Tag Archives: blues rock

Features, Reviews

Hella Rock 2025: The Big Bad Review!

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The second edition of Hella Rock festival took over the HMV Empire in Coventry last weekend, bringing seven incredible bands with it! We had the pleasure of heading down to check it all out, and knew we had to shout about how great it was!

Mystiek opened things up in style. They tore the Empire a new one with their insane energy right from the gate. Being pretty heavy but still having some catchiness and melody to them, they were the perfect way to kick off the day! It was somehow the first time I’d really heard them, but they almost immediately made a new fan in me. They’re all clearly talented musicians, and put their all into their performance here!

After some brief technical issues. Eddie & The Wolves took to the stage. It’s no secret at this point that I am in this band, so of course I’d praise the set. However, I had a blast on stage, and the rest of the band seemed to, too! Thank you so much to James and the rest of the Hella Rock team for having us on and being so accommodating, and for every single person that showed up early to check us out! I thought we sounded pretty good, and it was fun to play a shorter set full of energy throughout after a summer of slightly longer sets. Of course, let us know what you thought in our comments though, especially if you disagree!

Outlaw Orchestra followed swiftly suite and blew the roof off the place! Any longtime readers know we love these guys, and it’s been too long since we’ve seen them live! They were on top form again here, and it was so great to hear some of their new songs make it into their set! The band have grown into some of the best performers on the circuit in recent years, with multi-instrumentalist Pete Briley bouncing all over the stage while his brothers-in-arms were stuck behind the kit and at the mic. And, to top it off, they are all such incredibly talented musicians. From the regular rock fair to box guitars, banjos and plenty of percussion, there was never a dull moment! Their Southern rock stylings made them a unique addition to the bill, and they certainly stood out in the best way!

Not long after, another excellent trio took to the stage in Apriori. The fact that these bands can pack so much of a punch and huge sound into their arrangements is incredible, and it would be a rather running theme throughout the night. The keys packed out the songs fantastically, and brought an air of AOR to the heavy blues sound that set them apart in a big way. They look the part and play it just as well, putting on one of my favourite sets of the day!

Electric Black were fan favourites heading in, and on the day! They were the closest thing to straight-up hard rock on the day, and put on a show to match that. It was like stepping back into the 80s in the best way, putting on a performance reminiscent of the likes of GnR or Electric Boys, or modern counterparts like The LA Maybe. The band very much came, saw, and kicked ass! They showed off their talent for both playing and songwriting perfectly, and had plenty of stage presence to go alongside it. They have been around a little while now and their live shows are like a well-oiled machine, being polished in a way only a rough hard rock band can be!

Tattoo Molly took the stage like they had something to prove, and they did just that! Only their second show under their new lineup, you wouldn’t have thought that they’d had minimal prep time as they smashed it out of the park to the hometown crowd. While it took the new frontman Tim a little to warm up, everyone else put on an immediately electric show, and he soon warmed up to join them! It was a great setlist full of their biggest and best hits, performed masterfully to an adoring crowd. Even with the bands leader also being the organiser for the festival, Tattoo Molly have owned the festival for two straight years now, making the most of their slot!

Fury have returned with a vengeance this year, it feels, and their live shows match up to that. On the verge of dropping their massive new album, the band are firing on all cylinders currently, in a major way! The powerful pairing of Julian and Nyah’s vocals soar perfectly over the heavy, NOWBHM-inspired riffs, making for a fantastic mix of old and new. Speaking of old and new, the band played a great spread of their fantastic back catalogue, thrilling with every track. They have been gathering a wealth of momentum over the last few years and it’s insane that they aren’t one of the biggest bands in the UK currently, especially when they put on shows like this. Still, seeing them in a smallish venue like this is incredible, and the sound for them made it even better!

Finally, the mighty Virginmarys took to the stage. Veterans of the scene by this point, they are no strangers to packed out clubs, and played their asses off accordingly. The fact that they have been so warmly accepted into the NWOCR scene is amazing, and it was clear a large swath of the crowd have been eagerly anticipating the bands set. The fact that it is just two of them making this much noise is mind-blowing, and a true testament to their talent! I love this band yet it was somehow the first time I had seen them live, and I was hugely impressed! Opening on crowd and personal favourite ‘Just a Ride’ was a masterful choice, and playing a lot off The House Beyond the Fires made it even better. They’re headliners and a respected band in the scene for good reason, and they put on one hell of a set to close things out!

And there we have it folks, an excellent day of live rock music! Eight incredible bands that I cannot recommend checking out enough, both live and on track. Tickets are already on sale for next year’s edition of the festival, get them while they’re hot and while you still can. If this year is anything to go off, it’ll be another stellar lineup and will most likely sell out fast!

Reviews

Endless Horizon: Florence Sommerville Knocks it Out of the Park with her Debut!

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The amazing Florence Sommerville is set to release her debut album this coming Friday. The UK country star has been making waves with her singles, so anticipation is at an all time high already. Without further ado, let’s dive right in and check this out!

The album starts in perfectly chilled-out fashion with ‘(I’ll Be Your) Best Broken Heart’. It gives off a more relaxed, Americana/folk side of country music akin to the likes of Julian Taylor or Lanie Gardner or Taylor Rae. However, it also builds up perfectly into a bigger, catchy chorus just begging to be played to huge festival crowds. The harmonies are incredible and I feel like it’s going to be stuck in my head for days to come. We also get some amazing duelling guitar soloing coming out of the choruses, something that I wasn’t expecting but massively appreciate, showing off the talented blues playing of the band. It honestly gives me Santana vibes in the best ways. It’s a really great way to open the album and set the pace, and is a very easy highlight!

‘Fearless’, though not a Tay Tay cover, is somehow even more country, amazing for a Brit. The strings add a lot to it, but her vocals are also awesome, reminding me a lot of people like Paula Cole and Brandi Carlisle, but also simultaneously Alanis Morissette. Speaking of the former, it’s very much in that vein of early 2000s chilled country that I always seem to associate with shows like Gilmore Girls and Dawsons Creek. It’s a less massive chorus, keeping the more Americana/bluegrass feel, but is no less awesome and catchy. It’s a simple but amazing song written and performed beautifully.

Nearly our song, ‘Overton’, is another slower, chilled-out and stripped-back country banger. It shares a lot of similarities with the previous track but that’s far from an issue, as they’re both so good! I love that it slowly builds throughout too, more and more awesome elements coming in each new parts, and so much amazing soloing. This time I got more Knopfler vibes. It’s honestly a beautiful song, and one that I enjoyed a hell of a lot. Florence’s vocals are insanely impressive!

Single ‘Broken Pieces’ picks up the pace a little again, adding a bit of swing and swagger and attitude to the proceedings. It feels like something that should be played at a smoky jazz club, and doesn’t feel like a far-cry from the likes of Amy Winehouse or Lady Rose. It’s another infectiously catchy chorus too, the rest of the track building to it perfectly. It was a damn good choice for a single! It’s yet another massive album highlight, that’s for sure!

Following one single with another, ‘California’ slows things back down to an almost ballad-pace. It fits in perfectly with the rest of the album, especially ‘Fearless’ and ‘Overton’. However, it does still build into a slightly bigger chorus, and makes for a great relaxed single. And it’s once again catchy as another, and a track that I actually really want to see live, as it gave me enough goosebumps on track! Florence is knocking it out of the park with this release, so far!

The likes of ‘Out Where the Love Grows’, ‘Silly Little Things’ and ‘Forget the Water’ are all pretty similar slower, chilled-out vibes. They are all slightly different, like the latter just being Florence with a guitar and her powerful vocals, but all have a similar feel and emotional impact to them. The same could honestly be said for ‘Molasses’ and ‘Cut and Run’. They’re both two more incredible songs, with the latter honestly being one of my favourite tracks on the album; its chorus and the harmonies are INCREDIBLE… *chefs kiss*. But all share pretty similar DNA, and I don’t want to keep repeating myself and gushing over it like a fangirl, it doesn’t make for very good reading! Still, you should check out all of these tracks immediately!

‘Love Me Then’ and ‘Boots in the rain’ take a bit more of the country route. They’re still chilled tracks, but definitely have more of a traditional country feel, kinda like Brandi again. The latter again is amazing, almost giving Dolly vibes with the old-school country nature of the song. Two more awesome original tracks to round things out perfectly!

On top of all of these already awesome tracks, we get a whopping four amazing bonus acoustic songs. From the beautiful, powerful ‘Whiskey in the Morning’ to the interesting, amazing Guns n’ Roses cover to the two great tracks tucked between them, they’re more excellent additions. They fit rather seamlessly into the rest of the album, too. Incredible given they are another change of pace. It really highlights how amazing Florence’s vocals are; her range being insanely impressive and the perfect mix of soft and powerful. I would highly recommend getting or checking out this version, as these tracks are more than worth it!

Overall: This is an incredible debut album! It’s an amazing release anyway, but for a first full-length release from Florence, it is something truly special. It’s chilled-out throughout, but so powerful and beautiful in equal measure, and every song is as good as the last! She’s entering a scene at its biggest in the UK currently, and will surely leave a big mark with this release. I can see huge things in her near future and already can’t wait to hear where she goes from here. However, for now, I cannot recommend this album enough to anyone even slightly into country, folk or Americana!

The Score: 9/10

Interviews & Features

Doomsday Outlaw: ‘We’re looking at next year now to get back out consistently in people’s faces!’

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We sat down with Indy of the awesome Doomsday Outlaw for a quick chat about their latest Redux album releases, their plans for the future, and the state of the music scene. Check it out below!

What made you want to remix/master your older albums?

Two things really. Firstly, they got taken down from everywhere after we left our old label, so I knew we had the job of getting that music back out there. And secondly, we tried a lot of new things when we recorded Damaged Goods around the mixing, mastering and post-production so I thought it’d be cool to bring that new knowledge and contacts to the performances we put down back then – to deliver an improved album, and make it worth people going out and getting. 

What do you think to the reception to the albums being redone so far?

Really good. As I say, we used the existing performances but really wanted it to be step up all the same. The reaction to the singles has been amazing with Break You getting the love we always thought it deserved, Phantom Limb building on being a live favourite and Will You Wait really showcasing what we can do with an epic tune. 

I imagine you’re also working on more music in the background to follow up to Damaged Goods? 

Yeah. We’ve got a few tunes sketched out but ranging from Stones type rockers to riff heavy footstompers. Still got a load of work to do though, but they’re sounding good!

You’ve got quite a busy rest of the year touring, right?

We’ve got a few select dates. Aside from the music it’s been a big year for our personal al lives so a few more commitments, so we’re kinda looking at next year now to get back out consistently in people’s faces. 

What do you think to the state of the scene currently? Nice to see so many NWOCR festivals and gigs still thriving! 

It’s good! There’s a lot of great bands doing things from Gorilla Riot who have some new stuff out right now, to the likes of These Wicked Rivers who are going from strength to strength. 

Also I have to ask, what is the origins of ‘Indy’s Weekly Pick’? It’s such a simple idea that I imagine helps on socials no end! 

That came out of Covid lockdown. We’re pretty good at keeping in touch when we’re touring or recording but trickier when we were in hibernation. So I made a commitment to do something every week. It’s had great feedback with people saying they follow it every week which is great and I get to dig up some memories which is therapeutic for me too!

Do you have any specific goal you want to hit in the next say five years as a band? 

New music, new fans, and hopefully, new countries!

What is your dream tour lineup? Any big bands you want to support or friends you want to take on the road with you?

So many bands we would love to tour with from Black Stone Cherry to Massive Wagons, These Wicked Rivers to The Darkness. We love being on the road and playing for people so wherever there’s a crowd of rockers, we’d be happy!!

Interviews & Features

Elvie Shane: ‘I love the contrast of their smooth, beautiful harmonies with whatever the hell this raspy thing I’ve got going on is!’

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We had the pleasure of sitting down with the awesome Elvie Shane last week to chat about his latest album, his touring plans for the year and the state of country music. Check it out below!

How would you describe your sound?

With Damascus I was dead set on not having a specific sound, I just wanted to create a record that was very diverse. Each song way recorded in a way that catered to the song and the lyrical content as much as possible. I grew up listening to a lot of heartland rock; a lot of Steve Earl, Bruce Springsteen. So message wise my inspiration comes from them, but sonically my producer is a huge Black Keys, White Stripes, Alabama Shakes, so we managed to incorporate a lot of that. We also enjoy a lot of lo-fi and hip-hop, so we got to implement a lot of that into this record.

I would just say that my sound is honest. It’s a sound that is true to each song. Whether it sounds like honky tonk or gospel or rock or R&B… the whole goal is to evoke some kind of emotion from the song, so whatever caters to that!

What would you say about the state of country music at the minute?

It’s beautiful chaos. I’m not a fan of all of it, but I’m a fan people being able to come in and do whatever. I think the days of genres are coming to an end; we are all melting pots this day and age with music. We have grown up listening to so much. The country sound was the country sound because it was just being developed. Same with rock. A lot of people my generation and younger, we’ve been listening to all of this stuff and we come from so many different places of the world, there’s so much to draw from. So you can have Zach Bryan on one side, Shaboozey on the other. You can do what you want to. Music City is officially Music City and not just Country Music City. Some people hate that, I really couldn’t give a shit. I just want people to live their live and create, to do what they love and have a good time doing it. Of course I have my knee-jerk reaction sometimes when I hear stuff. But in then end we’re all trying to do the same thing; we wanna sing and write songs and do what we love, and kudos to anyone who’s doing that!

The album came out a couple of months ago now, what’s it been like to see the reception to it?

I think it’s been much better received than my original record. Backslider; I’m very proud of that record, but it was very bright eyed and bushy tailed, life was going really good when I was making that record, while with Damascus it was going much more normal. I don’t know what people were thinking truly, but I do believe my overall theme for the record was the struggle that I see in the world. I think that a lot of people are struggling, a lot of people are pissed off, and I just want them to know that someone sees what’s going on and wants to talk about it.

With Backslider everyone was really excited for a little while and then it went away. With Damascus it seems like the longer it’s out the more people start to talk about it.

Did that understand of people’s struggles play into the album title?

Yeah, Damascus is obviously the story from the bible with the apostle Paul on the road to Damascus is where the idea originally came from. I had no idea where I was going after that original record. I’d done everything I’d ever dreamt of. I got a record deal, a number one, my life was in this amazing place that I wasn’t familiar with. But with Damascus, the first two songs that we wrote for it were ‘Baptized’ and ‘Forgotten Man’, which are two very different ideas and different sounding songs. I was like, how in the world do I put this all on the same record. So the idea of Damascus steal came to me. You’ve probably seen the kitchen knives made out of it with all these black lines in them. The way they’re made is you take all these different types of steel, you throw them in a forge together and beat it together, and all those lines are the different layers of metal. And it creates a really strong metal and really beautiful knife blade.

So I thought what if I approach this album like I’m making a knife, and I’ll listen to as much Mac Miller, as much Johnny Cash, Foo Fighters and Alabama Shakes as I can. I’ll use all of that as my metal and create a Damascus knife and hope that it cuts deep. That was the plan and I feel like it came together!

What was it like working with Little Big Town and Jenna McClelland?

So Jenna is actually an old friend of mine who is probably the most amazing female vocalist I’ve ever heard in my life. She lives down in Alabama and doing the bar scene and putting her music out, but she also came on the road with me for about a year singing backing vocals. So I was in Alabama, at a beach house on a writers retreat, when I wrote ‘Jonesin’’. So I called her as she was like an hour away to come and sit in on it!

And then with Little Big Town, the day we wrote that song I’d listened to ‘Boondocks’ on the way to this writers retreat. So I had it in my head and wrote that song. And while we were writing I got a little drunk and looked up at the guys and said ‘I’m gonna have Little Big Town record on this track with me’. They just looked at me and laughed. Well, when we got done I got on Instagram and sent a Karen Fairchild a video of us just jamming the song and was like ‘Hey, I listened to Boondocks today, thanks for the inspiration!’. And then about 20 minutes later I had some more shots and went back and sent ‘fuck that, what I actually meant was if you like this, it would be really cool if you guys sing on it with me’. The next morning I woke up to a message from her saying ‘we love it, let’s do it’.

They’re so awesome to work with, they’re such good people. They’ve not forgot where they came from. They worked very hard to make sure the song got what it needed. We actually ran out of time because they were working so hard on the background vocals. I didn’t get to feature them on a main part. But it came together really well. I love the contrast of their smooth, beautiful harmonies with whatever the hell this raspy thing I’ve got going on is!

It’s certainly a highlight of the album!

I wasn’t feeling the song that much at first. Then my buddy, Adam Wood, says what if we go ‘I’m tired of coming in last’. I was like ‘hell yeah, I agree with that shit!’. I’m putting in a first place effort every day. We had come first with ‘My Boy’ off the first record, we got to ring the bell which was amazing. But after that it was like I was forgot about, you know? I was the dog that got kicked out the house and lives in the yard now. I’d grown frustrated, and when he said that line I felt that way, and I know the guy swinging the hammer or turning the wrench does too. So we brought it to life and I’m glad to have it on the record. That song is also my tip of the hat to country music.

I imagine you’re writing some stuff again already, too?

I have no earthly idea what I’m doing next. I’ve been writing a little bit, but I don’t wanna be. When Backslider came out I couldn’t wait to write more as I felt like I hadn’t said it all. With Damascus, I feel like I finally created the record I always wanted to, and said what I wanted to say. So now, I’m toying with the idea of maybe doing a more R&B/soul record. I’m never going to try to put out the same record twice. I don’t want to do that. I just wanna explore all the things in music that have inspired me. One thing I’m not really great at is writing love songs. So I’m interested in trying to approach that with the next project. I’m lost right now, I don’t know what to do.

I might just do the reverse Jelly Roll and put out a hip-hop record! Can you hear my ass rapping?!

You’ve got a fair few dates planned for the rest of the year now, right?

Yeah, I mean, I’ll take more if they’ll come. We’ve got some shows with Brothers Osborne, Miranda Lambert, Travis Tritt, Midland. We wanna come back over y’all’s way. Last year I broke my ankle a week before I was supposed to fly out there, so hopefully they’re not too gun-shy to invite me back! It’d be cool to get back out to you guys.

But yeah, we’re just out here grinding. Just trying to spread the word and spread the music. Keep gaining new fans. I’m doing it like Noah’s Arc baby, two by two, come on in!

new music mondays

New Music Mondays: Kerry King, Don McLean and More!

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A pretty heavy week of NMM this time, but still with some great lighter country and indie and blues stuff thrown in for good measure too. It’s a fun one, so let’s dive in and check it out!

Also, while it’s technically a covers album so I won’t cover it in the list (see what I did there?), shout out to the new Slash record. It’s easily the most I’ve enjoyed an album Slash has put out in over a decade at this point, which says a lot about the GnR guitarists songwriting these days… Everyone he worked with sounded awesome, fit the songs, and they all really made them their own. It’s a fun listen and I’d recommend it to anyone!

Now, on with the list…

Kerry King: From Hell I Rise

The Slayer guitarists much anticipated solo album is finally out, and sounds almost exactly what you’d expect it to. Evil riffs, lightening-quick drums and some very fitting lyrics. While Mark’s vocals are mainly a bit more harsh than Tom’s were, there are times where they have almost the same delivery and sound eerily similar. The main difference, thank god, is that Kerry’s soloing is 10x better than it was in Slayer. It’s no longer a wall of high, whammied screeching, but actually has something to it, even if half the time it’s very Kirk Hammett.

But I actually enjoyed this album a lot more than I was expecting to. Kerry always felt like the weak link of Slayer, in my opinion, but this is a solid thrash/death metal record. Tracks like ‘Idle Hands’, ‘Crucifixion’ and ‘Toxic’ are awesome, but I really enjoyed every song on it. It’s a great album from front to back, and I’ll certainly be spinning it again a good few times over the next few weeks and months, I’m sure. Kerry very much still has it and it’s just made me wish we had more Slayer releases towards the back portion of their careers. They’ve won me over with this album, and I’mma have to see them at Graspop now! 7.5/10

Don McLean: American Boys

The fact that the American Pie legend is still putting out new music on a semi-regular basis is crazy. The fact that it’s still pretty high quality is even more insane. It’s so very old-school country, with a healthy dose of blues rock on top, and is a fantastic summer chill-out album. Even when it address some pretty heavy topics like George Floyd, it does so with style and swagger (if it’s a little blunt). But songs like ‘Thunderstorm Girl’, ‘Truth and Fame’ and ‘I Shall Find my Way’ are all personal highlights, but if you’re into the style I’d wholeheartedly recommend the whole album. Don still sounds excellent and his band work their asses throughout. It’s made me more excited to see him at The Long Road in August, so it’s done it’s job pretty well indeed! Traditional country fans will love this, as will old-school blues fans, so check this out if you fall into either category! 7/10

Cage the Elephant: Neon Pill

The US alt/indie band are back with their first new music in half a decade, their longest dry spell between albums. I’ve known the name for years, but haven’t ever really checked them out aside for ‘Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked’. However, I know plenty of talented musicians from Bowling Green (mainly country, admittedly) so I’m sure it’s good.

Good it certainly is! Don’t get me wrong, it’s very different to the single from their debut album, but of course a band are going to evolve across 16 years. It’s a lot more electro-based than what I was expecting, more resembling Twenty-One Pilots’ music. Then again, that’s kinda how indie in general has gone the last five plus years or so, so they’re just changing with the times. Still, I enjoyed it, and songs like ‘Rainbow’, ‘Neon Pill’ and ‘Ball and Chain’ are all massive highlights. Still, it’s a good album overall, too. I had it on while cooking and fit the mood pretty perfectly. It’s not 100% my sort of thing, but they constantly kept it interesting with funk, pop, rock, indie, hip-hop and other influences blended together in a great melting pot. If you’re into vaguely indi-rock infused pop, check this out, you won’t be disappointed! 7.5/10

Elvellon: Ascending in Synergy

We’ve already checked this album out! Find our review of it here!

Marty Friedman: Drama

The best guitarist Megadeth ever had (and that’s barely a contentious point, sorry to the others) is back with another of his completely different solo albums. This one is a bit more what you’d expect from the virtuoso than some of his solo work, him showing off his insane talent, soloing over the top of classical piano and soft rock. As a semi-aspiring guitarist, I cannot help but love, yet be massively jealous of, his work here. Not only his playing, but his songwriting and crafting and producing is all on point. And at times, it’s truly beautiful. The highlight track for me is ‘Triumph’, a reimagining of his 1992 hit from album Scenes. People may be familiar with it, as it itself is a reimagining of ‘Thunder March’. However, this is far and away my favourite take on the piece. Then straight afterwards, he changes things up and we get another highlight in the straight-up rock song, ‘Thrill City’. Then you have the one track with English lyrics on the album, ‘Dead of Winter’ featuring Like a Storm. It’s another great track, an almost power/symphonic metal ballad.

Of course, this album won’t be for everyone. When 80% plus of it is instrumental, a lot will surely judge it immediately and not listen. Both ‘Dead of Winter’ and the Spanish ‘2 Rebeldes’ are incredible songs with lyrics though, and are well worth checking out if you can’t do instrumental stuff. But then, if you are a musician in any way, or like more classical composition, you have to check out the rest of the album too. It’s SO GOOD. This man is such an incredible, underrated force within the music world, and I can’t given this album any lower than a 9/10, unheard of for an instrumental one on this site!

The Avett Brothers: Self-Titled

This is a real mixed bag of an album, both in my personal preference and in style overall. One track can be folk, the next punk, the next indie, the next rock, and sometimes it makes for quite a jarring transition. The opening track is admittedly weird AF, but then we headed into the almost Barenaked Ladies/NOFX combination of ‘Love of a Girl’ and I got excited. Then it drops back down into slow folk again immediately, and I nearly got whiplash. Don’t get me wrong, I admire the hell out of a band that can play and blend multiple different styles, but my issue is that at times this doesn’t even sound like the same band. And I’m not even against their folky, indier stuff, either. Songs like ‘Cheep Coffee’ and ‘Same Broken Bones’ are just as good as their random, upbeat country song, ‘Country Kid’. But as an album, it’s a very strange collection of nine tracks. It may grow on me more with more listens, and I’ll certainly be listening to it again, but for now it gets a solid 7/10 from me!

Mutes: …Buried Where You Stand

The Birmingham post-punk trio are back with album number four. While individually each track isn’t especially my sort of thing, the album as a whole is really damn good. It reminds me a lot of early Placebo, in all of the best ways. It also gives slight Mother Mother vibes, especially when that band turns to their heavier side. The guitars are grungy and distorted to high heaven, giving it an almost dangerous edge and making the songs drip with attitude. And, despite the distortion to the vocals too, there is still plenty of catchiness and great hooks throughout, especially with the backing-vocal-filled choruses. And yet the band can switch up in an instant into a more calmer, indie-folk feel and back again at the drop of a hat, showcasing their playing and writing talent perfectly.

Songs like the opener, the grungy ‘Another Moon Song’ and ‘Great White Nothing’ are all big personal highlights. However, as I said before, if you listen to this album as a whole, it really shines brightly. If you’re into all things psychedelic, indie or even desert rock, this may be the album for you! The band’s talent is off the charts, so even though it won’t be a regular listen for me moving forward, it’s an easy 7.5/10

Cognative: Abhorrence

The fifth album from the tech death New Jerseyans came out last Friday, and is a full-on assault on the ears from the first second to the last. And, of course, I mean that in the best possible way. It’s technical death metal at its very best, and really builds upon what the band have put out so far in an excellent way. The guitaring is an insanely massive highlight of the album, but that’s not to take away from everyone else in the bad, who work their ass off throughout. Tracks like ‘Insidious’, ‘Ivory Tower’ and ‘Savor of Suffering’ are all huge highlights on an album stacked full of them. It’s certainly not an album for the faint of heart, but if you’re into the heavier side of metal, I’d certainly recommend checking this album out in full! It’s certainly one of the better albums I’ve heard in the genre, not that I’ve checked out many so far! 8/10

Troy Redfern: Invocation

This is an awesome heavy blues rock album. Troy’s seventh studio release is so very Love/Hate in all the best ways. It’s just as much sleaze as it is blues, and packed full of awesome riffs, blistering soloing and some really catchy vocal hooks. It’s like all eras of Slash’s career blended into one sound, it’s amazing. Songs like ‘Getaway’, ‘The Calling’ and ‘All Night Long’ are personal highlights, but honestly this whole album is just hit after hit.

The NWOCR scene has such a talent on their hands with Troy, and this could very well be the album that helps break him out into the massive star he deserves to be. The fact that this is his fifth album in four years, too, and the songwriting and playing is still to this high quality is insane. I’mma be spinning this a lot going forward, and would recommend the whole album to anyone! It’s a very easy 9.5/10 from me!

Devitalized: State of Agression

The deathcore band’s debut album goes hard. It has more of a hardcore and metalcore edge to it than the big bands of the genre these days, which I loved just as much as the power metal-infused likes of Lorna Shore. The riffing is heavy and awesome, the drummer goes HARD throughout, and the screams fit perfectly and sound awesome over the top of it all. Heck, even the clean vocals on tracks like ‘Karma Sutra’ sound great and fit amazingly, causing the contrast between the two to make the screams even heavier! And of course the ever-imressive Tom Barber kills it on ‘Godslayer’, giving off instant Darko vibes in the best ways.

It’s hard to even pick highlight tracks, partially because they’re all awesome, and partially because in my new-to-deathcore ears, they all blend together and sound kinda samey. That’s hardly a complaint, though. The album as a whole is a great listen and certainly worth checking out in full if you’re a fan of the heavy stuff! 8/10, this is sick and I have to see it live!

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New Music Mondays: Cheryl Crow, Sum 41 and More!

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Two weeks in a row now that we’re inundated in new country albums. Yet again, I’m not complaining! We still have some power metal, metalcore and good old-fashioned rock ‘n’ roll spread through, too! Let’s dive right in!

Sheryl Crow: Evolution

I’ve never been the biggest Cheryl Crow fan in the world. This album hasn’t changed my mind. Don’t get me wrong, she has an absolutely incredible voice and some great hits from back in the day. But man, her albums have always been a bit of a slog. And, 30 years after her breakout hits, she still sounds like a combination of Shania Twain, Lenny Kravitz and Alanis Morrisette. I do find it slightly ironic that the album is called Evolution yet sounds exactly the same as everything else she’s put out. It’s 2024, do we really need any more of this late 90s/early 2000s pop rock?

I honestly couldn’t pick this out of a lineup of any of her other songs. All of the tracks kinda blend together, and most of the lyrics were juvenile at best. The only real one I found that stood out and I enjoyed was the closer, ‘Waiting in the Wings’. And even then, it’s probably because it was the most country-leaning track. None of it was bad, per-say, but it just feels like a wholly unneeded album. Still, if anyone reading this is a fan of her other work or any of the other artists I named in a big way, you’ll probably enjoy it. It’s not a bad album, just a safe, boring one. 3.5/10

Sum 41: Heaven :x: Hell

The final album from the pop-punk legends is a bittersweet affair. Having grown up with the band, it’s horrible to hear their last hurah (for now, at least. This is the music industry, after all…). However, what a fantastic swan song. It’s a 20-track, double album that spans all of the styles and sounds the band have covered over their illustrious career, and I love it. Whether it’s heavier, Anti-Flag-style songs like ‘Future Primetive’ or the AMAZING single ‘Rise Up’ or more typical pop-punk stuff like ‘I Can’t Wait’ or ‘Dopemine’, it’s all awesome and packed full of highlights.

Don’t get me wrong, a couple of the songs are a little Ticket to My Downfall, which isn’t a good thing. It may be a little too long, controversially. However, it’s new, final Sum 41, so I still loved it. The band are going out on a high and at the top of their games, which doesn’t happen often these days, and I admire the crap out of them for that. If you are a fan of the band or pop punk in general, I cannot recommend this album enough! I’mma be listening to it a lot going forward. 9/10

While She Sleeps: SELF HELL

Considering I was a metalcore kid, I never quite ‘got’ WSS. I was hoping that would change with the inevitable yet slower-than-usual transition into more of a BMTH sound, especially given that they seem to have gotten stuck around Sempiternal, but that sadly hasn’t happened. I got pretty excited too because when I first stuck it on, I really loved the intro track and where it was headed. Then sadly, that destination was nowhere, building up to stop, and then the following track being anti-climactic, Linkin Park-esque nothingness.

Don’t get me wrong, there were tracks I enjoyed on here. ‘RAINBOWS’ and the heavier, Malevolence-featuring ‘DOWN’ are two songs I’ve listened to a lot over this last weekend. ‘ENEMY MENTALITY’ is a fun, almost modern BFMV, too. However, there is a lot of meh on this album, including multiple interludes that feel like they go nowhere. I know the band are getting quite big and have a lot of momentum currently, but this release doesn’t reflect that at all to me. Hopefully actual fans of the band enjoy it more than I do! 6/10

Rage: Afterlifelines

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

Aaron Lewis: The Hill

The Staind frontman is back with another helping of his country-based solo work. If you can get past the overly patriotic, questionably political and generally cringy lyrics, it’s a pretty decent album. His voice is just as well suited to country as it is radio/dad rock. Tracks like ‘Spinnin”, ‘Only In My Mind’ and the bouncier, rockier ‘Outlaw’ are all big highlights of the album. However, with just his vocals, guitars and strings, it does get a tad samey and drags a little by the end. None of it is bad, but I wish we’d have had a little more dynamics, or heck, even some drums, just to fill things out a little more or add to the dramatics. Still, I’ve seen a lot of people praising the album so far and rightfully so, it’s a good country release! 8/10

Asomvel: Born to Rock ‘n’ Roll

One of the fastest rising stars in the UK underground rock scene currently, Asomvel finally released their highly anticipated new album last Friday. And, surprising to I’m sure no one, it’s fucking awesome! It’s the perfect blend of Motorhead and Airborne, yet also feels like a modernised version of both. It’s dripping with attitude and has a real old-school feel to it while somehow still fitting in perfectly with today’s music and climate.

It’s a balls-to-the-wall, foot stomping album from start to finish, and is full of energy and adrenaline. Of course, there is something to be said of it all being similar, and I have certainly called out other releases for doing just that in the past. However, the 45-minutes went by in a flash and I loved every minute of it! There isn’t a bad song on the album, but tracks like the opener, ‘Cold Day in Hell’ and ‘Outside the Law’ are all massive personal highlights. If this is anything to go by, this hand are going to be MASSIVE in the very near future. Any rock fan out there will love this just as much as I did. I’d recommend it to anyone! 9.5/10, great stuff!

Ash Tustain: Piece of Me

We’ve also done this album in full too, aren’t you lucky? Check it out here!

Preacher Stone: V

The southern rockers are finally back with their first new album in eight years. The hype around it has been pretty massive, with three huge, awesome singles having been dropped already. I can’t wait to hear the rest!

It’s just as good as I was expecting it to be! ‘Hard Life PhD’ is the perfect opener, setting up the sound and feel of the album fantastically. Tracks like ‘Ain’t as Easy as it Looks’, the stomping, swaggering ‘Horse to Water’, and ‘Dance with the Devil’ are also personal highlights. However, there really isn’t a bad track on the album! It’s also put together really well, with every track flowing perfectly one after another. I didn’t get bored at all and listened to it all in one sitting like no time passed at all! If you’re into anything Southern or hard rocking or even country, check this out, you won’t be disappointed! 8/10

Dylan Scott: Livin’ My Best Life (Still)

I guess a sequel album of sorts, as ‘…Still’ clearly follows on from Dylan’s 2022 release in a major way. It continues the bro country/rock country sound and trend of his previous two albums, so if that’s your thing, you’ll surely love this! Honestly, I thought this was right up my alley going into it, but personally, the album was… fine? None of it was bad, don’t get me wrong. It’s always nice to have a darker, rockier, Brantley Gilbert-like sound in country, and Dylan and the musicians he’s used are all fantastic performers and writers. But it’s a slightly outdated country style these days, the lyrics being a touch on the cringy side at times. And there is a lot of music that sounds like this that I don’t think this album will quite cut through the white noise. Tracks like the opener and ‘Killin’ Some Time’ are personal highlights, but a lot of it sounds similar and blended together. I wouldn’t turn off the album if it came on. However, I don’t think I’d go out of my way to listen to it in full much again after this. Especially at 24 TRACKS. MY GOD COUNTRY, STOP THIS. 6.5/10

Beyoncé: COWBOY CARTER

I never thought I’d be writing about Beyoncé on this site. However, given that this is advertised and claims to be a country album, I thought I’d give it a crack.

Lol, this was shit. If you’re a Beyoncé fan you’ll probably enjoy it, but if you’re a country fan, keep a wide birth. To call it country is laughable and almost insulting to the genre. It’s an R&B album that claims to be country because it’s an acoustic guitar at its heart instead of a clean electric one or electronic samples. And the fact that it’s probably going to be the ‘biggest country album of the year’ makes me sick. I’ve heard the dreadful, nonsensical ‘TEXAS HOLD ‘EM’ so much on social media and, unlike most songs that go viral, I haven’t even been Stockholm Syndromed into liking it. That’s how bad it is. The covers were the best part and that’s because she was nowhere near the writing process for them. And heck, if you want to listen to ‘Joline’ or ‘Blackbird’, I highly recommend listening to the original instead.

This will certainly have the mainstream media in love with it, but as a country fan, this is terrible. Honestly, it may be the worst album I’ve ever reviewed, and I don’t say that lightly. 1/10

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New Music Mondays: Kenny Chesney, Chris Young and More! 

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This week is for the country fans! Sure, there is some power metal and NWOCR sprinkled in for good measure, but at least four of the albums this week are considered country. Not that I’m complaining at all, in fact I’m excited. Let’s dive in!

Kenny Chesney: Born

The country legend is back with his whopping 20th studio release. It’s somehow the biggest gap in albums in his 30+ year career, too, with Here and Now being released back in 2020. It’s also rare to see someone have such a long, prolific career in the genre, with almost every album from 1997 through to 2020 producing one of his biggest hits. It’s honestly insane.

Shockingly, this album is no different, either. A couple of the singles have already received huge country-radio airplay globally, and it’s easy to see why! ‘Take her Home’ channels very ‘Get Along’ vibes and feelings, but a love song version. Meanwhile ‘Just Say We Did’ is a typical modern era Kenny banger. The album is pretty front loaded though, as the opener is one of my favourite tracks on the album, and songs like ‘Few Good Stories’ and ‘Guilty Pleasure’ are good, with the latter also being a single.

However, it was at that point that I started to feel the length of the album. There are certainly still good songs after this point, don’t get me wrong. But there are eight more songs, and a lot of them all have a similar feel and tempos. I can complain all day about the too-long length of modern country albums, but I’ll leave it at: this definitely suffers with that issue. Still, it’s a good album with some great songs on it. And regardless, it’ll still be massive just like Kenny’s other releases. I’ll be listening to plenty of this a lot moving forward, so it’s an easy 8/10

Chris Young: Young Love & Saturday Nights

A modern country megastar, Chris returned on Friday with his ninth studio album, and first since the dreaded Covid times. I feel like I’ll never see him at this point after he dropped out of his UK tour and The Long Road 2022 headline slot, so at least new music’s something, right?

It helps that said new music is really quite good. The opener is classic Chris Young stadium-country goodness, while the ‘Rebel Rebel’ homage of a title track is incredible. Other big highlights include ‘Country Boy’s Prayer’, the almost TC3-like ‘Double Down’, the beautiful ‘Gettin’ Older’, ‘Knee Deep in Neon’ and ‘Right Now’. Don’t get me wrong, it very much has the same issue as the previous album in that it is so long. 18 songs and nearly an hour is a lot, especially when the vast majority of it sounds pretty similar. The album definitely hits a slump between ‘Double Down’ and ‘Gettin’ Older’, even if all five of the tracks between them are great. I also love the final three tracks a hell of a lot. That’s 12 incredible tracks that I am in love with, and six that are really rather easily cuttable.

Because of this, it makes it very hard to come up with a ranking for this. On the one hand, at least half of this album is up there with some of his best work, in my opinion. The seven tracks I’ve mentioned I will be listening to a hell of a lot, and have made me want to see him live somehow even more badly. And as I’ve said, none of the other tracks are especially bad. They’re just slow-ish and samey and one after another. Still though, it’s a truly fantastic country album, and will most likely not get the love it definitely deserves, given how many other major players there are in the genre these days. I’ll be playing this a lot moving forward, and would recommend it to anyone. 9.5/10

Hammer King: KÖNIG UND KAISER

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

Gossip: Real Power

The US indie band are back with their first album since 2012, and a whopping two reunions later. I was a fan of their stuff back in the day, with Standing in the Way of Control and Music for Men being awesome albums. However, I didn’t even know they’d broken up, let alone gotten back together. Sadly, this album doesn’t quite do it for me. The title track is fun, as is ‘Turn the Card Slowly’. However, in general, it feels like the band are simply trying to recapture an old magic that died long ago. It’s less Brave New World and more Chinese Democracy. It all kinda blended together into a blur of meh, sadly. It’s not bad, but the genre and music industry as a whole has evolved so far past this in the last 12+ years that this feels pretty stale. I know I’m certainly not the biggest indie fan so I’m sure there will be some out there whole like this. I’m not one of them, though. 3/10

Sierra Ferrell: Trail of Flowers

Owen: The follow up to a strong debut in 2021, it’s hard to believe ‘Trail Of Flowers’ is only the second release from Sierra Ferrell. The success she’s seen in the time between these two albums (a  myriad of featuring spots with artists big and small, as well as involvement with major film and tv productions) seems only to have empowered the blend of styles unique to Ferrell’s solo work. The
12 tracks presented are expertly paced; winding paths from upbeat galloping beats such as 2023 single ‘Fox Hunt’, through to the slow wrenching ballad of ‘Wish You Well’.

In the latter stages of the album, we are given two songs that have suffered the same fate. Fans that discovered Ferrell through YouTube will be familiar with both ‘Why Haven’t You Loved Me Yet’ and ‘Rosemary’. Both songs have been circulating the platform with various performances over recent years, each rightly celebrated by the fanbase. As a long-time fan, I’m sure I’m not the only one happy to see both of these stand proud on a full-length release. In future releases, it would be great to see Ferrell push the limits of her vocal range and natural talent a little further. Having witnessed the power of her voice live I wish this came across more in the album recordings. 8.5/10

Borris & Coaltar of the Deepers: “Hello There”

The odd Japanese band are back, this time experimenting with a 90s alt rock band. The third helping of the band on this series, and sadly I think it’s the one I enjoyed the least out of them. It had more of the band’s psychadellic inspiration to it, adding it to Coaltar’s alt rock in a very weird way. I feel like live some of the stuff wouldn’t be too bad, especially with a good stageshow, but on track it did nothing for me. I honestly can’t even pick out a highlight track; it’s all one big blend of weird noise.

Don’t get me wrong, I have massive admiration for Boris. Being able to collaborate with so many different artists for full albums and adapt their sound accordingly takes insane amounts of talent. There are certainly going to be fans of this music out there too, as Coaltar have tens of thousands of monthly streamers. But yeah, this is not for me at all. A couple of nice riffs but that’s sadly it. 3/10

Cody Jinks: Change the Game

We’ve checked out this album already too! Read our review of it here!

Stone Angels: Up in Smoke

An interesting release up next, as the NWOCR band have decided to release solely physical copies of the album currently, releasing each track as a single on streaming in the coming months before putting out the full album on them after. It’s a bold strategy for sure, and one I haven’t seen before, so I’m curious to see how it plays out!

As for the actual music, it’s pretty good! There’s a grungy/alt metal edge to their brand of hard rock which keeps things interesting and made it a fun listen. The riffing throughout is amazing and there are plenty of catchy vocal hooks and melodies to appease more radio listeners. Tracks like ‘Gambler’, ‘Western Dreams’ and the more ballad-like title track are all personal highlights.

I’ve already seen a lot of fans of this album, and I did really enjoy it myself, though it does feel like it’s missing something that puts it on the upper level of albums in the genre. I have no idea what that something is, but it does feel just a small step below the likes of Bed of Nails or Inhale/Exhale. It’s still good, don’t get me wrong, and I’ll be listening to it a bunch after this review still. But at the time of writing, I’mma give it a 7.5/10

Gary Clark Jr.: JPEG RAW

The blues master returned with his sixth album last week. It immediately gives off an old-school, more raw sounding Lenny Kravitz style. Between the obviously awesome, grungy guitar work and great vocals, the album had me hooked right from the opener, ‘Maktub’. There’s also some clear jazz/soul influence on songs like ‘Alone Together’. Meanwhile, tracks like the title one and ‘This Who We Are’ incorporate more of Gary’s hip hop influences, which I LOVE. The latter is a huge highlight of the album and one of my favourite tracks Gary has put out. Other highlights include ‘Hearts in Retrograde’ and the almost proggy ‘Habits’.

The talent and variety on display throughout the album is incredible and I was never once bored. The nearly-hour went by in a flash. It’s certainly not going to be for everyone but damn, I really enjoyed the album! It’s an easy 8/10 from me!

Hideous Divinity: Unextinct

The tech/brutal death metal band are back with album number five and damn, it’s a good one! I usually don’t get a huge amount out of stuff quite this straight-forward heavy, but the band had me hooked on this album from ‘The Numinous One’. It was a big highlight track of the album, as is the epic, Zach Jeter featuring ‘Atto Quarto’. However, the whole album is pretty great, and if you’re into the heavy stuff you’ll love this! There isn’t too much more I can say about it, if you’re familiar with the genre you know exactly what to expect, and it delivers in spades! 7.5/10

Leaves’ Eyes: Myths of Fate

The German symphonic metal band’s first album in nearly four years is fucking awesome. Of course, it’s easy to draw comparisons to genre giants like Nightwish and Within Temptation, but from the soaring, powerful operatic vocals to the awesome growls and screams and the overall epic feel, I’d say this is definitely up there with those two. Right from the excellent opener to the massive closer, this album had me hooked throughout. There isn’t a bad track on the album but songs like ‘Who Wants to Live Forever’, ‘Fear the Serpent’ and the beautifully folky ‘Godess of the Night’ are definite highlights for me.

My only ever so slight issue with this album is that it doesn’t really do anything different. All are great songs, but there is so much amazing power/symphonic metal coming out these days that it may just fall into the sea of white noise. Still though, that shouldn’t dissuade anyone from listening to it. If you’re a fan of any of the bands or genres I’ve previously mentioned, you’ll love this. 8/10, it’s a great album!

The Staves: All Now

The folk duo of sisters have grown pretty darn popular over the last decade or so thanks to a rabid fanbase and some consistently high-quality releases. It’s an incredibly chilled-out album filled with big, open choruses and almost hypnotic vocal harmonies from Jessica and Camilla. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not especially my sort of thing, but I can appreciate how well written and performed it is. It doesn’t have as much of a folk sound as it does electro/synth pop with Fleetwood Mac-style vocals over the top. The highlight for me was probably ‘Make a Decision’, but honestly I wouldn’t turn any of it off if it came on again. If you’re into more chilled out music, check this album out! 7/10

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New Music Mondays: Dragonforce, Kacey Musgraves and More!

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Another stacked week of New Music Mondays, covering everything from country to death metal. Let’s check it out!

Dragonforce: Warp Speed Warriors

The British power metal legends returned with their first album in half a decade this last Friday. Any fans of the band already should know exactly what to expect. They have unashamedly stuck to pretty much the exact same sound and formula throughout their careers, the ACDC/Slayer of power metal, if you will. However, every single band member is insanely talented players and songwriters, with Li of course having reached guitar god status years ago. And while, even five albums in now, I can’t quite get into it as much without ZP’s vocals on it, Marc is the best I’ve heard him on this album, and it’s easily the best he’s fit.

The album has plenty of awesome tracks, too. The Gloryhammer-esque ‘Power of the Triforce’ and epic, slower, movie-soundtrack-like ‘Kingdom of Steel’ is a fantastic one-two punch early on. ‘The Killer Queen’ is also a big highlight. However, unless it is a tongue-in-cheek parody song, I have to say ‘Space Marine Corp’ is one of the cringiest songs I’ve heard in a while. But still, in general it’s a great power metal album, and honestly up there with some of the bands best work. Everyone does a great job and it’s packed full of awesome songs. 8/10

Kacey Musgraves: Deeper Well

The country/Americana/folk singer-songwriter is back with her fifth studio album. Considering how massive a name she is, and I certainly knew the name, I can’t think of a song she’s done that I’d heard. Though, having listened to this, I may have heard loads of her stuff and just forgot about it. It’s very… okay. It’s simple and slowish, which does contrast interestingly with the massive choruses of stadium country or even the likes of Chris Stapelton or Drake Milligan. Reaching this size without that is at least admirable. But it’s just like more boring, less well-written Cam. I had this whole album on while I was doing work and honestly couldn’t tell you a single standout track or thing about it. It’s not bad, per say, it’s simply rather dull and not really my sort of thing. 4/10 is the highest I can give it, as it isn’t badly written and I’m sure plenty will love it!

Scott Stapp: Higher Power

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

Mad Caddies: Arrows Room 117

The Caddies have been one of my favourite bands for close to a decade now, so when this album was announced, I was understandably excited. Having almost completely abandoned their punk roots at this point, the bands slower, chilled-out, almost easy listening ska/reggae sound is still a huge amount of fun to listen to. The closest they get to punk is on the Social Distortion-esque ‘Backroads’ or ‘Baby’. Heck, the latter even has a slight country tinge. Outside of that, it’s just relaxed ska indicative of their SoCal style. If anything I find it admirable that a band nearly three decades into their careers are continuing to evolve and write what they want to. Too much recently have we heard punk bands try to go back to their agro, adolescent roots to, more often than not, middling results at best.

The album is packed full of highlights, with there not being a bad song on it. However, personal highlights include the previously mentioned songs, ‘Palmtrees and Pines’ and ‘Everywhere You Go’. Honestly though, the whole album is good and worth a listen through from start to finish. If you’re a fan of ska, Reggae or punk, you certainly won’t be disappointed. It’s the first release of original music in a decade, and it’s a worthy successor to Dirty Rice! 9/10

Necrophobic: In the Twilight Grey

The Blackened death metal Swedes put out a pretty interesting and good album to mark their 10th release! It’s very much like if Amon Amarth had a baby with a black metal band, and I kinda love it. Tracks like the opener and ‘Stormcrow’ blew me away and were clear highlights! Having said that though, there really isn’t a bad track on the whole thing. Honestly, there isn’t much to say about the album aside for that if you like any of the genres or bands I’ve already named, you’ll probably love this. I’m not even typically a black/blackened metal fan, but this was interesting enough for me to love. If you’re a fan of the heavy, you’ll like this! 7.5/10

The Black Crowes: Happiness Bastards

The southern rock legends are back with their ninth studio album, and first in a decade and a half. Honestly, it was so good to hear the band were coming back at all after all their issues in the last decade or so, but to have new music released is truly awesome. And what an album it is, too! Whether it’s the classic Crowes sound like their opener, a more punk-infused sound on ‘Rats and Clowns’ or all-out acoustic-country-ballad goodness with ‘Wilted Rose’, there’s plenty to keep someone entertained. The latter also features everyone’s favourite country lady at the minute, Lainey Wilson, and is a fantastic song!

It’s one of the strongest return albums I’ve ever heard, and every track is really amazing. Songs like the opener and ‘Dirty Cold Sun’ are also huge highlights. It’s awesome to hear a band that clearly influenced some of my more local favourites like Bad Touch and The Answer back and going strong again. If you’re a fan of southern or hard rock, or country or rock just in general, I’m convinced you’ll love this album as much as I do! 8.5/10

Luke Dick: Lockeland

I spent the entire album trying to work out if this classed as country or not. I came to the conclusion that a) it doesn’t matter, and b) it’s closer to an acoustic easy-listening, Jack Johnson-esque sound most of the time. Either way, it’s a great listen. It’s an incredibly relaxed album with some beautifully written lyrics and guitars. It’s short too; only eight tracks and 27-minutes. It’s only just an album, but it also makes it nearly impossible to pick out highlights. It’s the antithesis of all killer, no filler, and each track feels meticulously selected. Having said that, I haven’t stopped listening to the opener or ‘True Companion’ all weekend! It’s certainly an album worth listening to in full, though! It’s certainly not going to be for every reader, but I loved it! 8.5/10

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Force of Nature: The Album to Take These Wicked Rivers to the Top?

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The local lads and incredible southern rock band These Wicked Rivers have finally released their highly anticipated album today. To say the hype is high would be an understatement. I’ve been seeing this everywhere, and every single they’ve put out has somehow been just as good as the last. So, as soon as it was released, we knew we just had to write this review. Let’s get right into it!

The opening title track kicks things off with a fantastic fuzzy, southern/blues rock riff. It’s a great way to start things off, heavy and swaggering. John’s vocals are powerful and incredible through the verses, sounding better than ever and being accented perfectly by the guitars dropping out and playing big chords. It all builds to an awesome chorus, catchy and easily built for massive festivals and arenas. The ‘woh’s make it feel massive, and will go down so well live! It drops down after the second chorus, it just being John and the organ, which sounds great. Building in the other vocals and the acoustic guitar gives off big Skynard vibes in the best ways, and leads to a fantastic guitar solo. The bass work through it is also amazing, not that I’m jealous at all… This is an awesome track, and the perfect introduction to the album. It shows off who These Wicked Rivers are and highlights their many strengths. It easily makes our playlist!

Check out a review of their live show here

‘The Family’ continues the same energy perfect, feeling similar to the opener and having the same attitude and swagger. It’s another catchy track too, with the harmonies adding so much to the sound. It’s the perfect blend of Bad Touch, Blackberry Smoke and The Outlaws. It fits perfect in with the NWOCR scene they have gotten massive in, while still having a great southern edge to it that certainly makes them stand out. It’s another great song!

Single ‘Black Gold’ has been in regular rotation for me since it’s release nearly six months ago. It’s an amazing song that helped build the hype towards this album massively. This, alongside the following track, have really helped to propell this band to huge heights over the last year, and it’s more than deserved. The riffing is awesome, the vocals are catchy and it all just has such a great polish and professional edge to it all; it really feels like a step up from their previous release. Both ‘Black Gold’ and ‘Testify’ are everything I love about These Wicked Rivers. They’re incredible tracks and both easily make our playlist!

‘When the War is Won’ is the first time the album takes a proper breather. It’s a slower, more stripped-back, heavily southern-rock ballad, and it’s fucking awesome. The clean guitars, simple drums and bass and John’s powerful, emotion-filled vocals all combine together perfectly. And it’s the best placement for the track too, giving a reprive at the mid point of the album. The diversity These Wicked Rivers has always been awesome, and is on full display with this track. I REALLY want to see this live!

Another big single from the album, ‘The Riverboat Man’, is up next. It brings the band back to the sound from the opening couple of songs; massive riffs and vocals. It almost has an early Black Stone Cherry sound to it, which I love. The chorus is one of the best on the album, and one that will once again be stuck in my head for hours to come. But that’s not to take away from the rest of the band, the instrumentation is overall incredible. I can’t not, I usually try to stick to max three, but I have to put this track on our playlist, too! An awesome track on an awesome album!

‘Just to be a Man’ is another slower track in very similar vein to ‘…war’. I love the this stripped back, more subdued style of These Wicked Rivers as much as I love their more foot-stomping harder sound. It kicks in perfectly later on too, the distorted guitars ripping in and making the track even more epic. And man, the guitar solo… *chefs kiss*. This album continues to keep me not only interested, but blows my mind every couple of tracks, I love it!

The final three tracks, ‘Lord Knows’, ‘Don’t Prey for Me’ and ‘Lonely Road’ are all just as kick-ass as the other songs on the album. The former is another hard/southern rock master class, while the final two tracks are slower. Honestly, it’s hard to pick a favourite between all of them too, as they are all so different and fantastic in their own way. ‘Don’t Prey for Me’ is honestly one of my favourite tracks on the album, it has a definite Skynard-level of slow epicness to it. Meanwhile we’re very familiar with the closer, having filmed a reaction video to it when it was released. And it’s a fitting, beautiful, heart-wrenching closer. All are awesome songs.

Overall: Damn, what a fantastic album! Not only is there not a bad track on the album, but it’s packed full of incredible songs, a lot of them up there with some of my favourite the band have put out. They deserve all the attention and success they have been getting recently, and this album is a true testament to all of that. I truly believe it will help push them up to the top of the NWOCR scene, and it honestly couldn’t happen to a nicer bunch of people. If you’re a fan of rock in general, this is certainly an album you must check out immediately!

The Score: 9.5/10

Reviews

Planet Rock Winters End: The Big Bad Review

We thought we’d mix it up to start 2024 off with a bang and head down to the much praised Winters End festival. Hosted by the incredible Planet Rock and boasting one hell of a lineup of bands we are friends with and some new favourites, we couldn’t wait to tell you all about it!

We sadly didn’t quite make it in time for opener Loz Campbell. However, we know how good of a show she puts on so I’m sure she was excellent. Instead, our first band of the weekend were Hand of Dimes. It had been years since I’d seen them, them having played one of the early HRH’s I’d attended, but they were just as good as I remember. Forged from the brainchild and singer of Skin Nev MacDonald, they are a fantastic blues rock band. The crowd ate it up, too, loving every minute. They’re one of the older bands on a pretty young bill, but hold their own and play a short but damn enjoyable set!

Next up were not only a personal favourite band of mine, but one of the highlights of the weekend for me, South of Salem. The band are no strangers to the site. But, it had somehow been over a year since we had last seen them. Since then they have only grown bigger still, and are hot off the release of their second album. Honestly, they have somehow gotten even better.

Opening on their older stuff still was an interesting choice, but the crowd ate it up. And whenever they played their new stuff, it went over just as well. Heck, the crowd were even requesting tracks off the new album when asked what they wanted to hear. And the band play it all to perfection. They have evolved into some of the best, most polished showmen in the scene today. The band are going to be huge, and I would recommend anyone to go and see them ASAP!

Black Spiders were up next, and are an odd one for me. I was a big fan of the band in my teens, so was pretty hyped when they announced their return. We’ve seen them on a few occasions since then, and sadly the more I see them the less I’m into them. The first time at HRH was fun, but it’s felt a little like diminishing returns since then. They’re still good, incredibly talented players, but it’s a little like going through the motions. I don’t know if it’s more because they’ve been everywhere recently and I’ve seen them a lot, but even their new tracks didn’t land too hard for me. I know a lot of people there enjoyed them so that’s good at least!

Then we finally reached the first headliners of the weekend, the mighty Massive Wagons. What can I say that hasn’t already been said before? The band are energy and stage-presence personified, and Baz conducts his band and his full-orchestra of a crowd to perfection. And their songs really speak for themselves, at this point. They are one of the biggest bands not only in the NWOCR scene, but one of the biggest new hard rock bands in the UK currently. And seeing them live, there really is no doubt why. Rattling through new songs and classics alike, the crowd hung on every note. And, of course, the image of Baz crowd surfing in an inflatable boat will forever be seared into my mind now. In a good way, of course!

Day 2 ->