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new music mondays

New Music Mondays: The Used, Dave Mathews Band and More!

A stacked week of New Music Mondays this week, featuring everything from prog to NWOBHM to country and much more. Check it out!

The Used: Worst I’ve Ever Been

The emo/alt rock band are back with their ninth studio album. I have to admit I’ve dropped off from them over the last few years. I was a huge fan of their first three or four albums, but kinda felt like I’d had my fill at that point.

Having said that, this is a good album! It feels a lot like their older stuff; big pop-punk choruses beefed out with huge riffs. A lot of the lyric writing, while a little cringy from a bunch of 40+ year olds, is solid and some of the best I’ve heard all year. Tracks ‘Numb’, ‘Pinky Swear’ and ‘Dancing with a Brick Wall’ are all massive highlights. You can definitely heat why they influence so many other modern bands, be it Fall Out Boy, Set it Off and others. And rightfully so. They should be bigger than they are, and this album is a testament to that. 7.5/10

Dave Mathews Band: Walk Around the Moon

The legendary jam band are back with their tenth studio album. Being a big fan of the band, this was another slice of excellence. The opener and title track encapsulates everything great about the band in less than five minutes. The chilled out feel, catchy melodies and jazz fusion was all on display perfectly. ‘Madman’s Eyes’ add more of their folky sound to the album and also has an incredible Egyptian feel and melody.

Almost every track feels different; you can’t accuse the album of being boring! My only slight issue is the layout of the album. There were a few too many slower tracks following on from each other. Still, tracks like ‘After Everything’ and ‘The Other Thing’ are also great. Overall it’s a great, chilled-out soft rock album. 8.5/10

Sleep Token: Take Me Back to Eden

We’ve already reviewed this album, for better or worse, here.

Chapel Hart: Glory Days

The America’s Got Talent alumni return with their third album and first since their explosion to fame from receiving the golden buzzer. After checking out a couple of tracks, including their incredible audition, I was on and off sold on them, honestly. However, this album has sold me on them. I can’t quite place my finger on what it is, either. It just feels more polished, more rounded, somehow both more country and more pop.

It still strikes me as odd how they identify as a group when 90% of it is Danica Hart. How very Babymetal of them.

Tracks like ‘Dear Tequila’, ‘Redneck Fairytail’ and the title track are all amazing. Overall it is a little slow for my liking for a 40-minute album, but that doesn’t mean the quality suffers at all. A great album and a great way to capitalise on their recent popularity. 8/10

Yes: Mirror to the Sky

The prog pop-rockers are back with their whopping 23rd studio album. We checked out their last one a couple of years ago, which you can find here. Will this one be more of the same?

Yes. I could practically copy the review from 2021 word for word, except for the stuff about it being two disc. If anything the more concise 9-tracks (although it’s still an hour) helped the album even more. It’s hard to pick out a highlight or two as the tracks are all pretty similar, but they’re all very good. Massively talented playing and songwriting and a lot of fun to listen to. Another 8/10 from me!

Botanist: VIII: Selenotrope

This is black metal? Well, there goes my growing, albeit tiny, understanding of the sub-genre. Don’t get me wrong, I can hear it in the drumming, and in the utterly terrible production and mixing, but I wasn’t expecting the green, naturist vibes and slower pace overall. I also couldn’t tell if the vocalist was whispering, or screaming from way back in the mix.

I wasn’t into it. As a whole album, it did have a cool energy and flow to it all. Listening from front to back I got what it was going for and did find it an interesting listen. But I probably wouldn’t rush to go back and experience it again and definitely wouldn’t just go for a track or two. 4/10

Damien Done: Total Power

The goth/alt/punk rockers put out their sophomore album last Friday. Honestly, though I didn’t particularly like the opening track, I LOVED a lot of this. Tracks like ‘Black Moon’ and ‘Young Drugs’ feel straight out of Billy Idol’s playback, it’s great. Even the more electro, darker pop stuff like ‘Always on Fire’ is awesome. It’s so brooding, it reminds me of something Trent Resnor would put together for a movie soundtrack. Even the Lou Reedstyle delivery on ‘Fin Dom’ was great. If you’re into more of your 80s synth-rock style, this is definitely for you. 8.5/10

Marty Stuart: Altitude

The country legend himself has put out his first album in over five years. It’s also insane that he’s been making music for the best part of 60 years and he’s still making music this good. ‘Country Star’ is an old-school country classic already, while tracks like ‘Vegas’ and the slower ‘Space’ are also fantastic. It’s a proper old-school country album, and an amazing album to just sit back and chill to. At 64, Marty has done it again! There isn’t a bad track on the album, and if you like the genre, check this out! 8/10

ROADWOLF: Midnight Lightning

NWOBHM revial band ROADWOLF are back with their first album in two years, and first with Napalm. It’s the third album in a row on this list that is damn good. Think old-school Judas Priest mixed with a hint of AOR. It’s again hard to pick fault with it; it’s a well produced, well written, solid rock album. It does nothing to re-invent the wheel or anything even close, but it’s fun and very enjoyable. Highlights include the W.A.S.P-like title track, ‘Don’t Deliver Us From Evil’ and the frankly perfect ‘High Under Pressure’. Long time readers will know me, any time there is horns in rock and metal it’s amazing, and that solo came out of nowhere and was AMAZING. 8.5/10

Brandy Clark: Self-Titled

Another artist, alongside Marty, that we reviewed at The Long Road last year (check out the article here). Her new album is a little on the slower side of country, but maintains the same awesome sound and writing capacity and style that she is known for. It’s almost like easy-listening country. It reminds me more of Jack Johnson or Newton Faulkner than any modern country artists. Tracks like ‘Tell Her You Don’t Love Her’ and ‘Best Ones’ are personal highlights. It did get a little repetitive by the end, though, so I can’t give it any higher than a 7/10

Gozu: Remedy

Owen: It has been five years since Boston group Gozu have released an album. Remedy is a strong return for the group. The group have a clear talent for straight cut heavy rock. Expect chunky rolling riffs, some wailing solos, and all the usual sounds of the genre. Gaffney’s vocal work on this album is a real standout; at times it has a likeness to the late great Chris Cornell or even Ozzy back in the day. Opening track ‘Tom Cruise Control’ is a highlight of the album. However, it does go downhill from there. ‘CLDZ’ starts off well but by the end just feels self-indulgent, a theme that they unfortunately carry throughout the rest of the album. The songs feel too similar as you work through the album. It would have been great to hear the group try something different and stretch their legs a bit in some of the later tracks.

The five year break between releases has been attributed to both the pandemic and struggling to find a drummer to complete their sound. Seth Botos joined the group for Remedy and seems to have been the key to them getting back on
track as a band. There seems to be some real talent amongst the members that is almost
restricted by the songs in this album. Overall this is a solid first step to getting back on the road and establishing their new roster with Botos. The flashes of brilliance tell me these guys could be one to watch for the next couple of years, but that is heavily reliant on what they do from here. 6.5/10

Mystic Prophecy: Hellriot

Another NWOBRH style band but with a modern, almost power metal edge, Mystic Prophecy’s 12th album is a slab of full-force awesomeness. It very much has feelings of Iced Earth, Overkill and even some more modern stuff like Painside and even Parkway Drive. You know exactly what you’re going to get from the band, it’s straight to the point and does its thing to near perfection. Every memeber of the band is massively talented. Highlights include the opener, ‘Metal Attack’ and ‘Road to Babylon’. It’s a solid metal album that’s a lot of fun if you like the style. 8/10

new music mondays

New Music Mondays: Dropkick Murphys, Devildriver and More!

Another busy week of new music, packed with plenty of different bands and genres to check out. Let’s dive straight in!

P.S. not only do we have Max joining us again, but also our new recruit, Owen!

Dropkick Murphys: Okemah Rising

Owen: Dropkick Murphys’ newest release, ‘Okemah Rising’, is the 12th studio album from the Massachusetts band. Stretching their legs in the country and western genres with the aid of Woody Guthrie’s lyrics, similar to their previous release last year, the songs are comprised of
unused words and lyrics accessed by Guthrie’s daughter Nora who stuck around as an Executive Producer for the songs.

Standout tracks from the album include; ‘I Know How It Feels’; a working class anthem with lyrics that still feel applicable today despite being written about struggles faced nearly 100 years ago. ’Rippin Up the Boundary Line’; a rhythmic sing-along that could have
one day been a sea shanty or a chain gang song. With vocals reminiscent of Tom Waits, this track is a brilliant blend of the Dropkick Murphys signature sound and the country western influence of Guthrie’s own work. The final new track (before a reimagining of ‘I’m Shipping Up To Boston’ titled the ‘Tulsa Version’) is a track called ‘Run Hitler Run’. This was the gem of the album for me, a fast-paced, harmonica-wailing protest against fascism calling out numerous dictators of the era. The
band have managed to make this album stand on its own two feet whilst still feeling like a continuation from their work on their 2022 release ‘This Machine Kills Fascists’. I for one hope they push on down this path and rescue more potentially lost work of influential artists across
different genres. 8/10

Devildriver: Dealing With Demons Vol. II

We’ve already had the pleasure of checking out this brutal slab of groove metal. Check out what we thought here.

Cattle Decapitation: Terrasite

So I’ve been seeing this album everywhere on socials. Though deathgrind typically isn’t my thing, I was excited to check it out. Fuck, this is GOOD. It’s brutal, heavy and massively talented. The drums are on a new level that I could barely comprehend, Dave McGraw needs so much more credit than he gets. The riffs were great, the breakdowns slap and the gutturals and growls are amazing. I love this album.

I’m struggling to single out just a couple of tracks off it too, as each one is just as good as the last. Right from the heaviness of ‘Terrasitic Adaption’ and its three completely different vocal styles (lows, extreme metal screams and a surprisingly good clean section) through the two singles to the all out perfect assault that is ‘A Photic Doom’, this is a 50+ minute lesson in speed, aggression and awesomeness. The band have a new fan in me, and deserve all the praise they are getting for this album. 9.5/10

Amity Affliction: Not Without My Ghosts

The post-hardcore/metalcore band’s eighth album is heavy. ‘Show Me Your God’ is a damn hard opener, while single ‘Hell Down Here’ has a damn good poppy chorus hook, but around that is practically deathcore. Said format is used throughout to varying degrees of enjoyment.

‘Death and the Setting Sun’ is great, as is ‘Close to Me’. However, tracks like ‘I See Dead People’ and ‘God Voice’ felt like it forced the clean and harsh vocal changes. Heck, all but one of the tracks are pretty formulaic for it, doing the same heavy verse, clean chorus throughout. I know that’s usually how a lot of heavier metalcore goes, but it’s one of the reasons I didn’t get into bands like this when I was heavily into the genre. I like bands that keep it a little more interesting, like BFMV or Killswitch Engage. Also, don’t even get me started on that closing ballad. It felt less metalcore and more Blink’s ‘I Miss You’.

There’s a few cool moments in here and a decent song or two, but I got bored pretty quick and not much made me want to go back for a second listen. 5/10

Black Spiders: Can’t Die, Won’t Die

A band that I’ve been a fan of for a long while now and I was so excited when they finally returned from hiatus. Being the first release since their reunion, this album’s got a lot of hype behind it. Does it live up to it?

Somehow both yes and no. While nothing on the album is quite up to the lofty heights of ‘Kiss Tried to Kill Me’ or ‘What Goods a Rock Without a Roll?’, overall this may very well be the strongest album front to back the band have ever done. It’s clear the band have evolved upon their return, a slightly slower pace with more influences dragged into the sound such as a surprisingly heavy Alice In Chains vibe. Lead single ‘Hot Wheels’ has grown on me more and more every listen and the Marylin Manson inspired, AICs sludging ‘Destroyer’ is a MASSIVE album highlight.

Honestly, there isn’t really a bad track on the album. There are some I like more than the others but the quality overall is massively high. If you’re into hard rock, NWOCR or even grunge at all, you’ll love this. 8.5/10

Parker McCollum: Never Enough

The country/Americana singer put out his fourth studio album on Friday. It’s rather quite good. Having never heard of the guy before, ‘Hurricane’ was a fantastic introduction. While it started a little slow, it built and built into a huge chorus and an almost Brothers Osbourne/Zac Brown outro. It does slow down for a few tracks after that, but tracks like ‘Stoned’, ‘Handle on You’ and ‘Speed’ are more upbeat, incredibly catchy and definite highlights.

I do think it just about fits into the category of ‘country albums that are just to fuckin’ long’, though. It’s just shy of an hour long and is 15 tracks long. However, I’d consider letting it off as, while on others it’s clear where to trim the fat, I honestly couldn’t imagine cutting a single track off this. It is an honestly phenomenal collection of tracks that I cannot find any fault with. After listening to it all the way through, the track-listing even makes complete sense. 9/10, great stuff!

Veil of Maya: [m]other

Max: Back to my normal style of music. The Illinois quartet is back with another fantastic album and this one might be their best yet. They really went above and beyond, expanding on everything that the band has become known for. The screams were amazing throughtout and they were perfectly balanced with the clean vocals. Both had so much energy and made each song a lot of fun to listen to. As for the guitars, i dont think i understand anymore because there is so much going on and there are so many insane noises that i didnt think were possible to play on a guitar that it became hard to keep up. This was not a bad thing however as it just made listening to this band a lot more enjoyable. Overall 9/10

Cody Ikerd and the Sidewinders: Dreamers Like Me

The debut album by the sludgy, country rockers is a hell of a lot of fun. It reminds me of the best part of Brantley Gilbert with a traditional twang to it. Like a heavier Blackberry Smoke, and definitely a lot of Lynyrd Skynyrd in the slower tracks. It’s hard to come up with stuff to say about it as it’s only seven tracks and 25-minutes long. My only critique is that it maybe needed another rockier track. It got off to a roaring start and then slowed off pretty massively by the end. Still though, all the songs are good, and if you’re into country you’ll like this! 7.5/10

Hot Mulligan: Why Would I Watch

With it being Hot Mulligan, you would be right in expecting the raw vocals throughout the entire album that have so much pain and emotion in them. This album also has the punchy and fun guitars for which the band has become known. There’s one issue with the album, though. There are glimpses of the pure excellence of the band sprinkled throughout but it felt as though the band went for a more radio-friendly and accessible version of themselves for this album rather than album all of their unique talents to carry the album. 7.5/10

Nighthawk: Prowler

I actually found this album through an ad on Facebook. So, for all those aspiring musicians out there, just know, they do work! Sometimes…

As for the album itself, it’s a great callback to the late 70s, early 80s rock scene. A perfect blend of the US glam scene’s beginnings and the height of UK early heavy metal with the likes of Deep Purple and Dio. The keys/synth was a huge highlight, as were the huge choruses filled with Ian Astbury-like powerful vocals. The riffing and drums, while a tad basic at times, fit the style perfectly and added so much to the sound. The soloing from the guitars and keys throughout were also fantastic.

Tracks like ‘Running Wild’, ‘Free Your Mind’ and ‘Playing the Game’ are big highlights. They’d fit in perfectly with the NWOCR movement in full swing these days, they remind me a lot of Cats in Space. 7.5/10, a great album!

Acadia Strain: Step Into the Light

This is most certainly their best album yet, in my opinion. It is crunchy and heavy with all the intensity that you would want from this band. There are layers to every song, from the vocals to the guitars to the drums. There is so much going on, and it feels great to listen to. There’s room to develop as they didn’t seem to delve too much into trying anything new or to push the boat out at all, but everything they did was intense and very well done. There was also the hard-hitting nature of lots of their lyrics which ended up sticking with me far after I had finished listening to the album. 8/10

Averlanche: Arctic Atlas

A power metal sophomore album to close out our list this week, and a damn good album to cap it all off. It’s everything you could want in a symphonic power metal band; big riffs, soaring, beautiful vocals, HUGE choruses and plenty of talented playing and lead lines to leave anyone impressed.

Tracks like ‘Killing Floor’ and the beautiful ballad ‘Island Across’ are huge highlights for me personally. My only ever so slight gripe is in the production; it doesn’t quite feel as massive as it could (and really should) do. Something is missing to push it to that very top tier in the genre, and I honestly think it’s only down to the mixing. Also, the playing at times, and this is completely personal preferences, is almost too clean. A couple of the riffs the guitars seem to transition almost robotically through the chords, leaving little feeling to it. However then moments later I’ll get slapped with an emotion-filled solo that puts my foot in my mouth.

If you’re a fan of Nightwish, Delain or even 2000s Iron Maiden, you’ll fall in love with this. 8/10, this was awesome! I already can’t wait to hear more!

new music mondays

New Music Mondays: The Smashing Pumpkins, Therapy? and More!

A STACKED week of new music this time, with everything from country to melodeath and everything in between! Let’s waste no time and check it out!

The Smashing Pumpkins: ATUM, Act III

The third and thankfully final part of the ATUM trilogy. As you can tell by our previous reviews, the previous two parts have been mid at best. Let’s see if this one finally ends things on a high note.

It has the weakest opening track of the three, 7+ minutes (!) of boringness. The following track is at least rockier and a little heavier, but it’s not massively more interesting. It could be good live if I didn’t already know from experience that they’re boring as FUCK live. ‘In Lieu of Failure’ is another rocking track with a decent riff running through it. It’s easily my favourite track on the album, and feels almost old-school TSP. ‘Harmageddon’ also has a pretty decent riff running through it. ‘Spellbinding’ has the typical big pop chorus for a single, but the track in general is meh.

All of the rest of the tracks are the same mid-to-slow-tempo synth-pop/ballad bollocks. Imagine having the balls to release a 2+ hour long triple album, and 85% of it is the same boring, slow crap that isn’t anything like the tracks that made you big. On the one hand I admire the hustle, but on the other hand I really didn’t enjoy the concept overall. Trimming the fat, they could have had one really strong album here, not three. Bloated isn’t even the word, and it feels massively uncreative to constantly make the same sounding stuff. 3/10, thank god I don’t have any more of these to sit through now.

Therapy?: Hard Cold Fire

One of the lost bands of the 90s, the Irish rockers have been one of the most consistent bands around for decades, this being their 16th album. Most of their discography is solid in quality, too. Let’s see if this one holds up to the others!

It’s 30 minutes of big, fuzzy riffs and early 2000s radio metal melodies. I loved it. ‘Woe’, ‘Bewildered Herd’ and ‘Poundland Hope and Glory’ are all excellent tracks. There isn’t really a bad track on the album, either. It is somehow both grunge and post-grunge at the same time, which is awesome. If you are into either genre at all, check this out, you won’t be disappointed! 7/10

Deathstars: Everything Destroys You

The industrial metal Swedes finally return with their fifth studio album. After almost a decade of waiting (a few of those years because of the pandemic) it is finally here.

It’s alright. There’s nothing at all inherently bad about it, it’s all good, enjoyable music. But none of it hooked me. I’m writing this after the first full listen to the album and I honestly couldn’t repeat a single hook or moment from it. It’s a fun industrial metal album joining together elements of Rammstein, Avatar and even ASP. But it doesn’t do anything new in its execution, just makes me want to listen to the aforementioned bands instead.

If you’re into slower, gothic industrial metal, this may very well be right up your street. But this didn’t really scratch any itch for me. 5/10

Justin Moore: Stray Dog

The most stadium country album I’ve heard in a while, and I loved every second of it. Right from the opening duet with Riley Green where they just list off country things, you know exactly what to expect from the rest. But damn if it isn’t one of the best stadium country albums I’ve heard in a good long while.

There really isn’t a bad track on the album. ‘That wasn’t Jack’ is a stadium filling ballad if I’ve ever heard one. So is ‘With a Woman You Love’. So is ‘Better Slow’. See where I’m going with this? It’s all very much the same pace and vibe throughout. However, it’s also only eight tracks and 27-minutes, so it’s a lot more palliable and easier to let off than most country albums. I’m not usually a big Priscilla Block fan either, but ‘You Me and Whiskey’ with her as a guest is one of my favourite tracks on the album.

If you’re into radio country these days that still has a little old-school feel and integrity, you’ll love this. 8.5/10, this was great!

Statues: Black Arcs Rising

Another Swedish band, this time alt rock and the third album by the band! The first thing that sprung out to me about it was the mixing. The guitars felt really far forward, with the bass being quiet and muddy and not filling out the sound as much. Because of this, it felt like there was a big empty hole in the sound in the middle. That’s what it sounded like to me through my headphones, anyway, others may hear different. It wasn’t as bad during the odd big chorus when the power chords fill out the sound fully, but the rest of the time it sounded odd.

The tracks themselves were actually pretty enjoyable. I’d LOVE to see it live, I feel like a big round sound for it and a couple of drinks and I’d have the best time. Tracks like ‘Chemicals’ and ‘Phantasm’ are highlights for sure. The band are at their best for me when they let their punk edge take over. Short and sweet, quick tracks like ‘Hiding in a Hole’ are great. 7.5/10, good stuff!

Burning Witches: The Dark Tower

The all-female heavy/power metal band are back with their fifth album in six years. Considering how consistent that release schedule is, the quality is still ridiculously high.

‘Unleash the Beast’ is one of the best opening tracks on an album I’ve heard in quite some time, and features the amazing (no, not that one) Courtney Cox on guitar. Tracks like ‘Renegade’, ‘Doomed to Die’ And the title track are all incredible. ‘Tomorrow’ is a fantastic ballad, too. The whole thing reminds me of Judas Priest’s Painkiller, which is a HUGE compliment as that’s one of my favourite albums ever. It feels like an modern evolution of that sound, adding a little more power and heaviness to it.

I honestly cannot praise this album enough. Every track is incredible and you don’t feel its hour plus length at all. I’m going to have this blasting for weeks/months to come. 9.5/10

Megan Moroney: Lucky

More radio-country, and more very good music. Megan Moroney’s debut is finally out! There’s a little more variety to this album at least, too, as we go from slower acoustic stuff on ‘I’m Not Pretty’ to a more upbeat, Shania Twain style title track and plenty in between. It’s needed too, as it’s a bit longer than Moore’s, though still nowhere near as insuferably long as 80% of modern country albums.

The darker, rockier ‘Another on the Way’ is my favourite track on the album and a HUGE highlight. However, there is a lot to love on this album. Tracks like ‘God Plays a Gibson’ and ‘Sad Songs for Sad People’ are also great. It hits all the right beats for a good country album, and does it masterfully. For someone so young, too, she has a massively bright future in the industry. If she isn’t big already, this album will push her to the top for sure. 9/10. I cannot wait to see her at The Long Road!

Frail: Stand by Me in the Storm

The start of a lot of metalcore on this list, not that I’m complaining. The Finnish band’s sophomore album combines metalcore with a lot of alt and hard rock sounds too, making an incredibly interesting, varied sound. Opener ‘Zealot’, as well as being amazing, gave off lots of ‘Heart from your Hate’ style Trivium vibes. Meanwhile followup ‘Come Back to Me’ is a slower, more anthemic, radio metal track akin to more of a modern BMTH track.

‘Children of Depravity’, ‘Mirror’ and the beautiful ballad ‘Demon Dopamine’ are all massive highlights, too. However, that’s not saying a huge about, as there isn’t a bad track on the album. They definitely have a new fan in me after this album, and anyone who’s into rock or metal should check it out immediately. 9/10

Unearth: The Wreched, The Ruinous

Some tasty metalcore, this is. Feeling like a combination of early All that Remains and that heavier Atreyu album, all combined with their usual heavy brand of melodic music, there’s a lot to fall in love with. It’s honestly hard to pick favourite tracks as they’re all great. From the heavy riffs and breakdowns to the perfect screams and insane lead guitar and drumming work, it’s all amazing. If you’re into earlier 2000s metalcore, then you’ll love this. Every member of the band is on top form throughout, I can’t fault a thing. 8.5/10

Velvet Rodeo: Back in the Saddle

An country/Americana duo up next, with their debut album! Having never heard the band before, I’m damn happy I check it out. Opener ‘Bridges That I’ve Burned’ is the perfect introduction to the act, while ‘Wasted on You’ is a great followup to showcase the second half of the duo. ‘High Heel on the Pedal’ and the title track are two massive highlights of the album.

It’s a great 38-minute piece of music to put on and chill too. It’s a fantastic debut filled with catchy melodies, huge choruses and some great lyrics. It reminds me of a band I covered a few weeks ago, White Rose Motor Oil (check it out here). Can’t fault it at all, I’ll be listening to it a lot more in the coming months and can’t wait for more! 8/10

Currents: The Death we Seek

The djenty metalcore band are back with their third album. I’ve seen a lot of buzz in the buildup to this album and even more after it’s release. Safe to say, I can see why. Damn, this is awesome.

Right from the album opener and title track, the aggression and heaviness hits you square in the nose, and doesn’t let up much at all. The guitar tone is filthy and the low, heavy riff that opens ‘Living is Tragedy’ is phenomenal. It reminds me a lot of the stuff that Darko US are doing at the minute, but with a cleaner, metalcore edge to the heaviness too. ‘Unfamiliar’ is kinda lighter, if huge chuggy riffs and screams can be considered lighter. But the ethereal verses are great. Tracks like ‘So Alone’ and ‘Gone Astray’ are also HUGE highlights.

Again, I fully see why this band are getting the hype they are right now. This is an amazing album. They’re going to be the next big heavy band, I can feel it. It feels reminiscent of when Parkway and Architects started breaking through into the mainstream. 9/10

Enforcer: Nostalgia

And we finish this week on some aptly titled NWOCR revival music. It definitely rides the wave of nostalgia for bands like Judas Priest, Journey and Anvil. In that vein, it’s fine. It reminds me a lot of bands like Eclipse and W.E.T, that heavier, modern AOR sound. I feel like I’d get into it a lot more after seeing it live, hearing it on track isn’t doing a great deal for me. Still, tracks like ‘Unshackle Me’ and ‘Metal Supremacia’ are awesome highlights. 7/10, good but felt like something was missing.

new music mondays

New Music Mondays: Crown the Empire, The Damned and More!

Another more reserved but stacked week of New Music Mondays. Without any putting off, let’s dive in!

Crown the Empire: Dogma

Max: What can I say, this album was great. It had odd moments where I wasn’t sure if I liked it or not but over the last few days, I have grown to love every song on the album. Whilst every track on the album had something for everyone, with the intensity of the screams throughout to the features from Courtney LaPlante (Spiritbox) and Remington Leith (Palaye Royale), there was one song in particular that stole the show for me, ‘Labyrinth’. The hook going in to the chorus is outstanding and the screams throughout the song are incredibly good. With all this in mind it is a solid 10/10 for me. It scratched every itch.

The Damned: Darkadelic

Punk legends The Damned put out their 12th studio album and first in half a decade last week. It’s alright. They’re one of the few bands I haven’t ever really gotten around to checking out from the scene, and with their acclaim I honestly expected a tad more. I like the slightly darker edge to it at times, being closer to Misfits than The Ramones. Tracks like ‘You’re Gonna Realise’ and ‘Waking the Dead’ were highlights for me, but it all felt just a little tamer than I was expecting. There were some good riffs, but maybe it was just a bit too British for me. 6.5/10

Kip Moore: Damn Love

Country time, and it’s early this week! Damn Love is slow, let’s get that out there straight away. Anyone expecting something closer to The Cadillac Three or Brothers Osbourne or even ‘Somethin’ ‘Bout a Truck’, this isn’t that. Don’t get me wrong, there are a couple of tracks that could almost be considered upbeat, like ‘Kinda Bar’. However the rest is slow, emotional ballad country. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as ‘Sometimes She Stays’ and ‘One Heartbeat’ are two of the best tracks in this sort of genre I have heard in a while. But nearly an hour of it definitely got boring. It reminded me more of slower Springsteen or Adams than a country artist. The fun seems to have left country a lot this year, most is so depressing and slow! 6/10

Defiled: The Highest Level

Max: This album definitely showed off the stamina of the drummer very very well. The drummer just wouldn’t relax at all which was great. Other than this though the album was good but there was nothing too exceptional throughout. The vocals definitely grew on me and after checking out their earlier work it is clear to me that they are getting better and better so I am excited to see what they will do in the future as I think they have the capability to be very very good. 7/10

Redshift: Laws of Entropy

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

Chrome Waves: Earth Will Shed its Skin

Max: This album had some interesting things I must say but overall it wasn’t for me. The guitars and drums were very very good and the unclean vocals were good fun. There was definite complexity to the album with a variety of things happening through its 40 minutes. However there was something about the mix of the clean vocals that I didn’t enjoy, especially with ‘Under the Weight of a Billion Souls’. It would be interesting to hear this album live as I don’t think that the issue is with the vocals themselves. 6/10

Andrew Swift: Lightening Strikes and Neon Nights

More slower country, though this album has a bit more of a rock edge to it. It also has that 80s soft rock vibe to it like Kip did, but more emphasis on the ‘rock’ part. The choruses are big and stadium-filling. It all feels vaguely folk-indie-rock, almost like Band of Horses or Cold War Kids. It’s still country though, on top of all of that, and a really enjoyable album. ‘Young Lovers’, ‘The Question’ and ‘The Good Old Days’ are all huge highlights. However, there isn’t a bad track on the album. I couldn’t take the smile off my face listening to it, it was chilled out, fell good country and I’d LOVE to see it live. 8/10

Ignea: Dreams of Lands Unseen

Max: Firstly the switch between the first track in to the second is amazing. as for the rest of the album there is a lot to enjoy from the Ukranian band. For me the clean vocals and the orchestral parts really stole the show but it is easy to see how it would be the intensity and precision of all of the instruments or the harsh unclean vocals that draw you in. There really is a lot for people in this album. I would say that it is most certainly worth the listen and they deserve a lot of recognition as it is clear how much work and passion went in to this album. 9/10

Enforced: War Remains

Time to go back to my teenage years with some thrash/death, and a damn good version of it, too. I haven’t heard of this band before but they for sure have a new fan in me. Right from the start with ‘Aggressive Menace’ it was just over half an hour of speedy, heavy excellence. Single ‘Hanged by my Hand’ is also amazing, as is the title track and ‘Empire’. My only one request would have been to have a ‘Seasons in the Abyss’ slower track, but this album was a short enough shot of pure adrenaline that I didn’t mind too much. 8/10, great stuff!

Gord Bamford: Fire It Up

The closest thing to mainstream country we have this week. It’s very Chris Young/Cole Swindell in the best ways. Tracks like the title one, ‘Hair of the Honky Tonk Dog’ and ‘Sober in a Drinkin’ Song’ are all huge highlights. It’s hard to say much about the album as it’s exactly what you’d expect. It’s good, full of great songs, and just good fun country. Even the slower closing ballad is great. One for us to watch, for sure, as I hadn’t heard of him before now. 8.5/10

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

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

Enter Shikari: A Kiss for the Whole World

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

This album didn’t change my mind.

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

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

Jethro Tull: RokFlote

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

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

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

The 69 Eyes: Death of Darkness

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

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

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

Angus McSix: Angus McSix and the Sword of Power

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

Alice Howe: Circumstance

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

Portrayal of Guilt: Devil Music

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

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

Phaeton: Between Two Worlds

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

Signs of Chaos: Blindsided

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

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New Music Mondays: Metallica, Overkill and More!

A huge week for new music thanks to the main band. The fact that anyone has put out an album the same day as Metallica is insane, but there is plenty to sink our teeth into and some really great stuff at that. Check it out with us!

Metallica: 72 Seasons

Arguably the biggest band of all time, and easily one of my favourites. I had to give this my full attention, so read the full review here.

Overkill: Scorched

The 20th album from the thrash legends picks up right from where 2019s Wings of War left off. The opening title track really highlights the band’s sound not just over the last decade but over their whole careers, and is an excellent place to start. They have easily been one of the most consistent thrash bands around alongside Exodus. ‘Goin’ Home’ is jam packed with great riff after great riff and has one of my favourite guitar solos on the album. It’s also amazing how well Blitz has looked after his vocals over all these years, sounding up there with the likes of Bruce Dickinson and Rob Halford these days. The drumming is the real unsung hero of the album though, Jason does an incredible job.

‘Wicked Place’ and ‘Harder They Fall’ are two more highlights of an honestly stacked album. I’ve been a fan of the band for a while but honestly haven’t really given them the credit they clearly deserve. This is excellent, and proves they are still one of the best thrash bands around today. 9/10

LA Guns: Black Diamonds

Tracii Guns’ post GnR project are back with their 14th studio album. I remember checking out their last one when it came out, giving it a 7.5/10 (check it out here). Much like their previous album, it doesn’t really have the glam/Sleaze metal feel to it that the band were known for back in the day. It still has some AOR tones but feels like a lot more modern, like more recent Bullet Boys or even (and I’m sure some hate me making the comparison) Chinese Democracy.

Still, tracks like the slower ballad ‘Diamonds’, the blusey ‘Shame’ and the faster, more old school ‘Lowlife’ are all highlights of the album. Overall, I think I enjoyed it more than their last one. I simply don’t think it was arranged very well. The opener didn’t land for me, but some of the later songs were amazing. It’s a fun album with plenty of good rock songs throughout and one I’ll happily listen to again. 8/10

Despite the Reverence: Stress of Evolution

Max: So this was one of those bands that I had never heard of before and I’m always ready to find another fantastic band much like I did when I first heard Sleep Token. This band only disappointed in one regard; why do they only have 91 monthly listeners on Spotify? The guitars and bass all had this very constant and moving feel throughout which allowed for so much energy to be carried through the album. The drums were great and I really need to start learning drums again because there are so many things that drummers like this do which just astound me with how effortlessly they seem to be yet brilliant they are. And then the vocals, I could understand the cleans taking a bit of time for people to get used to but I loved them and then the screams felt almost like older Parkway Drive, so they were awesome. This has to be an 8/10

Penny Rich: If Everyone’s An Expert, What’s Left to be Learnt?

I wasn’t coming into this album expecting such riffs. Right from the offset with ‘Spirals’ it’s one sludgy, pretty heavy riff after the other. Meanwhile, the vocals and overall vibe gave off heavy Dead Kennedy’s vibes. Considering this was described to me as indie I was very pleasantly surprised, it’s like a dark punk sort of feel. Tracks like ‘SPA’ and ‘Downfall’ are also great. I love the energy to it all, and their talent helps a bunch too. 7.5/10, a good album!

Fruit Bats: A River Running to your Heart

Having caught a bit of these at The Long Road last year (check out the review here) I was excited to check out this album! Honestly, it’s the perfect album to just chuck on and chill to, too. It’s very stripped back, pop/indie centric Americana, and it’s a lot of fun. The vocals reminded me a lot of Billy Corgan at times, fitting in surprisingly well over the chilled out instrumentation. It also had a slight Mothers Milk RHCP vibe to it. ‘See the World by Night’ was probably my favourite track on the album, but there really isn’t a bad track on it really. It did get slightly repetitive by the halfway mark, but that’s more personal preference than anything I think. 7.5/10

Alase: A Matter of Time

Max: Firstly, and I know this doesn’t affect the music but it should be said, the album art is brilliant. In terms of the actual music, it was really really good. It was really fun to listening to and there are many points where the music swells and it leaves you floating but then the screams ground you again and make you feel so much energy. This is only amplified by the drums and guitars which really demonstrate all of this. The quality of the recording also really helps with this as it was very good and was definitely done with the overall goal of the album in mind. 8/10

Jesus Piece: …So Unknown

Max: Right, definitely a change of pace from the previous two albums. But, it fully carries on the trend of this week having great albums. There is so much intensity and energy throughout the songs. I can imagine just how mental this band would be live. The bass really deserves some recognition because its all too easy for it to become buried in the rest of the music but this band clearly loves it and does a lot of work to make sure that it can be heard and it’s an important part of each song. The drums are very good and there are so many changes in pace and blast beats that I can’t fathom ever playing something like this. The vocals are amazing and feel like a cross between Knocked Loose, Kublai Khan TX and Alpha Wolf so they really deserve some praise. A very well deserved 9/10

Mike Miz: Only Human

The debut album of this upbeat Americana artist is fantastic. ‘Hand of the Sculptor’ is the perfect opener, feeling like an upbeat mixture between country and New Orleans-infused blues/soul rock. It’s follower ‘Only Human’ instead gives off heavy Fleetwood Mac vibes. It’s also got a fantastic chorus to it. ‘Six Ways from Sundays’ has an albums jazz infusion to the blues rock. The second half of the album, while it falls off in terms of pace, it doesn’t let up in terms of quality. ‘You Make me Feel’ is like an early 2000s pop ballad that I could easily hear filling the radio stations back then. And album closer ‘Tail Lights’ rocks it back up perfectly. A very good feel-good album, even despite the lyrics at times. 8.5/10

Syncolima: Wavelengths

Another album we did a full review of a couple of months back now. It was awesome! Check it out here.

White Rose Motor Oil: The Gift of Poison

First of all, these guys need way more listens than they have. So stop reading this right now and go check out the band and this album in particular.

Back? Okay, let’s continue.

This was awesome. It’s like dark Americana, having a pop-country twang to it. Opener ‘Ain’t no Saint’ hooked me in immediately with the incredible writing, catchy hooks and amazing lyricism, and it only continued to hit thr mark with all three from there. ‘Red Light’ is another amazing track while songs like ‘Hateland’ and ‘Blood Left to Bleed’ are also Hugh highlights. Honestly though, the whole album is amazing, there isn’t a bad track on it. I would say it’s the perfect album to put on and chill out to, but given the dark, sometimes heavier themes, that may not be entirely true! Either way, the band have a new huge fan in me! 9/10

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New Music Mondays: Powerwolf, Mudhoney and More!

An interesting week of new music this time, as it spans all different types of genre. Check it out with us!

Powerwolf: Interludium

The German power metal titans are back with their first album since 2021. We’ve been doing this for a while now, as evidenced by the fact that we reviewed their last one too! Call of the Wild got a 7.5 from us, how will this one fare in comparison?

Honestly, it’s just as good as their last album, if not better. It’s power metal through and through; fast drums, big riffs, catchy hooks from the vocals and strings and an overall huge, epic feel. ‘Sainted By the Storm’ and ‘Alters of Fire’ are my personal favourites of the album. Don’t get me wrong, none of it reinvents the wheel, it’s very similar. It would have been nice to have had a change of pace somewhere on the album, but overall it’s a solid power metal offering. It’s another 7.5/10 from me!

P.S. Shoutout to the deluxe, three disc edition. The second disc of other bands covering their old track is genius, especially when one of them is Electric Callboy. Meanwhile disc three is an orchestral version of the album, which is also phenomenal. The deluxe boxset gets 8.5/10

Mudhoney: Plastic Eternity

Seattle’s grunge/alt rock outliers Mudhoney are back with their 11th studio album. It’s… oh it’s weird. Like, early Soundgarden weird, which tracks. However, it also has that 90s swaggering edge to it, a touch of Ugly Kid Joe, while also feeling like it has a bit of modern indie in there, think IDLES. Heck, ‘Flush the Fascists’ is Dead Kennedys in every way, as well as a little Lou Reed. It’s a hodgepodge of A LOT styles, a lot of which the band had helped pioneer or start across it’s lengthy career.

That doesn’t mean it’s good, though. Because, at least to my ears, it’s not. Heck, the band even have a track that perfectly describes the album, ‘Cascades of Crap’. Ironically, ‘Cascades…’ is one of the better tracks on the album, too.

All joking aside though, I wasn’t a fan of this. As I said before, there are a lot of different styles and sub-genres involved here, from alt to grunge to punk, and I didn’t feel like they pulled many of them off very well. ‘Move Under’ was about the only track I’d happily have on semi-heavy rotation. If you liked this, more power to you, but I couldn’t get into it at all. They’re probably good at what they do, but what they do isn’t for me. 4/10

Cursebinder: Drifting

Max: So this album is okay. They know what they want to do and they certainly do it. Whilst listening to the album, I couldn’t find anything that I thought was notable, either in a good way or a bad way. However there was one part that I couldn’t quite work out what happens. In ‘no dreams’ there is a strange low frequency noise and I am not sure whether it was intentional from the band or if it was a mix issue but I know it was not a comfortable sound at all. Overall 6/10

Wednesday: Rat Saw God

Hey look, more weirdness. It’s got a lot more indie in there than Mudhoney did, but heavy indie. Unfortunately, it comes across very much like Wet Leg in its execution. In fact, it very much feels like a slightly heavier clone of said band. As you can probably tell, I’m really not a fan of Wet Leg. So, you can probably ascertain that I’m not really a fan of this either. The whole messy guitaring and honestly really grating vocals made me want to turn it off just two tracks in. I powered through but it didn’t get any better after that. I couldn’t find anything appealing about this, so will give it a 3/10. However, if you liked it, that’s great!

Covet: catharsis

One of the shortest albums we’ve ever covered on New Music Mondays, this is only 8 tracks and 28 minutes in length. To say the band make the most of their time, however, is an understatement. In such a brief time period, the band show that they are some of the most talented musicians currently active. Yvette Young is one of the best guitarists possibly ever, and it’s so evident on tracks like ‘firebird’ and ‘lovespell’. She is beyond underrated, and I cannot get enough of the music. Considering it is 99% instrumental, too, the emotion on display from the instrumentation is incredible. Honestly, if you have a spare half-hour to kill at any time, whack this on, you won’t be disappointed. 8.5/10

Sunrot: The Unfailing Rope

Max: This album was quite fun to listen to. It is aggressive and has lots of energy which is exactly what you want in an album like this. The features are all great and really add to the album rather than subtract from anything. Throughout the album there were guitar sounds that I haven’t heard used in this way before and it was good fun to hear. Consider that this only their second album, I hope that this picks up far more tractions as I would love to hear what they will do in the future as they continue to develop their craft. 7/10

Ian Munsick: White Buffalo

Time for the first of a few country albums this week. Ian’s sophomore album, a follow-up to 2021’s Coyote Cry, is apparently ‘the most me my music has ever been‘. If that is true, he’s very good at making music. Right from opener ‘From the Horse’s Mouth’, it’s clear it’s a modern take on country americana music, filled with catchy vocal melodies and a huge, open sound. He’s got a very bro-country voice, but the music and lyrics are a little more traditional country, which was is a cool combo. Tracks like ‘Arrowhead’, ‘Neon Brightside’ and the emotional ‘Little Man’ are all big highlights of the album. As is the norm now unfortunately, it’s about 2x longer than I feel like it should be, but honestly I’m sick of saying it. There are some good tracks throughout, and a good few tracks that could have ben left on the cutting-room floor. 7/10, good stuff!

Ruston Kelly: The Weakness

More country, and this time a normal length album (praise the lord!). Ruston’s fifth album walks the line between country and indie pretty closely, too. It took me a little bit to get into it, but honestly it’s just a great album to put on and chill out to. Tracks like ‘Hellfire’, ‘Michael Keaton’ and ‘Holy Shit’ are all highlights, but honestly the whole album is a simplistic, relaxed collection. It’s all a little samey by the end, but the lyric writing is so good it held my attention throughout. 7/10

Lurk: Aegis

Max: Right. I’ll be honest, I did not like this album at all. I could find much value in listening to it which I understand seems harsh but it is my honest opinion. Every song felt relatively the same and the same as every other standard song of this genre. I so see that all of the musicians are quite talented so I really hope that an album in the future will be better and will push them in to their own area where they can actually shine. 4/10

Jake Worthington: Self-Titled

More country and, thank god, another normal length album! The Texan’s debut album has been anticipated for a while as his singles and EPs have generated one hell of a buzz around him. Tracks like ‘Single at the Same Time’, ‘Honky Tonk Crowd’ and ‘Night Time is My Time’ are all highlights of an incredibly impressive album. Jake plays very traditional, honky tonk style country, but still manages to add a modern sheen and edge to it. He’s going to be a huge, household name in a matter of years, mark my words. For now, 8.5/10!

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New Music Mondays: Lordi, Bury Tomorrow and More!

Another week of new music that, while there isn’t much huge stuff out, has a lot of amazing artists involved. Let’s check it out!

Lordi: Screem Writers Guild

The crazy, mask-wearing Finnish Eurovision-alumni are back with their 18th studio album. Following up their epic seven-in-one Lordiversity boxset is a hard task, as I love every one of those different albums, but they gave it a fair crack here.

The theatrics and storytelling are cranked up to 11 with the album opener and the likes of ‘Nosferiuz Horror Show’ and ‘The SWG Awards’ being short interlude tracks. Meanwhile sonically the band are back to their usual blend of styles; everything from Judas Priest to power metal to the hints of pop and disco. ‘Dead Again Jayne’, ‘Lucyfer Prime Evil’ and ‘Heavengeance’ were all huge highlights of the album. My only real critique is that there are a lot of tracks that have like minute long intros. I get that it adds to the atmosphere of it all, but it got a little old. Still, it’s a fun, good rock album and a solid non-Lordiversity Lordi album. 7.5/10

Bury Tomorrow: The Seventh Sun

Max: The seventh album by Bury Tomorrow picks straight up where Cannibal left of, continuing the mix of heavy and technical instruments and the blend of both clean and unclean vocals. The breakdowns are as fantastic as always and there’s something about the bridge in ‘Carcass’ where everything swells that I can’t quite describe in anyway other than to say it is fantastic. Having one of the first bands you saw live continuing from strength to strength is absolutely brilliant and I can’t wait to see them tour this album. 9/10

Nothing,Nowhere.: VOID ETERNAL

Max: So I am a massive fan of nothing,nowhere. In fact ‘death’ and ‘Pieces of You’ are two of my favourite songs of all time, so I’m always going to be happy to get more. Regardless of that though, this album is fantastic. From the solo songs like ‘ER4SER’ which has a fantastic chorus with the thick and full bassline and drums to the more stripped and vocal focused verses. And then you have songs like ‘CYAN1DE’; heavy breakdowns and screams which change up the album and are done so well. On the topic of changing up the album, all of the features are absolutely brilliant and really fun to listen to. It’s not going to be to everyone’s taste but I think it is brilliant and fun especially if you already enjoy his music. Overall this is a 8/10

Empyre: Relentless

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

City and Colour: The Love Still Held Me Near

The creative name of Dallas Green’s side-project was something I had to check out. I’m not a big Alexisonfire fan (as you can see here) but I’m super curious to hear someone go from a post hardcore band to country solo stuff. As it turns out, not only does the transition work, but I prefer it!

It’s incredibly chilled out music, somewhere on the boarder between country, indie and pop. It’s damn good too. It actually reminds me of a guy local to us, Jody Blount. So, if you like this, check him out too, they’re very similar and both fantastic! It’s hard to pick highlights as the whole album is fairly similar, so I’d recommend just listening to it all! 7/10, good stuff!

Samiam: Stowaway

It feels like a good few weeks at this point since we’ve covered some straight-up punk here, so this was a nice and very welcome change of pace. The band’s ninth studio album arrives after a massive 12 years, the biggest gap in their releases to date. However, it launches right into it in ‘Lake Speed’ and barely lets up for it’s entire 35-minute runtime. The aforementioned track is a big highlight, as is single ‘Lights Out Little Hustler’ and ‘Highwire’. At times it felt like early, more punk-like Foo Fighters. It was awesome. For a band that I’ve never heard of before, they definitely have a new fan in me! 8/10

Ad Infinitum: Chapter III – Downfall

This was a fantastic blend of styles. It’s a modernisation of the typical symphonic metal formula, having a slightly more modern, poppy, almost nu-metal edge to it. It’s also a collection of some of the most talented musicians I’ve heard in a while. From the steady, heavy drums to some insane lead guitar work to Melissa Bonny’s impressive, powerful vocals and range. Heck, even the growls were great and fit with the tracks perfectly.

The band have been on my radar for a while now, since their first album was released a few years back, but this is the first time I’ve managed to listen to a full album. It was definitely worth it, as there isn’t a bad track on it! ‘Seth’, ‘Somewhere Better’ and ‘Ravenous’ were all huge highlights of a great album. It was a tad samey by the 12th track, but when the music is this good, it’s hard to hear that as a bad thing. 9/10, I loved this.

Lauren Morrow: People Talk

I’ve been a fan of Lauren since seeing her at The Long Road Festival last year (check out how it was here). So to say that I’ve been eagerly anticipating this debut album is an understatement!

While still being country, it has a bit more of a pop edge to it than her EP did, but that doesn’t take away from the quality at all. If I’m honest, it’s more the opposite. Tracks like ‘I’m Sorry’ and ‘People Talk’ where the pop shines through more are fantastic and definite highlights of the album. However, then the straight-up country songs like ‘Looking for Trouble’ are just as good. The extended guitar solo in the aforementioned track was amazing, too, and gave off huge Lynyrd Synyrd/Brothers Osbourne vibes. If you’re at all a fan of country or southern music, check this out, you’re bound to love it just as much as I do. 9.5/10

Dead End Finland: Victory

I’d not heard of these before we were sent this album across to review. I’m so glad they did though, as it’s fucking phenomenal. It’s somehow a mixture of power metal, deathcore and early 2000s radio rock/metal (think Godsmack, Shinedown etc). It’s not a combination I’d have expected to work at all, but it 110% does.

Check out tracks like the opener, ‘Beyond the Distance’ and ‘Up so High, Down so Low’ to see what I mean. All are massive highlights of another amazing album full of them. The latter track in particular is my favourite on the album. The contrast between the majority of the track being a rather beautiful ballad, and then the massively heavy, screamed bridge, was amazing. The whole album is great from start to finish though. What a great week, another 8.5/10

Lance Roark: Better Man

More country, this time with a very honkytonk, bluegrass feel. It’s another feelgood album that lands somewhere between Lauren and Colour. The synth in particular in tracks like ‘Honey Babe’ adds so much and is amazing. And the string work, be it guitar or fiddle, throughout is also amazing. Not only is everyone involved very talented, but Lance himself is one hell of a songwriter. It’s another album that I’m struggling to pick a favourite or highlight from, as it’s all so good. It also helps that for once it’s a short country album, just 8 tracks at less than 30 minutes. It’s so refreshing to hear a concise album in the genre, not just every single idea thrown on to make up over an hours worth of music. 8.5/10

Ammotrack: Accelerate

Max: So I wasn’t too sure as to what I thought of this album initially. I’m not generally a fan of this style of “Rock n’ Metal” so I wasn’t feeling too wowed on my first listen. That being said, I went on a walk passively listening to it and I started to get a feel for the grove and what shone in the album. It’s a bit of fun, there’s nothing bad or anything to make you turn it off, instead you bob your head and walk with a bit of a strut. So to be honest it’s actually quite good and went beyond my expectations. 7/10

Deadwolff: Heavy Rock n’ Roll

I can’t tell if this is rock, punk or light metal. While it’s definitely a mixture of all three, it actually gives me The Stooges vibes the most, though that might be because of the vocals. The Stooges with a hint of Judas Priest in the instrumentation. Whatever this punk-metal is called, it’s great, and a damn enjoyable album. ‘Homeward Bound’ and ‘Close Call’ were personal highlights, but again like with much of this list, there isn’t a bad track on the album! 8/10

new music mondays

New Music Mondays: Fall Out Boy, Babymetal, Luke Combs and More!

A pretty huge week for new music, complete with some big returns. Let’s check it out!

Fall Out Boy: So Much (For) Stardust

FALL OUT BOY ARE BACK BABY! Well, kinda. Sometimes. I was a huge fan of the band pre-hiatus, them being a massive part of my childhood and early teens. However since then I haven’t found myself enjoying them anywhere near as much as they ventured more and more into pop territory. Heck, it took seeing it live for me to like Save Rock and Roll. However, with this record they finally go back to their rockier roots with tracks like ‘Love from the Other Side’ and ‘I Am My Own Muse’. And of course how can we forget the best track on the album, ‘Hold me Like a Grudge’. Not only does it have heavy ‘Dance Dance’ vibes (and not just from the video) but Pat’s lyrics are up there with some of their best.

Don’t get me wrong, some tracks have more pop-edge and influence than others. While okay ballads, tracks like ‘Heaven, Iowa’ didn’t do much. However, the rock and experimentation is very much back with the band, with the closing two tracks also being huge tracks thanks in large part to the phenomenal inclusion of brass to the sound. I honestly didn’t think I’d be enjoying a Fall Out Boy album this much in 2023. It feels like it’s drawn together as much of their past works and sounds as it could, making a huge, epic final sound. I’m going to be listening to a lot of this constantly for the next few weeks and months, I feel. 9/10.

Babymetal: THE OTHER ONE

BABYMETAL ARE BACK BABY! Another band that have been away on a bit of a break for a while, their last album being 2019’s Metal Galaxy, the duo are back with their fourth studio album. It also feels like the band’s most mature album to date. The last remanence of the cute, ‘kawai’ sound from their earlier two albums is now gone, leaving simply a solid Japanese metal album. There is still plenty of catchy, huge choruses and melodies, but they feel more like something Lovebites would come out with as opposed to ‘Gimme Chocolate’.

I’m on the fence as to whether I like the shift or not. While it’s definitely great music and tracks like ‘Divine Attack’ and ‘MAYA’ are amazing and enjoyable, it felt like something was missing. I loved the fact they were a blend of J-pop and power/death metal, but now it does feel ever so slightly like they are just another metal band. Hopefully it’ll grow on me more with more listens (and I’m sure it will), I think I just went into it hoping for and expecting something different. 7/10

Luke Combs: Gettin’ Old

Luke Combs didn’t go anywhere, having put out an album every year since his debut aside for 2021, so he can’t really be back. However, it is the second part of a double album, kinda, with Growing Up having already came out last year. I loved the last one and am a big fan of the guy in general, so have been buzzing for this for a while now.

It opens incredibly solidly, with the slower title(ish) track before ripping into a faster, heavier, almost more Springsteen-like ‘Hannah Ford Road’. ‘You Found Yours’, ‘Still’ and ‘See Me Now’ are both standard, great country anthems. However, it was then that I hit the wall that I have with most country albums: the length. There isn’t a bad track on the album by any means, but 18-tracks clocking in over an hour is too much for this easily-distracted writer. His cover of ‘Fast Car’ is good, as is the folky ‘5 Leaf Clover’, but both buried in the back half of the album did them no favours. Neither did the generally slow pace of the album, too. I get where he’s coming from (I think) with making Growin’ Up generally faster and heavier while Gettin’ Old is typically slower. However, not only does the former feel like a more well-rounded album, but it’s also shorter and generally more enjoyable.

As I said, it’s not a bad album by any stretch. However, 30 tracks in less than a year feels like a little much. And 17 slow tracks doesn’t really balance out all that well with just one quicker one two songs in. I love Luke Combs, but this feels more like a b-side/leftovers album. 6.5/10

August Burns Red: Death Below

Max: This record reminds me very much of the older albums but its new and developed enough for me to still love and appreiate all of the work that has gone in to it. With the different tones in all of the screams and styles of vocals, there is such a depth to every song as I found it very hard to get bored of the vocals. The drums have always been fantastic in all of their records and this one is no different as they are always insane and very precise. Something that has to be mentioned with this record is how good all of the collaborations are, the four that are in the record really are a treat for everyone who listens to this genre of music. Overall it is so much fun and reminds me of my favourite album of my teenage years, Rescue & Restore. 9/10

Ne Obliviscaris: Exul

This was proggy, heavy chaos in the best possible ways. Be it the insanely quick drumming, great riffs, powerful vocals or the symphonic bits, all of it is excellent. Heck, opener and 12+ minute epic ‘Equus’ perfectly incapsulates everything that the band is about. It’s a ridiculously talented collection of people and I feel like even that’s putting it mildly. It’s another album that just has to be listened to in full to appreciate, and I cannot fully do it justice in words, honestly. Check this out now, regardless of what sort of music you like. 9/10

Nickel Creek: Celebrants

The American bluegrass band put out their seventh album last week, and their first in nearly a decade. I’m excited to check this out as, while I’m not too familiar with them, they’re at the Long Road festival this summer so hopefully we can catch them!

It’s a lot of fun as an album. I have to admit the genre generally is pretty new to me, but the blend of folky, country, indie and more modern pop elements was impressive. Single ‘Strangers’ in particular is damn impressive, from the guitar riffs to the vocal harmonies to that insane fiddle solo. Tracks like ‘Holding Pattern’ and ‘Thinnest Wall’ are also great tracks. It’s not something I’d typically listen to regularly, but it’s hugely talented and I’d imagine it’s amazing live. 7/10

Mork: Dypet

The Nordic black metal band are back with their seventh offering. I found myself enjoying this a lot more than I thought I would. While I still wouldn’t listen to it massive amounts, it at least had good riffs, impressive vocals and, surprising with black metal, half-decent production. It’s your typical black metal stuff in terms of sound and themes, but it’s done well enough that someone outside of the genre can appreciate it. ‘Forfort Av Kulden’ was possibly my favourite track on the album due to the dynamics and layers involved. 6.5/10, good stuff.

Shores Of Null: The Loss of Beauty

Melancholic, dark metal is how the band describe themselves. Having listened to the album, I can definitely hear why. Honestly going into it I wasn’t expecting any clean vocals, never mind the powerful, amazing mixture of Sully Erna and Layne Staley I got. Don’t get me wrong, there are still some harsh vocals and growls in here, but the cleans seemed more of the focus than anything else. It almost felt like gothic metalcore, which I loved. A middle ground between goth, metalcore and blackened death. It’s incredibly interesting and honestly had me hooked throughout. I had no idea where it’d go, ever. It reminded me a lot of Lacrimas Profundere’s last album (find the review of it here).

Official opening track ‘Destination Woe’ is amazing, as is single ‘The Last Flower’, ‘Old Scars’ and ‘Fading as One’. However, the whole album is pretty great from start to finish! 8/10.

new music mondays

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

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

All Time Low: Tell Me I’m Alive

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

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

Theory of a Deadman: Dinosaur

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

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

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

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

Kamelot: The Awakening

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

Chelsea Grin: Suffer in Heaven

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

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

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

Pop Evil: Skeletons

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

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

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

The Answer: Sundowners

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

John Diva & The Rockets of Love: The Big Easy

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

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

Doug Paisley: Say What You Like

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