Tag Archives: death metal

New Music Mondays: The Rolling Stones, Devildriver and More!

13th July 2026 Overtone Leave a comment

Some massive albums for us to check out this week, from rock to metal to country!

The Rolling Stones: Foreign Tongues

Owen: This week saw the release of the 25th studio album from arguably one of the most all time influential groups in the rock genre. Jagger and crew still have a lot to say after over 60 years of releasing music together. Foreign Tongues is a contentious listen for me. On the whole it’s an inoensive album, however Jagger himself has been open about the fact that this could be the last of a long and storied discography. I can’t help but ask myself if they are going out with a whimper or a bang? Opening track ‘Rough and Twisted’ feels like classic Rolling Stones; this track is exactly what fans would expect of an album opener. However this feeling quickly fades as the tracks play on, melting into some generic tracks that lack identity. A pleasant surprise did await me on the ninth track, a cover of ‘You Know I’m No Good’ from the late Amy Winehouse, not something I expected to hear from Jagger and co, and expected even less to enjoy so much. The cover is faithful to the original whilst simultaneously leaning into the strengths of this group. 6/10

Devildriver: Strike & Kill

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

Jack White: Frozen Charlotte

The White Stripes legend himself is back with his first solo effort in nearly two years. We sadly missed that release, but I do remember enjoying his two previous back in 2022. And, honestly, I really dug this, too! The opener is classic White goodness, all fun bluesy riffs and quirky, catchy vocals. And, honestly, it keeps up the high quality and expected/hoped for sound from there on out! ‘There’s Nobody There’, ‘Dollar Bill’ and ‘Making Contact’ are also massive high points for me personally. However, the whole album is great from start to finish, and the fact that 13 songs go by in this much of a flash is a true testament to Jack’s writing and musicianship. Honestly, this may be the most I’ve enjoyed an album of his since the early White Stripes days, it really is that good! It’s bluesy yet poppy, and filled with so many catch hooks from both the guitar and the vocals. Heck, White himself sounds more renewed and focused than he has in years. If you are at all a fan of his sound or genre, do yourselves a favour and give this a spin. I’ll certainly be listening to it plenty moving forward, that’s for sure! An easy 8.5/10

Chevy Beaulieu: Self-Titled

This is honestly a masterclass in country music. It’s 40 minutes that spans everything from Southern rock to more traditionalist styles to ballads, and I loved every second of it. There’s even hints of more of a modern pop-country vibe at times. It’s a lot of fun from front to back, and constantly keeps things interesting. It’s honestly impossible just to pick a couple of highlights too as it’s all so good, so much of this ended up on my personal playlist. And the fact that when we chatted to him he said that over half of it was written by him and, in this day and age, it makes it even more impressive!

He’s been growing his name pretty fantastically in Canada over the last few years, and it’s easy to hear why! He’s an incredibly talented writer, singer and player, and clearly has an ear to pick others that are equally as talented. I’ve already spun this a couple of times this weekend alone, and don’t feel like I’ll be slowing down much in the coming weeks and months! He fits perfectly into the modern country scene, and I can see this release pushing him to even greater heights within it. Give this a spin if you are at all into country! 9/10

Eva Under Fire: Villainous

Max: I was a bit stuck on this one. It’s a clearly good album, but didn’t do anything for me really. To be fair maybe I am not the target audience and I probably shouldn’t have spent the last week listening to Toe but I really struggled to get into this album. The production is really really good, that cannot be understated, and there was a nice rhythm to the album. I should also say that the breakdowns were mostly really good and the feature from Maria Brink was great as one would expect. With all that being said, I couldn’t connect to the songs. It felt very radio ready which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I have never liked music like that all too much. And, for the most part, I couldn’t tell you which song is which as they all had a very similar arc to them. With all that said, it is a good, inoffensive album. 7/10

Adam Lambert: ADAM

The modern Queen frontman returns with his first new solo LP in three years. It’s a grandiose, perfectly polished pop-rock opera, and I do think people’s milage with it will vary based on what they’re into. The closest thing I feel myself comparing it to is Marianas Trench or Nothing But Thieves, although there is definite inspiration from his time with Queen, too. I do like both (all three?) bands, but I’m a touch up and down with this. Opener ‘RAT CITY’ is awesome and sounds absolutely massive with those harmonies. The industrial-tinged, Lexie Liu-featuring ‘PROCELAIN’ is a lot of fun. ‘Rage’ had a catchy, techno-infused pop-rock hook to it. A lot of the rest of the album I could take or leave. None of it is bad by any stretch, and Lambert is clearly an incredible vocalist, but it just didn’t land for me. Then again, I am hardly his target audience, I imagine. It’s at least varied enough to stay interesting, and if you are at all curious it’s well worth giving a try. However, I probably won’t revisit it too often, and can’t give it much more than a 6.5/10. Good moments, but overall not my thing.

As Oceans Divide: Self-Titled

The debut EP from the metalcore/melodeath Canadians goes hard for its full 18 minutes. Fitting in perfectly between Trivium, Killswitch Engage and In Flames, the release is packed full of great riffs, solid drums, brutal screams and some damn catchy clean melodies. The opener is a great example of their heavier side, while the likes of ‘White Noise’ and ‘Cursed Oblivion’ almost boarder on melodic metal. And the all-out assault of ‘World Collapse’ is also excellent. As you can tell, I love this release! The band are insanely talented and have a VERY bright future ahead of them if they keep putting out music like this. I have no qualms in saying that this is one of my favourite EPs of the year so far, and it’s up against some stiff competition there, too! If you have even a passing interest in the heavier side of music, give this a listen ASAP, you’re bounce to love it as much as I do! 9/10, I already can’t wait to hear more from them!

The Plot in You: Self-Titled

A cheating release next. I have been rather vocal about my dislike of bands putting out almost all the album as pre-release singles before it drops (as much as streaming algorithms like that), but this release honestly takes the cake in that regard. I remember Atreyu doing a similar thing recently, as did Annisokay, and I wasn’t really a fan of either. Combining previous EPs together for the sake of having another album out takes away from both the value of the individual EPs, and the album they produce. Then again, it’s not like we checked out any of the EPs, so it’s new from a review standpoint.

Musically, it’s fine. It’s the side of metalcore that is ‘not really my sort of thing’ like Bad Omens or Northlane (although fuck do Northlane slap live), so knew I wouldn’t have a huge amount of milage in it to begin with. The heavier tracks like ‘Forgotten’, ‘Been Here Before’ and ‘Spare Me’ are good fun, but they feel few and far between when they alternate the even-more pop-centric tracks in between them. If you are a fan of the band you’ll probably get some enjoyment out of it, and it is definitely a popular style and sound these days. However, it certainly isn’t for me, and I found myself getting a bit bored by the end. They’re certainly talented players, but unless you’re a fan of modern metalcore I probably wouldn’t recommend this album. 5/10, incredibly average.

Allison Russel: In the Hour of Chaos

Owen: In the Hour of Chaos is the third album Russell has released since her solo debut in 2021. Previous member of groups such as Birds of Chicago, and Our Native Daughters, Russell is well versed in many genres and a skilled vocalist and songwriter. This third instalment is an impressively collaborative affair, with ten out the eleven tracks featuring other artists, notably Norah Jones, Chibueze Ihumoa, Ruby Amanfu, and many more. Thematically the album is pushing a message of hope in the face of chaos and despair, which feels sadly needed in the world right now. Sitting between various genres and inviting many dierent voices into the album supports this message for me, Russell and her contributors deliver a message of unity and optimism. 8/10

Among Legends: Lose My Grip

This is a fantastic punk release! The sophomore album from the Canadians is a lot of fun; and energetic and attitude-filled half-hour! It’s also 12 fantastic tracks, each as fantastic as the last. ‘Sound the Alarm’, ‘Hollow’ and ‘Band Dudes Fuck Off’ are personal highlights, but the whole album is super solid and goes by in a flash. The band wear their inspiration on their sleeves in the best way, everything from Blink to Pennywise to Lagwagon, but also with a slight hardcore edge to it that I love! It’s a style that deserves to be massive again, and these guys are so good that they could easily lead that charge! They have a big new fan in me, and clearly I need to holiday in Ontario to go see this live! If you are at all into punk or pop-punk this an album you have to listen to. I’ll be spinning it a lot in the coming weeks and months, and it gets a massive yet easy 9.5/10. Goddamn, I loved this!

The Devil Wears Nada: In Lust We Trust

The sophomore album from the Swedish melodic rockers is a damn fun half-hour! It’s massive-sounding AOR/arena rock, and the production helps the writing and playing reach its lofty heights no end! From the huge riffs to the melodic synth, the anthemic choruses to the awesome solos, it’s all so good. And, from ‘Last Forever’ to ‘In Lust We Trust’ to ‘Shotgun Wedding’, there are so many bangers throughout! Having said that, every song on here is awesome, and it goes by in a flash. I had a lot of fun listening to this, and the band have a huge new fan in me! I honestly can’t gush over it enough, and if you like that 80s revival sound, this is an absolute must-listen. I don’t have much else to say about it other than check this out immediately! 9/10, I’m just throwing them out this week!

Andrew Farriss: The Prospector

The sophomore solo album from the INXS co-founder comes a full half-decade after his debut. Much like his first release, it’s a chilled-out, old-school album that combines so many different elements. Country, Americana, bluegrass, folk, rock; all of it is moulded together rather masterfully throughout. The closest comparison I find myself making immediately is Sons of Town Hall, in its essence and vibe at least, and if you read my review of their last album you’d know how big of a compliment that is. Somewhere between that and a Drew Holcomb or early Keifer Sutherland. This feels like not just a story, but a journey through its 38-minute runtime, and I am all for it.

It’s another album that has plenty variety too, keeping me constantly interested and entertained. And, it all flows together masterfully, track-into-track. It’s very much designed to be listened to in one sitting, though tracks like ‘Southern Cross Shines’, ‘Honesty’, ‘Something Stronger’ and ‘Someone For Everyone’ are personal favourites. Every track is awesome though, and it makes for a rather easy, relaxing listen, even when it’s a little melancholic at times. I’ll be spinning this album a lot in the coming months, as I’m sure anyone who listens to it will be doing! While I have checked out his previous release, I do think that this is a step up in quality, and he has a big new fan in me. I can’t give it any less than a 9/10!

Pythonic: Laws of Karma

Less than seven months after their last release, the third EP from the brutal death metallers/deathcorers is five venom-soaked, brutally awesome songs. The title track lands a brutal shot to the face right from the get-go, and sets the tone for the project immediately. The rest of the tracks follow its lead; a brutal yet melodic 18 minutes of music. The band are all extremely talented and have crafted something here that stands out from their peers from its perfect blend of aggression and catchiness. I already can’t wait to hear more, but until then will be spinning this plenty and checking out their older stuff, too. A very solid 8/10!

Reviews

Strike and Kill: How do Devildriver do Following up Dealing with Demons?

8th July 2026 Overtone Leave a comment

The first new music from the Californian groove metallers since 2023’s conclusion of their Dealing with Demons collection, Devildriver’s 11th album more than lives up to their previous music. I’ve been a fan for a good while now, and am always excited to hear new music from Dez Fafara and co., so when this came across our emails I knew I’d be diving into a full review. From epic riffs to crushing breakdowns to some aggressive but melodic vocals, the band typically do it all to perfection. Strap in, ladies and gents, let’s do this!

Things start off expectedly heavy with ‘Dig Your Own Grave’. Straddling that line between thrash, death and metalcore that the band do so well, the drums and riffing is fast paced right from the jump. Dez’s vocals soon come over the top, fitting the vibe perfectly with his grit and semi-scream. The whole thing feels like the perfect blend of Lamb of God and Machine Head, and I love every second! And the chorus, while still heavy, is pretty damn catchy in a way that only Devildriver seem to be able to pull off. And my god, all the guitar solos and lead lines throughout… *chefs kiss*. The bridge builds perfectly into a brutal breakdown, one that fits the track perfectly and showcases the bands groovy nature alongside their faster side. The whole track sets the tone for the rest of the album excellently, and is a huge early highlight!

‘Dead in the Water’ picks up right where the previous track left off; an epic intro falling away into a massive, Blastbeat-filled riff. The pace keeps up through the verse and bridge, once again leading to a heavy but surprisingly bouncy chorus. We also get a blistering guitar solo or three in the middle, packed full of technicality and harmonies. Some may say that it goes on a bit too long but not this writer, I think it fits excellently within the song and is a real showcase of the bands abilities as a whole. It’s another awesome song and one I’d recommend to anyone even vaguely a fan of the band!

A more nu/industrial metal vibe runs through ‘Sanctified in Scars’. The riffing is very much like a Drowning Pool, Static X or even Tetrarch, and the bounce to its rhythm harkens back to the early 2000s in a big way. Having said that, it still feels so very Devildriver in the best way. And Davier Pérez is going just as hard as ever behind that kit, too. Arguably it gets heavier and more chaotic in choruses, the opposite of the previous two songs. Having said that, the backing vocals make it still an incredibly catchy one, and one of my favourite on the album. The bridge doesn’t have much to it but still feels like it fills the gap rather perfectly in a song like this. It’s a breakdown and then some awesome lead lines, and truly adds to the song in a great way. This is another excellent song, and one that easily makes our playlist!

The albums namesake is a bit slower a pace, the heaviness still there but it having more of an epic, Rotting Christ air to it at times . The pace picks back up to Machine Head-esque levels near the minute mark, but the intro was a nice change of pace, and does give the track an overall grandiose nature, especially as it comes back for the choruses. It’s a heavy track that feels like it combines together everything we’ve heard from this album up to this point. It’s fucking awesome! And that half time bit at the end was AMAZING. The band are so far four for four with fantastic songs!

‘In the Moonlight’ starts lower, the distorted vocals over a clean guitar sound being a fun new twist to their sound here. It expected soon explodes into a huge, fast riff, instantly giving off more melodeath vibes than ever before. The grooviness comes back for the pre, the track opening out from its ferocious instrumentation while maintaining its heaviness. However, there are plenty of great melodic moments throughout that stand out against the more all-out-assault style we’ve heard so far. It definitely has a bit more of a European flavour to it. It’s a really interesting, awesome track that I’ve found myself revisiting more on subsequent listens. It’s another huge highlight of the album, that’s for sure, and one where everyone gets their chance to shine.

The following few tracks, ‘Ride or Die’, ‘Headed for the Fall’ and ‘Shut the Silence On’, are more balls to the wall tracks. All are fantastic tracks in their own right, with ‘Headed for the Fall’ being another big album highlight for me. But they all have a similar energy and, on a longer album, it’s hard not to group a few up a little bit! Honestly, it gives off vague vibes of early Parkway as well as the melodeath influences too. Either way, all three songs sound awesome. They are fast and heavy but each chorus is still an earworm! Dez’s vocals are fantastic on each, showing he hasn’t lost a step in the 30 years or so he’s been putting out music, but the rest of the band work their asses off and kill it too. Again, Pérez is an absolute beast behind that kit, and has been through the whole album. If you like the thrashier side of them, these tracks are for you!

The same could be said of music of the rest of the album, honestly. It’s interesting because all the tracks are amazing and I couldn’t cut any of them. However, 13 tracks these days is long, and when a lot of it is similar it does make me wonder if it would have been better served as another two-part album. Still, I am probably in the minority thinking in that way; after all complaining about too much good music is rather insane! Maybe it’s just the fast pace of the world these days, but it makes me slightly less likely to revisit the album in full as much if it’s long and similar. But as I said, ‘You’re Just a Ghost’, ‘Oath of Iron’ and ‘All Bets are Off’ are all fantastic tracks in their own right, and fit in with the rest of the album perfectly.

The exception to this ‘Summoning Shadows’. nestled away in the back third of the album, it’s very much the ballad, and changes the pace exceptionally well for its three minute runtime. Focusing around an acoustic guitar and Dez’s distorted vocals, it’s surprisingly beautiful, especially with the uplifting lyrics. Everything around these elements only add to the epic soundscape too; the depth on display on the track is superb. And it means that when the distorted guitars and drums come in in the latter half, it feels earned and hugely impactful. I always love it when Devildriver slow things down a bit, and this is another great example of that. Another huge highlight track on an album rather full of them!

Overall: This is another awesome release from one of the most underrated bands in metal. It’s packed full of amazing songs, with some up there among the very best the band have produced. The band all get a chance to shine plenty throughout, with both the playing and writing showcased being off the charts! I have already outlined my very minor gripes with the release, but in the grand scheme of things it barely makes a debt in the greatness that is Strike and Kill. If you are at all into the band or their general genres, this is well worth checking out! No one does it quite like Devildriver, and it’s a release that I will certainly be listening to most of a fair bit moving forward!

The Score: 8.5/10

new music mondays

New Music Mondays: Deep Purple, The Shires and More!

6th July 2026 Overtone Leave a comment

A little quieter than normal this week, but we still have some really awesome rock, metal and country releases to check out. Let’s dive in!

Deep Purple: SPLAT!

The bluesy rock legends are back with their first album in just two years. We were a little meh on =1, and it’s hard not to have a similar feeling with this one. The band are clearly talented, and the guitar and keys solos are certainly the high points of the record. However, it’s another 50 minutes of old school rock music from a band now 24 albums into their career, all of which are rather similar in style and execution. The two opening singles are pretty good, and set the album up right. Tracks like the celtic-esque ‘Sacred Land’ and ‘My New Movie’ are also alright! However, I found myself getting pretty bored through this album often, especially when there are another nine tracks I haven’t named here.

I do think it’s generally better than their previous release, or at least I had a slightly better time listening to it. However, that may be fully down to my mood currently than the quality of the album! If you are a big fan of any era of the band, you’ll find something to love here, and it’s worth checking out. However, it doesn’t have a patch on the bands multiple heydays, and will most likely drive listeners to just go back to Machine Head or Burn. It’s not something I’d revisit outside of a song or two, but probably wouldn’t turn it off if it came on. 5/10, completely average Deep Purple.

The Shires: Bonfire

The biggest new UK country artist dropped their highly anticipated seventh studio album this last Friday. Spoiler alert, it’s a bit good! The duo have been at the top of their games for a while now, but they honestly take another big step forward yet again here. Every song is beautiful and excellent in its own right, though the likes of ‘Getaway Car’, ‘Blink’ and ‘One for the Whiskey’ are personal highlights. Every song on here is excellent though and the album flows perfectly, 37 minutes going by in a chilled-out, emotion-filled flash. In a genre built full of beautiful harmonies, these two are certainly in the upper echelon of it all. They compliment each other perfectly, as does the instrumentation. It’s very easy to hear why they are such a big name these days, and they deserve every ounce of praise they get. While it does still have a British edge to it, it also reminds me a lot of everything from Lady A to even early Taylor Swift. If you are at all into the slower, sweeter edge of country/Americana, this album is an absolute must. 9/10

Dominum: Night is Calling

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

Harsh: Feels

The sophomore album from the Parisian sleaze/hard rockers is every bit as good as their first. It’s nearly 50 minutes of stomping grooves, great riffs and some catchy-as-anything, soaring vocals! It’s packed full of highlights too, from ‘All I Ever Wanted’ to ‘Fuel to the Fire’ to ‘Losing My Mind’. Their cover of Michael Sembello’s classic ‘Maniac’ is also stellar. There truly isn’t a bad song on here, with the ballads also measuring up alongside the rockier tracks and it all fitting together so well. There isn’t a dull moment (though for some reason I struggled with the opener slightly on my first listen. Love it now!) and the 12 tracks go by super quickly. If you like their general vibe and genre, this is well worth giving a spin! Hell, even if not, you’ll probably still have a blast listening, like I did! The band are all insanely talented musicians and songwriters and have a very bright future ahead of them, one they are already starting to realise. This album will certainly push them even higher and faster, and I can’t give it any less than 8.5/10!

Moonspell: Far From God

The Portuguese goth metal legends are back with their first new studio output in over half a decade. Spoiler alert, it’s a bit good! Long-time readers here will know by now how much I’ve gotten into the European gothic metal scene in recent years, so I can’t not love this! Even at 42 minutes long, eight tracks doesn’t feel nearly long enough, as this went by in a flash. Single ‘Far from God’ is a massive highlight, as is the Tool-esque ‘Biblical’, ‘Your Promise of Light’ and the closer. As you can probably tell though, the whole album is awesome! If you are at all into the darker, heavier side of metal, I truly cannot recommend this release enough. I’m so glad they’re back with new music after a bit of a break, and what a hell of a release to return with! I’ll be spinning this a lot in the coming weeks and months, and don’t be surprised when it ends up high on our albums of the year list come December. 9/10

Soothsayer: The Unbinding

Nestled somewhere between an EP and an album, I’d say the 45-minute runtime handily qualifies it as the latter. Well, it’s five proggy blackened death tracks that dark, heavy and technical in equal measure! While not usually my sort of thing, I actually found myself enjoying this a surprising amount! It’s hard to pick individual highlights as the whole album feels like one continuous piece, and is therefore perfect for a full listen or three. Having said that, if you are going to only check out the one track, ‘Sooner Acceptance’ is absolutely amazing, drawing together every sound the band has in a truly bleak, brutal package. It’s certainly not for everyone, but it is that good that it will surely win over some skeptics, like myself! I’m going to have to go back and revisit their previous work while also listening to this again, hopefully it’s as good as this! A very solid 8/10 from us!

Blake Whiten: Something to Say

The debut album from the seemingly overnight country sensation, and what a release it is! We reviewed an EP of his last year, and I said in that I don’t know how a 21 year old kid has seen enough shit in his life to have a voice like this. However, both are also pretty different releases. As well as being twice the length, the EP was much more of a solo venture, mainly just Blakes vocals and guitar, while this album feels like it focuses more on a full band sound. The opener is Southern rock-tinged awesomeness. Singles ‘Barely Gettin’ By’ and ‘Boots by the Wrong Bed’, as well as ‘Ghost House’, are also awesome rockier tracks. Then you have slower, more radio-country ballads like ‘Whiskey Wish’ and ‘Night N’ Day’ that are also excellent. And if you couldn’t tell, that’s half the album right there, so it’s pretty clear I love it!

It’s like the perfect mixture of Referrin’s radio-country style with a dash of Cody Jinks’ heavier side. My only slight complaint is that I wish we got another track or two like the EP. I completely understand doing a different thing with a new release, but the rawness and vulnerability of Six Mile was excellent, and gave big Evan Bartels vibes in the best way. Still, it is a minor gripe, and I wouldn’t change a track from the album. If you are at all into country give this a spin, you’re bound to love it as much as I do. I can’t give it any less than 8.5/10

The Tirith: Quetzalcoatl

The fourth studio album from the power prog Brits is another epic, technical masterclass of writing and playing. It’s not a short undertaking, being 69 minutes spread across 12 songs, but if you like this sort of style it is an absolute must-listen. While mileage for the release has varied over the few spins I’ve done in the last couple of weeks, there’s a lot that I find myself loving and revisiting more than others. ‘The Slide’, ‘Back to Space’ and ‘Save the Oak’ are all personal highlights. The band very much wear their inspirations on the sleeve, and I certainly mean that in a good way! It’s not a bad album by any stretch; it’s surprisingly chilled out yet catchy, and the playing throughout is awesome. From the arrangement to the solos, riffs to the drumming to the vocals, it’s all excellent. It’s not something I’d revisit often as it isn’t 100% my sort of thing, but the band certainly have a new fan in me and it’s a record I’d recommend to anyone even slightly interested! I can’t give it any less than 8/10, great stuff!

Eric Paslay: Summer

The follow-up to May’s Spring, this is an awesome release that perfectly encapsulates the vibe of the season. It’s upbeat, chilled-out and a lot of fun. It’s Buffett turned up to 11 and given a modern twist to it. It’s a far cry from his 2023 release, but both are excellent in their own ways. It’s pop/bro country adjacent, but also reminds me of everything from Niko Moon to Drew Holocomb to even Newton Faulkner. Honestly, I can’t gush about it enough. It’s the perfect 11 minutes of music, and is so damn easy to listen to. There truly isn’t a bad track throughout. I’m going to be spinning this for at least the next three months, if not plenty after that, too! Do yourselves a favour and check this out, you’ll love it as much as I do! 10/10, I can’t give it any less!

Charley Crockett: Clovis

Another week, another album from one of the hardest working bands in music. coming just three months after his last release, it’d take a lot to beat Age of the Ram for me. This doesn’t quite do that. However, it is still a damn good album! From ‘Down by Law’ to ‘Eagle and the Crow’, the epic instrumental title track to ‘Honky Tonk Philosophy’, there is plenty to love throughout! Don’t get me wrong, it’s a little long for my attention span, especially when a lot of it is slower, but by now if you’re a fan of Crockett you know exactly what to expect, and if you’re into his previous stuff you’ll live this. It’s chilled out and so well written.

It’s insane to me that he can put out another album of this high quality so soon after his last, and we’ll probably get a third by the end of the year. It’s a true testament to the generational talent he is. And, with everyone in the industry I talk to about him, he’s very much gained a ‘your favourite country artists favourite country artist’ status. Give this a try if you are at all into country! 8/10

Gods & Punks: A Shrine By the Sea

Following up 2024’s Death, the Brazilian space/stoner metallers certainly still do things their own way. Whether it’s stripped-back, ethereal folky stuff or the massive, heavy stoner doom riffs, it’s all done so well. From Red Fang and The Sword to stuff more akin to (honestly) Yes or even Fruit Bats, it makes for an incredibly interesting listen. And I honestly love that it’s two songs split into four parts each. They somehow feel individual and like you can listen to them separately while also fitting together like missing puzzle pieces. It all flows fantastically and begs a full listen at least once. The band are all so damn talented and it comes across excellently throughout. If you like any of the styles I’ve mentioned here, do yourselves a favour and give this a spin! They certainly have a new fan in me, and it gets a solid 7.5/10!

Margo Price: Days of Unrest

Another release straddling the line between an EP and an album, and another relaxed, chilled-out record. Oh, and another awesome release from Margo, to boot! It’s old-school country/Americana like only Price can do, yet feels like a different project yet again to her previous output. Having a Spanish, mariachi twist to it, it’s an incredibly fun half-hour of music. ‘De Colores’ is a huge highlight of not just this release, but her career as a whole, honestly. The Trump-calling-out ‘Oval Room’ is also fantastic, as is ‘Can’t Stand Still’ a track apparently floating around since her Buffalo Clover days. The whole release is great though and fit excellently together. Massive props to Margo for putting out a protest tape this weekend of all weekends, and she’s even donating some of the proceeds to the Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project. I’m a huge fan of her both musically and as a person, and this is another great release in a long line of them from one of the most underrated artists in the genre. 9/10, even though most of this is covers and instrumentals, it’s absolutely deserving of a listen and some love!

Interviews & Features

Beyond Salvation: ‘It is kind of quite a team effort, but it’s also very DIY!’

30th June 2026 Overtone Leave a comment

We chatted to the amazing Beyond Salvation the other week about their debut album, their live schedule and the state of the scene. Check it all out below!

Your album was released just over a week ago now [at the time of recording]. What’s it like to finally have your debut out?

Arun: Yeah, it’s pretty special. It’s kind of something we’ve been working towards for a long time. We do this in our spare time and we do it when we can, but it’s a labour of love. It is something we took a lot of care and a lot of attention over and we’re really, really proud of it. And so to finally have it out in the world is pretty special, actually. I stayed up until midnight and like went on Spotify and Amazon Music and waited for it to sort of come out. And it was like, oh, wow, it’s all there!

John: It’s quite surreal, actually. We’ve been working on this for a long time. And we always knew it would take… I don’t know… I felt like we felt that sort of like stereotypical, ‘we’re going to put an album out and it won’t take that long’. And then it took forever. But there’s been loads of good reasons why. And we’ve done releases in between. And I think then that sort of summed up this testament to how strong we feel about these songs; because we wrote these songs a long time ago. And I just love writing new stuff all the time. So for me, especially when I’m always writing stuff in the background, to still be so convinced of these songs that have lived with us for a bit, it makes me feel the flip side to what I’d usually be. Like, really convinced they are the songs they should be and sit together and just dead, dead, dead proud of it. And it’s like, I feel like it’s a bit like a tattoo, a real timestamp over the last five years of what we’ve been through.

It’s a passion project, isn’t it? And we’ve had line-up changes. If you take the very first song, ‘Incarcerate’, that’s with our old drummer, old bass player, which is mental. And then, yeah, that ended up being a single! So, yeah, a relief in a most positive way possible!

What went into the decision to do an album?

Arun: I actually think the reason we chose to do it as an album was actually artistic, so it was us, because if you look at our history kind of up to now, we’ve always released singles and EPs and, you know, we’ve done loads of those sorts of things. But we didn’t want to break this block of songs up. Like, there have been conversations between me and John about splitting the album into two and releasing it as two EPs or dropping a single here or there. But we feel really strongly about the album and it flows, particularly when I think the lyrics started being penned by John. The story it was telling… it’s not a concept album, but it is conceptual in its sort of flow. We didn’t really want to break that up. But I think it is just the strength of the songs. We just felt, no, these songs need to come out together as a block, as an album.

And although we’re told that the industry does push us towards singles and EPs and the frequency from the listener’s point of view, I think, from the other side, albums are still preferred. And again, maybe we’ve got a bit of an old school mindset in that. If I see a new song come out by a band, ‘I’m like, oh, that’s great. Right, when’s the album out?’ It’s still a bit of a stamp in time. Maybe that’s a little bit more of a metalhead way of thinking as well!

I’ve noticed it does feel like it’s a little easier to get a tour and do the festival circuit when you have an album as opposed to just the odd track.

John: Yeah, definitely. I think if I checked out a band that they hadn’t got an album that I could just invest in, I’d be a bit like, really? So, it still ticks that box for me. But, that’s me. It’s just constantly not trying to constantly say, oh, is it because I’m old? It’s just like, it’s a good body of work, you know, it’s a good way to get a good cross-section of a band. I’m not dissing singles or EPs at all. I think they’re great. They’re a great way to kind of dip your toe in. But I think particularly in metal, there is that thing of people like to invest and immerse themselves in the music. I would have a guess that probably doesn’t happen in R&B. I don’t know. Maybe it does. But, you know, particularly in metal, there is that sort of thing.

What’s the writing process like for you guys? Has it evolved as new members have joined?

Arun: There’s a general framework. Basically songs start either from John or from me. And they usually start with riffs. And often, like me and him, we’ll tend to sit back and forth between us. It’ll either be a verse idea or a chorus idea or something from me or from him. And then we’ll send it to the other person. That might spark some ideas. We’ll send it back, send it back. And we’ll sort of put a very rough but not final at all structure together just in a demo just so we can listen to it. And then we’ll send it on to the band. And then we’ll bring it into the room and the guys will have their ideas. Bringing Owen on board, he’s got some really good ideas for grooves and things that will lift certain parts in certain ways, which John and I don’t think of because we’re not drummers. So there’s definitely ideas from them. Sometimes we find the recording process can be a bit creative as well. We’ll sometimes, you know, we won’t change structures necessarily, but how something’s played or whether a fill goes in a certain place, for example, might change depending on when we record it. So, it is kind of quite a team effort, but it’s also very DIY.

Do you guys have a favourite track from the album?

John: Like you say, you’ve had them for a few years in the chamber now, so it might have changed since you first wrote them. I also had the reactions to the songs and people doing, like, little top threes really, really cool and really interesting. And it being really, like, quite broad, like, it seems to have been, like, a really different mix, which is really cool. So, that kind of spreads it across the album. And then, I think, I don’t know, emotionally attached, I’ve got a different, probably, stance because there’s lyrics in there, aren’t there? And they’ve changed and developed over time. And I think I’ve written some songs in the past where I’ve written them about someone else. And then you fast forward two years and suddenly realise I’m relating them to even more than when I wrote them about a friend or a loved one or something like that. And that’s happened on numerous occasions. The single we put out called Aftermath is a really good example of that, but that’s definitely happened on a few of these. So, yeah, I don’t know, but I think if I had to pick one for me, I think it’d just be the final nail. Like, it’s that kind of sad but true sort of groove, headbang, but it still goes fast and heavy.

Arun: for me, I think it really depends what day you ask me, because it’ll be almost a different song every day. But if I had to pick just one, it’d probably be Broken Reflections. But I’m also very, you know, I really like The Storm. The Storm means a lot. I think that’s quite a good indication of where we might be going. Yes, I think. And it was quite collaboratively written, which I quite like as well. that song is quite a few people picked up on that. And I feel like at the moment it’s not one of the singles, so it’s not been one that’s pushed in people’s faces. So the few of the people that have checked out the album for them to zone in on that song is quite cool.

Do you have a busy rest of the year show-wise in support of the album?

Arun: Yeah, we’ve got a few. So the main thing that we’re pushing quite a lot is on the 18th of July, we’re doing what’s essentially an album launch show. And it’s kind of the closest thing to an evening with Beyond Salvation. But what we’re doing is we’re playing the entire album in full from start to finish. And then some old songs at the end as well. So that’s the one we want to push the most. Yes. But aside from that, we are doing a few shows around the country. we had to take a conscious decision to go, right, we’ve got to fucking stop gigging. Yeah. We’re going to get this album finished. that’s been something that we’ve not done much of. So hopefully it’ll all work out like a perfectly oiled machine. We’ve got this album. We can push that. We’re going to be dotting around the country with some great bands.

John: What’s going to be really cool about the gigs this year. So until this point, we’ve constructed sets in a certain way with, as any band does, which is largely from your released music and particularly with what you’re promoting at the time. Live, we have played Incarcerate a few times, not since we released it as a single. We played it back in 2021, actually. But we haven’t really played any other song off the album live before. We didn’t want to fall into that trap of like just playing new stuff and getting excited about it and then no one can buy it. But actually, when we start writing sets for the gigs coming up, we’re going to be primarily, it’s going to be new for us, actually, because, you know, we’re going to have to write new sets that we’ve not done before.

What do you guys make of the music scene in the UK at the minute?

John: I think we’re spoiled in Manchester because it’s brilliant! I was talking COVID. It’s quite weird now because it’s half a decade ago. But like, the band started like four or five years before COVID. And it was interesting to come back after COVID and then suddenly you’ve got this like whole fresh generation younger bands suddenly coming out and feeling like they’re already like, Tortured Demon would be a really obvious example. But yeah, I think Manchester genuinely were like pretty spoiled because a lot of the gigs get a really, really good turnout for like an underground scene. So that’s really nice. And then broader… I don’t think we’ve had good gigs. We’ve had iffy gigs. So it’s just one of those where I’m really, really intrigued, excited, curious to see what this back half of the year holds. But I mean, particularly with stuff like Metal to the Masses that happens around the country for Bloodstock that gets such a good reaction. I mean the Manchester Metal to the Masses final was the weekend just gone and was rammed from the second the doors opened. I also know that other ones around the country get really, really busy as well. I think I saw like one or two of them were sold out a couple of weeks before the finals, a couple of weeks before the actual date. It’s almost like are there more bands than fans now?! That’s got to be a good thing, right? Because it means more people want to have a go. More people are feeling inspired.

Arun: Also, I think these days, some of my very, very favourite bands are British. Not even just like, oh, I like it because they’re from the UK. Like, they’re genuinely some of my favourite music that I’ve listened to lately. I remember being a teenager growing up. I don’t want to name anyone, but it was all America bands that were like, the ones. Do you know what I mean? It just meant nothing really from the UK seemed to click with me at all. I would say growing up, obviously you had your UK pioneers, like your Judas Priest and your Black Sabbaths and stuff, but we were a little young for when they first came on the scene! But growing up, all my favourite bands were American, and quite a lot of them still are, but there are lots of really, really cool British bands. Everyone seems to, you know, kind of go along to each other’s gigs and everyone’s pretty supportive. And it’s, yeah, it’s quite a nice vibe at the minute.

You guys are quite up on the whole social media thing, any advice you could give to bands just starting out?

John: You’ve just got to do it! Arun’s more the daddy on this and the guys we’ve been working with from DC Sound Attack have been a massive help and stuff. But try and make it as fun as you can. But you know what, I have really fucking funny, happy, fond memories of just me and the guys trying to pull things together to try and get content together. So you know what, just be genuine, I think. Be yourselves and have fun with it. But unfortunately, it’s like a necessary evil.

Arun: Planning ahead actually works really well. And you know, we’re doing this for the music, so the music’s still got to be really good. You don’t want to let the music suffer because of the content you’ve got to create.

new music mondays

New Music Mondays: The War and Treaty, Hard-Fi and More!

22nd June 2026 Overtone Leave a comment

A slightly quieter week this time, but we still have some great releases to be checking out! Let’s dive in!

The War and Treaty: The Story of Michael and Tanya

The second album in two years from the Southern soul duo and honestly, it may take a little growing for me. Tracks like ‘You Can’t Hurt Me Anymore’, ‘Holy Ghost Fire’ and the closer are high points, but the album as a whole is a touch slow. Don’t get me wrong, they’re not known for high pace generally, but they at least have some smattered throughout their projects. This is just all ballads aside for closer ‘High Heels’. Said track is up there among their best, honestly, but it certainly took some getting to. While I did very much like Plus One, it was a slight step below Lover’s Game for me in hindsight, and this release once again takes another sad step down. I did enjoy the concept of the release, the pair highlighting the ups and downs of their marriage from each perspective. However, it felt like they didn’t lean into each other as much, more having each track be a solo one with the other as backup. The emotion is still there, but it can make for a damn depressing listen at times. When they do sing together though, it still very much works to perfection. They still have two of the best voices in music currently. They just felt less of a team sharing each song than usual.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not exactly their target audience, and I’m sure plenty of their fans will love this. It’s still not a bad album by any stretch. However, it’s nothing we haven’t had from them before, except it leans hard on the stuff that I like a little more in moderation from the duo. As I said, hopefully it grows on me, as I’ll certainly be giving it more listens. For now, I can’t give it much more than 7.5/10.

Hard-Fi: Sweating Someone Else’s Fever

Having known the name for a while, I don’t think I’ve ever actually heard a track by the UK indie rockers outside of their big hit. However, the first album in a decade and a half and since their 2022 reunion, there was no way I wasn’t checking it out to see what all he hype was for.

It’s at very least interesting. The opener is terrible, but I did enjoy the Latin-infused single ‘Digo Nada’. Tracks like ‘Looking for Fun’ and ‘Now and Then’ are also pretty good! However, overall it isn’t really the sort of thing I’m into much. None of it is bad at all, and does have a bit of a nostalgic twinge for me from when this sort of style was big in the bands heyday. If you are big into this sort of music, you’ll almost certainly have a lot of love for this. The band are clearly talented! Krysten Cummings also does great on her two guest tracks, adding a lot to the sound. However, the whole album is a bit boring and samey, dragging across its 40 minutes. It’s nothing that hasn’t been done before, and feels kinda dated; a little expected given their time off. As I say, if you’re a fan of the band or 2000s/2010s indie music, this is worth a listen. Outside of that though, I don’t think it’s win many new fans over. If it was on I wouldn’t turn it off, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to listen to this again. 5/10

When Rivers Meet: Rhythm Rust & Static

Coming just one year after the awesome Addicted to You, the husband-and-wife blues duo are back with album number five. I feels like the pair have gone a bit heavier with this release too, which was awesome to hear! I was hooked right from the opener, and not let go for the full 41 minutes. ‘Caught in the Middle’, ‘I’m Ready for You’ and ‘My Time Is Done’ are big personal highlights, but honestly the whole album is fantastic and has a great flow to it. Heck, as a soon-to-be-parent, hearing the pair of new parents write and perform a track like ‘Bring Life’ was truly beautiful. They are such a phenomenal combined talent, and I honestly feel like they have the ingredient that I was missing from War and Treaty above; they play off each other and compliment each other perfectly throughout. The pair and their backing band are all insanely talented, and I think they’ve maybe crafted their most cohesively high-quality release yet! Another incredibly solid 9/10 from us!

Endseeker: Coffin Born

The farewell EP from the German death metallers is a fittingly brutal. It’s 22 minutes of fast paced, heavy music, and each track is as good as the last! ‘Enemies of Peace’ is an amazing opener packed with some truly great lyrics. ‘Coffin Born’ goes hard too, and the Lord of the Lost-featuring ‘True Survivor’ not only closes things out perfectly, but adds some great dynamics to the release with some clean vocals. As I said though, the whole thing is great from beginning to end. It’s a shame to see the band go, but what a note to end it on! If to are into the heavier end of stuff at all, this is definitely worth a spin! I can’t give it any less than 8/10

Warning: Rituals of Shame

The first album from the British doom band in a whopping two decades finally dropped this last Friday, to much hype from its cult following. It’s 45-minutes of darkness and despair, the band picking things up like they never left it off in the first place. It’s only five tracks long, but each is proggy, doom-filled epicness, and it all flows surprisingly well together. Don’t get me wrong, on the whole it’s maybe a little slow for me personally, but I still very much appreciate the talent and writing that went into creating this! Having said that, I really enjoyed ‘Stations’, and closer ‘Teacher’ is awesome too. It all just feels a bit similar to me, and the slower doom stuff doesn’t hit as hard when that’s all it is, if that makes sense? For fans of the band, I imagine this is like Christmas, and it is certainly a worthy successor to Watching from a Distance. And while it is damn good doom metal, I can’t give it any more than 7/10

Pond: Terrestrials

Following up 2024’s Stung!, the Australian psychedelic five-piece show off their incredible talent once again here! While not typically my sort of thing on paper, I had a blast listening to it in full! Nestled comfortably between Yes, Deep Purple and ELO, their sound is awesome, and each member plays their asses off throughout, all getting their own time to shine. Personal highlights include ‘Casuarina’, ‘Roebuck Plains’ and ‘Personal Hell’, but the whole album is pretty damn good! If you like the softer, proggier side of rock music, this is absolutely an album for you. It’s not something I’ll be spinning too often, but will most likely be checking it out again in the relatively near future. It’s a solid 7.5/10, and is another that may grow on me even more through the rest of the year!

Inherits the Void: The Silent Abscission

This atmospheric black metal album is honestly awesome! Y’all know by now that I have an up-and-down relationship with black metal, but this was interesting and entertaining as hell throughout. Having elements of almost tech death added to the rest was awesome, the sheer playing and writing ability on display being off the charts. From the opener to ‘In the Shadow of the Falling Star’ to ‘A World Unmade’, the album is packed full of great songs! It’s another release that flows fantastically too, not at all feeling nearly 50 minutes in length. It’s not a release for everyone, but I really enjoyed it, and will certainly be spinning it again plenty moving forward. Even if you aren’t typically into black metal, give this a try, it will almost certainly win you over like it did me! 8.5/10, great stuff!

Kashus Culpepper: Act I: Summer Nights

The new EP from the rising country star is a short but very sweet affair. Three new songs, backed up by a fantastic cover and an interlude, and it makes for incredibly easy listening! It’s 13 minutes of chilled-out, beautiful pop-country/Southern soul, and I can’t get enough! ‘Let me Show You Love’ is fantastic, as is ‘Til the Sun Goes Down’. However, there is no beating that fantastic Glen Campbell cover, it opens things up perfectly. I remember checking out his debut album back at the start of the year and not minding it, but honestly this was a step up in quality for me! I feel like the brief nature of this release (Act I is long) helped it a lot, it being all-killer, no-filler. I’ll definitely be listening to this again, probably a fair bit over the summer, and would urge anyone reading this to check this out! Another incredibly easy 8.5/10 from us!

Swim Deep: Hum

Album five from the indie collective is another chilled-out release for us this week. I can’t say I’d really heard of them before checking out this album, and while it’s not usually my sort of style, I definitely had fun with it! It’s simple and relaxed and gives off a real early-mid 2000s vibe that I can’t help but be a little nostalgic for. And, from ‘You, Me and Mary’ to ‘Such a Fool’ to ‘In Dreams Alive’, there is a lot to love. It’s maybe a little too similar for me in terms of pace and sound for an album as a whole, but I’ll definitely be coming back to the aforementioned tracks pretty regularly! For any indie fans reading this, this is certainly an album for you. I’m at least curious to go back and check out the rest of their back catalogue to see if it’s all this good. And, while I do so, this gets a solid 7/10

Shadowborne: Heaven’s Falling

Time for a debut album, us having surprisingly few this week. The power metal newcomers kill it with this release! From the excellent opener ‘High and Low’ to ‘Hold the Door’ to ‘The Wall’, there is so much to love throughout, though the whole album is pretty excellent! If you are even a passing fan of power or heavy metal, give this a spin ASAP! From the soaring vocals to the solid drumming to the excellent riffs and synth, it’s all so damn good. And the choruses, they are easily a high point of the release as a whole, they are all so infectiously catchy. The band are going to go very far in the scene if this release is anything to go by. I already can’t wait to hear where they go from here, but for now I’ll certainly be listening to this a lot moving forward. I can’t give it any less than 8/10!

Mork: Monolitt

The ninth album from Thomas Eriksen’s black metal project is another brutal addition to their growing discography. It’s a perfect encapsulation of the 2nd wave of the genre, though with some real top-notch production that honestly helps it a lot. There are some awesome riffs throughout, and some truly heavy drums and screams. It’s a little more straight forward than Inherits the Void above, so did struggle to hold my attention a little more. However, there was enough more death metal-like parts that I still found myself enjoying it! Single ‘Ødelagt’ is a big high point of the release, as is ‘Martyr’. And the rest all sounds fairly similar, so if you generally like your metal black, you’re bound to love this! Another solid 7/10

Tucker Zimmerman: Dream Me a Dream

The criminally underrated folk singer-songwriter put out his fifth album this decade so far this last Friday. It’s a stripped-back, relaxed affair and a 37 minutes I found myself enjoying far more than I expected to! The lyrics were amazing, and sometimes the swell of the strings and other instrumentation around Tucker bring out so much emotion. ‘Don’t Feel Like Doing Nothing Today’ is probably my favourite, but I also really like the Lou Reed-like ‘Rooftops of San Francisco’. He’s an old-school storyteller through and through, and it’s cool to still be getting this sort of music being released. It’s probably not something I’d revisit a huge amount, but I can appreciate the hell out of the musicianship that went into it, and certainly liked it. It was cool to just throw on and get lost in the lyricism and feel of it all. And, for that, it gets an easy 7.5/10

Features, Reviews

Download 2026: The Big Bad Review – Day 3

19th June 2026 Overtone Leave a comment

The last day of the festival kicked into high gear immedialy with Kublai Khan TX. The new kings of hardcore brought the heavy and swagger right from the moment they stepped on stage, and had a surprisingly long set filled with bangers. Matt is such a good frontman, making everything from his growls to his interactions look so effortless and cool. The rest of the band very much give it their all though, putting on a show enough to match. The setlist was great too, a full 12 tracks of attitude and brutality. And the crowd were all for it, even at barely midday, throwing down and shouting back to the band at Matt’s every command. I am already desperate to see the band again, hopefully in a smaller, more intimate setting, but I’m shocked that even seeing a band like this on a stage as big as this was so good! What a way to shake off the cobwebs and start the day off with a bang!

Next up was the legend that is Mammoth. Another one that we’ve seen once or twice at Graspop, not only do Wolfgang and co. keep growing more each year, but they somehow keep getting even better, too! I was a big fan of their album last year, and to hear a good chunk of it live was awesome! Honestly, it was just a really great set to sit and chill out in the sun to after a busy weekend (and the madness of Khan). I don’t really have much else to say about it other than it was fantastically good hard rock music, and if you’re into that you should absolutely go and see them ASAP!

Over in the Avalanche tent we saw one of my new favourite bands next in The Pretty Wild. Sisters Jyl and Jules are absolute powerhouses not just on track but on stage too, and their band absolutely back that up in a massive way. The sheer talent of both of their vocals is off the charts, but the fact that they can sing and scream like that while also putting on the performance like that is honestly phenomenal. The setlist was perfect, giving us the very best of their album and single stuff, and actually felt like the best possible length (though I’d have happily taken another ten minutes, honestly). They already had one of my favourite albums of last year, and now on top of that they have one of my favourite sets of this year! I already can’t wait to see them again, we need a headline UK/EU tour next year please!

Bloodywood absolutely tore apart main stage next. I’d only seen them the once before, and I think the sound quality played a big part in me being ever so slightly let down by the set. This more than made up for that instance. For once they got the sound right on the main stage; this hit hard and loud in all the right places. And you could tell too, as the crowd popped OFF throughout. And while I do still think they talk a little too much between tracks, I know a lot of people are into that, and they were certainly saying some great stuff. On top of that, it was another perfect set, giving us the very best of their two albums. They are still such a unique and interesting sound, it makes it impossible not to get on board with it, and the fact that they very much bring it live too makes it even better. I was always a fan, but this definitely won me over to the band in an even more massive way. Another band I need to see again like yesterday.

After that were The Pretty Reckless. Another band that it’s been almost a decade since I’d last seen, and it’s kinda sad that in all that time, they haven’t gotten much better live. I’m sorry y’all, I just don’t get it. And still, I find it hard to put my finger on exactly why that is. The band are all talented, and Taylor has a great live voice. She’s not the best front-person in the world, but I’ve certainly seen worse, and from bigger artists. I think that might be it though; they throw their weight around like they are the biggest band in the world. They drag everything out so much, stretching their 10 track setlist by easily 10 minutes than the studio versions to make everything interractable. Don’t get me wrong, they have some damn good songs, but I hate to say that if it wasn’t for Momsen being the face of the band, I don’t think they’d be nearly as big as they are if they had the same tracks still. She’s a rockstar through and through, standing out among an industry now of more clean-cut, calmer musicians, but I’m not sure that’s necessarily a good thing. They’re certainly good, and I know that their fans there loved it, but I sadly kinda found myself thinking ‘just get on with it’.

Social Distortion didn’t have nearly a big enough crowd on the Opus stage. They definitely had some stiff competition from the other stages, but the punk legends don’t venture over here all too often, and just put out a banger of a new album, they deserved more love! They still sound great live too, even with Mike’s recent health issues. However, while I did dig the new album stuff, I have to say as my first time seeing them, I was a little let down they didn’t do literally anything off their massive, self-titled album. It’s what got me into the band all those years ago, and I was excited to finally hear some of it live. Clearly I just need to hear a longer set from them, as they sounded great and put on a good show, I just wanted more!

Possibly my favourite band at this point were up next, Ice Nine Kills. This was a weird one for me, honestly. We saw them back in December and they were incredible! However, something here felt slightly off at times, though I’m 90% convinced it was the sound. The vocal mix, for once, was actually impeccable. I’ve never heard Ricky and Joe so loudly, and they filled in around Spencer excellently. However, and it’s the same complaint as I had all weekend, the main stage was just too damn quiet. They’re a heavy-ass metalcore band with pretty brutal breakdowns and almost death metal parts, yet we were at the first crowd-breaker and none of it really hit.

However, the band and the stage show of course killed it, just as always. A set packed full of incredible songs, be it off Welcome to Horrorwood, their recent singles or even a cheeky NOFX cover. Each one was complete with costume changes, props, extras and pyro, proving that they are truly one of the best live bands around today. I didn’t even mind that it was essentially the same set that we’d seen from them in the winter, because it’s all so good live and on track that it’s impossible not to love! Plus, Hannah Greenwood coming out to do Grace’s parts on ‘Twisting the Knife’ was amazing, she absolutely KILLED it all weekend (pun intended). It’s another case of if I was down the front, I’d have had even more fun, and it is a shame that the sound was so quiet that being further back had a big impact. But, even still, this was one of the best sets of the weekend!

After INK, we finally chilled out a bit. It was tetting warm and we couldn’t decide on who to see, so we kinda milled around, catching bits of whatever we fancied. Ash didn’t stand out to me much beforehand, and were simply fine live. We watched a bit of a meat smoking show, that was good fun and took me back to years of Long Roads. We caught the last two tracks of Mastodon, curious how they would sound without Brent. Honestly, I wasn’t digging it too much until ‘Crack the Skye’, and then that and ‘Blood and Thunder’ were excellent and I was really into it. They’ve never been the biggest band for me, but I’d happily see them again at another festival. Oh, and we popped up to Dogtooth early and caught the last few from the criminally underrated Spineshank. They killed it, and were honestly my biggest surprise of the weekend!

Creeper set two, Dogtooth tent. Now, I will happily hold my hands up and say that their packed out set at Trees the other year is one of my favourite live music experiences of all time. And fuck, the boys (and Hannah) only went and did it again, didn’t they? There is something about Creeper in a slightly more intimate, darker venue that makes it somehow even better, and it helps that the crowd were all in right from the start. And, while we got a fair bit of the same stuff as Friday’s set, the extra 20 minutes certainly helped! ‘The Ballad of Spook & Mercy’ is one of my favourite tracks they’ve ever done, and hearing it live is always amazing. And to hear new tracks like ‘The Crimson Bride’ and ‘The Black House’ live was amazing, too. Heck, we even got the live debut of Sanguivore closing ballad ‘More Than Death’, which I never thought we’d ever get live. Will absolutely blew everyone away with it and, to absolutely no one’s shock, made the wife cry again.

Everything about the set was honestly perfect. The sound was great, the band performed masterfully, the crowd was packed in to the rafters with genuine fans and, outside of me maybe wanting an older track or two sneaking in again, the setlist was amazing. The band have very quickly made Download their home the last few years, and this capped off one hell of a weekend for them. Looking back, this may very well have been my favourite set of the weekend, maybe even of the year. Goddamn.

And with that, the final band of the weekend took to the stage. A lot has been made about Linkin Park finally being the first female fronted band to headline the festival, and honestly it’s about fucking time. However, and don’t kill me for saying this, I wasn’t really feeling the set. They played a massive set packed full of career spanning hits to a packed out crowd, a lot of whom seemed to be loving it. And the From Zero stuff, from ‘Two Faced’ to ‘IGYEIH’ and plenty in between, sounded awesome! However, as much as I wanted to enjoy the older stuff, Emily’s voice just isn’t cut out for it. She wasn’t awful at the Thousand Suns or ‘Burn it Down’, but anything from the early stuff didn’t hit at all for me. I felt nothing when she sung the Hybrid Theory or Meteora tracks; it was all very one-note with no real emotion there. It made it feel even more like a Mike cash grab than it did before. The stage show was interesting, though there was far too much down time between songs, and the chemistry between Mike and Emily on the rare times they did interact with the crowd felt forced. If you enjoyed it and it scratched that LP itch for you, that’s awesome, but it sadly did not do that for me. We left during ‘Numb’, it was just too sad.

<- Day 2

Features, Reviews

Download 2026: The Big Bad Review – Day 2!

19th June 2026 Overtone Leave a comment

Having a sunburnt, pregnant wife tagging along, we got in a touch later than hoped on the Saturday. However, we made it in for most of the amazing As Everything Unfolds on Opus, and what a way to start our day! The alt rock/metalcore rising stars owned the massive stage right from the jump, proving that they very much deserved to be up there. It’s crazy too, as they were originally supposed to be on the much smaller Dogtooth stage later on, but swapped with Drowning Pool because their flights were delayed. It proved to be a fantastic decision on both counts, as I think AEU got heaps of new ears and exposure from this move. Seeing ‘Gasoline’ live was awesome, as it’s become honestly one of my favourite tracks from this year so far. But the whole set was amazing, and the band played their asses off throughout!

Over to the Dogtooth tent for the first time of the weekend, we saw proggy, middle-eastern infused metal band Lowen. By far the quirkiest band for us of the weekend, it was damn interesting to watch. They were all insanely talented musicians, and I loved the video and images they had playing behind them, really adding to the atmosphere of it all. While it’s not typically my sort of style in a live environment, I had a good time watching them and have listened to them a few times on track since coming home. They are well worth seeing if you are into this side of metal music, and would honestly go down a storm in the European market! Nina has such an interesting voice and she fronts the band spectacularly, while the rest of the band back her up and make their wall of sound absolutely massive. They definitely have a new fan in me!

Over to the Apex stage, we caught emo-metal legends Black Veil Brides. The last time I saw them properly was here back in 2012. Back then, they were so hated they were getting bottles and mud balls hurled at them. The metal world has softened on them since then, and we’re fairly receptive to the band this time around! The crowd for them was pretty massive, and the front half were hanging on every note. However, something about it just didn’t land for me. Maybe it was because we were a touch further back and, for as big as the new main stage is, it isn’t very loud. Or maybe it was because they did a setlist primarily consisting of new tracks, bookended by a few classics. It’s not exactly a bad thing, and their fans certainly seemed to enjoy it, but it didn’t hook me in for too long, despite how talented the band all are.

Because of that, we instead headed over to see our friends, the mighty Those Damn Crows. It had already been too long since we’d last seen them, it being the very start of 2025. They were excellent at Winters End and, to the surprise of I’m sure no one, they were also excellent here! The bands sound and energy is built for huge festival stages like this at this point, and they put on the set to prove it. From ‘Find a Way’ to ‘Sin on Skin’, their awesome, extensive back catalogue was on full display. My only slight complaint is that we didn’t get much off their recent chart-topping album, God Shaped Hole. However, that was most likely because they didn’t have a huge amount of time. It just means that they’ll have to do a headline tour soon as well as the Shinedown support, so we can see a full set… Shane is a truly excellent frontman, getting the crowd going as well as coming across genuinely sincere and likeable. And the rest of the band played their asses off throughout, just as they always do. Another fantastic set!

Speaking of fantastic sets, Drowning Pool were up next. After their set-switch earlier in the day, they were now packed into the smaller Dogtooth tent, and I’d rarely seen a crowd as big trying to watch a band in there! The last time I’d seen the band was at Rescue Rooms when I was just a teenager, so to say I was hyped would be an understatement. Especially with the recent re-addition of Ryan back at the front! He sounded better than he has in a few years too, I know he seemed to be struggling a little last time we saw him with Soil. We’ll get the elephant in the room out of the way first: they only had time for four songs. However, those four songs were all excellent, and brought me back to my youth in a big way. A Sinners-full set of the heaviest hitters from that album, and the crowd hung on every note. As a big ‘Mania X8 guy, ‘Tear Away’ will always be a huge song for me, and they played it amazingly on Saturday. Then, of course, sending the crowd home in a frenzy from the massive ‘Bodies’ was absolutely the right call, it being the main reason most were near that tent to begin with. I’m really hoping this means that they’ll be back sooner rather than later, and hopefully finally start getting more of the love they deserve in the UK. Too short, but an excellent set!

As we left the tent, we managed to catch the back half of Babymetal’s set. It once again wasn’t the first time we’d seen them, and while I once again enjoyed previous sets, this was by no means a bad one! We came over from the solos of ‘METALI!!’ onwards, and got treated to four more excellent songs after that! While I do still think Callboy do ‘RATATATA’ better live, it’s still a lot of fun to hear, especially two days in a row. And the one-two punch of ‘Headbannggerrr!!’ into ‘Road of Resistance’ to close was awesome! The trio put on such an amazing, energetic show between them, while they are backed by some truly awesome musicians, playing some incredible stuff. If you haven’t seen them live already, they are an absolute must!

After a brief changeover, Trivium took to the stage. The band have been a powerhouse live for over 20 years now, so it’s no surprise that this was also a storming set. Matt’s vocals are somehow better and more powerful than ever, and the bands cohesion and talent individually and as a group is incredible. You can really tell they still all really enjoy playing together. It was a classics/anniversary tour-heavy set, with the likes of ‘Gunshot to the Head’, ‘Dying in your Arms’ and ‘Down from the Sky’. As an almost life-long Trivum fan, it certainly tickled that itch. However, we had seen a similar set before. And, incase anyone hasn’t heard, I LOVE their last two albums, and to only get ‘Catastrophist’ off them was a little sad. Still, I get it, it’s a festival, so play the ones people know. I know they mentioned a tour for ’27, hopefully it’s near the release of their upcoming album and we get some stuff off it live this time! However, it’s a minor gripe really, as I did enjoy their set a hell of a lot! Each song was excellent and played to perfection. If I was down in the pit it would have most likely been one of my favourite sets of the weekend, no question. One of the best live metal bands around today!

We then took a slow stroll over to Opus to see the black metal legends Behemoth. I’ve recently become a fan of them on track, and my god did they blow me away here! Everything about it, from the sound to the production to their live skill was impeccable, and made them feel MASSIVE. They fully owned the stage, and made an incredibly solid case as to why they’re headliners in Europe and at the likes of Bloodstock. The setlist was perfect, too. Whether it was the heavy-hitters from the bands magnum opus, The Satanist, the title track from their latest album or even a cheeky Bathory cover, it was all so damn good. They made it feel like their darker genre of music belonged at a typically lighter festival, and most definitely turned some heads. Nergal is a fantastic frontman and conducted his brutal symphony to perfection.

After a short pause, Opus headliners of the day Architects took the stage by storm. The crowd were raring to go right from the offset, and the set proved that the band could arguably be headlining the festival as a whole the next time they’re there. The crowd were so into it, in fact, that the opening half was rather stop start due to those pesky pits getting a little too hairy and security intervening. ‘Blackhole’ and ‘Impermanence’ in particular were a pain, but both restarted and went just as hard afterwards. I’ve seen some saying that Sam [Carter] didn’t handle it very well, but if anything it just revved him up to go even harder the rest of the set. Even with it being the most stop-start set of the weekend, it just goes to show how much the Download crowd love the band, and how hugely popular they have become.

The setlist was rather perfect for me, too. Being Sky Earth heavy was amazing, as I LOVE THAT ALBUM. ‘Blackhole’ when it was finally played fully, was a particular highlight, but opener ‘Elegy’, ‘Seeing Red’ and the Florent Salfati-featuring ‘Brain Dead’ were all just as awesome. And, we still got some of the very best of their back catologue between. From ‘Deep Fake’ to ‘Gravedigger’, ‘Black Lungs’ to the touching Tom tribute of ‘Doomsday’ and now-perennial closer ‘Animals’ it was all SO GOOD. Hell Sam’s voice even held up a lot better live than I expected it to from recent clips, and he is such a good frontman these days. His and Adam’s lows combined still itch my brain in the best way. They were one of my most anticipated bands of the weekend and they certainly didn’t disappoint!

On the way out of the arena, we caught a couple of songs from mainstage headliners Guns n’ Roses. Now, I’ve seen them three times before since their reunion, I knew what I was getting into. Still, hearing Axl murder some of my favourite minutes in all of music in the close of ‘Coma’ still hurt just a little. We caught that, a big widdly solo from Slash (expected) and then watched ‘Sweet Child O Mine’ from the back. It was exactly what I expected it to be. A slightly thinner crowd going nuts for one of the four songs from the three plus hour set that they actually wanted to see. The band are still pretty tight; Slash still noodles with the best of them, even if his technicality is slipping now that he’s *checks notes* SIXTY. And Axl was… also present. I don’t want to clown too hard on the guy as he is a legend and performs long-ass sets on the regular at his age, it’s no mean feat. Heck, he still has the energy of a toddler… he just also has the voice of one. Still, I know plenty of people who enjoyed it and got some nostalgia out of it, and good for them! They still put on a great show, no matter their sound, and are truly one of the biggest bands ever. It’s just not for me any more, nothing will top that first show back for me. I am, however, jealous of those who got to see them do ‘Dead Horse’ live, I do love that song!

<- Day 1

Day 3 ->

Features, Reviews

Download 2026: The Big Bad Review!

19th June 2026 Overtone Leave a comment

The first time I had been to Donington for a full weekend since 2019, the line-up was so good it was impossible to pass up! Three days of insane rock and metal music among 90k+ likeminded people, what could possibly be better than that?! From rising stars to legends and everything between, it was one of the most stacked weekend in recent memory. There really was something for everyone! We saw so many amazing bands across the weekend, there was no way we weren’t letting y’all know what we thought! Strap yourselves in boys and girls, it’s a long one!

Sadly we missed Native James due to it taking a little longer than expected to get into the arena, something about running out of wristbands. However, we made it in to get a prime spot in the Avalanche tent for hardcore newcomers Silly Goose. Thank god we did too, as they were fucking awesome! Their blend of old-school nu-metal and more modern hardcore was infectiously fun, and they put on one of the highest-energy sets of the weekend right off the bat. The packed-out tent gave that energy right back to the band, too! They didn’t have long, but made more than the most of the time they had, and won over more than a few new fans in the process, I’m sure. I immediately want to see them grace the UK again ASAP, seeing them in a smaller venue would pop off. A fantastic start to our weekend!

Headed across to the Apex stage, we caught the last half of P.O.D.. A band that I’ve caught briefly at Graspop before, this was the closest we’ve been able to watch them before. The nu metal legends are still at the top of their games live, both sounding and performing awesomely. Their set was short but sweet, rattling off the very best of their discography. ‘Youth of the Nation’ took me back to my childhood, while ‘Alive’ had the whole crowd singing along instantly. And yet still, they managed to squeeze in a new one, ‘Drop’ fitting perfectly alongside the rest. Sonny is a fantastic frontman, still having the energy and stage presence that would put someone half of his age to shame. And the rest of the band backed him up amazingly, them sounding remarkably close to how they do on track. It was slightly lower energy after the craziness of Goose, but still a great set!

Switching stages again, we finally got to see the mighty Paleface Swiss tear apart the Opus stage. I’ve been wanting to see them since I first got into them a couple of years ago, and even more so after last year’s album. I’d seen videos and had hyped myself up plenty in my head beforehand, yet still they blew me away. Their rise has been undeniable over the last four years of live shows, and for clearly good reason! Firstly, the energy was off the charts, the four twenty-somethings bringing so much energy and fire (metaphorically and literally) to the stage. Marc is such a force up on stage; he’s charismatic and entertaining and how his vocals can do what he does on track live for a full set honestly blows my mind. And as for the rest of the band, they are all so insanely talented, and put on such an incredible show individually, as well as together.

The setlist too… *chefs kiss*. Marc coming out to start off saying “we’ve been told we can’t ask for a pit but…” and then them immediately launching into ‘Hatred’ was fantastic, and it only kept on being awesome from there! Whether the brutality of ‘The Orphan’ and ‘Please End Me’ to the surpising sentimentality of ‘Everything Is Fine’, it was all awesome, if expectedly too short! The crowd went nuts from start to finish too, hanging on every single note. Honestly one of the sets of the weekend for me!

Long-time readers here know that we are certainly partial to some country, so Lakeview were a must for us. Especially after the carnage of Paleface! To say it may not typically be their sort of crowd too, the duo and their band knocked it out of the park! They are surprisingly heavy live, or at least heavied it up for this show in the best way. Every drop and riff hit HARD, and it contrasted extremely well with Jesse and Luke’s southern drawls. ‘Wrong Side of the Track’ was probably my favourite track of the setlist, but every song hit just as hard. They really held the crowds attention too; I was shocked at how full the tent was and barely anyone left throughout. I’m already desperate to see them again, so hopefully they hit the country festival scene next year!

One of our favourite bands were up next on the Opus stage. Creeper have been killing it the last couple of years or so, and this was yet another great example of that! Right from opener ‘Mistress of Death’, the band sounded on top form, somehow even more polished than I had heard them before. And the Nosfera-two stuff somehow grows on me more and more every time I hear it live. ‘Headstones’ always goes hard, but the big high point for me was ‘Razor Wire’. Hannah’s vocals and emotion throughout brought my wife to tears, so that alone should show just how good it was (she is pregnant though so it’s maybe slightly easier…). However, Will has evolved into one of the best frontmen in the game right now, though more on him later, and between them they are sure to catapult Creeper into the stratosphere sooner rather than later. The crowd were once again into it too, and ‘Cry to Heaven’ is such a good closer that everyone went nuts for it. If you haven’t yet seen them, what are you playing at? They’re on the road a lot the rest of the year, so get your asses to a show, you won’t be disappointed!

After a very short rest for us, the mighty Electric Callboy graced the Apex stage. We have caught them at multiple festivals the last few years, and always have a good time with them. Download was no exception! The new stuff, ‘TANZNEID’ and ‘Let the Good Times Roll’, came across better live for me and certainly got me hyped for the upcoming album. Between those and tried-and-true classics like ‘Pump It’, ‘MC Thunder II’ and the Babymetal-featuring ‘RATATATA’, it was one hell of a setlist. Heck, we even got some Electric Bassboy in the middle, dubstepping up some Drowning Pool and Blink 182. It was awesome!

I do think I’ve seen them slightly better, it’d take a lot to top their Graspop set for me, but they are such a phenomenal live band that we still had a blast throughout. It was just a shame ‘Mindreader’ got cut short due to an issue in the pit (sadly a running theme of the weekend, more on it later). However, Kevin and Nico are such consummate professionals that they stopped immediately, getting the issue sorted and right back to the music. Their dynamic together is always so fantastic to watch, and their live vocals just keep getting better and better. It won’t be long before they are headlining festivals of this size, mark my words!

We quickly high-tailed it back over to Opus to catch the latter half of Daughtry. Somehow we hadn’t seen them live before, but they were every bit as great as I expected them to be! Chris’ vocals are so damn powerful, and just as amazing live as they are on track. And the setlist was top-class, too. We got plenty of heavy newer stuff off SHOCK TO THE SYSTEM, yet still got the radio classics in ‘Over You’ and ‘Heavy is the Crown’. The crowd were more than happy to sing along to the ballads, too! They felt like good old-fashioned hard rock music live; go out there, rock the joint with a tight set and let the music do the talking. I’d happily see them again, and would love to see a full set from the quintet! Hopefully we get a rare UK headline tour soon! Especially when the wind was a little troublesome with the sound all day.

Cypress Hill felt like a bit of an odd-one-out on paper, but packed out the place and had the crowd pumping throughout. Over an hour of West Coast hip-hop from some of the best to ever do it. Their back catalogue is incredible, from ‘When the Shit Goes Down’ to ‘Dr Greenthumb’, ‘(Rock) Superstar’ to ‘How I Could Just Kill a Man’ to their megahit ‘Insane in the Brain’, and it all sounds just as good live as it did on track! However, they didn’t just stop there. We also got two awesome covers: RATM’s ‘Bombtrack’ and instant crowd-favourite ‘Jump Around’. B-Real and Sen Dog play off each other perfectly and sounded awesome, while DJ Muggs and Eric Bobo back them up so well. It may not have been to everyone’s tastes, but they most certainly won some people over during their set, and had the crowd in the palm of their hands throughout. I’m glad I finally got to see them live, and they certainly didn’t disappoint!

After a short break, the mighty Limp Bizkit took to the stage to finally headline the festival, 23 years after they were first supposed to. We saw them at Graspop a couple of years back and loved it and, while it was a fairly similar setlist to then, I still had an absolute blast. The band strolling out and getting the hype to a fever pitch with some ‘Thieves’ riffing before launching into current open-closer ‘Break Stuff’. Whether it’s their massive hits like ‘Nookie’, ‘Rollin’’ or ‘Take A Look Around’ to smaller tracks like the newer ‘Dad Vibes’ and ‘Livin’ it Up’, it was a great setlist. Add to that their massive covers of ‘Faith’ and ‘Behind Blue Eyes’, bringing out the awesome Lauren Sanderson to rock ‘Hot Dog’ with them or bringing some fans on to sing ‘Full Nelson’, and it was a hell of a lot of fun. Hell, we even got ‘Eat You Alive’, which we at least didn’t get from the last set!

As for the performance itself, it was amazing! Fred is one of the most charismatic people around, and barely even needed to do anything to hold the crowds attention throughout. His vocals are iconic and hold up still to this day. Meanwhile, DJ Lethal, John Otto and newcomer on the bass Richie Buxton all kill it as always. Meanwhile Wes Borland is a guitar god at this point, and such an amazing performer in his own right. And, while I’ve seen some people complaining about the between-songs stuff, I quite liked Lethal playing easy-listening classics, it kept the crowd pumped and kept the fun, party vibe going. Once again, however, we had the set paused mid-way through a song due to crowd issues. The ending of ‘My Way’ got cut, and I feel like we lost another song with how long the pause was, too. I completely respect Fred for stopping the show to make sure people were okay, but it became a running theme of the festival, sadly. However, until that point, it was awesome, the crowd were fully in, and it was a fantastic set. Spoiler alert, it was my favourite headline set of the weekend, and I already want to see them again!

Day 2 ->

Interviews & Features

Ashen Horde: ‘Those were, our first-ever shows!’

14th June 2026 Overtone Leave a comment

We chatted to the amazing Trevor Portz of the extreme(ish) metal band Ashen Horde! Check out as we chat about the bands sound, their latest album and dream tours!

How would you describe your sound?

While it’s a mouthful, I tend to go with progressive, blackened death metal… it’s more or less accurate. It’s probably easier to just say extreme metal, but I don’t feel like that gives enough detail to catch people’s attention! Ultimately, the motivation behind Ashen Horde has been to make metal music that doesn’t really conform to any single subgenre, but listing everything we incorporate takes it from “mouthful” to “stupidly verbose and pretentious,” haha.

You’re on album five now, how has your sound changed or evolved in the last 12 years since your debut?

As the primary songwriter, it’s kind of hard to say… I’m probably too close to it, and I just write whatever sounds right to me! I do feel like the songs have become a bit more cohesive and less disjointed, but depending on the reviewer, it’s clear that not everyone agrees! We’ve definitely incorporated more and more melody over the years, especially with the addition of Karl on lead vocals. He’s able to deliver all the harsh shrieks and gutterals, of course, but has an incredibly powerful singing voice that has allowed me to indulge in all sorts of new things. I’ve also leaned into making the solos more driven by melody than flash. I’m really not a shredder, so I’ve redirected my focus into writing memorable, melodic leads that contrast a bit with the more brutal or dissonant riffs elsewhere in the songs.

What is the writing process like for the band?

The music always comes first (minus a rare occasion when I have a cool title or line to inspire a song). I tend to write one of two ways: sitting with my guitar and messing with different chords and things certainly accounts for a good chunk of it. But almost more commonly, I’ll write when I’m just out and about. I like to jog, hike and bike, so I’ll often work through arrangements while I’m doing that. I actually do a lot of work in my head before I fall asleep at night, too. It’s a nice way to decompress. Of course, if I have a really cool idea that I don’t want to forget, I have to make the decision to get up and record it, or hope I remember it in the morning!

Do you have a favourite track from the album?

That’s tough… I think it changes pretty regularly. At this moment in time, I’d say it’s ‘Backward Momentum’. That one’s got some really interesting riffs, and I was very happy with how the clean vocals turned out. I’d been inspired to put cleans over the blast beats by Opeth’s “The Lotus Eater.” It goes a bit against convention, and I think it gave that track a really different vibe. The extended solo on there is also my favorite on the album. It was a pain in the ass to write and play, but I’m quite satisfied with it! I threw in some jazzy blue notes here and there to give it some added weirdness.

Busy year planned touring to support the release?

Compared to the past 12 years where we never toured, yes! But ultimately, it was a very small amount. We played a couple shows in May to support the album, but that’s it for now. Those were, in fact, our first-ever shows! But we are looking to do something longer for early next year. I think we’d all love to do it sooner, but other band commitments, day jobs and regular life have made it impossible…

Any plans/hopes to come over to the UK?

That’s the dream! I was born in London, and have always been a bit of an Anglophile. I mean, my favorite band of all time is the Wildhearts. (While I’ve seen them live in New York a handful of times, it feels like a necessary pilgrimage to catch them (or any of the offshoots) in the UK.) So yes, if we can make it happen, I’d be beyond excited. I’d love to do a week where we just drive around and play all over the UK!

Do you have a dream tour lineup you’d want to be a part of? Anyone you want to support or friends you want to bring along with you?

For Ashen Horde, being first on a bill with Enslaved and Ihsahn (solo or with Emperor) would blow my mind. Throw in a reunited Immortal and I’d question my ability to breathe long enough to remember my own songs, haha! My other band, Abhoria, was fortunate enough to open for Abbath last year—when he did the Immortal-only set—so I do feel like I’ve had a taste of the dream… and I want more!

If you could have written one song from history, what would it be and why?

This answer would probably change based on the day or even my mood, but at this moment in time, I’ll say ‘Fell on Black Days’ by Soundgarden. That is a damn-near perfect song, and I would love to write something that hits me that hard every time I hear it.

new music mondays

New Music Mondays: A, Dimmu Borgir and More!

25th May 2026 Overtone Leave a comment

Another typically stacked week of new music for us to check out, from rock to metal to country! Let’s dive right in!

A: PRANG

The return album from the British alt rockers, their first new studio work in over two decades despite being relatively active for most of that time, is honestly about what you’d expect from fans of the band. Hi-Fi Serious was a big release for me in my youth, and while this is certainly more tame in comparison, it’s insane to expect three brothers in their 50s to have that same anger as when they were in their late 20s. Regardless, it’s still a good, fun album. It feels like it draws a little more from Britpop than I was expecting it to, but definitely still has that alt and punk infusion the band are known for. Tracks like ‘Bring on the Likes’, the heavier ‘All In’, the hardcore ‘Techno Viking’ and ‘Back to the Shop’ are all big personal highlights. However, at only 10 tracks in length, it’s pretty short and sweet, and goes by in a flash.

My only slight complaint is that the album takes a bit of getting going, I think there’s a better track arragement in here somewhere, for me at least! There’s some heavy hitters later on that could have been better served in the opening songs. However, if you’re a fan of the band or their particular brand of noise, this is an album well worth checking out! I’ll certainly be spinning it again and it may grow on me more, but for now it gets a still-solid 7.5/10!

Dimmu Borgir: Grand Serpent Rising

The symphonic black metal legends return with their first new release since 2023’s Inspiration Profanus. Somehow we missed reviewing that album, though I have checked it out in my own time and enjoyed it. Though typically not as into black metal in my youth, this band were always an exception, and to this day they are still so unique, interesting and captivating. Now, it’s not a small undertaking, 70-minutes of dark brutality, but if you like the band this is well worth a listen! The album is definitely designed to be listened to in one sitting, but songs like ‘As Seen in the Unseen’, ‘Repository of Divine Transmutation’ and ‘Recognizant’ are personal highlights. It’s certainly not for everyone, but if you are into the genre and have some patience, it is awesome and a damn rewarding listen! The band very much prove that they still have it, some three plus decades into their careers. And they are some of the most talented players and songwriters in metal. A solid 8/10 from us!

Dan Byrne: This is Where the Show Begins

The debut solo album from the UK hard rocker is somehow even better than I expected it to be! I’ve been following his career for years at this point, being a big fan of Revival Black back in the day, but this honestly feels like a step up, like he has something to prove. It has a real arena rock feel to it, both in the writing and the incredible mixing, and is definitely set to take Dan to the next level. It opens on the incredible single ‘Saviour’, followed up perfectly by ‘She’s the Devil’. Then you have tracks like ‘Sober’ and ‘Hate Me’ that are just as good as any of the pre-release singles! Every track on this is amazing though, each being as good as the last. It even works having the two slower tracks in the middle (aside I guess for closer ‘Home’), a move that is usually hard to pull off.

Dan is one of the best vocalists in the scene currently, and has proved here that his songwriting matches that immense talented, too. If you are at all into hard rock or its wider genres, this is an absolute must-listen! I’ll be spinning this plenty in the coming weeks and months, and don’t be surprised to see it high on our albums of the year list come December. 9/10

Jake Vaadeland: This is Jake Vaadeland

The traditional country/bluegrass Canadian singer-songwriter returned with his third studio album this last Friday, following up 2024’s critically acclaimed Retro Man. Well, safe to say it’s another excellent old-school release from the man and his Sturgeon River Boys. From ‘Wildwood Flower’ to ‘Keep on the Sunny Side’, ‘Will the Circle be Unbroken’ to ‘Short Life of Trouble’, there is plenty to love throughout. Don’t get me wrong, at 17 tracks, all of which are fairly similar, it can certainly feel long. However, even though it’s not strictly my sort of sound, I had a good time listening to this, and would urge anyone even slightly interested to do the same! He’s insanely talented at what he does, a real leading light in the 40s/50s revival genre. There isn’t even much else more I can say; it’s exactly what you’d expect it to be and damn good, at that! 7/10

Armored Saint: Emotion Factory Reset

The first studio album from the heavy metal legends in six years, this thing goes hard for a full 47 minutes. John Bush’s vocals never seem to age, sounding just as awesome and powerful as ever, and the rest of the band play their asses off throughout. From the opener to single ‘Hit a Moonshot’, ‘Compromise’ to ‘Bottom Feeder’, there is so much to love throughout this. There certainly isn’t a bad song throughout, either. They do a fantastic job of making this feel like their old-school music while also still having a modern edge to it, mainly due to the fantastic production. If you are at all a fan of 80s and 90s heavy metal/thrash, this is absolutely the album for you! Hopefully we get a full run of shows out here at some point soon, not just a one off (although Stonedead looks BANGIN’ this year), as I’d love to see this live! For now though, I’m happy to keep spinning this album, and it gets a solid 8/10 from us!

ALT BLK ERA: Our World

One of the fastest rising stars in the UK alt scene, the local duo already exploded onto the scene with their debut album last year, returning just 16 months later with this awesome EP! The pair continue to grow their fusion of rock, rap, pop and electronica perfectly with these five tracks, all of which are better than the last. It’s very hard to pick specific highlights, as every song flows so well into each other and is good as each other. Having said that, ‘Okay (Cyber Racing)’ was probably my favourite track. It’s no wonder the duo are getting the hype around them that they are getting, as they more than deserve. It this a great stop-gap before a sophomore album, and a release well worth checking out into you’re into a modern rock-pop sound! 8/10

McCoy Moore: Sunshine State

The sophomore album from the rising country star is a great, chilled-out affair. It gives off a slight vibe akin to the new ERNEST album, but with more of a modern or even bro country twang to it. And it’s also packed full of highlights. From single ‘Every Single Summer’ to the Cole Swindell-featuring ‘In Here, Out There’, ‘Something to You’ to ‘Chesney on a Beach’ to ‘Memories We Never Made’, there’s some truly excellent songs. However, there isn’t a bad track throughout, and it felt like it grew on me more and more the more I listened! The lyrics are amazing, going from emotion-filled to fun and clever, and the instrumentation fits perfectly behind them all. It’s easy to hear why he is such a fast-rising star, and to come out with a second album of this high quality just six months after his debut really highlights just how talented the guy is. He is surely going to keep growing and rising through the ranks quickly. I’m definitely becoming a bigger fan the more I listen, and this will certainly be one of the albums of the summer for me, I’m sure! A very easy 8.5/10, great stuff!

Erik Grönwall: Bad Bones

The former H.E.A.T. frontman put out his fifth solo album this last Friday, following up his Eriksplanations collection the last few years. However, it’s been a while since we’ve had original solo music from him. Well, aside for that Michael Schenker album, but I can’t imagine he had much of a hand in the writing of that. Heck, the album he did with Skid Row was four years ago now! So, safe to say, I’m curious what this is gonna be like!

Well, it’s fucking awesome! It’s an excellent AOR album from one of the best the genre has ever seen. It’s packed full of catchy, arena-filling choruses, soaring, powerful vocals and some awesome riffing. Also, the mix on this thing is amazing, making everything sound MASSIVE. And, because of all of that, it’s almost impossible to pick highlights. All 10 of these tracks are as good as the last, and it makes for an incredibly easy 35-minute listen. From boot stompin’ rockers to the three epic ballads, it’s all amazing. As much as I do prefer Kenny with H.E.A.T., Erik is an incredible talent and has crafted something truly special here. He continued his return from his recent health scare in a major way, and proves that he’s not going anywhere, except maybe even higher up! I’d recommend this album to absolutely anyone, and will be spinning it plenty in the weeks and months to come. Another very easy 9/10 from us! It’s almost as good as the last H.E.A.T. album…

Beggars Bliss: Self-Titled

This is an awesome slab of blues rock! Bring from our neck of the woods, I am already pretty familiar with the band, and they are all great people. So I’ve been excited to finally hear this release in a professional capacity for a while, and it somehow blew away every hope and expectation I had! Whether it’s big, grungy blues riffs, powerful, swagger-dripping vocals, solid drumming or some great keys work, this release really has it all. It also seemed like it had me in a chokehold from start to finish, me listening through it twice in full already just this last week! The album is arranged in such a way that it flows perfectly, every song slotting together like a jigsaw. It’s like a blend of Lenny Kravitz, Luna Marble, Exile Club and Hendrix, and I honestly can’t get enough. Surprisingly, I found myself preferring the lighter tracks, or at least those that have a greater focus on the keys, like ‘Forbidden Fruit’, ‘Dusk Till Dawn’ and the Pearl-Jam-like closer. However, that isn’t to say that the boot-stompers aren’t also amazing songs in their own right, too.

I could rave about this album all day; it’s right up my street musically and is phenomenal from start to finish. Heck, the fact that this is a debut album too is mind-blowing. The band have a very bright future ahead of them, and this will definitely be seen as the start of their incredible run in years to come. If you are at all interested, check this out immediately. I feel like it’s been a while but honestly, it deserves it… 10/10

Moonlight Haze: Interstellar Madness

This is an awesome power/symphonic metal EP! Six tracks across 21 minutes of true epicness and greatness. It’s another release that doesn’t have a bad song through its runtime, and is once again impossible to pick specific highlights. The band are so damn talented, and blend the heavy and the melodic perfectly, having some of the biggest choruses I’ve heard recently alongside some truly excellent riffs and even screams. The band have been around a little while at this point and it’s wild to me that they aren’t already a huge name. However, this release will surely push them to new heights, and deserves to be heard by everyone, it really is that good! They have a big new fan in me, and I can’t give this any less than 9/10!

Neo Dimes: Alone

The debut darkwave album from the mind of Stephen Edmunds is a damn interesting listen! Combining neo-industrial and post-punk sounds together into his own blend of dark, catchy electro music had me rather hooked from start to finish. Songs like ‘Angels’, ‘Obsidian’ and ‘How to Love’ are all personal highlights. I do think it’s maybe all a little too samey, 50 minutes of similar music did get a touch much by the end. However, that may be because it’s not 100% my style of music, and my tiny attention span just wandered off somewhere. Some of it reminded me of All the Damn Vampires, in the best possible way, while others dripped with Nine Inch Nails or Filter. If you’re into any of the bands or genres I’ve mentioned, this is well worth checking out! I had a good time listening and will certainly be spinning it again at some point soon! A solid 7/10 from us.

Bleachers: everyone for ten minutes

The indie/alt/soft rock New Jersans’ sixth studio album is a chilled-out, enjoyable. I have such an up-and-down relationship with this sort of music, but I honestly had a great time listening to this! Songs like ‘the van’, the almost country ‘dirty wedding dress’, ‘take you out tonight’ and ‘I’m not joking’ are personal highlights. However, the whole album is good and an incredibly easy listen, 39 minutes going by in a flash. If you are at all into the more chilled-out side of music, this is absolutely the sort of album to throw on and get lost in. I probably won’t revisit this often, but whenever I do I’m sure I’ll have a blast! An easy 7.5/10!

Ersedu: GORE

The sophomore EP from the symphonic death metal band dropped last Tuesday, and has been rather the mainstay on my streaming since then! It’s the perfect amount of epicness, heaviness and melody, making for a fantastic 15-minute listen! It at times reminds me of Dimmu above, but has more of a death metal than black metal base to it, honestly making it a more interesting listen for me! Once again, it’s also hard to pick highlights, as at only three track and an interlude/intro, it’s all killer, no filler! If you are at all into the heavier side of metal, this is absolutely the release for you! I’ll certainly be spinning it plenty moving forward, and my only complaint is that it isn’t longer! 8/10

Billy Lockett: Things are Looking Up

Album three from the British singer-songwriter is packed full of emotion. Covering plenty of deep topics and heartbreak, it very much takes the listener on a journey. And, it helps that said journey is accompanied by some amazing folk-pop-rock music! From the title track to ‘Cornerstone’ to ‘We Know’, there is plenty for me to love throughout. And generally while it’s not fully my sort of thing as an album as a whole, I had a good time listening, and can appreciate how good it is for people more into this side of music. It’s probably not something I’d revisit in full often, but the tracks I like I really like, and will be spinning them individually for quite some time to come. Billy’s a damn talented musican and songwriter. He definitely has a curious new fan in me, and I’ll be dipping into his back catalogue after this weekend, that’s for sure! 7.5/10

Bullets and Octane: Self-Titled

The first fully new studio album from the SoCal hard rockers in six years (though following up last years demos and B-sides collection), this feels like both a reinvention and a confirmation of the bands sound. The punk-edge and sleazy swagger is still very much still there from their early work, but it also has a revitalised heaviness and massive production to it that gives it a more modern edge. Plus, it’s also not only packed with big, chunky riffing, but some arena-filling melodies and choruses. From the opener to the almost Hellyeah-like ‘The Break’ and ‘Operation Butterfly’, there are so many amazing songs on here. However, every track on this thing is excellent, and the album is well worth at least a spin in full, if not several! Gene’s vocals are somehow as good as ever, and the rest of the band play their asses off throughout, creating an excellent vibe throughout. I’ve been a big fan of the band for years at this point, and to hear them return so strong with new music is honestly incredible, as well as heart-warming. I feel like this will be an album I’ll be revisiting plenty in the weeks and months to come, and I can’t give it any less than a 9/10!

The Rolling Stones: Foreign Tongues

Devildriver: Strike & Kill

Jack White: Frozen Charlotte

Chevy Beaulieu: Self-Titled

Eva Under Fire: Villainous

Adam Lambert: ADAM

As Oceans Divide: Self-Titled

The Plot in You: Self-Titled

Allison Russel: In the Hour of Chaos

Among Legends: Lose My Grip

The Devil Wears Nada: In Lust We Trust

Andrew Farriss: The Prospector

Pythonic: Laws of Karma

Deep Purple: SPLAT!

The Shires: Bonfire

Dominum: Night is Calling

Harsh: Feels

Moonspell: Far From God

Soothsayer: The Unbinding

Blake Whiten: Something to Say

The Tirith: Quetzalcoatl

Eric Paslay: Summer

Charley Crockett: Clovis

Gods & Punks: A Shrine By the Sea

Margo Price: Days of Unrest

Your album was released just over a week ago now [at the time of recording]. What’s it like to finally have your debut out?

What went into the decision to do an album?

What’s the writing process like for you guys? Has it evolved as new members have joined?

Do you guys have a favourite track from the album?

Do you have a busy rest of the year show-wise in support of the album?

What do you guys make of the music scene in the UK at the minute?

You guys are quite up on the whole social media thing, any advice you could give to bands just starting out?

The War and Treaty: The Story of Michael and Tanya

Hard-Fi: Sweating Someone Else’s Fever

When Rivers Meet: Rhythm Rust & Static

Endseeker: Coffin Born

Warning: Rituals of Shame

Pond: Terrestrials

Inherits the Void: The Silent Abscission

Kashus Culpepper: Act I: Summer Nights

Swim Deep: Hum

Shadowborne: Heaven’s Falling

Mork: Monolitt

Tucker Zimmerman: Dream Me a Dream

How would you describe your sound?

You’re on album five now, how has your sound changed or evolved in the last 12 years since your debut?

What is the writing process like for the band?

Do you have a favourite track from the album?

Busy year planned touring to support the release?

Any plans/hopes to come over to the UK?

Do you have a dream tour lineup you’d want to be a part of? Anyone you want to support or friends you want to bring along with you?

If you could have written one song from history, what would it be and why?

A: PRANG

Dimmu Borgir: Grand Serpent Rising

Dan Byrne: This is Where the Show Begins

Jake Vaadeland: This is Jake Vaadeland

Armored Saint: Emotion Factory Reset

ALT BLK ERA: Our World

McCoy Moore: Sunshine State

Erik Grönwall: Bad Bones

Beggars Bliss: Self-Titled

Moonlight Haze: Interstellar Madness

Neo Dimes: Alone

Bleachers: everyone for ten minutes

Ersedu: GORE

Billy Lockett: Things are Looking Up

Bullets and Octane: Self-Titled

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