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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

Interviews & Features

Leoni Jane Kennedy: ‘The whole tour is just Prog Mag people and I’m loving it!’

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We had the chance to sit down and chat with the wonderful Leoni about her upcoming debut solo album, prog in general and her plans for the year. Check it out below!

How would you describe your sound?

Traditionally, I guess I come from a bit of a folk and blues background. I was brought up with sixty year old men playing The Beatles and ‘Copperhead Road’ and that kinda thing. A lot of Elvis too, all the classic 60s/70s vibe. I played with these guys and it would be me, an 11 year old girl, playing with them and they’d be pushing the pedals for me!

So storytelling is much more my background. The sound of it, the production of things, I’m leaning towards the more progressive side of rock. My Rush covers album… Rush is one of my favourite band. Status Quo was the first band I ever saw live, so I guess that’s seeped into it as well. There’s a lot of influential bands and artists that have seemed into my sound. But live I’m heading down the progressive route, I hope. But I also like doing my stuff acoustic. I think a person who’s very okay with prog would be interested.

It is cool looking through your socials seeing how accepted you’ve been into the prog community!

Yeah definitely, I never really considered myself prog, I just felt very much a part of that community. And it is a community, it’s not something that you have to do all these time signatures, but if it doesn’t fit into a boundary that is ‘the norm’ in our music industry today, I feel like prog is more my audience. I feel they understand my music a lot more than if I was to do a pop night, it doesn’t come across as well.

And you just the other day put out a new single, it’s the start of an album cycle, right?

Yeah, ‘A Different Kinda Woman’! Synthetic has actually been done for quite a few years now. Around this time last year was when I got the masters back. I went through a difficult time with a producer prior to this one. Every month I would message this guy saying “I haven’t got a demo or anything, can you send me something”. I didn’t get anything back from him for a year so I had to get higher powers involved, and eventually we got the majority of it back. When we did, it was missing a lot of what we’d worked hard on; we spent a lot of time on tones and different guitars and things. It was a studio production and the things that were missing were substantial so I had to work with someone who came into my life and saved me, Nick Andrew. He’s a fantastic midi guitarist. He took me on board and I was with him every weekend for almost three or four months, just redoing parts of the track. He didn’t know me, but he did the first Rush cover I ever released with me, on one of the Songs for Neil. He took me on as a mate. We got on immediately. He was so lovely.

From that, Elliot Kennedy of Steelworks studios. They put together the Spice Girls, he’s worked with Garry Barlow. He was a mutual friend and we were reaching out asking for help. Elliot decided it was a full project and I asked if he was sure but he said “yes, don’t worry, I’ve got you”. And he bloody well did! Between him and Nick it was probably about a year and a half working with them and it all came together. I got the final masters back this time last year. All of that time, I’ve had this image in my mind and it’s all coming together. I was crying my eyes out. It’s difficult enough as a musician but when people, put you in that position like you’re not worth their time, it’s just absolutely atrocious. It happens to plenty of people which is why I want to talk about it. It’s got nothing to do with you. If they’re gonna be a dick, they’ll be a dick!

So yes, the latest release is the first of seven songs from Synthetic. I believe there might be one more coming into it because I did a masters recently and there’s a track that I play live that gets the best reception live, about my lack of relationship with my dad. It’s something I’d like to include on the album as well but it’s not produced by Elliot. But this is it now, this is me starting my career!

Is there a theme surrounding the album, or is it more individual stories?

I guess it’s sort of like a sonic diary of my journey into who I am today. I don’t necessarily write to briefs, it’s whatever is effecting me at the time. It seeps through in different ways, it’s not necessarily me telling you a story of ‘look, this is what happened’, it can literally be me describing how you feel. Like, if I was writing a song and it had to be quite moody, I would describe it in the song to make you think about it and your body do the same as mine is, my hairs were standing up of my heart was racing. So yeah, it’s my life timeline, things that have happened to me. I look back and I go “I don’t remember what happened but I know why I wrote it”. I am just a girl, and I do keep things like that in my head!

And you’re hitting the road in April, right?

Yes, going on tour with Solstice! I wasn’t expecting… I’m not sure if you know but I got the #4 slot in Prog Magazine. But Solstice and Ebony Buckle, who I’m taking over for on the dates that I’m doing, she got #1 in best artist, the guitarist and leader of Solstice got #1 for best guitarist, and then the drummer got a slot in best drummers as well! So the whole tour is just Prog Mag people and I’m loving it! They’re such lovely people as well.

We went to Milton Keynes recently to shoot the cover for their latest release, and it was just loads of friends and family in an old school hall. Loads of kids running around, trying to get them to sit down. There was at least 50 people there, so it was hectic, but it was good!

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

I’m away again later in April, actually. I’m away with Solstice at the start, then I’ve got a show with Ross Harding at the Cart and Horses, I believe. And this is between me playing with Solstice and then me playing with Anchoress. She’s fantastic, and she was my one-to-one tutor on the masters! Again away with her in June, couple of blues festivals in July. There’s things that are happening gig-wise. I’m releasing a single from the album every five or six weeks if I can, depending on how it’s doing and analytics and things like that. And I’m hopefully going to be making a music video for all of them so I’m going to be very busy! With J.J. Erenger, who did the first one as well. I believe his dad did the recording and production for Manic Street Preachers which, weirdly, we supported them with The Anchoress!

Hastings on a Tuesday coming up on the 1st March, they’re putting me on the main stage this year which is really cool! And there’s just loads of things I’m yet to do as an independent musician, like get played on BBC Introducing; just general goals you see other people hit and go “oh I should probably do that!” I’m making a massive list and ticking things off as I go along. Whilst also trying not to lose my shit!

Yes, it doesn’t sound like the least stressful time!

I actually thrive on stress. I don’t like being quiet, I feel like that’s when I’m at my worst. I have my good days and my days of “fuck, I need to do everything before I die!”

new music mondays

New Music Mondays: Lacuna Coil, The War and Treaty and More!

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Another stacked week of new albums for us to check out, from metal to country. Let’s dive in!

Lacuna Coil: Sleepless Empire

The Italian gothic alt metal masters have gone back to their heavy roots for album 10, and I LOVE it. It’s their first release in six years and it certainly doesn’t disappoint. Whether it’s elements of metalcore, industrial, symphonic, or nu metal, there is plenty going on throughout, yet Lacuna blend every style together masterfully like only they can, creating something fully unique. I nearly didn’t right that line as there is currently a lot out there, especially in the UK underground scene, that is doing this sort of thing, but the fact that they are all heavily influenced by this band shows just how good they are.

I’m struggling to pick out highlight tracks, too. I realised when going back for a second listen that I’d added a good two-thirds of this to my own playlist, so I guess I’d recommend just going away and listening to it all in full! The riffing is ch0nky, the drumming and synth all give it a huge, epic feel and Cristina and Andrea’s clean and harsh vocals (respectively) work perfectly together and sound just as incredible as they always do. Plus, shout out to both Randy Blythe and Ash Costello, who both kill it on their guest slots and are other big high points of the album. I have to say I don’t think I’ve listened to one of Lacuna’s albums in full in a while, but after a couple of listens this may be up there with one of my favourites! It’s an easy 9/10

The War and Treaty: Plus One

The fifth album from the Amiercana/Southern soul husband and wife duo is incredible. You need more than that? Hhhh, fine…

Yeah, I LOVED it. I knew I would, as not only did I love their last album, and this release featured on our most anticipated albums of the year list thanks to its singles. However, I think it even surpassed my lofty expectations for it! It’s hard to compare to Lover’s Game, as much as I want to try, as it is so different. It feels darker and more soul-focused, leaning less into their previous country sound. However, the soul/jazz mix of the early album is truly amazing, and feels pretty unique in modern times. We do get more country/Americana and even bluegrass the later the album goes; a surprisingly interesting and amazing transition that paid off big. Both styles work so damn well too, and the album is absolutely packed full of highlights. Whether it’s ‘Skyscraper’ or ‘Stealing a Kiss’ or the likes of ‘Save Me’ and ‘Love is On Fire’ it’s all brilliantly written, performed and arranged. Mike and Tanya are both two of the best vocalists in any genre currently, and their voices click perfectly together throughout yet again. Some of the notes and power they hit is utterly phenomenal. And somehow, this 18-track, hour-plus long release didn’t feel long at all to me, a rarity for a country/Americana release.

As I said, it’s completely different to their last release, yet is definitely up there in terms of quality. I gave that one a revised 9.5/10 in my albums of the year list, but I think giving this anything less than a full 10/10 is criminal! I’d recommend this album to anyone, immediately!

Dynazty: Game of Faces

Despite the owning track not hooking me, this album is fucking awesome! The ninth album from the Swedish melodic power metal band follows up from their incredibly strong 2022 release perfectly, building on everything we loved on that album and arguably even surpassing it! Everything about it feels massive and epic, from the soaring vocals to the huge instrumentation to the fantastic production. It is also packed full of awesome songs, from the title track to ‘Die to Survive’, ‘Fortune Favours the Brave’ and the epic ‘Dream of Spring’. However, there really isn’t a bad track on the entire album! Nils is such an underrated vocalist, and this may be his best outing to date in that regard. That shouldn’t take away from the rest of the band though, who work their asses off and play phenomenally throughout. I can’t recommend this enough to anyone into power or melodic metal. It gets a solid 8.5/10 from us!

Ron Pope: American Man, American Music

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

Rioghan: Kept

The sophomore album of the Finnish rising prog metal stars dropped on Friday, and it’s a bit of a banger! Adding in elements of alt and symphonic and even black/extreme metal to the technical structures and style works excellently, and it certainly builds on the bands 2022 release. And that’s saying something too, as I remember checking out that album when it came out and loved it! It very much takes all the elements they had to begin with and builds on them perfectly, refining their sound even more into something truly unique. From the almost Zeal & Ardor-like avant guarde ‘Hands’, to the dark-synth ‘Skin’, to more acoustic/folk focused, beautiful ‘Hopes’, there is so much variety throughout, and it’s all done so well! Heck, there’s even some modern metalcore tooked throughout which was surprising but great!

It’s so hard to pick highlights too as it’s all incredible and it all has such a great flow to it throughout. Any of the tracks mentioned above could easily count, but also stuff like the epic ‘Motion’ or ‘Read’ are really incredible. The band have somehow topped their impressive debut, and I can’t recommend this enough to any metalhead reading this. Put some headphones on, sit in a dark room and listen to this through in one; you won’t be disappointed! It very much feels like a work of art. I’m desperate to see this all live, too! It’s a very easy 9.5/10 from me!

Manic Street Preachers: Critical Thinking

The Welsh alt rockers are back with their 15th studio album. I don’t think I’ve ever listened to one of their albums in full, but I do like a few of their tracks from over the years. I have to admit, it was a bit of a hard album to get through in full. That opening track is pretty terrible, but it does get better after that. ‘Brushstrokes of Reunion’ is pretty good, as is ‘My Brave Friend’. However, it’s not really my sort of thing, and was a bit of a slog to get through for me personally; it was all a bit slow and similar. However, it isn’t a bad album, and if you are into this sort of style I’d definitely recommend checking it out! 5/10

Midland Railway: Self-Titled

The Manchester-based alt rockers have been building a lot of hype over the last few years, and have finally released their much-anticipated debut album! It’s a lighthearted album that has a real early 2000’s indie vibe, which is a lot of fun. It’s really interestingly written, with the lyrics in particularly being fantastic. Stuff like ‘A Song for Hannah Beth’ and ‘One Day’ are personal highlights, but the whole album is pretty great! It’s indie/punk infused British rock at its very best, and it’s just a good-time listen. The talent in the band is undeniable, and they all work so well together. As a bassist myself, the bass throughout was a huge high point, alongside the lyrics! And while it’s not quite my sort of thing, I still enjoyed it, and would recommend it to anyone who’s a fan of the above genres. It’s also a real good debut album! A solid 7.5/10!

Mantar: Post Apocalyptic Depression

Blackened doom punk metal. It sounds fucking awesome, and it very much is! It’s heavy, quirky and simply a whole lot of fun to listen to! It wasn’t a sound I was expecting to hear or even actually exist, but I’m so glad I managed to check out the album, the band have a big new fan in me. It combines so many sounds and genres together, and does so awesomely. Whether it’s the opening track, ‘Principal of Command’ or ‘Church of Suck’, there’s plenty of great stuff throughout. However, none of it is bad. For a duo, they have created such a massive, interesting sound, and something that feels truly unique. It’s not going to be for everyone, but if you’re into hardcore or heavier punk, I’d certainly recommend checking it out, you might love it as much as I do! I’ll certainly be playing it more moving forward, and it gets an easy 8/10 from me!

James O’Hurley: A Certain Stranger

The bluesy soft rock singer/songwriter spent much of last year building hype up around him and this album through multiple excellent singles, so to say that it’s a highly anticipated debut is almost an understatement. Honestly, I’d say it lives up to said hype too, as this is awesome! Tracks like ‘Maria’, ‘Red’, ‘Four Long Days’ and ‘Bloom’ are all highlights on an album filled with them! Some of his lyric writing is incredible and all the instrumentation is great too. Plus, it all flows effortlessly together, not feeling like 34-minutes at all. It’s a chilled out album that also kinda makes you think and feel, which is never a bad thing! He has a new fan in me, and I can’t give this any less than 7.5/10. Check this out if you like the lighter side of rock!

Serpentyne: Tales from the Dark

Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I went into this with kinda low expectations. I hadn’t heard of the band until a few weeks ago when I saw them at Winters End, and they sadly had a bit of a bad time with their sound there, not doing much to win me over. And I’d listened to them on track a little beforehand, with them doing little for me.

Honestly, there were times on this album where they nearly won me over. The heavy riffing throughout is excellent, and I think that overall when they go harder, they are better. I’m not especially a fan of Maggiebeth’s vocals, but when they’re multi-tracked over some heavy instrumentation, they sound pretty awesome! It’s when that guitar cuts out or cleans up that I start to have issues. Her vocals simply aren’t strong enough to be a focal point, but when the rest of what’s going on is simple drums, keys or bass to compliment the vocals, it doesn’t work. And sadly, that’s a fair chunk of the album, a fair chunk of each song. Instrumentally it’s a lot of fun, but those vocals are sometimes hard to work past! Still, songs like ‘Ghost of Time’s Past’ and ‘Run for your Life’ are fun and enjoyable!

If you’re heavily into the epic, dark symphonic metal stuff you may wanna check this out, but it wasn’t much for me. 4/10

Mastord: Lemmon Lintu

The sophomore album from the Finnish prog band certainly makes for an interesting listen! The band are insanely talented players and songwriters, and have crafted something here that feels different, blending together and almost atmospheric, folky sound to the usual prog style. They clearly take big inspiration from their country and area they live in, and it’s made this a fantastic album. It’s like Tool, ASP and Týr all rolled into one. It’s rather hard to pick out highlights too, as it’s definitely an album that demands to be listened to in full! Having said that, ‘Villi’ is epic and definitely my favourite track of the album! It’s not going to be an album for everyone, but the band have a new fan in me and I’ll certainly be keeping it in my rotation over the next few weeks, that’s for sure! It’s a solid 7.5/10!

Todd Barridge: All the Right Scars

The cover song extraordinaire has put out his much anticipated foray into original music this last week. I’d somehow not heard of him before now, which is weird given that I’m a fan of other artists like this, and even then only heard of him because of a podcast clip I saw of him and BMTH having similar covers of ‘Wonderwall’. However, I’m glad I did hear of him, as this is a great post-hardcore album! It’s like Linkin Park meets punk, but with way more emo to it. I hate to say it, but it’s almost an old-school style nowadays, and I don’t hear too much new in it these days, so having some new emo-skate like I grew up with is awesome! Some of the lyrics are a touch edgy and cringy, but they fit the music rather perfectly.

Songs like the opener, ‘Green-Haired Canadian Girls’, the heavy ‘Joey Sturgis Asked me…’ and ‘Tactless, Tasteless, Obvious’ are all massive highlights. However, the album as a whole is pretty great, and there isn’t a bad track on it! There’s a surprising amount of great riffing throughout. It’s also surprisingly varied in its style and tempos, which is always appreciated! I went into this album with no expectations and was very pleasantly surprised, it’s awesome! A must-listen if you were a part of the 2000s emo scene. He certainly has a new fan in me, and this is an easy 9/10

Interviews & Features

Kyle McKearney: ‘As I get older, I really notice the value of time and how it’s very important to be selective with how we spend it!’

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We had the pleasure of chatting to the amazing Kyle McKearney the other week about his new music and plans for 2025. Check it out below!

Firstly, how would you describe your sound? It’s certainly rooted in country but there’s rock, blues, Americana and all sorts I heard in there! 

Yeah, I think you are hearing most of what’s in there. I would chalk it up to calling it alt country, but who knows really. I have loved so many different kinds of music through the years that I guess pieces of each come through in what I do.

You’ve had a busy year releasing singles. Are you sticking to the single model, or are they building up to a third album? 

Yeah, we will be putting singles out until April. My third album To The River is set to drop on April 25. I’m really looking forward to it. We also just announced a tour, in support of the new album, through Western Canada.

Is there any particular theme through the singles this year, be it via the sound or writing? 

There is actually. It wasn’t intentional but after listening through the album several times, I see this thread of redemption. Also, as I get older, I really notice the value of time and how it’s very important to be selective with how we spend it. I think that comes across on the record as well. 

What’s the writing process like for you? Spoke to a lot of people in country who do big writers retreats, while others still write primarily solo!

I have a few different approaches. Some songs I will take to my cowriting friends to finish. Others I write on my own. It just depends on the song and how easily and quick it comes.

So we still very much associate country music with the South of the US, what’s it like being a country musician in Canada? 

It’s cool. Canada has its own form of country and its own country culture. Lots of farms, lots of fields, lots of beef and western culture here. I don’t try and emulate what the US is doing, but love so many of the American artists. I’ve spent time in Nashville and really enjoyed it.

Have you got much planned for next year? I imagine you have some shows lined up! 

Yeah, I plan to play a ton in 2025. There are lots of things on the books and lots in the works. Live is going to be my main focus after releasing the album.

Any plans/hopes to come over to the UK? 

There’s nothing in stone yet, but I will jump at the chance. I loved being there and cannot wait to come back.

Do you have a dream tour lineup you’d want to be a part of? Anyone you’d want to support or bring on the road with you?

I’d love to tour with Aerosmith lol. Chris Stapleton, Sierra Farrell or Jason Isbell.  Any of those would be incredible!

Features

The Top albums of 2024 – Part 3!

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I’m running out of witty quips or honourable mentions already, so instead I’mma take this time to say this: yes, I know the scoring is whack, especially in part 3. Higher scores are lower than others. But my scoring is based on not just my enjoyment, but the overall quality of the album, in general and in its genre. And while those two latter parts do factor into this list, it’s a lot more about my personal preference in here.

So, let’s dive into another 20 albums, shall we?

60 – Tom Killner: Borrowed Time

This pretty of our list opens on a one-two-punch of excellent, yet somehow completely different, blues albums. Honestly, I’ve loved this and the next entrant for months now and it’s been so hard picking which is better, so honestly this is more of a joint-59th position. However, my OCD won’t let me not have a #60 on this list, or have a top 100 albums have 101 albums, so this one took the hit and is the lower one. However, that shouldn’t in any way take away from this release; it’s incredible.

Tom has been a mainstay of the UK underground blues and NWOCR scene for a good few years now, and this is unquestionably my favourite release of his. It’s 36-minutes of soft-blues/boarding on easily-listening-and-gospel goodness and I love it now just as I did back in April when I reviewed it. It’s jam packed full of amazing tracks, most of which have made their way onto my personal playlist over the last eight months. His voice is incredible and the playing throughout from Tom and his band is insanely impressive, not to mention how top notch his songwriting is throughout. There’s a reason I gave it top marks in the review, and I still stand by that score now! It’s the best release in this sound of the year, hands down, and I’d recommend it to absolutely anyone!

Listen to: Devils Gate, Heart of Gold and Light it Up

59 – Troy Redfern: Invocation

The second half of the blues double entry is another British frontman who is a bit on the heavier side compared to Tom. Honestly, that’s probably why I’ve given him the slight edge, but both are utterly incredible albums in the genre. Troy is another name who’s been plugging away in the NWOCR scene for a good number of years now, and doesn’t get nearly the respect and push he should get, especially when he’s putting out releases of this quality! Much like Tom above, I do think this is my favourite album by him so far, too! And if any readers are as big fans of blues rock as I am, you’ll love this, too! It flows perfectly, and the 41-minutes goes by in a flash. There isn’t a bad track on it and it’s so easy to listen to in full, while there are plenty of highlight, stand-alone tracks too! It got an incredible 9.5/10 in our review, and I still fully stand by that score all these months later. If you’re a fan of rock, blues or sleaze, check this out immediately!

Listen to: Getaway, The Calling and All Night Long

58 – The Survival Code: Whispers of Woe

Nearly 11 months on, this is still an incredible, interesting, mind-blowing alt rock record. The fact that it’s just a duo still to this day baffles me; how they craft such a huge sound and play so technically with just two is amazing. The double-tracked vocals give everything such a huge, yet quirky, feel to it. I still definitely hear the early Biffy Clyro comparison I made when I reviewed this, and it really makes them stand out as no-one is doing stuff like this any more. It’s another album packed to the brim with awesome tracks too; even its 53-minute runtime somehow left me wanting more! I’ve been listening to this all year and it fully justifies the 10/10 I gave it, even if it’s just because of the sheet talent involved! No matter what sort of music you are into, I cannot recommend this album enough. I hated not being able to put it higher in this list, but it’s above a lot of incredible albums, and it really shows how insanely good the quality of music output we’ve had this year! I predict huge things for this band in the near future, and it can all be attributed back to this album!

Listen to: Never Knew You Existed, Built to Break and Waiting in the Wings

57 – Eminem: The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce)

So, after three solid names in the UK underground NOWCR scene, it does feel like a bit of whiplash to go to a massive hip-hop name next. However, there was no way this album wasn’t making this list. Slim Shady returning was very much not on my 2024 bingo card heading into the year, but five months later I’m still loving it, and I really hope the title isn’t true and we get more of him moving forward. The fact that he’s not actually been cancelled for some of the stuff in this means that clearly people are in on the meta-joke, which is a good sign. Plus, ‘Houdini’ is his biggest hit in over a decade at this point, so the “walking parental advisory” must be here to stay, right?

It’s yet another album on this list that certainly isn’t for everyone. However, as a massive fan of The Eminem Show in my youth, I’m so glad he’s returned to this sound. And the release itself is fantastic, packed full of amazing hip-hop tracks that feel like the perfect modernisation of the early 2000s sound. The split personality theme throughout is amazing, and lead to some really incredible tracks. Heck, even some of the guests on it kill it, too. I’d be very surprised if you’re a fan of Em reading this and haven’t already checked out the album, but if you have even a passing interest in him, I can’t recommend this album enough. It got a solid 8.5/10 from me, and I stand by that still now, along with its placement on this list!

Listen to: Brand New Dance, Antichrist and Houdini

56 – Rhapsody of Fire: Challenge of Fire

Yet another album I love more and more with each subsequent listen. The Italian band may very well be the peak of the power-symphonic-heavy metal combination, and this album is fantastic evidence of that. The talent of playing and songwriting is off the charts, much like it is with all of the bands albums, but this is certainly up there with some of their best! It’s an hour of fantastic metal from front to back, and a must for any fans of any of the genres I listed previous. Sure, the length is a touch daunting for some, but it’s well worth it! There’s a reason it got a stunning 10/10 in our review, and after revisiting it all these months later it more than certainly deserves that ranking. The album takes you on a fantastic journey, and is a must for metal fans!

The Bloody Pariah, Vanquished by Shadows and Mastered by the Dark

55 – The Red Clay Strays: Made By These Moments

One of the many big breakout country groups of the last couple of years, it resulted in this being a very highly anticipated release. And, somehow, it lived up to said lofty expectations! There is a LOT to love on this album! The band have upped the ante from their previous release in terms of songwriting, and the result was a fantastic blend of neo-traditional country and more modern southern rock. And it is packed to the brim with highlights too, with almost every track having radio-hit potential, and a good few living up to it! And whether it’s the slower, radio-ballad style or the more foot-stomping rock, Brandon and co do it all so damn well. I gave it a solid 9/10 when I reviewed it, and it may get an even higher ranking after months of spinning it. Heck, it was even just as incredible live! I can’t recommend this album enough to country fans, and I think they’re going to be an absolutely massive name in the near future!

Listen to: Wanna Be Loved, Drowning and On My Knees

54 – Gangstagrass: Blackest Thing on the Menu

This album just had to make it onto this list somewhere. Ever since I found them a couple of years ago at The Long Road, I’ve been obsessed, and this was a hugely hyped album for me since the moment it was announced. And while I agree with my original review in that I’m disappointed there isn’t slightly more country/bluegrass on here, it’s an incredibly solid release and the high points more than outweigh the occasional low. The band’s infusion of bluegrass and 90s-style hip-hop is and will always be so unique and incredible, and if you are a fan of either wide-spreading genre, I can’t recommend this album and band enough! It got a 9/10 from us and I still agree with that, but it gets this high up the list because of just how damn good half the songs are. The band don’t get nearly the credit they deserve, but at least they have this… right…?

Listen to: Good at Being Bad, Up High Do or Die and Obligatory Braggadocio

53 – My Dying Bride: A Mortal Binding

The doom metal legends released one hell of an album earlier this year! If you know the band you’ll know roughly what to expect, and being a big fan of them personally of course I loved it! Whether clean, catchy vocals or brutal screams, both were great in equal measure and fit the amazing instrumentation perfectly each way. It’s no wonder we gave it a 9.5/10 when we reviewed it back in April. If you’re a fan of the more epic, darker side of metal, this one is certainly one more than worth checking out. There isn’t a bad track on it and there is plenty to love when listening!

Listen to: Her Dominion, The 2nd of Three Bells and The Apocalyptist

52 – The Exile Club: Chained to the Ruin & Rust

A band new band to me this year, so much so that I didn’t even hear the album upon its release, going back to check it out after seeing them live. So, to have them this high up the list is a true testament to how amazing the band and this release is! It’s like the UK’s answer to American roots music, adding in some jazz and swing and blues elements, and it really is fantastic from start to finish! It’s an amazing, chilled-out release just brimming with awesome playing, catchy vocals and some amazing emotional moments. The band are set to go very far if this album is anything to go by, and I already can’t wait to hear more from them. It’s an amazing, relaxing listen that gets an easy 9/10 from me and more than earns its spot on this list!

Listen to: Got to Be More, Ticket Home, Some of That Sweat Tea

51 – Pokey Lafarge: Rhumba Country

Somehow another new discovery for me this year, we checked him out at The Long Road back in August and I’ve been obsessed ever since! It does mean that somehow I missed it for NMM when it released back in May, though. The mixture of old-school swing, blues, jazz, mambo, samba and mid-century rock n’ roll is amazing and it’s another album that it’s impossible not to have a good time listening to! It’s an album celebrating life, and it’s a fun, chilled-out 35-minute listen. Add to that the fact that not only Pokey, but the rest of his band too, are all insanely talented and have worked together to craft something truly special with this release. It’s certainly not going to be for everyone reading this, but I loved it so of course it made it onto this list! After spinning it a good few times over the last few months, it gets a solid 9/10 from us!

Listen to: Run Run Run, So Long Chicago and It’s Not Over

50 – Ice Exiled: Reset the Sky

Another new band for me this year, and one that just barely made the cut for this list as it came out on the 29th of November! However, this absolutely blew me away and more than earned its spot here. Somehow being technical-power metal with some prog thrown in for good measure, it’s 42-minutes of 8-tracks of pure awesomeness. It’s epic in every sense of the word, and there really isn’t a as track on it! I’ve already spun it a handful of times since its release just a couple of weeks ago, and still can’t get enough. Some of the guitaring honestly blew my mind, while the drumming, screams and catchy vocals are also phenomenal. If you are into metal in any way I can’t recommend this enough; there really is something for everyone! It was another one that got a whopping 10/10 from us, and I fully stand by that perfect mark today! It’s an amazing debut that would have made it higher on this list if it was a weaker year!

Listen to: Civilisation Zero, Reapers Feast and Anthropcentrum

49 – Mad Caddies: Arrow Room 117

Somehow, for the longest time this album was a lot lower on this list. I absolutely adore this band have done for years, so I think the more relaxed, less punk-focused sound from them always takes a bit of getting used to. However, now I am used to it and revisiting it, it’s a truly incredible soft-ska album. The band have been criminally underrated for years at this time, and this is yet another example of a stellar album from them that should be bigger than it is! Every song is amazing and has some of the best, catchiest choruses the band have produced. It’s truly impossible to have a bad time listening to the album, and it got a very easy 9/10 from us, though I may even put it higher than that now! After a decade of waiting, Mad Caddies proved that they can still write incredible albums, and more than earned their slot on this list!

Palm Trees and Pines, Baby and Backroads

48 – Crobot: Obsidian

More genre hopping from the PA hard rock band, as this added a lot more stoner, doom and heavier metal into their sound. I loved it, and still do now! It released in a STACKED week of plenty of awesome music too, so for it to make this much of an impact on me and still be something I revisit regularly three months later is a true testament to the awesomeness of the album. Heck, it’s no surprise, I loved this band, but this release for me felt like a step up from their previous stuff, even. From the ch0nky riffs to the catchy vocals throughout, there is so much to enjoy and it’s packed full of highlights. As I said in my review and I’ll say again, there truly isn’t a bad song on this album. It more than deserves the 9.5/10 I gave it, and deserves so much more credit than it’s gotten so far since its release. I’m desperate to see it all live, so if by some miracle the band are reading this, c’mon lads, do this album in full on a UK tour… It’s another album I really wish I could put higher, but this album got almost impossible to rank by this point!

Listen to: Obsidian, Nothing and Head of the Beast

47 – Mother Mother: Grief Chapter

Releasing way back in February, I’ve had a very up-and-down relationship with this odd, quirky slab of alt-rock. Before revisiting all these albums in preparation for this list, I’d honestly thought this would be up much higher. However, I then came across the same sort of issues I had from my review; the tracks that I like I LOVE (and have listened to a lot in the last 10 months), but there’s some tracks I’m certainly not into either. However, I did enjoy them more than I remember doing, and as an album as a whole it flows amazingly. The mix of Mica and Muse and hopping between pop and folk and hard rock is awesome through, and still makes for an enjoyable album for me to listen through all these months later. I absolutely love a sold 2/3+ of this release, and it deserves higher than the 8.5 from the review; it’s a solid 9/10! It more than deserves this slot on the list!

Listen to: Explode!, Normalize and The Matrix

46 – The Mourning: Hush

This scratches my techy, proggy metal itch perfectly every time I listen to it. Somehow the perfect blend of Coheed and Cambria, Tool and Motanka, I somehow missed this album upon its release, but have made up for that by spinning it a bunch recently! The whole atmosphere created throughout is incredible. The band are so amazingly talented for crafting an album of this calibre, and something that’s like this that holds my attention for a full 52-minutes! From the riffing to the insane drumming and time signatures to some utterly amazing vocals, it really had it all. Much like the rest of this list from now on, there isn’t a bad track throughout the album, and it all flows together perfectly! It’s certainly not going to be for everyone, but if you’re a fan of any of the bands or styles above, I can’t recommend this album enough! It gets a solid 9/10 from me and easily justifies to place on this list!

Listen to: He Cries, Hush and My Own Hell

45 – Tuk Smith & The Restless Hearts: Rouge to Redemption

Another album that never fails to make me smile and I fall in love with a little more every time I listen to it. Somehow the perfect blend of glam (plenty of Bowie), hard rock and also bands like Wildhearts, E’Nuff Z’Nuff and Quireboys, it’s right up my street and I love every send of it. It’s 70s/80s rock anthem after rock anthem, yet still also feels updated for a modern audience. There are so many highlight tracks throughout, the album being practically perfect. It’s very easy to see why we gave it 9.5/10 when we reviewed it. I hadn’t checked it out much since its release, but revisiting it it blew me away all over again! If you’re a fan of any of the band’s or styles listed above, I truly can’t recommend this album enough! It more than earns it’s spot on this list, and is another one that could easily be higher on any given day!

Listen to: Take the Long Way, Glorybound and Little Renegade

44 – FEVER 333: Darker White

It pains me to put this band this low. Back in 2020, WRONG GENERATION was one of my favourite albums (still not an EP) of the year and is an album I still regularly revisit. And don’t get me wrong, this album is amazing, hence why it is sat so high up this list. But man, I really thought this would be top 10 when it was announced. But damn, there are so many amazing tracks on this album, like the ones mentioned below. It simply drops off a little towards the end, for the most part. It’s not as solid throughout as their previous album, or the albums later in this list, hence why it’s a touch lower down. Jason and co are still one of the most creative and interesting bands around today, and one of the few that still have a genuinely dangerous-feeling edge to them. It’s another fantastic addition to their truly stellar discography, and I think it deserves the solid 8.5/10 we gave it! It’s a fun listen all the way through with some incredibly strong moments, but a couple of certain lulls. Still, it more than deserves this slot, as I love a huge amount of it!

Listen to: NEW WEST ORDER, NO HOSTAGES AND NOSEBLEEDS

43 – South of Salem : Death of the Party

One of the fastest rising underground rock bands in the UK returned with their highly anticipated sophomore album way back in January. Given that it’s here on the list, it was clearly damn good! It builds on the sound of the debut perfectly, and is packed full of some more incredible tracks that fit right alongside the others in their so-far incredible discography. Plus, the 10 tracks go by in a storm, it not feeling like 42-minutes at all. If you’re a fan of the gothic rock kinda sound, or any hard rock from this millennium, NWOCR or the more early 2000s US style, you’ll love this just as much as I do! The only reason it’s not a touch higher up is because it does play just slightly safe; it’s very close to the debut album sonically. However, it’s only their second album, and the formula certainly isn’t broken so doesn’t need fixing! It got a solid 9/10 from us, and is definitely deserving of being high on this list!

Listen to: Static, Jet Black Eyes and A Life Worth Dying For

42 – Alien Ant Farm: ~mAntras~

This had no reason being this phenomenal. 13 years after they put out their highly acclaimed debut, they put out this absolute beast of an alt-rock album and reminded everyone how incredible they are. I’ve seen nothing but praise for it, and it’s very easy to see why we gave it 9/10, and honestly listening back to it yet again it may be even higher than that! Every track is amazing, and feels like they get better and better with every listen. The band have always been criminal underrated, but this is a perfect example of them still releasing incredible music despite that. Regardless of if you usually dismiss them as ‘that band that covered Smooth Criminal’ or if you aren’t typically into this style of rock, check this out, I guarantee you won’t be disappointed. It very easily made it onto this list, and it’s yet another one that would have been higher if it was a weaker year!

Listen to: Last dAntz, Fade and So Cold

41 – Mister Misery: Self-Titled

Rounding out this section of the list is an awesome release from the Swedish horror metalcore outfit. We gave it 9.5/10 in our review and it’s pretty easy to see why! It’s packed full of great tracks; 46-minutes of melodic, heavy, catchy metal. Sounding like a melting pot of Ice Nine Kills, Falling in Reverse, Motionless in White and Black Veil Brides; everything from the riffing to the massive drums to the catchy cleans and brutal screams is awesome. Plus, the production on it is top notch, really adding to the epic, horror atmosphere throughout. If you are into this end of the metal spectrum, I can’t recommend this enough! It’s an excellent album and more than earned its place this high in the list!

Listen to: Erzébet, Crooked Man and Until the End

<- Part 2

Part 4 ->

Features, Reviews

Pokey Lafarge and The Tailspins Rock Manchester Academy!

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This was a pretty special gig for us, as it’s not typically the style of music we usually would usually cover. However, we caught Pokey’s set at The Long Road earlier this year and brought tickets for this show on the way home, we were that impressed. But how would he be at his own gig in an indoor venue? Read on to find out!

Before the main man came on, we had a wonderful duo come on as support. The Tailspins were the perfect band to open for Pokey. Their unique throwback sound of 1950’s jump-blues fit the style of the evening perfectly, and Oskar and Julia play it perfectly. Between fan favourite tracks off their EP like ‘You’ll Make it By’ and ‘Beep Beep’ to the tracks off their recent 45, we got a fantastic little set, too. And while I’m a little sad we didn’t get a full band experience, I completely understand the pressures of touring restraints these days, and Oskar did a fantastic job at playing the mouth trumpet to make up for it! And the husband-and-wife are born performers too, with Oskar’s outgoing nature and charm winning the crowd over almost immediately, while Julia fit perfectly alongside him. Their playing skills were amazing and their vocals not only fit the style fantastically, but also meshed together perfectly in their harmonies. I’d never heard of the band before, but they very much have a new fan in me!

Then, after a brief pause, the swing-blues legend and his band took to the stage. Somehow, they were even better than they were back in August. I’ve never seen a group of musicians so talented and so tight together live every time they play, and it really makes for a pleasure to behold. And as a musician myself who cannot possibly get to this sort of level of playing in this style, it was a little mind-blowing at times to witness. From the guitaring to the standup-bass to the drumming to the keys/organ to, again, PLAYING THE GUITAR AND TRUMPET AT THE SAME TIME, everyone was incredible. And that’s not to take away from Pokey either, who is a master at guitar and whose vocals fit it all so well!

As for the set list, it was very almost perfect! I was once again snubbed from seeing ‘Fuck Me Up’ live, but outside of that they played an incredible list of songs. From opening on the incredible ‘So Long, Chicago’, to playing crowd favourite deeper cuts like ‘Goodbye, Barcelona’ and the beautiful acoustic ballad ‘When Did you Leave Heaven’ (by request) to the hits like ‘Fine to Me’ and ‘Something in the Water’, it was jam packed full of highlights. And between the tracks and the extended jamming between them, it was all played amazingly well, ensuring the crowd ate it up. Pokey has a really dedicated fan base over here and the packed house in Manchester demonstrated that perfectly, hanging on every note and word. It was a fantastic show from start to finish, thanks to both the crowd and the band.

And there we have it, folks. A night packed full of amazing blues, swing and jazz music. Both bands killed it and impressed the packed crowd at the Academy no end. I cannot recommend either band enough, on track or live, especially if you like this sort of music. If either of them are nearby you, go and see them live, I promise you won’t be disappointed! I already can’t wait to see either of them again!

Reviews

The New Roses & Leonie Jakobi Rock The Asylum!

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It’s no secret to anyone here that I love The New Roses. I’ve reviewed both recent albums, done a handful of live reviews and interviews. So of course when they announced a tour, y’all had to be expecting this review. And sure enough, the moment tickets went out, we got them for Birmingham and finally headed down to see them the other night. But what were they like? Read on to find out!

Firstly, I feel like this was the most intimate setting I’d seen the band in. Last year at Milton Keynes was small too, but this felt even more intimate. However, it was packed full of huge fans of the band, be it older or those recruited on the Massive Wagons tour last year, and they hung on the band’s every note.

However, before we get to them, we have to talk about how utterly incredible the support act was. The German-born old-school rock singer-songwriter had a solo set to open the tour instead of her usual full-band setup, but it worked fantastically. It almost gave Leonie a folk edge to her sound, something that I was not expecting heading into her set. However, it was a really interesting take on a lot of her otherwise rockier tracks, like ‘Bedroom Eyes’ and ‘Run Towards the Edge’. However, the highlight for me was the beautiful ‘Walk to West Berlin’; the already stripped-back, folky track translating so well to the set. And we even got a couple of awesome covers thrown into the mix too, her performing Whitesnake and Journey incredible well. It was a great set, and one hell of a way to open the evening!

Then, after a brief gap, the headliners took to the stage. Opening on a slew of new music off their recent album, it was great to hear something I hadn’t before! The likes of the album’s title track, ‘Bring the Thunder’ and later ‘When You Fall in Love’, ‘Natural Born Vagabonds’, ‘This Heart’ and ‘Whiskey in the Backseat’ all came across incredibly live, and were performed amazingly. Then you have some of the tracks that have stuck around from the last touring cycle like ‘Lion in You’, ‘The Usual Suspects’ and ‘1st Time for Everything’ coupled with the old classics like ‘Every Wild Heart’, ‘It’s a Long Way’, ‘Down by the River’ and ‘Thirsty’ and it was a pretty stacked setlist, to say the least! However, I do think that I’ve sadly seen them that much now that some live favourites have had to be dropped in favour of the new stuff. I know that it was inevitable, but I very much missed the likes of ‘Life Ain’t Easy’, ‘One More For the Road’ and even ‘Warpaint’. Clearly the band just need to play three hour sets like Foo Fighters or GnR, so if you could get on that next time guys that would be great…! We didn’t even get a cover, which is very shocking given how many I’ve seen them do over the years!

The band played just as well as ever, though. The stage was a little smaller than I think they’re used to at this point but Timmy and Norman ran around like the owned the place, putting on one hell of a show. Meanwhile the rhythm three held it down perfectly and played their asses off throughout. They are one of the most professional bands around in terms of sheer playing, and Timmy is one of the most underrated vocalists and frontmen around today. He had the crowd in the palm of his hand from beginning to end!

And there we have it, folks. An awesome night from two incredible artists in the semi-underground rock scene! Both Leonie and The New Roses were amazing and rocked the packed house in Birmingham! If you get the chance to see either live I cannot recommend it enough, and in the meantime you’ve GOTTA listen to them on track! We’re catching The New Roses again in February at Winters End, and will hopefully be seeing Leonie again ASAP, so expect more content on both soon!

Features, Interviews & Features

Julian Taylor: ‘Here is really more focused towards country rock stuff, whereas in North America the country stuff is really poppy!’

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We had the pleasure of chatting to the amazing Julian Taylor at The Long Road the other week. Check out the full interview below!

How was the set? Sounded good from out there!

Oh thanks man! I didn’t hear it myself!

And it’s the first of two, right?

Yeah, the first of two. We’re playing over there on the porch stage. I was just talking to Bailon and he was saying he designed that whole stage from something from his childhood. So I’m looking forward to that, yeah!

Will it just be you or the whole band?

I think we’ll do the whole thing. My stuff’s not overbearing, it’s pretty chill!

And this is show number two of the tour, right?

Yes, we were in Shoreham-by-Sea two nights ago. Then here, London tomorrow, The Water Rats, then moving forward we’re in Liverpool and Shrewsbury, and Barnswick, and Kirton in Lindsey.

And this is your second tour out here, right?

This is the third, actually! But second with the band. First one I came out solo and did the Americana fest UK and a whole bunch of stuff in England and Scotland. Haven’t been to Ireland yet!

And, being Canadian and being country-adjacent, what’s it like being in that scene when it’s still so closely associated with the South?

Country-adjacent is a good way to describe it. It’s adjacent to a lot of things; rock n’ roll, rhythm and blues, folk music. So I call it Roots music.

Yeah, I don’t know. Like it’s kinda the same, like it is here. People enjoy it. There’s elements of storytelling and elements of just giving it. The only difference really I can see with the folk music scene, like the Americana scene, is here is really more focused towards country rock stuff, whereas in North America the country stuff is really poppy, these days at least. And if you want to dance it’s more of like a jig or bluegrass thing.

And you put out a new single just the other day, right?

Yes! Myself and my friend, Alison, put out a song, the lead single and title track from my new record, Pathways. It’s coming out in September!

Any thoughts on it?

I like it! It’s a good record!

Are you planning on any more singles for it?

Nope, the record just comes out afterwards!

What’s the writing process like for you?

It’s always a bit different, man. Sometimes I start with the lyrics first, sometimes with the chords and melody first. They’re married to each other so it doesn’t really matter what comes first. I find that if you write the lyrics first the melody kinda compliments it and it moves in a different way, rather than the other way around. If you write the melody and then the lyrics, the lyrics have to accommodate the melody. So it’s interesting! They both work in different ways but they are very much the same thing.

It’s just you mainly writing, right?

Mainly it’s me but I write with other people. The ‘Pathways’ single was written with my friend Robert Priest and Roseanne, they helped me write that. well, they didn’t help me, we wrote it together. And I write songs with a buddy of mine, Tyler Alice.

Have you got quite a busy rest of the year planned?

Busy enough, yeah! Enough to keep me away! Going to California, Colorado, doing a Western tour, and Eastern tour. I like touring, it’s cool. It is tiring though, I’m not a young buck any more!

Do you have a dream tour lineup you’d like to be a part of?

Anybody and everybody really. I like to play and I like to watch people play. I like to learn from people and I hope that I rub off on them too.

I think a real good tour would be me and Nathaniel Rateliff. He’s like me, he can do the acoustic thing or can go all in.

Reviews

Whirlwind: Lainey Wilson Takes her Crown to Sit at the Top of the Country world!

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The amazing Lainey Wilson is back with her first album since her breakout, Grammy-winning release, Bell Bottom Country. We checked out that release and enjoyed it, but she has since grown on me a lot more. So, of course we had to check out this upcoming release, especially when we were sent it a few days before release! Let’s dive in!

‘Keep up with Jones’ opens up the album perfectly; a foot-stomping number that focuses on the acoustic guitar and Lainey’s now-iconic vocals. A simple verse leads to a catchy as anything, fun chorus. The subtle backing vocals/harmonies add so much to it, making it almost instantly memorable. Immediately, it’s made to be played to huge crowds at festivals and in arenas. And, while the lyrics are somewhat stereotypical for country, Lainey does a great job of making them her own and keeping the cringiness away, as seen throughout the whole album really. We even get an awesome extended blues/southern guitar and organ solo tucked away in the middle, adding even more greatness to the song. It’s the perfect way to open this album, and immediately made it onto our playlist. An amazing start!

I’ve been obsessed with ‘Country’s Cool Again’ since the moment it came out. Everything about the song is just so fun and enjoyable, and it was the perfect, up-beat first single to release. I shan’t say too much about the track as we actually did a reaction video to it, which I’ll drop below, where I got most of my thoughts out of it. However, it’s a really excellent song, and one that I’ve still not stopped listening to months later. And it seems like she can do it awesomely live, which is another bonus!

Up next is the latest single, the Miranda Lambert featuring ‘Good Horses’. It feels like a similar more Americana, slightly darker sound from her last album. However, that doesn’t make the song any less awesome. The pairs vocals work effortlessly amazingly together, their harmonies and duel vocals magical together. And they also make the chorus hugely more catchy than it would have been with just the one of them. It’s a simple track but the instrumentation works so well, making it instantly memorable.

‘Broken Hearts Still Beat’ is the first beautiful ballad of the album. Opening on Lainey’s awesome vocals over some simple piano chords, the instrumentation stays stripped back throughout but still builds perfectly. The chorus is incredible too, massively catchy and simply arranged with just the one vocal track. It’s going to be one stuck in my head for days to come, I’m sure. And the emotion throughout the track is palpable, making it easily relatable. It’s an amazing song and another one that easily makes it onto the playlist!

The album’s title track is an interesting one, a pop-country banger of a love song. Again Lainey manages to do the vaguely stereotypical song content without it sounding in any way cringy, it feeling fresh and interesting. It almost feels like a neo-traditional country track, it having plenty of elements and inspiration from 90s and before as well as a modern tinge to it. It’s another simple track in terms of the arrangement, it following the simple radio structure, but it’s a fantastic song all the same, and fits the tone of the album perfectly!

‘Call a Cowboy’ is another fun, albeit another slow track. The same can be said for the likes of ‘Counting Chickens’, ‘Middle of it’ and ‘Devil Don’t Go There’. All are fantastic tracks, and spread pretty evenly throughout the album so as to keep plenty of variety and keep it interesting. And on a 14-track country album, you’ve gotta expect some ballads, and no one does them quite like Lainey. And there are definite highlights to both, too. Particularly the former’s massive, epic, rocky final chorus, and the latter’s amazing lyrics and vocal melodies.

Single ‘Hang tight Honey’ is a fun, upbeat, infectiously catchy track. It’s another great choice for a single, too. It fits perfectly with the current radio-country-rock vibe, and damn, that chorus is amazing. It’s the perfect blend of old and new school. And we even get an awesome guitar solo in the middle, a highlight of the album as it’s packed full of emotion and soul. I’d LOVE to hear and dance along to this song live, and it’s another easily playlisted track!

‘Bar in Baton Rouge’ starts slow with some beautiful acoustic guitar work, but picks up into an awesome plodding rock chorus, the guitars and gaps between the chorus adding so much. Meanwhile, another single, ‘4x4xU’ feels like it stepped straight out of the late 90s/early 2000s country scene. It has a similar style, tempo and structure as the former track, but damn, it feels completely different. That chorus is incredible, and the subtle organ in the back is amazing. It’s like a country-rock ballad, and is a fantastic love song. This album is really packed full of highlights!

We get a straight up Southern rock intro to ‘Ring Finger’ before it drops down into a subdued disco style. It reminds me a lot of the Cadillac Three’s Tabasco and Sweet Tea album, and I love it! Both parts/styles work surprisingly amazing together, and it’s something I was not expecting Lainey to come out with. However, fuck, it’s amazing. And then we go full country for the chorus, and it’s all I could ever want! This is another massive album highlight, and I really hope it gets the love it deserves, not being a single and all. It’s another track I wanna hear live, and I think they could do some really fun stuff with it. That whole outro bit goes HARD.

The closing track, ‘Whiskey Coloured Crayon’; a fitting country song title and a fitting closing song for the album. The slower-track-closing-the-album trope has grown on me over the years (or more my hatred of it has softened), and as far as that goes, this is one of the best. It’s an emotional end to an emotional album, and a beautiful track in its own right. The cute yet heartbreaking sentiment behind the track works perfectly, and gave me goosebumps by the end. I do think it could have build into something truly special by the end instead of fizzling out, but damn, what an ending!

Overall: this was just as good as I expected it to be! It definitely feels like it builds on her last album, it’s certainly a step up and is spurred on by her sudden mega-stardom. There truly isn’t a bad track on it, and I’ve ended up with a good over half of it on my playlist, at this point. The only very minor gripes I have are personal, and really don’t reflect ant issues with the album in any way. It’s certainly going to be up there in the discussion of album of the year when December rolls around, I’m sure. And I’mma be spinning this a lot over the next few months to prepare for that!

The Score: 9/10

Reviews

Drake Milligan Rocks the Ritz!

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Holy shit. That was a bit good.

We had the absolute pleasure of heading down to the beautiful Ritz in Manchester to catch the amazing Drake Milligan during his first ever, sold out run of UK headline shows. We got there half an hour before doors and were already queuing around the block, signalling just how big of a name the guy is going to be moving forward. But how was the show? Well, outside of the statement above, we’re here to tell you all about it!

Firstly, opening for Drake on this run is the amazing Luke Flear. I’d never heard of the Leeds lad before Saturday night but damn, he didn’t half impress me! Obvious Bon Jovi comparisons aside (the hair, the voice, the fact that he played ‘Dead or Alive’…) Luke has an incredibly interesting sound and style for a UK artist. Country is still in its infancy stages with a lot of artists out here, so to see someone so comfortably writing excellent country songs is amazing to see. Personal highlights for me were ‘Looks Country to Me’ and the beautiful piano ballad, ‘Red Vodka’. However, for just one man on a big stage by himself, he has such a fantastic presence that more than filled it out. And he had the crowd on his side throughout the entire set too, not something easily achieved when you’re the sole opener for a sold out, big name. If you ever get the chance to see him live, I would highly recommend it,as he put on one hell of a show. Hopefully next time I see him, he can have a band backing him, as the songs pop off even more on track!

After a short break, we were then hit by one of the best shows I think I’ve ever seen. I’d heard how good Drake and his band were across the three nights they did Islington, but I somehow still wasn’t quite prepared for what I witnessed. This was an absolute masterclass of life country music, both traditional and modern.

Opening on a phenomenal cover of ‘Blue Suede Shoes’, right out of the gate it showcases not only Drakes talent for playing, vocals and performance, but also immediately highlights every other member of the band, too. Then, whether it was Dallas/Forth Worth powerhouses like ‘Bad Day to Be a Beer’ and ‘Over Drinkin’ Under Thinkin’’, or Jukebox EP tracks like ‘I Got a Problem’ or the title track, the early set was already a huge, loud, crowd singalong. Heck, he even managed to get the crowd singing to two so-far unreleased tracks, both of which are fantastic. So, by the time we got to ‘What I Couldn’t Forget’, ‘Dance of a Lifetime’ and ‘Kiss Goodbye All Night’, I’m shocked the crowd had any voices left at all! Then we still had awesome covers like ‘Burning Love’, ‘Folsom Prison Blues’ (sped up, heavied up and awesome) and of course the epic, raucous closer ‘Sounds Like Something I’d Do’. We got nearly two hours worth of a set, over 20 tracks, and it was sadly over in a flash still. Heck, we even got Drake’s breakout Christmas track, much to the love of the crowd!

And, just as good as the songs that were played, was the show each and every performer put on. I don’t think I’ve quite seen someone as born to be a showman as Drake Milligan is. He’s the perfect blend of Elvis and George Strait, holding the crowd in the palm of his hand from the very first note to the very last. His vocals are just as insanely impressive as they are on track; while I honestly don’t know how anyone has that much energy to move/shake around so much, as well as have that level of charisma, for such a long set. However, the rest of the band also put on one hell of a show, too. Whether it was interacting with Drake or with each other, they were just as energetic, and looked like they were having a blast on stage. Everyone complimented each other perfectly, and are all also criminally underrated players. Their solos at the end all showed just how amazing they are, and was another huge highlight moment of the night for me.

Overall, it was one of the best gigs I think I’ve ever been to, honestly. Luke was amazing, but Drake Milligan and his band are just on another level. I’ve seen plenty of bands in my day, be it country or otherwise, and very few are anywhere close to the show I witnessed on Saturday night. Everything from the performance to the songs to the sound to just Drake’s endearingly cocky personality just worked so well together. I’ve honestly never heard 1500 people get so loud, either. I cannot recommend Drake enough, on track but especially live. He’s well on his way to becoming a massive name in country, and I don’t think he’s ever going to be playing venues this small over here again. It was a party through and through, and the crowd made it just as good as everything else. It’s been a fantastic year for live music here at Overtone, but goddamn, I think Drake Milligan just took the cake!