We had the chance to sit down with the wonderful blues rock guitarist/singer Tom Killner, to chat about his latest album (review here) and his touring plans for the year. Check it all out below!
How’s it’s been to see the response to your new album?
It’s been great, to be fair! It’s different to the last albums we’ve done. It’s great that people are on board with it and like what we’ve done, which I’m really grateful for!
And it’s been a little while between releases, right?
Yeah! Somebody said it’s been six years since the last one, one of the reviews was like ‘it’s been over half a decade’ and it’s like wow, where’s that gone?! Yeah, time seems to slip by rather quickly. Especially with ‘that thing’ that happened that we don’t like to mention. So yeah, six years now. But we won’t leave it that long until the next one!
And what’s the writing process like for you? Do you write it all and then bring it to the band or do they sit and write with you?
It’s a mixture sometimes. Generally I’ll have a riff idea or the lyrics or an idea of the lyrical content. And I do like to chat with the band and get musical ideas. I do like other people’s input into stuff. It’s important that it’s not just a singular vision for the songs. The track ‘No More’ was originally a ballad, I wrote it on acoustic guitar. It just didn’t work. And then Rich, the drummer, said ‘let’s try it this way’, and this was like a week before we were due to record. Like lyrically there were no issues but musically we were struggling a little bit. And that’s when we take it to the band and swap and change it and things.
So it’s sort of a mixture between myself doing bits and pieces and the band coming up with ideas. I more or less let them have free rein with what they want to do on the tracks. That’s down to them.
Is there a particular story or theme throughout the album?
I don’t think there’s a story, you can’t call it a concept album. It’s an accumulation of songs I’ve written… some I wrote years back and we’ve toured them for years. Some of them were done literally the week before we recorded the album. But all the songs are from a certain point in my life, pinpointing what it was like then. Some are just pure fantasy, some are observations on everyday life. So that’s kinda the theme from the record, pinpoints through life.
I imagine there’s some music floating round for the next project still, too?
Yeah, I would say so! The vinyl format that we did, you’ve gotta cut down to a certain length or you start to loose audio quality, which a fun constraint to have. And the cost of having a double LP is unattainable at the moment. But yeah, we have got ideas and songs and riffs that didn’t make it onto this record that will be on the next one. And hopefully it won’t been too long before we start getting those together and having the next one written.
And do you lean more towards albums as opposed to single or?
I’m in both camps, to be fair. The industry is changing with how to capture your audience; you’ve got to move with what is happening, really. I would say I’m in the camp of I like a full album but I’m not afraid to have a couple or three singles from the album before the release. It sort of gives the people an indication of where it’s gonna go. Today it’s really hard to keep the attention of people. We’re in the world of 15/30 second videos. I’m 28 now so I sort of caught the end of when you used to go into shops to buy singles. So the singles thing has always been there, but it’s a rarity these days that bands are purely releasing LPs or full albums.
And so you’re on tour next month, right?
Yes! We are headed out with Hush Money, from Georgia. I can’t wait to be heading out with them. It’s crept up on me, seems like this year has disappeared already! We have a few dates with them across the UK; Scotland and the North-East and down to Wolverhampton and finish off at Call of the Wild. Really looking to that!
Then in July we’re heading out with Preacher Stone. These shows that we’re doing, we’re playing venues that we’ve never been to before, meet in new friends, so we’re looking forward to it!
Have you got much planned for the summer/back end of the year?
We’ve got quite a few festivals throughout. There’s plans for a tour later on this year on our own. It’s not been announced yet but we’re working on that! But mainly through summer it’s festivals.
Do you have a dream tour lineup you’d want to be a part of?
This question comes up a bit and I think it changes on a daily basis! A big one for me would be Blackberry Smoke. They’ve been on the playlist today so that explains why! Lukas Nelson, he’s really cool! Jason Isbell is one of my favourite artists in the Southern rock camp, phenomenal songwriter!
It’s gonna be a tough week for any album on this list, releasing on the same day as the musical megastar Taylor Swift. I won’t be reviewing that album but I have checked it out. It’s the same boring, slow, atmospheric nothingness that her last few albums have been. I’m a fan of her first few albums, but this lowest-common-denominator ’pop’ music is not for me. But hell, here are a few albums that hopefully will be!
Pearl Jam: Dark Matter
While the band’s insane pricing for their 2024 UK tour still leaves a sour taste in my mouth regarding the band, I’m still a fan of their music, and this album is no exception. Don’t get me wrong, they’ve always been the most boring of the ‘Grunge Big 4’ to me, and this is no different. It’s straight-forward rock music with a bit more fuzz and heavy blues to it. But it certainly isn’t bad. I’d heard the single and title track before the album was released and it remains a firm highlight of it. Other highlights include ‘Waiting for Stevie’, the punky ‘Running’ and the chilled ballad ‘Something Special’. It’s nothing new from the band, however, and while I certainly wouldn’t put it up against their early albums, I wouldn’t say it’s above their previous one or Lightening Bolt, either. It’s not a bad album, and is a fun, relaxed rock listen. However, it does feel a tad like the band are going through the motions, releasing an album for the sake of it. I’d honestly put it up there with Vedder’s last solo album, so this gets an easy 7/10 from me!
The Ghost Inside: Searching for Solace
These always seem like the lost modern metalcore band to me. I see their name everywhere, know they’re getting big and are supposed to be great, but I’ve never found the time to check them out. That changes today, given that this is their first album since 2020 so the first one I’ve been able to review!
Honestly, it’s pretty good. However, at the same time, I’m kinda okay with the fact that I’ve not listened to them really until now. They are parts of an incredibly popular, rather saturated genre these days, and I wouldn’t say it did anything out of the ordinary or all that interesting. As I said, I’m not particularly familiar with the band, so they may have pioneered the sound that has since been made hugely popular by the likes of Bad Omens and even BMTH to an extend. However, as most likely a new listener to the band with this album, it’s good, often-times great, metalcore that doesn’t bring anything new to the table. I found myself, like usual recently, gravitating to the all-out heavy tracks like ‘Death Grip’, ‘Wrath’ and ‘Split’. That’s not to say the cleaner, lighter, poppier parts and songs aren’t good, and I’d argue they are done much better by Ghost Inside than by Bad Omens, but the style is done so much recently that it kinda bores me now.
I completely see the appeal of this band. They are playing a very ‘in’ style of metal these days and they do it incredibly well. There are a few tracks that I love on here and I certainly wouldn’t turn off the album if it came on again. But it does feel more like a collection of a few songs I love mixed with a few I’d happily never listen to again. If you are a fan of modern metalcore, I’m sure you’ll love this. I’ve seen plenty of love for it already on social media, in fact. It’s not bad at all and is objectively great. But for me, it’s no I Prevail; it doesn’t quite reach that upper echelon of modern metalcore for me. 8/10
My Dying Bride: A Mortal Binding
Yorkshire’s own premier doom metal band are back with their first new album in four years. I’m a relatively new fan of the band, but really loved this album! ‘Her Dominion’ is such a perfect opener, setting up the heaviness of the album. Meanwhile follow-up ‘Thornwyck Hymn’ has a more theatrical, clean-vocalled sound and even some beautiful strings, giving it a truly epic feel. However, with each passing track, I loved them more and more. There are only seven of them, but they clock in at a total of 54-minutes. Each track feels like its own epic journey, while it all combines together to form one incredible piece. It’s certainly an album that’s designed to listen to in full. However, the highlight for me is the truly epic, 11+ minute ‘The Apocalyptist’. If you listen to anything off the album, let it be that one, it demonstrates everything the band do so amazingly on the release.
Having gone back and listened through a number of their previous releases, I have to say that this is certainly up there with some of their best. There isn’t a bad song on it and they all fit together perfectly. I don’t understand how this band aren’t towards the top of the metal world, they’re so good. If you like doom metal or just the heavy stuff in general, check this out, you won’t be disappointed! 9.5/10
Elvie Shane: Damascus
Taking a leaf from Jelly Roll on his sophomore album, Elvie combines country, soul, rock and hip-hop together masterfully. And, just like Whitsitt Creak last year, I can’t get enough of this. From the rocky opener, ‘Jonesin’’ and the Bon Jovi-like ‘Forgotten Man’ to the slower stuff like ‘Baptized’, ‘Pill’ and ‘Winning Horse’, all the styles Elvie does he nails. Also, massive shoutout to the Little Big Town featuring ‘First Place’, as it may be my favourite track on the album. And, at only 13-tracks, for an album like this it isn’t even that long! There isn’t a bad song on it, either. It’s just a fun listen from start to finish and there is never once a dull moment; it’s put together and arranged perfectly. There really isn’t much else to say, if you’re a country fan you’ll love this one! I’ll sure be listening to it a lot moving forward! 9/10
High on Fire: Cometh the Storm
I’ve heard the name floating around for years at this point and haven’t had the chance to check them out outside of a song or two. I had it in my head that they were more of a NWOBHM band, so to hear an album heavily inspired by early-Roots era Sepultura was a very nice surprise! It’s got elements of thrash, stoner and doom in there too, but the almost tribal riffs are very Sepultura-like. Tracks like the opener, ‘Sol’s Golden Curse’ and ‘Hunting Shadows’ are all big highlights for me. However, if you’re into the epic stoner metal style like me, you’ll probably love the whole album. Honestly there isn’t much more to say about this. It’s a solid metal album that didn’t at all feel like it lasted nearly an hour. Heck, the closing track on its own is 10-minutes of doomy goodness. I’ll certainly be listening to the band a lot moving forward, and this album will be at the forefront of that. 8/10
Anne Wilson: REBEL
Okay, so yes, I know that generally speaking, country as a genre has a lot of roots in Christianity. I get that the religion is a much bigger thing still in the US, especially in the areas where country is biggest. But damn, this album is God-bothery as fuck. I have no issue with people believing and living by whatever religion they want to, but I’m not a fan of being near-endlessly preached to for nearly an hour. And I know that she is an overtly Christian musician releasing music through a Christian record label. But bands like Skillet, Demon Hunter and P.O.D are also self-identifying Christian bands, yet have found that they can sing about other topics as well, not just their religious beliefs. I am far from Anne’s target audience, I know that, but musically and vocally she’s amazing, and I do think she’s limiting herself with how she writes her lyrics and how the label markets her.
It’s a shame too, as the opener/title track starts things off so strongly. ‘REBEL’ is certainly a highlight. Of course Lainey Wilson’s magical touch continues too, as ‘Praying Woman’ is a banger despite the lyrics. The same can be said for ‘Songs About Whiskey’. The Jordan Davis-featuring ‘Country Gold’ is also great, reigning in the bible-bashing to a minimum. But yeah, overall it was lot, and I struggled to get into a few of tracks when they were so constantly heavy-handed.
As I’ve said previously, I’m not against religion, and musically it’s pretty good; standard country stuff. She’s a fantastic vocalist and really isn’t a bad songwriter. But this personally isn’t for me as a whole. I’m sure it will appeal to plenty of people though and they’ll love it. But please don’t @ me as I give this a 4/10
Folterkahmmer: Weibermacht
The symphonic black metal band are back with their sophomoric album, and I have to say it’s pretty fucking great. I’m not sure how a German band ended up starting in New York, but when we get music this good I couldn’t care! Also, thought it would be a bit of a laugh putting them here on the list, given their general lyrical content, contrasting with Anne Wilson prior.
Those who check out a lot of our NMM series know that I struggle getting into straight-up black metal. It usually has to be cut with something else in order to keep me interested. Honestly, the various styles this band have added to it is the real perfect combination. I was hooked right from the epic opener, and tracks like ‘Küss Mir Die Füsse!’ and ‘Algolagnia’ certainly helped! Heck, their cover of ‘Venus in Fur’ is awesome and a really interesting take on Velvet Underground. The atmosphere and darkness the band create is fascinating, and the fact that they put out such a solid release in only seven original songs is a testament to the band’s writing. It’s certainly not for everyone, and even I won’t be listening to it constantly. However, it is incredibly well written and performed, and if you’re into black metal with a folky, operatic twist, you’ll surely dig this. It’s an album worth listening to in full to appreciate fully, and after doing so I can safely give this a 7.5/10
Praying Mantis: Defiance
the NWOBHM/AOR legends are back with their 13th studio album. the band have been insanely consistent with their output and quality this millennium, and this release is no different. I’m a pretty big AOR fan, and this is really the template in which that genre was built. From the soaring, powerful vocals to the solid guitars and drums to the heavy synth focus to the catchy, stadium-filling choruses, it does it all perfectly. There isn’t a bad song on the album, but personal highlights include the title track and ‘Never Can Say Goodbye’. Heck, we even get a really good cover of Rainbow’s ‘I Surrender’, a hard feat to accomplish to live up to Joe Lynn Turner! If you’re into the more epic, glam/sleezed-tinged side of rock music, this album is definitely for you. I’ll certainly be spinning this again a fair bit in the coming weeks! 8/10
Wyatt Flores: Half Life
So, I ummed and arred about whether to feature this here or not. Apparently it’s an EP. However, eight full tracks spanning nearly half an hour sounds like an album to me. Especially when my other option was Craig Campbell (whose release was also great) at just six full tracks and an intro & outro. apparently that one is an album but this one isn’t. Bollocks. I’m calling this an album, just like the Castellows one, and am reviewing it.
It’s fucking awesome. I’m really enjoying this resurgence of chilled-out, stripped-back country music into the mainstream thanks to the likes of Zach Bryan, and this is up there with his last release, for me. It’s all not much more than a couple of guitars and some simple drums backing his vocals, but it all fits so perfectly. ‘Wish I Could Stay’ is not only the perfect example of how well the instrumentation boosts Wyatt’s vocals and lyrics to epic levels, but is also an incredible song and one of the most beautifully bittersweet tracks I’ve ever heard. It literally gave me goosebumps. However, every track on this release is excellent, honestly. He’s a phenomenal lyricist and the delivery and instrumentation around them are both impeccable. He’s one of the ones I’m most excited to see at The Long Road this year, and even more so now after this release. I’d recommend this album to anyone, not just country fans, that’s how good it is. 10/10, it couldn’t be anything else!
A stacked lineup defended onto our local venue last night. The rock powerhouses Asomvel are getting more and more momentum with each passing day it seems, and this tour has helped no end. Joining them on said tour have been grungy blues rockers Gorillia Riot and foot-stomping partiers Red Wine Ride. And, to add to the awesomeness, local stars Eddie & the Wolves joined them to open things up with a bang for just this stop. It was a massive lineup, and drew a pretty impressive crowd for a cold, windy Tuesday night.
So yes, to get the formality out of the way, I am the bassist for Eddie & the Wolves. And while I usually do the whole “this is the greatest band in the world, especially that bassist” shtick as a joke, I wanna speak honestly for this one. I want to personally thank every single person for coming out and supporting not only us, but every single band on the bill last night; for supporting local live music in general. Especially, as I mentioned, given the weather. And to see a que at the door as soon as they opened was amazing, given that we were on shortly after. Derby, you showed up. And another massive thank you to Ralph of Asomvel for getting us on the gig. Every single band member of all three bands were the nicest people, and it was a fantastic night.
And, not to toot our own horn, but I think we sounded pretty good! Considering my in-ear monitors cut out immediately (making it hard to play at times), I heard a lot of what the crowd did and I think it sounded good. And the crowd seemed to have a good time and enjoy it, even the ones that weren’t our friends and family who weren’t already familiar with our music. And, more importantly of course, we all had a blast. It was the first time we played any of the songs off the upcoming album, and outside of a couple of kinks, it went well! And, of course, Eddie & The Wolves are the best…!
Next up were the amazing Red Wine Ride. I wasn’t familiar with them before last night, but they’ve gained a big new fan in me! Their talent was off the charts, as was their energy and stage presence. They were a hell of a lot of fun to watch, and got the crowd into it in a big way. Their sound closely resembles that of AC/DC or Airborne, which is amazing to hear in the UK underground scene, and they pull it off to perfection. I’ve been checking out their music a lot today while I’ve been writing this review, and it holds up just as well on track as it does live. All four of these guys are insanely talented at playing and songwriting and they’re gonna be a massive name in the scene sooner rather than later!
Next up were the always amazing Gorilla Riot. We’ve seen them a couple of times before (see here and here) but it’s been a while, so I was pretty excited! They didn’t disappoint in the slightest, offering their incredible brand of swaggering hard rock to the adoring crowd. Even with a few technical issues, the band sounded on top form. Their stage presence and energy is so full of attitude and just comes across as fucking cool. They had a shorter set than usual but still rattled off some of their hits and best songs. The band have been going for a decade at this point and are clearly not only polished, but thoroughly enjoying what they do. It was another awesome set!
Then, the headliners took to the stage, the mighty Asomvel. The band burst onto the stage in a flurry of energy, and the same chaotic energy continued throughout their entire set. The band were there to put on a show, and had a good time doing just that! And yet, having said that, the band are so ridiculously tight live, you’d honestly think you were listening to the track at times. They rattled through an amazing set of songs new and old, that flew by in a flash, not at all feeling like over an hour. There’s little wonder why the band are getting one hell of a reputation for their live sets, as this is easily one of the best I’ve seen so far this year. The band are on track to be a huge name in the scene, especially if their latest album is anything to go by, too! Ralph’s stage presence and vocals along were incredible, but add in the other three members of the band also working their asses off and it made for a set to remember, for sure. The band personify the old-school Motörhead/ACDC vibe not just in sound, but in presence and attitude too, and it really is a sight to behold. This was awesome.
And there we have it. Four incredible bands in an incredible venue. It was a fantastic night of music in which every band delivered. The crowd loved it and practically hung on every note from each band. I truly believe all four (sorry for the bigheadedness) bands could go far in the UK rock scene, and I think we could see a lot more of all of them in the coming year. If you were nearby and didn’t go to this show, you most certainly missed out. I can’t wait to see the other three bands again, hopefully sooner rather than later, and I look forward to seeing where they go after this tour!
A stacked week of New Music Mondays this week! Join us as we check out everything from country to punk to death metal to grime!
The Black Keys: Ohio Players
The Ohioan alt-rock duo returned with their 12th studio album. I haven’t listened to them now in probably a decade, at least since I was a teenager, and they’ve changed a fair bit since ‘Gold on the Ceiling’, that’s for sure! There’s a lot less of a focus on rock, or at least the higher tempo, more energetic end of it that they had on their early work. It’s a much more softer indie rock. However, that isn’t an issue at all. Bands evolve, and this certainly isn’t a bad album. It reminds me a lot of some of the slower stuff off RHCP’s Stadium Arcadium.
However, having said that, I’m finding it hard to pick out specific highlights. None of the tracks stand out to me massively over others. I don’t think I’d go out of my way to listen to individual songs again, but I’d happily stick the whole album on again and again if I wanted to chill out or was on a long car journey. It feels designed to be listened to as a whole, which is a nice change of pace in today’s musical climate. I still wouldn’t put it up there with El Camino or Attack & Release, but it’s a damn fun album and if you like a softer, indie rock sound, you’ll love this! 7.5/10
Alpha Wolf: Half Living Things
I was semi-curious about this release, having heard a couple of the singles before it’s release. “The one with Ice T” I loved from the start; it was right up my street. But then I heard “The slower, ambient, Bad Omens type one” and it dropped my hype all the way down. The two tracks are one after another towards the midpoint of the album, and while I appreciate the band slowing things down and changing things up, adding some dynamics and pacing to the album, it does kinda reflect the best and average of it.
However, as an album overall, it’s chaotic, heavy brilliance. It has the manicness of modern nu-metal, heavy Tallah vibes. However, it also has the heaviness and aggression of new-wave metalcore. It’s a fascinating, amazing combination, to say the least. Outside of the aforementioned slower track, actually titled ‘Whenever You’re Ready’, the whole album goes hard and produces MANY highlights. Songs like ‘Double-Edge Demise’, ‘Mangekyõ’ and ‘A Terrible Day For Rain’ are all personal highlights, alongside the Bodycount-esque ‘Sucks 2 Suck’. However, it’s a great album overall, and even the slower one is growing on me with more listens. If you like you metal with heaviness, chaos and attitude, this is certainly the album for you. It’ll be high in our list of best albums come December, I’m sure! 9.5/10
The Libertines: All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade
The indie/post-punk legends are back with their fourth album, and first in nearly a decade. With how big of a name they are, I really thought they’d have had a bigger output than this! However, the band clearly favour quality over quantity, and this release is no different! It’s an incredibly well put together, thought out, polished album. Every track is as good as the last, and if you’re into the band or the genre as a whole, you’ll love it! It’s not especially my thing overall, but it’s a good album to throw on in the background or chill out to. Highlights for me include the opener, ‘Man with the Melody’ and ‘Be Young’. For a band this deep into their career, it might be a touch predictable, but given that I haven’t listen to a lot of them before now aside their big songs, I enjoyed it! 7/10
Ingested: The Tide of Death and Fractured Dreams
We’ve already checked out this awesome album! Find our review of it here!
Blacktop Mojo: Pollen
The fifth album from the Texan hard rock band would fit them in perfectly with the newer crop of NWOCR bands. The opening two tracks give off big These Wicked Rivers, Bad Touch and The Answer vibes, southern rock-tinged goodness. Heck, ‘As the Light Fades’ is a straight up Blackberry Smoke style country rock song! However, at the same time, tracks like ‘I Can’t Tell’ and ‘Red Enough’ go back to their post-grunge roots, reminding me more of Seether, Hoobastank or even Those Damn Crows.
And, I loved every second of it all. Anyone who knows Overtone knows how much we love all of the bands and genres already mentioned above, and this album does all of it so well! Whether it’s ‘Weary I Roam’, ‘I Can’t Tell’, ‘Born to Lose’, ‘Something’s Changed’ or any of the tracks I’ve previously mentioned, all are massive highlights. Heck, there truly isn’t a bad song on the album! I love how varied it is, feeling constantly different and interesting while still somehow all sounding distinctively Blacktop Mojo. I am endlessly jealous of bands that can genre-hop like this across the same album, and it makes for one of the most entertaining listens I’ve had this year so far. I’mma be listening to this a LOT moving forward, and I’d recommend it to anyone! I can’t give it any less than 10/10. Wow.
Bob Vylan: Humble as the Sun
Long-time readers here will know my general feelings around Bob Vylan. For those who don’t want to help us out and click the link, essentially I don’t get why he’s been so feverishly taken in by the UK rock scene. It baffles me. It’s grime/hip-hop and doesn’t go as hard or heavy as other bands on the periphery of rock like Prodigy or even Die Antwoord. But the acceptance into the scene (they’re even headlining Primordial-fest this year) is the reason I’m leaving this review. I guess there’s a guitar a fair amount through it? Either way, it isn’t rock, just ‘punk-infused’ at times at a push.
Having said all of that, it isn’t even bad music. It’s not hugely my sort of thing, but I’d rather listen to this than most of the tripe on mainstream radio these days. And there are a good few decent tracks on the album. Heck, ‘Hunger Games’ even has a decent riff in it, and the lyrics are punk AF. There’s some meh on it too, don’t get me wrong, but I certainly enjoyed it more than his last release. And I’ve heard he’s supposed to be amazing live, which I can imagine given the style and attitude. Maybe that would win me round to being an actual fan. For now, it’s more passing, morbid curiosity and the odd enjoyment! 4/10
Chayce Beckham: Bad for Me
The debut album of the country star is a phenomenal release. While still following a familiar radio structure to so many of his peers recently, there is a certain not only traditional but also rock edge to his sound, which I LOVED. Whether it’s strings, electric guitar or acoustic drums, it all combines together perfectly to make a definite country-rock-pop sound. ‘Devil I’ve Been’ is the perfect opener for the album and showcases exactly what Chayce is all about in both style and tone. Then you have tracked like ‘Waylon in ’75’, ‘Drink you Off my Mind’ and ‘Something Worth Holding On To’ that are all fantastic tracks and more easy highlights.
He reminds me of a combination of Luke Combs, Shane Smith and, surprisingly, Keifer Sutherland. And, massive props to him for keeping this at only 13 tracks. There are far too many country albums that are far too long, so this is a wonderfully refreshing release. Every track is amazing, and all of them flow together perfectly; it’s really well arranged. I’mma certainly be listening to this a lot moving forward, and I’d recommend it to any country fan out there! 9/10
Hawkwind: Stories from Time and Space
I sadly knew I wouldn’t like this heading into it, and it certainly didn’t change my mind. While I do enjoy a lot of elements and styles of prog rock, ‘space rock’ is not one of them. How this band was how Lemmy started his career is beyond me. I completely get that this band has many, many fans that will likely love this, but I am not one of them. I got bored pretty quickly and really had to fight to listen to the whole album. The closest thing to good for me was most likely ‘The Starship’. An hour of this music was just too much for my tiny brain to bare. 3/10
Strung Out: Dead Rebellion
A band that I have been vaguely familiar with for a few years now since Spotify recommended me a couple of their songs to me. Sadly I haven’t had the chance to check out much more from them since, so I’m excited to check out the tenth album from the band.
Their style has mostly stayed the same in the two decades since they released the music I know. However, the combination of punk with hard/radio/dad/butt rock is great and somehow still feels fresh all these years later. The riffs are awesome and touch on metalcore at times, the drums keep a quick, punky pace and the vocals and lyrics are great throughout. The band clearly inspired the sound of bands like Rise Against and Billy Talent (alongside Bad Religion of course), while still being able to sound pretty unique. Songs like ‘New Gods’ and ‘Resistance’ are big personal highlights for me. Don’t get me wrong, it doesn’t reinvent the wheel or anything. But it’s a solid album and when I haven’t listened to one of theirs in full before, I found myself enjoying it! Fans of the band will have to let us know how it compares to their others! I’ll certainly be checking them out after this, too! For now, 8/10
Feeder: Black/Red
The alt-rock Brits returned with their 12th album last week. We checked out their last one (find it here) and, as you can see, really enjoyed it! Sadly, I didn’t come away with the same pumped, excited feeling after this release. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a bad album. But it kinda just feels there, as opposed to something that demands my attention. There are still some good riffs and a couple of catchy hooks, but nothing stood out to me as a whole, really. ‘Vultures’ is probably the closest to a song I’d listen to over and over.
It reminds me of Bush’s last album, like even down to the colour scheme, as well as feel and sound. However, it didn’t have the same impact on me or stand out nearly as much as The Art of Survival. I’m sure it will have fans, and I didn’t hate it; I wouldn’t turn it off if it came on. But I shan’t rush to listen to this again. 6/10, not bad.
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 sameyand 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
Alberta’s own Corb Lund released his brand new album this last Friday. The country-folk singer-songwriter is on his twelfth studio album, and shows no signs of slowing down. Now, I do tend personally to go for more of a rock/pop country sound. However I do love some more traditional country and western stuff every now and again, so am certainly excited to be checking this out.
The album opens on a fantastic acoustic guitar riff with ‘The Cardplayers’. It has an instant Old Western feel to it, Americana and folk blended together perfectly. Corb’s vocals fit perfect over the top, and the harmonies add another great level to it all, making it massively catchy. Some of the guitar work throughout the track is incredible too, especially through the second verse. It’s a masterclass in folk/blues guitaring, and I’m not at all jealous… It’s a great, darker, more old-school take on country, and an amazing way to open the album!
Single ‘I Had it All’ opens perfectly on some great harmonica work. Long time readers know that if it’s one thing I love as much as a sax, it’s a harmonica. It leads into another great acoustic-blues rock verse and chorus. Again, it’s a damn catchy chorus too, especially with the harmonized vocals. Corb Lund is a fantastic lyric writer, and that is evident in this track. It’s all so simple yet such effective music. It’s another fantastic track, and just a fun listen.
Now, as a Brit, I’m not going to pretend to know the ins and outs of what happened at Fort Worth back in the day, so am not going to comment on the lyrical content of ‘Was Fort Worth Worth It?’. However, as a song overall, it’s another catchy, fun Americana track. Some of the guitaring is amazing, and the chorus is a great, reflective section. I can’t get over just how good the harmonies are in every track, adding so much to an otherwise basic, almost one-man-band style arrangement. Who knows, it may be controversial but screw it, it makes it onto our playlist!
The biggest single from the album, ‘Out on a Win’, is up next. It’s another simple, steady, but incredibly fun track. It’s another track where the lyric writing from Corb Lund stands out massively to me, too. It is a fun, chilled-out track that almost has a touch of indie to it in the vocal delivery, too. Meanwhile ‘Redneck Rehab’ is possibly my favourite track on the album. From the old-school sound of the build-up intro into a fantastic riff and the clapping over the top, it all sounds great. It makes it feel more of a campfire song, which I loved. It also has an infectiously catchy chorus, again featuring some awesome lyrics and harmonies. It’s another track that easily makes our playlist!
The title track slows down the pace even more, but is still every bit a fantastic song. And as a tribute track to someone named Ian, it’s a beautiful, heart-felt track. You can very much feel the emotion in Corb’s vocals and writing, and the pace fit it perfectly. It’s another great track on an album packed full of them.
It was around the time of ‘When the Game Gets Hot’. While it is only 11 tracks and 37-minutes in length, most of it sounds pretty similar. I completely get that it’s due to the style Corb Lund plays, but by seven tracks in I was starting to get a tad restless. The aforementioned track is awesome, having almost a Santana ‘Smooth’ kinda swing to it. The rest of the tracks on the album after it are also great. Especially ‘It Takes Practice’ and another single and closing track ‘Old Familiar Drunken Feeling’. I’d happily listen to them all again, but maybe next time breaking them up with a couple of tracks in the middle may help my destroyed attention span!
Overall: This is a great album! As I said, it’s not 100% what I tend towards when I go for country music, but it was a lot of fun to listen to and Corb Lund is clearly a very talented guy. There isn’t a bad track on this album and some of them are truly fantastic. I’ll be listening to a lot of this for weeks and months to come!
The Georgian country rock band Blackberry Smoke are going on nearly two and a half decades in the industry, and in that time have brought some absolutely incredible music to the scene. Now eight albums into their illustrious career, the band show no sign of slowing down! We’ve already checked out the singles released on our YouTube, and safe to say they’re pretty great. So, without further ado, let’s dive into the whole album!
Opening on the lead single is always a great bet, and few are better than ‘Dig a Hole’. The first time I heard this track was actually at The Long Road last year, and have loved it ever since! We’ve since done a reaction video to it, alongside two other of the singles, and I remember praising it highly then too. It’s a steady-tempo, swaggering southern rock track through and through. It doesn’t do anything massively unexpected, but also doesn’t really need to, it’s just a great track! The riffing is a massive highlight, and the vocals are catchy as anything! A great start!
Another single, ‘Hammer and the Nail’, is up next. It’s another foot-stomping, awesome country rock song. It’s an infectiously catchy chorus that will go down insanely well live, I’m sure. Honestly though all the vocals in the track are catchy. I love the melody between the vocals and guitar in the verses, nearly following each other. We also get an awesome little guitar solo tucked in the middle, fitting the tone of the song perfectly. Out of the three singles I reacted to, this was the one that stuck with me the least. However, after listening to it in context with the album, I have to say I loved it a lot more!
The first non-single of the album, ‘Like it was Yesterday’, is just as good as the singles. It does have a slightly more chilled out, more country vibe than the previous two tracks, though. There’s still a touch of rock to it, but it’s more in the guitar work and tone. It’s more Lynyrd Skynyrd than heavier Cadillac Three, that’s for sure! And that’s certainly not a bad thing, it’s a great song that is gonna be stuck in my head for days to come. It’s a track that easily makes our playlist!
‘Be So Lucky’ chills out the vibes even more. The main focus is on the steady, cleanish guitar riff and Charlie’s vocals, a simple drum, bass and keys backing. Even if it does feel a little bigger in the choruses, which is awesome, it still has a stripped-back feel to it all. It’s almost a ballad track. I LOVE the harmonies on the chorus vocals, too. I really love the lyrics as well. The band have always been fantastic lyric writers, and this is up there with ‘One Horse Town’ for me. And it has one of my favourite guitar solos on the album, simple yet so very effective. It’s another awesome track!
‘Azalea’ is the most recent single from the album, and the only one I haven’t had the time to check out yet. It’s another chilled out track, almost diving into more folk territory than even country. I love the almost Newton Faulkner riff that runs through the majority of it, and the vocals fit perfectly over the top of it. It’s a beautiful, simple track that surprisingly fits perfectly on the album and feels right at home among any other Blackberry Smoke songs. And it’s a really great choice to have this as the midpoint of the album, too!
‘Don’t Mind If I Do’ picks the pace immediately back up again in the best way. Going back to their blues rock sound, reminding me heavily of ‘Rock and Roll Again’. It’s a very Status Quo riff and the subtle piano in the back is amazing. And again, the chorus is a massive highlight of the track, being made for massive arenas and festivals. We also get another awesome guitar solo, again fitting the tone perfectly. I love how easily the band can transition between different sounds and feels, and they do it effortlessly on this album. It’s another track that makes our playlist, it’s awesome!
The main riff for ‘Whatcha Know Good’ is a fantastic one, a country-blues masterclass of writing and playing. I love the darker, moodier tone it gives the whole song. The whole track has this slower, attitude-dripping feel and pace to it that I instantly fell in love with. It’s such a simple yet incredibly effective track, and one that I’ll have on a hell of a lot in the coming weeks and months!
‘Other Side of the Light’ is another slower, acoustic track like ‘Azalea’. It’s a fantastic track with one of the best choruses on the album. And it has some more of those awesome lyrics I was talking about earlier, being fantastically uplifting. However, I can’t bring up great choruses without talking about the following track, ‘Little Bit Crazy’. It’s up there with one of my favourite tracks they’ve ever done, and it’s all because of that incredible chorus and all the vocals going on in it. Heck, it opens on the awesome trio of vocals, setting the tone for the track perfectly. And when done with the band, it sounds MASSIVE. The verses and solo are also awesome, but I can’t get over that chorus. It’s a track that easily makes our playlist and damn, I need to see it live!
The closing track, ‘Barefoot Angel’, somehow draws together all the sounds previously on the album into one epic track. Whether it’s the fuzzy southern rock riffing, slower acoustic verses or the huge, arena-filling choruses, it feels like the perfect crescendo. And again, the lyrics are incredible, a beautiful love song. I love the Synyrd-style bridge and outro too, it feeling almost like jamming than anything else. What a fantastic way to close out the album!
Overall: I loved this! I know I would, given how much I love the band and enjoyed the singles I’d already heard. However, to finally be able to sit down with the full album was awesome. Every track is amazing, and it’s arranged in the perfect order; never once getting boring. The band simply do their own thing and it comes across so well on track and in a live setting. I cannot recommend this album enough to anyone into rock or country music, you’ll find something to enjoy for sure! And I’d easily put it up there alongside The Whippoorwill and Like an Arrow as my favourite releases the band have put out.
The incredible Bad Touch are one of the UK’s best underground rock bands. One of the real pioneers of the NWOCR movement that is still going strong today, they are a real pillar of the UK scene. I’ve known them for a while, having gigged with them a lot back in the day, so when I heard that they were gearing up for the release of their fifth album, I knew I’d be writing this review. Well, it dropped on Friday, so here is said review!
‘Slip Away’ opens the album in typically bluesy fashion with a great riff. Immediately there is so much feel from everyone’s playing, it being very refreshing from the super-produced feel that a lot of music has these days. Stevie’s vocals sound just as great as ever, fitting over the sleazy blues riff perfectly. A simple, driving verse leads to a bigger, very catchy chorus. We get an awesome solo to connected the second and third choruses, it fitting the tone and feel of the track perfectly. The track follows the standard rock structure, but is the perfect introduction to the band and the album. It’s a great song!
Another fantastic riff opens ‘This Life’, soon exploding into the HUGE verse. Honestly, both the verses and chorus could easily be interchangeable. Both are massively catchy and sound made to fill arenas. It’s a short, to-the-point rock ‘n roll banger and easily makes our playlist. It’s everything you could want in a 70s/80s inspired rock song with a modern edge, a sound Bad Touch have perfected for years at this point!
Single ‘Spend my Days’ is another great track, being a tad slower than the previous two. The clean, more stripped-back verses were a nice touch. It somehow feels like the perfect blend between Lynyrd Skynyrd and Bowie. It also has a slight indie twang to it, which was awesome. It still builds into a great chorus, the backing vocals adding so much depth to it all. The lyrics are fantastic and full of emotion, too. It’s got some more awesome guitar soloing, too. It’s hard to listen to this track without it putting a smile on your face. It’s the second track in a row that easily makes our playlist!
Check out our interview with the band from back in the day here!
The title track goes just as hard as the other songs, picking up the energy again after the previous song. I’m loving the subtle organs put in the back throughout the album, and it works possibly the best in this track. And again, another huge highlight of the song is the backing vocals. Whether it’s the verse or chorus, the harmonies sound INCREDIBLE and really make the song memorable. And of course, it has some more now expected excellent guitar soloing. It’s another amazing song. Bad Touch are really on a roll so far this album.
Other single ‘Nothing Wrong with That’ is another slower track, and the ballad of the album. It again feels very Skynyrd, but also hints of Black Stone Cherry and even (Molly Hatchet?) in there too. Honestly, it’s a fantastic track. Stevie’s vocals fit so perfectly over this sort of style, and both the pre and chorus are stadium-filling, massively catchy moments. It feels more like something off their debut than any of their more recent stuff, which I love as it’s my favourite album of theirs! A simple yet massively effective solo and that awesome ‘Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door’ reggae-style chorus round out the track amazingly, too. It’s instantly become one of my favourites of the band, and of course it also makes our playlist!
Tracks like ‘Taste This’ and ‘See it To Believe It’ have a bit more of that sleaze feel to it that the UK NWOCR scene is so good at at the minute. Meanwhile, ‘Tonight’ and ‘Come Back Again’ are closer to the country-blues style the band made their name off. They are all awesome, very enjoyable tracks that showcase the range of the band’s expertise these days. Bad Touch have become one of the most polished bands in the UK, releasing amazing album after amazing album, and tracks like these demonstrate that perfectly. The production is amazing, and the songs are awesomely written. I love this band!
Closer ‘Dizzy for You’ is the perfect culmination of all the sounds and feelings from this album. The riffing is awesome and it has a very chilled out, country-blues feel to it. And yet it’s very NWOCR still. Heck, it almost has an edge of Britpop to it, too. And of course it’s another typically awesome chorus. And other incredibly fitting, impressive guitar solo is tucked in the middle, too. The backing vocals in the final double-chorus is a massive highlight of the track as well. It adds such an epic finale feel to it all, making it the perfect album closer!
Overall: this was fantastic. I’ve loved this band for nearly a decade at this point (fuck I’m old) and they somehow keep getting better and better. Honestly, after a couple of listens I think this is my favourite Bad Touch album since Half Way Home. It’s not got a bad track on it and plenty stand out among the best the band have to offer. I really hope this is finally the album to push Bad Touch into the mainstream and they become the huge band they deserve to be. Some of the nicest guys around making incredible music!
As we approach the end of the year we’ll have less and less new music. However, this is still a pretty stacked week that I can’t wait to check out!
Neil Young: Before and After
So, this was already a difficult review for me. After Young’s Spotify boycott nearly two years ago, he is about the only one from it that has still kept his music off the streaming giant. Because of that I have had to resort to YouTube and near constant ads. So, this review will probably be half-assed, like Neil’s approach to bringing his music to his fans is.
If you are a fan of Neil, I’m sure you’ll like this. His distinctive vocal style and folky/Americana playing are not for everyone, but it’s definitely a good listen. It’s a solo acoustic album, so if you aren’t into his vocals or style, this certainly won’t change your mind! I have to admit, as good as it was, it didn’t take me long to get bored of it. It’s 16 tracks long, and while most are short, ‘Before and After’ is split into two 11-minute parts. Having said that, they were probably my favourite tracks on the album, given how well they were written lyrically.
It’s a lot of the same thing. If you’re into that and enjoy this, awesome. It’s not particularly my thing, though. I prefer at least a bit of the album to be somewhat upbeat, not all slower country/folk ballads. 4/10
Bernie Marsden: Working Man
I’ve done too many posthumous reviews this year, but sadly here is another. The Whitesnake legend sadly passed earlier this year, but had recorded an album before then. Let’s check it out.
Honestly, I’ll let it off for being long. Being his final release, I feel like this is everything he had, laid out bare for his fans. It’s pretty glorious. An hour and a half of stomping, fun blues rock spread across 22 great tracks. Honestly, there isn’t a bad one across the release, but songs like ‘Being Famous’, ‘Bad Reputation’ and the very 80s glam ‘Look at me Now’ are all personal highlights. Also, Jamie Kyle does an incredible job on ‘Invisible’, it having a very Whitesnake vibe to it!
I have to admit, I do prefer the more upbeat tracks on the album, as I’m sure you can tell from my highlights. And there was certainly a lot of slower stuff on here. However, I found myself enjoying them a lot too. They range from anything from easy listening to straight up, Cats in Space-like AOR ballads. It’s a fantastic, rather chilled-out album for the most part, and it’s such a shame that it wasn’t released until after his passing. 8/10
Bad Touch: Bittersweet Satisfaction
We’ve already checked out this awesome album! Find our full review of it here!
Swarf Damage: Self-Titled
It feels like it’s been a few weeks since I’ve been sent some thrash metal, so this was a lot of fun to listen to. Plus, the crossover elements never hurt! It’s got a real old-school 80s vibe to it that a think a lot of modern thrash is honestly lacking a little in these days. The riffing is awesome and the vocals even have a bit of young Hetfield to them, though a tad more harsh and hardcore. The whole sound is definitely the perfect blend of early Metallica, Slayer and Suicidal Tendancies.
If you’re a thrash fan or just a heavy metal fan at all, this is definitely an album for you! Tracks like ‘Sin Eater’, ‘Father’ and the ‘Whiplash’-like ‘Batten Down the Hatches’ are all awesome and massive highlights. My only wish is that it had just a touch of variety. I know that’s not really what thrash does, and there were definitely some different tempos throughout. However, Evile’s album earlier this year showed just how fantastic getting slower and darker can be for the genre. Still though, it’s an amazing album, even more-so as a debut! These guys are going to go far in the heavy scene if this is any indication. It’s easily an 8.5/10 from me!
Uncle Lucius: It’s the Last One Left
The funky/blues/soul/roots/country band are back after their five-year hiatus with a brand new album for the world! Honestly, I’ve gotten into this music a lot recently, and I LOVED this release. It’s a chilled out, fun, fantastic release. I love the swaggering, attitude-filled New Orleans blues-jazz feel it has to it all, especially when it’s got so many different components to the band. Between the typical rock band instruments, the organ and piano, fiddle and plenty of backing vocals, it fills out the sound and makes it all sound massive.
Tracks like ‘Civilized Anxiety’, ‘Holy Roller’ and the beautiful, epic closer ‘Heart Over Mind’ are all huge personal highlights of mine. However, the whole album is solid and packed full of amazing songs. I am so glad the band are back, their music is too good to be without. And honestly, they picked up right where they left off. For anyone into any of the genres I mentioned up above, you NEED to check out this album, it’s phenomenal. 9/10
Atreyu: The Beautiful Dark of Life
This album has been a long time coming. We’ve had three EPs released by them, starting from April, all building up and being featured on this one album. Because of this, I have somehow managed to avoid all of the tracks until now. But, with 15 tracks spanning 50 minutes, we’re in for another big review!
What stands out immediately is that the order is all mixed up. I feel like a lot of bands would just put the EPs down on the album one by one and then add the extra tracks at the front or the end. However, these are all spread out between, keeping it more interesting. I also love that they’ve taken a colour and element from each EP to make up the album artwork. Stuff like that is so insanely creative and honestly makes the work that much better, in my opinion.
As for the music itself, a lot of it is very typical modern Atreyu. It’s very similar to the ultra-polished radio-metalcore of their last album. That isn’t an issue at all, though. Tracks like ‘Capital F’, ‘Watch Me Burn’, ‘Immortal’ and ‘Gone’ are all great metalcore songs. And while there isn’t a bad track on the album, it’s all just a little samey. Even the more ballad tracks channelled a similar energy and sound. And none of it quite hits the heights of ‘Underrated’, ‘Catastrophe’ or even something like ‘Congregation of the Damned’. Still, it’s a damn good album, and I’ll certainly be listening to it again! 8/10
Disclaimer first of all, I got the dates mixed up and thought this was out on the 8th. My bad. However, I think I recovered pretty well and bring to you our review of Eric Paslay ‘s brand new EP. And, as an apology, I’ll even throw in a review of his new Christmas song too, how’s that?
The title track begins the album in rather subdued, almost pop-country fashion. Eric’s voice sounds fantastic over the top of the simple riff, though. It builds into a big sounding, infectiously catchy chorus. It’s pretty reserved and stripped-back though, as is the trend these days with guys like Morgan Wallen and Jordan Davis. It sounds incredible though and is sure to be a massive hit. It’s a simple yet very effective track that opens the EP perfectly.
‘Everything With You’ has a similar feel to it than the previous track, but replaces the guitar with an awesome simple piano melody. It also reminds me of Threat to Survival era Shinedown as much as it does a stadium country track. It’s another very catchy chorus, and the whole track has a fun, swaggering sort of attitude and energy to it. It’s another really great track, and this one easily makesour playlist!
Next up is single ‘Best Friends’. I’ve heard this a few times already from checking it out when the EP was announced. It’s a beautiful, slower, ballad-type track. Between the piano and strings to open, it sets up the emotion of the track from the get go. It’s of course another amazing, catchy chorus. The emotion is there throughout, and the subtle harmonies in it are amazing. It’s just a really great slower song, and Eric Paslay’s voice sounds phenomenal on the track. If anything, I’d have preferred a little more of a bridge; more focus on the strings. However, it was perfect for a radio single!
‘Like I’m Loving You Now’ is a little more up-tempo than the previous tracks. It still has that familiar pop feel from the first two, but it’s nice to have it a little more bouncy. It gives it more of a country feel, which is nice! And it feels redundant to say at this point, but the chorus is catchy and very enjoyable! It’s another track that easily makes our playlist!
Single ‘Best Damn Days’ is very similar to the other few tracks. It’s great and has maybe my favourite chorus on the album, but there is no denying its similarities. Meanwhile the final track on the EP, ‘Lost in a Song’, is another powerful ballad. And, honestly, it’s incredible. Starting with mainly just vocals, a quiet guitar building everything up more and more. It all leads to an incredible, powerful chorus that gave me chills. Eric Paslay ‘s vocals sound perfect on them, and the swell of the backing vocals were amazing. It has more of a folk/Americana feel to it, and I’m obsessed. And AMAZING song and one that easily makes our playlist too. What a way to close an EP!
And, as promised, ‘Run Rudolph Run’ is a very fun track. Shockingly enough, it’s closer to a blues rock/surfer sound than anything else I’ve checked out on this review. If you’d have told me this was Blackberry Smoke, I’d have easily believed you. It’s a really fun track and shows that Eric Paslay is certainly no slouch when it comes to sound, and takes a risk with a cover that doesn’t really sound like him. I’d have happily taken some stuff like this on the EP in a heartbeat!
Overall: All of this was great! The EP was a powerful, emotional release that was filled with epic moments and big choruses. And then the Christmas song was a fun cover of a rock classic that you can’t help but dance along to. The fact that they were released on the same day is genius, and I’m so glad I checked it all out. Eric Paslay has been a big name for a while, and I’m so glad he’s now starting to be recognised in the UK more and has a tour booked for this month. I’ll definitely be listening to this again!
