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new music mondays

New Music Mondays: Skindred, Wage War and More!

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

Skindred: You Got This

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

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

Wage War: IT CALLS ME BY NAME

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

They Might Be Giants: The World is to Dig

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

From Ashes to New: Reflections

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

Two Ways Home: Patience to Play

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

Kill the Silence: Resolve

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

Nekrogoblikon: The Boiling Sea

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

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

Ryan O’Reilly: Native Companion

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

LØLØ: god forbid a girl spits out her feelings!

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

Gypsy Pistoleros: Dark Faerie Tales

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

Owen Riegling: In the Feeling

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

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

Last Ten Seconds of Life: The Dead Ones

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

Death Warmed Up: Wildcard

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

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

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

News

Tuk Smith & The Restless Hearts Announce String of 2026 UK Dates!

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Rock ‘n’ rollers Tuk Smith & the Restless Hearts are pleased to share a string of 2026 tour dates this summer. The 7-date stint will see them kick things off at Maid Of Stone festival before taking in the sights of London, Southampton, Wolverhampton, Leeds, Glasgow, and an as-yet-unannounced show. This follows a busy 2025 from the band, touring with Danko Jones and blessing Planet Rockstock with their Nashville-tinged melodies and riffs!

Mr Smith himself shared:

“I’ve always had a special place in my heart for the UK ever since I first started playing here a decade ago with my previous band. This is my first proper UK tour as a solo artist and I’m just as excited now as I was back then!”

2026 Tour Dates:

Sun 19th Jul – MAID OF STONE Festival

Mon 20th Jul – LONDON The Grace

Wed 22nd Jul – SOUTHAMPTON 1865

Thu 23rd Jul – WOLVERHAMPTON KK’s Steel Mill

Fri 24th Jul – LEEDS The Key Club

Sat 25th Jul – *yet to be announced*

Sun 26th Jul – GLASGOW Classic Grind

Tickets go on sale TODAY! Pick them up here.

In case you missed it, Tuk also put out an incredible EP just last year! We loved it, and you want to buy it, find it here!

Tuk Smith is the kind of rock ’n’ roll ambassador you didn’t think existed anymore. Punk maverick from rural Georgia, Biters frontman, producer and solo artist, he’s seen the best and worst of a music industry in constant flux. By turns it’s left him critically acclaimed, poised for stadiums, dropped, burned out, back in the game and beloved by those for whom rock is still everything. Now based in Nashville, and with his own label Gypsy Rose Records, he creates from a more real place than most.

“I want to do something that means something to people,” Tuk says, “because a lot of shit nowadays is so disposable and so plastic. I just don’t connect with that. I’d like to do things that impact people positively. It’s a weird time on the planet, so to have songs about hope, but not be cheesy about it, it’s something I think we need with songwriting. That’s the kind of music I want to hear.”

Again, there’s that dichotomy he speaks of. “Rock ’n’ roll is essentially the illusion of not giving a fuck, right? Like, you know Axl Rose was doing sit-ups and jump rope, and Paul Stanley was on a cardio machine, and they come out and act like it just happens. The point is I sit at that piano many hours, working on this stuff.”

new music mondays

New Music Mondays: Alter Bridge, Zach Bryan and More!

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The first big week of New Music Mondays of the year, join us as we check out some of the awesomest album and EP releases in rock, metal and country!

Alter Bridge: Self-Titled

Following a return to form with 2022’s Pawns & Kings, the band very much continue in that same vein with album number eight. I’ve seen a lot of love from other outlets for this, and while it took a little getting going for me, after a couple of listens I can see why! The first couple of tracks, while perfectly good, didn’t hook me in much. However, the one-two punch of ‘Power Down’ and ‘Trust in Me’ were excellent, and harkened back to the bands early couple of albums in the best ways. From then on out, I was hooked! From Tremoni once again being a riff machine to Myles’ effortlessly incredible vocals to both rhythm guys working their asses off, it’s classic AB at its finest. Songs like the now-obligatory Tremonti one, ‘Tested and Able’, beautiful ballad ‘Hang By a Thread’ and single ‘Playing Aces’ are all massive other highlights. However, after a couple of listens there really isn’t a bad track on the album; it’s an hour of excellent hard rock music that only Alter Bridge can do!

While I don’t think it has the strongest individual tracks from their careers, as an album as a whole it’s incredibly solid, and one I will definitely be revisiting time and time again. Plus, I do think the singles will grow on me even more if/when I see them live. If you are a fan of the band or hard rock in general, this is an absolute must. 9/10

Zach Bryan: With Heaven on Top

Firstly, kudos to Bryan for still releasing ‘Bad News’ after the backlash from half of his fanbase and everything that’s gone on over the last week. The cajones it must have taken is commendable, and it’s stuff that definitely needs to be talked about still!

As for the album itself, I think it’s impossible for me not to love Zach’s music. This was on my most anticipated albums of the year list for a reason, and it certainly lives up to a lot of that hype. There are some absolutely fantastic songs on this release. ‘Appetite’, ‘Say Why’, ‘Dry Deserts’, and ‘Always Willin’’ are up there with any of his best tracks, in this writers humble opinion. They are by far the only good tracks here, too. His lyrics are incredible; he’s one of the best storytellers in the game today. The emotion he conveys in his work is truly incredible. And the addition of the strings and brass add so much to the sound, making everything so epic and impactful and somehow adding even more to the emotion.

However, this is a LONG album. The guy never leans and, though this isn’t still as egregious as American Heartbreak, being his second longest album at 78 minutes is still insane. And, there is definitely some slower stuff in here that sounds more like filler. The last four songs are average, and some of the stuff after ‘Bad News’ didn’t do much for me, either. There is an absolutely perfect Country-Americana album in here, just like his last three, but it is bloated and needs some of the fat trimming.

It is unmistakably a fantastic album, don’t get me wrong. While stick not quite as good as his self-titled effort, it’s every bit as great as Great American Bar Scene. There’s a reason he is one of the biggest artists in the world, and his work really does speak for itself over and over again. I just wish he’d let go of a couple of songs so we got a more concise release. So, though I do have critiques on this album, I will still be spinning a lot of it for the rest of the year, and would recommend it to anyone even slightly interested. I can’t give it any less than an incredibly solid 9.5/10

OCT: On Company Time

It’s finally here. I’ve been obsessed with this band for a solid year plus at this point. Every single has been excellent. So to finally have a full album release from this is so damn exciting.

What’s even more exciting is that it’s fucking awesome! And yes, we’ve heard a lot of the songs off it already across the last couple of years, but the new ones are just as good, honestly. ‘Pop! Pop!’ is glorious, pop nonsense, ‘Meat n’ Cheese’ has been teased so much I’m already obsessed, while both ‘Bathhouse Homies’ and ‘Tall Warm Glass of Milk’ are excellent, as expected. Every song is amazing, and this is such a fun 34-minute listen. While the comedy is flawless, they are absolutely phenomenal musicians, vocalists and songwriters on top of that, crafting something truly special with this album. It’s 80s cheese-pop but with some of the catchiest choruses and harmonies that I’m sure I’ll be hearing all year. I am already addicted to this album, and am sure I’ll be spinning it plenty for months to come. If you are in any way curious, I cannot recommend it enough! I’m both shocked and not at all shocked, but this solidly gets the first 10/10 from us of 2026!

UUHAI: Human Herds

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

Beyond the Black: Break the Silence

The German symphonic metallers returned with their sixth studio album last Friday. If you know the band or the genre, you’ll know exactly what to expect here. I’ve been a fan of them since 2018’s Heart of a Hurricane, and I loved their self-titled release a couple of years back. While I don’t think this is quite as good as both of those releases, it is still a damn solid metal album. From the opener to the typically-incredible ballad ‘Ravens’ to the LOVEBITES-featuring ‘Can You Hear Me’, there are some amazing tracks on here. Heck, there isn’t a bad song throughout. However, for whatever reason, the album as a whole didn’t catch me the way I expected/hoped it would. Maybe it felt a touch safe? They are as big as they have ever been so are clearly doing something right, and it wasn’t like this wasn’t enjoyable. It’s a damn solid symphonic metal album, and I liked the more electronic elements added into their sound recently, but I wouldn’t quite put it up there with the two previously mentioned albums. For that, it gets a still-solid 8/10 from us!

Coleman Jennings: Ride On

An awesome sophomore EP from the old-school country artist. From the lyrics to the emotion-filled vocal delivery, it was very quick and easy for me to get hooked. The title track opens things up perfectly, while ‘Marinaville’ is another bop. At just 17-minutes long, it is short and sweet and none of it is bad. It’s not going to be for everyone, but I really enjoyed it, and would recommend it to anyone even slightly into an older-school country sound. I’d love to hear a longer form release from Coleman, but the fact that he’s getting this big already says it all! 7.5/10

Nanowar of Steel: The Genghis Khan EP to End All Genghis Khan EPs

We’ve also checked out this amazing EP! Review here.

Bullet: Kickstarter

The seventh album from the hard/sleaze rockers is a lot of fun, and a great thing to turn on and just rock out to. It’s very AC/DC and the genre of bands that spawned from being heavily inspired by them, so if you’re into that you’ll love this, too! From the title track to ‘Open Fire’, ‘Avenger’ to ‘Strike At Night’, it’s all damn good. It’s 40 minutes of balls-to-the-wall rock that knows exactly what it is. It certainly doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but as far as bands like this go, these are up there with some of the front runners with albums like this. I wouldn’t revisit it a lot, but I certainly wouldn’t turn it off if it came on again; it’s an incredibly easy listen. I’m sure a lot will love this, and while I still had a good time, I feel like a 7/10 is pretty fitting!

Krushor: Taste of Hatred

The debut EP from the thrash-death metallers is 13-minutes of sheer aggression, and I fucking love it! Four amazing tracks packed full of amazing riffing, drumming and harsh vocals, what’s not to love? All four tracks are as good as each other, and for a debut release it shows that the sky is very much the limit for the Finnish quintet. The band are all incredibly talented, and all have a time to shine throughout. If you are at all into the heavier side of metal, I cannot recommend this release enough! It gets a very solid 8/10 from me!

Orchid Throne: Buried in Black

This is an absolutely awesome prog-metal release! It incorporates everything from doom to death to alt to folk, and does it all masterfully. It’s hard to even find a band to compare it to; maybe all the eras of Opeth rolled into one, but even tat doesn’t quite do it justice. It’s dark and epic and everyone works their asses off throughout, all being at the top of their craft. Heck, I’d have been happy to have just taken the epic opener ‘Dreamworld’, but we still got six excellent tracks after that too! My only slight issue would be the mix, it didn’t sound quite as big as it could have, but it’s a minor gripe and may be as much of an issue with my speakers than the album itself. It’s another release that won’t be for everyone, but it grew on me the more and more I listened, and for another debut album it’s really something special. A very easy 8.5/10, definitely a band to keep an eye on!

Features

The Top Albums of 2025 – Part 2!

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Part two of our list, and things are already starting to heat up! I thought I’d take this quick time to highlight some honourable mentions, as there were so many albums that sadly didn’t quite make the cut that are well worth checking out: Badflower. Dropkick Murphys. Russel Dickerson. Bleed From Within. Cam. Ron Pope. Heaven Shall Burn. William Prince. Jordan Davis. And, knock her all you like, but the new Sabrina Carpenter album slaps!

80 – Star Circus: From the Wreckage

We kick off part two of this years list with a long-anticipated sophomore album, and one hell of a sleazy, AOR/hard rock release! I’ve been a fan of the band for a few years now, and was pretty hyped when this was announced and we got sent it, and for anyone who’s read our review, I was certainly not disappointed! Nearly 50-minutes of awesome riffing and instrumentation, and packed full of choruses big enough to fill stadiums! Feeling like a modern version of Glenn Hughes or Night Ranger, it’s a lot of fun, and an incredibly easily listen that I’d recommend any rock fan check out! If/when you do, you’ll easily hear why we gave it a whopping 9.5/10, and why it easily made it onto our list!

Check out our reaction to them here!

Listen to: Chained to You, One Hit Wonder, and Last Dance

79 – Paradise Lost: Ascension

The godfathers of death-doom returned this last September with their first new studio stuff in half a decade, and proved that they are still one of the best in their genre. This is an hour of moody, gothic heaviness, and I love every bit of it. The riffs are the main highlight, as expected in this music, but some of the vocal lines are surprisingly catchy too, even when screamed! And the whole thing is just epic, flowing perfectly one track into the next. It’s certainly not for everyone, and is no small undertaking, but if you are at all into doom music, this is very much the album for you! It was, you guessed it, another massive 9/10 from us when it dropped, and a few listens later it still very easily sits at that. A welcome, easy addition to this spot on the list!

Listen to: Tyrents Serenade, Salvation, and Sirens

78 – Rival Pack: BURN

As I’ve said before, 2025 was the year of the hardcore return, and few did it better this year than this Netherlands-based collective. Frankly, the fact that they sit on barely 100 monthly listeners at this point is nothing short of criminal! This isn’t even half an hour of absolute aggression and fury that would put plenty of other artists to shame. It’s a great way to get out some anger, as it makes me just want to throw people around a pit, and at the same time is a great fun listen. It’s a typical sound for the genre and doesn’t do a lot out of the ordinary, but what it does do, it does to perfection. I’ve spun this a lot since June and haven’t yet gotten bored of it, sure to keep spinning it plenty in the new year, too! From the riffing to the screams to the breakdowns, it’s all so good. Somehow it was one we hadn’t checked out for NMM, but give this a listen and try to tell me it is anything less than a 9/10! An amazing heavy album, and well worth its placement on here. On a weaker year, it could have gotten far higher!

Listen to: Closing In, Killer in the Pool, and Don’t Waste My Time

77 – Luna Marble: Self-Titled

The debut album from the bluesy hard rockers only came out last month, but has quickly established itself as a force in this list! This is a powerhouse of 70s riffs and psychedelia from start to finish, as well as being packed full of some awesome, arena-filling choruses to boot! It’s honestly refreshing to hear a band inspired by Led Zeppelin but not sound like a clone of them. It’s a more modern sound, reminding me a lot more of something like Brave Rival. These guys have truly mastered their craft and sound already, insanely impressive for a band so young and not having been going all that long. Everyone is exceptionally talented; from the riffing to the drumming, synth to the actually-focused-on bass to the soaring, powerful vocals it’s all incredible. I’ve fallen in love with the band since this early November release, and if you are at all into more of a classic rock style it is an absolute must-listen! It’s very easy to hear why it got a massive 9/10 from me, and it more than earned its slot here!

Listen to: All of my Love, So Long, and Redemption

76 – The War & Treaty: Plus One

Firstly, I don’t remember this album being this damn LONG. As much as I love the band, 66 minutes is a lot to sit through, and I think it’s a big reason as to why I’ve stuck to the tracks I like and very rarely revisited the release as a whole. It’s most likely the reason that it’s a touch lower than their previous release was on these lists. The highs are in the sky, but there is a fair bit of needless filler too, in this writers opinion, which stopped it from being quite as excellent an album as Lover’s Game. However, it’s still a damn good album, and produced some of my favourite country-adjacent tracks of the year. The duo lean even harder into their Southern Soul style than ever, putting out a truly unique release different to anything else on this list. And, honestly, it’s the more country/Americana stuff that I find myself going back to the least. They have really found their niche and bounce off of each other somehow better than ever, crafting something honestly special here, despite the length. It’s crazy to look back on our review of it and see my opinion has changed a bit on the slower stuff. Honestly, I’d stick with the 9.5/10 over top marks. However it’s still awesome, and very deserving of a slot of this list, that’s for sure! Check this out, especially the opening half!

Listen to: Call You By Your Name, Stealing a Kiss, and Love is on Fire

75 – Feuerschwanz: Knightclub

Power metal ‘Gangnam Style’… do I need to say anything else?! The band put the fun in power metal like few other bands can, and it makes this a fantastic listen! Don’t get me wrong, they can also get serious and ‘proper power metally’ when they want to, but the slightly more light-hearted nature is a lot of fun, and has kept me coming back to a lot of this album again and again. And even though the release may appear front-loaded (aside the massive closer), there are some truly incredible folk metal songs throughout, and I couldn’t name you a bad song. I have fully gotten on-board the power metal train the last couple of years or so, and this is honestly one of my favourite releases in the genre since then! It is a resounding YES in answer to the question posed in my review, and I fully stand by the 9/10 I gave it back then. It more than deserves this slot on the list, and would have gotten higher if it weren’t for a couple other power metal albums further on…

Check out our interview with Ben here!

Listen to: Knightclub, Valhalla, and Sam the Brave

74 – Carter Faith: Cherry Valley

Another debut album, this one for a sure-fire future country megastar. Her Dolly-esque vocals and her fantastic lyric/songwriting are a winning combination, that’s for sure! Her quick wit lyrically is second to very few currently. She definitely adds some modernness to the neo-traditional sound though, and even some epicness with songs like the opener. It’s simple and rather chilled-out as a whole, but packed full of both fun and emotion. And, even at its pretty stacked length, it’s full of amazing songs and it an incredibly easy listen. A lot of it came out as singles beforehand, but despite being a marketing/income tactic, it’s also easy to see why, as there are so many standouts. It gives off Sabrina Carpenter vibes at times, and I mean that as the uttermost of compliments! It’s very easy to hear why I gave this a 9/10, and it’s stayed firmly in my rotation since the start of October when it was released. If you are at all into country music check this out, especially given how MASSIVE a name she’s going to be sooner rather than later. Heck, ‘If I Had Never Lost my Mind…’ still gives me goosebumps now, that alone should encourage you to listen!

Listen to: Sex, Drugs, & Country Music, Grudge, and Burn my Memory

73 – Old Dominion: Barbara

Just two years after their amazing Memory Lane, the country megastars returned with yet another barn-burner! It’s a really interesting release for me, too. When it first released, I was adamant it wasn’t up there with their last album. However, the more I listen to it, the more I find myself enjoying almost every song a lot. While the singles aren’t as massive and memorable, it’s a shorter, more concise album, with less filler and far more killer than Memory Lane. It’s a chilled-out country album that feels like it leans more into their influences than trying to score another radio hit. The band really cut loose and wrote what they wanted to, and it results in a beautiful album that is packed full of heart and emotion. It combines a more traditional country/soul sound with their more modern elements, so if that sounds at all like something you’d be interested in, I can’t recommend this enough! It’s another one that definitely gets bumped up, as I only gave it 8/10 in our review, while it’s another easy 9 now, if not higher!

Listen to: Making Good Time, Man or the Song, and Talk Country

72 – Fit for a King: Lonely God

The Texan metalcore collective returned back in August with their eighth album, and it’s an epic, varied release! Whether it’s the more modern BMTH-inspired arena metalcore, or the brutally heavy riffing and breakdowns that brought them to the dance, or even a couple of slower ballads, this thing is packed full of a bit of everything from the genre! And the band do it all so well! From crushing breakdowns to epic soundscapes, I’m obsessed with all of it. I do typcially prefer the heavier tracks, but something about this band and this album had me loving every song. They’re perfectly spread out through the album too, the moments of levity incredibly offsetting the brutal times. I loved The Hell We Create, but this is up there alongside it, for sure! If you are at all into modern metalcore, this is certainly an album for you. A very solid 9/10 from us easily landed it it’s spot on our list!

Listen to: Extinction, Monolith, and Blue Venom

71 – Eld Varg: Destroyer

The Scottish melodic hard rock/metallers returned with a vengeance with this album last month. The riff-masters clearly borrow from plenty of old-school metal influences, but still somehow sound modern, maybe due to the album’s excellent production! I gushed over this album plenty in my review, but it is so very deserved. It genre-blends in all the best way, and really has a little something for everyone even slightly into metal. 41-minutes of epicness; from power and folk metal to more thrash to melodic hard rock at times. And, as said before, the whole thing goes by in a flash, and is well worth listening to in one sitting! The band are all so incredibly talented at playing and writing, and I can foresee this pushing them up a few notches in the scene by this time next year. It very much deserves its place on our list!

Listen to: Achamán, The Hell of Mirrors, and Crestfallen

70 – HARDY: Country! Country!

Album number four from one of Nashville’s biggest modern songwriters certainly washed out some of the bad taste in the mouth that Quit!! left behind. Leaning more into the country-hard rock fusion that made mockingbird so successful was definitely a step in the right direction, and lead to an album I have revisited a fair bit the last three months. Is it as good as mockingbird? Given that it’s here on this list and not at number 2, no. But hell, it made the list this year, and above a lot of other country albums, so that should say a lot!

Despite being long and certainly having some filler without a cool concept to explain it away, there are still some excellent country tracks across a lot of this, and it’s very much a return to form for THE CROW. There is far more great than not too, with most of this ending up on my personal playlist by now! There’s a lot of fun, but there’s also plenty of emotion shown at times, HARDY’s vocals and talent handling both styles masterfully. The length has most probably dropped it a few places on this list, don’t get me wrong, but it’s a surprisingly easy listen for over an hour. In fact, it may be the longest album on the list this year, which is an achievement in of itself, I guess! I gave it an 8.5/10 back in September, but as predicted in that review, this has grown on me more since! It’s a solid, easy 9/10 now, and very easily makes it this high on the list. Hopefully he rearranges his UK tour next year, as I’d love to hear some of this live!

Listen to: Country Country, Girl With a Gun, and Y’all Need Jesus

69 – Solence: ANGELS CALLING

After sitting with this album for a couple of months now, I’ve finally gotten on-board with serious Solence, and I really love this release! This thing is an incredible pop/alt-metal album packed to the brim with amazing, catchy-as-anything tracks. Honestly, every track is as good as the last, and the album has such a fantastic flow to it, 27-minutes going by in a flash. It has hints of early 2000s US radio-rock, but with a distinctly modern European twist on top of that, especially with the Callboy-like electronic elements and screams. Oh, and then we just get some insanely technical solos thrown in for good measure too; this album really having a bit of everything!

I’ve had most of this album stuck in my head at various points over the last two plus months, and it has grown on me more and more. They fully deserve the fast rise they are having, and I can really see 2026 being their year with the sheer amount of touring they have planned! We gave it 8.5/10 when it released, but it’s definitely higher than that for me now. A good album that’s grown on me even more with subsequent listens, it more than deserves to be rocking this list!

Check out our reaction to them here!

Listen to: Monsters in my Head, Where Were You..?, and All of the Pain Must Go

68 – Locash: Bet the Farm

The first album from the country duo in six years was more than worth the wait! This is a masterclass in bro-ish country, and is a release I’ve been jamming a lot from April all the way to now. It’s a lot of fun throughout, but also packed full of emotion, as well as some stadium-sized choruses and harmonies from the pair. And from the more Southern rock infused to the country ballads, they do it all perfectly. It’s a sound that’s definitely taken a step back in recent years but I’m so glad hasn’t died off completely. If you are into country at all, I’d definitely recommend giving this a chance, it’s impossible not to love it! And at under 40-minutes, it’s pretty short for a country release these days. We gave this a whopping 9.5/10 when it released, and if you take a listen it’s very easy to see why! If it wasn’t for country booming once again this year, it would have ended up higher, but it is still at a damn respectable point of the list!

Listen to: Hometown Home, Bring Em Back, and Shipwrecked

67 – Tetrarch: The Ugly Side of Me

The nu-metal revival continued to be in full swing in 2025, and this album was a large focal point of that! The bands third album followed up 2021’s amazing Unstable perfectly, building on everything that album laid out and coming out with an incredibly strong release overall. Every song slaps, and it makes for a fantastic, heavy, catchy just over half-an-hour! The duo of Josh Fore and Diamond Rowe is a real powerhouse, and will inspire this band continues to grow into a juggernaut in years to come. Especially if they keep continuing to grow and build on their sound, and put out better and better albums! From the crushing riffing to the massive choruses to the occasional awesome solo, it’s all amazing. It got a huge 9/10 from us when it dropped, and has been in regular rotation for me since May, easily earning its spot on this list! For anyone who’s into nu or industrial metal, or just anything around that early 2000s sound, listen to this immediately!

Check out our reaction to them here!

Listen to: Never Again (Parasite), Live Not Fantasize, and Cold

66 – The Damn Shames: Trailers on Bricks

A release recommended to me by a good friend of the company, Kyle Daniel, and I’m so glad that he did! This is an incredible Southern rock album! From the instrumentation to the incredible harmonies to the arena-filling choruses, it’s all so damn good, from start to finish. Honestly, each of these 10 tracks are as good as the last, and it makes for a super easy listen from start-to-finish! The band are all insanely talented players and songwriters, and the fact that this is their debut album and it’s of this high quality is truly amazing. This somehow only got an 8.5/10 from us upon release, but after multiple revisits over the last six months, this is easily closer to a 9 for me! If you are at all into the country or Southern rock scene, this is very much the album for you. Hopefully either scene in the UK picks them up, as I’d love to see this stuff live! I look forward to hearing where they go from here, but for now I am content to keep spinning this record, hence why it ends up pretty high on this list!

Listen to: Who Killed Rock n’ Roll?, Another Spoke in the Wheel, and Quittin’ Time

65 – Epica: Aspiral

I mean, we finally got three new parts of A New Age Dawns on this release, that alone gets it onto this list! However, the other eight songs are also just as good, too! The whole thing is an epic, cinematic masterpiece that somehow feels like it goes by far too quickly despite it being an hour. I always felt like they were one of the more underrated symphonic metal bands, but they put out one of the best albums in the genre in recent years with this. From Simone’s incredible vocals and choruses to the insane instrumentation throughout, it’s easy to hear why it’s had me hooked since April. It got a huge 9.5/10 from us, and if you give it a listen you’ll easily be able to tell why! I’m always a touch hit and miss with the genre, but when it’s done as well as this it’s hard not to fall in love, hence why it’s here and in a pretty favourable position. It’s a big undertaking, but I’d highly recommend a full listen through of the album for anyone even slightly interested!

Listen to: Cross the Divide, Arcana, and Eye of the Storm

64 – Humming Whale: Chasing Rabbits

Another debut album, and this time a fantastic blend of so many different metal styles! Somewhere between hardcore and prog metal, it’s a blend that shouldn’t work anywhere near as well as these guys make it! I already gushed over this album in my review not long ago, so I feel like cliff notes are probably more preferred, right? Incredible instrumentation, catchy, powerful vocals, great cleans and harshes, and some epic songwriting. Like it somehow combines Tool, Godsmack and Turnstile. If that sounds at all like your sort of thing, go check it out ASAP! Their creativity and uniqueness is off the charts, and I can see a huge future for them if they keep on putting out stuff of this quality. For now, I’m more than happy to keep spinning this release, an easy 9/10, and it easily made it onto this spot on the list!

Listen to: Chasing Rabbits, Waves, and Black Waters

63 – Born of Osiris: Through Shadows

This brutal slice of technical metalcore from back in July is somehow something I haven’t revisited too much since its release, but upon doing so am blown away all over again. Instrumentally this is absolutely phenomenal from the very first note; the riffing to the solos, drumming to the electronics and synth, it’s all mind-blowingly good. And the vocals too, be it screams or the odd clean, all fit it so well. I’ve really gotten into the heavier side of metalcore since the mainstream side of it has lightened up, and adding a tech and electronic edge to it is like a match made in heaven. And heck, some of it is catchy, as well as being heavy and djenty, it’s really awesome! I knew I had this album in my list for a reason, but I can’t believe I even slept on it for a few months again, even after giving it 9/10 back in July. If you are even slightly into metal, but especially modern Machine Head, Periphery or Shadow of Intent, this is one to put on immediately!

Listen to: Seppuka, Through Shadows, and Activated

62 – Lanie Gardner: Faded Polaroids

The second album from the rising country star, somehow she keeps just getting better and better! She’s incorporated a little more rock elements since her debut, and it’s made for an incredible, fun country album. And even on her slower tracks, they’re also radio-country ballads, and just as good as the rest of the songs. And even at its length, it’s still an easy listen without a bad song throughout. Her vocals are incredible, as are her lyrics, and they all fit perfectly over the instrumentation, whether it’s country, southern rock, Americana or more of a pop leaning. It got an incredibly easy 9/10 from us, and there was no way it wasn’t getting a strong spot on this list. She has such an insanely bright future ahead of her, and I don’t suspect this is the last time she’ll be on a list like this!

Listen to: Boys Like You, Boot Down, and Buzzkill

61 – Once Awake: Far Out and Beyond

I have such a weak spot for old-school melodeath this year, and the fifth album from the Norwegian quartet delivered that in spades back in April. This thing is an epic nine tracks crushing brutality, riffs, breakdowns and some huge, catchy moments to break them up. There is not a track to skip, and I’ve done it in full numerous occasions since its release. Heck, it’s so good it even prompted me to go to Derby of all places to see them live, that should be the biggest endorsement there is! For those into the heyday of In Flames or Bodom, this is an album you need to spin, you’ll surely be as obsessed as I’ve been. And it actually has our first 10/10 review of our list so far, and it more than deserves that rating! It’s a phenomenal album, and only reason it’s not even higher up is because of the sheer amount of awesome releases from 2025, and the wide variety of styles we cover. I challenge you to find me a better straight-up melodeath album over the last year or two, I think you’d be hard pressed to find much!

Listen to: Where’s All the Silence Gone, Injustice, and Kill the Concern

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Features, Reviews

Hella Rock 2025: The Big Bad Review!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Reviews

From the Wreckage: Do Star Circus Top Their Debut?

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The NWOCR rising stars are set to release their sophomore album this coming Friday. We’ve been a fan of the band a couple of years now so this release is pretty highly anticipated for us! The pair fronting it are insanely talented and if the singles are anything to go by, we’re in for a real treat with this release!

‘Over and Over’ sets the album up in perfect fashion; the fast-paced drums giving way to an awesome sleazy guitar riff. Dave Winkler’s vocals fit perfectly over the top, it all having such a great 70s/80s throwback sound to it. It all builds to a MASSIVE pre and chorus, designed to be played to massive arenas and festival crowds. It’s an infectiously catchy track that is already firmly lodged in my ears and brain for surely days to come. We also get some awesome soloing in the middle from both the organ/synth and the guitars, once again giving the track that awesome nostalgic classic rock feel! I love the instruments dropping out for the first two lines of the last chorus too, leaving just the massive, multi-tracked vocals and really highlighting how greatly written it is. The album starts off with a very strong bang, and this an easy one to immediately make the playlist!

‘Chained to You’ picks up right where the previous song leaves off, with some awesome riffing and drumming. Once again Dave’s vocals and lyrics are great over the top of it all, too. And, once again, it all builds to one of the honest to god best choruses of the year so far. Like I cut my teeth playing this sort of music back in the day, and I can assure you this is of the highest quality of classic/hard/sleaze rock there is. It drops down in the middle, a beautiful clean guitar tone ringing through for seconds before it builds perfectly into another fantastic, swagger-dripping guitar solo. The technical ability, as well as the feel, is off the charts. And the band are so far two for two on absolutely amazing songs on this album!

‘The Wreckage’ is a little slower and heavier and darker, while still feeling very Star Circus. It is a nice change of pace, keeping the album fresh already. It still builds up perfectly through the verse and already catchy pre into the stadium-sized chorus, the harmonies on the vocals making it somehow even more catchy! It almost feels like a metal ballad more than a sleazy rock song, and I love it! Another awesome solo leads to a great stripped-back clean section, much like the previous track. It fits even better in this song, and builds up into the fantastic chorus again perfectly. What a damn good song; the album is so far three for three with hits!

Single ‘One Hit Wonder’ picks up the pace again and brings the sleaze back in full force with that riff. However, the verse immediately gives me more EOL vibes than anything, not that that’s a bad thing! It still builds up to that massive hard rock chorus though, the parts all fitting together surprisingly well. It follows the standard formula the others have to this point in terms of structure, but once again feels pretty different to the other tracks, keeping it constantly interesting. And, shock horror, it’s another awesome song!

Another single, ‘Turn the Tide’, takes a surprising turn into more of a folk sound, again not that I’m complaining! The more acoustic-style riff to open is awesome, and the track builds through the instrumentation and lower vocals perfectly into a big hard-rock-ballad chorus. It’s an ear-worm of a chorus if I’ve ever heard one, too. The solo is another great one too, fitting the tone of the song perfectly, yet another example of the band’s incredible writing skills! The fact that yet again the album has changed up feel and pace so effortlessly is amazing, and we’re only halfway through the thing!

The bass intro to ‘Destiny’s Door’ was nice, and the main riffs actually give off big early Maiden vibes. It’s a pretty bass-driven track, which again is something different for the album, and is another dip into the more traditional hard rock sound like ‘The Wreckage’. I feel like it’s redundant at this point to mention how awesome and catchy the choruses are. Dave is a master at writing and singing/producing them, and every single chorus on this album is banging. And THAT chorus after the chorus… DAMN. The more Egyptian work from the guitar throughout is actually incredible, blowing me away with yet another style. The whole thing so much instrumentation and is all just 80s Maiden, and it’s yet another huge highlight of the album.

Songs like ‘Masquerade’, ‘Last Dance’ and ‘Floodlight’ somewhat thankfully chilled out just a little, still being fantastic but fitting a little more into the formula of the band at this point so my mind doesn’t end up in pieces all over the floor yet again. Having said that, the former does have some slight folk/power metal leaning, and I assume has some Sophie vocals on it, which also sound fantastic. Meanwhile the latter goes back to more of the slower, menacing-like ballad sound that the band do so well! As I said, all songs are good, but are styles that have all been done on the album at this point so I want to avoid repeating myself too much as this review is pretty long as it is. Still, all three of the songs are awesome and well worth checking out!

The final track on the album and the most recent single, ‘Two Odds Make an Even’ is somehow an amalgamation of everything that’s come before it, in the best way! It’s a ballad yet still has both heaviness and sleaziness in equal measure, and is packed full of awesome riffing, soloing and big choruses. It’s another awesome song that kinda gives me Gypsy Pistoleros vibes! It’s a great way to close out such an album too, going out with a bang (although damn do I hate a fade-out)!

Overall: This is a phenomenal album1! I love the band so was expecting good, but this blew all my expectations out of the water! It really is banger after banger, without a dud track throughout. And as I’ve said, the band constantly keep it interesting and change it up a fair bit, making for a truly engaging listen. The band have been going from strength to strength on the live circuit, and this album may quite easily push them up a level or two! A must for an rock fans out there, and an album I’ll be spinning for months to come!

The Score: 9.5/10

Reviews

New Music Mondays: Pearl Jam, The Ghost Inside and More!

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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!

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

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

Kenny Chesney: Born

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

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

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

Chris Young: Young Love & Saturday Nights

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

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

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

Hammer King: KÖNIG UND KAISER

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

Gossip: Real Power

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

Sierra Ferrell: Trail of Flowers

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

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

Borris & Coaltar of the Deepers: “Hello There”

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

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

Cody Jinks: Change the Game

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

Stone Angels: Up in Smoke

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

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

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

Gary Clark Jr.: JPEG RAW

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

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

Hideous Divinity: Unextinct

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

Leaves’ Eyes: Myths of Fate

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

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

The Staves: All Now

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

new music mondays

New Music Mondays: Dragonforce, Kacey Musgraves and More!

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

Dragonforce: Warp Speed Warriors

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

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

Kacey Musgraves: Deeper Well

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

Scott Stapp: Higher Power

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

Mad Caddies: Arrows Room 117

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

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

Necrophobic: In the Twilight Grey

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

The Black Crowes: Happiness Bastards

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

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

Luke Dick: Lockeland

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

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

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

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

Check out a review of their live show here

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Score: 9.5/10