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Reviews

New Music Mondays: Enter Shikari, Jethro Tull and More!

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A slightly smaller week of new music this week, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less awesome. Check it out with us!

Enter Shikari: A Kiss for the Whole World

Confession time: I never ‘got’ this band. I’ve heard they’re very good live and from seeing videos I feel like I’d enjoy them. However, on track they do next to nothing for me. I struggle to put them into a genre outside of ‘not for me’.

This album didn’t change my mind.

Don’t get me wrong, some of the riffs, like the ones on the title track or ‘Goldfish’ are good. However, it seems to pull together the worst parts of pop-punk, Prodigy and general pop/indie, and blends them together into a boring mess of meh. Again, it would probably do a lot more for me live, as I’d have LOVED tracks like ‘Bloodshot’ and ‘Giant Pacific Octopus’ if they’d have just gone a little harder and heavier. It was too close to Twenty-One Pilots but without the good hooks and lyricism, when I was hoping for something a little closer to Skindred. But hey, that’s on me.

I know fans of the band are going to hate me for this, but I’m simply going off personal preference… 4/10

Jethro Tull: RokFlote

Well, we’re here again. Just under 15 months since we covered Jethro’s triumphant return album, we have a new one. I have a lot of mixed emotions, and not many are positive. I was not prepared for this today.

It’s certainly weird, and it’s certainly Jethro Tull. And it’s one hell of a mixed bag. There are some great elements throughout, like the first minute of ‘Ginnunagagap’ or the flute and guitar melodies in ‘Wolf Unchained’. Heck, the folk-rock parts in each track when it’s flute and guitars are fantastic. However, Ian Anderson sounds tired. He has every right to be, he’s in his mid-seventies. But it just took away any energy the tracks had as soon as his vocals came in.

It doesn’t feel anywhere near the passion and quality of their previous release. While I went as far as to actually enjoy some of that, this felt like a struggle to get through for the most part. It was boring outside of the odd flute melody. However, I still feel like I’d appreciate it a lot live, so there’s that I guess. 3.5/10

The 69 Eyes: Death of Darkness

The moody goth legends are back with their 13th studio album on Friday. Fans of the band know exactly what to expect of the band by now, it’s exactly what you’d imagine a band that got big in the early 2000s goth scene would sound like. Think Him, ASP, Birthday Massacre etc. It’s good.

Typically I’m not a huge fan of this sort of music, but the band did well to win me over with tracks like ‘Drive’, ‘Something Real’ and ‘Gotta Rock’. There’s a bit more of a glam/Misfits/even GnR nature to some of it which definitely drew me in. And the harsher vocals contrasted well with the Peter Steele lows. There are a lot of elements and sounds throughout that really held my attention. There was even some dark country/folk in ‘This Murder Takes Two’ for good measure. Plus, the aforementioned track features legendary tattooist Kat Von D and, no matter your feelings on her personally, there is no denying that she can sing and adds a lot to the track.

I found myself loving it by the end and wanting to check out the rest of their back catalogue. A damn fun listen and a great find for me; they have a new fan in me! 8/10

Angus McSix: Angus McSix and the Sword of Power

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

Alice Howe: Circumstance

Country time. And unfortunately the only one covered this week. However, Alice does a damn good job of representing the genre with her sophomore album. Though it’s a little slower than the typical music we cover on here, it’s a fantastic album to chill out to. Tracks like the opener, ‘Things I’m Not Saying’ and ‘Travelin’ Soul’ are all big highlights of the album. If you like the more traditional, slower side of country, you’ll love this. I’d LOVE to hear it live. 7.5/10

Portrayal of Guilt: Devil Music

This is not an EP. 10 songs spanning 31-minutes is an album. Fight me.

Max: This was super intense and there was so much going on that was just fantastic to listen to; from the intense blast beats on the drums to the intensity of the vocals. There was so much energy throughout the entire album which made it a lot of fun to go through. Whilst I don’t think there was one stand-out song on the album, the entire thing was amazing and was a lot of fun. The guitars were also amazing and carried so much of the album with the speed and skill that is demostrated throughout. 8/10

Phaeton: Between Two Worlds

Max: So this album was a little unexpected. It is an instrumental album. This was actually quite good as it was a nice breath of fresh air after doing several weeks of similar genres. In my experience, instrumental albums can be hit and miss. However, this album was really good. There was a lot going on, but not enough that it became difficult or too intense. The guitars did a really good job making sure that the album wasn’t boring. The only issue was it would have been nice to have a greater focus on the drums and bass but it would seem like this isn’t the focus of the band so you can’t knock them for it. 8/10

Signs of Chaos: Blindsided

Max: This was an interesting album, and not in a bad way. This album had a lot of technical skill from the guitars to the drums and then the screams. This ranged from the speed and intensity of it all with the vocals changing their tone quite a lot to the guitars going from fast and heavy hitting riffs to very well done and thought out solo’s. The only issue was that every now and again some parts of the mix felt like they got lost in the rest of the music which was dissapointing as it was all very very good. Overall this band deserves a lot of praise and far more attention than they have at the time of writing. 9/10

Reviews

New Music Mondays: All Time Low, Theory of a Deadman and More!

A slightly slower week for new music, but that doesn’t at all mean the quality is lower! Check out this weeks new albums with us!

All Time Low: Tell Me I’m Alive

For those old-school fans who just got excited from seeing the name, calm down just a little. Don’t go into this expecting to hear ‘Weightless’ or ‘Dear Maria’. It’s more like Panic! At The Disco, My Chemical Romance or even Twenty One Pilots. However, that doesn’t mean it’s not awesome.

The album’s opener and title track sets the tone perfectly, dark yet infectiously catchy and melodic. ‘Are You There?’ is probably the closest to their old sound, a fun pop-punk track filled with chunky guitar chords and a higher tempo. ‘Kill Ur Vibe’ also has a similar feel. Meanwhile ‘Calm Down’ is a great ballad. These weren’t the only good tracks on the album as I honestly liked so many of them. It felt different, a combination of a modern indie sound with a sprinkling of their heavy punk roots. My only ever so slight issue is that it maybe went on a tad too long. I found myself drained when trying to listen to it all the way through at once, it’s a lot of similar stuff. Still, 8.5/10, this was great!

Theory of a Deadman: Dinosaur

A band I was a big fan of in my teen years, I dropped off pretty hard with the release of Wake up Call in 2017. Their last two albums haven’t been my sort of thing at all. However, thank god, this gets the band back on track in a big way.

The album’s title and opening track is a little darker than their earlier more light hearted stuff, but is at least a straight up rock track and is massively catchy. ‘Medusa’ is an amazing slower rock track and a huge highlight. Tracks like ‘Get in Line’ and the country-ish ‘Head in the Clouds’ were also awesome.

It’s not all amazing. Their ‘Two of Us’ rendition was more cringy than anything else. And while the heaviness and riffs for ‘Ambulance’ was good, the lyrics and vocal melody had the same effect as the aforementioned track. ‘Hearts too Wild’ is also infuriating since there should be an apostrophe there. But that’s just my analness.

Overall, there’s more good than bad. It’s a fun collection of songs that bring the band closer towards their rocky roots again. A few tracks made our playlist and I’ll be listening to it a fair bit going forward, I’m sure. 7.5/10

Kamelot: The Awakening

We’ve already reviewed this power metal awesomeness. Check it out here.

Chelsea Grin: Suffer in Heaven

The second part of the band’s two part Suffer series, we gave Suffer in Hell a 7.5/10 (find here). Does part two live up to that standard?

Well, it’s certainly just as heavy. It’s the king of music I feel like I’d appreciate live more than on track, where I can bounce around and feel the heaviness and emotion. However, there are still elements and tracks here that I love. ‘Orc March’ in particular is incredible, showing plenty of layers and dynamics when featuring Filth. And it feels the most modern deathcore track on the album, drawing clear inspiration from Lorna Shore’s ‘To The Hellfire’ with the outro. ‘The Mind of God’ is also SUPER heavy and I love it.

Overall, while some of it isn’t quite my thing, it’s a damn good part two to the pair of albums. It’s insanely heavy at times, and while it doesn’t ease up really at all, it’s only eight tracks and under half an hour so never felt like a slog. Another 7.5/10 from me!

Pop Evil: Skeletons

Another band that I’ve loved from my teen years, it’s insane that Pop Evil are on album six. It makes me feel old.

The album itself it’s pretty great too. It’s a little heavier than I was expecting, with a few growls and breakdown riffs sprinkled in for good measure. Still though, there’s enough radio-friendly, stadium filling melodies and huge choruses to keep everyone happy. It almost reminds me of a lighter, hard rock version of something like Sempiternal; heaviness contrasting perfectly with pop melodies. Tracks like ‘Eye of the Storm’, ballad ‘Worth it’ and the heavy, Fit For A King featuring ‘Dead Reckoning’ are all massive highlights of the album.

I’m loving this heavier slant the band have taken in recent years, and the guests added perfectly to that. Some of the tracks are up there with my favourites from the band, so anything less than a 8.5/10 would be insane!

The Answer: Sundowners

We treated you this week with a second big review, this time of Irish hard rockers The Answer. Read it here!

John Diva & The Rockets of Love: The Big Easy

The band have come out of nowhere in recent years, this being their third and in only four years. They are very much a throwback to the sleazy LA strip of the 80s, be it Bon Jovi, Whitesnake or Night Ranger. It also reminded me a LOT of E’Nuff Z’Nuff, it has a similar stomping rhythm and huge, harmony filled choruses. Tracks like the title one, ‘Runaway Train’ and ‘Boys Don’t Play with Dolls’ are all amazing and big highlights. However, the whole album is great, there isn’t a bad track on it.

Much like the Trench Dogs album a few weeks ago, this is an amazing slower, punkier sleaze album. It’ll be staying in heavy rotation for me, I’m sure! 8/10

Doug Paisley: Say What You Like

Finishing off this week on some country, the Canadian’s sixth full-length album is a fun one. It’s pretty simple and stripped-back, being little more than some clean guitars, simple drums and bass and Doug’s great vocals. It really highlights his strengths and man, this feels like a ‘proper’ country album. It’s something I could hear Hank Jr and that generation putting out. It’s chilled out and a really relaxing album to listen to. ‘Wide Open Plain’ was my favourite, but honestly if you like country or more lighter stuff, I’d recommend the entire album in a heartbeat. And at only 40-minutes in length, it’s not too long for a country album too! 8/10

Reviews

New Music Mondays: Periphery, Suicide Silence and More!

Another big week for new music, with plenty of metal and country for us to dive into!

Periphery: Periphery V: Djent is Not a Genre

…It’s a state of mind. The godfathers of Djent denouncing their own identifier was a bold move, but it has definitely gotten people talking so has clearly paid off. They’re a band that have always lay on the… well… periphery of my listening; I have friends who are big fans (guitarists, no surprise there) but I haven’t ever found something to get me into them personally.

I have to admit, some of this came close to changing my mind. While ‘Wildfire’ didn’t do a whole lot for me, ‘Atropos’ was kinda great. The dynamics in the track were a lot of fun and kept it constantly interesting and building. I’m also one of the seemingly few people who love Spencer Sotelo’s vocals so tracks like ‘Wax Wings’ and ‘Thanks Nobuo’. Heck, I know a lot of die-hard fans are complaining back ‘Silhouette’, but honestly it was one of my favourite tracks on the album. It felt like an uplifting Linkin Park-style track, and it was beautiful.

Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t all for me. There were definitely tracks that simply didn’t do anything to keep me interested or entertained. However, this was definitely the most I’ve found myself enjoying Periphery. 7.5/10

Suicide Silence: Remember… You Must Die

Last year’s deathcore revival seems to be continuing head at full steam into this year, and genre OGs Suicide Silence carry their torch close to their chest still with this amazing offering. The aggression, speed and heaviness of their early albums is just as prevalent here as they deliver 40-minutes of pure anger. ‘Capable of Violence’ is my favourite on the album, packed full of brutal riffs and screams. However, tracks like ‘Kill Forever’ and ‘Alter of Self’ are also amazing tracks.

Considering I’m still dipping my toes into the super heavy stuff, I really enjoyed this. I need to go back and give their older stuff another listen! 8/10

Meet Me @ the Alter: Past // Present // Future

The most bubblegum pop-punk to ever be. In fact, punk is an overestimation. It’s generic pop rock; think old Avril or whatever MGK and that ilk are putting out on mainstream radio these days.

It’s fine. For the genre being played there is nothing wrong with it, they’re good at writing and playing it. It’s just such a bland, overplayed, overproduced style of music that it bored me to tears. I hate the over pronunciation of the ‘pop-punk voice’ throughout, and honestly the lyrics for tracks like ‘Kool’, ‘Need Me’ and ‘It’s Over for Me’ made me cringe almost out of my skin.

Look, if you like this, that’s all good. I’m sure there are more than a few people out there who thing this is the best thing since sliced bread. As I said before, the band themselves are all talented. The style itself now just bores the fuck out of me. And just watch the video below, it’s so very cringe. 2.5/10

Nanowar of Steel: Dislike to False Metal

We’ve already covered this awesome album. Find our full review here!

The Cold Stares: Voices

The sixth album by the hard rock Indiana natives is full of chunky, swaggering blues riffs and lots of catchy vocals. Opener ‘Nothing But the Blues’ is a fantastic track and the perfect way to introduce anyone to the band. ‘Lights Out’ is a riff-filled belter. Tracks like ‘It’s Heavy’ and the title one are massive highlights too. However, don’t let that take away from the rest of the album. There isn’t a bad track on it, and it’s arranged perfectly too. I listened to it all through in one sitting and it didn’t at all feel like 13 tracks at nearly 45-minutes. It’s some of the best blues I’ve heard in so long. 9/10

Matt Andersen: The Big Bottle of Joy

Country-soul-blues boy Matt Andersen is back with his ninth studio album. I fucking love it. Regardless of the lyrical content, music like this just puts a smile on my face. From the bluesy riffs to the keys/organ filling out the sound to the gospel choir call-and-response vocals, it’s all so good. GET IT IN MY VEINS. It’s clear how talented Matt is as a songwriter and player too, as the songs are masterfully crafted and his blues guitar solos are phenomenal. The rest of the band are up there too in terms of talent, with everyone playing their parts perfectly.

Tracks like ‘Let it Slide’, ‘What’s on my Mind’ and ‘Aurora’ are massive highlights of an album full of them. If you’re into the slower, more relaxed stuff this is definitely for you. I’m going to be having this on a lot over the coming months, whenever I want something easy listening on. 8.5/10

Otherwise: Gawdzillionaire

This slab of hard rock has so many different elements blended together. A basis of early 2000s radio rock (think Shinedown or Shaman’s Harvest) but with some more attitude, a splash of hip-hop influence and even a touch of Imagine Dragons. Opener and lead single ‘Full Disclosure’ is clear highlight of the album, and a very good choice of placement. Tracks like ‘New Way to Hate’, ‘Hollywood Minute’ and the title track are all amazing too. The latter in particular featuring rapper Ekoh was a great blend of genres that will do well in the current rock climate.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not perfect. The same formula throughout got a little boring after the title track. They did slow down a little in a couple of tracks in the back end of the album, but said tracks ended up sounding more like modern day MGK or You Me At Six which didn’t didn’t do much for me. And, for whatever reason, a few tracks just felt like they were missing something. I know that sounds super vague and hypocritical being a musician myself and not being able to be specific, but I can’t put my finger on it at all. A few of the tracks just lack that ‘it’ that the singles do.

However, overall, there is still a lot more positives than negatives. It’s insane that this is the band’s sixth album and this is the first I’m hearing of them. They definitely have a new fan in me! 8/10

Isole: Anesidora

The Swedish band are described as ‘epic doom metal’ which has to be one of the coolest things ever. The description is pretty apt, too. Sounding like a mixture of Celtic Frost and Dream Theater, it was definitely epic and doomy. Due to the style, it’s hard to pick a highlight track or two from the album. Especially at only seven tracks and over 45-minutes. But it feels more like an experience, something you should shut yourself in a dark room and sit down and just listen to through from start to finish. So, that was exactly what I did, and it was excellent. These guys are at the top of their game from a technical and songwriting standpoint, and my god would I loved to see this whole album live. 7.5/10

The War And Treaty: Lover’s Game

The blues/country rock husband and wife duo released their fourth album this last Friday. It opens very strong on ‘Lover’s Game’, a fantastic up-tempo blues number. It slows up for a bit after. If fact, it never really picks up to the same pace again. Not that that’s an issue. Both Michael and Tanya have some of the best voices in the entire business at the minute, and it’s on full display on tracks like ‘That’s How Love is Made’ and ‘Dumb Luck’. It’s mighty impressive, and so great to listen to.

Having said that, as phenomenal as the rest of the album is from a vocal and songwriting standpoint, it would have been nice to have more of a rock track in amongst the other nine songs. I still loved it and marvelled at the soulfulness of it all, but I’m a sucker for a good up-tempo blues number, as seen in my Matt Andersen review! 8/10, but a rock song would have put it much higher!

For the Fallen Dreams: Self-Titled

Somehow this metalcore band have put out seven albums and been completely off my radar until now. It’s a shame too, as these guys are fantastic. From the heavy opener of ‘RE-Animate’ to slower tracks like ‘Without You’, it’s got plenty of great tracks and variety. There’s also a hip-hop element to tracks like ‘What If’ and ‘Testify’, adding a great element to it and sounding a little Linkin Park at times.

It’s another solid album without a bad track on it and plenty of highlights, including the tracks mentioned above and the wonderfully heavy ‘Sulfate’. It’s a very modern metalcore sound, reminding me a lot of Bad Omens or Patient Sixty-Seven. 7.5/10, good stuff!

Interviews & Features

Dallas Dwight of The LA Maybe: ‘They’re rock fans, so we feel right at home!’

We were at Winter Rocks Festival last weekend (check out our review of the weekend here) and had the pleasure of chatting to Dallas of the amazing LA Maybe. Unfortunately the video and audio quality both suck as we were shooting in the smoking area, so I’ve painstakingly typed it all out, just for you! Check it out below!

So this is the first stop of the tour, right?

First stop of the tour, yeah. It was our first time out here at Call of the Wild earlier this year, did a little run then and now we’re back out! We’ll be here for most of December.

And have you seen any differences in playing here as opposed to the US?

Yeah, people seem to like us more over here! So we like it over here, we’ve had a blast. As far as rock fans, they’re rock fans, so we feel right at home!

And how did the whole UK shows comes about? I Know Raz (UPSTGD) got in touch?

Raz just discovered our album and then contacted us and we just kinda went from there. That would have probably been right before the album came out in 2021, so we were talking to him for about a year setting up that first time, and now we’re back. And it’s going really well!

And you guys just put out a single, right?

‘Down to Fight’, yeah! It came out when we were on the Kiss Cruise which was Octoberish. It’s gone well so far, the video was a lot of fun to make. It was crazy, we got to chainsaw through a couch on fire and all sort of stuff. We’re really happy with how it’s turned out.

And is it the start of another album or?

We’re gonna do singles, and it’ll lead up to an album! All the singles will be on the album and it started with this one! Probably be the end of next year for sure. We’re excited about that too!

Have you got much else planned for next year?

Yeah, we’ll be at home, hiding away money and figuring out where to spend it. Back here maybe or a tour at home. Fortunately in music there’s a lot of places your money can go these days. I don’t know if we’re going to come back here next year, it’d be awesome but I don’t think it’s on the cards, so to speak. But in 2024 I’m sure we’ll be back!

And you’ve started up a podcast, right?

We did, earlier this year! It’s called Your New Favourite Band. We’ve been highlighting bands we like as well as recap what we’ve been doing like the Kiss Cruise and stuff.

Oh yeah, how did that come about?

The Kiss Cruise, we actually won the contest for it! On there with Sebastien Bach and a bunch of other great names. It was super fun. A real once in a lifetime experience. Hopefully not just once though!

And speaking of, do you have a dream tour lineup you’d want to be a part of?

I mean I’ve always loved Guns N’Roses so that’d be fun! But then I don’t know how many years they have left in them. But that’d be a dream for sure! But also all the younger bands we’ve been playing with would be awesome. Dirty Honey, Black Crows, that’d be good. Any and all people!

And finally, what’s it like being adopted into the NWOCR scene?

Yeah, it’s really nice! It’s really vibrant over here. It feels really good to be back over here and be a part of this whole family of it all. It’s a lot of the same people which is all good.

Did you enjoy the interview? Check out more from our Instagram here.

Credit to the wonderful Mark Ellis for the photo.

Reviews

Rock N Roll Soul: Does Jamie Porter Top MMXXI With This Second Album?

Blues rock mastermind Jamie Porter is back with what he is dubbing a mini album. A short collection of seven tracks to follow up his last years release (read our review of that here). It’s set for release tomorrow so join us in checking out what it’s like!

‘A Girl Like You’ opens on one of the most blusey riffs I’ve heard all year. The perfect blend of Black Stone Cherry, old Deep Purple and Electric Boys. The track strips back a little as Jamie Porter ‘s vocals come in, it all having a very chilled out vibe to it. The chorus is still relaxed but is bigger and pretty anthemic thanks to the second guitar and harmonised vocals. It’s catchy and made to be played in front of a huge crowd. And while the solo was a little basic, it fit well with the feel and groove of the track, which is much harder to get right! It’s a simple yet hugely effective track, a fun, good way to start the album!

‘I’m Not Running Away’ opens on a slower, quieter riff, almost a little Brit-pop influence in there. The steady, almost ballad-like pace of the track was awesome and a bold choice for the second song on the album. It was another very catchy track, too. There wasn’t a massive difference between the verse and chorus, sonically, but subtle changes of adding another vocal and slightly more instrumentation added an amazing couple of layers to it. The lyrics were fantastic too, meaningful and straight from the heart. They definitely worked for me! It all builds perfectly into the final chorus. Jamie has the innate ability to make ANYTHING into an epic anthem, and I both love it and am incredibly jealous. This easily makes the playlist, it was an awesome track!

The heaviness ramps back up with ‘Need a Little Love’, the main riff reminding me a lot of Velvet Revolver. It’s got that effortless swagger that’s so associated with Slash. The catchy as FUCK vocals are pretty Scott Weiland, too. The harmonised gang vocals when it drops back a little too are very GnR. Jamie is wearing his inspirations on his sleeve in the best way. There’s an extended instrumental in the middle that, while it was awesome, I do think it dragged the song out a little. As much as I love prog, seven-and-a-half minutes of a similar sound got to me just a little. Still though, it ends in spectacular fashion with another huge chorus.

‘You Are the One’ is another ballad. It starts slow with clean guitars and the multi-layered vocals and building slowly through the verse and chorus before the drums come in behind to add another great later. It never even hits the huge stadium-chorus height that I was expecting it to, it stayed stripped back and simple throughout. Honestly, I preferred it. It was beautiful and the message of the song came across perfectly this way. And heck, as I said before, when you can turn anything into a huge chorus, knowing when not to is also impressive.

Speaking of big anthemic choruses, ‘Remember Yesterday’ encapsulates everything I was praising the previous track for not being. It’s a mid-tempoed, ballad-like banger of a track. It gives off slight Bon Jovi vibes, but obviously with a British twang. It’s fucking awesome! This is everything that the band is about in terms of their sound, so if you’re going to check any out first, I’d recommend this one! It’s awesome, and easily makes the playlist!

The final two tracks are both excellent too. I enjoyed when the track dropped down in ‘Ready for Action’. It sounded very AC/DC and the build back up was perfect. Then the album ended with the surprisingly AOR ‘Hero’. It’s one of the rockier tracks on the album but still maintains Jamie Porter ‘s now signature tempo and style. Both are fantastic tracks and ‘Hero’ closes the album well.

Overall: This was great! I wouldn’t say it was quite as strong as the full album last year, but that’s simply because the other one was a tad heavier so it’s personal preference. However, there isn’t a bad track on this collection and a couple stand out amongst some of his best work. Both can have the same score, as this does feel like an extension of MMXXI…

The Score: 8/10

Interviews & Features

The New Roses: ‘There’s a whole bunch of stuff in there that I wouldn’t have come up with myself!’

Hard/classic rock band The New Roses put out their much-acclaimed new album, Sweet Poison, last month (check out our review of it here). We managed to sit down with frontman Timmy Rough to talk all about it, from the writing process to their touring plans. Check it out below!

You just put out the new album. What was it like to record it?

Yeah. So, every song on the record actually came to life during the lockdowns. The very first song sounded really terrible because we were dealing with all the frustration, it was really sad stuff. Nobody felt anything listening to them. We didn’t feel like making an album back then, all the material just made it worse.

So, I wrote a song called ‘The Usual Suspects’ and after that everyone was really engaged and really wanted to do something. We had the right motivation and vibe for the record. After that I wrote maybe 60 songs and we took the time and hooked it down to the last 11 songs that were lasting. Then we took all them and recorded them.

And what about those other 49 songs? Do you think they’ll ever see the light of day?

Yeah, maybe! You know a lot of them are just shit because for every good song I write I write maybe two or three shitty songs. But a couple of them are really good! They were a little too close to the new record though and we don’t want that. Maybe we’ll take them out when there’s enough space between the new stuff and the Nothing But Wild record and we can just blend them in, I guess.

You said last time we talked that it was the first time you’d written with the rest of the band. How was that compared to writing on your own?

It was way more fun. Still, the initial ideas come from me but this time everybody participated a lot more than we used to do it. Maybe that’s maybe because we had a bit more time; we could try things out and go back and forth a little. I guess you hear that on the record, everybody’s input. There’s a whole bunch of stuff in there that I wouldn’t have come up with myself!

Is there a main inspiration or sound to the album?

We recorded at the same studio that we recorded all our other records in, so it’s just a little improvement but the same foundation of our sound. Every record we make we’re scratching stuff away, carving it away. You try to distil it down to a point where there’s just 100% necessary stuff. This record is really the most we’ve done that. It’s pretty much exactly what we play live. It was much easier to bring those songs to the stage this time because most of the songs are just two guitars, two vocals, bass and drums.

The other inspiration, the main topic, was not to bitch. Not to complain or take the victim role. We wanted to stand up for ourselves, stand up for our audience and give them a good time and demonstrate some strength and some faith. That was the main goal for the record.

Have you got any highlights or stories from making the album?

You know at first it was very difficult because we couldn’t get into the rehearsal room together. We always had to send tracks around and everybody recorded their stuff at home. We’d always meet in Skype or Zoom meetings and talk about the recordings. At first it was really weird because the songs were coming to life but we weren’t playing together. But when it finally did it was really weird. We all knew the songs so well, but we’d never played them together. But when it happened, and fortunately it did happen before we went to the studio, so in the end we recorded in the studio like we used to do.

That was very fortunate for us, we were afraid we would have to record and create the whole record without even once being together. But that didn’t happen. So, when we finally got together it felt really energetic and really cool to get the stuff recorded together.

And I assume you have a big tour planned off the back of it? There are some UK dates, right?

Yes sir! It’s gonna be December. London on the 1st, Cardiff on the 2nd and Sheffield on the 3rd. Winter Rocks festival is the Sheffield date. I’m really looking forward to it, it’s been a long time. I think late in the Covid year we did a festival in the UK, we did Call of the Wild, so it’s been too long! It’s gonna be fantastic!

And I assume there’ll be a bit more of an expansive tour coming in the new year?

Yeah! So, at the moment we’re on the German tour and we’re playing all our important German cities. Then after that we’re in the UK. Early next year we’ll be in France and then we’ll kinda see how winter goes and see how the Covid thing is gonna be. As soon as we’ve got a bit better of a vision we’re gonna be all over the place!

I imagine there’ll still be a hint of writing going on, too?

Hell yeah, that’s what I do. I’ve got my notebook, my scratch book with me. I keep on collecting stuff right away. It’s what I always do. When touring is done I’ll take everything out and lock myself up in a small room and I go through everything I wrote down and start making songs out of that nonesense!

Interviews & Features, Reviews

Marco Mendoza & Bad Actress Rock Real Time Live!

A true legend of the classic rock scene after playing with the likes of Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy, Journey and many more, Marco Mendoza returned to his solo project earlier this year, bringing out an album and announcing an extensive tour. Taking along the phenomenal Bad Actress along with him on the UK leg of the tour, it was set to be a fantastic couple of weeks! We managed to head along to Chesterfield’s legendary Real Time Live last night to catch the show in person and chat to both bands. Check out what we thought below!

After a slightly late start, Bad Actress take to the stage to much fan-fair. And, to put it simply, they tear the stage a new one. I’ve not seen a band so young have such stage presence, attitude and energy for a long time. In fact, scratch that. I haven’t seen a band of ANY age have this much of those qualities in a long time. The band tour that stage up from the moment they got on it to the moment they left. That sort of performance seems reserved for just a few medium sized bands nowadays, so to see it in such an intimate venue from a younger band is fantastic.

They ripped through a full set of their own glam/sleaze tracks, that a lot of the audience seemed to know and enjoy. Every member of the band shone, from the tight rhythm section to Vinnie’s amazing vocals to the frankly insane leads from Chick. All of their talent blends well into their combined songwriting, too. Tracks like ‘Outta My Head’ and ‘High-Speed Heartbreak’ are firm fan favourites and sound if anything better live than they do on track. These guys are gonna be MASSIVE in the very near future, and I can’t wait to see them play to packed out, huge crowds.

When asked about what being on the tour with Marco was like, Chick and Lui had this to say:

‘It’s been really good actually. He’s a really supportive guy. This is his second time taking us out. We’ve got him in the van actually for this tour! We just brought ourselves a new van back in July and kitted it out with like seats and a table. It’s got nine seats so we’ve got all of his three in too. It’s all good craic getting to know each other! We had to come over from Swansea this morning; it was a long drive but it was good fun!‘.

Then the main man himself took to the stage. The anticipation in the air was palpable, and as soon as Marco Mendoza and his band ripped into the first few notes of the lead single of New Direction, ‘Take it to the Limit’, everyone cut loose. From the crowd singing along and dancing to the band’s high energy, the whole room kept the buzz high.

From there, Marco and co ripped through his back catalogue, playing the very best of his solo stuff, alongside a few cheeky highlights from his time in Thin Lizzy and other covers. Whether it was Thin Lizzy, Stevie Wonder or even Plastic Ono, all were fantastic. Heck, bringing Vinnie and Chick out at the end to jam ‘Boys are Back in Town’ with them was amazing, and went down a storm. However, his own material arguably went down even better. Tracks like ‘New Direction’, ‘Sue is on the Run’ and ‘Sweetest Emotion’ were clear crowd favourites, even more so than some of the Lizzy classics.

Check out our previous interview with Marco here.

Much like Bad Actress, each of the three members got to show off their incredible talents for their instruments, too. Honestly, this felt like a set for the musicians in the audience. Between the extended instrumental parts in a few songs, drum and bass solos and even some beatboxing/scatting from Marco, there was plenty to love even when there were no vocals at play.

When talking about his recent approach to touring, Marco had some very candid words to say:

‘We’re out there making a difference. What’s going on now with the state of mind of the fans and the music industry alike, worldwide, is that people are very apprehensive, very concerned. They really think about it twice, buying that ticket, going out to that show or supporting that venue. I’m here as a little reminder to say that if we don’t make a difference, it’ll all go. We’ve seen it, the past year or two, some of my favourite venues here and in LA and New York and everywhere, they’re disappearing.

‘So, something to think about folks; please make an effort to show up when your local bands are playing, national or international, and support the local venues. Without them, there’s no place to play! Whenever you can, make a difference‘.

And check out our review of New Direction here.

So, as I’m sure you can tell, it was one hell of a gig. Both bands are on a roll currently, both live and on track. They still have plenty of stops left on the tour, too, so if you can make it down to any to them I would very much urge you to do so. You won’t be disappointed!

Reviews

New Music Mondays: Slipknot, Monster Truck and More!

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Another week, another batch if great new music for us all to check out. Let’s not waste time, and Let’s get into it! However, also a big shout out to Burridge. and her new EP, which also came out this week and we reviewed here!

Slipknot: The End, For Now

One of the biggest albums of the year from one of the biggest bands of the century, and boy has it got people divided. Check out our opinion of it here.

Monster Truck: Warriors

The Canadian southern rockers returned with their much anticipated fourth album this last week. I’ve been a fan of the band since their debut, but even I can admit that you know exactly what you’re getting from the band. Big riffs, powerful vocals, plenty of fuzz and attitude and a good guitar lick or two. This album is that to a T. Tracks like the opener, ‘Golden Woman’ and ‘Wild Man’ are all great. However, they don’t quite stack up to the likes of ‘Sweet Mountain River’ or ‘Old Train’. The issue with doing the same formula over and over is that if you already perfected it the first time it’s hard to capture that same magic again. 7/10. Definitely good, but I’ve heard better from the band.

Pixies: Doggerel

This went harder than I ever expected it to. The alt/indie rock band hit us with their eighth studio album and it caught me off guard, at the very least. From the punk AF opening track to a more Americana sound on ‘Thunder and Lightening’ to even some classic rock leanings and inspiration throughout, there is a LOT of variety here. Not all of it is my sort of thing and I do think that if a few of the tracks are going to sound so similar maybe cut a few out as it feels a little bloated. However, there isn’t really a bad song on the album and it’s definitely one I’d chuck on if I was driving or had stuff to do. Clearly I need to check out some more Pixies stuff. 7/10

Drowning Pool: Strike a Nerve

A band that 90% of people wrote off after the untimely passing of Dave Williams, the band are now seven albums deep into their careers with generally some pretty great output. I have to say, though, that while Jasen Moreno is good live with them, I haven’t enjoyed all too much of their last two albums since he took over vocals.

However, despite the ugly album artwork, I really enjoyed this. It finally feels like Jasen fits in the band. It has a renewed sense of attitude, aggression and motivation behind it. It sounds like the band wanted to make this album, not just put it out because of the label or as an excuse to tour. ‘Hate Against Hate’, ‘Stay and Bleed’, ‘Mind Right’ and ‘Down in the Dirt’ are all huge highlights on a very good album. I’d put them up against any other single the band have done, including any of Sinner. People definitely need to give this and another chance, and this is a fantastic album to dive back into them with. 8.5/10

Adam Doleac: Barstool Whiskey Wonderland

It feels like it’s been a couple of quiet weeks for country, so let’s dive into the next rising star in Nashville’s debut album.

Firstly, to get my usual gripe with country music out of the way, 18 tracks is just far too long. I love the genre, but nearly an hour spread out into 18 songs is going to bore the hell out of me at times unless Adam plans on exploring different forms of the genre too. Spoiler alert, he doesn’t. It’s 18 slower tempo country ballads. Now typically that wouldn’t be an issue, and there’s some great songs on the album, but my ADD made this album rather had to make it through in one sitting.

Tracks like the title one, ‘Drinkin’ it Wrong’ and ‘Somewhere Cool With You’ are really good and definite high points of the album. However, between them is a lot of slowish, similar music. I’d had enough around 10 tracks in, and I do think there are nine tracks you could cut to make this a fantastic, concise album. It’s another album that I’d happily stick on in the car, but outside of that I fear a fair few of the tracks will be lost to obscurity, only listened to on full album listens. And it’s a shame, because Adam is a fantastic songwriter, and half of this is amazing. 6/10

The Dead Daisies: Radiance

Another album we’ve already reviewed, this time ahead of release! Check out our thoughts and score on the supergroup’s sixth studio album here.

Darko US: Oni

If you want to know what hell sounds like, this is it. It’s like the Doom soundtrack on acid. It’s ludicrously heavy, and even if you aren’t into the music at all, you kinda have to admire and love them for that. The pair push every boundary they come across and the results are honestly like your favourite horror film. I honestly don’t understand how Tom Barber does most of this with his voice, and Josh Miller’s instrumentation is off the charts. Tracks like ‘Hyper Kill’, ‘Dragon Chaser’, ‘Evolving’ and ‘Acid Inject’ all had my face both scrunched up and grinning throughout, in the best ways. But it also has variety too, as ‘Infinite Beauty’ veered into an ethereal, almost Spiritbox style.

It’s definitely not going to be everyones cup of tea, I get that. I didn’t think it’d be mine, but it’s so heavy it’s come out the other end and laugh in far, shock and adoration. It’s insane in every way and I couldn’t stop listening to it. 9/10

Pulled Apart by Horses: Reality Cheques

Another indie/alt rock band suddenly channelling a lot more punk influence than they normally would. Heck, the bands 5th album wouldn’t look out of place in the Ramones or Iggy and the Stooges discography. The band are a bit more known for this sound than Pixies, but it still caught me off guard for some reason. And being a big fan of this style of early punk, I loved this. Being just eight tracks and half an hour in length too, I can’t really pick out a highlight. If you’re a fan of the other bands I mentioned or of punk at all, check this out, you’ll love it. I’m going to have this in rotation for the rest of the ye3ar now. 8.5/10

Icon for Hire: The Reckoning

I’ve heard the band name around for a while now and don’t know why I thought these were more of a deathcore band. Instead, they are a more pop/metalcore In This Moment. While I wasn’t sold on their opening track, they really grew on me by a few tracks in. Whether it’s ‘Ready for Combat’, ‘Shadow’, ‘Garekeepers’ or ‘All I See is Darkness’, there are some fantastic heavier track on here.

There are one or two duds too, though. ‘Sunflower’ is a glorified pop song and ‘Emo Dreams’ is probably a fair bit more cringy than they’d have hoped. Having said that, she is actually a good rapper, and I think if the lyrics had a little more substance than ‘I’m good’ then the track would have been a huge standout on the album.

However, it was far better than I was expecting. I can see it becoming more and more of a favourite with each listen. I need to.cjeck out more Icon for Hire, because this was sick. 8/10

Coldworld: Isolation

It feels like it’s been a while since I covered straight-up black metal here on New Music Mondays. Don’t get me wrong, my feelings generally haven’t changed about it, but the ambient nature of it, mixed with the very infrequent vocals, made this at least listenable. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t go out of my way to listen to it, but I also wouldn’t go out of my way to turn it off if it came on again. It was atmospheric as hell and really well put together and produced. I also haven’t found an album that matched its artwork so well in a while, this was a eerie, depressing album, and while I won’t probably listen to it much going forward, it was good. 6/10

Autopsy: Morbidity Triumphant

Old-school, straight up death metal from one of the pioneers of the genre in the US. It’s aggressive, it’s brutal, and it’s insanely fast. I don’t really know what else to say, really. It’s exactly what you’d expect when you the words ‘death metal’. If you’re a fan of Cannibal Corpse, you’ll love this. I’d love to see them live, even if on track I could take it or leave it. Still though, the band are insanely talented players and it shines through in every track. 5/10

Kristian Bush: 52/New Blue

A fantastic, but this time appropriately lengthed, country album. It’s heavily blues driven, meaning it’s a little more rock than Adam’s album earlier on, too. It’s another album that I’m struggling to pick highlights from too, as it’s all great. The first five tracks are how to do country perfectly, but the whole album is a masterclass in good songwriting really. I can’t praise this album enough, 8.5/10

Amaurot: …To Tread the Ancient Waters

And onto the last album of the week, a dark, symphonic power metal one. I have to admit, while this was definitely atmospheric and epic, it didn’t grab me much. It’s an incredibly cluttered sub-genre, especially this year, and I unfortunately feel like I’ve heard better. It’s not bad by any stretch, but it didn’t hold my attention at all. ‘Des Wanderers Leid’ is probably my highlight. 4/10

Interviews & Features

Marco Mendoza: ‘after the album comes out it’s going to go to the next level!’

The amazing, talented and very busy Marco Mendoza took the time to sit down with us for a quick interview this week. We talked about his upcoming UK solo tour, getting his band together and a few other projects he’s working on too. Watch/read below!

What made you want to bring back your solo stuff?

I always say there’s no regrets. I’m very happy with my career, with all the other projects I’ve been privileged to be a part of. But if I could change anything it would be to pay attention to my solo thing a little more. I love it and I dig it and the response has been absolutely over the top!

I’ve been a busy guy so eventually no matter how busy you get there’s down time. And I’m one of those guys not to wait around too long, I love what I do. So I’m always looking to put things together if there’s nothing cooking. I always had an outlet to stretch out as a bassist and as a singer, improvisational stuff and even what’s considered jazz funk, just to keep learning and challenge yourself.

That first album I did, ‘Live for Tomorrow’ came out the time I was working with Whitesnake. I’d get off the tour and go with Thin Lizzy and Ted Nugent for quite a while. And there was some time off and Frontier approached me and the chance came up so we got into the studio. To my surprise the response was good! We didn’t support it though, that was a big mistake on my behalf. But I was busy touring with all the other stuff. I did some dates to support the album, but that was like two years after.

Then the next album the same thing happened, I was juggling a bunch of projects and I had an opening so we got it together and released it and again I didn’t support it. It came out and then it disappeared.

This last album I was really busy with the Dead Daisies and thee was an opening. I went to Copenhagen and started writing with my buddy and before you know it we had the album, ‘Viva La Rock’. For some reason when it got released the writeups were really good and really encouraging and so I decided, back in ’19, I had some time. So of course when you do that the response couldn’t be better because you’re representing the album live. I got on the radar so I got invited to do a lot of stuff in Europe for ’20, and then we know what happened. So managed to do a bit in November last year but we’re pretty much picking up the pieces.

And also what else got postponed was the release of my next album which is finally going to get released this year. We’re aiming for August/September, but the first single is coming out April 13th, so I’m excited! There seemed to be a buzz out there when I announced the dates in the UK.

Marco’s Official Facebook

So, how did the line-up for the tour come about?

I got really lucky that I hooked up with Tommy Gentry who’s gig is GUN, through Kyle Hughes. So it’s just one of those things, word of mouth and then we get introduced and then they send me videos so I can check out what they’re doing. Kyle did some stuff with Bumblefoot (GNR) and I love his playing and I love his heart and who he is as a person. He’s a young lad but he plays with fire. He’s hungry, sings great and he really pays attention to what my vision is on stage. As a bass player drummers are very important to me.

And then Tommy just kills it as a guitar player and as a human being. We all get along really well. Unfortunately they’re talented folks so they get pulled away to other commitments so I’m happy and lucky to have them on the UK dates.

I’m juggling stuff right now so people can come in and out because the reality is my solo project, as much as I hate to admit it, is still in its infancy. I’m still trying to build something. I think after this year, after the album comes out and everything lines up and we do well on the live shows it’s going to go to the next level.

How do you approach a tour with your solo project in contrast to touring with the bigger bands you work with?

It feels very different! It’s a lot of responsibility. Fronting the band and being the singer and also standing behind your own music, but like I said I do it because I love it. After so many years I love the whole dynamics of writing a song and putting it out there and people digging it and people wherever you are on the planet love it and they learn the lyrics and they sing the song, there’s nothing like that.

The other thing is that I have a little more control over what happens on stage and how we deliver the shows and the message… I always insist on carrying some sort of positive message, something that’s uplifting and proactive. Something that’s very optimistic with what’s going on right now on the planet. It’s very important that you’re there for your audience and be able to escape for a few hours and get away from the everyday living. Sometimes it gets heavy.

That’s the other thing that’s very rewarding to me, I always insist on doing meet and greets and when people come round and say ‘Marco, thanks for coming here, I’ve been struggling and you put a smile on my face, I’m going to go out there and make a difference’, it’s like, WOW. Beyond all the business and all the stuff that comes along with being a musician that’s the rewarding stuff that really stays with you and it fuels you to keep going. It’s very cool.

Also the other side, when you’re part of a collaborative situation there’s always a boss and a big team so everything’s handled. I just show up, they hand me the bass and I play. While here you’re pretty much at ground level and doing anything and everything you can to put it together. A little responsibility but I’m up for it! When you love something so much you can’t stop!

Wanna read/watch more of our interviews? Check them out here.

So obviously you’re mainly here to talk about your solo project, but is there anything you can tell me about another venture of yours, Iconic?

That seems to be getting a lot of buzz! That project got together originally… Joel Hoekstra and Nathan James and Michael Sweet all work for Frontier so we all had that in common. I got a call from them during the pandemic, I think, at the end of ’20, when we finally realised that the world wasnt going to open for a while. They were putting projects together because they realised there was a lot of musicians just hanging out.

So they approached me and said they’re doing this thing with these guys and would you consider being the bass player, and I said absolutely. These are all cats that are at the top of their games, great players. I knew Joel and Nathan and I’d met Michael here and there. So they called me and said the guys would love to have you but we don’t have a drummer, who would you like to call? I thought of a few cats but everyone seemed to be tied up doing other things except Tommy, who was busy but seemed very interested.

So it’s a cool bunch of cats, big profiles, big resumes, the credits are amazing. And the music is very good. We got together here in LA not too long ago to shoot some videos to release. I gotta say that the energy in the room and how we all got along is that at the end of the day it’s all about the music. And the songs are amazing.

There’s nothing more I can say other than stay tuned. Hopefully if things line up we can get a tour scheduled. It’s a great band, it’s going to go out there and kill!

What would you make of the state of the music industry right now?

I’ve seen it suffer so much. It’s such a long conversation but let’s just say that the music industry, general speaking, we took the biggest hit during the pandemic. This is how we live, it’s our livelihood. And in the bigger picture you have a lot of staff and people behind the scenes that really got hit hard. The strongest survive and come out the other side with a little bit of struggle, and it’s good to see that it’s starting to pick up. There’s a lot of hope in the air.

It’s getting better but I don’t know what’s going to happen the next couple of years. The recording side of it has come down, it got so beat up when the technology kicked in. But I’m not going to stop, as long as I have the energy to do it I will. And there’s a lot of us around that love what we do. And the fans which is another big factor, supporting the local venues and bands, it all triggers that knock on effect. We’ll see what the next couple of months bring and the end of the year and hopefully 2023 will go back to ‘as normal as we can be’. We’re getting back to working again, which is all I can say. I always say always prepare for the worse and pray for the best!

Reviews

New Music Mondays: Scorpions, Bad Omens and More!

Eight more rock and metal albums graced the scene this week, from all over the world. A lot of it is from some amazing newer bands too, while a few of the older ones still holding down the fort. It’s an exciting week for new music, so let’s get right to it!

Scorpions: Rock Believer

Scorpions’ Official Facebook

The German hard rock/heavy metal group are the oldest band on this list by a fair stretch, and with the release of this double album it takes them up to a whopping 19. It’s long, over an hour spread across 16 tracks, but it proves the band very much still have it. The opening track, ‘Gas in the Tank’ outlines my sentiments perfectly. The album is full of highlights but standout tracks include ‘Peacemaker’, ‘Seventh Sun’ and ‘Call of the Wild’. 8/10

Bad Omens: THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND

Another band to hop on the capitalise the album title trend are American metalcore band Bad Omens. The bands third album, much like their previous two, is on the lighter end of the metalcore spectrum, clearly inspired by Sempiternal-era BMTH. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it does leave the album with a feel of ‘this has been done before’. Not every album needs to be ground-breaking, but I was hoping to get something a little heavier when I read ‘metalcore’. What a diverse, wide-spread sub-genre it is these days. Still, tracks like the opener and ‘Like a Villain’ are definite highlights. 6.5/10

Avril Lavigne: Love Sux

While primarily pop music, Avril‘s first album or two were definitely pop-punk, and with a promise of going back to that style with this album (alongside a fairly promising lead single), I thought it was at least worth checking out. I can confirm it is at least pop-punk. Whether it’s good or not… I’m not sure. It definitely has the same energy and feel as Let Go, but the issue I have, much like some of the other older pop-punk bands’ most recent albums is exactly that. She’s going on 40 now, and writing music like you are still 18, alongside spelling things like ‘bois’ and ‘Sux’, feels cringy. Plus, both MGK and Blackbear ruin their respective tracks. But Mark Hoppus kills it on ‘All I Wanted’, it being the best track he’s done since before Blink-182’s reunion over a decade ago. Plus, after his recent health issues, it’s really heart-warming to hear him back in music again.

However, despite all of the negativity, I cannot help but enjoy the album. Avril has definitely retained the ability to write one hell of a pop-punk chorus, and I’m going to again have3 ‘Bite Me’ stuck in my head for days now. An up and down album, but I think I can settle on a solid 7.5/10

Elles Bailey: Shining in the Half Light

Elles Bailey’s Official Facebook

Blues/NWOCR forerunner Elles Bailey released her third album on Friday, and it’s really good. It’s a Dorothy, American pop-rock sound but with enough blues and country edginess and twang to add some grit and darkness to it. Heck, opening track ‘Cheats and Liars’ perfectly encapsulates the sound, I would say, and is a damn good intro to her as an artist. Honestly though, if you are into the slower blues style, this whole album is one big highlight. It’s steady, chilled and full of great vocals and lyrics. Oh, and the guitars are enough for me to geek out over so they must be good! I would happily and highly recommend this album to anyone. Give it a list, you won’t be disappointed! 9/10

Corpsegrinder: Self-Titled

The Cannibal Corpse frontman finally released his much anticipated debut album over the weekend. To put it simply, it’s about exactly what you’d expect. I have become a rather medium fan of George Fisher due to the sheer amount of awesome guest slots he’s done on awesome tracks by other bands over the last couple of years. However, this didn’t quite measure up to ‘Take Your Pick’ or ‘Parpaing’. That’s not to say it’s bad by any stretch, though. It’s death metal through and through, and damn good death metal at that. Tracks like ‘On Wings of Carnage’ and ‘Crimson Proof’ were definite highlights for me, having me headbanging along from start to finish. And, I have to add, what an album cover! 7.5/10

Black Lakes: For All We’ve Left Behind

An awesome Welsh alt metal band, we had the pleasure of reviewing this album last week before it was released. It was good. How good? Read our review of it to find out for yourself!

Blood Incarnation: Timewave Zero

What the fuck was that? Am I being pranked here? I was expecting some death metal, not 40 minutes of ambient sounds. This is Devin Townsend’s wet dream and not my sort of thing at all. 1/10, I’m sorry.

Just a Ride: Self-Titled

Just a Ride’s Official Facebook

Another band we reviewed ahead of time (we are on FIRE this week) is the debut from NWOCR’s newest band, Just a Ride. It’s good, and if you want to find out the score, you’ll have to check out the review for yourself here.

Another fantastic week, with the smaller bands really bring it this time round! Black Lakes and Elles Bailey in particular put out fantastic albums that are up there in the running for top of the year so far. The British music scene is really thriving right now! As always stay tuned for next week’s NMM and for the big one… Stereophonics!