Tag Archives: deathcore

New Music Mondays

New Music Mondays: Staind, 3TEETH and More!

You know the drill by now. A collection of great new music for us all to check out. Let’s do this!

Staind: Confessions of the Fallen

Joe: Let’s get the obvious out the way, Aaron Lewis isn’t the best of guys. And yes, Staind feel like a meme band these days, like a lot of their counterparts from their era. However, having said that, their return album is pretty good. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still Staind, but at least you’re getting exactly what you’re expecting and wanting when you put it on. The band sound phenomenal, and if you were a fan of them back in the day, you’ll love this. And there’s even some surprisingly heavy riffs and even some screaming in tracks like the opener and title track. Honestly, I’d put ‘Cycle of Hurting’ or ‘Confessions of the Fallen’ up there with anything from their back catalogue.

Yes, it’s formulaic early 2000s radio hard rock/metal. However it never tried to sell itself as anything else. If you are a fan of the band like I am, you’ll love this. The two aforementioned tracks, alongside expected ballad ‘Here and Now’, are all major highlights. Staind are back, and sound just as good as they did in 2001. 8.5/10

3TEETH: EndEx

Joe: When this gets heavy, it goes hard and is awesome. That that riff in ‘Acme Death Machine’ is amazing, especially after the build of the verses. The breakdown also pops off in that track. And heck, unlike a fair bit of synth-heavy industrial music, I actually like the slower, more subdued synth bits too. This band have always been so good at perfectly balancing the dynamics of heavy and not so that when the guitars come in it all sounds MASSIVE and the heaviness is very earned.

Considering I’d always thought, although 3TEETH are good, they always seemed to be missing something to push them to the next level. I could never place what it was. However, damn did they find it. This album feels like a coming of age for the band. Every track seems to be a radio-metal banger; catchy electro-verses building to big heavy riffs and HUGE choruses. Everything about it works, and seems miles ahead of their last album. They feel like a modern day Rob Zombie these days, and that’s a very cool thing.

The ‘it’ that they were looking for might be Mick Gordon. The Doom guitar god gives the five tracks he’s on so much more umph and heaviness. And his low-tuned, heavy riffs fit so well with 3TEETH’s sound, it’s a match made in heaven. As much as I love ‘ALI3N’ or ‘Scorpion’, there’s no denying how much Gordon adds to the likes of ‘Slum Planet’ or ‘Merchant of the Void’. And holy crap, ‘Paralyse’ featuring Ho99o9 too is phenomenal.

Don’t get me wrong, I completely understand this band won’t be for everyone. Heck, if anything they’re going to be pretty niche. But if you are into synth-lead industrial stuff, big riffs or even darkwave stuff, you’ll love this. 9/10, this is fucking awesome!

Anastacia: Our Songs

– Future Joe here coming to you from after he’d written the review. It wasn’t until hearing the blatant cover ‘Forever Young’ that I did some digging and realised that this whole album is covers of German rock songs. We don’t normally cover cover albums here on New Music Mondays. However, not only are a fair few of the tracks different and translated to English, but the album is really fricking good. and I’d already written the whole review hear enough. So you can have it anyway! It pays to research early, kids! –

Joe: One of pop-rock’s biggest names from the early 2000s is back with her eighth studio album, and first since 2017. Surprisingly enough (for me at least, knowing only her hits), it’s pretty country. ‘Best Days’ is the perfect opening track, building the sound up more and more into its huge, infectiously catchy chorus. And Anastacia’s voice arguably fits even better over the country rock sound here than her more grungy early work. ‘Now or Never’ continues on from the opener perfectly, building on the vibe and sound even more. Tracks like ‘Beautiful’ and ‘Born to Live’ are incredible ballads, while ‘Still Loving You’ feels like old school Anastacia.

I do have to say, however, that the second half of the album isn’t quite as strong as the first half. Don’t get me wrong, the duet with Peter Maffey, ‘Just You’, is an incredible, epic ballad. And ‘Supergirl’ is a damn good, empowering single. All of it is still good. However, none of it quite lives up to the lofty heights of the first four tracks. Still, 8/10, this is a great album!

Brent Cobb: Southern Star

Owen:

Cannibal Corpse: Chaos Horrific

Joe: And now for something completely different. Jim Carey’s favourite death metal band are back with their 16th album. Now, while I haven’t had the chance to dive into much of their extensive back catalogue, I really found myself enjoying their last couple of albums, and I’m a big fan of Corpsegrinder. So, I was pretty excited to check this out!

The band didn’t disappoint. They are still just as in your face as they were with their debut, yet with better production and (controversially) better vocals. The playing, especially the balls-to-the-wall drumming, is hugely talented and admirable, and Fisher growls his lungs out from start to finish. And of course the guitar soloing is a massive highlight throughout too, falling somewhere between King and Hanneman in style. Highlight tracks include ‘Frenzied Feeding’, ‘Fracture and Refracture’ and single ‘Blood Blind’.

much like with 3TEETH, I get that this album definitely won’t be for everyone. However, if anyone reading this is into traditional death metal, or just the heavy stuff in general, check this out! 7.5/10

Death Dealer Union: Initiation

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

Pkew Pkew Pkew: Siiick Days

Joe: The Canadian punk rockers are back just a year after their last release with their fourth studio album. Honestly, growing up in the early 2000s and my right of passage as a child being Tony Hawk games, hearing a modern band still keeping that skater punk vibe alive so successfully is amazing. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not quite Blink 182 or Goldfinger, there’s a mixture of indie and modern sounds in there too, but the skeleton of skater punk is definitely what it’s built on.

Tracks like the opener, ‘Read Receipts’ and ‘Learning to Share’ are all massive highlights of the album. Honestly, it’s just nice to hear more upbeat, less serious music these days. As much as I like an emotional ballad, a bouncy track about not wanting to read someone’s messages immediately is sometimes exactly what I need. It’s chilled, upbeat and a lot of fun, feeling like a mixture of Rancid, Lagwagon and NOFX.

Thy Art is Murder: Godlike

Max: Thy Art is back with another punchy and impressive album that allows them to continue to demonstrate how talented they are as a group. The guitars and drums are exactly what you’d expect, punch and intense, but they also show the development and progression of not only the musicians but also the overall genre of the band as well. This continuous development has meant that whilst the album is very clearly and comfortably Thy Art, there are points throughout where the changes make enough to push a song from being good to great. Now final thoughts before the score, the vocals on the album have been done by an unnamed individual, and they are incredibly impressive and I cannot stress that enough so they definitely deserve some credit for this. 8/10

KEN Mode: VOID

Joe: So I checked out the band’s previous album, ‘NULL’. You can check out my thoughts on it here. Considering this is the 2nd part to last years album, I can’t help but share fairly similar sentiments towards this one. Outside of a few heavy, chunky riffs, musically this isn’t for me. Noise rock has never really been my thing and, while I feel like I can appreciate it a little more a year on, between the hardcore vocals and the messy drums and guitars, I got bored easy.

However, at least after reading around about the album, I at least have a pretty great appreciation of it as an art piece, and get what they were doing. The band state ‘VOID articulates the despondency that followed the pain so vividly expressed through NULL’. Both albums are based around the same event and written and recorded in the same time frame. It’s the emotion felt after the sadness. And when listening to the albums together, the concept does shine through rather masterfully.

It just still doesn’t grip me, sadly… 4/10. In retrospective, this is the score for both parts as a whole, and a good 2.5 of it is down to the idea.

Reviews

Step Out Your Comfort Zone: Have We Are Sovereign Just Started a Concept Album Revolution?

Derby’s own We Are Sovereign have been making waves the last couple of years or so. After releasing their debut single just a couple of years ago, they have already started to garner a fair bit of a buzz and even been played on Kerrang! I’d been familiar with the band for a while but got their debut album sent over to me by the guy who produced it (and fellow Wolf) Ben Gaines. So, I couldn’t wait to check it out!

After a brief, heavy, synth-led intro that perfectly sets up what the band are about, we launch into the first track, ‘Don’t You Dare Quit’. It opens really interesting, with some clean vocals and the same sort of guitar and synth from the intro. It feels like it’s building to something, especially as the harsh vocals come in in a call-and-response style. Honestly, it does, too. When it drops into the more open, screamed verse, damn, it’s amazing. And that low scream in the middle, *chef’s kiss*. The chorus is catchy, especially the cleans, and is begging to be performed on a big stage.

Also, given the heaviness of the track, it’s a surprisingly positive and uplifting song, from a lyrical standpoint. And somehow the track conveys that feeling in the chorus despite the heaviness. It’s really interesting! The voiceover in the bridge was also a really interesting addition, clearly poking fun at those that try to put the band down. The outro goes HARD too, in all the best ways. It’s definitely the right choice to open the album with, and is a great way to introduce people to the band!

The opening minute or so of ‘Nostalgia’ feels like another interlude type track. The clean vocals sound awesome backed by the electric drums and synth stuff. However, the radio-like spoken stuff again takes centre stage. It reminds me of a mixture of Kim Dracula and early 2000s hip-hop like Eminem. It’s a really interesting choice and means that when the heaviness suddenly explodes in it catches me completely off guard.

Still, the harsh vocals and awesome guitaring make for an amazing verse. Plus it means that when the clean vocals come back in in the same feel as the intro, it draws everything together perfectly. I can’t get enough of the duelling vocals, both sounding so good contrasting to each other. The male cleans honestly remind me of Howard Jones, they’re that good! It’s another great track!

More radio/TV stuff opens ‘These 4 Walls’, another incredibly emotional track and a heavy subject matter. The slower, clean open carries that emotion perfectly, too. Sure, there are harsh screams too, but it compliments everything and is more backing than the main focus this time. Even when it takes centre stage for the second verse, it fits perfectly with the sombre tone. It makes it feel more like a, ambient black metal track, which it may be would be without the cleaner, poppier vocals too. It’s somehow the band’s ballad of the album, and it’s amazing. A highlight for sure, and easily makes our playlist!

Check out a vaguely similar review here.

Follow-up ‘This Farewell is our Fate’ opens similarly to the previous track. Dare I say, it reminds me a tad of Hinder. Sorry, We Are Sovereign! It kicks into a higher pretty quickly with some harsh vocals interspersed with the cleans and some great playing from the drums, guitar and bass. The duelling vocals, especially with the technical riffing, give off BIG metalcore vibes in the best ways. I again hear a lot of Killswitch Engage influence. The dichotomy of the vocals is incredible, while the ‘Woh’s in the chorus make this an instant anthem. And that low scream to bring in the outro, damn. These guys are so good at getting heavy when they want to. Heck, the whole outro is post-hardcore perfection. A second track in a row that gets playlisted!

After another synth-heavy interlude track, the band launch into a redo of their debut single, ‘Bridges Burnt Lessons Learnt’. However, this time, it features the mighty Ryan Tuck O’Leary of Fit For a King. It’s a massive get for a debut album, and especially for a Derby band! I also love that the spoken word stuff fits so much more in the context of the album. It makes everything feel like a continuous piece, which I always love.

Ryan adds so much to the track, too. It sounds amazing together with the harsher stuff. It’s also the closest thing to a ‘radio’ song structure on the album, which I liked a lot. It’s always nice, as out there as I love bands getting, to have the benchmark track too. The breakdown is filthy in the best ways and the chanting/gang vocalled bridge with the song title is perfect for a live setting! What an amazing track, and it was the perfect lead single a couple of years ago. Another to make the playlist, for sure!

The contrast of beautiful, simple piano and harsh AF screaming to open ‘Time Can be So Short’ is fascinating. It fits the mood and theme of the track infinitely perfectly, though. However, the cleans and slow pace somehow make it another ballad. Somehow (and he’d kill me if I didn’t mention it!) this is the main track where the production stands out to me. The mixing is incredible, adding even more to an already dynamic, huge track. Well in, Ben Gaines! I love the instrumentation slowly dropping out through the final chorus too, leaving just the powerful, emotional vocals to close it out.

Closing track/interlude ‘OVERCOME’ is a fitting end to the journey. It’s slow, ethereal and somehow still emotional. The message is perfect and fits in perfectly with the other tracks, and the almost minute of dead air at the end is a stroke of genius. There’s a sentence I never thought I’d say! But yeah, a fitting end to the album!

Overall: I’ve listened to this three times now while doing this review, and it’s grown on me more and more with each listen. While I was initially unsure when checking out the first couple of tracks, the band took me on an emotional rollercoster of a journey and didn’t let go until the end each time. It’s an experience of an album, and honestly you come out feeling different than you did when you went in. It takes something truly special to effect someone like that, and this is very much that. It’s not 100% my taste in music, but I can’t help but love this for the creativity, emotion and sheer balls the band show throughout. Check this out from front to back, I promise you it’s worth it. There are some highlight tracks for sure, but the album is clearly meant to be consumed in its entirety.

The score: 9/10

Reviews

Negative Energy: Are Vexed the Futures of the UK Heavy Scene?

British alt metal/deathcore band Vexed returned last week with their sophomore album. After setting the underground scene on fire with their debut back in 2021, the band return with even more anger, heaviness and drive. Without further ado, let’s dive into the review!

After a brief, perfectly building intro track, the album explodes in with the lead single, ‘Anti-Fetish’. A sludgy, modern deathcore riff leads to some fantastic heavy growls from Megan Targett. Despite the heaviness, the chorus is surprisingly catchy, the vocals cleaning up slightly at times. This heavier edge than their previous sound reminds me a lot of Darko US, which is fine by me. It definitely has the same quirkiness and energy; aggression and talent and passion.

Check out similar music here.

‘We don’t talk about it’ is pretty similar in feel and structure to the previous track. However, it does have a slightly more radio friendly feel to it. The spoken work stuff was cool, too, adding an almost Marylin Manson quality to it all.

‘X my <3’ is a banger, despite it’s cringy (albeit clever) title. Opening with the catchy, almost radio-friendly chorus was a great call. The guitars are a little less out there and technical, too, it being more of a sludgy, groovy wall of heavy. The fully clean vocals were a nice touch too, only making the screams even heavier. The breakdown was tasty too, the bends being amazing and reminding me a little of early Architects. It’s one of my favourite tracks on the album and easily makes the playlist.

The chuggy opener of ‘Panic Attack’ is fun, the drum tone almost giving off Slipknot vibes with that massive hit between guitar notes. The quick vocal delivery almost confirmed the sound too, while the brutal screams for the chorus backed by the rather open groove-metal instrumentation made for an interesting dynamic. It somehow fits the subject matter perfectly too, the claustrophobic, fast riffing combining with the slower(ish) drums making everything feel close and anxious. Another amazing track.

Alpha Wolf lends their talents perfectly for ‘Lay down your flowers’. The added male screams added some fun variety, especially when they are higher and more metalcore. The whole track has a metalcore style to it, from the quick guitar runs to the quieter interlude in the middle. It was a nice way to break-up the album after a few fairly similar tracks. Clearly, I need to check out more Alpha Wolf, as his vocals were great!

Unfortunately, ‘There’s no place like home’ is where I start to really feel the album. While Overtone has helped me get into the heavier end of music a lot, like this band and album, I’m a sucker for variety. My brain gets easily distracted and if a lot of tracks sound similar, it’ll want to check out something else. As much as I love this album and love each individual track, it did start to wear on me a little by the halfway mark. 45+ minutes of balls to the wall melodeath is a bit much for me, where’s the ballad, Vexed? Still, as I’ve said, I loved each track individually, and feel like this all would be INCREDIBLE live.

Ironically, I’m obsessed with the following track ‘Extremist’. The way everything was stabbing on each beat, the drums, vocals and guitars all working in sync together, was AMAZING. It’s so incredibly written and packs one hell of a punch. The whole track is great, but those verses are somthing else. It’s another massive highlight of the album, and another track that makes the playlist!

Tracks like ‘Default’ and closer ‘Nepotism’ are similar to a lot of the rest. However, to Vexed ‘s credit, single ‘Trauma Euphoria’ and ‘It’s not the End’ both mix it up a bit. Both feature more of a focus on cleaner vocals and slower, radio-friendlier sections around the heavy, harsh screams. The former is a very good choice as a single as it combines the bands trademark heaviness with a genuinely huge, anthemic and catchy chorus. Oh, and it also has a fantastic guitar solo, something I have only just realised now have been absent for much of the album. It only made this one hit harder, though, it was awesome. The track could be massive off that chorus alone, and it should, as it’s amazing. Playlisted!

Meanwhile the latter feels the closest thing to a ballad the album has. It opens slow and clean, decending into a very angry chorus. The ambient sounds behind it though is so beautiful and so Spiritbox. Controversial opinion though, Vexed do it better than Spiritbox. It’s another highlight track of the album, and I only wish it was put earlier on to break things up a little more.

Overall: I LOVED THIS. While the whole album was amazing, there’s a good 5/6 tracks here that are going to stay in my frequent rotation for the rest of the year, guaranteed. Given that I am typically not as into this style as a lot of others are, I couldn’t get enough of it. They’re the sub-genre leaders after this, in my opinion, and they are going to be a massive deal in the years to come. They have a big new fan in me, and now I just need to see this live!

The score: 9.5/10

New Music Mondays

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

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

All Time Low: Tell Me I’m Alive

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

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

Theory of a Deadman: Dinosaur

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

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

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

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

Kamelot: The Awakening

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

Chelsea Grin: Suffer in Heaven

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

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

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

Pop Evil: Skeletons

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

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

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

The Answer: Sundowners

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

John Diva & The Rockets of Love: The Big Easy

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

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

Doug Paisley: Say What You Like

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

Reviews

Spectrums: Can Just One Man be the Future of Djent/Prog?

One man djent/prog metal band DUSK have been gathering a lot of steam over the last couple of years. After the release of two EPs in 2020 and 2021, he is finally set to release his first full-length album on Friday. We got sent it a little early and just had to check it out!

A surprisingly cold open to the album as some high, clean chord progressions beautifully chime. Some electronics build into a rather beautiful verse. Drums and some simple bass come in over the back, giving it some great depth. And the first guest vocalist comes in, sounding a shocking amount like Kelly Jones. It fits well over the instrumentation, though, it all sounding a little ethereal. Then, out of nowhere, it djents the fuck out and gets super heavy. A heavy riff sounds through with some fantastic harsh vocals. It dials back slightly but still stays sounding massive for the chorus, before the clean stuff returns.

The formula repeats perfectly before more electronics lead into a very Periphery-style guitar solo. I cannot fault it at all though, it’s awesome. Said solo heads into a heavy, epic outro which rounds out the track well. A damn good start, even if it took a few seconds to get going.

Check out more heavy prog here.

‘Digging Deeper’ is the first of two tracks to feature Alex Hamilton on vocal duty. It get’s straight into it this time as some djenty guitars leads to a huge, crazy riff and some fantastic screams. It almost immediately cleans up though, catching me off guard. Alex has some almost rap-type flow through these clean verses, giving off Linkin Park or Falling in Reverse vibes. I wasn’t sold at first, but it builds perfectly into the heavier, screamed parts, making it more impactful. The subtle strings behind these parts was a nice touch too, as was the second riffs with the high stabs. The part where everything drops out aside for the screams was AMAZING. The screams throughout this track, especially the lows, are phenomenal. I loved this, and it easily makes our playlist!

‘Breath in, Breath Out’ slaps you straight in the face with a chunky riff. It stays heavy throughout, too, a straight-up deathcore track. Adnan’s vocals reminds me a little of Jamie Jasta’s, they have that hardcore edge to them. Still though, despite the heaviness, it has easily one of the catchiest choruses on the album. I found myself screaming along! And those riffs after the first chorus, fuck me, insanity. I’m not jealous of his playing at all… you are. It’s another amazing track, and another to make the playlist!

The second Alex Hamilton track, ‘Hatred’ is also a banger. It reminds me of early metalcore, back when it was more heavily influenced by nu-metal. Heck, it even reminds me of modern nu metal bands like Tallah and Tetrarch. Once again his vocals are a highlight of the track, fitting so well over the brutal riffs. Whether it’s cleans or brutal lows, I think I’ve found one of my new favourite vocalists. That breakdown is INSANE. As is that final scream. I love this.

The only track on the album to feature Aron Harris, ‘Lethal Perspectives’, is a heavy track. It goes hard from the get-go with huge riffs and death metal vocals, and doesn’t let up throughout. It’s a full on deathcore track in a similar vein to Lorna Shore or Job for a Cowboy. It was another great song, and I found myself appreciating the instrumentation even more here.

The second of Abzy’s tracks, ‘Agnes of Rome’, opens on a blegh, so we’re off to a good start! The spoken word parts in amongst the screaming for the verses was good, as were the clean parts. He has such an interesting cadence to his voice that I couldn’t help but love it. There’s also a nice stripped-back, almost jazzy part a couple of minutes in. You can tell it’s very electronically produced, but the vocals sound amazing over the top, a dark, brooding turn for the track. It then heavies back up for a climactic end. Another amazing song!

Next up are two tracks featuring Moe Steiger. The first, ‘Burning in my Mind’ opens on a cool electronic riff, the bass and electric drums building in over the top before the guitars complete the sound. The distorted whispered vocals remind me of an industrial sound, Nine Inch Nails or Rammstein. Then the awesome scream comes in and brings it right back to deathcore. I cannot get over how good the main riff is, too, I’d have loved it to stay as an industrial nu metal track. However, the dynamics of the track are fantastic, constantly keeping the listener intrigued.

Meanwhile the second track, ‘Karma Will Find You’ opens like a J-Pop song. It was definitely a change of pace. It doesn’t even really heavy up that much when the guitars and drums come in too, the electronics and clean vocals being the main focus. That is, until you’re slapped in the face with some HUGE screams and a dirty riff. The heavier parts are full djent while the lighter choruses are closer to pop. It’s very Periphery. The contrast between the two parts is really interesting and makes for an enjoyable listen!

‘Someone to Trust’ is another heavy, deathcore-style song, this time featuring Jon Thomas. His vocals remind me of Rob Flynn’s which I liked a lot. The clean vocals for the chorus were nice too, especially with the harmonies. Meanwhile ‘Only You’ was another nice change of pace as it’s the ballad of the album. Lighter, slower and infectiously catchy, it’s a great pallet cleanser and great song in its own right.

The final official track, ‘Celestials’, definitely lives up to its name. The synth to open it was awesome, sounding like a combination of Sci-Fi and Stranger Things. The softer clean vocals fit perfectly over the top, be it the more electronic sounds or the heavy riffs. It was another change of pace and I really wasn’t expecting a lighter end to the album, with closing interlude ‘Absence of Full’ also light. However, it was a nice surprise, and gave us a couple of fantastic tracks.

Overall: I really enjoyed this! While I’ve never dug into the djent catalogue all too much, albums like this remind me why I should. It was heavy, melodic and some of the riffs were insane. Meshari Sangora is a very talented guy, and I can’t wait to hear more from him and DUSK already!

The Score: 7.5/10

New Music Mondays

New Music Mondays: Brantley Gilbert, Chelsea Grin and More!

Not a huge week, not that we’ll get many now as we head towards the holiday season, but there’s still plenty of new music to sink our teeth into. From rock to metal to country, let’s get into it!

Brantley Gilbert: So Help Me God

This was unfortunately quite a slow country album. I’m a big fan of Gilbert’s sludgy brand of country rock, but I found it hard to get into this. It was all rather slow and acoustic, which is fine, I love a good country ballad, but it’s not what I got into Brantley because of. Heck, in some turn of über double-irony, ‘The Worst Country Song of All Time’ is one of the most enjoyable tracks on the album, despite the lyrics. ‘Son of the Dirty South’ was an awesome song and finally what I was expecting, but I shouldn’t start to enjoy an album over halfway through it. However, afterwards it very quickly gets back to the slow tracks again. Again, I’m not opposed to slower country tracks, but when it’s a whole album of them nearly, it does tend to get boring. When Brantley is cutting back and having fun, it’s the most fun I have listening to the whole album. Definitely his worst album for me. 4.5/10

Chelsea Grin: Suffer in Hell

No prizes for guessing this album is heavy as balls. The first part of their afterlife-inspired double album is filled with crushing riffs and some of the most brutal screams in the industry today. However, it will be now impossible to not compare this band with Darko US. And, I have to admit, I prefer the Darko album. It’s nothing at all against Grin, their talent for playing and songwriting is off the charts on this album. It’s simply that it’s straight-up deathcore, like they’ve always done, while Darko brings a new, interesting edge to the sound. When the band go a bit more sinister and dark on tracks like ‘Deathbed Companion’, it definitely holds my interest more. However, when bands like Whitechapel, Lorna Shore and even Darko themselves have put out some of the best deathcore albums ever these last few years, it’s a high standard to live up to, and I’m not sure this one does.

I still really enjoyed the album and I do think it’ll continue to grow on me through the next month or so. However, for now I’m going to give it a 7.5/10

P.S. sorry P67, ‘Crystal Casket’ gets my bleh of the year. That one at the end is filthy, as is the riff and breakdown in the song. A real highlight track of the album!

He is Legend: ENDLESS HALLWAY

The illegitimate lovechild of Cane Hill and Alice in Chains. Somehow, that means the album sits in an odd void between the modern nu metal revival and the mid-naughties radio rock of Shinedown, Rev Theory and Burn Halo. I love every band and genre I’ve just named so, of course, I fucking love this.

I was not familiar with this hand at all before now and this album has immediately made me a fan and want to check out more of their back catalogue. The riffing is so heavy and chuggy, it wouldn’t sound out of place on a Gojira album, but the clean, low vocals give it a fantastic radio edge. Tracks like ‘LIFELESS LEMONADE’, ‘HONEY FROM THE HIVE’ and the utterly amazing ‘CIRCUS CIRCUS’ (yes, they are another band that shout at you) are massive highlights on an album chocked to the brim of them. There’re even elements of Mike Patton or Mushroomhead on the latter track, alongside the usual Korn and Tetrarch.

If you haven’t checked this band or, more importantly, this album out yet, do it right now. There honestly isn’t a bad track on it. 9.5/10 holy crap, a new obsession of mine.

Epica: The Alchemy Project

Symphonic metal always works well with guests, and Epica may very well be at the top of the symphonic scene in recent years. After last year’s FANTASTIC Omega, the band return with an experimental side album featuring a guest on every track, hence the album title.

Safe to say it’s pretty amazing. Most of the guests are a little heavier than the band, such as Fleshgod Apocalypse, Bjorn ‘Speed’ Strid and God Dethroned. However, every single vocalist played off Simone Simons’ beautiful vocals perfectly. Simone’s soaring, operatic tones always mesh well with the heavy, chuggy instrumentation and Mark Jansen’s powerful lows and growls. However, when adding in even heavier artists and vocals on top, it somehow makes everything even more epic and enjoyable. It all combines together to form something truly enjoyable and special, and I hope this isn’t the last time we get one of these Alchemy Projects. Highlights include ‘Wake the World’ and ‘The Final Lullaby’ but honestly, any track off the album could have made that selection. 9/10

Enuff Z’nuff: Finer than Sin

Glam/Sleaze’s answer to Oasis are back with their first album in just a year. Having seen them a couple of times over the last few years, I really enjoy them live. However, I’ve never managed to get into them on track, and this album didn’t change that. It’s pretty much all at the same steady, subdued pace throughout that doesn’t appeal to me too much. It’s so massively produced and polished, drawing comparisons to Def Leppard’s Hysteria, that when talking about drug abuse and other dark topics it’s a very odd contrast. It all reminds me of Terrorvision but just less fun.

‘Lost and Out of Control’ or ‘Hurricane’ were probably highlights. It’s not a bad album by any means, I just found myself getting distracted and bored though it, outside of these two tracks. 6/10

Randy Houser: Note to Self

The first guy I discovered when I finally started to dip into country by myself. I do feel slightly hypocritical now, as this is on the slower end of country. However, this was so well written and there were some truly awesome tracks on it. From ‘Workin’ Man’ to ‘Out and Down’ to ‘Country Round Here Tonight’, there is plenty to love with this album. I’m struggling to even say much, if you like country music, no matter the style, you’ll love this. Heck, I’d recommend anyone listening to this to check it out, as I love this. 8.5/10, this was awesome.

Warkings: Morgana

The most power metal band to ever power metal, now. Warkings seem to be the butt of a lot of jokes in the dub-genre’s community, but honestly I really enjoyed this. However, that may have been more because of Morgana Le Fay’s impressive harsher vocals every few tracks, as they were definitely my favourite songs on the album. ‘Monsters’ is my favourite track on the album, but ‘Immortal’ and even ‘The Rite’ are close followers. While the latter doesn’t include Morgana, I do still think they should try and find a harsh vocalist going forward, because the contrast between the vocals added a new layer of fun and awesomeness to the tracks. You know exactly what to expect with Warkings, straight up power metal, ‘no nonsense’ or anything outside of that, and for that this album is definitely good. 7.5/10

Cassyette: Sad Girl Mixtape

2022’s answer to Avril Lavigne while also adding a bit of Billy Eillish to the rock scene… I do love Casseyette. This album blends the two previously named artists perfectly while adding an edge seen in Dorothy’s music. While generally the album gets a little boring by the midpoint for me, I can fully understand and appreciate the importance of her music. She is the perfect gateway for young people, especially women, to get into rock music. I’m personally curious to see the generation in a few years time having come up on this and see what it gets them into.

Plus, while most of it is rather pop and punkish, she still hits us with the likes of ‘Die Hate Cry’ out of nowhere, brutal, heavy and full of harsh vocals. It definitely caught me by surprise after the first few stellar pop-punk opening tracks. If you’re into pop-rock, or even metal given the last few tracks on the album, check this out, you won’t be disappointed. 8/10

REMINA: STRATA

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

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New Music Mondays

New Music Mondays: Alter Bridge, Red Hot Chili Peppers and More!

Another big week for rock music, from metalcore to sleaze. Check it all out down below!

Alter Bridge: Pawns & Kings

We’ve already reviewed this very good album. Check it out, alongside the score we gave it, here.

Red Hot Chili Peppers: Return of the Dream Canteen

This fucking thing is 17 tracks and 75 minutes long. Why is it so SLOW. I used to be a HUGE fan of this band in my youth, from Mother’s Milk to I’m With You all being amazing. However, these last three albums now have not been good. Of those albums, the only track that really feels like the RHCP I grew up loving is ‘Dark Necessities’, and it’s a good few years old at this point.

I reviewed their last album earlier this year when it was release and didn’t score it too high, giving it a lowly 3.5/10 (you can read it here). I don’t even think this one gets that high. There was nothing on here that I remember as soon as I stopped listening to it, nothing about it was at all memorable. Just a collection of almost easy-listening tracks, with the odd good bassline or guitar work. Kedis’ lyrics were all over the place again and there was barely a vocal hook in sight. If it wasn’t for Overtone, I wouldn’t be checking this album out, which is a real shame. The band have slipped so far and even with Frusciante back, they cannot capture the magic they once had. 3/10

Lorna Shore: Pain Remains

Max: So, the deathcore greats are back with a new album and the first full length release since Will Ramos joined the band. This album really proves that they are the new faces of this entire genre. From the painful beauty of ‘Pain Remains I’, to the intensity of ‘In To The Earth’ and ‘Sun//Eater’, this album is genuinely amazing and is a game changing album for the genre. There is so much that makes this album stand about, from the aggressive precision of the drumming, the breakdowns and the solo’s all the way to Will’s vocals going from the ultra-low all the way to the pain filled yells in the bridge of ‘Pain Remains I’.

This band is phenomenal in so many ways. I may be biased to some level since this is one of my favourite bands and I have been looking forward to this album for quite a while and I did see them only a couple of weeks ago when they were on tour with While She Sleeps and Parkway Drive. However, I do believe that everyone should listen to this album and experience the beauty for themselves so they can understand why everyone is so enamoured by this band. Whether there is bias here or not I think this is one of the best albums in this genre, so it really does deserve the 10/10 rating. Now, hurry up and go listen to this album.

Skid Row: The Gang’s All Here

I’ve seen a lot of people gushing over this album already, it being their first in a while and with new singer, Erik Gronwall of H.E.A.T fame. Personally, I wouldn’t go as far as a lot have, but it’s not a bad album!

I somehow didn’t have time to check out the singles before this, but I actually thought the lead single ‘The Gang’s All Here’ was the weakest track on the album. Between that and the equally weak opening track, I was worried about this album to begin with, and thought I was missing what everyone else heard. However, ‘Not Dead Yet’ then began a fantastic run of tracks. In fact, with the exception of the average ‘Nowhere Fast’, the rest of the album is pretty great. Even the slower ‘October’s Song’ was good, Erik channelling his best Bach energy here. I’d put ‘Tear it Down’ and tracks 3-5 up there with some of the very best Skid Row songs, period. 8.5/10

We Came as Romans: Darkbloom

We Came as Romans obviously didn’t get the memo. Metalcore in 2022 is supposed to try and sound like Deep Blue, not Sempiternal. Then again, WCAR push it even further than BMTH ever have with their Linkin Park inspiration here. However, all jokes aside, this was a pretty decent album.

It feels like just about every metalcore band of my teens came out of the woodwork with a new album within the last year. As a result, I feel rather metalcore-d out. But, this felt just different and interesting enough to hold my attention, at least for most of it. Tracks like the opener and the brutal ‘Daggers’ are personal highlights, but the first 2/3rds of the album are definitely worth a listen. I have to admit, I got a tad bored after that. Definitely a good album, though, and the most I’ve enjoyed the band in a while. I must get back into these! 7.5/10

Sleeping with Sirens: Complete Collapse

This was heavier than I expected it to be at times. It was also… fine. The heavier tracks and parts were okay, and the poppier sections and tracks were okay. But nothing at all about this made me want to listen again. Even the guests (including two I’m a big fan of in Dorothy and Spencer Chamberlain) couldn’t really save the album or tracks they were on. Heck, ‘Us’ is a terrible track, with Dorothy very much feeling like she was phoning it in.

I remember not being into this band when they were first getting big a decade ago (mainly because of Quinn’s grating clean vocals), and this did little to nothing to change my mind. It was okay, but absolutely nothing to write home about. 5/10

Nothing More: SPIRITS

The vast majority of their descriptions say that Nothing More are a rock band. I got far more metal vibes from the band’s sixth album, from the heavy riffs, dark lyrics and a good few harsh, screamed vocals. Honestly, it all worked perfectly, and this was an awesome album. Right from the opener the band come across as pissed off and ready to take names (pun intended). It’s great fun and a real infectious level of energy. The vocals also reminded me of My Chemical Romance at times with the level of expression and cadence, which is never a bad thing.

I honestly can’t pick fault with a single track on this album. It reminds me of Coldrain and Palisades’ albums this year too: two bands that I knew of but hadn’t checked out really before but put out insanely good albums that are right up my alley, sound-wise. I NEED to check out more of their back catalogue, ASAP. 9/10

Boston Manor: Datura

Another album that surprised me with its heaviness, Boston Manor channelled their inner BMTH with their short fourth album. Emo pop is definitely the best way to describe it, as it feels like a dark blend of modern metal and indie. There are some good riffs and melodies in here, but ultimately it isn’t especially my sort of music. It’d be fantastic to see live I feel, but on track it felt a little more like background music. I’d not skip it if it came on, but I won’t go out of my way to listen to it again. 5/10

New Music Mondays

New Music Mondays: Limp Bizkit, Black Veil Brides, Mastadon and More!

I hope you’re ready for the madness. TEN new albums were released this past weekend. No delays or anything, just ten rock and metal albums that were gifted us. And, as usual, it’s my job to go through them and let you know how good they are. Let’s get on with it, shall we?

Limp Bizkit: Still Sucks

Limp Bizkit’s Official Facebook

It’s finally here! After YEARS of teasing and at least one other working title (Stampede of the Disco Elephants), the mighty Bizkit have finally released a new album after a decade. You all know I’ll be reviewing this one in full ASAP so I shan’t do much of it here, but if the rest of the album is anything like Dad Vibes, it’ll be awesome.

Black Veil Brides: The Phantom Tomorrow

I have a very love/hate relationship with this band, in that I hate how much I love a few of their tracks. The band generally are fairly meh, in my opinion, but who can’t love ‘In the End’ or ‘Knives and Pens’. I tried to go into this album with an open mind though, and I have to admit I was actually pleasantly surprised. Yes, they have gone a lot more pop-metal than their first couple of records, but that sort of sound is VERY in right now. Plus, there is still some great riffs in here, showing how underrated Jinxx is as a guitarist. Tracks like ‘Scarlet Riot’ and ‘The Wicked One’ are particular highlights, while some of the other tracks are a little too built-around-just-the-chorus for me. 7/10.

Mastadon: Hushed and Grim

Another band I have struggled to get into over the years outside of a few tracks, this is the first attempt at a full album since The Hunter. I unfortunately have to say that after a rocky start, the album doesn’t pick up too much. I know that over their now eight studio albums they have proven themselves to be incredible ‘musicians musicians’, but it just bores me a little. There are some great riffs through most of this, but the vocals do and always have let it down in my ears. Still, I can appreciate their talent and how they are still at the point they are at all these years later. If you want to check out any, go for ‘Pushing the Tides’. 5/10.

Jerry Cantrell: Brighten

Jerry Cantrell’s Official Facebook

Alice in Chains main man Jerry Cantrell returns to solo work for the first time in almost two decades with his latest release. Is it too easy to just say ‘for fans of AIC’? It has a little more of a country swagger to it than his usual grunge sound, and honestly his voice suits it just as well. It’s a country rock album that just so happens to have a non-country voice fronting it, and it’s awesome. If anyone is a fan of either AIC or stuff like Brothers Osbourne or Cadillac Three, you’ll love this. It’s probably a good job I’m not doing a full review of this album as I would gush all over it! 9/10.

Bad Wolves: Dear Monsters

Bad Wolves return with their first new music since their sour split with former singer Tommy Vext with their new singer, Daniel “DL” Laskiewicz. Unfortunately, and maybe it’s just due to the recentness of the change, it doesn’t improve on their music at all. It never sits well with me when a band are WAY more famous for a cover they do than any of their original music, but (I’m sorry to anyone this offends), I can kinda see why. None of it is inherently bad by any stretch, but it suffers from the same issue as BVB, it’s music written around a radio-friendly chorus, meaning that none of the rest of the track matters that much so is just bland. If you’re into big vocal hooks and not much else, you may enjoy it! 4.5/10

Whitechapel: Kin

Whitechapel have been around for a while now, becoming one of the premier Deathcore bans these days. There has been a lot of hype around their latest release in the leadup, and I can see why. The band have matured and evolved their sound with each of their eight albums, and this release feels like the pinnacle of that evolution. All you have to listen to is ‘Orphan’ to hear the bands range and incredible writing and musicianship. It’s a fantastic listen for any fans of heavy music, said track and the album in general. Other highlights include ‘Lost Boy’ and ‘History is Silent’. 8/10

The War On Drugs: I Don’t Live Here Anymore

The War on Drugs’ Official Facebook

Alt/indie band The War on Drugs have been hitting us with their 80s nostalgia style of music for well over a decade now, and it continues with their fifth studio album. Sounding like a combination of Bryan Adams and modern day Kings of Leon. The sort of style/genre does bore me after a while, especially when the whole album is pretty damn slow, but as individual tracks they’re not bad. Not something I would go out of my way to listen to, but great background music! ‘Harmonia’s Dream’ is a particular highlight for me. 5/10

John 5: Sinner

Rob Zombie/ex Marylin Manson axe-man returns with another solo album that shows off just how wasted he is playing industrial music. Yes, he is damn good at playing simple, heavy, power-chord driven riffs, but damn is he a fantastic lead guitarist too that he simply cannot show off in those projects. This album shows that off to a tee right away, too. Just check out the first full length track on the album from down below and tell me it’s not a technical masterclass. I know a fair few people wouldn’t be able to get past the almost solely instrumental album, and it does get a tad repetitive for me by the end, but damn if it isn’t impressive and one of his best albums to date. 7/10

Running Wild: Blood on Blood

German heavy metal ban Running Wild have been going for an impressive 45 years at this point, releasing their 17th studio album this past week. Those facts alone, alongside the fact that they are pretty much the original pirate metal band, should immediately tell you how this album sounds. It all sounds like the last 30 years of Judas Priest, not that that is a bad thing! It’s good old fashioned metal and, outside of the style being done to death long ago, it’s still a really enjoyable listen. Highlights include the opening track and ‘Diamonds and Pearls’. 6.5/10

Small Town Syndrome: It Only Gets Worse

Small Town Sindrome’s Official Facebook

The newest band on our list are Grand Rapids’ newest emerging punk/alt rock trio Small Town Sindrome. I actually managed to have a sit down with an exclusive early access copy of the album and do a full review of it, which you can find here. As you can tell, I loved it, and gave it a solid 8/10, so I would urge anyone into the genre to check it out!

And there we have it folks, a rather mixed bag of quality for this weeks MASSIVE New Music Mondays. Some was awesome, matching some of the best albums of the year in terms of quality, and then some that were more of average quality. Still, I would happily listen to any of the albums again and most likely will in the next few weeks!

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Reviews

Silver Scream 2: Welcome to Horrorwood: Part Two of Ice Nine Kill’s Magnum Opus? Or the Continuation of Pushing Horror-Metal into the Mainstream?

Ice Nine Kills have been around for over two decades now, but as frontman Spencer Charnas so lovingly puts it at one point during this album ‘when The Silver Scream came out I think they really came into their own, commercially and artistically’. I can’t help but agree, their previous album was amazing and definitely the best work they have ever done. It’s like they heard Avenged Sevenfold’s ‘A Little Piece of Heaven’ and said “hey, let’s make a whole album like this!”. And, to put it simply, it works. Even my girlfriend, who isn’t all too into music this heavy, LOVES them, due to their catchy choruses and movie-based songs. This has been maybe my most anticipated album of this year, especially given how great every single has been, so I apologise in advance if I gush about this band all over the review!

Ice Nine Kills’ Official Facebook

After a brief intro track explaining the story of the album, its title track opens quietly, building a creepy yet beautiful atmosphere from the very beginning as Spencer’s low vocals ring out over a piano. We get a first chorus like this, catchy lyrically brilliant (it’s gonna be a trend, I assure you). Aaaand just as you start to get comfortable and forget who you’re listening to, you’re slapped in the face by a duel high and low scream and the whole band coming in with a fast, heavy riff. Said heaviness doesn’t stop the track from maintaining its catchy vocal hooks, though, but it does lead to one of the more interesting breakdown callouts I’ve heard in a good while with “how’s this for an establishing shot?” Said callout comes at the end of an awesome isolated, harmonised vocal part, the duel vocals being an incredible highlight of the whole album, be it cleans or screams. Oh, and there’s an awesome guitar solo nestled in the track too towards the end. What more could you possibly want from a song but heaviness, catchiness, and impressive skill. Starting us off with a bang, and it doesn’t look to stop any time soon…

Cabin Fever-inspired ‘Rash Desision’ opens on a pretty metalcore riff, Spencer’s vocals building in over the top alongside the drums, it sounding quite calming. Then, again, it suddenly bursts into the heaviness thanks to a high scream from Ricky Armellino and a crushing riff from the rest of the band. The verse stays heavy but pretty bouncy, and the ‘bang bang bang’ part is insane, catchy when chanted and it would go down so well live. It all leads to a quick yet clean vocalled, very catchy chorus, the instrument dropouts sounding awesome in time with the vocal melody. The chanting/choir part after the second chorus sounds awesome and SUPER menacing, one of the best uses of the trope in rock and metal for a long while.  We then get a final chorus and pre to end things on a high, heavy note!

My favourite track over the last few months, the Childs Play-inspired ‘Assault and Batteries’ is up next. Opening with a mock news article and Chucky’s briefly sung threats, it then explodes into the most frantic, chaotic track on the album… and it’s fucking glorious. From the clean, quick verse to the brutal screams of the pre and one of the very few times I approve of a kids choir being used in a rock song (because it’s actually creepy here), the first parts of this song are amazing. Then we reach one of the craziest choruses of the album, one that Spencer all but raps and still it has been ear wormed into my head for over a month. It’s crazy good. The second chorus gives way to a half-speed, extremely catchy bridge before some chanting leads us into one of the most interesting and heavy breakdowns I’ve heard in a long while. Not a band to let a section get old, the breakdown gives way to more incredible growls before a surprisingly awesome guitar solo rips through the track. Dan Sugarman may have only joined the band a couple of years ago, but he has already shown how incredibly talented he is and how well he fits in with tracks like this. The song is then finished off by a HUGE double chorus before a comical yet emphatic ‘fuck you!’ is growled to close it out. Playlisted. That’s all I have left to say.

Somehow the Hitchcock classic based ‘The Shower Scene’ is the ballad of the album. It opens much like the first song, with Spencer’s clean vocals over a piano. However, unlike ‘Horrorwood’, it stays clean vocalled for the vast majority of its time. Speaking of the vocals, every part of them is catchy as hell, be it the verse, bridge, or chorus, every melody is fantastic. Don’t get me wrong, it still gets a little heavy, the second part of the second verse, the bridge, and the breakdown are all pretty heavy, but not nearly as most of the rest of the album. The breakdown even manages to include the signature violin stabs from the movie, them fitting in perfectly and almost making me want to watch the scene with this song playing alongside it. Another amazing song.

Next up we get a run of the other three pre-released singles of the album. ‘Funeral Derrangements’ slaps you in the face with brutalness from the very beginning, the heavy screams and huge chuggy riffing almost relentless from start to finish. However, it still lets up for the now-signature clean, infectiously catchy chorus. I truly believe Spencer could write an ear-worm out of anything these days. However the track also has my first (very minor) issue with the album, the breakdown doesn’t quite go hard enough. After such an awesome call-out as a screamed ‘gods wrath lies beneath this soil’ to just continue with the stripped back, spacious breakdown that they had been doing instead of giving everything felt a tiny bit disappointing. But still, what a track!

‘Rainy Day’ (based on the iconic Resi Evil franchise) is one of the least INK-ish songs on the album. It feels more like a Bring me the Horizon track, but if Bring Me were as heavy still as their fans wanted them to be. Despite the simplicity and radio-friendly nature of the main riff and structure and the almost entirely clean vocals, it is a damn good track. Its vocals will be stuck in your head for days to come and the rest is just heavy goodness that all combines into another easily playlisted song. Meanwhile ‘Hip to Be Scared’ is one of the more insane tracks on the album, to contrast. Based around the trials of Patrick Bateman in American Psycho, the track features plenty of nods to the movie, be it certain lines from it or even switching the instrumental to ‘Hip to be Square’ and recreating their own version of Christian Bale’s iconic monologue in the middle. It’s fantastic stuff and somehow makes the track even better, especially when watching the video too. Outside of that it’s still pretty damn heavy and features another chorus that’ll be stuck in your head for days. Playlisted!

‘Take Your Pick’ is insane. And you may be thinking “of course it is Joe, Corpsegrinder’s on it”, but honestly I’ve done a few songs featuring the Cannable Corpse frontman recently and none are this crazy. It’s essentially a 3+ minute sprint of an extreme metal song about My Bloody Valentine… and STILL, Spencer found a way to make my girlfriend love it. If some of you are reading this and thinking the last few tracks were maybe a tad too heavy, this one may not be for you, but I loved it. It’s crazy, crazy heavy, and features the return of the ‘scared lady voice’ from ‘Your Number’s Up’, what’s not to love?

‘The Box’, ‘F.L.Y.’ and ‘Wurst Vacation’ are three more phenomenal horror-metal songs, but I don’t feel like they bring much new to the table (aside from the guests on the first two). The Hellraiser-based first track is another example of the harmonies and backing vocals adding so much to the track, there being something constantly going on around Spencer’s lead lines, adding depth and heavy evilness to the entire song. The chorus is another example of one of the best, catchiest on the album, too, and on any other album, this would be one of the biggest songs. It really goes to show just how high quality this album is. ‘F.L.Y.’ is somehow the weakest track on the album in my opinion, but it is still by no way bad. It opens and very much centers around the massively catchy, clean chorus, but outside of that and more chanted vocals at the end of each verse part, there isn’t too much going on to write about here. It’s a solid radio-metal track about a fantastic film, I just don’t have much to say about it! Finally, I admire the Hostel-inspired latter track for leaning fully into silly territory, having the topic be a movie filmed in Germany so the band goes full-on Rammstein. ‘Ein Zwei Drei Die’ gave me a good chuckle, as did the clear Till Linderman-esque lower, German-accented vocals that pop up throughout the verse. It’s industrial metal with a huge pop-metal chorus, and it’s fucking awesome.

‘Ex-Mørtis’ is another track that I wouldn’t have expected from the band, it not sounding like their usual style. It opens on a Manson/John 5 style guitar riff, more industrial influence but now turning more towards Rob Zombie instead of Rammstein. It also somehow sees Spencer at his sassiest, between the ‘Goddamn!’ and ‘May God have fucking mercy!’ parts there is a lot of attitude here. Then again, it’s based on the Evil Dead, so it kind of has to have attitude. Also, the ‘zombie’ voice cutting through with ‘singing’ has somehow managed to make me laugh each time I hear it, despite it being so catchy because it’s just ridiculous. Oh, and did I also forget to mention that this is somehow the catchiest track on the album? Much like ‘Shower Scene’, every vocal line and melody is somehow catchy as anything and has been stuck in my head for days. And it still somehow fits in a pretty heavy breakdown in the middle of the chaos too. This is a strong contender for one of the best songs the band has ever done, and if anything is going to push them to the top where they deserve it’s this. Playlisted!

The final track, ‘Farwell II Flesh’, is inspired by the Candyman franchise. It starts quite like the opener, Spencer’s voice sounding almost beautiful over the top of the simple piano melody. The atmosphere built here is fantastic though, with the double-tracked vocals and subtle strings that build the track perfectly. The band manage to wait over a minute before exploding in with the huge distorted guitar chords and big drums to fill out the sound of an almost anthemic chorus.  The second verse gets a little heavier with some screams, but it again fits the track perfectly. It gets even heavier in there, with Sugarman even playing a pitch-shifted version of ‘Flight of the Bumblebees’ at one point, even more chaotic awesomeness. The rest of the song is catchy, arena-filling greatness, and an awesome way to finish off an album, with heaviness but also stuff you can sing along to.

Overall: This was downright insanity in the best way. I loved it. Every song was packed to the brim with awesome riffs, heavy breakdowns, brutal screams, and harmonies yet somehow some of the biggest, catchiest choruses in any genre today. The band captured lightning in a bottle with their previous album, but this one has refined and built on that idea perfectly. I honestly think it has what it takes to push them into the mainstream and superstardom, and it is one of the best albums I have ever heard. I surely cannot deduct have a point for the ‘Funeral Derangements’ breakdown, so….

The Score: 10/10

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