Another week, some more awesome new music for us to check out from across the spectrum. Let’s dive in!
Corrosion of Conformity: Good God / Baad Man
I’m hoping this album is a grower, not a shower. Unless what It’s showing is that Down should finally put out some new music again. The riffs are certainly there, and I liked a good bit of Pepper’s vocals, especially when he channeled his inner Mike Patton/Jello Biafra. However, something about it just didn’t hook me in, especially the opening few tracks. ‘The Handler’ was the first track that I found myself actively enjoying. Songs like ‘Lose Yourself’ and the bluesy ‘Handcuff County’ are also personal favourites. Honestly, the album was better later on when they leant into that side of their sound, with the opening half being a bit of a slog. As a fan of their 90s output, I much preferred their sludgy blues stuff to their experimental hardcore early sound, so did feel slightly let down when they didn’t get to their most popular grooviness until later on. While I get and appreciate what they were trying to do here, it didn’t really work for me, sadly. Also, this thing is over an hour in length; that’s just too long.
If you like all of their previous sounds, you’ll probably love this. However, if you like one over the other, you may get a bit of a culture shock with this release, like I did. As I said, it might grow on me more with more listens, and I do want to give it more of a chance in the coming months. Disc 2 (‘Baad Man’ onwards) is honestly awesome, and would have made an amazing 37 minute album. But I didn’t like much of Disc 1, so because of that, I give this a tentative 7.5/10. It could get higher with repeat listens, though!
Charley Crockett: Age of the Ram
We’ve already checked out this awesome release! Read our full reviewhere.
Michael Sweet: The Master Plan
The first solo album in seven years from the Stryper main-man, this is an epic 40-minutes of AOR music! The opener/title track is some Genesis-level grandiose movie score type stuff. It also sets the tone perfectly for another nine soft rock bangers! ‘Lord’, the truly epic ballad ‘Eternally’ and ‘Faith’ are also big highlights, but there isn’t a bad song on here. It’s a bit… incredibly… preachy, which definitely drops it down a notch or two for me, but musically it is still damn good. Don’t get me wrong, It’s not Stryper, but It’s still good music if you’re into the likes of The Police or Foreigner or even Seal. And if you can get past all the god stuff (or you’re genuinely into that, of course!). It’s good music that I sadly probably won’t revisit often. However, it still gets a solid 7/10. It would definitely be higher if I god-bothered.
Foreignwolf: Merely Mortal
The second EP from the alt-metallers comes nearly five years after their last. Honestly, they really stepped up with this release too, this thing is 14 minutes of absolute awesomeness! ‘Tyrant’ is the perfect opener, metalcore excellence. Then you have the slower, more epic ‘Hollow’ heavy single ‘Imposter Syndrome’ and the post-hardcore, almost emo closer. Each track is as good as the last, all feeling different to each other while still sounding like the same band. It’s one hell of a testament to the bands stellar writing talents. And, it all flows fantastically together, making it a must-listen in full at least once. If you are into the heavier side of things, check this out ASAP. The band certainly have a new fan in me, and I already can’t wait to see where we go from here! 8.5/10
Nervosa: Slave Machine
Max: So this was my first time listening to Nervosa, and I must say, I was not disappointed. This is a very solid album with an intensity that keeps you hooked through out with bouncing riffs that are simply fun. There is also a nice balance of melodic sections and filthy, intense moments so the album is able to appeal to a multitude of people whilst not disappointing anyone. From what I have read, this is only the second album since their current vocalist and founding member Prika Amaral took up the role, and it really is a great album so I will be sure to check out their previous album as well. a very solid 8.5/10!
Emma Harner: Evening Star
The debut album from the ‘math folk’ rising star is a beautiful, chilled out 36 minutes of acoustic-based music. While not strictly my sort of thing, there is no denying her talents as a musician and a songwriter. Tracks like the epic-building ‘Charlotte’ and ‘Cowboys Chords’ are standouts for me. However, if you are into this sort of style, It’s all an excellent journey and listen. In the nicest and most complimentary way possible, it is sad white girl music. So, if that resonates with you, this is well worth a listen! It’s not something I’d revisit often, but certainly wouldn’t turn it off if it was on again! A still-solid 6.5/10 from us, and I’m curious to hear where she goes from here.
Toxic Shock: Future is Calling
Max: I’ll be clear, I didn’t like this at all. It’s not a genre I particularly like and whilst this album is far from the worst thing ever, it doesn’t change my perspective. It not an objectively bad album by any means, I just found it very boring. The first few tracks were good they gave me hope but the last few tracks really weren’t great, and the last track in particular, “Sex Beat”, just didn’t land with me at all. I can’t give it any more than a 5/10
Enquire Within: Doomsday Profit
The UK metallers are back with a follow-up to their absolutely stellar 2024 EP, and I for one have been damn excited since I first heard about it! And honestly, it lives up to my hype for it. This thing is fucking awesome! All nine tracks on it are excellent too, making it almost impossible to pick highlights. It has a great flow to it as every song feels unique enough to keep it interesting throughout, while still all feeling distinctly Enquire Within. Having said that, the modern Machine Head-like ‘Rebellion’ definitely has my heart! From the solid drumming to the amazing riffing and breakdowns to both the harsh and clean vocals, it’s all fantastic, and kept me hooked throughout! The band are really making waves in the underground scene, and with output like this It’s incredibly easy to hear why. If you are at all into the heavier stuff, from alt metal to metalcore to melodeath, this is an absolute must-listen! A very easy 9/10 from us!
No Terror in the Bang: Existence
Following up their 2024 album, the French prog metallers go hard with this five song collection! I wasn’t familiar with them heading in, but they immediately have a HUGE new fan in me! ‘Moon’ was the perfect opener, having me hooked in from the start and not letting me go for the full 20 minutes of the EP. The heavy ‘Goat’ and the epic closer are also big highlights, but every track on this is amazing in its own right. It’s clearly inspired by the likes of Jinjer but, honestly, I enjoy this even more, evolving that sound and taking it to new heights! I honestly can’t get enough of this release, and it’s insane to me that they aren’t a much bigger name already. Check this out if you are at all interested; it isn’t long and shows off exactly what the band is about. Another solid 8.5/10
Luke Grimes: Red Bird
The second album from the rising country start, we actually loved his debut in 2024. Sadly, this one is taking a little more getting into. Don’t get me wrong, songs like the opener and ‘Drink Drink Drink’ are great, and the beautiful duet of ‘Without You’ is also damn memorable. However, a lot of the rest of it is pretty slow overall, a folk/Americana/classical sound. Don’t get me wrong, his self-titled album is also pretty slow and similar at times, but I think overall there’s a bit more to it, or at the very least it’s longer so there’s more room for varied sounds. And from memory even the slower tracks felt like they had a bit more to them, a slight more of a radio hook. I enjoyed Red Bird, but outside of the aforementioned songs it just makes me want to listen to his other stuff. If you want a chilled folky album to throw on and relax to, this is absolutely that. It’s also packed full of plenty of emotion, which is always great to hear. As I said, it isn’t a bad release at all, but is a bit of a tough second album. Hopefully it grows on me with more listens, but for now I can’t give it any more than 7/10
Codefendants: LIFERS
This is 30 minutes of glorious, 90s-inspired chaos, and I loved every second! From punk to hip-hop to hardcore to metal, the band very much wear their inspiration on their sleeve, and it’s amazing to hear it all blended together like this. ‘Crime Wave’, is apparently how they’re describing their genre, which honestly kinda fits. I somehow missed their debut back in 2023, but this sophomore album is a lot of fun, and a real breath of fresh air from Fat Mike, Sam King and Ceschi Ramos. Heck, I even got touches of modern, MCR-like emo in there in the slower, more ballad-tracks. From ‘Rivals’ to the pop-punk ‘Crime Wave’ to ‘The Right Wrong Man’, there are some massive highlights on here. However, the album has a fantastic flow to it that makes it an easy full listen, and none of the songs are bad.
It’s nostalgic for me, growing up with all the sounds individually, yet still feels like something wholly new and interesting. If you’re a fan of stuff a bit more out there, but still with some attitude, edge and something to say, this is very much the album for you! I’ll be listening to it a lot moving forward, and already it gets a solid 8.5/10 from us!
Shelby Stone: Silveryear
The debut album from the emerging Texas red dirt country singer-songwriter dropped this last Friday, and is a full 71-minutes of greatness! She combines typical darker country with a heavier rock edge perfectly, arguably more successfully than bigger names who attempt it like Brantley Gilbert and Koe Wetzel. Heck, the epic opener sets the tone for this perfectly, building to a massive, metal-boardering soundscape that rivals that of DOROTHY or The Pretty Reckless, as much as the earlier stages are more Bridge City Sinners. It’s an absolutely phenomenal track that had me hooked from the get go. From there, ‘Killing Time’ continues the vibe perfectly, adding a bit more country to the proceedings, and ‘Burns Blue’ being an early up-tempo banger. Then you have the likes of ‘This Time Around’, ‘Fire Escape’ and the boot-stompin’ ‘Dynamite’ that are all massive highlights in their own right. However, not only is there not a bad song throughout, the extended length goes by in a flash, a true testament to Stone’s insane talent as a musician and songwriter! While it maybe had one or two too many slower tracks in a row at times, Shelby’s powerful vocals and emotional lyrics still kept it all incredibly interesting.
As you can tell, I can’t rave about this release enough! This is an absolutely incredible album that has made Stone a massive new fan in me. How she isn’t an absolutely massive name already is beyond me. She straddles the line between country, rock and even modern pop seamlessly, and has crafted something truly special with this release. I’ll be spinning it plenty moving forward, and I can’t give it any less than 9.5/10. Amazing stuff!
Another massive week for New Music Mondays, with plenty of releases for us to check out across rock, metal and country (and also some pop for good measure)!
Black Label Society: Engines of Demolition
The first album from the legendary biker metallers in a whopping five years, it marks the longest gap between releases the band have ever had. Obviously Zakk has been busy with Ozzy stuff over the last few years, so it’s more than understandable. However, this is a very welcome return! I’ve been a fan of the band for honestly as long as I can remember, and remember enjoying Doom Crew Inc. when it dropped. Honestly though, this may be even better than that! Of course the guitaring throughout is off the charts, the riffing and soloing is expectedly excellent. However, the whole band are playing great across every track, and there’s plenty of catchy, memorable memories alongside them. From ‘Gatherer of Souls’ to single ‘Broken and Blind’ to ‘Pedal to the Floor’, it’s packed full of a great songs! It’s sludgy and doomy and heavy; it’s exactly what you’d expect from a BLS album. However, we still get a slower, ballad track in ‘Back to Me’ tucked in the middle, just as good as the others! It’s maybe a touch long at 50+ minutes, but there aren’t really any tracks that I’d cut. It’s a fun heavy metal album that I’ll definitely be revisiting again soon! 8/10
Ty Myers: Heavy on the Soul
We’ve already checked out this awesome album! Read the full review here!
Chez Kane: Reckless
Album three from the 80s glam throwback woman is one I’ve been impatiently waiting for since she first announced it, and it’s every bit as good as I’d hoped for! Powerzone was awesome a few years ago, and I still spin it to this day, and this builds on everything that was great about that album and turns it up to 11. It’s 41 minutes of arena-filling off power-ballads, dripping in synth and swagger. The opener/title track sets the tone excellently, and tracks like ‘Strip Me Down’, ‘Love Tornado’ and ‘Street Survivor’ all carry on that energy amazingly. However, there really isn’t a bad track throughout, and it has a really excellent flow to it all! It’s catchy, sleazy and incredibly horny in all the best ways, making for one hell of a fun listen. None of these tracks would sound at all out of place on the Rock of Ages musical, and I’m so glad people like Chez and Sam Millar are continuing on this vibe!
If you are at all into the 80s Sunset Strip sound, this is an absolute must of an album. It’s certainly going to have me hooked for months again, and it’s insane to me that she isn’t a bigger name given her insane talent! Every chorus is massive and so very catchy, just begging to be played to huge festival crowds as well as neon-soaked dive bars. And shoutout to her band too, who kill it just as much as she does! I feel like it will continue to grow on me with more listens somehow, even though I’d easily put a good half of these up there alongside her biggest hits. I can’t give it any less than another solid 9/10!
Flea: Honora
I didn’t know what to expect from the Red Hot Chili Peppers bassists debut solo album. Somehow, experimental jazz-funk both was and wasn’t it. Either way, sadly this is pretty bad. I’ve been thinking for a few months now that I want to try and get into jazz because I feel I’d enjoy it. Then I hear ‘Morning Cry’ and all that goes out the window. And don’t even get me started on his spoken word nonsense on ‘A Plea’. It feels like Flea felt it sounded like Zack de La Rocha, but it came across far more Lulu. And, on top of that, this thing is 50 MINUTES LONG. That’s a lot of crap. Heck, there may be someone out there that is really into this and loves it, but that someone certainly isn’t me. Not even Nick Cave could save this thing, it’s a mess, and a slog. At least everyone involved is at least talented, even if, in this writers opinion, it’s not fantastically written. You can tell Flea’s playing a mile away, and some of his basslines are at least fun. The slower ‘Thinkin Bout You’ is probably the most enjoyable song. Hell, at least it’s better than the last couple of RHCP albums, right…? 2.5/10, not my thing at all. At least it’s finally over.
Whey Jennings: Baptized by Fire
Some real old-school country now, with the grandson of legend Waylon himself putting out his second studio album. It’s 40 minutes of classic country tracks, just like his granddaddy played, but also gives slight vibes of Drake White or even Drew Holocomb too for good measure! Tracks like ‘What Lovin’ You Does’, his duet with Karen Waldrup and ‘Copperheads and Butterflies’ are all personal highlights. However, if you like a traditional style, you’ll love every track of this, I’m sure! His vocals are awesome, and his lyrics and delivery are packed full of emotion. It’s exactly what you’d expect heading into it, and I personally had a great time listening to it. He’s continuing on his family legacy perfectly here, and it gets a solid 7/10 from us!
To say it lives up to the hype is an understatement! It’s heavy, melodic and packed full of awesome melodies and emotion. ‘Smile’ opens things perfectly, having some truly brutal screams and breakdown riffs, as well as a more alt chorus. Then you have songs like ‘Birth of a Sun’, ‘Skin’ and the closer/title track that are all also excellent. However, there isn’t a bad song throughout, everything around these tracks also being pretty good. It’s like Spiritbox meats Hot Milk in the best way possible! And, having said that, I would say some of the writing here, both lyrically and riff-wise, is arguably better than both bands. All four of these guys are extremely talented musicians and songwriters!
There’s no wonder the band have gone from strength to strength in recent years in the UK, and this album caps that off wonderfully, but also surely starts a band new, even bigger chapter for the quartet. If you are at all into the alt/modern metal scene, this release is an absolute must! It’s impossible not to see huge things for them in the years to come, and this gets a solid 8.5/10 from us!
Hellripper: Coronach
Max: An 8 track, 45 minute adventure that keeps you gripped and having fun throughout. The latest Hellripper album really is a work of art, the riffs, screams, well to be honest really everything is very very good. Now don’t worry I’m not going to say that this is the best album ever and that Hellripper has perfected their craft but what I am saying is, if you have ever held off on listening to Hellripper because you weren’t sure if you were going to enjoy it, well now’s your time to start listening. Honestly there wasn’t a single track that I didn’t thoroughly enjoy and I really think its a great set of tracks. 9/10
Will Carter Band: WCB
Album number four from Mr Carter, though it seems second as a collective, is a fantastic throwback to the late 90s early 2000s alt country sound! Think Hootie & The Blowfish, Blake Shelton or even Matchbox Twenty. Right from opener ‘Don’t Need Much’ I was hooked on this thing, and tracks like ‘X’s on my Hands’, ‘Can’t Sleep Without You’, and ‘Ain’t All That Lonely’ are all huge personal highlights. The whole thing is excellent from start to finish, though, it having a great flow and going by in a flash. How these guys aren’t a bigger name by this point I have no idea, but if anything is right with the world this will be the release that puts them on the mainstream radar! It’s fun yet at the same time packed full of emotion, the whole thing being written expertly. If you are at all into county or southern rock, this is an absolute must listen. Easily an 8.5/10, and it may grow on me even more with more listens!
RiotWeekend: Table4Four
The sophomore EP from the UK alt-rockers/pop-punkers builds perfectly on their 2022 self-titled debut. It’s 14 minutes of fun, catchy rock music that fits perfectly in alongside anyone from Simple Plan to Paramore to even ADTR! Heck, we get a breakdown in ‘Harry’, which was unexpected awesomeness! What’s more, all four tracks are as good as each other, it being an incredibly solid release from front-to-back! And it’s pretty varied too, each song having a different vibe and pace to it while all still feeling distinctly RiotWeekend. It’s a true talent to be able to write like that, and the band have shown it off perfectly twice now! This is a damn good EP, and one I will definitely be spinning plenty moving forward. 8/10!
Check out our interview with the band about the release here!
RAYE: THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE.
An album that isn’t something that we’d usually cover up now. Having said that, we’d done everything from Bruno Mars to Eminem to Lady Gaga in recent years, and this very much channels that similar alt-pop vibe to it. And heck, I was listening to it anyway, so figured I might as well write out my thoughts!
Firstly, she’s such a talented, fascinating artist, and it‘s easy to hear why she’s become such a big name in a short amount of time. Perfectly blending everything from pop to jazz, soul to R&B, it’s a truly unique sound and such good fun to listen to. And, it’s packed full of awesome songs! From the excellent, emotional opener ‘I Will Overcome.’ to the epic ‘I Know You’re Hurting.’ to the swinging ‘I Hate the Way I Look Today.’ to the huge single ‘WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!”, there is a lot to love throughout. A lot of it is amazing though and, though it definitely feels its bloated length, it’s a chilled-yet-emotional listen that held my attention a lot throughout. Arguably the only full disappointment was ‘Click Clack Symphony.’, I thought having the legendary Hans Zimmer involved would have produced something a bit more epic and interesting and dynamic. However, overall it is an epic release, and well worth the time if you have a spare 73 minutes! I probably won’t do the full thing often, but the few songs I loved will be on regular rotation! 7/10
The Pale White: Inanimate Objects of the 21st Century
Max: So this one was strange for me, it is quite far from what I normally listen to so at first I have to say I didn’t really enjoy it that much. Its fine, its easy to listen to, but not really for me. By my third time listening, I think I started to get it a bit more. There is this fun blend of styles and feelings throughout. The melancholic tone that some parts have can really hit you in the feelings but then the bouncing alt riffs and grooving bass and drums bring you back up. it really is a roller coaster that I ended up really enjoying. For a track recommendation, I would say either ‘Float Away’, or my favourite which is ‘Mannequin’ (I don’t know how to put in to words the feeling it gives, it’s something that I think you need to experience with no input from the outside). 9.5/10 (really its good)
Final Coil: 1994
Following up their 2024 album, the bands first foray into EP territory is a lot of fun! It’s very much a product of the year it’s about, full of grunge and alt-metal energy and riffs. ‘Instant Fix’ is a great opener, and the Rob Zombie-like ‘Woke’ is another career highlight. However, each of the four songs is awesome, and flow together perfectly. From the riffing to the drums to the vocals, it’s all amazing! If you are a fan of the band this is well worth checking out, and is a great stop-gap (hopefully!) between longer releases. A solid 7.5/10 from us!
Ashley Monroe: Dear Nashville
An eight-track surprise drop from the modern country star on Friday has given us a great listen over the weekend! And, it’s a pretty honest, heart-felt and reflective listen, at that. Starting the release with a song titled ‘I Hate Nashville’ is a ballsy move in 2026, and it is a huge highlight of the album. Then you have songs like ‘Haunted’ and ‘Having it Bad’ which are also big personal highlights. It’s another release that follows her slower, chilled-out country vibe, much like with last year’s Tennessee Lightning. It’s very Paula Cole or Miranda Lambert in all the best ways. It’s not something I’d revisit often, but is perfect for throwing on and relaxing to, especially in the coming summer months! And that first song really is an excellent track, up there alongside her hits, thanks for sure. 7/10, good stuff!
Party Cannon: Subjected to a Partying
The crazy Scottish death metallers returned with a brand new EP (alongside some remixes and lives) this last Friday. It’s exactly what you’d expect from the band, or if you heard the words ‘classic death metal’. It’s like if Cannibal Corpse kept Barnes but had more modern production these days. If all of that sounds like your sort of thing, definitely give this a spin. As I’m sure you can tell by my dancing around the subject, it isn’t hugely mine. I honestly kinda preferred the remixes to the original tracks, though do have to say the vocals over the top of them may have been fun! And honestly, it seems like something I’d much prefer live, the recordings from Glasgow sounding awesome. But yeah, sadly on track it isn’t too much of my thing, as fun and hilarious as the themes are. Still, if you like old-school death metal, this is well worth a spin! It’s run, regardless, but the vocals sadly don’t do much for me. 6/10
Siege Perilous: Becoming the Dragon
The debut album from the epic, Colorado-based power metallers is a true journey from start to finish. From soaring melodies to insane harmonised guitars to the solid drumming and powerful vocals, it’s 44-minutes of grandiose heavy metal through and through! ‘As the Dragon Falls’ (feat. the awesome Fabio Lione) is a huge high point of the album, as is ’Chieftain’ and the epic closing track. It reminds me a lot of Fellowship or even Dragonforce, that epic huge power metal built more for its huge moments and soundscapes. The band are insanely good songwriters, and for this to be a debut album makes it feel like we have some truly special things to come in the next few years! They’re ones to watch, for sure! However, for now, this is an excellent release for anyone into the genre even a little bit! 7.5/10
Numbskull Narrative: The Gutters
The brand new EP from Galway’s own ‘noisy boys’ is three awesome heavy, hardcore-tinged tracks. From the sludgy breakdown riffs to the heavy screams, there are some incredible moments throughout, and at only nine minutes it is very much all killer, no filler! I’m always a bit on the fence with modern hardcore stuff, but the heavier edge to this definitely won me over! Some of the playing actually reminded me of Zakk Wylde or Dimebag, which was awesome to hear with this sort of drums accompanying it! It’s impossible to pick highlights as all three are great in their own right. The band definitely have a new fan in me, and this gets an easy 8/10 from us!
Calder Allen: Fault Lines
Album three from the fifth generation Texan is a short, chilled romp through some beautiful old-school country music. At only eight tracks long it goes by in a flash, and each song perfectly bleeds into the next. Highlights include the rocky title track, ‘Carry On’ and ‘Norwood County Line’. But, as I said, each song blends seamlessly together, and none of them are bad by any stretch! The more I listened to this, the more I fell in love. It’s a damn good country/Americana album that reminds me of everything from Drew Holcombto Luke Dick to even hints of Jack Johnson. He’s another artist that has a new fan in me this week, and I can guarantee that if you check this out, you’ll enjoy it as much as I do! It’ll be an album I revisit plenty throughout the year, especially over summer, and I can’t give it any less than 9/10!
Rain Diary: Night Church
This gothic collective are back with their first new studio release in a while, and honestly sound better than ever! The title track sets the moody-yet-catchy tone perfectly, and every track that follows it fits thematically fantastically, and is great in its own right. It all feels like one art piece instead of individual tracks, though ‘Dark Flowers’ and ‘End of the World’ are personal favourites. It’s hard to even compare it to other artists, as it feels like something wholly unique, which made it an incredibly easy listen despite the length! Each member of the band are insanely talented, with the two vocals of course being the big highlight. It won’t be for everyone, but I had a good time listening to this, and it’s a solid 8/10!
A typically stacked week of new releases for us to check out, from rock to metal to country. Let’s dive right in!
The Black Crowes: A Pound of Feathers
Owen: Following a 10 or so year hiatus, A Pound of Feathers is the third album in as many years for The Black Crowes. After almost 40 years in the industry, various member changes and 30 million albums sold, the group still sound like they are in their prime. ‘Profane Prophecy’ opens the album and sets the scene for everything that follows; upbeat, riff-heavy and well placed cowbell. A blend of southern soul and classic blues rock with high energy and good helping of attitude from frontman Chris Robinson.
While the tone is consistent throughout, there is space for a couple of outliers. ‘Pharmacy Chronicles’ drops the wailing guitars for a slower acoustic sound, backed up by a slide guitar and a bright piano, the track standing proudly as a southern country rock ballad. ‘High & Lonesome’ is another track that feels like a departure from the rest of the album to show us yet another side of The Black Crowes, this time falling into a 60’s beat with some abstract glam rock influences of the same era. Overall, A Pound of Feathers is a strong collection of tracks proving once again the Robinson brothers and company are still here nearly 40 years on for good reason 9/10
Lamb of God: Into Oblivion
We’ve already checked out this awesome album! Read the full review here.
Avery Anna: forgive, forget.
The follow-up to her huge sophomore album last year, this is a great six tracks of moody radio-country music. Opening on yet another collaboration with her close friend Sam Barber, somewhat controversially it’s probably my least favourite track on the release. Following track, the rockier ‘Man Downstairs’, and the 2000s country ‘Life Ain’t Like the Radio’ are much better, in this writers opinion. And the riffing on the out-and-out southern/blues rock ‘Blood Runs Thicker’ is amazing, and her vocals and lyrics fit perfectly over the top. Stuff like that is far better than her vaguely older-Olivia Rodrigo or Sabrina Carpenter slower, moodier stuff. They’re still good songs, but didn’t catch my ear anywhere near as much.
Because of this, it very much leads to an EP of two halves. Three of the tracks I absolutely adore, and the other three I can kinda take or leave. The slower, pop-oriented tracks aren’t bad, and will probably do better for her than the others, but I find the upbeat ones much more interesting. Heck, it almost feels like she had a better time writing/recording them, too. It will be a release I’ll revisit because of a few tracks, and hopefully the others grow on me with more listens. But, for now, I can’t give it any higher than a 7/10. Still, if you like country, this is well worth a try!
Ravenspell: Obsidian King
Max: I don’t really have too much to say about this one. It’s decent, not great not bad. Its fine and unoffensive. I should probably say I’m not really the biggest fan of power metal or similar genres, but for a bands first full length album, coming in at 40 minutes, this is really pretty decent. It is polished and well produced and recorded. The solos, as is common with this music, and definitely a highlight. However, the best parts, in my opinion, were actually the riffs that were a bit chunkier and galloping. then brought a lot of energy. Probably my biggest issue with this album was that it didn’t seem unique, it felt very middle of the road and similar to other albums in the genre. That’s not bad, if anything it gives more room for them to explore and try something different and a bit more adventurous later on. 5.5/10
The Fray: A Light That Waits
Those guys that did ‘How to Save a Life’ some two decades ago have put out four studio albums since then, but this is their first in over 12 years! It’s also the first release since the departure of their original vocalist, Isaac Slade, in 2022. So, to say this could be a make or break album for them may be an understatement!
Honestly, it impressed me a lot more than I expected it to! The opener/title track is excellent, reminding me of the perfect blend of James Bay, Kings of Leon, and Kip Moore. Then you have tracks like ‘Ice Cold Lakes’ and ‘Tasted Glory’ that are also big personal highlights. It made me nostalgic for the sort of sound that was big in their hay day, a sound that sadly isn’t nearly as popular the last decade. Don’t get me wrong, 35-minutes of slowish, similar sounding music did get a bit much for me and my tiny attention span around the halfway mark, but all of it was still damn good music. Each track in isolation is great, and it fits together perfectly on the release. Joe King (lol) makes for a damn good lead vocalist, and really feels like he is leading the now-trio into a new chapter of their careers. And I for one am excited to hear where they go from here. For now though, I’d say this is easily their best release since their 2009 self-titled output, and it gets a solid 7.5/10 from me!
Roswell Road: Rebel Joy
This beautiful combination of folk, indie and Americana is pretty damn amazing for a debut album! The female duo have been building up to the release for the last two years with a total of six singles, culminating in this nearly-40-minute collection of incredible harmonies, lyrics and instrumentation. While not typically my sort of sound usually, I couldn’t help but get lost in this, the pair’s talent on full display throughout. The opener featuring the equally-great Dunwells is a huge high point of the release, alongside ‘Can’t Take my Soul’. It’s a great album to throw on and chill-out to, while still having plenty of weight and emotion at the same time. The pair have a very bright future ahead of them, and if you are at all into the sort of style I’ve mentioned above, this is well worth giving a spin! It’s another I will probably revisit if I ever want something more relaxed, and it may grow on me more then. However, for now, a solid 6.5/10 from us.
Angus McSix: …And the All-Seeing Astral Eye
We’ve also checked out this great release! Read our love for it here.
The Scratch: Pull Like a Dog
Album number four from the modern folk-metallers isn’t at all what I expected heading into it, but I enjoyed it a lot all the same! It’s like the other side of the folk-metal coin. There are plenty of bands that incorporate folk instruments into a metal sound, usually more of a traditional heavy or power metal style. I haven’t known really any band to just play straight up folk or bluegrass music but just transposed to distorted and ‘rock’ instrumentation. That is, until now! And, the fact that they have toured with the likes of Dropkicks and Dermot Kennedy should outline exactly what I’m talking about, as they are incredibly fitting supports for both. It makes for a fascinating listen, and a style that I got into more and more as the release went on. It almost makes it as much hardcore as anything else at times, which I am more than down with. And somehow, the Irish accent adds even more anger and attitude to it when it gets to that point.
‘Pullin’ Teeth’ is a massive early highlight, with Kevin Rheault adding even more greatness to the sound. Then you have tracks like ‘Mother of God’ and ‘Horsefly’ that are also great songs in their own right. The whole album is damn interesting though, and quirky enough to keep me hooked from start to finish. They are all clearly talented musicians and there is nothing out there even remotely like this. If you are at all interested, I’d highly recommend checking this out, you may end up loving it! It’s growing on me more with every listen, but for now it still gets a solid 8/10!
Joey Frendo: Harder Than Dreaming
This is a fun, chilled-out soft Southern rock album! From the incredible lyrics to the powerful, emotion-filled vocal delivery, and the excellent, fitting instrumentation behind it all, it’s all so well written and performed. From ‘First Band’ and the title track to the slightly more up-beat ‘Wings of a Song’ and the brass-heavy ‘Back to You’, there’s so much to love. However, there really isn’t a bad track throughout, 40 minutes going by in a flash! He’s a name that should be bigger by this point, but hopefully this sophomore album pushes him to new heights. He certainly has a new fan in me, that’s for sure! If you are at all a fan of the slower side of country/rock, this is definitely an album worth checking out. I’ll certainly be spinning it again, especially when it comes to summer time, and it gets a solid 7/10 from us!
Sweet Pill: Still There’s a Glow
Owen: Still There’s a Glow is the second studio album from Philadelphia-based Sweet Pill. It used to be cliché to compare any emo/punk band with a female vocalist to Paramore in some way but listening to Sweet Pill’s latest release leaves me little option. Whether intentional or not, various tracks from ‘Still There’s a Glow’ would have sit happily on Riot! Or Brand New Eyes. Despite the similarities, Sweet Pill are sure to make their own stamp on the genre and aren’t afraid to lean into an even heavier sound at points; vocals turn briefly to screams and the rest of the band can follow suit. Tracks like ‘Slow burn’ and ‘Smoke Screen’ show where Sweet Pill’s sound can change and evolve. For only the second album from a relatively new band this album is an impressive addition to what is sure to be a progressive and long-lasting discography. 8.5/10
Big Band of Boom: Self-Titled
This is a wild release! Being a blend of big-band brass and ska, punk and metal, it’s certainly unique. And, it won me over immediately, having me hooked from the start to the very end! The opening one-two-punch of ‘Stupid Filthy Rich’ into single ‘Earthquake’ is incredible. ‘Doomscrolling’ is SOAD in every perfect way, and the fact that they even cover ‘Toxicity’ later on to add to it is phenomenal. Another cover, Pendulum’s ‘Propane Nightares’, is another firm high point of the release. And of course, their big track, ‘Big Bad Voodoo’, and also stuff like ‘One Night Only’ and ‘Yügen’ are also HUGE highlights too.
As you can tell, I could gush about this release all day, and happily at that! The band are so damn talented in every aspect, and have crafted something truly unique with this album. They certainly have a big new fan in me, and I’ll be spinning this plenty in the months to come. I’d recommend absolutely anyone check this out ASAP, as it very much has something for everyone. And, I can’t give it any less than a whopping 10/10. Amazing stuff!
Monstrosity: Screams from Beneath the Surface
Max: This one was hard for me. It is, in every manner, an objectively good album. The riffs are great, the drummer is insane (the kicks were a real highlight), the vocals were gross and visceral, just as you would want. “So Max if everything is so good, why was it hard to review?”, well kind reader, its because it was really hard to give it an objective number rating. It’s not reinventing the wheel, nor is it doing nothing at all, it’s a lot of fun and has some weird little quirks throughout, like the high notes on the guitar in ‘The Atrophied’. So after literally flipping a coin to decide what I am going to give it, here it is … 7.5/10
Georgia Nevada: BackFire
The much-anticipated debut album from the UK country star finally dropped this last Friday. We loved her EP back last year, so have been pretty damn excited for this to arrive! To say it lives up to our hype would be an understatement, too! It’s 26 minutes of rock-infused country music, and when I say that every track is as good as the last, I truly mean it! ‘My Town, Too’, ‘Damaged Goods’ and ‘Stones Throw’ are all personal highlights, but there truly isn’t a bad song throughout. I like the even rockier edge she’s taken with this release, and her backing band are all incredible musicians alongside her! It’s easy to compare her to the likes of Kezia Gill, and this honestly feels just as polished and excellent as All on Redis. As the UK scene continues to grow year by year, Georgia has the real potential to be at the very forefront of it sooner rather than later, especially with releases like this! Anyone into country or rock in any capacity, check this out, it’s incredibly fun and a very easy listen. I can’t give it any less than 9/10!
Caroline Romano: It Took me Falling
Following up on the excellent How the Good Girls Die EP from last year was going to be a tall task, but Caroline has dropped a release every bit as good with this! It’s six awesome pop-rock tracks, each flowing perfectly from one to the next. There’s just a touch of country to the slower moments too, which I really liked. ‘Not Used to You’ is probably my favourite song on here, but each is great in their own way! It’s very Olivia Rodrigo, but does have a darker, slightly rockier edge to it too. Her vocals are amazing, and the lyrics skirt the line of emotional and fun perfectly throughout. If you are into her style, this is absolutely a release for you! It’s another release to get a solid 7/10!
Close Enemies: Self-Titled
The debut release from the newest rock supergroup finally dropped this last Friday. I didn’t actually know these guys were a thing until this weekend, but they are a damn good classic rock band, and have smashed it with this album! It very much feels like a sum of some of the parts, being vaguely Aerosmith and even Rod Stewart, but also a little Quireboys, Dirty Honey and our buddies above, The Black Crowes. ‘Sound of a Train’, ‘Wink and a Feather’ and single/ballad ‘More Than I Could Ever Need’ are all personal highlights, but there really isn’t a bad song throughout. Five excellent musicians have come together to create something awesome here, and if you are into any of their other projects, this is well worth checking out! It’s a pretty easy listen and, while it maybe gets a little long-in-the-tooth by the end, it’s still a solid 7.5/10 from us!
Sour Tusk: Lightning Boogie
The first album in seven years from the UK stoner metallers shows that the band haven’t at all lost a step in that time! It’s 40 minutes of great riffing and drumming, and some surprisingly catchy vocal hooks to boot. Between ‘Mission from God’, ‘Hail Hail’ and the punky ‘The Monster in Me’ are all big personal highlights, but there really isn’t a bad track throughout. The band are all insanely talented musicians and have been plugging away at the UK for a good few years now, growing a dedicated fanbase. Said fanbase will love this, as I’d easily put it up there with their debut! If you are at all into the stoner/doomier side of rock and metal, this is certainly for you. It’s like anything from QOTSA to The Sword to even Crowbar. It’s a lot of fun, and will surely push the band to new heights. 8/10
Cat Clyde: Mud Blood Bone
This is a fun classic country/soul album! It gives big Pokey Lafargeor Sierra Ferrel vibes, in the best ways. There’s also a slight gothic edge to it at times, giving off the energy of stuff like Twin Temple or Chelsea Wolfe. It’s certainly not a sound for everyone, but I had a great time listening! And, while it’s an album that begs to be listened to in full, and is very easy to do so, ‘Man’s World’, ‘My Love’ and the almost punky ‘Wanna Ride’ were personal highlights! Heck, I ended up enjoying the second half of the album even more than the first, which is saying something! But, as I said, it’s a fun listen, and just over half an hour goes by in a flash. Her vocals are incredible and fit the tone of each track perfectly, while her lyric writing is also amazing. And the band she has used here are stellar, fitting and representing her style to a T. It’s not a release I’d revisit often, but I know that whenever I do, I’ll have a blast! A pretty solid and easy 6.5/10 from us!
Schattenmann: Endgegner
Album five from the ‘New German Hardness’ band is also the longest gap between records they’ve had so far. Now, we enjoyed their last release back in 2023, but honestly this may be on another level! It’s got a lot more of an industrial edge throughout, but the dark melodies also remind me a lot of the likes of Lord of the Lost or Beyond the Black. The title track is the perfect opener, and songs like ‘Einen Scheiss muss ich’, ‘Schna-na-naps’ and ‘Echo’ are also big high points. The whole album is good though, even if it does feel a touch long. Though it’s only 40 minutes, it’s a lot of similar stuff, and does drag just a touch by the last few song, despite them still being high quality. Still, if you like their particular brand of noise, it’s definitely worth checking out, and it certainly won’t stop me from spinning it plenty in the coming weeks and months. A damn easy 8.5/10 from us!
Against I: Anti Life
This is a damn good blackened death metal album! Release four from the Swedish trio, they should be getting far more love than they are currently! This album is heavy, dark and epic all in equal measure, and an absolute must for anyone into the heavier side of the genre. And, even at nearly an hour in length, it goes by in a flash, and is a damn fun listen! From ‘Built to Destroy’ to ‘Empires of Bones’ to ‘Where we Lay to Rest’, it’s all so good. It certainly won’t be for everyone, but for someone who isn’t hugely into much black-metal-leaning stuff I was still hooked, so that must say something! The band have really come into their own here, and I can’t give it any less than 7/10, good stuff!
The Kimball Superstars: Here’s to the Memory
The sophomore album from the Washington old-school country band is a lot of fun. It’s simple but such an easy listen. From the title track to ‘No Happiness Alone’ to ‘Thinking Man’s Plight’, there is plenty to love. There are some incredible lyrics throughout, and the vocal delivery of all of it was perfect. Even the instrumentation construed plenty of emotion when needed! It doesn’t reinvent the wheel by any stretch, but is a damn easy album to throw on and relax to, and if you like an older country style this is absolutely an album for you. It’s good, if nothing else. 6/10, will probably listen again at some point soon.
The Gems: Year of the Snake
Following up on 2024’sPhoenix, the classic rock women have produced another awesome release with Year of the Snake. The albums titular track opens things perfectly, while tracks like single ‘Live and Let Go’ and ‘Hot Bait’ and the bluesy ‘Buckle Up’ are all further high points. However, this whole album is banger after banger, and 45-minutes goes by in the blink of an eye. It’s packed full of fantastic riffs, solid drumming and amazing vocals, all wrapped up into a package the perfect mix of sleaze, hard rock and AOR. The trio are some of the best songwriters in their genre currently, and are really operating at the top of their game. Every song on here is as good as the last, from fast stomper to emotional ballad. As much as I loved (and still spin) Phoenix, I think somehow they have managed to top it with this release. I LOVE this album, and feel like it won’t get nearly the buzz it deserves. Still, it gets an incredibly solid 9.5/10 from us, and expect it pretty high on our albums of the year listcome December!
Wolfbastard: Satanic Scum Punks
Four years after the Manchester ‘feral underground kings’ dropped their critically acclaimed Hammer the Bastards, the trio are back with another offering. And, it’s another excellent dark, aggressive black-metal-tinged hardcore album! It’s half an hour of balls-to-the-wall anger that feels so take-no-prisoners in the best way. Wolfbastard don’t give a shit if you like them or not, they’re just here to kick some ass! And, as a result, the release has a great flow to it, each track fitting together with each other perfectly. It makes it incredibly hard to pick highlights, as the whole thing just kinda slaps! It’s yet another release that certainly isn’t for everyone, but I had a damn good time listening to it and would LOVE to see it live! A damn solid 7.5/10 from us, and I cannot wait to hear where they go from here
Another massive week of new music for us to dive into, from metal to rock to country. Let’s dive right in! And, once again, welcome back Max and Owen to help out!
Hunter Hayes: Evergreen
The follow-up to 2023’s Red Sky, this is a fun, pretty beautiful 36-minutes of pop-country music. The opening/title track sets things up perfectly, while tracks like single ‘Wait’, ‘Every Piece’ and ‘Human Again’ are also big highlights. The whole album has a good flow to it though, and is a very easy listen. It’s very pop leaning, reminding me more of the likes of Shawn Mendez and Ed Sheeran than anything traditional-country-based. It’s not particularly my sort of thing, but I still had a good time listening to it. His vocals are great and fit the instrumentation perfectly, while his lyrics are more than passable. If you like a more pop-based sound, this is well worth checking out. I’d happily listen again, though I wouldn’t actively seak it out. It’s just a good album to relax to, and I sadly don’t have much else to add. You’ll know straight away if you’ll love it or not! 7/10
Lost Society: Hell is a State of Mind
Album six from the Finnish metallers isn’t what I was expecting, but honestly fucking slaps! I haven’t listened to them since their thrashy first few albums. So, to come into more of a modern metalcore/nu metal/radio metal sound was definitely a bit of a shock to the system. However, it’s not hugely a bad things. I’d have loved some more thrash/death metal from them, but this is so well done that it’s hard not to love. From the opener to ‘Synthetic’, ‘Kill the Light’ to the insane ‘Dead People Scare Me’ it’s packed full of highlights. It’s clear they have pulled from their Finnish counterparts in The Rasmus, Blind Channel and even Sweden’s Smash into Pieces with their big radio-hook choruses. Though, it still has a heavier edge than those, and still maintains some of the great melodic leads and big riffs from their early days.
There really isn’t anyone combining all these different styles currently, making this release pretty unique, keeping me hooked throughout. Even the acoustic ballad of ‘Is This What You Wanted’ was excellently done, and broke the album up pretty perfectly. And it’s a style and heaviness that I do feel is missing from some of the bands I’ve drawn comparisons to above, so it’s hard not to love this. I’m enjoying it more with each listen, and I liked it from the first! The production is excellent too, everything from the mix to the strings adding even more depth and massiveness to it. It almost adds a power metal edge to it at times. And, of course, the band are working their asses off throughout, playing and writing masterfully. It is epic from start to finish, and if anyone is at all into melodic metal, this is an absolute must-listen! It’ll definitely be a mainstay for me over the coming months, and I can’t give it any less than 9.5/10!
Black Stone Cherry: Celebrate
We’ve already checked out this awesome EP! Read our full review here.
The Darts: Halloween Love Songs
The all-female horror-garage-rockers returned this last week with a follow-up to their excellent 2025 output, Nightmare Queens. They have become one of the most consistent bands on the circuit, putting out an album every year of the last four. And, the fact that they are all pretty fantastic releases too really screams to the bands talent. This one is no different, easily being up there alongside their very best. It’s the perfect mix of ‘Ballroom Blitz’, ‘Monster Mash’ and ‘Rock Lobster’, but with a modern flair and production to it! Heck, it also gives off big The Doors vibes in the best ways. And, more oddly, a splash of Pokey, though that may be the overall old-school feel. It’s a sound that isn’t nearly as prevalent these days as it should be, but The Darts do it so well that’s hard not to immediately fall in love with each release.
This is a fun 37-minutes of rock that doesn’t take itself too seriously, and definitely makes me nostalgic for a better time. From the opener to ‘Blood Run Cold’, ‘Every Night is Halloween’ to ‘Up in my Soul’, there are plenty of highlight tracks and songs to love. However, there really isn’t a bad one throughout, even if they do all carry a similar energy and blend together just a touch by the end. If you are at all a fan of any of the sounds or artists I’ve named previously, this is an absolute must-listen for you. I’ll definitely be spinning this plenty in the coming weeks and months, and it gets an incredibly solid 8.5/10 from us!
Insect Inside: Reborn In Blight
Max: A visceral and raw album that keeps punching has just been released by Insect Inside. It’s intense and might be exactly what you are looking for. The first track has this slow almost menacing build but from then you keep getting hit by the heavy and aggressive tone that persists through out the rest of the album. Now sure, this might not be everyone’s cup of tea, lets be honest here this kind of music can be a bit too much, but I love this stuff. I won’t lie I did have to look at the lyrics to know what was being said but the vocal tone is nuts. Setup you speakers well and put this on full volume, because this is expertly well done but on the bands side and the production as well, it is crisp. Now I know I say this a lot, but this one really should be given a go, because everyone in this band is very and I mean very talented. Its a certified Max recommendation. 8.5/10
Teenage Bottlerocket: The Invisible Man
I’m not sure why we have such a vague horror theme this week when we’re only in March, but I’ll take it! The new EP from the modern skate-punk legends comes just six months after their last album, and continues on their sound perfectly. Somehow we missed Ready to Roll when it dropped, but I have checked it out since and do love it! This is no different; four more awesome tracks that are unmistakably Bottlerocket. It’s maybe a touch slower than their album stuff, but is still just good, fun, lighthearted punk music. ‘You Made Me Get Called a Poser’ and ‘Pembrey’s Face’ are personal highlights, but the other two tracks are also good! It’s not even 10 minutes long as a full release, but I had a blast. I think it’s legitimately impossible not to have a good time listening to it! So, for that reason, it gets a very solid 8/10 from us!
Smag Pa Dig Selv: This is Why we Lost
Owen: Acid jazz trio, Smag På Dig Selv, bring us their second album ‘This Is Why We Lost’, following their debut in 2024. The danish collective comprising of two saxophonists and one drummer deliver a mix of electronic, ethereal and energetic tracks in this album. Stand out tracks include ‘Hits 4 Kids Vol. 3000’ a club anthem with an acid twist, and single ‘Like A Word I Never Knew’ opening the album on strong note. The combination of genres makes for an interesting listen, relying on the brass for melody and narrative while the electronic aspects handle the beat and rhythm of the sound. I’m sure for the artists there is some deeper narrative arc to the album but this fails to come across to the listener, however there’s some strong tracks sure to get people moving and some catchy melodies that will stick in your head 6.5/10
Russel Dickerson: Worth Your Wild EP
My complete befuddlement of Russels release schedule/strategy aside, this is a fun EP! I assume it’s a way of putting out tracks that otherwise may not make a full album release so get boosted by being on with a collection named after a big single. That or it just helps streams. He may be onto something, in that regard…
Either way, the other three tracks are good! ‘B.O.A.T.’, apart from the spelling it out, is a great ballad. ‘2 Limes, 2 Coronas’ is a big highlight of the release and the best non-title-track on here. Then ‘Spring Break’ finishes things off in great, radio-ballad fashion. If you are a fan of Russel, this is another fantastic release in a long line of them at this point! However, his style certainly isn’t for everyone, and if you don’t like his pop/vaguely bro country sound, you won’t be sold on him with this EP. It’s going to definitely be a release I revisit in the summer, but I’ll certainly be spinning it before then I imagine, too! He keeps trucking along dropping awesome new music every year, and is certainly getting to the point of being underrated at this stage. 7.5/10
Mother Crone: Embrace the Death
Finally following up on debut Awakening after a decade, this sludgy, doomy, vaguely proggy metal release is the perfect reintroduction to the band. Drawing inspiration from everyone from Pantera to Crowbar to even some hints of Pink Floyd, it’s an interesting release, for sure! It’s packed full of the heaviest of riffs, but also some damn catchy moments, especially with the harmonised vocals. From the opener to the slower title track to the truly grandiose ‘Inner Keep’ are all personal highlights. It’s not going to be a release for everyone, but if you like a longer release that really takes its time and earns every big moment, this is very much one for you. It’s like a heavier Candlemass, and I kinda love it! They’re all such talented players, and work their asses off throughout. Weirdly the only streaming platform I could find it on was Bandcamp, but I am more than happy to support any artist on there over anywhere else! It’s definitely an album I’ll be spinning again. 7/10
Sons of Town Hall: Of Ghosts and Gods
We’ve also checked out this release already! Read the full review here.
Tardigrade Inferno: Hush
Album four from the cabaret metal band is another quirky, fun addition to their growing discography. The combination of horror/circus music with metal has taken off amazingly in recent years with the likes of Ward XVIand even elements of Ice Nine Kills, but these four are very much still running at the front of the pack. It also gives slight Bungle/FNM vibes, though that may just be the vocal delivery at times. There’s plenty to love throughout, too. ‘Deadly Fairytales’, ‘All in Your Head’ and ‘Hush’ are all personal highlights and absolutely amazing tracks in the genre as a whole. The band are all clearly talented though, playing their asses off throughout and crafting something truly interesting and unique. While it took me a song or two to get into, I was soon having a blast of a time and the rest of the album went by in a flash. If you are at all interested, I cannot recommend this enough; they will certainly have a solid, loyal audience, that’s for sure! I’ll definitely be spinning it again, and it gets a solid 8/10 from us!
Legionary: Never-Ending Quest for Purpose
Max: I’ll be honest here, for five tracks, it’s fine. It was however nothing insane. There were bits where I just couldn’t get the feel and the have to say the vocals weren’t really for me. However, I did enjoy the clean vocals specifically at ~ 1:20 in ‘Controllers of Perception’, that really was a highlight of the whole album for me. I would quite like to see where they go from here and what future releases show as whilst it wasn’t really for me, I think they are a talented group. A solid 6/10
Hässi: Keep it Stupid, Simple
This instrumental EP is honestly fucking awesome, showing off Hässi’s talents for playing and songwriting perfectly across its 12 minutes. ‘Bump the Hump Machine’ opens things up perfectly with a bouncy, fun energy, while displaying his insane technical ability. It has elements of funk rock to it that had me hooked right from the get-go. ‘Naked in the Chain’ continues that vein and sound perfectly, being another phenomenal instrumental track. And, I’m sure to the surprise of no one, the other two tracks are just as great. Though it’s all pretty similar, even for an instrumental release it doesn’t overstay it’s welcome, ending just in time and honestly leaving me wanting more. For a debut release this is amazing, and the perfect introduction to his playing and style. Even if you think you are not usually into purely instrumental stuff, give this a listen, I’m sure you’ll love it as much as I do. 7.5/10, amazing stuff!
Gravemass: This is the Way
Don’t make a Mandolorian joke… don’t make a Mandolorian joke…
Honestly, this is half an hour of brutal excellence. From the insane riffing to the thunderous, relentless drumming to the brutal screams, it’s all so good. It almost has a pretty hardcore energy to it too, none of the tracks overstaying their welcome, being balls-to-the-wall and straight to the point! And every song flows pretty excellently; every track being as good as the last! And, for a debut album and a band that seemingly haven’t been around all too long, this is amazing stuff! They should be a lot bigger than they are already, and hopefully this album pushes them to new heights! From the opener to ‘Harvest of Souls’ to the bands namesake track, there are definitely highlights. Though, as I said before, there isn’t a bad track throughout! And it still has an air of epicness throughout that made me even more hooked. They have a VERY bright future ahead of them, and if you are at all into a more death-leaning metal sound, I cannot recommend this enough. It gets an incredibly solid 8.5/10 from us!
William Clark Green: Watterson Hall
Owen: Watterson Hall is the seventh studio album from Texas country singer William Clark Green. With a back catalog of medium hits it feels like Green has found the recipe he’s sticking with. ‘Whole Lotta Lubbock’, the third track of the album encapsulates this feeling completely, generic lines about being from Texas, mention living in the country and the Ole Opry, call out a few more Texas towns, the crowd will be eating it up right? The rest of the album hits all the points you’d expect, a few slow songs and a few fast ones, but nothing much to tell them apart more than that. This is Country music played safe, middle of the road, inoffensive and easily packaged for radio. 3/10
Surfbort: Reality Star
The first album from the Brooklyn punkers in nearly half a decade is… certainly an album… I usually don’t mind a more old-school punk vibe of release, but sadly something about this didn’t really resonate with me. Looking at the bands ethos I’m not exactly their target audience, but even still, that usually doesn’t stop me from enjoying at least parts of it. Don’t get me wrong, the band are talented for the most part, and instrumentally it’s fairly decent; meandering between classic punk and a more indie-infused sound. I think it’s a toss-up between the at-times nonsensical, thrown together lyric writing or the generally unenthused delivery of them that kinda ruins it for me. There is definitely a market for this sort of thing, just look at how big Amyl and the Sniffers are getting, so I completely get that there will be those out there that love this. However, I am not one of those people. When my favourite track on the release is a minute-long skate punk number that just repeats the phrase ‘Hot Chicks Cold Beer’ for most of its runtime, that should tell you everything you need to know about my enjoyment of it. If you like the sort of style I’be described them as, they’re well worth a listen, but I can’t give it any more than a 3.5/10. Sorry guys.
Charlotte Sands: Satellite
Album three from the pop/alt rocker is a fun 28-minutes of radio rock! Her vocals are just as good as ever, and the songwriting throughout is the perfect blend of current-day pop and darker alt rock. I thought I didn’t recognise the name but upon seeing the album artwork for her debut, it all came flooding back. From ‘one eye open’ to the beautiful ‘Afterlife’ to ‘neckdeep’, there are plenty of highlights throughout. However, the whole album is pretty great, especially if you’re into the style. It’s no wonder she’s become such a big name in such a short amount of time, as she is consistently great on her studio work. A must-listen for anyone into a pop-rock style, and a very easy 8/10 from us. I’ll certainly be revisiting this sooner rather than later!
Karelian Warcry: Veripellot
To my slight shock, I actually really enjoyed this! Being pretty frumpy routed in black metal, I didn’t know what to expect, but the injection of death metal had me hooked in from the start, not letting me go until 50 minutes later. The riffing was amazing, and the screams were a lot more palatable than most black metal. And, on top of it all, the production on the album was incredible, something I can’t say much about genre! ‘Joukkohauta’ and ‘Unholan tuntemattomat’ are personal highlights, but the album as a whole has a fantastic flow to it! It’s criminal that these guys have been going so long and aren’t a bigger name, because the talent is definitely there! Maybe it’s because it’s their first big release in 15+ years, but even still, hopefully this album pushes them up the pecking order! It’s not something I’d listen to often, but I feel like whenever I do, I’ll have just as good a time as I did here. Check this out if you like the heavier stuff, it gets a solid 7/10 from us!
Aaron Watson: Horse Named Texas
The fifteenth studio album from the early 2000s country legend blew me away far more than I expected it to! The harmonised vocals that open the thing won me over immediately, and the whole of ‘Hardly Friends Barely Lovers’ is an awesome neo-traditional country track! That is followed up perfectly with a couple of slower, old-school tracks, with ‘Same Here’ being another big high point. Then you have tracks like the title one, single ‘Hit the Hay Runnin’’, ‘Drinking & Driving (You Crazy)’ and ‘Your Kinda Guy’ that are also big personal highlights.
However, my issue is, there’s another 20, YES 20, tracks alongside those I’ve named. This thing is 87 minutes and 26 songs long, which is just far too much. Even if it was half as long, it may still be a little too lengthy a lot of the tracks are slower, more ballad-like tracks, which is rather old-school and not an issue in general, but when there’s so many one after another, it didn’t do much to hold my attention. None of the tracks are bad on their own by any stretch, but as an album as a whole, the length makes it suffer.
I wouldn’t say I’d never listen to this again, as there are a good few awesome songs on here. If it came on in the background, I’d probably have a good time listening. However, I certainly wouldn’t seek out this album to put on very often. Aaron is a damn talented singer and writer, but I can’t give this any more than 5.5/10. Still, if you’re into older country, it’s worth a try!
Shatten: Gegenwart
The German alternative four piece put out their third longer release last Friday, and I enjoyed it a hell of a lot more than I expected to! The band have described the album as ‘exploring the state of the here and now’, and though I don’t understand the lyrics, I fully feel the emotion behind them and their delivery. It feels both bleak and uplifting at different times, sometimes even in the same song, taking the listening on a full journey. And, while it very much all feels like one big piece that is designed to be listened to together, the opener, ‘Raben’ and ‘Ein Toter mehr…’ are personal highlights. It has a definite air of the darker, 90s end of euro-pop, but also has a healthy dose of indie and alternative and even grunge. It’s another release this week that feels pretty damn unique! It’s melancholic while also still being rather chilled-out and easy to listen to. While not typically my sort of thing, the band certainly have a new fan in me, and I’ll be keeping an eye on them going forward. It’s a solid 7.5/10 our end!
Austin Michael: Lonestar
Back with another album after nearly six years, his particular brand of stripped-back, chilled-out country with him. It’s old-school-meets-new-school in maybe the closest way I’ve heard, having a classic vibe while also feeling geared perfectly towards the currently mainstream landscape. While it’s not hugely my sort of thing, I did find myself enjoying certain tracks. ‘Cowboys Don’t Act Like That’, the rockier ‘Why Not Whiskey’ and ‘Least of my Worries’ and the surprisingly heavy ‘Texas Hold ‘Em’ are standouts for sure, both in terms of quality and because they had a different vibe to them than much of the rest. Honestly, the latter two took me off guard a bit, as the rest of the album is more calm, radio-friendly and upbeat, but it’s certainly not a complaint! They definitely broke up the album in a good way, that’s for sure.
However, the tracks don’t quite make up for the album as a whole being a touch slow for me. It’s not a bad album at all, but overall is a little slow. There’s probably half this album that I‘l be happily revisiting, but can take or leave the other half. However, if you are into the slower side of country, it’s definitely worth giving a spin! It may grow on me, but for now it gets a still good 6.5/10
Toys that Bïte: You Have Been Warned
The debut album from the semi-tongue-in-cheek 80s revival rockers is nothing if not a lot of fun! Easily comparable to Van Halen, Night Ranger, Mötley Crüe and Aerosmith, its Sunset Strip-soaked sleaze/hard rock replicated to perfection. The band are insanely talented, with the Eddie-like riffing and soloing being excellent, and the vocals and drums fitting them perfectly. Tracks like ‘Genius Level Stupid’, ‘Ladies of the Night’ and ‘Hit That Like’ are a perfect example of how great this album is, but every song is as amazing as the last! And heck, anyone who has a song titled ‘Tits (Make Him an Animal)’ is automatically good in my book! It’s an album definitely worth a spin if you’re into 70s and 80s hard rock or hair metal, and one that has quickly won me over into a big fan of the band! I already can’t wait to hear more from them, honestly. It’s a blast to listen to from start to finish, and gets a very solid 8.5/10 from us!
Chicago Farmer: Homeaid
This was another album that unexpected blew me away! It’s got a real classic rock thing going on alongside the country, and it makes for one hell of a listen. Like it had elements of everything from The Doors, Lynyrd Skynyrd and even Led Zeppelin at times, as well as a more traditional sound at others. And, the more I listened, the more I fell in love with not just the album, but the band as a whole! From single ‘Peshtigo’ to ‘Mattress’ to the title track, there are some truly excellent songs throughout, though none of them are in any way bad! And it goes by in a flash, not feeling its length in any way. I’m already a little obsessed thanks to spinning it a fair bit this weekend, and am rather desperate for them to come over to the UK so we can see them live! How I haven’t heard of them before now when they’ve been going a while is beyond me, but they certainly have a new fan in me! Regardless of what you’re into, check this out as soon as you can, you won’t regret it! It’s laid back, fun but also plenty emotional, too. I can’t give it any less than 9/10, great stuff!
Jesper Lindell: 3614 Jackson Highway
This was a lot more jazz-based than I was expecting it to be. Going into it from a recommendation on a country site, I had no idea Jesper was a Swedish soul-rock artist until after I’d started listening. However, this is not me complaining, pump this shit into my veins, dude! Opener ‘If I was Money’ sets the tone perfectly and is a huge early highlight. Then you have tracks like ‘Rainy Night in Georgia’ and ‘I’ve Got a Thing About you Baby’ that are also all excellent. And the two tracks that feature guests, Michaela Holmberg and everyone’s favourite dad Phil Campbell, are just as good as anything else. So, if you haven’t guessed already, this whole album is excellent! It reminds me of Cardinal Black at times in the best way possible. It’s another artist I’m shocked I hadn’t heard before now, but am so thankful I have now discovered. I’ll be spinning this plenty moving forward, probably for the rest of the year! And, for that reason, it gets a very solid 8.5/10 from us!
So, a little bit of a different one this time! Try as I like, I am usually just one man, and can’t always check out and review 20+ albums a week. However, I have been going back and listening to some of the stuff I’ve missed, and a lot of it is damn good! Now, I don’t have the chance to talk about all of them (I’ve counted 165 albums I’ve listened to since December, not counting this weekends, but below are some of our favourites from the last three months that we haven’t reviewed yet. Lets dive in!
Josh Weathers: Neon Never Fades
Right at the start of the year, we had this incredible new-traditional country release drop, Weathers’ first studio release since 2019. And, it’s been a release that’s been stuck in my rotation ever since! Right from the excellent opener, ‘Gambling’, I was hooked from my very first listen, and have listened through the following half-hour multiple times since January. From ‘Boys Chase Girls’ to ‘Honky Tonk Time’ to ‘I Gotta Have It’ there are so many highlights throughout alongside the opener. However, every song is amazing, and the album has an excellent flow to it, going by in a flash. I wasn’t familiar with Josh before hearing this release, but he has a massive new fan in me, not just of this album but all of his stuff! It’s a damn fun release, and has made me desperate for him to come to the UK so I can see some of it live. Until that time, I’m happy to keep spinning this album, as I haven’t gotten bored of it yet! It’s one of the best country releases I’ve heard in a while, and after a good few spins it gets a 9.5/10 from us!
Inborn Tendency: Let There be Sin
This debut death/groove metal album is another release that’s had me hooked since near the start of the year! The fact that this is just a three-piece is insane enough as it is, but that it is also of this high quality is nuts. Oh, and for a debut album, INSANELY good! It’s another short release too, only 30 minutes and very much all killer, no filler. The riffs are incredible, the drums go hard and the screams are brutal throughout. If you are at all into the heavier side of metal, this is absolutely a release for you! The album has certainly gotten some more eyes/ears on the band, including this writer’s, and hopefully they continue their upwards trend. It’s another release I’ll be spinning plenty still moving forward, and it’s a solid 8.5/10 from me!
All the Damn Vampires: VICECORE
This is an awesome sophomore album, and a great mix of retro and modern! It gives off vibes of everything from Genesis and Cutting Crew to LALYE and St. Vincent; a modern electronic soft rock. And, while it is slower paced for the most part, it’s epic ballad after epic ballad, perfectly modernising an 80s Miami sound and feeling. ‘Is This Love’, ‘Last Man Standing’ and ‘On My Own’ are all huge highlights for me, while their cover of ‘(I Just) Died in your Arms’ is utter perfection. Every guest on it works their asses off and brings so much to the sound, but the band themselves kill it too on each track. It’s not an album for everyone, but I loved this, and have listened to it at least a couple of times in the last month! It’s an easy 8/10 album, and well worth checking out!
Andy Smith: Long Time Coming
Another fantastic country release from January, and this time from a guy who certainly isn’t getting the love he deserves for such a great album! It’s 44-minutes of great, rock-tinged and emotion-filled country music that I’d put there with any of its contemporaries on mainstream radio these days. Think Chris Young or Blake Shelton, and up alongside them in terms of quality, too. It’s a tad generic sure, but that’s the same as 90% of popular country these days! From the opening two songs to ‘You Can Love a Memory’ and ‘Hematite For Gold’, there’s plenty to love throughout! However, there really isn’t a bad track on the whole album. Hopefully he gets some more love and exposure soon, as he could be one of the biggest names at least in the growing UK country scene off this release. I’ve been obsessed since I first heard it, and cannot recommend it enough to anyone even slightly interested. A very easy 9/10!
Firmament: Ashes & Awakenings
The debut EP from the UK melodic metallers is a great example of their talent for both playing and songwriting. It’s technical, heavy a little proggy and has plenty of catchiness throughout. ‘Through Tempests’ is probably my favourite track on the release, but the other four are also awesome in their own right! It’s an awesome 24-minutes that immediately leaves me wanting more, which I would argue is one of the purposes of an EP. Still, until we get more from the band, I am more than happy to keep spinning this truly awesome release! The more I have listened the more I’ve fell in love with it, and I can’t give it any less than 8/10.
P.S. I loved the artwork around this release, with each single being a card and the EP being the deck. It’s little nuances like this that I really enjoy, especially in rock and metal!
Bob Saliba: Testimony
So technically this is a 2025 album, but it was December, so wouldn’t have made it onto our 2025 list. Solo album two from the Kingcrown guitarist is an awesome AOR journey from start to finish! He gets to flex his guitar chops just as much here as he does in other bands, maybe even more so, and the band he has backing him are all so damn talented, too. it’s nearly an hour in length but doesn’t feel it at all, going by in a flash. ‘Dark Lands’, ‘Our Constellation 2.0’ and ‘Savengers’ are all personal highlights. It gives off vibes of Queensryche or Night Ranger in the best ways. The riffing and soloing is excellent, while the drumming and powerful, soaring vocals fit all of it excellently! It’s completely different to Kingcrown, but arguably in the best possible way. If you are at all into any of the genres or bands I’ve mentioned previously, I’d highly recommend checking this out, you certainly won’t be disappointed! It’s an album I can see myself listening to on and off all year, and it gets another very solid 8/10 from us!
Jay Buchanan: Weapons of Beauty
More of a chilled-out, slower country release now, but one that won me over more and more on my first listen. While I do usually like this sort of style, 50 minutes of it is normally a bit much for me. However, Buchanan is so damn talented that I couldn’t help but love every minute of this and have listened to it at least a few times in the month since its release. The first couple of songs are beautiful and great, but the gospel-y ‘True Black’ was really what won me over, and put into context the rest of the album. The rest of the album, and subsequently the previous songs after, I was obsessed with. And while they’re all good individually, this is a release that begs to be listened to in full. It all flows perfectly together and somehow each song improves the other. His voice is hauntingly beautiful, full of emotion and giving me goosebumps on more than one occasion throughout. And, the air of indie/soft rock/Americana on a couple of tracks was fantastic, breaking things up perfectly and definitely serving as album highlights. While I’m personally going to give it a 7.5/10, it is still a fantastic album and well worth checking out for anyone even vaguely interested. And, come summer and after more listens, it may get an even higher score!
Nearly Skulls: PAX AMERICANA
Describing themself as ‘grumpy dad rock’ is somehow both perfect and soul destroying, as this is very much the music of my youth (though the back end of it, I suppose). However, one of the hardest working artists around currently, the band dropped this on January 3rd and have put out multiple singles in the two months since. The frequency of their output doesn’t at all diminish the quality of their music though, as this is an excellent release! ‘Only in America’ is fantastic, R.E.M. goodness. Then you have the more Bad Religion-esque ‘Living the Dream’ and the awesome ‘Polarized and Weaponized’ that I’m also obsessed with. Oh, and the other two songs are also great, too! The whole album has a distinct punk vibe to it, and has some of the best lyrics I’ve heard all year. They’re yet another artist from this list that deserve so much more love than they are getting, but either way they have killed it with this EP! They have a big new fan in me, and it’s a very easy 8.5/10
Fear of Domination: Katharsis
This big Finnish metal band are as theatrical as they are industrial, and immediately draw my mind towards Mushroomhead as the closest comparison. However, even that doesn’t quite do the, justice, as it has elements of melodeath as well as a general epicness that can only seem to come out of Europe. It’s another one that has grown on me with multiple listens, and has caused me to since go back and check out their previous releases, making an easy new fan in me! From the opener to ‘Monsters’, ‘Last Words’ to ‘All as One’ there is so much to love throughout. It’s equal parts melodic, heavy and grandiose, and I truly believe it’s impossible not to have a good time listening to it. The band are insanely talented and have crafted something pretty special with this release, maybe my favourite they’ve put out. I can’t give it any less than 9/10, amazing stuff!
The Last Sound Revelation: The Proximity Effect
Though instrumental, I would recommend anyone check this out, especially if you are a musician yourself. The talent on display throughout is INSANELY HIGH. And, the composition of each try is great too, constantly keeping me interested, shocking for 46-minutes without any vocals! It’s technical, beautiful, proggy and pretty heavy all in equal measure. The Tool-like ‘Angel of Incidence’ and ‘Hypercube’ are probably my highlights, but I have listened through this whole thing at least a couple of times since its release. I’d definitely recommend just sitting in a dark room with some headphones on and really get lost in this thing. It’s very much a release that won’t be for everyone, but if you are even vaguely interested it is well worth giving it a try. As I said, even if it’s just to marvel at the sheer talent on display. I can’t really dwell on it all too long, but it gets 7.5/10 from us, very damn solid for an instrumental album!
Stone Sea: Ad Astra
This is stoner/doom rock awesomeness for almost a solid half-an-hour! The first album from the Ireland-based band in over a decade, it’s clear the band didn’t lose a step at all between releases. From the huge riffs to the awesome breakdowns, catchy vocals to heart-pounding drums, it all fits together perfectly. And, honestly, it all fits together in such a great, concise 27-minute package that it’s pretty hard to pick individual highlights! Some of the melodies on it are fantastic, and so damn catchy. It’s definitely got some QOTSA to it, but also a healthy dose of Homme’s old work in Kyuss. And there are so many awesome other influences tucked away within, but at the same time Ad Astra feels like something wholly unique to Stone Sea. These guys have really hit their stride from a writing perspective here, and it gets a damn solid 8/10 from us. Hopefully we don’t have to wait another 10+ years for the next album!
Abissi: Paramagia
Long-time readers of this site will know I’m not the biggest fan of modern hardcore music. However, when it’s infused with some of the chunkiest riffs ever, I’m all of the way down! I don’t know what it is about ‘Funerale in Messico’, but I wanted it pumping directly into my veins from the first moment I heard it. It’s dark and heavy, but swaggering and also has an insanely technical guitar solo in it, having really a bit of everything! ‘Le Chiese’ and ‘Cemento’ are also both BANGERS. I have no idea what is being said throughout, but I don’t need to, the music and vibe speak for it! I’m nervous to say it, but honestly, this is like Turnstile if they were good. If you are at all into that sort of energy, but also with a bit more metal and stoner infusion, this is most certainly the album for you! And (I’m sensing a trend through this list…), it’s short and sweet, not giving me chance to get bored or distracted. Another excellent album that I’d honestly recommend anyone give a try to, as there’s a little bit for everyone. 8.5/10
An absolutely MASSIVE week of New Music Mondays for us this time, with a whopping 24 releases for us to check out across the rock, metal, country and even pop world! I even had to enlist the help of occasional Overtone writers Max and Owen to help out! Let’s not waste any time, let’s do this!
Gorillaz: The Mountain
As someone who’s never been massively into the Damon Albarn side project, only liking a few songs over the years, I was not at all excepting what I found myself listening to here. I know they’ve been pretty art rock over the years and incorporated plenty of different sounds into their own, but the occasional Asian theming was not something I was ready for heading in. And honestly, regardless of the theming of the album… this fucking sucks. I’m sorry, I know the band are massive (40M monthly listeners is insane), and there will certainly be people who like this album. If you are one of them, that’s awesome, and I’m glad someone does. But I don’t know how anyone can listen to something like ‘The Hardest Thing’ and think “I enjoyed that, I want to listen again!”. I know that as not a big fan of a lot of modern hip-hop or arty stuff, I’m not the target audience, but this is definitely lower in quality than their early stuff. The closest thing to a good track I found was ‘Orange County’ or ‘The Shadowy Light’, and even then I think that claim is a stretch. Again, if you like this, awesome, but fuck was a it a boring slog of a 56-minutes to get through. 2.5/10, make it stop.
Rob Zombie: The Great Satan
Somehow, it does not feel like nearly five years since the last album we’ve had from the horror master. A lot has changed in those five years, though. Firstly, John 5 is gone and is now in Motley Crüe, while Piggy D is now playing with Manson. However, both have been replaced by original members Mike Riggs and Blasko, making this maybe the most impressive lineup of Rob’s solo project yet. And, because of this, we’ve had the most old-school feeling Zombie album in decades. This has a heaviness and darkness and edge to it that didn’t feel present through his more recent stuff. And hey, I like his previous four albums a lot, but this certainly hits different. The opener feels ripped straight from a White Zombie release, while single ‘(I’m a) Rock “N” Roller’ dials up his industrial edge to 11 and tracks like ‘Black Rat Coffin’ and the excellent ‘The Devilman’ still have the lighter, more radio-friendly elements of his modern stuff. It really has a bit of everything, feeling more of a combination/culmination of his previous works. And there isn’t a bad track throughout; nearly-40 minutes going by in a flash. Heck, the back half of the album is arguably somehow better than the first!
It’s an album for old-school Zombie fans, feeling like a return to form from someone who never really dipped or didn’t feel like he went away! It’s such a fun listen and certainly be spinning this plenty moving forward. I can’t give it any less than 9/10, and goddamn do I hope he tours the UK with it this time!
A Thousand Horses: White Flag Down
This leaned surprisingly more into the rock side of their sound over the country that I was expecting. It’s a lot more early 2000s radio rock inspired, such as a Shinedown, but does at least keep the elements of Southern rock in there too akin to Blacktop Mojo or Black Stone Cherry. It was just a bit of a shock heading in expecting ‘Smoke’ and ‘Song to Remember’. It’s not like it was even a gradual change too, as 2024’s The Outside was still firmly routed in country.
If that sounds like a complaint, however, ir certainly isn’t! As different as it is, it’s still damn good music! It’s 36-minutes of non-stop great rock music with a dark, Southern tinge. It’s a journey through loss and trying not to give up, a theme that is all too relatable these days. I love the way it’s arranged too, with the more heavy, aggravated tracks opening before it opens up into more country/Southern rock ballad territory for the back half. The more I listened, the more I loved it, and the more ended up on my personal playlist! I’ve spun this three times over the weekend and every song is as good as the last; all excellent, emotion-filled and fit the tone of the album perfectly. It’s impossible to pick select highlights, as it’s all so good and flows incredibly. And, from the playing to the vocals, lyrics to the tones to the arrangements, it’s all phenomenally well done.
This is a band who have evolved and tried something different to amazing results, proving that they are some of the best and most underrated songwriters around today. It’s going to be an album I revisit often, and will be HIGH on our albums of the year list come December. I feel like I’ve been a touch harsher than usual this year so far, but this is absolutely excellent, and I can’t give it any less than 10/10. Check this out immediately, regardless of what you are into!
Bruno Mars: The Romantic
Okay, so while strictly more pop than anything else, you cannot argue the inspiration Bruno pulls from the rock world, alongside the likes of Soul and R&B. And I’ve been a fan of his since he broke out, and would be listening to this anyway. And, it’s my magazine, so I can do what I want!
While opening on a slow ballad was an odd choice, ‘Risk it All’ is a beautiful, emotion-filled track that is hard to it to love. The other single from the album, ‘I Just Might’, I’d honestly put up there alongside any of his hits, it really is that good! Then you have tracks like the soft rock ‘Why you Wanna Fight?’ and the bouncy, jazzy ‘Something Serious’ that are also huge highlights. However, there really isn’t a bad track throughout. His vocals are as incredible as ever, instrumentally it’s great (a surprising amount of guitar solos) and the harmonies are utterly phenomenal as always. It’s maybe a touch on the slower side overall than I’d have hoped for, but at only 31 minutes, in a rare case, I’d have happily taken more music. Especially when this is the first mainline release from the guy in a decade! It’s definitely worth a listen if you are at all interested, and gets a solid 8/10 from us!
Carpenter Brut: Leather Temple
Max: So, I am not the most versed in instrumental music and especially not synth but after this, I think I’m going to have to listen to more. It’s a bit odd and has some familiar themes throughout. However, the bouncy and flowing nature of each track kept me hooked and moving whilst listening. The metal instruments at points were simply quite cool and gave a number of the songs an almost Doom-like epicness which just keeps you going. Whilst, at least to me, it felt like the first few tracks were a little samey, on a second and then third listen, I was able to notice more and more subtle differences which made each track interesting. Whilst it might not be the greatest album ever in that genre, I wouldn’t say it is in anyway bad. For me, a really fun album that I think everyone should listen to! 9/10
Paul Gilbert: WROC
We’ve already checked out this album! Read the full review here!
Phoenix Lake: Seraphina: The Fall From Eden
The highly anticipated debut album from the melodic metallers finally dropped this last Friday. To say it lives up to the hype would be an understatement! It’s a 45-minute journey of a fallen angel perfectly encapsulated in heavy riffs and soaring vocals. The bands unique brand of melodic hard rock, metalcore and modern power metal is amazing and makes them feel pretty unique, easily standing out around a lot of their peers in the UK. And, on top of that, the quality here is insanely high. Personal highlights are ‘This Abyss’, ‘Fractured Wings’ and ‘Bells of Variel’, though there really isn’t a bad track throughout. It also has a perfect flow to it, everything fitting together amazingly and the interludes helping make it more of a concept album. Also, shout-out to whoever mixed and produced this because damn, everything sounds MASSIVE.
These guys have been building a lot of steam the last few years, and this feels like the perfect time to finally be dropping this debut. If you have even a passing liking of metal, I can’t recommend checking this out enough! The band are going to be a big name in metal in the coming years, and this is the perfect jumping-off point for that. I can’t give it any less than 9/10, amazing stuff!
Iron & Wine: Hen’s Teeth
Owen: Prolific singer songwriter Sam Beam brings us Hen’s Teeth, the eighth studio album under his stage name Iron & Wine. With a career spanning over 20 years, Iron & Wine continues to evolve and develop with age and experience. Hen’s Teeth simultaneously manages to bring in familiar elements from previous albums as well as push new directions for the artist. Beam’s unique vocals remain the focus of these 10 tracks, but the production is more polished and the instrumentals elevated. Certain tracks really show a love for 70’s folk-rock, with tracks like ‘In Your Ocean’ evoking the stylings of Fleetwood Mac or Crosby Stills and Nash. I personally would have liked a few more upbeat tracks in this style on the album as this track particularly shines. Hen’s Teeth also includes two tracks featuring I’m With Her, ‘Robin’s Egg’, and ‘Wait Up’, the combination of the bands vocals with Beam’s own vocal and writing skill is a match made in heaven and worth checking out for fans of impressive harmony. 7/10
Returning with new music for the first time in a whopping 33 years, and their first output since their 2023 reunion, this three track release goes hard. It feels a lot more melodeath than I was expecting heading in, maybe even more so than their debut all those years ago. That’s definitely not a bad thing though, as I loved every minute of this 16. However, the epic ‘A Demon’s Bow’ is a particular highlight for me! I’m so glad the band have returned, and I already want more from them! This may be even better than their album, you can tell they’ve matured as songwriters in their time away. If you are at all into the genre, this is an absolute must! 8/10
A Wilhelm Scream: Cheap Heat
Max: This is my first foray in to AWS but I must say the 3 seconds of reading I did about them before hand was pretty spot on; this is a fun and catchy album where you get realed in immediately. I don’t think there was a track on the album that wasn’t interesting, everything felt spot on and thought out so I never felt like it got bogged down. However, something that might be a positive or a negative depending on your perspective, is that the album is very short, sub 30 minutes! For me, it felt like the perfect amount of time and nothing overstayed its welcome. However, equally I can understand the desire to have something longer. Either way, it is certain that AWS can make a punchy and enjoyable album. 8.5/10
No Murder No Mustache: As Everything Else Decays
Album number three from the Celtic punk soloist Owen Crawford is another damn fun release! Clearly pulling inspiration from everyone from Dropkicks to Ferocious Dog to even the likes of Frank Turner and Offspring, No Murder is still very much its own thing, and does its thing with a unique style. It’s a sound that I’m a big fan of, as well as being nostalgic towards, so of course I love this. However, it’s also high quality in its own right. Tracks like ‘Dic Penderyn’, single ‘Wasted’ and ‘Never Again’ are personal highlights, but every track on it is pretty great. The lyrics are fantastic as well, punk through and through and calling out just about everything wrong with the establishment. However, having said that, 14 tracks (even if that’s including the intro and bonus ones) is a touch long. Still, at least the album is broken up by ballads like ‘As Darkness Falls’. If you are a fan of any of the artists I’ve mentioned already, this is still well worth checking out, and the project certainly has a new fan in me! 7.5/10
Utopia Development Corporation: Industrial Area Swimming Center
This debut EP sure is a mouthful. However, it is also a pretty great indie-punk release! It’s dark and pretty heavy too, with definite elements of hardcore. And, at just 15-minutes, it’s the perfect length for me with this sort of music. Much more and I think I’d have gotten a little bored of its similar style, but when it’s just four tracks it’s easy to appreciate how great it is. The band are all massively talented at their style and instruments, as well as being really good songwriters. Both ‘Repeat’ and ‘Dance Demons, Dance’ are excellent songs I’ll happily have in my rotation moving forward, even though I typically am not into this sort of style as much. If you are into any of the styles I’ve mentioned already, this is definitely worth checking out. They are definitely a band to keep an eye on, and this gets a solid 7/10 from us!
Hannah Schneider: In This Room
Owen: “Melancholic and cinematic alternative pop” is how Hannah Schneider describers her sound, which as I listen to the 10 tracks that make up In This Room seems a perfect description. Raised in Copenhagen by classical musicians Schneider’s musical intelligence shines through early on in the album, expect a wide range of musical styles, instruments, and inspirations not only throughout the album but within each track. Fans will recognise ‘Lighthouse’, previously released as a single, a stand out track bringing in a range elements from electronica melodies to Spanish flamenco guitar. Overall the album is a slow chilled out exploration of the previously mentioned description of her music. Schneider and collaborator Christian Balvig have put together an impressive album, not one that’s going to start a lively party any time soon, but a contemplative thoughtful collection of tracks. 8.5/10
Nerve Star: White Hot
Another debut album this week, this time from the NWOBHM revivalists. For a band that have only been together a couple of years, this is an absolutely amazing release. Every member works their ass off throughout, all being masters at their chosen instrument. It’s very Judas Priest/Saxon in all the best ways. I mean, anything featuring Janne Stark was bound to be good, but this blew away even my expectations! Tracks like ‘Black Ice’, ‘Black Jack’ and ‘The Harder the Better’ are personal highlights. Every track is good, though I do have to admit that the hour-long runtime was maybe a little much when much of it is so similar. Having said that, I did enjoy the little instrumental tracks that show off Stark and his criminally underrated guitaring! Another must for anyone into the old-school style of metal and a very easy 8/10 from us!
Cryptic Shift: Overspace & Supertime
Max: There are lots of albums that come out that try and really encapsulate what a certain genre or combination of genres should be like. It is this blend of progressive thrash that really like to stand out and in an aggressive way. From the almost soothing scales played as breaks across certain tracks to the jump and strange timing of other rifts its hard to pin down at any point and you really can’t say that it is in any way simple. Whilst it’s not an album for me, just as a case study for excellence you really can’t hate it. Sure you may not like it, but it is oozing with talent and skill through out. The insane feat of the half-an-hour track ‘Stratocumulus Evergaol’ is a particular highlight, and could easily be an album of its own 8/10
Jon Langston: Thing About Me
Somehow only the second album from the rather long-standing country star, it follows up Heart on Ice rather perfectly! It’s a rock-infused country album that is packed full of fun (if a little cliche) songs! It’s does feel like a hangover from the bro-country days, especially from the lyrics, but when the genre isn’t everywhere constantly, it’s enjoyable to get the odd release of it! And, shockingly, 46-minutes goes by in a flash here! From ‘Whiskey Weather’ and ‘Thing About Me’ to ‘Comes Out in the Whiskey’ and the heavier duet with Rory Rodriguez, ‘Find You’, it’s packed full of awesome songs! If you are into 2010s country, like I am, this is definitely an album worth giving a spin. Outside of his big tracks I hadn’t heard much from him, but he’s definitely good at putting out full albums, too! This is a solid 7.5/10 from us!
Necrofier: Transcend Into Oblivion
Album number three from the Texan black metallers goes just as hard as their previous two! This is nearly an hour of dark brutality and, while long-time readers will know the genre usually isn’t my go-to, I had a blast listening to this! It’s also hard to pick singular tracks as highlights, mainly because it is all a similar level of quality, but also because nine of the tracks are bunched together in three parts of the same song, following on perfectly from each other each time. Having said that, the first part of ‘Servants of Darkness’ was particularly awesome! Even in a niche genre, the band deserve to be bigger, and hopefully this is the release to take them to that point. Give this a spin if you like the heavier side of metal, and thank me later! 7/10
Philip Shouse: Side 1
The first solo release from the Accept guitar legend is a fun little jaunt through five great hard rock tracks! He still gets to show off his incredible guitar skills even when not in a metal environment, and it was actually nice to hear a different style from him. Heck, the punky, poppy ‘The Naked Empress’ was probably my favourite track on here, though they’re all good! It’s just a fun, light-hearted release that’s impossible not to have a good time listening to. I already cannot wait for Side 2, whenever that may drop, but I’m happy to wait it out and keep spinning this. I’m honestly shocked he’s not done a solo venture before now, as he clearly has a different style he wants to play and is damn good at writing it! A solid 8/10 from us, good stuff!
Pil & Blue: You Have Chosen Darkness (Level 5)
The first revisit of the (Level)s format since their 2014 debut, the melodic/melancholic/ vaguely proggy rock duo do a great job at continuing on their sound here. Firstly, the fact that they get this level of sound and depth out of just two of them is insane, being equal parts emotional and epic throughout. It gives off very big Chevelle vibes in the very best ways, also mixed with a healthy dose of Placebo. ‘Somewhere In Between’ is the perfect opener for this, while it is followed up incredibly by the thrashy, punky ‘222’. The awesomeness doesn’t stop there either, as the other five tracks on this are just as good, honestly! They are such incredible players and songwriters, and it’s easy to see why they are getting so much love in their home country. They have a big new fan in me, and I’ll certainly be going back and checking out Levels 1-4! It’s one of the best 30 minutes of music I’ve listened to all year so far, and I can’t give it anything less than 9.5/10. Check this out ASAP!
Daniel Young: Another Golden Hour
Album number five from the country-infused soft rocker is a beautiful, chilled-out 46-minute collection. It’s not going to be for everyone reading this, but I had a blast listening. It’s such an easy listen, and all 10 tracks are as good as the last! It gave off vibes of everyone from Jack Johnson to Charley Crockett to Pinegrove throughout. Maybe it was the better weather that this album seemed to summon with its release, but it’s perfect for relaxing in the sun with! If you like things a little slower and more chilled, this is definitely the album for you! Daniel’s vocals and lyric writing are both amazing, and the vague blues/country instrumentation fits both perfectly. I can’t give it any less than 8/10, great stuff!
Lone Assembly: Knots & Chains
The Swiss new wave/post-punk quartet dropped their highly anticipated debut this last Friday, and honestly blew me away with it! It’s a genre I have an up-and-down relationship with, but something about this drew me in immediately and didn’t let me go for its full 38-minutes. They wear their Sisters of Mercy and The Cure inspirations firmly on their sleeves, yet also sound modernised, the fantastic production most likely helping on that front. From the opener to ‘Nocturnal Vision’ to ‘You’re Pulling at the Same Strings’, there is plenty to love throughout! It’s a style that seems to be coming back, at least in the underground, and newer bands like this are building on and continuing the sound perfectly. It’s another incredibly easy listen, all 10 tracks going by in a flash, so check this out if you are at all curious. It gets an incredibly solid 8.5/10 from us, what a hell of a debut!
Owls Over Oaks: O.O.O.
Another massive debut album, this time from the Italian drone-doom collective. First things first, I really enjoyed the idea of this being a three track album, and each is just one word from the band name. Hilarious. However, it’s not a genre/style I think I ‘get’. I suppose the other positive is that there are some nasty tones in this, in the best way. Guitar, bass, drums and even the vocals all sound awesome from a production standpoint. But each track is 10+ minutes of the same thing over and over, and at a pretty slow pace overall. If you are into this sort of thing, more power to you, but it’s definitely not the sort of thing I’ll be rushing back to listen to again. The band members are clearly all talented, it’s just not for me. Maybe I’d get it more in a live setting. However, for now, I can’t give this much more than a 3.5/10, sorry guys. The repetition was just too much for me.
Scratch One Grub: One
Oh look, another debut album! This time it comes curtesy of the Welsh six-piece and their proggy, heavy sound. It’s very hardcore, but also very death/black metal, a splash of gothic or emo, and has plenty of metalcore elements too, making it one of the most unique listens I’ve had recently. The closest thing I can think of as a comparison is Tallah, but even then it doesn’t fit perfectly. The band are also insanely talented, crafting some wild riffs, brutal screams and crushing breakdowns throughout, all fitting together perfectly. Tracks like ‘Vagabond’, ‘Bad Habit’ and single ‘#1’ are all personal highlights, but honestly every track is pretty great, it all flowing together perfectly! I have to see this live, it’s the kind of chaotic energy that already had me wanting to pit on my own in the living room. However, it is also excellent on track, and will certainly be one I’ll be spinning plenty in the weeks and months to come. The band have a big new fan in me, and I can’t give this any less than 9/10, amazing stuff!
Magoo: What a Life
I LOVE that this sort of style is still coming out of newer bands, and this is an absolutely fantastic debut release from the Americana/bluegrass four-piece. They had me hooked right from the opening with that harmonised chorus, ‘Ohio Blues’ being an incredible early highlight. Then you have tracks like the chilled ‘Big Fall’, the Sam Bush-featuring ‘Angel of Telluride’ and the beautiful title song that are also big highlights. Plus, can we just appreciate the sheer mind-blowing playing on ‘Rippin Richard’? Insane! The whole album is packed full of highlights and fantastic songs, and nearly an hour went by in a flash. If you are even vaguely country-leaning, this is an absolute must of an album for you. And for this to be a debut album is even more incredible. It’s a modern, more radio-infused bluegrass, and I’m a little obsessed! Some amazing instrumentation and lyrics throughout, and it’s an incredibly easy 9/10 from us!
An absolutely stacked week of releases for us to dive into, from rock to metal to country. Let’s do this!
Megan Moroney: Cloud 9
Album number three from the current country megastar arrived to a LOT of hypethis last Friday. Being big fans of her last couple of releases, we were excited to finally hear this, especially after a slight mixed-bag of singles. However, the album as a whole is great, and nearly an hour goes by in a flash. From ‘Medicine’ to ‘Stupid’, ‘Liars, Tigers & Bears’ to ‘Change of Heart’ to ‘Who Hurt You?’, there are some really fantastic tracks throughout that I’d put up there with Megan’s very best, honestly. She is one of the best lyricists in the game today, be it tongue-in-cheek comedic stuff or more emotion-filled ballads. And while there is maybe one or two too many slower tracks on the album for me personally, I feel the up-tempo or rockier stuff is spread out pretty perfectly, always coming in when I start to lose a bit of interest.
While I wouldn’t still quite say it’s as good as her debut, I did enjoy it more as a whole than Am I Okay?. It’s easy to see why she has quickly become one of the biggest names in country; her output in the last few years has been incredible. Part of me wants to say ‘she’s not an album artist’ as her hits and singles each time are that good, but at the same time I’ve enjoyed every album she’s put out! I’ll definitely be spinning at least the tracks I’ve mentioned a bunch moving forward, and probably the album as a whole too. It gets another solid 8.5/10 from us, and the emo cowgirl definitely lives up to our hype for her release once again!
New Found Glory: Listen Up!
The first electric album from the Floridian pop punkers in six years picks up right where Forever and Ever x Infinity left off. The band feel like they haven’t lost a step in their nearly three-decade career, which is at very least admirable! I have to admit they were always the side of pop punk that I never got into quite as much, though I am nostalgic towards Sticks and Stones and Catalyst; both are banging albums still to this day! While this isn’t quite as good as those, tracks like ‘100%’, ‘Beer and Blood Stains’ and ‘You Got This’ definitely hooked me and are personal highlights. However, if you are into this sort of style, this is certainly an album worth checking out! It’s not something I’d throw on often, but I had a good time listening through it. We enjoyed their acoustic release a few years back, but it’s nice to hear the band get back to what they do best! A solid 7/10.
Sylosis: The New Flesh
The first studio outing from the UK melodic thrash/deathers since 2023’s A Sign of Things to Come. Max enjoyed that when it dropped, while I sadly didn’t get much time to sit with it. However, if it’s anything like this, their seventh album, I’d probably love it! It’s the perfect blend of metalcore and melodeath and, honestly, is fucking AWESOME. Think Hatebreed meets Orbit Culture. *chefs kiss*. It’s 47 minutes of brilliant brutality mixed with catchy melody, and it’s almost impossible to pick specific highlights. From the insane riffing to the mind-bending drums to the great growls and powerful cleans, it’s all so damn good, and paints the band as one of the most talented and underrated in metal today. I cannot recommend this enough to anyone who has even a slight interest in metal. I’d always heard the name around but they were a band I just hadn’t gotten around to listening to much. Well, I’m disappointed in myself, as they have a HUGE new fan in me! This is surely going to be high on our top albums listcome December! I can’t give it any less than 9.5/10, amazing stuff!
The Enemy: Social Disguises
The indie rockers returned with their first new album in over a decade this last Friday. I’m not hugely into the genre so came into it not expecting much, but was pleasantly surprised! Opener ‘The Boxer’ packs one hell of a punch and is a fantastic early highlight, while tracks like ‘Controversial’ and ‘Serious’ are other top tracks. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still probably not something I’d listen to often, but it’s definitely the good side of indie and I had a good time with it. Was it worth the 11 year wait? Who knows, you’d have to ask a fan who’s been waiting on it all this time. But it was certainly a good release, and well worth it for anyone into the genre. A solid 6.5/10 from us!
Mothica: Somewhere In Between
The alt metal rising star brought us a highly anticipated follow-up to her 2024 album this last weekend. It’s a great, all-too-short collection of five awesome radio rock songs. ‘WEAPON’ and the title track are personal highlights, but every song is awesome and they all fits together perfectly. Her vocals sound as amazing as ever, her lyrics are excellent and it’s very much an ‘in’ style right now. Hopefully it’s a stop-gap en route to a larger release, but for now I am more than happy to keep spinning this, especially at only 14-minutes in length! If you are at all into her particular brand of noise, I’d highly recommend checking this out, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it as much as I do! 8/10
Mumford & Sons: Prizefighter
After a big ol’ gap in releases at the turn of the decade, we’ve now had two albums from the folk rockers in two years, aren’t we lucky?! We loved RUSHMERE, and I always have some nostalgia for the band as they got big while I was in school. So, for them to put out yet another great, beautiful, chilled-out release, I can’t not love it! From the opener to ‘The Banjo Song’ to ‘Begin Again’ and ‘Shadow of a Man’, there are plenty of highlights spread throughout. It does have a slight lull in the middle for 2/3 tracks, but none of them are bad at all, and I’d have not cut them either if it were up to me. It’s all just so beautifully written and packed full of emotion. Heck, ‘I’ll Tell you Everything’ practically reduced me to tears! Despite exploding onto the scene when they debuted, they feel somehow slept on these days, while they are every bit as good as they were back 15 years ago. Do yourselves a favour and check this out, regardless of what you are into, you may very well love it as much as I do! 8.5/10
Eye of Melian: Forest of Forgetting
We’ve already checked out this awesome release! Read the full review here.
Crowen: Through the Dying Mist
Following up 2024’s Where the Darkness Falls, this is an incredibly solid third EP for the melodeath band. ‘Ember Wraith’ sets the tone perfectly, while songs like ‘Line of Silence’ and the epic, melodic closer are all great too. And that’s not to exclude ‘I Am the Sorrow’, which is just as good as the others! If you are into the genre at all, I can’t recommend checking this out enough. How they aren’t bigger already is beyond me! They are all insanely talented and I already can’t wait to hear where they go from here. For now though, this gets a very easy 7.5/10!
Lovebites: Outstanding Power
After a rather confusing release build-up, this album feels slightly like it’s dropped a little out of nowhere. The buildup to it was all about its release in Japan on the 18th (a Wednesday, which was weird enough as it was). Then, when it hit the 18th, it was announced the band had signed with Napalm, that physical copies would drop on May 8th, but that it was going to be available on streaming that very day. Yeah, weird, right? But still, we have some sudden, awesome new Japanese heavy metal this week, so it’s hardly a complaint!
It’s old-school heavy metal riffing and drumming at its very best, with a healthy dose of power metal thrown in for good measure. It’s the perfect band for Napalm, and I’m shocked they haven’t snapped them up before now. The level of musicianship is off the charts, every band member being so damn good at their chosen instrument. I even started to get into the vocals by the end; a point of contention for some listeners, and definitely something that took a little getting used to. Tracks like ‘Silence the Void’, ‘Blazing Halo’ and ‘Reaper’s Lullaby’ are all personal highlights. They clearly read our review of their last album too, as we get an awesome, beautiful ballad in the epic ‘Eternally’. However, it may be a touch late in the album, potentially. Still, as a whole, it’s a damn good album. If you’re a fan of the band I cannot recommend checking this out enough, and I’d easily put it up alongside any of their other top releases. I’ll certainly be spinning some of this again soon, and I can’t give it any less than a 7.5/10
Jimmy Fretwell: Analog Dream
Considering for the most part this is just one man and his guitar, it is a damn good listen. He gives off big Willie Nelson vibes, but also has an air of Jack Johnson to him at times. Plus, he is a great rock’n’roll/blues guitarist and writer, some of the playing and riffing on a few of the early tracks being awesome, almost begging for a full band version alongside the acoustic one. And then you have the tracks with the incredible guests on that add even more to the sound. Whether it’s the fiddle and beautiful harmonies of Beth Chrisman or the extra guitar of Darrell Scott or Bill Kirchen, all three add even more depth to the sound. He’s an excellent songwriter and storyteller, and tracks like the opening three songs, ‘Barn on Fire’ and ‘Never Gonna be my Baby’ are all personal highlights. However, none of the album is bad, by any stretch! His delivery is also incredible, whether it’s fast-paced bouncy stuff or more emotion-filled ballads. It’s certainly not going to be for anyone, but it’s a beautiful, fun, stripped-back release, and Jimmy has a new fan in me! A very easy 7.5/10.
Struck/Down: Queue for the Cure
This debut album somehow combines together so many different sides of metalcore and its adjacent sub-genres together into something truly pretty unique. There’s the obvious comparisons to the likes of Killswitch and Atreyu, but also an edge of the heavier old-school metal sound as well as having a modern edge to it in terms of the production and some of the playing and composition. And, on top of that, there’s also elements of some Down/CoC-like groove metal too, which adds yet another incredible layer to the already awesome sound. And heck, at times the vocals give just a little bit of a young Brent Smith, alongside the obvious Howard Jones.
If you can’t tell already, I love this album. They’re a name I’ve seen around a lot over the last few years, but I sadly haven’t had the chance to check them out. I’m so glad that changed today. This is 10 INCREDIBLE tracks, all as good as the next. It’s impossible to pick highlights as I was hooked from start to finish. The riffing and breakdowns are amazing, the vocals are powerful and full of attitude and catchiness and the drummer is going hard throughout. We even get some awesome soloing to go along with the riffs, both guitarists being insane technical players. They have clearly (and deservedly) grown a great reputation of solid singles and EPs over recent years, and it really feels like they’ve picked the perfect time to put out an album; they feel at their writing peak right now. If you are even a passing metal fan, I’d recommend checking this out immediately, it has something for everyone. These guys are surely going to be massive in the years to come, and this album will be seen as the jumping off point for that. 9/10, amazing stuff!
Keeley: Girl on the Edge of the World
Album number four from the fuzzy, punk/alt rockers very much takes you on a journey, creating a huge, surprisingly warm soundscape throughout. While not typcially my sort of thing, it’s impossible not to get hooked in by the bands talent for musicianship and songwriting. ‘Crossing Lands’, ‘Who Wants to See the World’ and the beautiful ‘Fell in Love with a Ghost’ are all personal highlights. And, while it did drag a little as it’s not something I’m typically into, if you are into an 80s style such as this you’ll probably have a blast with the whole release! It is certainly not bad by any stretch and as I said, the members of the band are clearly all insanely talented. If you are at all curious, check this out! Another pretty solid 6.5/10 from us.
Exhumed: Red Asphalt
The San Jose death metal legends are back with album number 10. I have to admit, the classic 90s style of death metal is one that, try as I might, I just can’t get into. And, as usual, I think it mainly comes down to the mixing. I get that, especially at this point, it’s a stylistic choice and expected from bands like this, but I cannot get on with the tinny, background growls and questionable drum mix. I know there are plenty who can, and if you are one of those then you will definitely love this. But yeah, it is not my thing. I love Death metal, but not like this. ‘Shovelhead’ was probably my favourite song here, and even then I wouldn’t rush back to listen again. It’s a shame too as the band are clearly all insanely talented musicians. I’d probably get into it a lot more live, but on track I can’t give this any more than a 4/10, sorry.
Serpent Gates: The Veil of Darkness
This thrash-infused heavy metal release is an awesome debut album from the Finnish collective. Clearly taking inspiration from everyone from Iron Maiden to Judas Priest to Megadeth, they wear these on their sleeve while also feeling like it has a modern edge to it, especially when it comes to the excellent production. And, from the opener to the title track, ‘Down the Cross’ to ‘The Czar Will Fall’, it is absolutely packed full of highlights, there really not being a bad song on it. If I did have one note, I’d love to hear the band do a slower song; I feel like Anthony’s voice and the bands overall sound and talent would do an amazing ballad. However, for a debut album, going balls-to-the-wall from start to finish is probably a good idea, and there isn’t a track on this I’d cut in favour of something else! The band are all insanely talented and have crafted something amazing here for a first album. An absolute must for anyone into their old-school metal and a very easy 8.5/10 from us!
The Band of Heathens: Country Sides
The ninth official studio album from the confusing-historied folk rock band is a fun, chilled-out 40 minute romp. I somehow hadn’t really heard of them before, but had a great time listening to this! From ‘High on our Own Supply’ to the powerful ‘Lead Don’t Follow’ to ‘Take the Cake’, there is plenty to love throughout, and there really isn’t a bad song on it! If you like things on the more relaxed side, this is well worth checking out. It gives off big Uncle Luciusor even Drew Holcomb vibes, both in the best ways! There’s honestly not much else to say about it; the band are insanely talented with some cool playing and some amazing harmonies throughout, and are clearly good songwriters to boot. It’s a very easy 8/10 from us, and they’ll certainly be a band I’ll be revisiting in the future!
Clawfinger: Before we All Die
The first album from the European rap-metallers in a whopping 19 years finally dropped this last Friday and, honestly, it was nearly worth the insane wait! This is a heavy, chaotic and incredibly fun album that doesn’t at all feel like 40-minutes in length, going by in a flash. Single ‘Scum’ is an awesome way to open things up, while everything from ‘Tear You Down’ to the very 90’s ‘Going Down’ to the massive closer is all amazing too. It had some fun dynamics too, with some being more hip-hop focused while others were straight-up metal. It gave off everything from Stuck Mojo to Hed(PE) and I loved every moment of it. If you are at all a fan of the band or their turn-of-the-century sound, this is definitely worth checking out, and I’m so glad they’re back! 8/10
Another typically stacked week of new music, from rock to metal to country! Let’s dive in!
Larry Fleet: Another Year Older
We’ve already checked out this awesome album! Read our full review here.
Story of the Year: A.R.S.O.N.
I clearly had a different band in my head, because I was not expecting so much awesome melodic hardcore heading into this! The seventh album from the Missouran quartet is an old-school post-hardcore powerhouse from start to finish. ‘Gasoline’ is the perfect, aggressive opener, while tracks like ‘See Through’ and ‘Into the Dark’ are all massive highlights on top of that. Also, Jacob Shaddix does an amazing job on ‘Fall Away’, definitely another big high point. However, there really isn’t a bad track on the album, even the slower stuff that wouldn’t typically be my thing is amazing. It’s very emo but certainly in a good way; like My Chem mixed with I Prevail, with a surprisingly healthy dose of Mikey D riffing mixed in with it all. I had a great time with this, and will definitely be revisiting it again soon! Check this out if you are at all interested, and it’s a solid 8/10 from us!
No Worth of Man: The Killing Streets
The debut album from the modern metal/deathcore band really makes a statement; the band standing tall and proud and saying ‘we are here to take no prisoners’. This thing goes hard. From the heavy riffs to the crushing screams to the solid drumming, it all fits together perfectly to create something truly awesome. There isn’t a bad track on the album, but songs like ‘Those of Our Kind’ and ‘Alarmus’ are big personal highlights. My only slight complaint is that I’ve heard half of the album before in there 2024 EP. Don’t get me wrong, I very much enjoyed that release, but it would have been nice to hear a full collection of new songs from the band. Still, as an introduction to a band for new listeners, this is awesome, and I would fully recommend it to anyone into the heavier side of metal. The band are all hugely talented, and have a bright future ahead of them. Another solid 7.5/10
Angel Du$t: COLD 2 THE TOUCH
Album six from the Maryland melodic hardcorers goes a lot harder than their previous release, and is much better for it. I enjoyed BRAND NEW SOUL, this is much more up my street from a style perspective. The opening two tracks and ‘Zero’ are Turnstile-meets-Dog-Eat-Dog awesomeness, while ‘Jesus Head’ almost has a late 90s RHCP vibe to it. The album as a whole is amazing though, without a dud throughout. It blends Justice Tripp/Trapped Under Ice’s beatdown style with the more pop-friendly influence from the Turnstile lot who used to be part of the band. They’ve had considerable lineup changes in the last couple of years, but hopefully this is the solid lineup moving forward for a while, as it feels like the band are finally back on track and putting out music up their with their best.
It’s a release that blew me away a lot more than I expected it to, and is one I’d recommend if you are into any of the styles or bands I’ve mentioned previously. And, it’s another short album, which is always a win these days! I’ll definitely be revisiting it in the coming weeks, and don’t be surprised if it sneaks onto ourtop albums of the year listcome December. 8.5/10
Pokey LaFarge: Travelin’ With Pokey LaFarge: Voice and Guitar, Vol 1
One of my favourite discoveries over the last couple of years, I’ve been excited for this to drop for a few months now. This solo EP dropped on his brand new record label and is a more stripped-back affair than we’re used to with his recent releases. However, he’s such a good songwriter, and him with… well… his voice and guitar, still makes awesome music. Opening on an awesome duet with the awesome Addie Hamilton before launching through five amazing solo rock tracks spanning everything from rock’n’roll to swing to country. ‘Walk Your Way out of This Town’ is a particular highlight. It’s all simple but beautiful and really great music, a solid 18-minutes of old-school sounds. It’s maybe not for everyone who’s typically a fan of the guy, but I really enjoyed it, and will definitely be listening again. It’s the perfect release to just sit back and chill-out to. A very solid 7.5/10 from us!
Hellgrimm: Resurrection
Another sixth album, this time from the Texan metallers. The band do a great job of blending together multiple different styles, from stoner to thrash to whatever Motörhead wanna be classed as today, and even elements of NWOBHM and melodic metal. They honestly remind me a lot of Rattlesnakesor Wailing Banshee. It’s a mystery why they aren’t bigger as they are clearly fantastic songwriters and musicians. My only slight nitpick is that maybe the mix could be slightly bigger, but I only really notice it on occasions around the vocals. Songs like ‘Reign of Terror’, ‘Dead Superstar’ and their big single, ‘Dog Trash Must Die’ are all big highlights. However, the whole album is enjoyable, including their Kreator and Stones covers! It’s not something I’d revisit as a whole massively often, but the individual tracks will surely be in my rotation for a while! I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on the band moving forward as they definitely have a new fan in me. 7/10
The Lone Bellow: What a Time to be Alive
The first studio album in going-on four years from the indie folk/Americana trio is another infectiously fun release. 46 minutes of chilled-out alt country and soft rock, giving off vibes of everything from James Bay to Kings of Leon to Drew Holocomb to even Zach Bryan. The band did a great job at choosing the singles as they are definite album high point, but tracks like ‘Common Folk’ and ‘I’m Here for You’ are definite highlights too. The whole album is excellent though, and has such a fantastic flow to it throughout. The harmonies on each song are amazing, and make every chorus huge and so very catchy.
I’d not checked the band out much outside of a song or two here and there, but I’m definitely going to have to go back and check out their back catologue, as I had a blast listening to this. Hopefully they come over to the UK soon too as I’d love to hear all of this live. Until that time, I happily just keep spinning this whole thing, though! 8/10, and it may grow on me even more with more listens!
Gorgol Bordello: We Mean it, Man!
We’ve also checked this one out, aren’t you lucky?! Check it out here.
Converge: Love is Not Enough
I’m sorry, but this album FUCKS. The mixture of aggressive death metal, hardcore and sludgy riffing is amazing and makes me want to punch everything. The first new studio release from the band since their collab with Chelsea Wolfe back in ’21, and their first solo release in nearly a decade, this had a lot of hype to live up to, and smashes all of it to pieces. Everything about it is awesome, and is the perfect 30 minutes of aggressive, brutal, OG metalcore. It’s impossible to pick highlights, I listened to this whole thing through a couple of times and loved every second of it (though ‘Beyond Repair’ goes maybe a minute too long). I am so damn glad these guys are back to releasing new music again, and am already desperate to see all of this live. If you’re into heavy, this is ABSOLUTELY the album for you. I’ve claimed a few times the last 12 months or so that hardcore is back in a big way, and weeks like this just keep proving me right. I can’t give it any less than 9.5/10, damn.
Max Jackson: Dangerous in Denim
The first studio album in nearly six years from the country star, and it at very least lives up to the hype! While the opener is a little too ‘Panderin‘‘ for me, her unique brand of stadium-country is a lot of fun, and makes for a very easy half-an-hour listen. Tracks like ‘Goin’ Nowhere Now’, ‘We Invented Love’ and the Shania-like ‘1990 Somethin” are all personal highlights. However, the more I listen, the more I fall in love with the album. It’s impossible not to have a good time listening to it, and Max has such a fantastic voice and vocal delivery that it keeps it fun, and emotional where needed. And, instrumentally it’s great, some real high points from the drums, guitars and bass throughout, too. Plus, the back-half of this album is truly awesome. Even revisiting ‘Red Dirt ROCKNROLL’ within the context of the album as a whole after, it has certainly grown on me. I would highly recommend this to any 90s or 2000s country music fan reading this, and Max has certainly gained a new fan in me! A very easy 8/10 from us!
Frozen Ocean: Askdrömmar
The first album from the Russian black metaller in a full decade is honestly pretty fantastic, and I’ve never been the biggest black metal fan! It’s not straight-up black metal, there’s some vague electronic and even gothic elements to it too, which definitely helped keep my interest. Tracks like ‘Bortkastade dödsrunor’ and ‘Jag sover’ are personal highlights. However, there isn’t a bad song throughout, even if the album as a whole does get a bit repetitive towards the back half. However, Vaarwel is an incredibly talented musician, and that sort of tunnel-vision is going to happen when there is just one working on a project. If you are into the genre at all, this is well worth checking out! As I said, I enjoyed my listen to it, and certainly wouldn’t turn it off if it came back on again. It gets a 6.5/10 from us!
Clay Street Unit: Sin & Squalor
The debut album from the folk/Americana collective dropped to a lot of hype and expectation on Friday, and lives up to all of it! The big-band feel is always something I love, and they have it in spades here. The hints of bluegrass in the instrumentation keep the pace bouncy and light, while the voice grounds it in country, adding some emotion, depth and some HUGE choruses. It has elements of the likes of Wyatt Flores, White Buffalo, Uncle Luscious, Zach Bryan and American Aquarium all perfectly blended together. It’s also packed full of awesome songs; 40 minutes of incredible music that’s nearly impossible to pick highlights from. From the opener to ‘Where Have you Gone?’, their duet with Lindsay Lou to the more ballad-like ‘Left Unsaid’ to the beautiful closer, it’s all so good. If you’re a fan of all things vaguely country, this is an absolute must-check-out! I can’t give it any less than 9/10, excellent stuff!
The Beautiful Darkness: Pain to Purpose
The debut EP from the mind of Nerys John blends so many different styles together, and does so incredibly interestingly. From folk to grunge to goth to punk to melodic hard rock, they really touch on a bit of everything through the release. Honestly, it’s a great introduction to the group! They have a cool, interesting sound to them, and constantly keep you guessing what’s coming next while listening. ‘The Narcissist’ is possibly my favourite track of the five, but all certainly have their charms. Generally it’s a touch slower pace for me as a whole, but that doesn’t mean it is any worse an EP. This will have so many fans, and I can see a bright future ahead for them, this being the perfect jumping off-point for that. Nerys’ vocals are incredible, and the band that she’s found are all hugely talented players. Another solid 7/10 from me!
Temple Balls: Self-Titled
Album five from the hard rock/AOR Finns is just as massive as their previous outings. Sounding like the natural evolution of Santa Cruz, H.E.A.T. and Van Halen, the band channel an awesome rock energy throughout, driven by pounding drums and awesome riffs. It’s nearly 40-minutes of sleazy goodness, arena-filling choruses and a fantastic bounce that will keep your head bobbing throughout. The band are insanely talented at their chosen instrument, and are also fantastic songwriters. From the opening two numbers to ‘We are the Night’ to ‘Stronger than Fire’, there are so many massive highlights on this thing, though there isn’t a bad song throughout. They fit perfectly in this revival of hard rock in Europe recently, and would fit awesomely into the NWOCR scene in the UK, so hopefully we can get them over here soon so I can see this live! However, for now I am more than happy to keep spinning this awesome album, and would urge any rock fan out there to do the same. A huge 8.5/10!
An absolutely packed week of NMM this week, with plenty of releases across the rock, metal and country worlds for us to check out. Let’s dive right in!
Karnivool: IN VERSES
The first new album from the modern prog legends in nearly 13 years finally dropped this last Friday, to plenty of hype! Honestly, it about lives up to said hype, too! ‘Ghost’ is an excellent opener, setting the tone well. ‘Drone’ follows it up perfectly too, being an easy album highlight! However, the whole album is pretty amazing from start to finish, there not being a bad song on it. Heck, the band have been sat on All it Takes for years now, and it’s still a banger! Don’t get me wrong, and hour plus of steady paced, similar stuff may be a little much for some, but I just sat back and got absorbed into it all, and it truly took me on a journey. Do yourselves a favour and stick some headphones on in a dark room and thank me later. It’s not quite Tool, but when Tool are so slow at their output these days, Karnivool are a fantastic alternative. The band are insanely talented songwriters and players, and have put out a release to rival any of their three previous. If you’re a prog fan, this one is certainly for you! 8/10
Mayhem: Liturgy of Death
The black metal legends returned once again this last weekend with album number seven, their first since 2019. If you are familiar with the band at all, you know exactly what to expect here. Brutality, epicness and darkness for a full 48 minutes. As a celebration of four decades as a band, it’s a fitting addition to their discography. As a throwback black/extreme metal release, it’s probably great. As an album for me personally… I can take it or leave it. It’s certainly not bad by any stretch, and the band are clearly all talented players and songwriters. The production on it is also surprisingly great for the genre, which is also a plus (even if it is a bit ‘wall of sound’-y at times). But as a style as a whole, it just isn’t by bag. I like it in small doses, or if something is added to the black metal to keep me interested, but nearly 50-minutes of the same feel and pace is a little much for me. The closest to a highlight track for me was either ‘Despair’ or ‘Funeral of Existence’, though all the rest were pretty similar. Again, if you like the genre or band, you’ll probably get a lot out of this. However, it didn’t do a great deal for me overall, so I can’t give it any more than a 4.5/10. I want to like it more, if that helps. Maybe I’d get into it more live.
Silversun Pickups: Tenterhooks
The first album in four years from the American alt rockers is an odd one for me. I like the overall vibe of it; it’s got some great riffs, tones, melodies and overall playing. And the vaguely proggy writing at times feels like it is right up my street. However, for whatever reason I just wasn’t hooked into this. Maybe it was the more generally indie vibe to it? I remember checking out their last album when it dropped and looking backI clearly got bored of that one too as I didn’t even give it a score! I would say I enjoyed this one more as I at least liked stuff like single ‘The Wreckage’ and ‘Thorns and All’. There is no denying the band are damn talented, and there is a massive audience that will love this. However, it sadly just didn’t do much for me. It may grow on me more with more listens, but with all the amazing releases already this year, I’m not in a huge rush to revisit this. A solid 5.5/10 for now; certainly not bad but incredibly average.
Puscifer: Normal Isn’t
Somehow MJK’s most consistent output these days, the experimental rock band put out their follow-up to 2020s Exsistential Reckoning last Friday. And, to the shock of no one, they are just as odd and quirky as ever. First things first, it is certainly not for everyone. It wouldn’t normally be my sort of thing, but I am such a big fan of Keenan and his ‘stream of consciousness’ is captivating with this project. It’s like the lighter end of NIN’s stuff, which generally I don’t go for much, but I love it here. Tracks like the title one, heavier single ‘Self Evident’, ‘A Public Stoning’ and ‘ImpetuoUs’ are all personal favourites. However, there isn’t a bad song on here and it has a great flow to it, the nearly-hour going by in a flash.
I’d put it up there alongside their previous release in terms of quality, if not slightly higher, making this maybe the best thing Maynard’s released in nearly a decade. That’s not to take away from the other two members, who work their ass off throughout and are insanely talented, too. But, make no mistake, Maynard is the star here. His vocals are still so incredible some 40 years into his career, and his lyric writing is as good as ever. He almost sounds angry at times, the first time in years; definitely a refreshing throwback to his hayday.
This is certainly an album I’ll be revisiting a fair bit moving forward, and I’d recommend to anyone even a little bit curious. While I impatiently wait another decade plus for new Tool music, this will more that satiate that hunger! 9/10
Tailgunner: Midnight Blitz
We’ve already checked out this awesome release! Read the full review here!
Melissa Carper & Theo Lawrence: Havin’ a Talk
This is an incredibly fun collaboration. The old-school country pair fit like two puzzle pieces together; it feeling pulled straight out of the 30s and 40s as both of them have such the perfect throwback style. Melissa’s voice is like it’s coming straight out of a gramophone, while Theo’s is a smoother, Sinatra type. They contrast amazingly, and very much do exactly what they advertise; have a talk throughout! It’s certainly an acquired taste, but from the opener to ‘Dat Ain’t Right’ to ‘Joyous Time’, I enjoyed my listen! The pair and the musicians they worked with on this are all super talented, and have crafted something that isn’t heard too much these days. The closest comparison I can make is probably The Tailspins, who I also love! If you’re at all curious give this a spin, you may be surprised how much you like it, like I was! I’ll definitely be keeping a close eye on both artists moving forward, and it’s an easy 7.5/10 from me?
Ablaze: Slow Death
This new EP from the post-hardcore collective goes hard. It wastes no time in getting into the heaviness, ‘No’ being chaotic awesomeness, a mess of mathy riffs, solid drums and some great screams. ‘Life’ follows that up with an awesome riff and some almost proggy heaviness, a definite release highlight. And the other two tracks are just as good, honestly. The closest comparison I can make outside of the post-hardcore scene is Tallah, which is definitely a compliment. The talent on display between the guitaring, bass, drums and vocals are all off the charts, and they have crafted something truly creative and unique with their sound. If you are at all curious, I’d highly recommend checking this out, the band certainly have a new fan in me! 7.5/10
Paganizer: As Mankind Rots
More brutality this week, this time curtesy of the death metal Swedes. I tend to find myself getting into straight-up death metal a little easier than black metal, and something about this release hooked me in even more than usual. It’s 40-minutes of straight-to-the-point heaviness, packed full of amazing riffing, drumming and screams. And, much like with Mayhem further up, the mix is surprisingly excellent for a heavier album. Tracks like ‘Devoured’, ‘Put on Your Gasmask’ and ‘Afterworld’ are all massive personal highlights. Don’t get me wrong, it is all a touch samey, but when it’s this high quality that’s hardly an issue. If you like the genre or the heavier side of metal at all, I’d definitely recommend giving this a spin. It gets a solid 7/10 from us!
Lakelin Lemmings: Get Around Boy
The debut EP from the rising country star is a fun collection of modern radio hits. It’s very much in the same vein of Megan Moroney, Cassadee Pope or even early Taylor Swift, but also feels pretty modern and easily distinguishable as Lakelin. All five tracks are awesome, if a little similar, and it’s hard to pick just one or two as highlights! There’s some amazing vocal performances and lyric writing from Lakelin throughout, and her band do a great job playing around her, too. She’s got an incredibly bright future ahead of her, even in the saturated country music scene, and this is a fantastic jumping off point for that! Any fans of the genre should get on this immediately, and it gets a solid 8/10 from us. I already can’t wait to hear more from her!
Cartoons Can’t Die: Rebirth
The debut album from the djenty, deathcorey collective goes hard and chaotic from start to finish. It honestly took a little bit of getting into for me, but I think it was more down to me not quite enjoying the opener as much as other tracks. ‘Kinslayer’ is an awesome, almost melodeath-style track, while ‘The Loss of Something Dear’ and the deathcore ‘Godless’ were also personal high points. And, while a lot of the rest of the album is still good, those tracks in particular stand out more to me. I think maybe the mix has something to do with it; if it had a heavier hand of overall production it could be something truly incredible. Still, as a debut release this is amazing, and the band have crafted something incredibly interesting and unique. There is no denying their playing talent, and some of their arrangements are phenomenal. They have a curious new fan in me, and if you like things a little proggy, give this a listen! A solid 7/10!
Big Bad Train: Woodcut
The UK prog rockers are back with album 16, and it is just as impressive as their other work. True, old-school prog, this thing feels very much like Jethro Tull or Yes, and certainly not in a bad way. It has definite elements of Dream Theater in there for good measure, too! The talent in playing and writing on display throughout is off the charts; even the staunchest of haters would have to agree with that. ‘The Artist’ is an insanely good opener and introduction, while epic tracks like ‘The Sharpest Blade’, ‘Warp and Weft’ (holy crap that acapella bit!) and the surprisingly short (yet still grandiose) closer are all big highlights. However, there really isn’t a bad song throughout. It’s not a small undertaking at 65-minutes, but it has a fantastic flow to it and begs to be listened to in full to really get an appreciation of the release as a whole, interludes and all. I somehow hadn’t heard of them before but they have a big new fan in me, and I’ll definitely be spinning this again in the months to come. A very solid 8.5/10!
Cj Hooper: Over Yonder
This is a fantastic little country release! It combines a lot of elements and sounds, very much wearing its inspirations on its sleeve. From the southern rock opener to the almost murder-folk ‘Hard Times’ to the Man in Black-esque ‘Rain Song’, there is plenty of variety through each track. Heck, ‘Damage Plan’ even gives off Social Distortion vibes, which at least tracks as they are a more punk Johnny Cash. The whole thing has a slight punk vibe overall, having some pretty powerful lyrics and definitely doing stuff against the norm. Plus, his vocals are amazing, having so much weight and emotion behind every word. I’d never heard of Cj before but he immediately has a big new fan in me, and I’ll definitely be going back and checking out his debut from last year soon! I would definitely recommend this if you are at all curious, and it’s another release that gets a massive 8.5/10
Demonic Resurrection: Apocalyptic Dawn
The new EP from the Indian symphonic metal band goes surprisingly hard! It’s much more death/extreme metal leaning than I was expecting given its symphonic tag. And, it’s not typically the amount of sound you’s expect from India. However, neither are knocks on the music as this is a great three tracks, and a welcome return after a few years of no releases. It’s technical, heavy and still has the epicness of a symphonic release, plenty of strings and stuff working their magic in the back. All three songs are amazing; performed, written and mixed perfectly. It’s an awesome release that is the perfect introduction into the band for people otherwise unfamiliar, like myself! If you are into the heavier side of metal, this is more than worth a spin. A very solid 8/10 from me!
P.S. some more incredible artwork this year here, too!
Lily Löwe: BEAUTIFUL DISASTER
The sophomore album from the Norwegian modern rocker is a pretty great follow-up to her 2022 debut! It’s nearly half an hour of massive choruses and vocals, backed by some fun riffs and drums. It’s very DOROTHY, or even Gaga, in the best ways. And, honestly, all nine songs of it are as good as the last! It’s impossible to pick highlights. It’s very radio-friendly and pop-infused, but also has some great heaviness at times, and the focus is pretty heavy on the rock instrumentation throughout. It’s insane to me that she isn’t a bigger name, as she could easily take the US and UK by absolute storm if she got a break. A lot of this is going to be stuck in my head for days to come, and she’s another artist that has gained a massive new fan in me! Her vocals are amazing and her writing is great too. And shoutout to the rest of the band once again, who are killing it throughout. I cannot recommend this enough to absolutely anyone, check it out immediately! 9/10
Big Richard: Pet
From the artist name, I certainly wasn’t expecting four women playing Americana/bluegrass music. However, this was sick, and I’m so glad I checked it out! The setup, while rather simple, lends itself to giving everyone time to shine on their instruments, and the vocals fit perfectly over the top of it, powerful and beautiful in equal measure. It’s got a slight darkness to it, feeling like a combination of Poor Man’s Poison and The Castellows. The opening track sets the perfect tone moving forward, and songs like ‘Alaska’ and the epic instrumental ‘Circus Jerk’ are also big highlights. However, there isn’t a bad song throughout! It may get a touch long-in-the-teeth with it being 40+ minutes of similar-ish music, but if you are a fan of traditional folk and bluegrass, you will surely love this a lot. I had a lot of fun with it, and will certainly be revisiting certain songs plenty, even if I don’t return to the album as a whole quite as much. Still, overall it’s great, and I can’t give it any less than 7.5/10!
Barrel: Triptych
Yet another amazing debut album for us to check out from last Friday! The Finnish metallers crafted nearly 40-minutes of heavy riffs, powerful vocals and some great melodies throughout, not to mention some surprising growls here and there for good measure. It’s borrows from plenty of different styles too, from melodic hard rock to thrash to doom to NWOBHM, and honestly feels like something pretty unique when combining each sound. The opener almost every element of this perfectly, and then you have songs like ‘Scavenger’ and ‘Signs for Kings’ that are a bit more focused but are certainly massive highlights. Also, the ballad ‘War’ is epic brilliance. The whole album is excellent though and clearly crafted with love, it flowing perfectly and having a couple of great little interlude tracks to add even more depth. The band have only been around a few years at this point but are surely set for big things in the next year or two after this release. They’re all insanely talented, and have crafted something both old-school and modern here. I can’t give it any less than 8.5/10, amazing stuff!
Another stacked week of new music for us to check out, from rock to metal to country! Let’s dive in!
Megadeth: Self-Titled
The 17th and final album from the thrash legends dropped to huge anticipation and hype on Friday. And honestly, as a long time fan of the band, it lives up to all of it! I feel I’ve been a bit hit or miss with their last few releases, but right from opening single ‘Tipping Point’ I was hooked, and not let go until the end of the release. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not all perfect, but there is a lot of this that I love, and I very much prefer it to their last album. It very much feels like a combination of everything that’s come before; a perfect culmination of their sound. There’s old-school, punk-infused stuff, straight up thrash, and some of the 90s and 2000s slightly lighter, more melodic stuff. And of course, everyone is working their asses off throughout, showing they are still at the top of their respective games however long into their careers the semi-session-players are. Even Dave does great; his vocals holding up far better than they have at times in previous years, and there is never any denying his guitar ability! My only slight issue is some of his ever-juvinile lyric writing, but it only pulled me out of it on a couple of tracks.
Speaking of tracks, as I said, there’s a lot to love. From the opener to single ‘Let There Be Shred’ to album tracks like ‘Puppet Parade’ and the bittersweet, slightly on-the-nose ‘The Last Note’, there is plenty to love. Heck, there really isn’t a bad song on it. We even got a cheeky Dave’s version of ‘Ride the Lightning’, it being awesome that he was finally able to release it, and is almost as good as the original!
After listening to the album a couple of times over the weekend, I really did love it. While not quite up there with their absolute classics, it’s certainly on the next level down for me, alongside the likes of Th1rt3en and Youthanasia. A fitting send-off to one of the biggest and best in 80s metal, and if you are at all a fan of the band, I can’t recommend checking this out enough! I can’t give it anything less than 8.5/10!
Poppy: Empty Hands
Almost six years on to the day that the enigmatic powerhouse dipped her toe into metal with I Disagree, she has turned into one of the biggest and most consistent names in the modern genre. Now another four albums into that, she has proved that not only is she one of the most consistent and hard working people in the scene, but that she also just keeps getting better and better. Her unique blend of modern metal with an industrial tinge makes for plenty of memorable, awesome moments throughout. Singles ‘Bruised Sky’ and ‘Guardian’ have been stuck in my regular rotation since their release, while the hardcore ‘Dying to Forget’, ‘If We’re Following the Light’ and ‘Ribs’ are great album additions. As much asI enjoyedNegative Spaces, I think this may be my favourite release from her! It has a bit of everything and flows very well and goes by in a flash. She’s heavier than ever, and the little vocal interludes lead into their counterpart tracks perfectly. For anyone into modern metal, this is an absolute must. I’ll certainly be listening to it more, and it gets a very solid 8/10 from us!
Julian Taylor: Anthology Vol. 2
We’ve already checked out this awesome collection of tracks! Read the full review here.
The Damned: Not Like Everybody Else
Three years after their apparently forgettable last album, the UK punk legends returned with album 13. Given that I couldn’t remember checking out Darkadelic aside for the artwork, this one at least stuck in my brain a little more! From Ramones to Misfits, they channel plenty of great vibes from the old-school punk scene they came from. Growing up on this sort of stuff from skating games (THUG2 for the win) it’s a sound I love and am surprisingly nostalgic towards, so it’s hard not to have a good time listening. Tracks like the opener, ‘Gimme Danger’ and ‘When I Was Young’ are all personal highlights and up there with any of the bands back catalogue, honestly. Really the only weak link here is ‘See Emily Play’; it feels out of place as the light hearted, Madness-like track on the album. But still, it doesn’t let it down too much, it’s still a fun 34-minutes of dark, classic punk music. If you’re into the genre, this is definitely a release to check out, and their best in a good long while. 7.5/10
Crystal Lake: The Weight of Sound
This thing goes HARD to open, dude! ‘Everblack’ is an INCREDIBLE modern metalcore track filled with brutal screams and some chunky, chuggy riffs. It sets the tone for the album perfectly, and blew me away! Being their first new studio release in eight years, the Japanese band make an impact immediately, and show that they are just as good as ever.
It’s hardly the only good track on the album, either. ‘BlüdGod’ follows it up perfectly. ‘Neversleep’, ‘King Down’, ‘Crossing Nails’ and the Jesse Leach-featuring ‘Dystopia’ are all also banging tracks. However, as I’m sure you can tell by now, there isn’t a bad song throughout! I even enjoyed the now-typcial closing ballad!
It’s 40-minutes of beautiful heaviness that barely let’s up throughout. It’s the perfect blend of old-school Parkway and a modern edge and production, even with a sprinkling of Through the Ashes of Empires for good measure. I’ve had a friend of mine rave about them to me a lot, but because they haven’t released much in a while I haven’t had much time to check them out aside the odd song. This has definitely turned me into an absolutely massive fan of them! They are a criminally underrated band who deserve to be so much bigger in the West, and may have just put out one of the best straight metalcore albums of the decade. 9.5/10, check this out immediately!
Kezia Gill: All on Red
Album number three from one of the leading lights of the UK country scene is every bit as good as her previous two. Her awesome vein of rock-infused country is a lot of fun, and leads to an incredibly easy listen from start to finish. From ‘Dublin’s Outta Whiskey’ to ‘Whiskey in a Wine Glass’, ‘Ride or Die’ to ‘If Heaven Has a Honkytonk’, there is so much awesomeness to go around. And that’s not even mentioning the incredible ballads like ‘Love You Next’ or ‘Barbed Wire’. There really isn’t a bad song on the release, and it’s put together exceptionally well that it never once gets boring; everything feels deliberate. At a time where country is bigger than ever, Kezia proves that the UK can bring it anywhere as much as its North American counterparts. If you are a fan of the genre, check this out immediately, you won’t be disappointed! 8.5/10
The sophomore studio album from the UK alt metallers dropped on Friday to plenty of anticipation and hype. Honestly, I’m in two minds with it. I very much like the heavy side, it giving off modern metal/metalcore vibes like Spiritbox and Bad Omens. Or, at least, the good bits of them. Sadly, it also carries a fair bit of the pop elements of both of those bands, that I’m not hugely a fan of. Tracks like ‘Easier to Die’, ‘Stay’, Kings’ and ‘Violence (feat. As December Falls)’ are good and definite highlights. The rest of it, while certainly not bad, I could sadly take or leave, for the most part. There will be a massive audience for this album, and if you are into any of the bands or styles I’ve mentioned already, I’d definitely recommend you checking this out. I feel like it’s the sort of thing that would do more for me live. And while this isn’t an album I’d revisit often, I certainly wouldn’t turn it off if it was on again, as well as most likely having the tracks I mentioned in my rotation for weeks to come. Who knows, maybe it’ll grow on me with more listens. However, for now it gets a still-solid 7/10
HamaSaari: Pictures
Another album we’ve checked out in full! Read the review here.
Virtue in Vain: Nothing is All I Am
The Welsh metalcore trio go hard with this 15-minute release. ‘Split’ is short, heavy goodness to start, while ‘Blood Eyes’ continues the vibes perfectly. And, honestly, the other three tracks on this are just as good. The heaviness is incredible, while there is enough melodic stuff to keep anyone hooked throughout. It’s honestly as much melodeath as it is metalcore, and has just a dash of prog to it too, being a really amazing mix. If I haven’t sold you already I don’t know what to tell you; check this out! This band deserve to be so much bigger than they are, and hopefully this EP is the start of pushing them to grand things. If you are at all into the heavier side of metal, check this out immediately! An incredibly solid 9.5/10 from us, and I need another full album ASAP!
Jamie O’Neil: Gypsum
Album seven from the Australian country singer-songwriter is a fun slower release into the genre. It definitely has that early 2000s feel to it that she was a part of when she broke through, though has enough of an old-school feel too to make it stand out. Her vocals are still as amazing as ever, and some of her lyrics here are fantastic. ‘Ole Heartache’, ‘John Deere Letter’ and ‘My Midnights’ are all personal highlights, and amazing country songs in their own right. And, while the album as a whole is a touch slow overall that I prefer, it’s still a damn good release! It definitely feels like Jamie still has it, and I’d put this up there near Shiver, easily. I’d definitely say to give it a listen if you’re a country fan, and I’m sure I’ll be listening to this again soon! An easy 7.5/10 from us!
Glamour of the Kill: Vengeance
The return album from the UK metalcorers, their first album in 13 years, and pardon my French but it’s fucking AWESOME. Having grown up in the era of peak BFMV and Killswitch, this channels that vibe perfectly, sadly a lost sound in 2026 for the most part. This quartet are working to bring it back in a big way here, and very much deserve to be massive because of it. It goes hard from start to finish, a melodic, heavy, thrashy nearly-hour. And honestly, every track in that time is phenomenal. From faster stuff to more ballad-paced songs, it’s all amazing. It’s impossible to pick out highlights as every song is as good as the last. I sat and listened to this through in one sitting, a rarity for me these days, and it went by in a flash. The band are insanely talented musicians and songwriters, and have crafted something honestly special with this release. I cannot recommend this enough to anyone, even if you aren’t necessarily into the style; if anyone’s gonna win you over it’s these guys! I’ll be listening to it a lot moving forward, and I can’t give it any less than 9.5/10. Wow!
Paper Kites: If You Go There, I Hope You Find It
The follow-up to 2023’s great At the Roadhouse, the Aussie indie-folk band put out another good, chilled-out release with If You Go There. It’s 40-minutes of beautiful, relaxed music, and is incredibly easy to listen to. ‘Change of the Wind’ and ‘Shake Off the Rain’ were personal favourites, but there certainly isn’t a bad song among the 10. Sure, it does get a little old by the end as every track has a similar pace and vibe, but the band know what they do well and do it to perfection. If you want something to throw on and relax to or have on in the background, this is that perfect something. It will most likely be an album I revisit more over the summer months, but I had far more of a blast listening to this than I expected to. It’s another very easy 7.5/10!
