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new music mondays

New Music Mondays: Godsmack, Steel Panther and More!

A big week of new music this week with a bit of everything! Let’s waste no time and jump right in!

Godsmack: Lighting up the Sky

The nu metal/radio rock band’s final full length album, according to frontman Sully Erna, dropped on Friday. I’ve been a pretty big fan of the band since first hearing their music in The Scorpion King as a child, despite the somewhat mixed reception they’ve had in recent years. I can honestly say I’ve enjoyed every album they’ve put out, though some more than others. Either way, I’ve been excited for this one for a while.

I mean, it was a’ight. Single ‘You and I’ is one of the worst album openers I’ve heard in a while. It’s not an inherently bad song, but a mid-tempo, blues stomper by a band typically heavier and more attitude-filled wasn’t the right call to open with. Following track ‘Red, White & Blue’ would have made a lot better an opener. The lyrics are a tad cringy for a non-American, but it’s a definite highlight of the album non the less. Lead single ‘Surrender’ is a pretty decent track too!

However, the later the album went on, the more tired it felt. ‘Truth’ was a beautiful, piano-led ballad that’s another highlight, but a lot of the rest felt like typical, formulaic Godsmack. Tracks like ‘Hell’s Not Dead’ and ‘Let’s Go’ are fun, but none of it felt fresh or new at all. I loved their last couple of albums but this is easily their weakest since The Oracle or even IV. There are some good tracks on this but it’s not as solid an album as I’m used to from the band. It’s all pretty slow and tired. Part of me hopes they do one more to go out with a bang, but then another part hopes they finish with just a little gas left in the tank. 6.5/10, though that may go up as it feels a little harsh.

Steel Panther: On the Prowl

Sorry fanthers, but this is probably going to be harsh too. It’s no secret that the joke wore out its welcome quite a while ago, and I even tried to cling on longer than most. All You Can Eat was pushing it but still had some great tracks, while everything after that has just made me cringe. It isn’t even the fact that it’s immature, but that the writing has gotten much more on-the-nose and far less clever. Compare the lyrics of ‘Friends with Benefits’ to something like ‘Community Property’ or ‘Turn Out the Lights’ and the writing really feels like it’s taken a hit. It’s the most basic toilet and sex humour now, there’s not even the slight nuance that the first couple of albums had.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not all bad. ‘On Your Instagram’ is an entertaining ballad that felt surprisingly cleverly written. And I agree with the general consensus that ‘1987’ is the best thing the band have released in years. When they’re not trying to push crass innuendos into every line, their talent shines through a lot more. Everything else felt cheep and boring after almost a decade and a half of the same shit. And it’s a shame too, as Satchel and Styxx are both phenomenal players that feel a little wasted in the band.

I found myself getting bored quick after ‘1987’, and for that reason I can’t give it any more than 4/10

Lovebites: JUDGEMENT DAY

The Japanese metal women are ready to take the whole world by storm with their fourth album. Right out of the gate the band slaps you with some insane power/thrash in the form of ‘We Are the Resurrection’ and the band don’t let up once from that point. The band are all unbelievably talented at what they do, with all of them working their asses off in every track.

Don’t get me wrong, the vocals aren’t going to be to everyone’s tastes, but I enjoyed them enough that they didn’t ruin the songs. My only ever so slight gripe is that they really do go balls to the wall for close to an hour. It would have been nice to have had a slightly slower track in the middle somewhere to break up the pace and show some diversity. Still, it’s filled with awesome tracks and gets an easy 8/10 from us!

Dierks Bentley: Gravel & Gold

Country time again! I forgot quite how long Dierks had been going until typing up this article, his first release coming back in ’03 and this being his 10th. Almost all of his work is fantastic, too.

This was no exception. After the radio-country-rock hit the album opens on with ‘Same Ol’ Me’, ‘Sun Sets in Colorado’ is a fantastic traditional country track, complete with plenty of great fiddle. We get a few more slower moodier before ‘Beer at my Funeral’ picks up the tone and fun up a little. Then there’s the huge single ‘Gold’ which deserves all the listens and high praise that it has already and then some, it’s amazing. ‘All the Right Places’ and album closer ‘High Note’ are also massive highlights of the album. The latter in particular with it’s acoustic jam for an over two-minute outro was fucking awesome.

The album suffered a little from the country thing of too many songs/too long. It’s 14 tracks at 51-minutes. However, the quality was that high and there was enough variety in here that I didn’t really feel the length as much this time. 8.5/10, great stuff!

Dope: Blood Money Part Zer0

Industrial/nu metal early 2000s titans Dope return with their first new album since 2016. Someone needs to teach the band how to count, as part zero should definitely come before part 1 (yes, I know it’s a ‘subtle’ reference to Edzel’s tenure in Static X, let me be ‘funny’). I don’t think I’ve checked out Part 1, but up until that album I’ve enjoyed the band’s output. Hopefully this is the same!

Opener ‘No Respect’ is the most Dope thing I’ve ever heard, and it’s excellent. ‘Believe’ and ‘Best of Me’ didn’t do much for me but ‘Choke’ was awesome, as was ‘Dead World’, ‘Fuck it Up’ and ‘Parasite’. I also didn’t really like the two tracks with Drama Club, ‘Misery’ and ‘Lovesong’. Both felt a little reigned in and boring compared to what I enjoy from the band.

The main issue a lot will have with this album is how long it’s taken to arrive and how many tracks we’ve heard already. Out of the 12 tracks on the album, nine were released prior, leaving just three brand new, never before heard songs. I haven’t been keeping a massively close eye on the band in recent months so had only heard a few, but it must be annoying for hardcore fans of the band to get so much before its release.

Overall, the good tracks did outweigh the meh, but it wasn’t as good as it felt like it could have been. Somehow, even though it was only 43-minutes long, it felt bloated. Then again, that has been a bit of an issue with the band for a while now. 7/10, it was good, but still could have been better!

Hong Faux: Desolation Years

We’ve already covered this one. Find it here!

Lucero: Should’ve Learned By Now

Country-punk isn’t something I thought existed or that I thought I’d type today. However, I’m happy with both, as this is great. It takes my favourite parts of bands like Social Distortion and even Rancid and adds a country twang to it that I didn’t even know I needed in my life. I’m struggling to even pick out a highlight track or three. Yes, it’s all fairly similar, but it’s all so good. The opening couple of tracks are straight up slower punk, while ‘She Leads Me’ and ‘Raining for Weeks’ take more of a country turn.

Honestly, if you’re into the more relaxed side of punk, country or rock, this is for you. 38-minutes flew by and I wanted more by the time it was over. They have a new huge fan in me, and I’mma have to go back and check out their older stuff ASAP. 9/10

Ropemaker: Interwoven

It’s not often we get to check out instrumental music, which is a shame because it’s always technically flawless. This was no exception, the Irish lot’s debut album being a heavy, deathcore/djenty masterclass. Due to the instrumental nature of the music, it’s so hard to pick a highlight track. I do have to commend them too, as at only eight tracks and under 35-minutes in length, it just about managed to hold my attention throughout. Much longer and I’d have gotten a bit bored, but as it stands I loved this! 8/10

VOLORES: AGES

Described as dark Americana, I’ve found yet another new sub-genre I love this week! It definitely still has an indie and pop edge to it, but the simplicity and emotion throughout is fantastic. Plus, the bass really reminded me of Flea, which is always a huge plus. Tracks like ‘Carrion Cry’ and ‘A Proper Icarus’ are personal highlights, but the whole album is awesome. Music like this is huge right now and with the right push this album could put VOLORES at the top of the scene quickly. It’s chilled out yet emotional, simple yet massively talented. 8.5/10

King Abyss: Snake Oil

Time for some thrash to finish off the week. The debut album is a surprising masterclass in speed, aggression and awesome metal. Honestly I felt like I was transported back to my spotty teenage years listening to nothing but heavy thrash, and this is some of the best of the genre I have heard in so long. Some of the lead guitar is honestly mind-blowing, and everyone else did just as amazingly at their respective parts. And, just when I was going to complain about it be similar, we get the Metallica-esque masterpeice that is ‘Disdain’. It’s a ballsy move putting a more ballady track track just four songs into a debut thrash album, but it was a perfect placement and a perfect track. I cannot gush over it enough.

Tracks like the opener and ‘A Short Drop and a Sudden Stop’ also make out playlist but honestly this whole album is phenomenal. If you’re into thrash or death metal or even metalcore, check this shit out. 9/10

new music mondays

New Music Mondays: Avatar, Those Damn Crows and More!

Another big week for New Music Mondays, with everything ranging from death metal to country! Check out some great albums with us!

Avatar: Dance Devil Dance

We’ve been looking forward to this album for a while (hence why it ended up on our top upcoming albums of 2023 list), so of course we had to do an in depth review of it! Check it out here!

Those Damn Crows: Inhale/Exhale

This is phenomenal. And yes, I actually said that out loud while listening to it. It’s that good. Possibly the biggest export of the UK underground scene in recent years (they can fight it out with Massive Wagons), the Welsh quintet have worked hard and deserve every single slot and height they’ve reached in the last couple of years. I’ve been a fan of them since their debut album and have seen and heard them get better and better. This album is a step up yet again, as if they weren’t fantastic enough as is.

There isn’t a bad track on it. I use my personal Spotify to check NMM stuff out on (no ads, yey) and usually like any track I want to put on the playlist. 6/10 tracks on the album ended up liked. I LOVE their early 2000s hard rock style, Shinedown/Burn Halo/Black Stone Cherry, on tracks like ‘Takedown’ and ‘Wake Up’. Meanwhile ballads like ‘This Time I’m Ready’ are excellent and fit the rest of the album so well. I could honestly gush about this album all day, and would if I don’t reign myself in quick. 10/10, it’s not even in question. Fucking amazing.

Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs: Land of Sleeper

I know what you’re thinking. Yes, that is a lot of pigs. Stonery, doomy pigs.

In all seriousness, this was awesome. Filled with huge riffs, this is like the bastard child of The Sword, Black Sabbath, Kyuss and, surprisingly, Motorhead. There’s a certain pace and attitude to it all that just screamed Lemmy to me. Tracks like the opener and ‘Mr Medicine’ are personal highlights of mine. As a fan of this band for a while now, this album did not disappoint! If anyone likes sludgy, grungy hard rock, this is definitely the album for you! 8/10

Inhaler: Cuts & Bruises

The Irish indie/pop rock returned with their sophomore album last week. Their last one was an enjoyable affair that topped the UK charts, so I’m curious to check this one out!

While it’s lighter than the vast majority of the music we cover here (and I was close to not covering it), it’s a damn enjoyable album. Tracks like ‘Love Will Get you There’, ‘These are the Days’ and ‘Dublin in Ecstasy’ are highlights of an overall very good collection of songs. There again isn’t especially a bad track on here, though it did get just a little repetitive for me after a while. Though that’s more than likely because I don’t listen to the genre as much as the same sort of pace bores me after more than half an hour. Still though, an impressive, fun album that I’ll definitely be listening to again! 8/10

Winds of Tragedy: Hating Life

This is some heavy shit. Hot off the heels of their last album just eight months ago, the black metal powerhouses are back with their second offering. If any of y’all read this series regularly, you’ll know that Overtone has been my diving in point for black metal, and that it is definitely taking some getting used to. However, it’s clearly happening as I found myself digging this. Not as much as the Avatar or Those Damn Crows albums, don’t get me wrong, but it was definitely listenable, which is a start! I don’t really have specific highlight tracks for this one, but the proggy opener was good fun, as was ‘Wake Me Up From This Act’. So, if you’re into the really heavy stuff, give this a listen! For now, I shall give it a 7/10

Screaming Females: Desire Pathway

The alt rock band are back with their eighth studio album after the biggest gap between releases they’ve have ever had. It definitely maintains the bands punk influences, feeling a perfect blend of 70s, 80s and modern punk and alt rock. Right from the offset when their opening track, ‘Brass Bell’, drops, you can tell exactly what the band are about. Interesting, quirky yet infectiously catchy vocal melodies, some big riffs and some incredibly good guitar and bass playing, maybe a little surprising in the genre. Said opening track is a highlight of the album, alongside songs like ‘So Low’ and ‘Titan’ are definite highlights. 7.5/10, a fun album!

Craig Campbell: The Lost Files: Exhibit A

The country boy returns after a full decade since his last full-length release. It is a return to roots of sorts, too, with Cambell stating ‘My fans fell in love with me when there was steel and fiddle on my records. I truly hate that I got away from that for a bit trying to chase something that wasn’t real’. I have to admit I’m not familiar with any of his work, but it made the album sound promising to me.

The album itself is pretty great, too. The opener, ‘Lot to Live Up To’, is a country rock stomper that fits in well with the heavier side of the genre these days. However, a lot of the rest of the album is a fair bit slower. Tracks like ‘Church Clothes with Mindy Ellis Campbell’ and ‘Night Like Last Night’ are beautiful ballad tracks. However, there’s enough slightly more upbeat, fun tracks to sink your teeth into. ‘Things You Do in a Truck’, ‘Johnny’s Cash’ and ‘Talk Country to Me’ are all massive highlights of the album. My only real critique at all is my usual gripe with country albums, 16 tracks is too long. But it’s 16 good songs, at least! 8.5/10

Siege of Power: This is Tomorrow

The death metal group return with their first new album in five years, and second overall. This is everything you’d expect from an excellent death metal album. From blistering speed to some insane riffing to great harsh vocals, it’s all great. It’s hard to say much else about it as anyone who knows the genre knows exactly what to expect. However, the slightly slower tracks like ‘Scavengers’ and the clean-opening ‘Ghosts of Humanity’ stood out to me as great tracks. 8/10, I will never not love a great death/thrash band!

DUSK: Spectrums

We’ve treated you this week, reviewing not just one but two albums in full! Check out the second, awesome proggy album here.

new music mondays

New Music Mondays: Paramore, In Flames and More!

Somehow, this has become a week of rebirths. From Paramore’s return to the rock world to In Flames and Delain returning with rather different line-ups to bands like Pierce the Veil releasing an album after seven years, there’s a lot of reinvention here! Without further ado, let’s take a look at all the new music!

Paramore: This Is Why

Paramore are back to rock, or at least the closest they’ve been since their self-titled release a decade ago. Rejoice! It feels a little new wave and even jazz-infused, which I definitely enjoyed. It kept it interesting and separated it from the rest of the generic pop-rock out there. Don’t get me wrong, all hint of the punk edge the band had at the start of their careers has disappeared, but this is an interesting evolution and I cannot fault their creativity. Heck, ‘The News’ is practically a math rock track in the vein of FES. It’s awesome.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not all sunshine. ‘Running Out of Time’ didn’t do much for me, and felt more like their last album. Same with ‘Big Man, Little Dignity’, though that did have slower RHCP vibes too. Same with ‘Figure 8’ and ‘Liar’. However, the darker, slower pop of the back half of the album was really interesting, giving off ‘Road Trippin” vibes. I found myself enjoying them a lot, and have listened to them a fair bit over the weekend. They’re not quite at the level of the pop-rock singles, but ‘Thick Skull’ in particular is fantastic. And Hayley Williams’ vocals sound just as phenomenal as ever.

The album has grown on me more and more with each listen. If it keeps doing such, it could be high up there on albums of the year come December. For now, 8.5/10.

In Flames: Foregone

As I mentioned before, In Flames have had a turbulent-at-best line-up, especially in recent years. While the vast majority of the members played together on the last album (aside for Megadeth alumni Chris Broderick), The Halo Effect comprises of other former members of In Flames and the current IF line-up features no original members. So while that may all sound confusing and insane, just take this away from it all… this new album slaps.

The melodeath godfathers pull out a heavy, catchy, AWESOME album from start to finish. Of course singles like ‘Meet Your Maker’ and the two part ‘Forgone’ are awesome. However, even album tracks like ‘Bleeding Out’ and the ballady ‘Pure Light of Mind’ are just as good as those, if not even better. However, there isn’t a bad track on the album, and it’s arranged phenomenally well too. It’s honestly one of my favourite albums the band have put out, and kinda blows the Halo Effect album from last year out of the water. It perfectly blends together their nu metal and death influences, and makes for an album that’s gonna be hard to beat. 9.5/10

Pierce the Veil: The Jaws of Life

Now, I’d asked Max to do this one as he’d most surely be more positive about it than I would be. Unfortunately he ran out of time, soy uo have my review…

It was better than the singles I heard had made me expect. ‘Death of an Executioner’ feels like a more modern, electronic-style My Chem track, as did ‘Flawless Execution’ and ‘The Jaws of Life’. Both reminded me heavily of the back half of Black Parade, ‘Sleep’ and ‘I Don’t Love You’, and man do I LOVE that album. ‘Resilience’ was a good, steady ballad too. The final few tracks on the album bored me a little, but honestly it was the singles that were the biggest culprits. The chorus of ‘Pass the Nirvana’ is okay and kinda Dinosaur Pile-Up. But ‘Even When I’m Not With You’ and ‘Emergency Contact’ both felt very boring indie.

It’s a hard one for me to judge overall, but I actually enjoyed more than I didn’t. I’mma give it a 7/10, pleasantly surprised!

Delain: Dark Waters

We’ve already reviewed this awesome slab of symphonic metal. Check it out here.

You Me At Six: Truth Decay

I was up and down with the last YMA6 album. The first three tracks on it were amazing, but then it went rather drastically downhill into indie meh-ness. I was never the hugest fan of the band growing up but have been told that the singles so far are more like their old stuff. Hopefully that means it’s a step in the right direction.

Opener ‘Deep Cuts’ for sure sounds like their old sound. So did ‘God Bless the 90s Kids’. If I’m honest most of the tracks did have more of a heavier, rockier edge to them than the previous album. It was alright. As someone who happily admits to not being a massive fan of the band, I found myself enjoying these enough to at least sit through the album in one go. I’m typically not an Enter Shikari fan, but my favourite track was easily ‘No Future? Yeah Right’ with Rou Reynolds providing guest vocals. It was nice to hear something heavier and Rou’s screams were excellent.

Honestly my main issue was the length, though the occasional cringy lyrics were a close second. 13 tracks was a bit much for me, especially when the first half of the album is MUCH better than the second half, in my opinion. Still though, it’s far from a bad album, just not my sort of thing. 6.5/10

Chase Rice: I Hate Cowboys & All Dogs Go to Hell

Country time! Chase at least wins the competition for the most provocative album title of this list. Sure, some death metal later on comes close, but this surely pissed off at least a few oblivious cowboys out there!

The album itself is pretty good! It’s slower, more stripped-back country than most we cover here, but it was still enjoyable and definitely one to chuck on when you just want to relax. ‘Way Down Yonder’ is a plodding, surprisingly dark, epic country song. The other single, ‘Key West & Colorado’, is a catchy as fuck ballad. ‘Bench Seat’ is even slower and simply arranged but honestly beautiful. ‘Bad Day to be a Cold Beer’ is more of the modern country style and speed and is fantastic. Heck, we get prog country with ‘Oklahoma’ and the Read Southall Band, and it’s great. The solo is insanely impressively written and reminds me of some Brothers Osbourne or Zack Brown Band.

The rest of the album is awesome too, but damn, there are so many highlights on it. And it wasn’t over an hour and 20+ songs, it being pretty concise for a country album. 9/10, this was awesome.

Distant: Heritage

Move over Darko US, there’s a new contender for the weird/extreme deathcore throne. This has a similar scratchy, electronic, massively heavy feel to it as the aforementioned band, and I love it. There’s something about music being so over-the-top heavy that I can’t help but admire the talent and effort that went into trying to beat out every other band in brutalness. ‘Paradigm Shift’ is one of the most ballsy, best opening songs I’ve heard in ages and easily makes our playlist. The album doesn’t let up at all either, with tracks like the guest-filled ‘Argent Justice’ and the title track featuring everyone’s favourite pig-squealing boy at the minute, Will Ramos. It’s not an album for the faint of heart, but if you’re into the heavier side of music, this is definitely one for you! 8/10

Frozen Dawn: Decline of the Enlightened Gods

The third album from the atmospheric black metal band and first in nearly a decade, Decline of the Enlightened Gods has a lot to live up to. To my relatively-untrained-to-black-metal ears, they did a pretty decent job of it. From the awesome death riffs to the great atmosphere created by the more ambient sounds and touches, it hooked me in immediately and kept me there. The opener was awesome but ‘Frozen Kings’ was my favourite track, it felt a little more accessible and that guitar solo ripped. Also, the title track is proggy awesomeness. Another album for the heavy music fans, but another great album for them! 7.5/10

new music mondays

New Music Mondays: The Smashing Pumpkins, Shania Twain and More!

A pretty big week for new music this week, from rock to metal to a fair bit of country. Check it out below!

The Smashing Pumpkins: Atum – Act II

The follow-up to last year’s Act I (read our thoughts on it here), Act II is at least more of the same. A fitting middle part to an album that is in large parts sadly underwhelming. ‘Moss’ and ‘Empires’ were the standout tracks on the album, mainly because they were the only two rock tracks. The former is a slower, almost sludgy grunge track while the latter channels heavy Muse vibes. Unfortunately everything else is more synth pop, like the majority of act I. It feels like it’s almost trying to ride the nostalgia wave of the 80s sound. Don’t get me wrong, none of it is inherently bad, but being a big fan of early Smashing Pumpkins in my childhood, this isn’t what I wanted to be hearing. 5/10, hopefully Act III closes things with a bang.

Shania Twain: Queen of Me

The queen of country music returns with only her sixth studio album. It’s insane that she’s sold over 100 million albums off of just the five that were released before Friday. This one will help boost those numbers even higher, too. It leans heavily into pop territory, but it’s a BANGIN’ album. Single ‘Giddy Up!’ is old-school Shania-country goodness, while ‘Best Friends’ and TikTok sensation ‘Waking up Dreaming’ are both country-pop awesomeness. ‘Last Day of Summer’ even gave me Michael Buble vibes a little bit, which I also loved. It all reminds me of early Miley Cyrus/Taylor Swift, which I am a fan of both of and really wish they’d both go back to that style. 9/10, this was awesome without a bad track on it!

All Out War: Celestial Rot

Wiki told me this is a metalcore band. Wiki lied. This is crossover thrash at it’s core, with maybe even old-school death metal mixed in at its heaviest points. It’s definitely a good album, but there isn’t even a hint of the metalcore I went into the album expecting. Bad Wikipedia. This is why teachers don’t like you.

The opening track is the aggressive, balls-to-the-wall start I love in these sort of albums. The singles, ‘Wrath/Plague’ and ‘Hideous Disdain’ are also big highlights of the album, having some awesome heavy, slower riffs as well as the aggressive thrashier elements. The whole album has a similar feel and style too it, and I’m not complaining at all. 7.5/10, good stuff!

Xandria: The Wonders Still Awaiting

The symphonic/power metal titans released their ninth album last week. Spoiler alert, it’s pretty fucking good! Opener ‘Two Worlds’ is quickly becoming one of my favourite tracks in the genre, up there with Nightwish and Within Temptation. Heck, the breakdown is awesome, heavy yet so melodic and catchy. Single ‘Reborn’ has one of the best vocal performances of the year already. Primal Fear’s own Ralf Scheepers lends his awesome growls to ‘You Will Never Be Our God’, adding et another epic layer to the dynamics. And that’s all the first three songs! My only slight issue is that the album is 74-minutes long and is pretty similar throughout. As excellent as it all is, it got a little samey by the end. 8.5/10

REXORIA: Imperial Dawn

Very similar to the previous entry into this weeks list, REXORIA are a little behind with only three albums now to their name. Because of this, while it is still very enjoyable music, it doesn’t feel quite as refined as Xandria did. It’s also a little lighter, feeling more AOR than power metal, but still having that symphonic edge. ‘The New Revelation’ and ‘Set Me on Fire’ are personal highlights of the album, with the latter being a synthy, 80s AOR masterpiece. 8/10, good stuff!

The Men: New York City

This is the closest thing to old-school punk I’ve heard in ages. It sounds like it could be ripped straight from the Sex Pistols or Ramones discography. It’s nice to hear new music in the genre, to be honest, and especially with the higher production value that this has. It’s hard to pick highlights as, like the Xandria album, it’s all relatively similar. Just 35-minutes of 70s goodness. However, personal highlights include the opening track and ‘Through the Night’. 7/10

Blackwülf: Thieves and Liars

The closest thing I’ve heard to modern Black Sabbath since that Dead City Ruin song. It’s NWOBHM as fuck, combining the best elements of Sabbath and Priest together amazingly. Evil, sludgy riffs and low, powerful vocals combine together perfectly. Heck, ‘Killing Kind’ has a very similar feel from its riff to ‘Black Sabbath’ itself. That, ‘Brother’ and ‘Shadow’ are definite highlights for me. An album you’ll love if you like old-school metal, but it has enough of a modern twang to keep it all fresh and interesting. 7.5/10

Doomsday Outlaw: Damaged Goods

This is excellent. Drawing together so many inspirations, everything from Blackberry Smoke to Soundgarden, Status Quo to Black Stone Cherry. Whether it’s through heavier blues riffs, powerful, catchy, stadium-filling vocals or lead guitar lines that would give Slash a run for his money, it has a bit of everything! I honestly cannot praise this album enough, every track is phenomenal. It was hard not to put the whole thing onto our playlist. However, three of my top songs did… but you’ll have to take a look to find out which!

One of the brightest sparks in the UK underground scene right now, this album will for sure push them into the mainstream, it’s just that good! They’ll be supporting huge bands in arenas across the world before the end of the year, and playing these amazing tracks as they go! 9.5/10

Jarrod Dickenson: Big Talk

I’d not even heard the name before, but I really enjoyed this album. It had an old-school feel to it, being more basic and stripped back, not as anthemic as the modern day country music. There was also a darker edge to some of the tracks, such as ‘Bamboozled’, that I found myself really drawn to and enjoying. And of course one of the singles, ‘Home Again’ featuring Oliver Wood and Jano Rix, was excellent. It for some reason reminded me of the non-Elvis track from Lilo and Stich, but with an Americana/indie vibe. It was hugely catchy, as is a lot of the album. The album fits in well alongside the country music that isn’t bro-country these days, and this could be Jarrod’s year! 8/10

new music mondays

New Music Mondays: Måneskin, New Found Glory and More!

Måneskin: RUSH!

The band that all the young people are obsessed with due to their (sometimes) punk attitude and catchy Eurovision song a couple of years back, Maneskin are back with their first album since exploding into superstardom. There is a LOT of hype to live up to this release, but does it manage to?

In this humble writers opinion… no, no it does not. Don’t get me wrong, it’s fine. There isn’t anything inherently wrong with it (aside the massively bloated length), and I’m sure the kids on TikTok will go mad for it. But for the sheer amount of love this band get, it’s nothing special. There are a lot more rock bands that get nowhere near as much love that I would say have released better music.

Having said that, there are some good tracks on here. ‘GOSSIP’ is a fun, catchy track and Morello does a typically amazing job for his guest spot. Tracks like ‘IF NOT FOR YOU’ and closer ‘THE LONELIEST’ are fantastic ballads. ‘LA FINE’ is, well, exactly that.

There is also some right drivel, though. ‘BLA BLA BLA’ is the worst track I have ever covered here at Overtone, and I covered Devin Townsend’s Puzzle and Snuggles. ‘BABY SAID’ feels like a worse Arctic Monkeys track. And the odd ‘KOOL KIDS’ (where Damiano attempts a terrible English accent) seems to be attacking a large portion of their own fanbase.

Fans of pop music will probably love this as they will like to think this is them being a rock fan. However, it is practically pop music. Some of it is good pop music, some of it is god awful. In the band’s own words, ‘you’re not iconic, you’re just like them all’… I’ll see myself out! 4/10

New Found Glory: Make the Most of It

One of the most underrated pop-punk bands ever, New Found Glory returned with their 12th album this week. I have to say, it’s lighter than I expected. It’s a LOT of ballads. Like seven ballads and seven live recordings. It made me go and have a look to see if it was an official album, but the band are classing it as one so so am I.

However, it’s a good album. The slower pop-punk style has grown on me in recent years, in large part thanks to Simple Plan, and this knocks that style out of the park. The harmonies are a huge highlight of the album, as are the choruses in general. But the album is so simple yet so very effective, it’s hard not to praise it all. Even the live tracks were slower, acoustic tracks. It’s a chilled out, fun but emotional album that I already have stuck in my head due to how catchy it is. 8/10

HARDY: the mockingbird & THE CROW

This fucking thing is 17 tracks long and goes on for over an hour. No matter how good it all is, can we STOP WITH THE BLOATED COUNTRY ALBUMS NOW PLEASE?

It’s generally a good album. However, it’s all very bro/stadium country. When you think of any country music released in the last 15 years or so that isn’t a fun partying song, I can guarantee it sounds like all of this. I got bored around five tracks in and it never really regained my attention.

That is, until THE CROW arrives, and turns this review and this reviewer both on their respective heads.

Wow. Okay. Give me a minute to just word vomit as after three days I’m still trying to process it properly.

The first half of the album (exactly half too, I know), the lower case half, is slower country stuff that he writes for other people, FGL etc. Then, he sheds the mockingbird persona, writing his own style of music and becomes the final form of Kid Rock. It’s fucking awesome. Just check out the transformation video below, it explains it all perfectly and sounds incredible. Then, it features everything from country rock to pop-punk to straight-up metal for the rest of the album, and I can’t get enough. ‘RADIO SONG’ is not only a satirical track making fun of country norms, but has an ironically fantastic chorus and a HEAVY FUCKING BREAKDOWN featuring Jeremy of ADTR. What more could you want?

I’ve rambled on enough about this album but honestly, check it out. As a fan of creative, out-of-the-box storytelling, especially in music where it is not done all too often any more, I loved the concept for this. And the music fully backed it up, too. Everyone will find something to love on here. And, while I still think the album could trim the fat just a little with a couple of tracks, I still can’t not give it a rare 10/10

Katatonia: Sky Void of Stars

The Swedish prog metal titans are back with their 12th studio album. While I have to admit I wasn’t too familiar with the band outside of the name, I really enjoyed this! I have a sometimes strained relationship with prog since starting Overtone, but this band kept things interesting enough throughout with changing riffs and dynamics. ‘Colossal Shade’ hooked me in immediately with that stomping, mid-tempo riff and remains a favourite track of mine on the album. ‘Birds’ was a beautiful faster track, sounding almost ethereal and had some catchy elements. The closing two tracks are also fantastic, feeling suitably epic. While not quite as mind-blowing as the previous album on this list, it’s still a damn good album and a must for anyone into proggier stuff. 8/10

Black Star Riders: Wrong Side of Paradise

The spiritual successor of Thin Lizzy put out their fifth studio album last Friday. So, if you’re a fan of the old band or its newer incarnation, chances are you’ll love this. However, that’s hardly a bad thing. Single ‘Better Than Saturday Night’ wouldn’t seem out of place among Lizzy’s greatest hits, it’s that good. However, I struggled to hear Joe Elliott on it, if Spotify didn’t tell me I would have never known. Tracks like ‘Green and Troubled Land’ and ‘Burning Rome’ are also personal highlights of mine. It’s honestly hard to find something to talk or complain about, it’s simply a good, solid Black Star Riders album. It’s nice to hear Ricky sounding as good as ever after his health issues during the pandemic! 7/10

Check out our interview with Ricky himself here.

Twilight Force: At the Heart of Wintervale

Our first power metal album of 2023 on this page, and it’s a damn good one! If you heard power metal and saw the album artwork before reading this, you’ll know exactly what to expect. Soaring vocals, quick drumming and lead lines and enough epiness to make Howard Shore hard. Whether it’s the massive, quick opener or the epic, slower ten-and-a-half minute epic ‘Highlands of the Elder Dragon’, this is maybe the most epic music I have ever heard. If anything, it was a little too fantasy storybook for me. It got a bit too musical theatre/Christmas movie for me at certain points. Still though, I cannot deny the bands talent for playing and songwriting. 7/10, it definitely won’t be the last tie I listen to a couple of these tracks.

For I Am King: Crown

This album has come out at the perfect time. Not only have Lorna Shore pushed deathcore deeper into the mainstream than the sub-genre has ever been before, but female screams are also at the height of their appeal and popularity due to bands like Jinjer, Spiritbox and Cage Fight. With any luck, For I Am King could ride this phenomenal album to the top because of this.

‘Liars’ was a standout track to me, a very good choice for the album’s lead single. It’s brutal, heavy and yet somehow maintains a catchy, melodic edge to it all. That’s pretty much the story through the whole album, too. Crushing riffs and breakdowns, insane drums, and harsh yet earworm vocals. Tracks like ‘Barriers’ and ‘Bloodline’ are also personal highlights of mine, but there isn’t a bad track on the album. 8/10

Tidal Wave: The Lord Knows

Well, this is damn fun groovy, grungy slab of desert rock nestled in with the heavier stuff, isn’t it? The bastard love child of Queens of the Stone Age and The Sword, I love it. It’s all about the fuzzy riffs and big sounds, but the Mastadon-like vocals are also impressive and fit so well. The album is chock full of highlights too, I can’t pick just one or two tracks to name. From the QOTSA-esque opener to the faster paced, heavier single ‘ End of the Line’ to the slower, plodding epicness of ‘By Order of the King’, it’s all excellent. This will be one I’ll be listening to on and off for the rest of the year, and the band have a huge new fan in me. 9/10

Oak Pantheon: The Absence

This is one of the first atmospheric black metal bands I think I’ve truly ‘got’. While I still wouldn’t sit down and listen to a track on a one off too much, I really enjoyed listening to the album in full and it gave me a new appreciation of the black metal genre. From the slow build of the acoustic-based intro to the absolute bop that is ‘Listen!’ (it has clean vocals in it *shocked face*), this was an extremely well put together and dynamic album. Even the shorter tracks had enough melody to them to keep me gripped throughout. ‘Dissociate’ was another banger, as was ‘Decisions’. But of course, the proggy epic ‘Silence We Plead’ is still awesome too. 9/10, am I a black metal fan now?

SKÁLD: Huldufólk

This is a new one for us, as it bares really no basis at all in rock music. However, it is dark AF folk music that feels heavier than some of the music on this list, which earnt its place. If anyone has played or watched THe Witcher at any point in their lives, it’s essentially the music from that. It’s fucking AWESOME. There’s even screams in here, so it’s practically metal, right? It also gives me heavy The Hu vibes with the chanting, tribal-style vocals. It’s hard to pick specific highlights as it all sounded pretty similar, but it was all enjoyable and I’d definitely recommend if you want something out of the ordinary! 7/10

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Features

Top 10 Most Anticipated Albums of 2023

Now that we are somehow in 2023 already, we have a brand new 12 months of music ahead of us to be checking out. Plenty of artists have announced or been teasing albums for the upcoming months, and we thought we’d yet again highlight a few of our most anticipated for you. Now, this is by no means all of them, and there are again too many honourable mentions to name. These are just some of the ones us here at Overtone are most looking forward to!

Metallica: 72 Seasons – 14th April

Let’s get the obvious one out of the way first. Metallica announced they’ll be releasing their 11th studio album in April of this year. Need I say more? Announced at the back end of November alongside the release of it’s lead single, ‘Lux Æterna’, it sent the internet into a frenzy. The track itself harkens back to their debut album in terms of sound and composition, and if they keep that up throughout the album, they’ll definitely have a LOT of happy fans.

While Metallica definitely get their fair share of (mostly unwarranted) hate and detractors, there’s no denying that good or bad, this will be one of the most talked about albums of the year. Speaking as a nearly life-long Metallica fan myself, it is definitely one of my most anticipated albums of the year.

Avatar: Dance Devil Dance – 17th February

A slightly more left field one now, but Avatar have been quietly bubbling away since the pandemic, putting out some cracking music. I have to admit I lost track of their singles recently, with them putting out five stand-alone tracks before starting to put out singles for their upcoming ninth album. However, sitting here listening to the three singles from the February as I write this article, they are all fantastic and have me hugely hyped. It sounds like they have drawn together the sound of their last few albums into something truly special. Heck, I remember reviewing their last album very highly upon its release and still listen to it through occasionally to this day. So yes, this is definitely a very anticipated album, at least here at Overtone!

Måneskin: Rush! – 20th January

Now, yes, we here at Overtone have been rather critical of the Eurovision winners over the last year or two. I personally don’t get the hype. Musically they are nothing special by any stretch, and are only getting big due to their punk aesthetic and attitude. That’s not a bad thing, and they definitely have at least a slight anti-establishment message, but it’d be nice if the music backed it up too. Having said all of that, they are the biggest upcoming band in the world currently, so they had to make this list.

The singles are fine. They’re inoffensive pop-rock tracks. It doesn’t sound much different from their big tracks, aside for the Maroon 5-esque ‘THE LONLIEST’ (which is good), so if you like ‘ZITTI E BUONI’ you’ll probably love it. They all have bits I really like though and I definitely wouldn’t turn any of them off if they came on. Who knows, maybe they’ll win us round with this album. That alone puts it on this list for us!

Pierce the Veil: The Jaws of Life – 10th February

Confession time… Max specifically requested this to be on the list, I wasn’t too fussed. The two singles so far have been pretty polarising for me. ‘Emergency Contact’ was very Feeder, which meh, while ‘Pass the Nirvana’ channelled some Dinosaur Pile-Up vibes which was awesome. Either way, I honestly thought the band were heavier than this. Going back to their older stuff, the stuff that I’m at least semi-familiar with, I was right. Collide with the Sky is more of ADTR meets MCR, and I remembered I actually quite liked this band. Is morbid curiosity to hear what the rest of the album sounds like enough to be one of the most anticipated albums? I mean, considering how big they are, yes, yes it is. Love that chorus for ‘…Nirvana’ though.

Babymetal: The Other One – 24th March

Another of the biggest bands of the last few years and a band that have felt like they’ve been ‘upcoming’ for ages now (c’mon guys, lets pull the trigger, we all know everyone loves them), Babymetal are releasing their fourth album this year.

This is another band I didn’t get at first, but I’ve become a big fan in recent years, in large part to their stageshow. Having said that, the two singles the band have put out so far for this album have been excellent. The heaviness is there, the amazing talent of the backing band is there, and the impressive and hugely catchy vocals are maybe better than ever. The band seem to have returned from their hiatus with a renewed passion and drive. This could be one of the biggest rock albums of 2023, so is definitely one of the most anticipated!

Avenged Sevenfold: Untitled

The only one to carry over from last year’s list, the wait from 2016’s The Stage is getting unbearable. For one of the biggest bands of this century, seven years is a long wait between albums. Especially when The Stage was so good. I’ve heard very little about the progress of this album over the last 12 months, so I’ve just got to live in hope that it is finally released soon! For now, check out one of the best tracks off the last album while we wait.

Ward XVI: Untitled

Continuing on with as-yet-unannounced albums that are sure to come in the next 12 months, one of the UK’s best underground bands are heading back into the studio early this year to record part three of their album trilogy. I’ve grown to know their music pretty well since I first saw them live just over a month ago, and cannot wait to see where the story and sound goes, following on from Metamorphosis. While they are certainly not the biggest band on this list, they have the potential to release the best, most interesting album out of all the artists on here.

Mercyful Fate: Untitled

You knew this had to show up on our list. Though not officially announced yet, with no title or release date known, the band performed their first new material (and first show) since 1999 back last summer, so we can’t have to wait much longer! Back in 2020, guitarist Hank Shermann stated that he’d already written ‘six or seven songs’ for a new album, and it seems that said songs are finally getting close to being ready for release. Seeing the live footage of ‘The Jackal of Salzberg’ has me excited too, it sounds great. It’s been a long 24 years, but we may finally have new Mercyful Fate by the end of the year!

Blink 182: Unannounced

Onto maybe just hopeful guesswork now. However, Tom DeLonge re-joining the pop punk titans, them announcing an extensive tour over the next two years AND putting out a new single a couple of months ago, surely there must be some more releases in the works soon? As I said, the touring is extensive, but there are a few healthy gaps in there, like the entirety of April and August. I’m sure it’s mainly to spend time with their families, but they can squeeze some recording in there too, right? It might be wishful thinking, but it’s still a very anticipated album, if it ever happens.

Cody Jinks: Unannounced

Another one from the rumour mill, but at least this has some merit to it. Cody was in the studio in 2022. Now, whether that’s for his solo country stuff or another release from his metal band Caned By Nod, either way it’s darn exciting. The man has my favourite voice of all time when it comes to country, and it translates surprisingly well over to rock too. Hopefully not only does this mean he’ll put out new music in some capacity this year, but that he’ll finally come to the UK soon. I’m dying to see him, and an album is the perfect excuse for a world tour, right?

And there we have it folks. What are your most anticipated albums of this year? Let us know on our Facebook here.

Features

The Top Albums of 2022

This was the hardest thing I’ve had to do for Overtone so far. 448 albums we’ve covered on New Music Mondays over the last year, so trying to whittle it down to just the best 50 seemed like an impossible task. So, if anyone is offended by this list, I’m sorry, but it is all personal preference from us here at Overtone. The three of us voted, arranged it accordingly, and here it is. 50 of the top albums of 2022, let’s just get into it!

Unfortunately we are going to have to skip the honourable mentions or this list would be twice as long. But trust me when I say there were SO MANY other albums we wanted to include on here. Aside for the new Slash album. And Machine Gun Kelly’s latest album. Yeah, fuck those albums.

50: Nickelback – Get Rollin’

I know, I know, the cojones on me, right? Starting off with the world’s most hated band (aside for maybe Coldplay or Imagine Dragons). But, hear me out… it’s a really good album.

You know what you’re getting with Nickelback, don’t get me wrong, but this album is the band at their Nickelbacky best. From the heavier opening couple of tracks to ALL THE BALLADS, ever track is pretty great. Is it as good as it could have been? Probably not. But that doesn’t stop this from being a damn good album and my favourite by them since Dark Horse. A fitting start to the list, in my not-so-humble opinion, hence why it got an 8/10 from us. Check it out if you don’t believe me and try and tell me otherwise!

Listen to: San Quentin, Skinny Little Missy, Does Heaven Even Know You’re Missing?.

49: Elles Bailey – Shining in the Half Light

The Queen of modern blues rock, Elles Bailey returned this year with her new album and maybe her best work to date. A lot of this list is pretty heavy, so it’s nice to write about one of the most relaxed albums we covered this year. There’s a reason it’s getting heaps of praise from other journalists, too, it’s awesome. If you’re a fan of the slower, stripped back , old-school style of rock, this is definitely for you!

We gave it a 9/10, and it’s easy to see why!

Listen to: Who’s That, The Game, Cheats and Liars.

48: Patient Sixty-Seven – Wishful Thinking

Three albums in and already some metalcore… that tracks. The Australian outfit have gained quite the cult following as of late due to being really quite good at social media. However, this debut album is also excellent. It feels like classic early metalcore, with plenty of heavy riffs, growls and breakdowns. However there is that awesome Sleeping with Sirens-style clean melody at points throughout too that hook in even the most anti-metal of people.

8.5/10 seems pretty apt for this album, and I cannot wait to hear where they go from here. Hopefully it’s over to the UK soon so I can see it live!

Check out our review of the album here.

Listen to: Scattered, Fatebringer, Wayfarer.

47: Demi Lovato – Holy Fvck

Charlotte: This is the album I didn’t know I needed. It’s raw, powerful and unconditionally honest. Demi Lovato shifts her pop era aside for heavy riffs (thank you Nita Strauss) and powerhouse vocals (which Demi always had but the rock genre highlights this even more so). Demi is honest about her experiences and calls out anyone attempting to diminish or silence her voice. The album’s mix is astonishing – the sound engineering is incredible and makes me appreciate it even more. I’m also in love with her special features – thank you for bringing these collaborations into existence. Long may this era continue.

Demi Lovato – EAT ME Ft Royal & the Serpent

Listen to: SKIN OF MY TEETH, 29, CITY OF ANGELS.

46: Amongst Liars – Self-Titled

The heavy, dark indie rock music continues with Amongst Liars’ amazing debut album. Riffs and catchy melodies abound, this is excellent from start to finish. Like I said in my review, it was one of the few albums on NMM that I listened to from start to finish immediately, and I have done so multiple times since. It grabs hold of your attention and holds it by the balls for the entire 40+ minute runtime. There are plenty of standout tracks on here but there isn’t a bad track on the album. We gave it an 8/10 but I’mma bump that up to an 8.5!

Listen to: Reign, Burn the Vision, Black Days.

45: Tough On Fridays – The Encore you Didn’t Ask For

One of the most recent albums released on this list, this was damn impressive when I checked it out. Considering I’d never heard of the band before, they blew me away and made me a massive new fan. The band’s unique blend of pop-punk, indie and hard rock made for a ridiculously enjoyable listen. There are plenty of good tracks on here that I’ve listened to a lot since first checking them out. This band deserve to be a lot bigger than they are. We gave it a very deserving 9/10 and it definitely deserves being on this list!

Listen to: Overboard!, Sink or Swim, The Awakening.

44: Dynazty – Final Advent

The perfect blend of power metal and AOR I didn’t know I needed until I first heard this album. It’s heavy, catchy, anthemic but somehow has a slight Sleaze edge to it all too that I cannot get enough of. Every member of the band is insanely talented, too. The vocals sore powerfully across an impressive range while the soloing is some of the best and smoothest I’ve ever heard, especially from a modern band. Max gave them a 9/10 and I can’t disagree, it’s an amazing album!

Listen to: Advent, The White, Yours.

43: Cage Fight – Self-Titled

This is how you debut as a heavy band. It’s brutal throughout and such an impressive display of talent and songwriting. Their brand of thrash/hardcore/beatdown/whatever the hell else is mixed in here is a lot of fun and infectiously heavy. If you’re a fan of the heavier side of metal you’ll love this just like I did. There isn’t much along the way of dynamics and highs and lows, but if you like being punched in the face for 40+ minutes straight, this is the album for you! we gave it a 9/10 so you’ve gotta check it out!

Listen to: Killer, Make A Decision, Respect Ends.

42: RXPTRS – Living Without Death’s Permission

A band that have exploded over the last six months or so after the release of this album, and it’s hard to argue otherwise, it is very good. Walking the line perfectly between metalcore and hard rock, Simon and the gang broach some really deep topics as they slap us in the face with heavy riffs and amazing melodies. It’s a unique style and one that is clearly going to get them far over the next few years. It’s the perfect mix of modern and old-school, and got a very deserving 9/10 from us!

Check out our interview with Simon here.

Listen to: Collapse, Burning Pages, Rock Bottom (Is a Stepping Stone).

41: Black Mirrors – Tomorrow Will be Without Us

The message behind this album is phenomenal, and has kept me coming back to it again and again since its release. Addressing the state of the world and how we are ruining it is always a deep talking point, but to handle it so well across a 10-track album is damn impressive. The folky ‘Ode to my Unborn Child’ has me going back again and again as it’s so emotional, leaving me covered in goose bumps. Meanwhile their usual brand of grungy stoner rock is on full display across the rest of the album, showing off their fantastic range and songwriting skill.

This is a really good album that deserves to be higher, but the sheer quality of this years releases made that impossible. Still, we gave it a huge 9/10 and a spot on this list!

Also check out our interview with the band here.

Listen to: Hateful Hate, I’ll Kill You, Snake Oil, Ode to my Unborn Child.

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new music mondays

New Music Mondays: Green King, Adam Warner and More!

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The last of these before the holidays, it’s only a short one this week. However, there is still some great new music released, so let’s look at it!

Green King: Hidden Beyond Time

Firstly, this is a damn good debut album. Surprisingly enough, this won’t be the first time I’m saying that this week, either.

This is a great combination of heavy metal sounds. There’s a lot of NWOBHM in there, some sludgy stoner/doom stuff, and a LOT of early Metallica thrash. His voice reminds me a lot of a young Hetfield. But then the riffing, while a bit more upbeat, remind me of a combination of Mercyful Fate, Judas Priest and Iron Maiden. Tracks like ‘Gates of Annihilation’ and ‘Steel and Ice’ are definite highlights, but it’s also just a strong album overall. If you’re going to listen to them, check out the whole album. At only 7/8 tracks and just over half an hour long, you have no excuse!

If you’re a fan of any of the bands or genres I’ve named above you need to check this out, you won’t be disappointed. 8/10.

Adam Warner: What We’re Known For

Time for some country now, which seems rare in winter. Adam‘s third album is his most ambitious yet, and looks set to catapult him to new heights. His country/blues swagger is on full display on tracks like the title one, ‘Catchin’ Hell’ and ‘Got Started’, while tracks like ‘Split a Beer’ and ‘Like Daddy Did’ shows off his slower, balladier side. And of course single ‘Reason to Redneck’ is a massive highlight, being infectiously catchy and surprisingly well written given the lyrics. Also, of course his cover of the Charlie Daniels Band’s incredible ‘Long Haired Country Boy’ is amazing, too.

Check out more country content here.

Unlike a lot of country albums these days, too, it’s incredibly well structured and balanced. It’s not overly long, just 12 tracks and 35-minutes. And there’s a pretty decent ratio (and spread out too) of ballads and rockier tracks. This is one of the better country albums that I’ve reviewed by far, and I’ll be listening to this a lot over the next few months! 9/10

Highway Queen: Bitter Soul

Another great debut album this week. Opening straight into the foot-stomping, hard rock anthem ‘Hey!’, it sets the tone and pace right from the offset. From the dark heaviness of ‘Get on Your Knees’ and ‘?’ to the more AOR-leaning, melodic ‘Here I Am’, the band clearly have a lot of talent and wear their inspiration on their sleeves. There’s some fantastic riffs and a lot of amazing melodic vocals throughout the entire album, and it’s one hell of a debut. The title track and the slow, epic closing track ‘Own Will’ are also massive highlights to a great album. 8/10, the band have a new big fan in me!

Bloodclot: Souls

The heaviest band to close out the year, how fitting. It’s a great thrash album and VERY Slayer. The opening and title track of the album could be ripped straight off South of Heaven and I love it. However, it does also have some awesome Gojira like riffs thrown in there for good measure, too. ‘Unhinged’ is just over a minute of thrash awesomeness and ‘Infectious’ was a more hardcore punk track, and a lot of fun. Plus, their cover of Bad Brains’ ‘How Low Can Punk Get’ is awesome and fun too! A great follow-up to their debut and I’d highly recommend them for anyone into the faster stuff! 7.5/10.

new music mondays

New Music Mondays: Disturbed, Nickelback and Much More!

One of the last big weeks of New Music Mondays for this year. From pop rock giants to plenty of metal and even a touch of country, we’ve got something for everyone this week!

Disturbed: Divisive

I have to admit, the title of the album worries me. I’ve been a fan of the band pretty much my entire life and wasn’t too big of a fan of their last output. I felt like the band tried too hard to capture the magic of their ‘Sound of Silence’ cover on half of it, while the other half felt heavier. While I’ve enjoyed the singles so far from the album, I’m worried this may go the same route now.

They kinda hit the nail on the head, though. It’s a surprisingly uplifting album in terms of lyrical content. Sometimes it works well, like on clear highlight ‘Unstoppable’ or ‘Take Back Your Life’. However, other times, like ‘Hey You’ and ‘Love to Hate’, they come across as more cringy. Heck, ‘Bad Man’s lyrics remind me of something you’d hear on Always Sunny in Philidelphia, they’re that cringe. Is it just me?

The rest of the elements are typical Disturbed. Big, chunky riffs that are great in the moment but all blend into one when listening to the album from front to back. The drums hold down the beat and groove well while John Moyer continues to be criminally underutilised in the band. Seriously, check out his work in Adrenaline Mob, especially ‘Feel the Adrenaline’, you’ll get a whole new appreciation for the man. ‘Don’t Tell Me’ was an okay ballad, and Ann Wilson had a passable guest vocal slot on it.

There are some definitely highlights, like ‘Unstoppable’ and ‘Part of Me’, but it’s all very typical Disturbed. If you’re a fan of the band you’ll get some enjoyment out of it, but they don’t really evolve their sound at all. It feels like Believe, a couple of good tracks but ultimately a pretty safe album. 6.5/10

Nickelback: Get Rollin’

I don’t care what anyone says, I fucking love this band. One of the first bands I fell in love with as a kid (All the Right Reasons is still one of the best albums ever released) and people only hate them because it’s ‘cool’ to do so. And heck, that consensus has even began to shift in recent years after their surprisingly heavy Feed the Machine album. They’re like the John Cena o rock music, for my whole two wrestling nerds out there reading this. The singles so far, the ballad ‘Those Days’ and heavy masterpiece ‘San Quentin’ have been well received and the hype around this album is actually pretty high, not just from me.

Tucked between the album’s two big singles as a sleazy, heavier rock track, ‘Skinny Little Missy’. It’s another highlight track and reminds me of ‘Something in your Mouthing terms of lyrics, feel and groove. Then we get one of the bands odd yet awesome country rock tracks in most recent single ‘High Time’, which is another banger. ‘Vegas Bomb’ is a fun heavier track, too.

However, then the band does its Nickelback thing and plays just so many ballads. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good ballad, and Nickelback do them as well as anyone. However, I’d have quite enjoyed some variety in the second half of the album. Tracks like ‘Does Heaven Even Know You’re Missing’ and ‘Standing in the Dark’ are still album highlights. However, having another heavier track may have pushed this album into legendary territory. But, for me at least, 3/11 tracks being heavier felt ever so slightly difflating. It will probably grow on me, but for now I’ll give this an 8/10

Smashing Pumpkins: ATUM – Act I

I hate that I’ve not been doing this music journalism thing for too long and this is already my third disc of Smashing Pumpkins to review. At the best of times they’re okay. However, I always found Billy Corgan to be similar to Rivers Cuomo in thinking that he’s gods gift to music. As a result, both put out far too many albums or far too bloated albums, like SZNZ or CYR.

At least this album is a little bit of an improvement to their 2020 effort. While a lot of it is slower almost synth-pop (not the sort of thing I’d personally want from a former grunge band) there are a few tracks that stand out from the formula. ‘The Good in Goodbye’ is almost classic Smashing Pumpkins, and definitely the best track of the album. Also, for a band that rather obviously inspired 21 Pilots, it’s really interesting to hear the aforementioned band then inspire Smashing Pumpkins on ‘Steps in Time’. It’s a fun, American indie/pop-rock track, and for once the electronics actually help the song.

However, the rest of the album felt like the same slow, atmospheric stuff that CYR was. I know it’s the first of three acts so hopefully the others pick up the pace a little. But for now, at least this one is better than the previous. 6/10. I still think he should stick to promoting wrestling…

Candlemass: Sweet Evil Sun

We’ve already had the pleasure of reviewing this awesome album. Check out the full review and the score here.

The Real McKenzies: Songs of the Highlands, Songs of the Sea

It still blows my mind that the Celtic-Punk style took off so much more in North America than it did in Scotland and Ireland, where the bands sound like they should be from. The Real McKenzies have always seemed to be the distant 3rds in the genre behind Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly, but that does by no means make them inferior. They very much prove that here, too.

The band are at the very top of their game throughout this album. From the slow, anthemic folky intro track, ‘Scotland the Brave’ through punkier numbers like ‘The Green Hills of Tyrol’ and ‘Leave her Johnny’, the album starts very strong. And of course, w2e cannot forget the amazing rendition of ‘Drunken Sailor’. Also, The Last Gang’s Brenna Red is a MASSIVE highlight of the album on ‘Swansea Town’. Her raspy, punky voice fits so well with the slower Celtic instrumentation.

There really isn’t a band track on the album, and if you like the sub-genre or the other bands I’ve named, you’ll absolutely love this. It’s a genre that isn’t given nearly enough attention and credit and for a band that have been going for a while now, this is definitely up there with some of their best work to date. 8.5/10

Tallah: The Generation of Danger

The other leading light in the new nu-metal resurgence are back with their second studio album. Heavier than their counterparts in Tetrarch, the band also draw from a wider source of inspiration with this second release. Whether it’s hardcore, industrial or straight up death metal, there’s a lot going on alongside the nu-metal core. However, it’s beautiful, perfect chaos. ‘The Hard Reset’ is a fantastic example of this, an absolute anarchy of heaviness in the riffs and verses, but a clean, catchy, almost Linkin Park-esque chorus.

‘The Impressionist’ is a little more accessible but instrumentally it’s still complex and awesome. Also, the rapping is a really great touch, especially when Justin Bonitz adds so much emption into his vocals, be it anger, sadness or all out rage. Plus, his screams are fantastic, some of the best I’ve heard all year. He has such an inane vocal range. I would say he’s a highlight of the album, but honestly the rest of the band are just as insanely talented as he is. The riffs are amazing, be it ch0nky or doing some insane pinches or Gojira scraps.

It’s another album without a bad track on it, and Tallah are a band that could (and should be massive in the near future if they keep up this energy, songwriting and raw emotion. If you’re into heavy stuff, the first two Slipknot albums or nu-metal in general, you’ll love this, it was fantastic. 9/10

Soen: ATLANTIS

An interesting one now, and one that I felt myself falling in love with more and more throughout the album. A prog supergroup formed from ex-Opeth and Death members, the band has taken on its own live in recent years due to their undeniable talent in songwriting and playing ability. Despite having the typical arrangement of a rock band, the strings are actually the major focus of the album, aside for the vocals. Just check out opening track ‘Antagonist’ to hear what I mean. It’s beautiful, powerful and epic, while showcasing the band perfectly.

From there it somehow only gets better. ‘Trials’ and ‘Illusion’ are particular album highlights, as is their incredible cover of Slipknots ‘Snuff’. I very much implore you to check this album out when you have a minute. It’s something completely different to a lot of what is out currently and it’s definitely not an album to be missed. I’m going to be listening to this a lot in the coming weeks and months, and it’s honestly bordering on a masterpiece. 9/10

Kira Mac: Chaos is Calling

NWOCR’s new big thing, Kira Mac finally releases her much-anticipated debut album, and the first release she’s put out since her amazing appearance on The Voice. With her incredible, soulful voice and her amazing band backing her up, this was a great album, and one hell of a debut.

Some of it was pretty heavy, reminding me of Nita Strauss’ solo efforts, while other tracks reminded me a lot of Dorothy. The title track was a massive highlight for me because of that riff, and tracks like ‘Mississippi Swingin” and the heavy, blues juggernaut that is ‘Downfall’ are also awesome. She’s a name that is generating a big buzz in the UK scene and for very clearly good reason. She’s going to be massive, and a strong debut like this starts her off amazingly. 8/10

Thy Listless Heart: Pilgrams on the path of no Return

The brand new doom metal band put out a pretty damn fun debut album. The sludgy riffs and prog elements were particular highlights for me. The vocals didn’t do too much for me, I understand they serve the means to an end but they felt a little flat for me. However, when they were used to build up the track, like the opening of ‘The Precipice’, it’s a whole different story, they’re awesome. In fact, that whole track was phenomenal and a definite high point of the album.

The lyrics and instrumentation are a huge highlight, and the proggier element almost gives hints of Tool at times. And anyone who reads much of our content knows how much I love Tool! ‘Confessions’ is another highlight of the album, especially the heavier choruses with the growls. It adds a fun other dynamic to it all.

Overall a good album and a great debut for a prog-doom metal band! 7/10

Isaac Hoskins: Bender

The Oklahoman native put out his third album last Friday. It’s a really good album in the vein of some of Texas’ best country artists. Tracks like the opener, ‘Panhandle Wind’ and ‘Off the Wagon’ are all big highlights of the album. I’m honestly shocked that he hasn’t become a big name by now (his first album was in 2009) as he has some amazing talent. It’s just good old-fashioned country music; steady, emotional and full of talented musicianship. If you’re a fan of the likes of Willie Nelson and Hank Jr., you’ll love this. 7.5/10

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new music mondays

New Music Mondays: Devin Townsend, Dayseeker and More!

Less massive releases this week, but plenty of great new music to sink our teeth into. Let’s dive straight in!

Devin Townsend: Lightwork

Joe: I have tried for years to get into Devin. Whether it’s his solo stuff or Strapping Young Lad, none of it seems to hook me. It’s weird too, as on paper I should love it all, but something about it doesn’t appeal to my ears.

Lightwork is no different. Don’t get me wrong, it’s certainly better than that electro-concept drivel he put out last year, but I still didn’t enjoy it too much. This is the guy who headlined Bloodstock last year, yet here he is doing synth-pop-rock, for lack of a better term. It’s like he’s trying to sound like Album of the Year or even parts of Angel Dust by Faith No More, but generally less interesting. I know I’mma catch a lot of flack for all of this as Devin has a pretty huge, devoted cult following, but I just don’t get it. Honestly, I couldn’t wait for this album to be over. I feel like maybe the tracks may translate better to me in a live setting, but I couldn’t pick out a highlight from the album. I’m sure there will be some journalists who give this top (or nearly top) marks, but I’m sadly going to have to give it a 3.5/10

Dayseeker: Dark Sun

Max: This is a review that I find quite hard to write, not because the album is bad, it is far from it, but because I absolutely adore Dayseeker. Due to this it is quite hard to not have a bias, but no one can convince me that this album isn’t phenomenal. The sheer emotion through really hits hard but it is the icing on top as it is such a raw and passionate album. The fact that they dedicated the album to the singer’s dad just makes this point even more apparent. Going from songs like ‘Neon Grave’ and ‘Dreamstate’ with the perfectly ugly breakdowns that you can’t help but pull a face to and then changing to ‘Paper Heart’ and ‘Crying While You’re Dancing’ which are so pretty and full of feeling whilst also making me want to lie down and transcend. Overall, I really think that everyone should listen to this album and just enjoy how well this band has evolved. A fantastic 9/10, quite possibly even another 10/10

96 Bitter Beings: Synergy Restored

Joe: Anyone who’s familiar with the frontman of this band will know exactly what to expect from this album. The founder of Jackass’ favourite band, CKY, formed this project in 2016, a few years after leaving his old band. As the band name implies, the band picks up right where Deron Miller left off with CKY.

‘Vaudeville’s Revenge’ is a great album starter and ‘Wish Me Dead’ is a definite highlight of the collection. The album soon runs into the same issue I have with CKY, though. I LOVE the riffs and his guitar tone is still phenomenal and surprisingly unique. But that’s where it about ends for me. The drums are pretty basic and the bass generally just follows the guitars. And there isn’t especially much in the way of memorable vocal performances throughout. Don’t get me wrong, not every band needs albums full of stadium-filling choruses, but a catchy hook to sing along with every so often would be nice. The closest I found was ‘Throw Yourself Inside’, which was another highlight. Still though, as a musician I massively appreciate and adore the guitaring, and can’t give it any less than a 7/10

Black Anvil: Regensis

Joe: Ahh, another black metal band that has such an everything-in-your-face-all-at-once production that it’s hard to distinguish anything specific, including the vocals. It’s feels like I’ve been a while since I’ve done one of these. However, I’ve clearly grown, as I was quite enjoying this! I think it helped that there were some fun vocal dynamics, with some clean backing vocals being present too. It made it all feel more epic.

Everyone played their parts well, there being some awesome riffs and some (characteristic to the genre) amazing drumming. ‘8-Bit Terror’ was my album highlight, in terms of sound ans subject matter. However, I enjoyed just about every track. Don’t get me wrong, this still isn’t my sort of music, but I wouldn’t turn it off if it came on and may probably find myself listening to this album again at some point in the future. Maybe this will be the album to win me round into the genre! 6.5/10

Black Mirrors: Tomorrow Will be Without Us

We’ve already covered this excellent album in detail. Find the full review and the score here.

Joji: SMITHEREENS

Max: So, this is an interesting album to say the least. The most important thing to note is that this album will probably make you cry just like the Dayseeker one. It tugged at my heart strings through out with lines like “I hear that you’re happy without me, and I hope it’s true” from ‘Die For You’ and basically the entirety of ‘Glimpses of Us’ where I just want to curl up and cry. This album won’t be for everyone and it isn’t perfect, but I loved it. The raw emotion in so much of Joji’s music makes it feel so personal and relatable. Never in this album did it feel to me like, like so much other similar music can, he was singing words to try and get a response from everyone or that someone in a studio had just written them for him. Instead, it felt like someone talking to someone that they can’t say is there’s anymore but still truly loves. Or maybe that’s just me hoping that’s what it is all about. Anyways it is a solid 8/10 for me.

Madeline Edwards: Crashlanded

Joe: Finally, a short, mainstream country album. At 12 tracks and just over 35 minutes long, this is like a dream come true after so many hour-long slogs! On top of that too, it’s a pretty great album!

It’s got that sort of Dorothy, folk-pop-rock style on top of the already country/americana roots. Honestly, there isn’t a bad track on the album. If you’re into country or americana or even slight rock, you’ll find a lot to love here. Having said that, it’s hard not to find the singles as the highlights of the album. ‘Hold my Horses’ is a particularly fantastic track. 7.5/10, a good, fun album!

Disillusion: Ayam

Right so a shorter album here and I can’t say that my review will be much longer. The biggest downside of this album was me not realising that there are two 11 minute songs which I thought were all multiple tracks. There are some really fun parts and I loved the changing of paces and the building up. The solo’s and the riffs were great fun. The only thing that I think might catch people off guard on their first time listening is the fact that they have songs which will end slowly or start slowly but it is worth sitting through and getting to the rest as it really doesn’t disappoint. A very respectable 7/10

Magnolia Park: Baku’s Revenge

Okay I won’t lie, not for me in the slightest. It has the same-style big catchy chorus that seems to repeat a dozen times. In fairness those choruses are fun, and the occasional scream is nice and reminds me of a more pop-centric version of A Day To Remember’s Homesick record. I think it would be pretty fun to see this band live as I can envision the amount of energy that they have on stage. For me though I don’t think it’s a genre I fit in to in the slightest 5.5/10

Ingested: Ashes Lie Still

This is more like it. This album is super heavy and intense. It was a lot to try and digest on the first time around, but it really was good fun. I love seeing bands collaborate with others and the ones in this album were fantastic. It must be said that this still has the issue that most bands within this genre have where they aren’t super accessible, but they really really are worth the effort. I hope this band tours this album near me because I would love to see it live as there is so much energy and I reckon crowds would absolutely love it. 8/10

Sarcator: Alkahest

This album grew on me more and more throughout. When the opener was a balls to the wall thrash/death metal track, I almost sighed. Not because I dislike either genre, quite the contrary actually, but because I’m pretty death-ed out in 2022.

However, by just the second track, ‘Perdition’s Hand’, my opinion had changed. the track is still heavy, but it’s a tad slower and groovier, the riffing being fantastic. By the time the album had ripped into the slow-build opener of ‘Grave Maggot Future’ and the truly epic ‘Dreameater’, I was hooked and very impressed. The sludgy, groove metal of ‘The Long Lost’ was also fantastic, especially with that acoustic intro. Heck, the same could be said about the equally proggy and epic ‘He Who Comes from the Dark’ and ‘Alkahest’. It means that when the band do go back to the all-out thrash sound on ‘Devil Sun’ it feels funner.

I know this album won’t be for everyone. It’s a heavy, dark, prog death metal album. However, if you think you’re up for the challenge I’d urge you to check out the tracks I have named above. I honestly don’t throw the word around too often, but if the opening track was just a little stronger this very well could have been a masterpiece of heavy music for me. Heck, even just a revised track order may have helped. But even so, I can’t give this any less than I 9/10

Tough on Fridays: The Encore you Didn’t Ask For

I struggled to put a genre to this, and that’s definitely a good thing. Lurking on the murky boarder of pop punk and indie, this album also feels darker, broodier and more mature than most of its genre-mates on either side. I almost called it goth pop punk but a) that seems oxymoronic or b) there already is goth pop punk, and this isn’t exactly Good Charlotte.

Oh, and did I also mention it’s an amazing album? Because it most certainly is. Its rare to find a band that would easily fit on any lineup or festival bill, and even rarer to find one that is this high a quality. Tracks like the opener, ‘Sink or Swim’ and ‘The Awakening’ all feel completely different while all being huge highlights of the album. I honestly am struggling to say much more about this album, it truly needs to be heard to be appreciated. Stop what you’re doing, especially since this is conveniently last on the list, and listen to this album right now! 9/10

So, a pretty stellar week in the end! Did you enjoy the article? As usual find more of them from our Instagram here.