into this sort of style it’s most likely been worth the wait, as it’s a really solid album! It of course gives Manowar and Priest in all the best ways, but also has some modernness in amongst the old-school. Tracks like ‘Never Stop Believing’, ‘Fire’ and ‘Order 69’ are all good fun and personal highlights, though none of the tracks are bad! Don’t get me wrong, it’s pretty standard and expected stuff, it hardly reinvents the wheel, but for what it is it’s super enjoyable listen! If you like old-school heavy or power metal, check this out, you’re bound to love it! For me, it’s good, but not something I’d end up revisiting hugely often. 6.5/10

Silverstein: Antibloom

Max: This one is a little bit of an odd one for me I must say. It I s an okay album but that’s really about it. I think that it is a good look for the future of Silverstein as there are parts that feel like they care far more about their craft and what they are putting out rather than how many people listen to it. However, that is definitely still clear. I think the album is fun, I enjoyed it, however it is a bit more of background stimulus than attentive listening for me. I can’t really hate it and I think that it is a good sign for there next album, but it isn’t phenomenal either. 6/10

Sweetbeast: Illusions

This scratched every stoner-doom metal itch I had in my body, and I loved every second! Everything about it is awesome. The riffing; epic throughout. The vocals fit perfectly to the style of the song, sound great and have some surprisingly catchy melodies and moments for the style. The tones and production are fuzzy and deserty in all the best ways. The arrangements are surprisingly proggy, and it only adds to the epicness of it all. Heck, they even give off vague Tool vibes with ‘Dream Eater’.

Yeah, in case you can’t tell, I love this album! It’s giving off big The Sword energy, and I miss that band from their peak so much. I have to say ’70/30′ and ‘Midnight’ were my personal highlights, but this whole album is sick and a real experience throughout. It’s another album that I urge you to listen to in full if you get the chance, regardless of if you have even a slight passing interest in rock music. It honestly flows so well together. Go sit in a dark room and blast this out and thank me later! The band have a new fan in me, and this is an absolutely stellar debut album. It’s a solid 9/10 from us!

The Murder Capital: Blindness

The third album from the Irish post-punkers dropped last Friday. Sadly, I didn’t get it. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a genre I’m particularly into to begin with, but a lot of this felt overly messy, almost devoid of trying to make a melody. Again, that’s probably the point and I’m missing it, but it sadly just didn’t sound great to me, and I’m the one writing the review. It isn’t exactly all bad; I do enjoy a couple of tracks like single ‘Words Lost Meaning’ and the mid 2000s ROHP-like ‘A Distant Life’. However, outside of those two I’m certainly not rushing to revisit this album for another full listen. They’re clearly doing something right and plenty of people will love this, as they have nearly 200k listeners on Spotify alone. But sadly it didn’t hook me in all that much, and for that I can’t give it more than a 4/10

Ellis Mano Band: Morph

This blues rock/American roots combo is the fourth studio release from Ellis and Co., and is a lot of fun and an incredibly easy listen. Drawing inspiration from everything from Bonamassa to Stapleton to Springsteen to The Cult, it’s a fantastic softer rock sound and the band do it to perfection. It honestly gives slight Uncle Luscious vibes too with its combination of western sound with the soft rock stuff. Tracks like the opener, the epic ‘20 Years’ and ‘Madness and Tears’ are all fantastic and personal highlights of mine. However, there isn’t a bad song on the album and it goes by in a flash, not feeling like 46-minutes at all. It’s an easy, chilled out listen packed full of a great vocal melodies and harmonies and some awesome riffing. It’s insane that they’re not even bigger than they are, as they more than deserve it and hopefully this album pushes them to that level! I’d recommend checking this out if you’re a fan of any of the styles or bands I’ve mentioned above, you certainly won’t be disappointed. It gets a very solid 8.5/10 from us, great stuff!

Defiled Serenity: Within the Slumber of the Mind

I felt like I was being seduced by that intro track. No idea what he was saying, but it was giving me Antonio Banderas vibes. I was expecting more of a jarring transition out of it too, but actually it build pretty perfectly and atmospherically into ‘Voices from the Void’. Don’t get me wrong, it still ended up in a blackened death metal state, but it felt fitting and earned. Speaking of the song, I wasn’t expecting us to get some melodeath clean vocals in the choruses, adding yet another layer of epicness and fitting the track rather perfectly. And we get a sick guitar solo tucked in the middle, too. It’s a really awesome song, a huge highlight of the album, and a real indicator of what the release and band are about. It sets a fantastic example too, as the rest of the album more than lives up to the bar it sets. Other highlights for me include ‘Death’, the grandiose ‘Mortal’ and single ‘Your Worst Enemy’, but every track is pretty awesome. The atmosphere created throughout is amazing too, it begging to be listened to fully as it all flows perfectly together.

Those who are regular readers here will know how much of a fan of melodeath I am, but this is truly something special within that genre. It combines so many other elements and inspirations, from a Rotting Christ-style black metal to almost prog-metal elements with the structure and cleans. And of course, plenty of In Flames and Children of Bodom. I honestly cannot recommend this album enough for anyone into the heavier end of metal. It’s another insanely high quality debut album release, and the band have a big new fan in me! 9.5/10

Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band: Honeysuckle

How could I not cover an album by an artist with such a phenomenal name? His sound and writing is just as interesting as his name too, having a real old-school soul/country/blues style that I quickly fell in love with! The opener/title track is simple but the perfect setup for what’s to come. It leads perfectly into a huge highlight of the album, the sassy, Elvis-like ‘If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day’. Other highlights include ‘Nell’ featuring the awesome Billy Branch, ‘Let Me Go’ and, of course, the Dead South-guesting ‘The Good Die Young’. While the tracks with guests are generally the best of them, the Reverend’s vocals are utterly phenomenal, and criminally underrated. It’s certainly not gonna be for everyone, but I had a blast listening to this, and at just 35-minutes you really can’t go wrong! I’m definitely gonna be listening to this again pretty regularly, and it gets a solid 8/10 from me!

XIII Doors: Into the Unknown

This album has riffs for days right from the offset, and I love it! The Irish hard/rock metal quartet give off plenty of different vibes, from Black Label Society to Red Sun Rising to Sacred Mother Tongue to Prong to Alter Bridge. There’s certainly some Tremonti riffing and melody throughout, for sure. Heck, I even heard plenty of Alice in Chains too, especially with some of the harmonies later on! It’s heavy and melodic in all the best ways, and everyone in the band is working their ass off throughout to create something honestly rather unique and special. Also a huge shoutout to the production, it sounds absolutely massive, whoever did it did an incredible job.

It’s honestly so hard to pick highlights as I just kept adding more and more of the album to my personal playlist, it really is THAT good. It’s only eight tracks and each is truly as good as the last. It’s a short, easily digestible slice of awesomeness that I would recommend to absolutely anyone reading this. And what do you know, it’s yet ANOTHER incredible debut album. It definitely definitely feels like it takes all the right cues from One Day Remains, in sound, style and form, which is anything but a bad thing. I can’t not, this is right up my street, and I can’t give it any less than 10/10! Check this out immediately!

Rick Pierce Group: Brick by Brick

The old-school rockers‘ debut has been building up for nearly five years now, and was finally released last week! It’s a pretty great foot-stomping, AOR release driven by its chunky, awesome riffs and soaring vocals and melodies. It feels like it’s designed to be played live and loud in some dingy dive bar on the Sunset Strip back in the day, and that alone makes it a lot of fun! The opening couple of songs were very good choices for singles and to be so early as they really establish the bands sound. Then it goes full Night Rangers with ‘Only’, not that that is a complaint in any way! ‘Remember the Bataclan’ straight after goes in a more Priest/Manowar direction too straight after. Heck, the only complaint I can have of this album is that it’s only seven tracks long, and that we’ve heard four of them already. However, that doesn’t take as much away from it as I sadly hadn’t heard said singles until now, and they combine with the other songs to make for a damn solid album. I clearly just want more of this immediately! If you like an old-school sound, I’d certainly go and give this one a listen. They’re another band that deserve to be bigger, and hopefully this awesome release will help that. It’s a solid 8/10 from us!

The 7th Guild: Triumviro

Goddamn, I love power metal. This is the older sound of the genre done to its very best, too. It gives off big Hammerfall vibes, as well as Dream Evil and Blind Guardian. The band are all so insanely talented, the soloing and vocals/harmonies being particular highlights throughout. However, the riffing and insane drumming as amazing, too! Songs like the band’s title track, the beautiful piano-ballad ‘Time’ and the epic ‘Fairy Tale’ are all big highlights for me. Though, if you’re a fan of big, epic folky power metal, the whole album is surely going to be amazing to you. The market for the genre is rather saturated these days, but these guys are great and I hope they find a way to stand out among their peers. As for me, while I don’t think it’s the best the genre has to offer, it’s a damn good release, and a solid 7.5/10. I’m curious to hear how they build on it in the future, as it’s another fantastic debut album!

Stuka: Electronic Body Metal

This is a wild album. Creative and interesting both feel like understatements, honestly. It’s like dark-wave mixed with death metal vocals and themes, which in of itself sounds insane. It somehow combines to make this real dark industrial sound, which I kinda dig! It’s almost Rammstein-y, just without the guitars. Plus, the themes of the album, combined with the frankly awesome artwork, are pretty sick. It took me a bit of getting into, even though I do love the premise, and I think it was because of the production. If this had a massive sound like I think it needed, it could have been phenomenal and really groundbreaking. It feels like something that’s ripped right out of the darker depths of the 80s, like metal meets Warhammer meets arcade games, but the vocals in particular don’t quite hit as hard as they maybe could have. Still, I’m damn glad I listened to this and did have a good time listening to it. If anyone reading this is a fan of the quirky or just needs something different, check this out, you might be pleasantly surprised like I was! It may grow on me more with more listens, but for now it gets a 7/10

new music mondays

New Music Mondays: The Offspring, Jelly Roll and More!

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Another absolutely stacked week of new music for the three of us to sink our teeth into. You know the drill, let’s dive in!

The Offspring: SUPERCHARGED

Joe: I remember reviewing Let the Bad Times Roll back when we started Overtone and enjoying it a lot. Heck, I’d have rated it higher in hindsight, too. That coupled with my undying love for the band from growing up with them, I was pretty hyped for this release! So, for it to be this mid kinda hurts. The opener was pretty terrible, though it does pick up a bit with ‘Light it Up’ and ‘The Fall Guy’. ‘Truth in Fiction’ is pretty good, too. However, generally this feels pretty lazy, uninspired and going-through-the-motions, not unlike Blinks return album last year. It’s not bad, but it feels like the band felt like they had to make an album, and make it sound like their popular stuff, so just doesn’t feel very interesting or fun. Clearly my expectations were just too high. There’s nothing that feels as big, fun or interesting as ‘Let the Bad Fimes Roll’ or ‘Army of One’. But it’s a passable pop-punk album that fans of the genre will at least get SOME enjoyment out of. It’s a solid 6/10 from me.

Jelly Roll: Beautifully Broken

We’ve already reviewed this album! Check it out here!

AD Infinatum: Abyss

Max: This is my first encounter with Ad Infinitum and I have to say I quite enjoyed it. Having not heard of them I must admit I thought they were going to be far more heavy. That being said, this albums bangs.

There is a lot of energy throughout and whenever the vocalist starts screaming, I have to sit there and just be entirely impressed. The vocals, both cleans and screams, are very impressive and very well done with an insane amount of control through out. And if they were a solo artist they would easily be able to fill and venue. That being said, I would be remised if I didn’t talk about the absolute skill happening on all of the instruments and the production. It is always nice when I can actually hear all of the instruments and they all clearly show what their purpose is and damn this album does this super well. By the end of the album I have to say I was left a little disappointed. Not by anything being wrong but by the lack of more. Now they are touring at the moment so I would genuinely recommend going to see them if possible and showing support as they are great. Hopefully i’ll be back to review their next album maybe with Joe. 9/10

Check out our review of their previous album here!

Myles Kennedy: The Art of Letting Go

Charlotte: As a fan of Alter Bridge and the amazing albums produced with Slash and The Conspirators, I didn’t think there could be anything to match that level – but Myles Kennedy’s ‘The Art Of Letting Go’ took me by complete surprise. I would argue that, as a master of his craft, Myles Kennedy has produced his best solo album to date. His distinctive, sky-scraping, open-hearted vocals and significantly beautiful songwriting mark his position as one of the leading musicians we will hear in our lifetime.

The Art of Letting Go takes his sound to another level, mixing harder tracks with dialled up softer tracks without losing the bite and grit we all know and love. Highlights include title track ‘The Art Of Letting Go’, ‘Miss You When You’re Gone’ and ‘Eternal Lullaby’. 8.5/10

Decayed Existence: The Beginning of Sorrows

Joe: This absolutely brutal assault on the ears (in the best way possible, of course) is an awesome release from the Californian death metal outfit. Sure, it’s only five studio tracks and three live recordings, but damn, it’s 30-minutes of heavy awesomeness. The opener is fantastic, everything I love about the genre, and flows into ‘Baptized’ perfectly. There is no rest, it being balls-to-the wall throughout, and I love how much the live tracks only add to the studio stuff, showing off the band’s sheer energy and heaviness. It certainly isn’t going to be for everyone, but anyone who’s into the heavy stuff NEEDS to hear this. And damn, I am already pretty desperate to hear it live! It’s an easy 7.5/10 from me! 

Erin Kinsey: Gettin’ Away with It

Joe: The rising star in the country scene is back with her sophomore album, just a year removed from the massive Bet My Heart. I remember checking that out after discovering her when reviewing the Restless Road album, but I was not expecting this release to up the ante yet again. ‘Matchmaker’ set the scene and tone of the album perfectly, being a highlight in its own right, but then to be followed by the likes of ‘I Ain’t Crazy’, ‘Tabs on Me’ and the title track… DAMN. Honestly though the whole thing is phenomenal, and at only eight tracks and 24-minutes (incredibly short for a modern country album) it is real definition of all killer, no filler. It has a bit more of a heavier rock focus and leaning to it, which makes it not only stand out among her peers, but makes it hugely enjoyable. I cannot recommend it to anyone enough, be it rock or country fans. If Bet My Heart was her coming out party, then this release solidifies her as one of the most promising up-and-comers in the country music scene, and I can see her being a huge name in the years to come. I can’t give this any less than a 9.5/10!

Ben Burgess: Hollywood Cowboy

Joe: The third album from the kinda-neo-traditional country star is the first one I’d heard from him, but damn if I’ve not now come out of it a fan of his! It somehow has both a chilled out air and a swagger to it in equal measure, something I think few are able to accomplish, let alone have done. The title track is an incredible introduction to Ben for me, showing off his immense talents and strengths and songwriting. Then there are songs like the insanely catchy ‘Great Again’, ‘Well Whiskey’ and ‘High Society’ that are also huge highlights from the album. It feels like a combination of Randy Newman and Luke Dick, and just a touch of Jack Johnson at times; taking the best parts of all of them and then turning the country up to 11.

There’s a lot of great, chilled out country music on here. My only issue is, like still a good portion of the genre this year, it’s a little too long. With 15 tracks at just under an hour, it’d need something special throughout to keep me interested, but I feel like it loses quite a bit of steam around the halfway mark. It’s still a fun listen, don’t get me wrong, and none of it is bad. But I found myself getting a bit restless and, sadly, bored in the back third. If it’s your style of country music you may be more forgiving, but I can’t give this any higher than a 7.5/10 when there are a number of tracks I’d happily have had cut.

Gorilla Riot: Salvation

Charlotte: Gorilla Riot’s ‘Salvation’ feels like they’ve taken the best elements of their previous releases and combined them together to make an awesome, bluesy, southern rock album. This is the band’s first release since their lineup changed in 2023, introducing Luci Vee on backing vocals and Matt Talbot on drums. The rich ‘heart and soul’ feeling doesn’t waver – if anything, they’ve mastered the gospel groove.

My only note on this album is the need for more highs and lows beyond the first few tracks. Selecting random songs to listen to never disappoints, but when you listen to the album in full you can’t help but itch for the band to throw in a curveball. Having said that, if you’re after a dirty blues album then Salvation answers your prayers.

Highlights include ‘Molotov Sister’, ‘Salvation’ (especially the addition of the organ), and ‘Wrong Side of Town’ – coincidentally the first three songs of the album. 7.5/10

Touché Amoré: Spiral in a Straight Line

Joe: The LA post-hardcore quintet returned with their first album since the world stood still, Lament. Sadly it’s very much not my sort of post-hardcore; I don’t really do the ambient sad boi stuff. I completely appreciate their talents and why people are into this sort of stuff, but I just can’t get into it at all. The closest thing to something I enjoyed was ‘Hal Ashby’ and that was probably because it was on the heavier end of the spectrum. In the same vein ‘Mezzanine’ was pretty fun too, and I can imagine it being very fun live. I’ve seen some love for this online over the weekend so my suspicions are confirmed that it’s good, it’s just not my sort of thing. So for that, it gets a tentative 6.5/10

Scars of Solitude: Under Disheartening Skys

Joe: The Finnish melodic heavy metal band are back with their second album, a whopping seven years after their first. Sadly that one is not on streaming services so I cannot hear it to compare. However, if that is anywhere near as good as this release is, I need to hear it! It’s 10 awesome tracks that blend together perfectly and make it almost impossible to pick any highlights. Having said that, ‘The Arsonist’ is phenomenal, and that chorus is going to be stuck in my head for days.

It has a real gothic, melancholic tone to it all, reminding me a lot of Lacrimas Profundere but without the screams. And for those that aren’t familiar with them, I’ll give the same description as I put for their last album; like a heavier, better Him. The band have been pretty steady in releasing singles, both for this album and otherwise, for a few years now, but this is one hell of a return to a longer release. If you are a fan of any of the styles or bands I’ve mentioned above, I cannot recommend this album enough, you’ll surely love it. And the band are all clearly talented too, with some truly awesome metalcore riffing and soloing from the guitars to accompany the catchy, powerful vocals and driving drums. The band certainly have a new fan in me, and I can’t give this any less than 8/10!

Justin Moore: This is My Dirt

Joe: The modern country legend himself is back with album number eight, just one year removed from Stray Dog, which we loved. Honestly, it doesn’t add much to the formula from the last album, but is another damn solid release. It’s Keith Urban-style stadium country through and through, and is a lot of fun to listen to, despite the somewhat cheesiness half the time. There are some absolute bangers on here, like ‘Put a Boot in It’ ‘The Getting By’ and ‘Redneck Love’. Then you have the guest appearances from some of the best names in country right now in Randy Houser, Blake Shelton and Dierks Bentley, all of which are also huge highlights of the album. As I said, it’s exactly what you’d expect if you’re a fan of Justin or this particular brand of radio-country, but that certainly isn’t a bad thing. I really enjoyed it and will certainly be listening to it a good few more times, especially when it’s only 38-minutes long! It’s another easy 8.5/10 from me!

Takeaway Thieves: Diamond Point

Joe: The punk-tinged NWOCR scene stalwarts are back with their second album, and somehow it’s even better than their first! It’s jam-packed full of swaggering, fun riffs, catchy choruses, and some incredible solos; as well as some generally amazingly written tracks all-round. From ‘I’LL BE WAITING FOR YOU’ to ‘FIND MY WAY HOME’ to ‘GYPSY’ and ‘TRUE STORY’, there is plenty to write home about. However, there truly isn’t a bad track on the album. It’s 33-minutes of sleazy, punky hard rock awesomeness. My only curiousness is why the opening track wasn’t all capitalised like the rest of the album. I’ll have to do some digging!

It really feels like a step up for the band, who could now easily mix it up with the upper players in the genre. I really hope it gets the love it deserves to get from the community, because I’mma be spinning this a lot moving forward, and will definitely have to try and see it live whenever they are nearby. I wasn’t ever not a fan, but I am certainly a bigger one after hearing this album. It’s an easy 8.5/10

A Circus: Self-Titled

Joe: The old-school supergroup sure do show their previous projects are big inspirations, it sounding very much like a combination of Rainbow and Michael Schenker. However, the debut LP of the combined efforts of Shane Gaalaas and Ronnie Romero goes far harder than it has any right to when both are decades into their careers. The riffs are bluey goodness, the soloing from the guitar and keys are utter insanity, Shane’s drumming is solid, and Ronnie’s vocals are as strong, beautiful and powerful as ever. The one-two punch of ‘Burn the Witch’ and ‘A Snow Covered Road’ going straight into the beautiful ballad ‘Two Ghosts’ is absolutely amazing. Those three tracks and the intro alone is enough to make this album great, and we still have another five more incredible tracks after that!

I cannot get over how good this is. It’s like Deep Purple from back in the day when they were on fire, and is nearly 40-minutes of excellence. Everyone works their asses off throughout and show that they are all some of the most underrated musicians around. If you are a fan of classic or blues rock, this HAS to make it onto your list of albums to check out, and I’mma be listening to it obsessively for the next few months, I feel. Hopefully the band continue to focus on this project, as it’s arguably better than anything else they have going on (sorry Elegant Weapons, love you too!). It gets an easy 9.5/10 from me!

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New Music Mondays: Nightwish, Keith Urban and More!

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An absolutely stacked week for new music this week, featuring plenty of amazing albums! Let’s jump straight in!

Nightwish: Yesterwynde

The symphonic metal legends have finally returned! Well… kinda… the band haven’t done much since playing the European festival circuit in the summer of 2022, and this is the first album the band have put out since 2020’s HUMAN. :||: NATURE.. Holopainen has also stated the new album is not only a heavier successor to that, but completes a trilogy started with 2015’s Endless Forms Most Beautiful. However, weirdly, they aren’t touring it. They are on live haetus for a couple of years following this release. An odd choice for sure, especially with how big this album release will surely be!

What’s also a shame about it is that this is a damn awesome album. I’ve been a fan of the band for a good decade plus at this point, and I cannot get enough of this album this weekend. Just check out the one-two-punch of the opening title track into the epic ‘An Ocean of Strange Islands’ and tell me this isn’t amazing. And that’s just 10 minutes of the over-an-houe of greatness. Then you have awesome tracks like ‘The Antikythera Mechanism’, ‘e’ and single ‘Perfume of the Timeless’. Honestly though, the whole album is amazing, flowing together perfectly and there being no weak links. It’s over an hour of the very best symphonic-power metal around, and everyone involved kills it throughout. And it really does feel like it ties together the last decade of the band’s releases rather perfectly. From the strings to the synth to the heaviness, it’s all the perfect finale to the last two albums to this. We even get the rather standard symphonic metal thing of having orchestral versions of each track too, which was a nice touch and let’s the listener hear it all in a completely different light.

If you’re a fan of the band, the genre, or any adjacent styles, check this out, you’ll love it just as much as I do. There’s a reason they’re one of the biggest bands in Europe, and when they finally decide to return live, it’ll be MASSIVE, and I’ll be eagerly anticipating plenty of this release! It’s impossible to give this album any less than 9/10

Keith Urban: HIGH

The Australian stadium country megastar is back with his first album in four years. Anyone who’s familiar with his music will know exactly what to expect from this, good or bad. I know he’s a rather polarising name among country fans, but I honestly didn’t mind it. I’m not the biggest Urban fan, but I find his music inoffensive and generally enjoyable, despite being one of the catalysts for a lot of ‘pop-country’ these days (heck, I don’t mind any of that either!). The opening track is good, as is ‘WILDSIDE’, ‘HEART LIKE A HOMETOWN’ and ‘LAUGHIN’ ALL THE WAY TO THE DRANK’ Plus, his voice works so good with Lainey Wilson’s on ‘GO HOME W U’, another banger. There isn’t a bad song on the album, however. Plus, the album is arranged pretty well, the slow and rockier tracks are spread out and the dynamics mean it’s hard to get bored or burnt out. It’s certainly not going to be for everyone, but if you’re a fan of country music you should check this out, you might be pleasantly surprised! I’m sure going to be spinning a few of these songs a lot moving forward! It’s an easy 8/10 from me!

Seether: The Surface Seems so Far

The grungiest post-grunge band around are back with another album. I have to admit, outside of their big tracks, I can’t say I’ve really had the time/pleasure of listening to that much Seether. I love their old singles, and a couple of their more recent songs. However, I feel like without that nostalgia there that a lot will have listening to this, it was just kinda average. I know I’ll get hate for saying that, but I put the album on in the car the other day and found myself zoning out our wanting to stick on something more interesting pretty frequently. Tracks like ‘Illusuon’ and ‘Try to Heal’ are good, but there’s a lot of meh. There’s a few catchy choruses, some good (pretty heavy) riffs some of the lyrics are amazing, and Shaun Morgan still sounds great after all these years. But for whatever reason, I just couldn’t get into it. It may grow on me with more listens, but for now it sadly gets a 6/10 from me.

Steal the City: Road to Nowhere

We’ve already reviewed this awesome album! Check it out here!

Chase Rice: Go Down Singin’

I feel like I’ve been staring at that beautiful mustache in my emails for months at this point, so for this album to finally be out and I can talk about it is damn exciting. What’s even more exciting is that it’s a fucking amazing record! If the title track didn’t hook me in enough, ‘Fireside’ is one of my favourite country tracks of the year, easy. Then you have songs like ‘Hey God it’s Me Again’, ‘If Drinkin’ Helped’ and ‘Little Red Race Car’ and the album is packed full of amazing tracks, there not being a bad one on it. It reminds me of a more neo-traditional, almost more folk/Americana Luke Combs, and that is certainly an awesome combination. Heck, it even has an air of Newton Faulkner to it at times, which I also LOVED.

Chase’s vocals are incredible and fit the instrumentation perfectly. His lyrics throughout are also fantastic, and not all that stereotypical as far as country goes. I’d recommend this album to any fan of country or its associated genres. I’ll be listening to it for weeks and months to come; it’s the perfect chilled out country album to close out the summer with. And it’ll probably be pretty high up on our list of top albums of the year too, at least from a country standpoint! 8.5/10

Sweet: Full Circle

This is classic rock/glam/AOR at its very best. One of the most underrated bands in history are finally calling it a day with this, their 14th album, and Andy Scott and Co are going out in style. The first official studio album to feature Paul Manzi at the front, he does an excellent job singing some amazing vocal lines and some damn catchy, massive melodies and choruses. And Andy is still cranking out some of the best riffs in the genre over 50 years into his storied career. And of course, we get some great solos throughout to compliment the great riffing and stadium-filling choruses. Tracks like ‘Don’t Bring Me Water’, ‘Everything’, ‘Rising Up’ and ‘Defender’ are all huge highlights, but honestly every song on this album is amazing.

It’s insane that this late into the band’s career, they are still putting out albums this damn good. And I can guarantee this album will fly way too far under the radar for a lot of people and journalism sites. However, not us! This gets an easy 9/10 from us, it’s one of the best glam/AOR albums I’ve heard in ages, from an all-round perspective. I’m not sure what the band are doing with regards to touring it, but hopefully I can see some of this live as I imagine it’d blow me away even more! What a way to finish a career, and with that the last branch of Sweet are done.

Dö: Unversum

The Finnish trios third studio album is an utter banger. Being dubbed döömer, I can definitely hear the stoner, doom, psychedelic and black/death metal influences spread across their sound. However, I’ve never heard such a combination before, it feeling like a sludgier version of death n’ roll, and sets the band apart as at very least wholly unique. And, to add to that, the music itself is not only different, but really damn good. The opening track sets up the band’s sound and epicness perfectly, while songs like ‘Nuclear Emperor’ and ‘Ode to the Dark Matter’ are huge highlights. However, the whole album is incredible; 46-minutes of heavier stoner goodness, and really feels like it should be listened to as a whole to be fully appreciated. It’s a really interesting concept and everything flows together perfectly. If you are into the heavier or sludgier side of music, this is definitely something for you to check out, you won’t be disappointed! It gets an easy 7.5/10 from me, and the band certainly have a new fan in me!

Midland: Barley Blue

I don’t know why I thought this would be faster. I clearly had a much different sound for what I thought the modern country group was like compared to what they are. Don’t get me wrong, what they are three incredibly talented songwriters, performers and harmonisers. However, my own expectations heading in that they’d be a bit more up-beat or less Americana/folk, and I was initially a little underwhelmed. It took a little getting into. However, the title track is excellent, and by the time I’d reached ‘Vegas’ I was all in. It’s still not 100% my sort of thing, but damn if I can’t appreciate the band’s insane talents. They are an amazing old-school country band, and it’s no wonder they’re getting massive. I feel like I’d appreciate it a lot more live, and it may win me over more than on track. However, for now it gets a 7/10 from me. Anyone who’s a fan of some of Don McLean or Willie’s slower stuff, you’ll love this!

Charlotte Wessels: The Obsession

The former Delian vocalist released her third solo album last Friday. It also marks her return fully to symphonic metal, as her previous two albums have been a more varied spread of genres. Honestly, it’s a damn good release! The instrumentation is heavy and there are some great riffs throughout, while Charlotte’s vocals are as good as ever, be it soaring notes, powerful, catchy melodies or even the odd fantastic scream. I love the metal Cranberries-style ‘The Exorcism’, the Alissa White-Gluz featuring ‘Ode to the West’ and the radio-hit-in-waiting that is ‘Praise’. It was really cool to hear Alissa sing more in ‘Ode to the West’ too, as she’s mainly just screaming in Arch Enemy these days, and I always forget how phenomenal her singing voice is. Honestly though, the whole album has a great flow to it and is well worth a listen! If you’re into symphonic stuff, I’m sure you’ll love it just like I do. Charlotte feels like she’s fully stepped out of Delain’s shadow with this release, and arguably shown that she can put out better music without them. This is an easy 8/10 from me!

Mitchell Tenpenny: The 3rd

The fifth album from the modern country-pop songer-songwriter is about exactly what you’d expect. It’s simple, mid-tempo country album for a solid album. It was… fine, I guess. It’s not my sort of country music these days as it is, and it got very tedious and monotonous pretty quickly. It could have easily been a shorter album, whether I was enjoying it or not. Tracks like ‘Bigger Mistakes’ and the rockier ‘Not Today’ were okay, but generally it felt like a LOT of filler. The duet with the wonderful Colbie Caillat, ‘Guess We’ll Never Know’, was also awesome. I’ve seen people praising this album online, and if you like this sort of thing I’m sure you’ll love this. But it was not my sort of thing at all, and was a real slog to get through, honestly. Sorry, but it gets a 4/10 from us.

Kanonenfiber: Die Urkatastrophe

The German black/death metal band are back with their sophomore album, another anti-war release again detailing the horrors of WWI and dedicated to those affected. Having not heard their debut, I didn’t know what to expect, but actually ended up loving this! There is a surprising amount of catchiness and melody that I was not expecting in such a heavy release, and despite the black metal instrumentation and screamed vocals, it had me trying to sing along with them through the choruses. Tracks like ‘Menschenmühle’, ‘Der Maulwurf’ and the surprisingly Scorpions-y closing track are all massive highlights for me. However, if you’re into the heavy stuff, I’m sure you’ll love all of it, just like I did. It’s rare that I find stuff so black metal that I enjoy this much, so clearly the band are on to something special, and may break into the more mainstream crowds pretty soon with releases like this! And, of course, the meaning and sentiment behind the tracks and album as a whole is phenomenal. It’s an easy 8.5/10 from me!

Rvshvd: IT’S RASHAD

The hype for the Georgian country boy’s debut album has been high for a while now, and has finally arrived! And to say it lives up to said hype might even be an understatement. For one, he manages to blend country, hip-hop and rock together masterfully, something that I feel so many artists have tried and at least somewhat failed to do recently (sorry, Shaboozey and Brantley Gilbert). Secondly, this thing is absolutely packed to the brim with awesome tracks, so much so that I didn’t even mind the 19-track length!

I’d discovered him through INK with ‘Cottonmouth’, but it is by far the only awesome collaboration on this. We get the best track Danny Warsnop has done in a while, another awesome addition to the career resurgence of All That Remains, and a surprisingly good song featuring rapper Paul Wall. However, none of that should take away from his songs that are just him, as a lot of them are also excellent. ‘The 9’, ‘Mapdot Madness’ and ‘Looking Out for You’ are all amazing songs he’s done on his own and are other big highlights of the album. There shockingly isn’t even that much filler, though it does dip in energy just a little in the middle there. Still, it’s insane how high quality most of this is. It gives the same energy to me as mockingbird and THE CROW did last year; it really feels like I’ve listened to something special! His vocals are amazing throughout, smooth and fitting any style he plays, and some of his lyrics are incredible. He NEEDS to tour over here with a full band, I’d LOVE to see all this live! I’mma gonna be spinning this a lot for months to come, and it’s surely going to make him a bigger megastar than he is already becoming. 9.5/10, wow!

new music mondays

New Music Mondays: Falling in Reverse, Post Malone and More!

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A pretty stacked week of New Music Mondays with some absolutely huge releases and some amazing hidden gems. Let’s check it out!

Falling in Reverse: Popular Monster

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

Post Malone: F-1 Trillion

This feels like it’s been a while coming. From Post starting to play some country songs live through to the constant teases of ‘I had Some Help’, rumours of this album had been running rampant until they were finally announced. Now it’s finally out, this nearly-hour long slab of duet country will surely be massive and topping the charts. But let’s see what we think of it, shall we?

I’ve seen a lot of love for this album online, and while I don’t feel the ’10/10′ or ‘best album of the year’ sentiment a lot of people have thrown out, it is a damn good, enjoyable, fun album. Post’s vocals fit the country style perfectly, and he really gets to show how fantastic a songwriter he is. He’s also managed to write a song similar to each of his guests’ styles, which is even more impressive. Hearing the instrumentation of album highlights like ‘California Sober’ or ‘Finer Things’, you can tell they’ll feature Chris Stapleton and Tim MacGraw, respectively. And goddamn if ‘Pour Me a Drink’ isn’t one of the best country songs over the last few years. Every guest does a great job, and even the three tracks where he’s on his own are fantastic.

Don’t get me wrong, while every track is at very least good, 18 tracks across nearly an hour is a touch long for my attention span. But then again, God knows what songs I’d cut. Post is just such a charismatic, likeable guy too that it’s so hard to actually dislike anything he does. It’s one hell of a country debut, and hopefully he keeps up this style for a while, as he seems to be really enjoying it! 9/10

Foster The People: Paradise State of Mind

The indie band famous for the highly controversial ‘Pumped Up Kicks’ are back with their fourth studio album, and first in seven years. I have to admit, as much as I enjoyed that song and album, I haven’t really listened to much from them since. This, however, is a fun release! It somehow combines the modern indie sound with the early 2000s disco-pop-rock of the likes of Basement Jaxx, which is awesome! ‘See you in the Afterlife’ is the perfect opener, setting up the tone of the album masterfully, and being a big highlight. However, there isn’t a bad track on the album, each song being damn enjoyable and interesting. It’s very different to what we usually cover here, but I think that’s another reason why I enjoyed it so much! It’s a fun, chilled-out listen, and I’d highly recommend it to anyone into the calmer, quirkier stuff! 8/10

Dark Tranquility: Endtime Signals

The melodeath Swedes are on album number 13, and still sound just as fantastic as they did on their debut. This is 50-minutes of epic, heavy death metal excellence. Tracks like ‘Unforgivable’, ‘Neuronal Fire’, ‘The Lost Imagination’ and the epic ‘One of Us is Gone’ are all awesome and huge highlights. However, there truly isn’t a bad song on the release. The screams are amazing, but so too are the occasional clean vocals. Meanwhile the guitaring is a huge highlight throughout, the riffing being amazing, and the drums hold everything together perfectly. It’s a welcome return from the band after four years off full-length releases, and is just as good as Moment or Atoma. I’d even put it up there with a lot of their 90s stuff, too! It’s certainly not going to be for everyone, and there is a lot of stuff here that trve death metal fans will hate, but I loved every single second of it. It even flirts with power/symphonic metal at times, blending perfectly with their typically-heavier style. I’m gonna be listening to this a lot moving forward, and would recommend it to any heavy fans out there! 8.5/10

Dig Lazarus: Under the Trees

Our good friends have been through a lot in the last three years since their debut album. Between some awesome tours and festival slots, Ash’s solo album and playing with Stevie R. Pearce to the band losing their bassist and going on as a two-piece, this is a very different band to when we last saw and spoke to them. We actually spoke to Ash about the album just the other day (link will be here when it’s up) and he’s explained the sound of the album and seemed rather very excited, so we are even more so here at Overtone, too!

It’s a pretty cracking album, and a fantastic follow-up to their debut. It’s heavier than the previous release; inspired by desert rock but making it sludgier. The band weren’t wrong when they said they were in their ‘swamp era’! From bangers like ‘Ivory Tower’ and ‘Paws’ to even an incredible, heavy cover of one of my favourite Bowie songs, it’s packed full of great tracks. It’s such an interesting evolution from the band. The riffs and catchy vocals are still there, but them dropping back to a two-piece has forced them almost to get a bit more back to basics, and it has resulted in a heavier, darker, sludgier album. Whether you’re a fan of the band already, the NWOCR scene or bands like QOTSA or Soundgarden, you’ll love this! 8.5/10

Morgan Wade: Obsessed

The country breakout star is on her third album in three years, and continues her stellar run of releases. I somehow missed her last one upon its release, but have since gone back and listened, and have become a fan. This very much scratched every itch I wanted it to when it came to Morgan. Chilled out, catchy country music with airs of both pop, rock and folk. It feels like the perfect blend of Stevie Nicks and Lainey Wilson, and it’s awesome! It even also has slight tinges of the 2000s pop-country-rock, like Miley Cyrus or early Demi Lovato. Tracks like ‘Department Store’, ‘Juliet’ and the beautiful piano ballad with Kesha, ‘Walk on Water’, are all highlights. However, if you like the slower side of country, you’ll love every track! It is certainly slow though, and I did find the 54-minutes dragging a little towards the back half. Still, there is no denying the quality of the songs or her talents. 7.5/10

Brave Rival: Fight or Flight

Some awesome blues/hard rock up next with the bands sophomore studio album. It’s an awesome, fun, stomping album from start to finish, and has made me a huge new fan of them! ‘Bad Choices’ is a phenomenal album opener, showcasing the bands talents and style perfectly. However, the album is packed full of highlights, including ‘Stand Up’, ‘Fairytale’ and ‘Sink or Swim’. The powerful, harmonised vocals throughout are incredible, and are complimented amazingly by the great riffing. It’s a fantastically varied album too, 52 minutes going by in a flash of changing tempos and emotions. The band do both the softer and rockier stuff just as well as each other, too. It honestly feels like that first Inglorious album in terms of quality and size of scope and impact on the NWOCR style. Chloe and Lindsey’s vocals are utterly phenomenal, and have made me fall in love with this album. I’d recommend it to anyone at all, rock-lovers or otherwise. And I can’t give it any less than 10/10

Left to Suffer: Leap of Death

What the fuck is happening on this album? That opener gave me whiplash that I’m still recovering from two days later. Having a pop vocalist open to then just go fucking br00tal took me completely off guard, but kinda worked. The instrumentation reminded me of Darko US at times; some real interesting deathcore. Plus, the growls are amazing, and surprisingly contrast with the pop-cleans well. And that’s not just on the opener, either. Five of the eight tracks feature guest vocals (granted one is Paleface Swiss and makes it even heavier), making it a really interesting, varied and surprising semi-duet album.

Honestly, I’ve listened to the whole album three times since starting this review, I can’t get enough of it. The band effortlessly switch from filthy deathcore to more melodic metalcore to pop (with the features), and it creates a real soundscape that I can’t get enough of. The band have really pushed the boat out and experimented, and it’s paid off in spades. It certainly won’t be for everyone, but if you’re a fan of all things heavy, check this out. There really isn’t a bad track on it. 9/10

Extinction A.D.: To the Detested

The New York hardcore thrash band are back with album four. I’ve been a fan of the band a couple of years now since hearing their last album, and this is arguably even better! It’s fast, heavy and packed full of attitude in all the best ways. Some of the riffs are incredible, especially the Dimebag-esque ‘Escape from New York’ ones. I cannot get over how fantastic the harmonics from the guitars are. That whole song, in fact, is phenomenal, and is an easy highlight of the album. The harsh vocals throughout are both heavy but also pretty catchy and melodic, and the drums hold everything down perfectly and add plenty of groove to it all. Other highlights include the Sepultura-like ‘Burnt Sienna’ and the Matthew K. Heafy-featuring ‘Impervious’. However, if you’re a thrash/groove metal fan like me, you’ll love all 40-minutes of this, from front to back. These guys NEED to tour the UK/Europe again soon as I NEED to see this whole album live immediately. It’s an easy 8.5/10 from us!

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New Music Mondays: Smashing Pumpkins, 49 Winchester and More!

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A typically stacked week of New Music Monday this week, featuring some awesome rock, metal and country music. Let’s check it all out!

Smashing Pumpkins: Aghori Mhori Mei

This is somehow the fourth Smashing Pumkins album I’ve covered here at Overtone, after the three acts of Atum over the last couple of years. It’s not secret that I wasn’t a fan of those self-indulgent releases, and that I typically haven’t been into much of the band since Zeitgeist. So, imagine my shock when it turned out I didn’t hate this release! It feels like losing Jeff Schroeder has tightened and heavied up the riffing; putting a greater focus on the guitaring and almost giving it Tool vibes at times. I also feel like the band not forcing themselves into a corner of having to write three albums worth of stuff has really let the best of the bunch shine, as this is a solid, concise collection of 10 tracks. A lot of it, like the opening two tracks, even border on prog in the best possible ways. And Corgan, despite having a Marmite voice, sounds pretty great over the instrumentation of the album, and has written some pretty great lyrics throughout.

It’s the best, most focused the band have sounded since at least the mid-2000s, in this writers opinion. Is it perfect? No. But it’s an epic release that is genuinely fun and interesting to listen to, which I didn’t think I’d say about Smashing Pumpkins in this decade. The opener, ‘Pentecost’ and ‘War Dreams of Itself’ are my personal favourites, but every track is pretty decent. Smashing Pumpkins are back baby, and if you’re a fan of the band or 90s rock in general, I’d certainly recommend checking this out! 8/10

49 Winchester: Leavin’ This Holler

The alt-country legends have been gathering a lot of steam over the last few years, and return after 2022’s mammoth Fortune Favours the Bold with another stellar album. From the catchy, folk/Americana opener to foot stomping country-rock tracks like ‘Hillbilly Happy’ and ‘Make it Count’ to emotional ballads like the title track (Maggie Antone adding so much to the harmonies) it has a little bit of everything, and does it all perfectly. Also, ‘Rest of My Days’ is as beautiful a blues-ballad as I’ve ever heard one. Honestly, my only issue with it is that it’s only 10 tracks long. Most country albums these days are bloated messes, so it’s kinda ironic that I’d have happily taken much more of this! There is just so much variety throughout, be it different walks of country/Americana or just constant pace changes, keeping it consistently interesting. This is a must for any fans of country music, and a very good follow-up to the rest of their already stellar discography. An album I’ll be spinning a lot moving forward, and an easy 9/10 from us!

X: Smoke & Fiction

The 80’s punk legends are back with their first album since 2020. They’ve also announced that it will be their last album, and announced a farewell tour alongside it. I have to admit I haven’t listened to their last couple of albums, but this is a lot of fun, and pretty similar in style and execution. If this is what they are going out on, they should be proud of putting out a damn fine final album. Skirting the line between punk, soft rock and even desert rock masterfully, the band somehow sound just as good as ever. Tracks like ‘Flipside’, ‘Struggle’ or ‘Sweet Til the Bitter End’ take me back to my skater-punk youth listening to Los Angeles, while ‘Face in the Moon’ and ‘The Way it Is’ give off more QOTSA or even Iggy Pop vibes. It’s certainly one for the old-school punk fans, and does sound and feel a touch outdated these days. However, asa fan of the band I can’t not love it, and it’s more than a fitting swan song. John and Exene still sound amazing together, and I’d definitely recommend this album for anyone even slightly into punk. 7/10

Orville Peck: Stampede (Vol. 1?)

This is an interesting release from the South African masked country singer. His third album, and first after his self-imposed hiatus last year, also pips Post Malone to the post of a big duets album in country recently.

Firstly, we’ll address the elephant in the room, it is a fair amount of covers. Between the amazing opener/lead single, ‘Saturday Night’ with Elton himself, and the iconic ‘Rhindstone Cowboy’ with a host of great guest vocalists on it. Then you have tracks with Margo Price, Noah Cyrus and Nathaniel Rateliff where Orvelle is playing songs they’ve written. Still, he has writing credits on half the album, and those that he does have a hand in are some of my favourite tracks on the album. ‘Chemical Sunset’ is awesome, and Allison Russel’s voice sounds so perfect with Orvelle’s. Then you have ‘Death Valley High’ featuring Beck, which feels as much like a Beck or even BNL mixed with country, which was awesome. And the more Mexican ‘Miénteme’ with Bu Cuaron is Latin-pop awesomeness.

I’d not really checked out Orvelle before, but his voice is phenomenal. It seemed to fit every style thrown at it here. And every guest is complimented pretty perfectly; it making every track sound completely different and unique. It certainly won’t be for everyone, and it all has a rather neo-traditional feel to it, but it was a fun release that I will definitely listen to again! 8/10

Mister Misery: Self-Titled

The Swedish metalcore band are back with album number three. I had somehow never heard of the band before now, and they have definitely gained a new fan in me! The band span not just metalcore, but power/folk elements and even some theatrical stylings come in regularly too, being a pretty incredible blend! This is non more evident than on songs like ‘Erzsebet’ and ‘Crooked Man’, feeling like Europe’s answer to Ice Nine Kills, in all the best ways! Other tracks, like ‘The Doomsday Clock’, have more of a heavier Linkin Park feel, while ‘Until the End’ gives off Motionless in White vibes, as well as being another Resident Evil track. And yet, all of it has just a twang of that European power/traditional metal that sets it apart from all the other bands spoken about above.

Every track I’ve mentioned already is a massive highlight, but there really isn’t a bad song on the album! This is 46-minutes of metal awesomeness, being packed full of catchy radio hooks and heavy moments in equal measure. Every member of the band are insanely talented players and songwriters, and they have a huge new fan in me. I’d recommend this to any metal fan out there. And it gets a massive 9.5/10 from us!

Ella Langley: hungover

Modern country superstar Ella Langley is back with her brand new album, and this time with a lack of capital letters, maybe to counteract all the albums that shout everything. The fully lower case titles kinda make sense with the release though, as it’s rather chilled out. It’s low energy (in a good way), and pretty slow for a mainstream country album these days. There’s the obvious TikTok famous ‘you look like you love me’, but that’s certainly not the only good thing on the album. If you like this style, it’s a solid release from front to back, and is a very good album to relax to. Songs like ‘nicotine’ and ‘cowboy friends’ are personal highlights. However, it did get a little old by the end, 45-minutes of the same chilled-out music is a lot when analysing it, not just having it on in the background or while driving! still, it’s an easy 7/10

I Love Your Lifestyle: Summerland (Torpa or Nothing)

The Swedish emo-indie band are back with album number four. At only seven tracks and just under 30-minutes, it’s the shortest album on this week’s list, and almost boarders on EP lengths. However, the short, concise nature helped it, at least for me. It’s not exactly my sort of style of punk-inspired indie, and much more and I’d have definitely started to get bored. However, the album as a whole is a pretty enjoyable listen, even if for background or driving music. While I wouldn’t say there is a particular highlight track that stands out to me, they all work perfectly together and the album has a great flow to it. The band are clearly all immensely talented songwriters, and I can imagine this being a very popular album in the indie scene. But I sadly won’t be rushing to listen to it much in the immediate future. 5/10

Gavin Adcock: Actin’ Up Again

The country boy’s sophomore album, and follow-up to last year’s Bonfire Blackout, is just as good as the previous release. While still firmly rooted in country, there is also an air of rock to it, be it in a Lynyrd Synyrd vein or even an early 2000s radio-rock kinda way. Songs like the opener, ‘Sweetheart’, ‘Four Leaf Clover’ and ‘Run Your Mouth’ are all awesome and sure highlights. Don’t get me wrong, 55-minutes is definitely too long, and there is a clear lull in the middle as the pace slows down, but generally it’s a good album overall. If you’re a fan of modern country with a slight rock tinge, I’d recommend checking this out! 7.5/10

Gravemind: Introsphere

Oh look, it’s another amazing modern metalcore band from Australia, who’d have known! In all seriousness, I’d never heard of the band before checking out this album, and they very much have a new fan in me. This went hard from the opening track, and I loved every minute of it. There are even elements of deathcore and black metal throughout, making for a very interesting, heavy release. Some of the riffs are dirty, the breakdown are heavy and the screams are crushingly brutal. Tracks like the opener, ‘House of Cards’, ‘True Life’ and the DOOM-god Mick Gordon-featuring ‘Failstate’ are all massive highlights, but there isn’t a bad track on the album. Even the more synth-lead, ballad-like ‘Aloy’ goes hard at times.

If you are into the heavy stuff or the more modern style of metalcore, this is definitely the album for you. It’s lacking clean, melodic hooks of the likes of Bad Omens for much of it, but that’s not at all a bad thing. It’s a heavy album packed full of great riffing, screams and emotion, and everyone worked their asses off to make it an amazing release. 9/10

Black Smoke Trigger: Horizons

The New Zealand rockers join Return to Dust in putting out a fantastic grunge-inspired album this year. Right from the opener it has heavy modern Alice in Chains vibes, and I am all for it! There is plenty of NWOCR sound as well throughout, which is also more than welcome. From ‘Proof of Life’ to ‘One More Chance’ to the epic ‘Perfect Torture’, it’s all pretty excellent! It’s an incredibly varied album that never once gets boring or feels too long, and that’s a real testament to the bands writing abilities. They are going to be a massive name in the rock scene, later if not sooner, and this is certainly going to be an album people will look at when talking about why. I’d recommend this to any rock fan, and the band certainly have a new fan in me, too! It’s an easy 8/10 from me.

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New Music Mondays: Powerwolf, American Aquarium and More!

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A usually stacked week of new music for us to sink our teeth into, from metal to country to hardcore! Let’s dive right in!

Powerwolf: Walk Up the Wicked

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

American Aquarium: The Fear of Standing Still

I’ve checked out a fair bit of this band ahead of them playing at The Long Road festival this year. Having said that, this was still a surprisingly punky release. I think it’s the raspiness in BJ’s vocals, giving off a combination of Tim Armstrong and Ricky Warwick. However, the instrumentation is also definitely on the alt/punk/rock end of the country/folk spectrum. All in all, it’s fucking awesome.

Honestly, it’s very hard to pick highlight tracks, as it’s a real solid album from front to back. Whether it’s the more upbeat stuff like the opener and ‘Head Down, Feet Moving’ or slower, ballad tracks like ‘Cherokee Purples’ and ‘Southern Roots’ (featuring backing vocals from the wonderful Katie Pruitt), it’s all excellent. It’s 40-minutes of well crafted, unique alt-country music. And damn, some of the lyrics, especially on the folk-epic ‘The Curse of Growing Old’, gave me goosebumps with how emotional they are. If any readers are a fan of not just country music, but even indie/soft rock too, I cannot recommend this album enough to you. I’m gonna be jamming this album a lot over the next few weeks and months, and it gets an easy 8.5/10 from us!

Category 7: Self-Titled

This absolute powerhouse of a supergroup put out their debut album this last week, and it goes hard. It has two of the greatest modern guitarists in Phil Demmel and Mike Orlando. The two surprisingly compliment each other pretty perfectly; Mike’s unmistakable guitar tone and style from Adrenaline Mob working well with Phil’s more thrash leaning. Then between the powerhouse rhythm section of Jason Bittner and Jack Gibson, and the one of the most underrated voices in metal in John Bush, it’s one hell of a sound all round.

Musically, it’s fantastic, too. It’s 52-minutes of heavy, thrashy awesomeness, and very much feels like a spiritual successor to Adrenaline Mob (fuck, they were so good back in the day). Tracks like the opener, ‘Exhausted’ and ‘Mousetrap’ are all big highlights of a pretty solid album! If you’re a fan of 80s thrash or generally any of the bands that the members have formerly been in, I’d highly recommend checking this out, you won’t be disappointed! It’s one of the best supergroup albums I’ve heard in years; especially for a debut release. It gets an easy 8.5/10 from me!

The Red Clay Strays: Made by These Moments

The sophomore album from the Alabama country rockers has had plenty of hype around it. And honestly, it’s easy to see why. This is an amazing album, just like their debut. It again wears its inspirations on its sleeve, be it Lynyrd Skynyrd, 49 Winchester, Flatland Cavalry or even a more soft rock sound. However, it also feels so distinctly RCS in the best possible way. Songs like ‘Wasting Time’, ‘Wanna be Loved’, ‘On my Knees’ and the foot-stompin’ ‘Ramblin’’ are all massive highlights, but there isn’t a bad song on the album!

The band are all insanely talented songwriters and players, and honestly 42-minutes when by in a flash and felt somehow too short, I immediately needed more! Brandon Coleman has one of the best vocals in the genre currently, and it’s none more evident in ‘Drowning’, honestly having me drawing comparisons to Chris Stapleton, he’s that good. But the rest of the band compliment him perfect, and this whole album is a testament to how fantastic they are. They deserve all the massive success they have achieved in their short careers so far, and this album seems set to push them to even greater heights. They are going to be a massive name in country for years, maybe decades to come, and this album, alongside their debut, will be pointed to as to why. 9/10, amazing stuff!

Dream Evil: Metal Gods

More power metal, this time from the Swedish legends’ seventh studio album. I’ve been a big fan of the band over the years, but I have to admit I somehow missed their last release. Even that was seven years ago now, the band slowing down a lot in their release schedule over the last decade or so. However, if it means the band are going to keep producing music as good as this, I’m fine with the wait! This is just as good as their first few albums, with songs like ‘Chosen Force’, ‘Lightening Strikes’ and ‘Born in Hell’ being huge highlights.

Every member of the band works their ass off throughout the entire album, and it makes for an awesome, classic-style power metal release. The band have definitely won me back around into more of a fan of them again, and I’ll definitely be both listening to this a fair bit going forward and going back to check out SIX to see what I missed! If you’re a fan of Hammerfell or other old-school power metal, I’d definitely recommend checking this out! 8/10

State Faults: Children of the Moon

The Californian post-hardcore band put out their first album in half-a-decade last week, and is packed full of just as much emotion and heaviness as their previous releases. After the tension-building intro track, ‘Blood Moon’ bursts in and gives the best introduction of the band to new listeners, including myself. Jonny Andrew has a pretty interesting scream that certainly puts across the emotion of the track, and the clean vocals are also pretty great. Some of the drum and guitar work is pretty fun and interesting, too.

Sadly, that’s kinda where my enjoyment ended. I can appreciate the hell out of the musicianship, and definitely see the overall appeal of the band, but it’s not really something I’d choose to listen to. Not on track, anyway, I feel like it would pop off live! But, as such, I don’t really have any highlight tracks. Plus, at over an hour long and 14 tracks, it’s pretty bloated to even find them. I completely get that it’s been a while between releases so they have a lot of material, but slimming it down may have helped. If you like this, that’s awesome, and I can imagine it’s gonna have a lot of massive fans. But I won’t be listening to it again, and it certainly isn’t my thing. So, for me, it gets a 4/10

KAHFA: Le Poison et La Reine

The Swiss heavy/punk rockers put out a very fun album as a debut. I’d never heard of the band before now, but they’ve certainly won me round into being a fan! From the doomy, stoner opening instrumental track to the almost Rancid-like at times ‘Infernale Torréfaction’ to single ‘Errance & Dissonance’, the band certainly have a unique sound. It’s heavy stoner stuff but still filled with punky swagger and attitude. I wish I knew what they were saying, because I’m sure most of the lyrics are also excellent. And at just over 30-minutes in length, it’s very much all killer, and an awesome listen from front-to-back. I feel like this would pop off live, so hopefully this pushes them to big enough heights that they can tour nearish us soon! For anyone into stoner, desert rock or punky stuff, check this out, you won’t be disappointed! 8/10

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New Music Mondays: HARDY, Eminem and More!

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A pretty stacked week of New Music Mondays this week, featuring some massive names in rock, country, metal and even rap! Let’s dive in!

HARDY: Quit!!

So, it seems like a rather controversial opinion these days, but we loved HARDY’s last album. To the point where it almost feels unfair that he’s put another out just over a year later! However, it’s hard to complain about more music from the master country songwriter, and if the singles I’ve heard already are anything to go by, this will be another amazing album!

HARDY’s first foray into a full rock album is certainly still a damn interesting, fun listen. There’s still a hint of country every now and again, but has more of a radio rock sound, for the most part. I hate that the closest comparison I find my brain keep trying to make is MGK. It’s certainly better than his last album, though. Songs like ‘ROCKSTAR’, the darker, heavier ‘JIM BOB’ and ‘PSYCHO’ are all great.

However, I do think that without the crutch of the inventive album story and concept from Mockingbird, a few of the tracks do fall a bit flat. Outside of a few great lyrics, chorus hooks and breakdown riffs, the songs are largely forgettable. And heck, a couple even boarder on cringy, sadly. They even manage to completely misuse Daddy Durst on ‘SOUL4SALE’, not giving him anything to work his rapping or screaming with, instead giving him and almost ’Behind Blue Eyes’ ballad to sing on. I loved the fusion of rock and country on his last album, but this has gone to show that, outside of a few songs, he cannot write straight rock songs as well as country ones. It’s not bad by any stretch, but barely comparable to Mockingbird and not something I’ll be revisiting much outside of the singles and a couple of other tracks. It’s a bit of a disappointment for me, sadly, but still gets a solid 6.5/10

Eminem: The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce)

The rap god himself is back with another album, the first since 2020. You’d have to have been living under a rock if you didn’t see the massive impact that ‘Houdini’ had, everyone saying that Slim Shady was back and the song very much implying the same. Though I was a child, I grew up at the time when Shady was at the top of the world, and absolutely adore those first three albums. So, if the whole thing is gonna be like that, I’m down. And while I’ll be sad if this is indeed a swan song for this style of Em’s work, hopefully he goes out with a bang!

It’s certainly back to the older style, it feeling like a continuation of The Eminem Show. There’s a lot to love on here, too. Between ‘Brand New Dance’, ‘Antichrist’, ‘Habits’ and the lead single are all massive highlights. Heck, I even really enjoyed ‘Guilty Conscience 2’, it bordering on 2edgy4me but did get a chuckle or two and I always like when Em does the battle-inside-his-head tracks. He’s still fantastic at his craft too, spitting bars pretty quickly and writing the melodies well, as well as plenty of clever lyrics.

It’s not all perfect, though. Firstly, at over an hour and 19 tracks, it’s a slog to get through. I know Eminem Show was long too, but this isn’t quite at the quality of that to warrant it being this long. And, as I touched on before, a few of the tracks still have that edgy-for-edgys-sake feel to them. In Em’s defence, nowhere near as many as on previous albums, but the feeling of him saying controversial stuff just to please his fans and cause a media buzz did shine through occasionally.

However, overall, it’s not a bad album, and very much feels like a return to form for a guy who has spent so long away from it. I completely get wanting to change things up and make what sort of music you like, but the fans have been crying out for this for a while, I do think it delivers for the most part. I really enjoyed it, and will certainly be listening to a good few songs from it again in the coming months. 8.5/10

P.S. why does Em hate ‘midgits’ so much on this album? 😅

Graphic Nature: Who Are You When No One is Watching?

Nu-metalcore sounds like something right up my street, and somehow, though I’ve seen the name around everywhere, I’ve not managed to check the Kent band out before, until now. It was everything I wanted and more, too. It’s crushingly heavy, but still has plenty of catchiness and some melody, as well as some amazing riffing. It also has a surprising amount of electronic influence to it, the record scratching being a nice touch! and whether it’s hardcore screams or more lower growls, Harvey Freeman is a criminally underrated vocalist. And those breakdowns… DAMN.

It’s 42-minutes of perfect modern British metalcore, like the perfect blend of early Architects and Vexed, of course with a healthy dose of Slipknot in there for good measure! Songs like ‘Blinded’, ‘Something I’m Not’ and ‘Low’ are all huge highlights but, honestly, there isn’t a bad track on the album. It’s angry and aggressive and heavy in all the best ways, and is right up my street. If you’re into the heavy stuff at all, check this out, I promise you’ll love it as much as I do! I’m gonna be listening to this a lot moving forward, and I HAVE to see them live now, this would pop off. It’s a very easy 9/10 from me!

Megan Moroney: Am I Okay?

Megan is in a similar boat as HARDY; releasing another album just a year after her breakout one. The difference is, however, that this not only feels like an extension of Lucky, but also holds up to the quality, being another awesome release. I’ve been a big fan of the singles she’d put out beforehand, from ‘Indifferent’ to ‘Man on the Moon’, but they are backed up by some fantastic album tracks like the title one and ‘I Know You’. I do feel like 14 tracks is just a touch too long, especially when a lot of them are the similar acoustic-ballad style and tempo. However, having said that, I wouldn’t know which couple of songs to cut, as they are all excellent.

When I first listened I thought ‘this is great, but not quite as good as her debut, it hasn’t impacted me the same’. But given that I’ve got half of it on my playlist already, and that I feel like her debut grew on me more and more with subsequent listens, that it just isn’t the case. The emo cowgirl has done it again, knocking it out of the park and proving that she is going to be a massive name in the country world for years to come. And, for the second year in a row, she’s guaranteed to be pretty high up in our albums of the year list, easily! 8.5/10

Thirteen Goats: Capricorn Rising

The BC death metal band are back with album number two. We checked out their debut back in 2022 and honestly, I remember enjoying the album a lot more than I’ve given it credit for in the review. And, unsurprisingly, this is another awesome release! It’s packed full of awesome, heavy riffs, and some incredible clean and harsh vocals, all of which have pretty catch, melodic moments to shine through. ‘Sign of the Goat’ is an incredibly strong album opener, but honestly there isn’t a bad track on the album, with plenty of other highlights, including ‘A Wolf in Shepherd’s Clothing’ and ‘Permission to Die’. They also have a pretty cool image and theme, leaning fully into the pagan/satanic stereotypes of the genre. It’s 42-minutes of a brutal, heavy assault, and is massively enjoyable. It’s not going to be for everyone, but for those into the heavy end, I’d certainly recommend checking it out! And, while I would say it is better than their debut, it’s also a testament to how heavy this site has made me, that I love this now! 8/10, great stuff!

Mr Big: Ten

The hard rock band are back with their (surprisingly) tenth full length release. It is their first in seven years and, given that they are on their final tour, I imagine it will be their last. Talk about going out with a bang, too. For those who are a fan of the band, this is right up their usual street of funky, blues-infused, fun rock performed and written to perfection. Opener ‘Good Luck Trying’ is a great example of this, and is also a fantastic track. The rest of the album continues the same quality too, being plenty of highlights, from ‘I Am You’ to ‘Courageous’. It’s the perfect blend of Bon Jovi and Electric Boys; catchy choruses and melodies and some awesome playing, of course the legendary Paul Gilbert being a big high point. If this truly is the bands last hurrah, they have produced one hell of an album to go out on, it feeling like a true culmination of their near-40 year career. It’s hard not to love this album, and I’d recommend it to any rock fan! 8.5/10

The Bridge City Sinners: In the Age of Doubt

2024 is the year of spooky banjo time, and this band are very much leading the charge alongside Amigo the Devil. Spoiler 1: Amigo is very high on our list of top albums this year so far. Spoiler 2: I think this album will be, too.

Don’t get me wrong, it certainly won’t be for everyone. But fuck, I loved this. The further through I got, the more and more ended up on my playlist. I think currently I have over half of the album on it. Dark/neo-folk is quickly becoming one of my favourite genres, and it’s in large part thanks to songs like ‘Doubt’, ‘Crazy’ and ‘Sinner’s Saloon’. Every track on this album is incredible, though, and it’s been put together in the perfect arrangement.

Libby Lux has one of the best vocal ranges of any genre currently, going from jazzy Amy Winehouse to Danny Filth at the drop of a hat. Meanwhile, the rest of the band are so insanely talented, crafting some real interesting melodies and rhythms, even more impressive without a drummer present. We need more fiddle and double bass in darker music.

It’s 34-minutes of awesomeness, and I can’t get enough. I’ve had it on a good few times already this last weekend, and I doubt that will be changing much in the coming weeks and months. It’s a truly special release that I would recommend to anyone, regardless of your usual music taste. I can’t not, it’s gonna be 10/10.

The Mourning: Hush

The sophomore album of the Florida-based prog metal band is true masterclass in technicality and talent. ‘Chaos Machine’ opens the album up perfectly, showing off the bands skill, style and sound. It’s like Periphery, Polyphia and Coheed and Cambria all met and had a baby, and I am all for it! The sheer mind-blowing talent continues throughout the whole album too, all 51-minutes being incredible. You can tell I’m not at all jealous, right…? It’s so hard to pick out highlights as they are all so good, but also do share a similar sound and formula, for the most part. Having said that, the Tool-esque ‘I Feel the Rain’ was awesome and very different! It’s an incredibly interesting album and certainly one for anyone into prog or djent at all! It gets an easy 8/10 from me! Hopefully it’s not another six year wait for another album, as these guys could be massive in the sub-genre!

Johnny Blue Skies/Sturgill Simpson: Passage Du Desir

This is a real interesting release. Sturgill returns after what was thought to be a career-ending injury and retirement under a new moniker, and having more of a chilled out, traditional blues sound than his previous five releases. Sadly, I don’t like it quite as much as his Sturgill stuff. However, I admire the crap out of him for his reinvention and going in a new direction, especially when he still had a huge fan base for his more country stuff. I’m curious to see what bigger fans of the guy have to think about the album, I must admit!

Songs like ‘Scooter Blues’ and the countrier, emotional story of ‘Who I Am’ are awesome, and massive highlights of the album. I love that he gives the tracks more room to breathe too, some going seven plus minutes, feeling very bluesy. It’s certainly not a bad album, it’ll just take some getting used to. It’s certainly a good album to relax too, almost having an easy listening air to it all. It certainly grew on me more the more I listened, and will most likely continue to do so moving forward. But, for now, it gets a solid 7/10 from me!

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Graspop Metal Meeting 2024: The Big Bad Review – Day 4

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The last day of the festival brought with it the heat and the sun shine. As a result, as a caveat before we get any further, I did end up with heatstroke midday and missed a little while. Sorry.

We headed in early to see a band that kicked up a lot of fuss dropping out of Download, and one who are gathering a lot of momentum outside of that, Zulu. I hadn’t heard their music before their set, just good things. I ended up loving them. From their music to their stage presence to their message, it was all excellent. Those kids bounced around the stage for the full 40-minutes of their brutal set, and it was great fun to watch. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on them moving forward, and already have added a few songs to my playlist!

I enjoyed Skynd a lot more this time than the last time I saw them live. I feel like I get them a little more, and after having a few drinks the slight controversial nature of their songwriting had less of an impact. They’re such an interesting, unique band that it’s hard not to at very least admiring what they are doing. Her vocals are fantastic, effects or not, and songs like ‘Columbine’ and ‘Michelle Carter’ are awesome live, as they are on track. The band have very much won me over with this performance, and they’re another one that I’ve listened to a lot since coming home, so they must be doing something right! For anyone into the weird, the dark or the industrial, this is certainly the band for you!

Atreyu is where I start getting a touch hazy. Don’t get me wrong, I was also drinking more on the Sunday, trying to use up the last of the tokens, but the heat didn’t help. Still, I remember them being really good, so good that I managed to talk the mrs into pitting with me for them. Don’t get me wrong, they didn’t play too much of the stuff I’d have loved them too (I’m a big fan of Congregation of the Damned and Baptized), but it didn’t matter, they were good non the less. Brandon stepping out from the drums to be the main frontman was an interesting choice, for sure, but it has more than paid off. He was a great showman, and his vocals alongside Marc made it all sound awesome. Another fantastic set from a great band!

Oh look, it’s another first time band for Joe. And goddamn, Extreme fucking KILLED it. I mean, of course they would, it’s Extreme, but they were even better than I expected them to be. Nuno is an absolute god on the guitar, and blew my mind multiple times throughout the set. Meanwhile, Garry is such an incredible frontman and vocalist, he more than carried that end. They also ripped through an incredible set of old classics and new bangers, from ‘Decadence Dance’ to ‘Whole Hearted’ to ‘#REBEL’ and ‘BANSHEE’. I hate that it’s taken me so long to see them live, and I am already desperate to see them again. Another huge highlight of the whole festival.

I was definitely hazy by the time Black Stone Cherry took the stage. They’re one of my favourite bands, and I at least don’t remember the last two or three tracks they played, sadly. Still, I remember them killing it and really enjoying their set, and they played a fantastic collection of songs. The new songs fit right in with the old stuff, and I was not expecting (yet loved) the cheeky ‘Cheeper to Drink Alone’ appearance. It’s still crazy to see a band that are so massive in the UK be lower down and not have a packed out crowd elsewhere, so I probably looked like a drunk madman screaming every word to every song. But damn, I can’t help it, they were awesome and I love the band! It just means I’mma have to get tickets to their tour in winter, now…

Malevolence… what do I remember about Malevolence… it was fucking heavy. The crowd were big into it. The band, as usual, were insane live. But that’s sadly about it. I don’t remember any of it clearly, just an overall, overwhelming sense of ‘fuck, this was awesome’. Sorry guys. I’ve seen them rise through the ranks in the UK and am desperate to see them again, even more so after being only half-present for this set.

I got a full two tracks into Body Count before I had to go back to the tent and fully passed out. I saw our lord and saviour, Ice T, saw ‘Body Count’s in the House’, their Slayer covers, ‘Bowles of the Devil’, and then the next thing I know I was waking up on the floor of my tent 😅 They seemed really good, and I loved them the last time I saw them so know they’d be good. Thankfully, I having seen them before, I wasn’t hugely fussed about missing them again. But damn, I can recommend to see them live to every single person reading this. Ice T is still one of the best frontmen around today, and the crowd were loving it.

Thank god I managed to make it back in for Slaughter to Prevail. It also meant that, somewhat thankfully, we didn’t get that close. In my delicate condition, the last thing I needed was a Slaughter pit! The place was packed out though, and rightfully so; the band are getting massive online. They bring the same intensity of their tracks and videos to their live shows, and it’s fucking insane. Multiple times they had to stop due to people getting injured in the pit or the crowd breaking the barriers. And as for the setlist, it was awesome. Going from ‘Bonebreaker’ into ‘Baba Yaga’ was brutal, as was them closing on their cover of ‘Du Hast’. And personal favourite ‘Viking’ was incredible. It was 50-minutes of heavy carnage, in the best way possible.

We split our time between Igorrr and Scorpions next. The French proggy genius put on one hell of a show in the Marquee, bringing his unique blend of metal, symphonic and electronic sounds to a packed out tent. ‘Downgrade Desert’ is my favourite track from him, and fuck was it awesome live. After that we wandered off and checked out the back-half of Scorpions. They’re another band that I’d never seen live, due to their lack of touring the UK, and I found myself enjoying them for what they are; a nearly 60 year old band far past their prime. However, having said that, hearing songs like ‘Crossfire’, ‘Wind of Change’, ‘The Same Thrill’ and ‘Still Loving You’ live was still amazing, regardless of how old Klaus sounds nowadays. They put on a fun, classic show with a greatest-hits setlist, playing it a little safe but was damn enjoyable for a first timer.

The final band of the weekend, Machine Head, also gave me mixed feelings. Don’t get me wrong, they were fantastic, as they always are. But having seen them at Graspop last year, they played a pretty similar set both times. Eight out of the 13 songs on both sets were the same both years. Out of the five different ones, there was a new album change which (sorry, I did like the album, but…) meh, and set highlights ‘Old’ and ‘Aesthetics of Hate’ from last year were dropped. Don’t get me wrong, it was nice to hear Bloodstone and Diamonds finally get some love again with ‘Now We Die’, and ‘Darkness Within’ will forever be a perfect song. But damn, they could have done something special with two years on the trot, while instead we just got a general Machine Head set both years, with a few expected swaps. They were still one of the best bands of the weekend, but I did feel slightly robbed having a very similar thing two years in a row.

And there we have it, folks! Another incredible, if crazy, year of Graspop. I cannot recommend the festival of any of the bands enough, it was one of the best weekends ever. I love this festival and it has very much become my go-to for big heavy music. Until next time!

<- Day 3

Reviews

Graspop Metal Meeting 2024: The Big Bad Review – Day 3

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Saturday for us started in the tent, getting heavy with New York’s own Suffocation. I loved their latest album, and feel like it translated even better over to a live environment. They ripped through a lightening fast, aggressive 45-minute set and tore the roof off the marquee, great for a set so early in the day.

Next up for us was over to Juliper to catch the latter half of Red. I’d somehow never heard of them before they were announced for this festival, insane given that they’re from the US and right up my street in terms of music. Live, they were fine. I’d have probably enjoyed them more if I was more familiar with their songs, but surprisingly they didn’t do much to turn me onto any of them particular when playing them.

Vola, on the other hand, were exceptional. I knew they would be, hearing how good they are live before,but they still blew me away. It almost added to the atmosphere too that they were put in the metal dome tent, it making for a darker, more intimate show. And, from ‘Stray the Skies’ to ‘Head Mounted Sideways’ to even the incredible live debut of ‘Break my Lying Tongue’, it was a damn good set!

Sadly Frog Leap cancelled due to his airline losing his gear. As a result, we caught Steel Panther on the North stage instead. I’ve seen them a good few times over the years and thought they’d gotten pretty stale. However, clearly it had been a while, as I found myself quite enjoying them. They’ve always been good musicians, and focusing heavily on their first two albums was a great choice, as much after that isn’t great. Because of that, their setlist was full of bangers, and their banter was enjoyable after five plus years away from them. If you’ve never seen them before, they are well worth checking out. They’re a good singalong and a great laugh every show. From ‘Eyes of the Panther’ to the stage-invading classic now ‘17 Girls in a Row’, it was a blast.

Next up were my favourite current band, Ice Nine Kills. I managed to see them last year and, once again, they didn’t disappoint. Heck, the literal only thing I can complain about is that they didn’t get a longer set, so didn’t play as many songs as I’d have liked. But still, from ‘Hip to Be Scared’ to ‘Wurst Vacation’ to ‘American Nightmare’ and all the costume changes and set-pieces that came with it, it was an awesome set. It was weird that, at least where we were (which was pretty close to the front), the crowd weren’t that into it, but I still loved it! One of the best bands live and on track around today, and once again they smashed it out of the park!

We caught the first part of Mr Bungle and, while I respect the hell out of Mike Patton, Scott Ian and Dave Lombardo, I couldn’t get into it. I love Mike’s vocal ability, but always preferred the softer, weirder side of Bungle’s old stuff, the ska and the jazz and the easy listening. I’d heard all they play these days is the thrashier stuff, and that is indeed true. If you’re into that, you’d surely love them live, but there were so many other good, heavy bands on over the weekend that this didn’t stand out, and we got hungry so left.

We returned in time to catch Architects. For any long-term readers here who maybe checked out our review of them with Biffy a couple of years ago, what a difference a lineup makes, ey? Given that I didn’t think much of them then, they absolutely killed it here. Clearly they were told to tone it down with Biffy, as they put on one hell of a show here, playing the highest of highs of their back catalogue across an awesome hour-long set. Sam was a good a frontman as ever, even acting professional when they cut his mic off while he was thanking people after the set. I can’t believe how much I’ve slept on Architects live, and I’m gonna have to see them again at their own show after this set!

Move aside everyone else, daddy Durst is in the house. Another band to add to the ‘somehow Joe had never seen them but has now’ list, Limp Bizkit were just as incredible as everyone has been saying they are currently live. Yes, they played a lot of DJ stuff in between songs. Yes, they played ‘Break Stuff’ twice, both to start and end the set. Yes, they didn’t play anything off their last album and left out a lot of great songs. But when you have a frontman as entertaining and charismatic as Fred Durst, none of that matters. He had the crowd at his beck and call for the entire set, and the place went nuts throughout. Heck, they even got a kid up on stage with them, stealing Wes’ guitar to play ‘Faith’. It was awesome, and he killed it! The hour went by in a flash and they were easily one of the best sets of the weekend. I NEED to see them again soon!

Capping off the Saturday are two of the biggest bands to come out of the 2000s metal scene, Avenged Sevenfold and Bring me the Horizon. And, controversially, I think I may have the opposite opinion as a lot of other people around currently. I LOVED A7X, even going into it with low expectations after hearing they ‘weren’t great’ at Download. Meanwhile, less surprisingly, I didn’t care for BMTH.

Avenged played one of the best sets they could have done. Yes, they did play some of the new album, but songs like ‘We Love You’, ‘Game Over’ and ‘Nobody’ come across a lot better live than on track. Heck, even ‘Cosmic’ isn’t as bad of a closer as everyone makes it out to be. Meanwhile, we got awesome songs like ‘A Little Piece of Heaven’, ‘Save Me’, and the tear-inducing ‘Fiction’. Yes, I’d have loved for some more older tracks on the setlist, but with them touring the latest album, they did the best with what they had. M. sounded surprisingly on point throughout, and the rest of the band killed it as always (aside for the backing vocals, why oh why can Zacky or Johnny still not sing?). And the wrap-around video screens to back the stage were awesome, making for a really immersive set. I loved it, and hope they pump out another album so they fully tour the UK and Europe again soon!

Meanwhile, BMTH arguably put on a more engaging show, with pyro and the cool AI intro thing. But, for me, the music still isn’t there. I still can’t get into them, across their varying styles, and this latest album is maybe their worst offering yet. No matter how cool their stageshow is, it can’t make me enjoy songs like ‘AmEN’ and ‘LosT’. Even standout ‘DArkSide’ was rather meh as an opener, mainly due to how instantly dislikable I find Oli Sykes. For all of you who enjoyed it and have enjoyed them over the years, I’m so glad, they are clearly doing something right either with their music or marketing. But after so many attempts I just don’t get it, and even seeing the best show they had to offer, I came away indifferent at best. ‘Throne’ and ‘Shadow Moses’ are still enjoyable songs, and came across okay live, but the only one that was missing for me was ‘Happy Song’. I certainly wouldn’t rush to see them again, but they do bring the big-band-show like few do these days.

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