The German metal legends Accept are back with their 17th studio album. If you remember, we lovedtheir last one, so have been rather impatiently waiting for this one to be released since it was announced. The singles so far have been excellent, so I can’t wait to hear the full thing!
‘Diving Into Sin’ surprisingly opens slower than I expected, a fantastic clean, Egyptian-style guitar riff being the main focus. Even when the drums, bass and distortion comes in, it maintains that similar Iron Maiden Powerslave-era feel, which I love. Mark Torillo’s iconic vocals soon come in over the top as the pace quickens to more of the expected thrash styling. It’s utterly insane that, now pushing 70, Mark’s vocals are so fantastic and effortlessly powerful, really showing how well he looks after them. It all builds into an awesome chorus, both catchy and heavy in equal measure. The call-and-response style battle between Mark and the backing vocals, over the top of the awesome riffing, was exactly what I was expecting and hoping for with this album. And of course, we get a face-melting guitar solo tucked in the middle of this. The technical skill on display was awesome, and the cutting out part was really interesting! This is one hell of a way to open an album, and easily makes it onto our playlist immediately!
The album’s title track is up next, keeping things heavy in the same way and style the band are known for. The lyrics for this one are a tad on the nose, but the music behind them, and their delivery too, are all so good that it more than makes up for it. It’s a straight-forward modern NWOBHM track filled with everything you’d expect from the band; awesome riffs, huge choruses and blistering solos. And it’s another awesome song!
The same can be said for the likes of ‘Frankenstein’, ‘The Reckoning’ and closer ‘Southside of Hell’. All are fantastic songs, don’t get me wrong, giving off heavy Painkiller vibes as well as their typical output since their 2009 reunion. Heck, I loved the former that much that it’s another track that easily makes it onto our playlist! All three tracks are just rather similar, and also similar to the opening two tracks, and I simply don’t want to repeat myself over and over and make this review rather boring! As I said, all are great tracks that if you’re a fan of traditional metal you will certainly love!
Meanwhile, songs like ‘Man Up’, ‘Nobody Gets Out Alive’, ‘Straight Up Jack’ and ‘Unbreakable’ are all lighter, sounding more like their old-school 80s sound, closer to AC/DC or early Priest, like ‘Balls to the Wall’. Yet again, all are fantastic, foot-stomping tracks closer to rock than metal. I feel like I’m going to have the chorus of ‘Nobody…’ stuck in my head for days to come!
‘Ravages of Time’ is one of two slower songs on the album. It has a distinctly European, power/heavy metal feel to it immediately that I love. The clean guitars and simple drums fit together with Mark’s vocals just as well as the heavier stuff. The lyrics are pretty fantastic too, a bittersweet tale woven perfectly. The dynamics of the track are phenomenal too, going from stripped-back to the more distorted, massive chorus perfectly. And all of the guitar work is of course impeccable. I love this song, and I hate that it hits me far harder than it should. It’s another song that easily creeps onto our playlist!
The final track on the album is just as fantastic as all the others. ‘Mind Games’ feels like a perfect mid-ground between the 80s and 90s heavy metal sounds that the band straddle for most of the album. The main riff running through it is galloping awesomeness, and Mark’s vocals are just as on point as ever. And the backing vocals through the pre and chorus make it all so massively catchy and arena-filling. It’s another highlight track, for sure!
Overall: The more I listened to this, the more I loved this. After their last album I came into this with pretty high hopes, and while I at first felt a tad underwhelmed, by the end I was certainly feeling it. There really isn’t a bad song on the album, and I’d easily put a couple of them up there with some of the bands very best. Too Mean to Die was up there in our top 10 albums of 2021, and honestly looking back 8/10 then seemed a little harsh. I have to say I didn’t quite enjoy this as much as that last album, though that may change with subsequent listens. It’s a very good, overall more-solid release than the last one, so I’ll happily give it another…
A stacked week of New Music Mondays this week! Join us as we check out everything from country to punk to death metal to grime!
The Black Keys: Ohio Players
The Ohioan alt-rock duo returned with their 12th studio album. I haven’t listened to them now in probably a decade, at least since I was a teenager, and they’ve changed a fair bit since ‘Gold on the Ceiling’, that’s for sure! There’s a lot less of a focus on rock, or at least the higher tempo, more energetic end of it that they had on their early work. It’s a much more softer indie rock. However, that isn’t an issue at all. Bands evolve, and this certainly isn’t a bad album. It reminds me a lot of some of the slower stuff off RHCP’s Stadium Arcadium.
However, having said that, I’m finding it hard to pick out specific highlights. None of the tracks stand out to me massively over others. I don’t think I’d go out of my way to listen to individual songs again, but I’d happily stick the whole album on again and again if I wanted to chill out or was on a long car journey. It feels designed to be listened to as a whole, which is a nice change of pace in today’s musical climate. I still wouldn’t put it up there with El Camino or Attack & Release, but it’s a damn fun album and if you like a softer, indie rock sound, you’ll love this! 7.5/10
Alpha Wolf: Half Living Things
I was semi-curious about this release, having heard a couple of the singles before it’s release. “The one with Ice T” I loved from the start; it was right up my street. But then I heard “The slower, ambient, Bad Omens type one” and it dropped my hype all the way down. The two tracks are one after another towards the midpoint of the album, and while I appreciate the band slowing things down and changing things up, adding some dynamics and pacing to the album, it does kinda reflect the best and average of it.
However, as an album overall, it’s chaotic, heavy brilliance. It has the manicness of modern nu-metal, heavy Tallah vibes. However, it also has the heaviness and aggression of new-wave metalcore. It’s a fascinating, amazing combination, to say the least. Outside of the aforementioned slower track, actually titled ‘Whenever You’re Ready’, the whole album goes hard and produces MANY highlights. Songs like ‘Double-Edge Demise’, ‘Mangekyõ’ and ‘A Terrible Day For Rain’ are all personal highlights, alongside the Bodycount-esque ‘Sucks 2 Suck’. However, it’s a great album overall, and even the slower one is growing on me with more listens. If you like you metal with heaviness, chaos and attitude, this is certainly the album for you. It’ll be high in our list of best albums come December, I’m sure! 9.5/10
The Libertines: All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade
The indie/post-punk legends are back with their fourth album, and first in nearly a decade. With how big of a name they are, I really thought they’d have had a bigger output than this! However, the band clearly favour quality over quantity, and this release is no different! It’s an incredibly well put together, thought out, polished album. Every track is as good as the last, and if you’re into the band or the genre as a whole, you’ll love it! It’s not especially my thing overall, but it’s a good album to throw on in the background or chill out to. Highlights for me include the opener, ‘Man with the Melody’ and ‘Be Young’. For a band this deep into their career, it might be a touch predictable, but given that I haven’t listen to a lot of them before now aside their big songs, I enjoyed it! 7/10
Ingested: The Tide of Death and Fractured Dreams
We’ve already checked out this awesome album! Find our review of it here!
Blacktop Mojo: Pollen
The fifth album from the Texan hard rock band would fit them in perfectly with the newer crop of NWOCR bands. The opening two tracks give off big These Wicked Rivers, Bad Touch and The Answer vibes, southern rock-tinged goodness. Heck, ‘As the Light Fades’ is a straight up Blackberry Smoke style country rock song! However, at the same time, tracks like ‘I Can’t Tell’ and ‘Red Enough’ go back to their post-grunge roots, reminding me more of Seether, Hoobastank or even Those Damn Crows.
And, I loved every second of it all. Anyone who knows Overtone knows how much we love all of the bands and genres already mentioned above, and this album does all of it so well! Whether it’s ‘Weary I Roam’, ‘I Can’t Tell’, ‘Born to Lose’, ‘Something’s Changed’ or any of the tracks I’ve previously mentioned, all are massive highlights. Heck, there truly isn’t a bad song on the album! I love how varied it is, feeling constantly different and interesting while still somehow all sounding distinctively Blacktop Mojo. I am endlessly jealous of bands that can genre-hop like this across the same album, and it makes for one of the most entertaining listens I’ve had this year so far. I’mma be listening to this a LOT moving forward, and I’d recommend it to anyone! I can’t give it any less than 10/10. Wow.
Bob Vylan: Humble as the Sun
Long-time readers here will know my general feelings around Bob Vylan. For those who don’t want to help us out and click the link, essentially I don’t get why he’s been so feverishly taken in by the UK rock scene. It baffles me. It’s grime/hip-hop and doesn’t go as hard or heavy as other bands on the periphery of rock like Prodigy or even Die Antwoord. But the acceptance into the scene (they’re even headlining Primordial-fest this year) is the reason I’m leaving this review. I guess there’s a guitar a fair amount through it? Either way, it isn’t rock, just ‘punk-infused’ at times at a push.
Having said all of that, it isn’t even bad music. It’s not hugely my sort of thing, but I’d rather listen to this than most of the tripe on mainstream radio these days. And there are a good few decent tracks on the album. Heck, ‘Hunger Games’ even has a decent riff in it, and the lyrics are punk AF. There’s some meh on it too, don’t get me wrong, but I certainly enjoyed it more than his last release. And I’ve heard he’s supposed to be amazing live, which I can imagine given the style and attitude. Maybe that would win me round to being an actual fan. For now, it’s more passing, morbid curiosity and the odd enjoyment! 4/10
Chayce Beckham: Bad for Me
The debut album of the country star is a phenomenal release. While still following a familiar radio structure to so many of his peers recently, there is a certain not only traditional but also rock edge to his sound, which I LOVED. Whether it’s strings, electric guitar or acoustic drums, it all combines together perfectly to make a definite country-rock-pop sound. ‘Devil I’ve Been’ is the perfect opener for the album and showcases exactly what Chayce is all about in both style and tone. Then you have tracked like ‘Waylon in ’75’, ‘Drink you Off my Mind’ and ‘Something Worth Holding On To’ that are all fantastic tracks and more easy highlights.
He reminds me of a combination of Luke Combs, Shane Smith and, surprisingly, Keifer Sutherland. And, massive props to him for keeping this at only 13 tracks. There are far too many country albums that are far too long, so this is a wonderfully refreshing release. Every track is amazing, and all of them flow together perfectly; it’s really well arranged. I’mma certainly be listening to this a lot moving forward, and I’d recommend it to any country fan out there! 9/10
Hawkwind: Stories from Time and Space
I sadly knew I wouldn’t like this heading into it, and it certainly didn’t change my mind. While I do enjoy a lot of elements and styles of prog rock, ‘space rock’ is not one of them. How this band was how Lemmy started his career is beyond me. I completely get that this band has many, many fans that will likely love this, but I am not one of them. I got bored pretty quickly and really had to fight to listen to the whole album. The closest thing to good for me was most likely ‘The Starship’. An hour of this music was just too much for my tiny brain to bare. 3/10
Strung Out: Dead Rebellion
A band that I have been vaguely familiar with for a few years now since Spotify recommended me a couple of their songs to me. Sadly I haven’t had the chance to check out much more from them since, so I’m excited to check out the tenth album from the band.
Their style has mostly stayed the same in the two decades since they released the music I know. However, the combination of punk with hard/radio/dad/butt rock is great and somehow still feels fresh all these years later. The riffs are awesome and touch on metalcore at times, the drums keep a quick, punky pace and the vocals and lyrics are great throughout. The band clearly inspired the sound of bands like Rise Against and Billy Talent (alongside Bad Religion of course), while still being able to sound pretty unique. Songs like ‘New Gods’ and ‘Resistance’ are big personal highlights for me. Don’t get me wrong, it doesn’t reinvent the wheel or anything. But it’s a solid album and when I haven’t listened to one of theirs in full before, I found myself enjoying it! Fans of the band will have to let us know how it compares to their others! I’ll certainly be checking them out after this, too! For now, 8/10
Feeder: Black/Red
The alt-rock Brits returned with their 12th album last week. We checked out their last one (find it here) and, as you can see, really enjoyed it! Sadly, I didn’t come away with the same pumped, excited feeling after this release. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a bad album. But it kinda just feels there, as opposed to something that demands my attention. There are still some good riffs and a couple of catchy hooks, but nothing stood out to me as a whole, really. ‘Vultures’ is probably the closest to a song I’d listen to over and over.
It reminds me of Bush’s last album, like even down to the colour scheme, as well as feel and sound. However, it didn’t have the same impact on me or stand out nearly as much as The Art of Survival. I’m sure it will have fans, and I didn’t hate it; I wouldn’t turn it off if it came on. But I shan’t rush to listen to this again. 6/10, not bad.
Another entry into our new series sees three awesome, widely different EPs all being released on Friday. From death metal to country, join us as we check out some awesome new music!
Renegade Angel: Jokesters
The Finnish heavy/power metal band are set to follow up 2022’s Dawn of Justice with the release of their second EP on Friday. Samuli Federley once again leads the charge with his insane guitar talents, and is again fronted by Tailgunner vocalist Craig Cairns. At just two original tracks and a cover (as well as two alt versions), it is simply not enough new music from the awesome band! However, there is no denying how good of a release it is. Single ‘Jokesters’ is a fantastic track that feels like the perfect combination of modern technical power metal powerhouse like Dragonforce and Beast in Black. And that chorus, damn, it’s massive and is going to be stuck in my head for the rest of the day, guaranteed. Meanwhile ‘Soldiers of Misfortune’ gives off more of an early Iron Maiden vibe, which I also love just as much! And of course we get an awesome, heavier rendition of Meat Loaf’s anthemic ‘Razor’s Edge’. The duelling vocals on it sound awesome and while covers of Loaf always sound fantastic, the heaviness and epicness added to this one is amazing!
This is essential listening for any fans of metal, power or otherwise. I am desperate to hear more music from the band, and I truly think they’d jump up a few levels if they were to release an album soon. For now though, this EP is great, and has prompted me to go back and check out their older stuff. The band certainly have a new fan in me! 8/10
Some melodeath next from Paris, a city that for some reason I don’t typically associate with heavier metal. However, I certainly will after listening to this; it’s an awesome release! It’s lighter than a lot of it’s counterparts in the genre, but that’s certainly not a bad thing. It shares riff-stylings with metalcore, yet also has plenty of parts where Children of Bodom or In Flames inspiration shines through. Heck, it even has clean vocals, something I wasn’t expecting heading into this but loved; it fit perfectly. Having said that there, there is still plenty of heaviness throughout the EP, and some truly awesome screams.
It’s a collection of four incredible original tracks that seem to draw from all corners of the European metal sound. From the more radio-friendly, NWOBHM inspired opener through the almost black metal-infused ‘We are the Dead’ and to the doom-esque ‘The Old Ones’. All four songs are amazing, and it’s so hard to pick highlights as they are all so different. It’s the band’s first new music in two-and-a-half years since their debut album, and it follows on from that release brilliantly. Spinning the tale of humanities last days, it’s almost a concept EP, and one that I shall be listening to a whole lot moving forwards. It was over far too soon and I cannot wait for another longer release, but damn, this seems certain to push the band as pretty major players in the death metal scene moving forward! 9/10
Blanco Brown: Heartache & Lemonade
Last but certainly not least, we have some country from Grammy nominated vocalist and producer Blanco Brown. I have to admit his was not a name I was familiar with before now but damn, he’s certainly gained at least one new fan from this release. It’s chilled-out, stripped-back country/Americana with enough of a pop hook in the vocals to make it all hugely catchy and will do very well with a wide audience. Speaking of the vocals, Blanco’s impressive range and emotional delivery was certainly the highlight of the whole EP. whether it’s the more simple opener to the more blues rock-oriented ‘Good as it Gets’, his versatility and writing is amazing. And, much like every EP on this article, there really a bad track on it. Each track had enough variation to keep me interested through the short release, and will certainly have me coming back for further listens in the future. Hopefully this is the year we get a new album from him after half a decade, but if not, this is still an incredible listen, and a must for any country fan! 8.5/10
Two weeks in a row now that we’re inundated in new country albums. Yet again, I’m not complaining! We still have some power metal, metalcore and good old-fashioned rock ‘n’ roll spread through, too! Let’s dive right in!
Sheryl Crow: Evolution
I’ve never been the biggest Cheryl Crow fan in the world. This album hasn’t changed my mind. Don’t get me wrong, she has an absolutely incredible voice and some great hits from back in the day. But man, her albums have always been a bit of a slog. And, 30 years after her breakout hits, she still sounds like a combination of Shania Twain, Lenny Kravitz and Alanis Morrisette. I do find it slightly ironic that the album is called Evolution yet sounds exactly the same as everything else she’s put out. It’s 2024, do we really need any more of this late 90s/early 2000s pop rock?
I honestly couldn’t pick this out of a lineup of any of her other songs. All of the tracks kinda blend together, and most of the lyrics were juvenile at best. The only real one I found that stood out and I enjoyed was the closer, ‘Waiting in the Wings’. And even then, it’s probably because it was the most country-leaning track. None of it was bad, per-say, but it just feels like a wholly unneeded album. Still, if anyone reading this is a fan of her other work or any of the other artists I named in a big way, you’ll probably enjoy it. It’s not a bad album, just a safe, boring one. 3.5/10
Sum 41: Heaven :x: Hell
The final album from the pop-punk legends is a bittersweet affair. Having grown up with the band, it’s horrible to hear their last hurah (for now, at least. This is the music industry, after all…). However, what a fantastic swan song. It’s a 20-track, double album that spans all of the styles and sounds the band have covered over their illustrious career, and I love it. Whether it’s heavier, Anti-Flag-style songs like ‘Future Primetive’ or the AMAZING single ‘Rise Up’ or more typical pop-punk stuff like ‘I Can’t Wait’ or ‘Dopemine’, it’s all awesome and packed full of highlights.
Don’t get me wrong, a couple of the songs are a little Ticket to My Downfall, which isn’t a good thing. It may be a little too long, controversially. However, it’s new, final Sum 41, so I still loved it. The band are going out on a high and at the top of their games, which doesn’t happen often these days, and I admire the crap out of them for that. If you are a fan of the band or pop punk in general, I cannot recommend this album enough! I’mma be listening to it a lot going forward. 9/10
While She Sleeps: SELF HELL
Considering I was a metalcore kid, I never quite ‘got’ WSS. I was hoping that would change with the inevitable yet slower-than-usual transition into more of a BMTH sound, especially given that they seem to have gotten stuck around Sempiternal, but that sadly hasn’t happened. I got pretty excited too because when I first stuck it on, I really loved the intro track and where it was headed. Then sadly, that destination was nowhere, building up to stop, and then the following track being anti-climactic, Linkin Park-esque nothingness.
Don’t get me wrong, there were tracks I enjoyed on here. ‘RAINBOWS’ and the heavier, Malevolence-featuring ‘DOWN’ are two songs I’ve listened to a lot over this last weekend. ‘ENEMY MENTALITY’ is a fun, almost modern BFMV, too. However, there is a lot of meh on this album, including multiple interludes that feel like they go nowhere. I know the band are getting quite big and have a lot of momentum currently, but this release doesn’t reflect that at all to me. Hopefully actual fans of the band enjoy it more than I do! 6/10
Rage: Afterlifelines
We’ve already checked out this awesome album! Read the full review of it here!
Aaron Lewis: The Hill
The Staind frontman is back with another helping of his country-based solo work. If you can get past the overly patriotic, questionably political and generally cringy lyrics, it’s a pretty decent album. His voice is just as well suited to country as it is radio/dad rock. Tracks like ‘Spinnin”, ‘Only In My Mind’ and the bouncier, rockier ‘Outlaw’ are all big highlights of the album. However, with just his vocals, guitars and strings, it does get a tad samey and drags a little by the end. None of it is bad, but I wish we’d have had a little more dynamics, or heck, even some drums, just to fill things out a little more or add to the dramatics. Still, I’ve seen a lot of people praising the album so far and rightfully so, it’s a good country release! 8/10
Asomvel: Born to Rock ‘n’ Roll
One of the fastest rising stars in the UK underground rock scene currently, Asomvel finally released their highly anticipated new album last Friday. And, surprising to I’m sure no one, it’s fucking awesome! It’s the perfect blend of Motorhead and Airborne, yet also feels like a modernised version of both. It’s dripping with attitude and has a real old-school feel to it while somehow still fitting in perfectly with today’s music and climate.
It’s a balls-to-the-wall, foot stomping album from start to finish, and is full of energy and adrenaline. Of course, there is something to be said of it all being similar, and I have certainly called out other releases for doing just that in the past. However, the 45-minutes went by in a flash and I loved every minute of it! There isn’t a bad song on the album, but tracks like the opener, ‘Cold Day in Hell’ and ‘Outside the Law’ are all massive personal highlights. If this is anything to go by, this hand are going to be MASSIVE in the very near future. Any rock fan out there will love this just as much as I did. I’d recommend it to anyone! 9.5/10, great stuff!
Ash Tustain: Piece of Me
We’ve also done this album in full too, aren’t you lucky? Check it out here!
Preacher Stone: V
The southern rockers are finally back with their first new album in eight years. The hype around it has been pretty massive, with three huge, awesome singles having been dropped already. I can’t wait to hear the rest!
It’s just as good as I was expecting it to be! ‘Hard Life PhD’ is the perfect opener, setting up the sound and feel of the album fantastically. Tracks like ‘Ain’t as Easy as it Looks’, the stomping, swaggering ‘Horse to Water’, and ‘Dance with the Devil’ are also personal highlights. However, there really isn’t a bad track on the album! It’s also put together really well, with every track flowing perfectly one after another. I didn’t get bored at all and listened to it all in one sitting like no time passed at all! If you’re into anything Southern or hard rocking or even country, check this out, you won’t be disappointed! 8/10
Dylan Scott: Livin’ My Best Life (Still)
I guess a sequel album of sorts, as ‘…Still’ clearly follows on from Dylan’s 2022 release in a major way. It continues the bro country/rock country sound and trend of his previous two albums, so if that’s your thing, you’ll surely love this! Honestly, I thought this was right up my alley going into it, but personally, the album was… fine? None of it was bad, don’t get me wrong. It’s always nice to have a darker, rockier, Brantley Gilbert-like sound in country, and Dylan and the musicians he’s used are all fantastic performers and writers. But it’s a slightly outdated country style these days, the lyrics being a touch on the cringy side at times. And there is a lot of music that sounds like this that I don’t think this album will quite cut through the white noise. Tracks like the opener and ‘Killin’ Some Time’ are personal highlights, but a lot of it sounds similar and blended together. I wouldn’t turn off the album if it came on. However, I don’t think I’d go out of my way to listen to it in full much again after this. Especially at 24 TRACKS. MY GOD COUNTRY, STOP THIS. 6.5/10
Beyoncé: COWBOY CARTER
I never thought I’d be writing about Beyoncé on this site. However, given that this is advertised and claims to be a country album, I thought I’d give it a crack.
Lol, this was shit. If you’re a Beyoncé fan you’ll probably enjoy it, but if you’re a country fan, keep a wide birth. To call it country is laughable and almost insulting to the genre. It’s an R&B album that claims to be country because it’s an acoustic guitar at its heart instead of a clean electric one or electronic samples. And the fact that it’s probably going to be the ‘biggest country album of the year’ makes me sick. I’ve heard the dreadful, nonsensical ‘TEXAS HOLD ‘EM’ so much on social media and, unlike most songs that go viral, I haven’t even been Stockholm Syndromed into liking it. That’s how bad it is. The covers were the best part and that’s because she was nowhere near the writing process for them. And heck, if you want to listen to ‘Joline’ or ‘Blackbird’, I highly recommend listening to the original instead.
This will certainly have the mainstream media in love with it, but as a country fan, this is terrible. Honestly, it may be the worst album I’ve ever reviewed, and I don’t say that lightly. 1/10
The legends of power metal, Rage, are back with their whopping 26th studio release. Rarely, if ever,have a band been this consistent with musical output over the course of four decades. And, it’s even rarer that a band stay this consistently high quality throughout almost that entire time, too! I’m a big fan of the band, and we haven’t had any new music from them for three years at this point, so I’m excited to dive in! And strap yourselves in guys, it’s a double album, so this one’s gonna be long!
After a suitable epic intro track, the guitars ring true immediately with a sick opening to ‘End of Illusions’. I know old-school fans will hate me for this, but it really did remind me of ‘Hail to the King’. Especially with the rest of the instruments building in. It builds into a massive, lightening quick riff, almost thrash at the pace it sets. Both the drumming and guitaring is off the charts immediately, not at all making me jealous of their talent. The vocals fit perfectly over the top, adding an almost NWOBHM vibe to the proceedings. And the chorus is big, open and pretty damn catchy. The few screams fit perfectly too, and the one after the second chorus leads into the heavy breakdown amazingly. What a breakdown riff too, damn! It also had a sick guitar solo over it, because why not, and then the final chorus takes us home in style. This was an awesome way to open the album, and an easy choice for our playlist!
The epic, heavy riffs continue immediately with ‘Under a Black Crown’. The guitars almost have a black metal feel to them, which was awesome. A speedy pre leads to another awesome, infectiously catchy chorus. I prefer this to the previous one, and the vocals are very much giving off Paul Di’Anno vibes. It’s certainly a good thing, as it’s like a heavier early-Maiden style. We get another incredible breakdown in the middle of this too, them definitely being a massive highlight of the album so far. I love that the power metal just takes a sharp turn into deathcore for a few seconds, more genres need to adopt the tactic! It’s another great song, as the chorus is going to be stuck in my head for hours to come, I’m sure!
One half of the title track, ‘Afterlife’ is up next. It opens on a really awesome riff, giving off heavy metalcore vibes. The vocals fit perfectly over the top of it, all building to a bigger, more power metal chorus. However, the lead guitar lines through it are so very early BFMV/Killswitch Engage that it very much retains that metalcore edge. I love it; the two styles blend together rather perfectly and I’m shocked we haven’t had more of it before now. The now typical breakdown and shredding guitar solo ring true to fill the gap between choruses, showing off the insanely high musicianship in the band. The harmonies in the solo were also incredible. It’s another song that I just have to put on our playlist!
Tracks like ‘Dead Man’s Eyes’, ‘Mortal’ and ‘Toxic Ways’ are all great, but it was at this point that I was starting to feel the length of the album a little. Honestly, the whole rest of the first ‘disc’ is all pretty similar. I completely get that after 40 years as a band, the trio have a very refined sound, and it’s a fucking awesome one at that, so of course that’s what they’re going to write. As I said, none are bad by any stretch; in fact, all are awesome, to put it lightly. Heck, ‘Justice Will be Mine’ is one of my favourite tracks on the album and another easy highlight. Clearly, the concept of the album is too much for my impatient brain!
Speaking of the concept, it all changes with ‘disc’ two and ‘Cold Desire’. Opening on a beautiful piano and string arrangement instead of a crushing riff, it’s more like orchestral folk than power metal. Having said that, it still has a dark, almost Nightmare Before Christmas vibe to it. The metal soon comes in to accompany it, a massive riff and drumbeat filling out the sound. It still has all the prototypical big choruses and heavy riffs of the first half of the album, but the symphonic parts add a hell of a lot more to the sound, filling it out and making it suddenly a lot more power metal-y.
Also, check out our review of the band’s previous album here.
Much of the rest of the album has a similar feeling, too. As I said, that isn’t a bad thing, I just run out of things to talk about when an album is a lot of the same!
The two tracks that buck that trend are ‘Dying to Live’ and the proggy epic, ‘Lifelines’. The former is the ballad of the album, a beautiful acoustic track enhanced no end by the orchestral arrangement behind it. It still builds in the distorted guitars and drums around the halfway point, but the slower pace and more emotional delivery and feel keeps it a ballad. It’s amazing, and another huge highlight of the album!
Meanwhile, ‘Lifelines’ feels like it combines every sound that has come before and after it into an incredible near-10 minutes of music. Want huge riffs and heavy breakdowns? Check. Want epic, arena-filling choruses and bridges? You got it. Want beautiful orchestral pieces and stripped-back, cleaner rock parts? Sure, it’s here too. It’s a truly fantastic song and one of the most impressive prog-power metal songs I’ve heard. If you can stand the length, check this out!
Overall: This was amazing. Though I have been slightly critical of the In Your Honor-style structure of it, it’s a fantastic idea for the band to do, and they pull it off masterfully. I truly think there isn’t a bad song on the album; it’s 90+ minutes of pure metal awesomeness. It is certainly a tall task to get through it all at once, and one I will probably not attempt again in all honesty. However, I’ll be listening to a lot of these tracks a lot in the coming months. If you are a fan of the band or genre in any way, you’ll love this!
NOWCR’s heavy-end Ashen Reach released their highly anticipated new EP, The Fear, today. I’ve been a fan of the band for a while now, seeing them a couple of times and seeing their name on bills all over the country. They have gotten quite a bit of momentum behind them, and I am certainly not the only one who has been impatiently anticipating this release! Let’s just jump right in, shall we?
‘Ghosts’ opens on a suitably heavy, almost metalcore riff, which is fantastic. I love the new sound growing at the minute that combines the heaviness and riffing of the genre with hard rock. Shadow Smile do the same, and it’s an incredible new sub-genre that I’m so shocked but glad has been adopted into the NWOCR movement for now. It also has a hint of symphonic metal, just a touch of Nightwish in there. And heck, even the symphonic-nu blend of Evanescence! The riffing is awesome, the vocals are powerful and infectiously catchy, and the strings in the back add to a HUGE sound. I love the odd scream that goes on, too. In fact, any time we get the backing vocals, it’s amazing. It’s a fantastic way to open the EP, and an easy track to make our playlist!
‘D1V1DE’ keeps the heaviness rolling with another awesome riff. Surprisingly though, it drops down into a stripped-back, clean-guitared verse. It almost gave off modern Avenged Sevenfold vibes with its experimental sound and structure. It all still builds to another massive, arena-filling chorus too, which I love. The screams through the second verse heavied it all up massively too, almost sounding extreme metal for a moment. I love the different sounds the band utilise, they really strive to do their own thing, it shows in their writing. It’s another fantastic track that I can’t get enough of!
‘Neophobia’ follows a surprisingly similar structure to the previous track, not that that’s in any way an issue. The duelling clean and harsh vocals in the verses are amazing, definitely metalcore-inspired. The band transition so cleanly from the heavy stuff to the huge, hard rock choruses, showcasing their exceptional talent at songwriting. And their performing is not to be sniffed at either, with the riffing, drumming and all vocals being incredible here. Everyone works their asses off to make this a truly fantastic, interesting song, and another that easily makes it onto our Spotify!
The most recent single, ‘The Dark’ has a bit of a slower pace and feels more like the ballad of the release. Having said that, it essentially has a breakdown for its second verse, the riff and screams being FILTHY and feel ripped straight from I Prevail or Electric Callboy. The slower pace if anything adds to the heaviness of it all, too. And the chorus is SO good. It’s gonna be stuck in me head for the rest of the day, easily. We even get an awesome little guitar solo tucked in the middle, which I love. And the actual breakdown at the end… DAMN. The third song playlisted and damn, it more than deserves it. This was fucking awesome!
And with that, we sadly already reach the final track, ‘Lost’. Honestly, the riff was awesome, having an almost black metal feel to it. However, outside of that, it does fade into the background ever so slightly. It’s still a fantastic track, don’t get me wrong; on any other release it’d be a huge highlight. If anything it just goes as a testament to the insanely high calibre of release this is, that a song this good is more of an overlooked gem. Still, it’s an amazing track and the perfect way to close out a release like this.
Overall: Wow. What a fucking EP! This is how you do a 20-minute release. I sometimes find it hard reviewing these, as they get samey and I get a touch bored. However, this blew me away from start to finish and the words just flowed out of me. I can’t get enough. As much as I love their previous stuff, this is the best music they have put out. It really is incredible, and with it the band seem primed to take a step into the mainstream. I didn’t want it to end, and fully hope we get a full album from the guys sooner rather than later. Every track was awesome and I’ll be listening to it over and over for weeks to come!
So, we’re being a little cheeky with this one. While we’d usually try to feature each EP on its own, our current release schedule unfortunately wouldn’t let that happen with all three of these bands. But, between Valhalla Awaits, Before the Dawn and No Worth of Man; we couldn’t just feature one or two of these awesome bands and leave out the others. So, much like our New Music Monday series, I wanted to feature all of them in one place, so you get plenty of great music all at once!
Valhalla Awaits: Perdition
The UK underground supergroup return this Friday with their first EP in a year and a half. The former members of The Blackout, Revoker, Buffalo Summer and Bastard Sons have really captured lightening in a bottle so far with their style and consistent output, and continue their awesome run of form with this release. It’s hard rock with a definite heavy edge, every member bring their own style in together and it merging rather perfectly. There’s a lot of Revoker in the riffing, but the vocals could sit more in the NWOCR end of the spectrum. Then you have the incredible ‘Staring at the Gun’ which is heavily inspired by Alice in Chains in all the best ways.
Honestly, every track has a different sound and feel to it, leading to a fantastically varied, easy listen. And all five tracks are great in their own ways. There isn’t a bad song in the bunch, and any of them could have been picked as the single. It’s very hard to pick highlight tracks, so you’ll just have to go and listen to it from cover-to-cover instead! You certainly won’t be disappointed! I was gutted when Revoker and The Blackout called it a day (and am also gutted while writing this review to find out Buffalo Summer are also done/on break?), but the fact that we get music like this out of those sort of situations makes up for it a fair bit! I’m gonna have to see this band live soon, as this may be my favourite release from them. 9/10
Before the Dawn: Archaic Flame
The melodeath band returned with a vengeance after a decades absence last year with their Stormbringers album. As you can see fromour review, I loved it! They look to carry on their momentum with the release of this EP, but will it score higher than the 9/10 it got before?
Sadly, I wouldn’t say it’s quite on the same level. It’s certainly good, at least the two new ones are, but neither of them quite caught my attention or blew my mind like some of their album did. Having said that, their Bryan Adams cover was great and surprisingly fit their style well, and they sound good live with their new version of ‘Dying Sun’. I also feel like the hype for a new EP for it to only consist of two actually new songs is just a tiny bit of a cop-out. It would have been easier to do the title song and ‘Chaos Sequence’ as singles alongside the cover, no? But still, the two aforementioned tracks are good, modern Before the Dawn songs! 7.5/10
No Worth of Man: What’s Your Damage?
The Hampshirean (that’s a word, right?) metal band are finally back with their brand new EP, the much anticipated follow-up to The Middle Farm Experiment. The proggy, death metal style the band produce is amazing, a real blend of their Dimmu Borgir, Lamb of God and Dream Theater influences. They’re very much like a heavier Periphery or TesseracT, and I love it. I need more than the 18-minutes I got from this EP, just as much as I need to see this live.
The three guys are INSANELY talented musicians and songwriters. And that is on display perfectly across the four tracks on this EP. It’s an epic release that could have easily been a full album and I’d have loved it just as much. ‘Mondo Decay’ may be one of my favourite tracks in this style, period. There isn’t a bad track on it, and if you’re into the heavy stuff, you’ll love this! 8/10
You know the drill by now. A dozen amazing bands releasing new music, and we’re here to check it all out! See what we think below!
Lamb of God: Omens
Lamb of God releasing their ninth studio album makes me feel old. But that’s exactly what they did this last week. I’ve been a fan of the band for over half my life at this point, getting into them from Sacrament. I’ve seen the bands ups and downs and they really seem to be having a bit of a career resurgence recently after some slightly more questionable output in the 2010s. Their previous, self-titled album was fantastic and, honestly, this may one up it to an even higher level.
It takes everything new it seemed to build up well on the previous album, the spoken work/sung stuff and the dynamics with up and downs and tempos, and rolls with it all to new heights. The fact that in 2022 we have a Lamb of God album open with a track that has mostly clean verses is insane, especially when it’s one of the best tracks on the album. If anything it just makes Randy’s screams have even greater impact. And of course, from an instrumental perspective they’re still a metal guitarist and drummers dream band. The talent on display is unbelievable. The riffs are insane and Art Cruz again kills it on the drums.
The singles are of course great, and other tracks like ‘To The Grave’ and ‘September Song’ are also awesome. The whole album is a highlight, however, and hopefully will be the one to finally push LoG through that glass ceiling they seem to hit a while back. 8.5/10
The Cult: Under the Midnight Sun
I’ve never been much of a fan of The Cult. I get and respect the impact they’ve had on modern rock music, but they never did anything for me. This album didn’t change my mind. There wasn’t even a riff like ‘Rise’ or even ‘She Sells Sanctuary’ to keep me interested. There’s very little to this, and as someone who’s not that into Ian Astbury’s vocals, this was a tough listen. Sorry to anyone who I offend with this, but… 3/10
Bush: The Art of Survival
This was heavier than I expected it to be! I haven’t heard much recent Bush stuff, pretty much reserving myself to the phenomenal Sixteen Stone, so this took me a little off guard. In a good way, though!
Of course the vocals are still the melodic, radio-rock style Gavin is known for. However, the riffs are HUGE. Like, de-tuned, ch0nky and almost metal, huge. And on top of that, there’s some genuinely catchy, stadium-filling choruses and melodies on here. ‘Slow Me’ is my favourite track on the album and maybe my favourite track the band has ever put out. Tracks like ‘More Than Machines’ and ‘Human Sand’ are also amazing. They’ve almost added a progg element to their sound, sounding a little like Karnivool and Chevelle.
My only slight issue is that it all sounds just a bit similar. Most of the tracks follow the same sort of formula; slower, stripped-back verses and then the big riff that opened the track comes back for the chorus. At least it made ‘Creatures of the Fire’ feel different and unique, as the it the main exception to the rule. Still though, I’d LOVE to hear this stuff live, I feel like it would be one hell of a show. I need to check out more Bush now! 8/10
Queensrÿche: Digital Noise Alliance
I’m not all too familiar with the band outside of Mindcrime and Empire. However, I have heard that Geoff Tate’s replacement has done wonders for the band, so I’m curious to hear how this sounds!
Sadly, the opening track and biggest single didn’t actually grab my attention. However, the opposite could be said for ‘Chapters’. It’s an incredible catchy track, straddling the line between AOR and even some modern Iron Maiden. I do have to say though, the mixing on the vocals was a bit odd. It felt distant, quieter than it maybe should have been. Tracks like ‘Sicdeth’, ‘Nocturnal Light’ and prog epic ‘Tormentum’ are also highlights of the album.
And I would like to add that it is a good album. I wanted to stress that before I went on to say… it’s a little overdone at this point. I know Queensryche are very much one of the originators of the sound, but there is so much amazing AOR music these days, that I feel like it’s just already been done. I love this sort of music, but bands like Eclipse and Tygers of Pan Tang are just as good, and I am more familiar with their work. So it is definitely a good album full of good tracks, but I didn’t enjoy it as much as their older stuff, or as much as I could have done. Hence why I shall give it a 7/10
Wednesday 13: Horrifier
We had the chance to review this before it’s release. Spoilers, it’s awesome. To find out just how awesome, check out our full reviewhere.
Everette: Kings of the Dairy Queen Parking Lot – Side B
Another album we’ve had the pleasure of reviewing, and another amazing one. Find the review here.
Goatwhore: Angels Hung from the Arches of Heaven
The extreme metal titans returned with their eighth album this last Friday. If you’re a fan of the genre, like I am turning out to be, you’ll love this. Don’t get me wrong, It got a bit much and repetitive by around the halfway mark, but then I also loved the epic, plodding closing tracked. It’s everything you could want from an extreme metal album and certainly had me wanting to mosh! I shan’t pretend to be an expert on these things, but I enjoyed it, so will give it a 6.5/10
Counterparts: A Eulogy for Those Still Here
This feels very much like a Max album. Unfortunately, his uni has kept him too busy to help out this week. Depressing lyrics, heavy, Djenty riffing, solid drums and hardcore, bordering on extreme harsh vocals. I have to say, it’s not for me. I couldn’t really get anything memorable to come away with out of it, I just know the general sound and that it wasn’t for me. While I can appreciate they are all talented players, nothing about this prompted my will for a second listen. Sorry for anyone who is a fan, and I know that they are a pretty big band, but I’mma have too give this a 3.5/10
Barrett Davis: The Ballad of Aesop Fin
The North Carolinan country singer songwriter put out his debut album last week after months of putting out some great singles. It has a real old-school feel to it all and shows off some real talent as far as playing and songwriting is concerned. ‘Carolina Still’ is a personal highlight of the album, showing off Barrett’s impressive vocal range and some great guitar and piano. It almost boarders on easy listening, at times. It’s a good, relaxing album that I’ll definitely be chilling out to a lot in the coming weeks and months. 7/10
Acid Witch: Rot Among Us
This was a whole lot of fun. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t this. I was ready for the stoner/doom metal riffing, but the almost Nightmare Before Christmas level of theatrical, extreme vocals over the top I was not. Honestly the duelling vocals and more stage-show style feel always does it for me in tracks, it’s why I love Ice Nine Kills so much.
‘Gather Each Witch’ and ‘Rot Among Us’ are the perfect tracks to open the album on, giving me a complete, great feel for what the band is about. The horror themes, big riffs and fun dynamics are all clear staples of the album. While not all tracks have the play-off style vocals, we still have some on ‘5508 Martin St.’ and ‘Evil Dad’. The later gives me ever so slight ‘Three Little Pigs‘ vibes with the higher vocals. Both tracks are amazing. However, saying that, there isn’t a bad track on this album.
I came into this not expecting to come away with one of my most enjoyable listens of the year, but there we go. It came out at the perfect time of the year but, honestly, I’m going to be listening to this way past Halloween. Great stuff, 9/10
VUKOVI: NULA
The Scottish rockers are back with maybe their most ambitious release to date. Just listening to opener ‘DEPARTURE’ sets up the epic feel they are going for. ‘TAINTED’ does a great job of continuing that feel and is a fantastic radio-rock track. ‘LASSO’ is another good track, the rapping being an interesting, fun addition. It has elements of Linkin Park and modern BMTH, while being a little lighter and indie/punky than both.
However, while I did enjoy the rest of the album, it only took me 4/5 songs to realise that it’s all going to be rather similar. Tracks like ‘I EXIST’ and ‘KILL IT’ are good and more highlights, but the album suffers from a similar issue and structure to Bush’s. It’s good, but I found myself getting distracted from the exact same formula in every song by the midpoint. It will most likely be more of a solo track album for me as opposed to listening through it front to back again. Because of that I can’t give it tippy top marks, but it still gets a very impressive 8.5/10
Borealis: Illusions
This is some of the most epic shit I’ve ever heard. Not many bands could have an epic intro track and then have a mega intro to the first proper song on top of it. And musically it’s like if Dream Theater did power metal. It’s definitely got that epic power/symphonic side to it, but the riffs wouldn’t sound out of place on a Djent album. I love it. The first three tracks are perfect. From a slow, epic intro to a radio track to the first epic prog track across 13 minutes, it’s fantastic. Then you have tracks like ‘Burning Tears’ and ‘Abandon All Hope’ and this is a damn good album. They deserve to be huge, and hopefully this album is the one to do it! 8.5/10
Strap yourselves in, ladies and gents, because we have a long one ahead of us. 18, yes 18 albums to check out. And I apologise in advance because half of this more than likely isn’t going to be for you. For all of our fans we have built up over the years there is a fair amount of heavy in here. But for all of the country fans we have started to gain recently, there is a fair bit of that too. Sorry if we scare anyone off with the stark contrasts. But check it out anyway, who knows, you might find your new favourite band! Let’s get into some new music!
Oh, and our newest writer, Max, jumped on to give me a hand again with some of these, so of course give him a hand!
Ozzy Osbourne: Patient Number 9
Ozzy should have called it a day a decade ago. He was struggling a little on Sabbath’s farewell tour but they still went out with a bang. Since then, his health has deteriorated and, let’s be honest, he can’t tour any more.
Having said that, this was better than it had any right to be. I wasn’t into Ordinary Man at all but this makes up for it. I’ve been a big advocate of ‘Patient Number 9’ since its release, it’s one of the best choruses Ozzy’s ever done. The same could be said for ‘One of Those Days’. And, of course, he has a guest guitarist on each track, and he’s selected some of the very best of all time. Between Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Zakk Wylde and Toni Iommi, there is some incredible soloing here.
My only slight negative would be that it’s all a little slow. However, for a 73 year old man, I didn’t really expect him to have the same energy in his tracks as he did 50 years ago. If Ozzy is going to stick to just studio music from now on, this is how to do it! 7.5/10
Parkway Drive: Darker Still
I really wanted to like this. And the weird thing is that sometimes I found myself enjoying it, but then other times it fell beneath expectation. Heck, sometimes both in the same track.
The Australian band continue to let more and more European power metal to seep into their American metalcore, to mixed results. And this isn’t even coming from a jaded old Parkway fan. I didn’t really get into them until IRE. But I LOVED that and Reverence so was excited for this album. I don’t think it lives up to my hype, but that’s not saying it’s bad. It’s certainly odd though.
I’m one of the seemingly few who loved ‘Glitch’ when it was released and I still do now. ‘The Greatest Fear’ is okay too, though it doesn’t go quite hard enough. ‘Darker Still’ however, can get in the bin. The only genuine highlight I’ve found that I’ve listened to multiple times since is ‘Soul Bleach’. Having said that though, the more I listen to that track, the more I love it. It’s heavy and the sound I wish they’d gone for for the whole record. ‘If a God can Bleed’ is weird enough to work and ‘Imperial Heretic’ is okay, but both are pretty average really. The couple of closing tracks are good, too.
As I say, nothing on here is bad at all. Maybe (hopefully) it’ll grow on me with another few listens, but right now I feel like it’s around a 7/10. Not as ground-breaking as I was hoping for.
Flogging Molly: Anthem
The not-so-Irish Irish folk punk band are back with their seventh studio album. That makes me feel old. The whole early 2000s skate-punk scene was a big part of my childhood, and hearing new music from them just makes me smile. How can anyone not like this music? It’s got the very best parts of folk, punk and rock.
There isn’t a bad track on the album. From the raucous opening track to the slower, full-on old folk songs to the fantastic ‘This Road of Mine’, it’s all great! Whether you’re into folk, punk, rock, americana or probably a bunch of other genres too, you’ll find something to enjoy here. This may be their best album since Float, and that’s saying something! 8/10
Highly Suspect: The Midnight Demon Club
I loved the first couple of Highly Suspect albums. Tracks like ‘Lydia’, ‘Bloodfeather’ and ‘My Name is Human’ all felt like they were harkening in the next big, heavy indie band. However, their last album seemed to soil that, at least over here. I wasn’t a big fan and I’ve not really seen them on any line-ups or heard them on the radio much over the last five years.
This album is at least a step in the right direction. None of it is quite as impactful as any of the previous tracks I named, but they’re at least solid, moody radio rock songs. That is, aside for the heavy AF single ‘Pink Lullabye’. It was like listening to a Zeal & Ardor track and I loved it. The rest of it was pretty similar, steady-paced, okayness (with lyrics of questionable quality), but damn is ‘Lullabye’ a tune. 6/10
ONE OK ROCK: Luxury Disease
The Japanese alt rock band returned last week with their tenth studio album. Going into it completely blind, having never heard the band before, I enjoyed it! It’s pretty basic pop rock, but there is nothing offensive or inherently bad about it. It was cool to hear the combination of English and Japanese vocals too, highlighting their own sound and culture as well as the sounds that inspired them. It reminds me of a combination of Panic! and Set it Off, but then with an even poppier ting to it.
‘Neon’ is probably my favourite track on the album, but again there aren’t really bad tracks here. The emotional ‘When They Turn the Lights On’ channelled heavy British vibes, whether it was Muse or Busted or Queen. Also, Teddy Swims sounds great in his guest vocals for ‘Free Them’. There’s a lot of good here if you’re into the lighter stuff. 7/10
Blackment: Plains of Oblivion
We’ve already done a full review of this album. Check it out, along with the fantastic score, here.
Built to Spill: When the Wind Forgets Your Name
Max: The American indie rock band, Built To Spill, is back with another great album. WTWFYN is the 10th album by the band, and it is a perfect addition. If you enjoy slower music its perfect for you as it, as always, focuses around Doug Martsch’s vocals and guitar. I found it difficult to sum up exactly what made this album so good but the simplicity of some for the riffs and the fun but relaxed vocals feel very relaxing. I sat up the other night listening to it and letting all of the instruments just wash over me and tell me everything that they have hidden beneath. It is a beautiful and yet thoughtful listen that can definitely click with everyone so long as it lets you. My rating might be slightly biased as I’ve been looking for an album that makes me feel the same way I did when I first listened to Motion City Soundtracks acoustics song, but it is an almost perfect 9/10 and I hope everyone reading this takes a listen.
Bloodbath: “Survival of the Sickest”
Max: Time for a sharp change of pace. The death metal supergroup is back with another very, very intense album. For those who are unfamiliar this group and has had a wild line up but currently consist of Martin Axenrot (Opeth), Nick Holmes (Paradise Lost), Jonas Renkse (Katatonia) and Anders Nystrom (Katatonia). so, with such a wild line up it is unsurprising that this album is brilliant for most and even better for those who follow black metal. The album is intense and is not always the friendliest of listens but it is a great one and i must say it isn’t a bad or hard place to start for those who don’t listen to black metal. So, if this becomes your entrance album, I do not blame you as it has got me back in to Katatonia and Paradise Lost. As I’ve mentioned this is a fun and intense album that does not disappoint and is great for those who need a heavy dose of music in their system. A very respectable 8/10
Laurence Jones: Destination Unknown
This is an old blues rock fans dream. Between the awesome riffs, powerful vocals and heavy focus on synth, this felt like it was ripped straight from the 70s. The guitar is of course a huge highlight of the album, but that shouldn’t take away from his great vocals and the awesome work of the band behind him. This sound has been coming back more and more in recent times, be it with Rival Sons or in the NWOCR scene, and tracks like ‘Anywhere With Me’, ‘Give Me that Feeling’ and ‘In Too Deep’ look to catapult Laurence pretty high up in that scene. If you’re into the likes of Rainbow, Foghat, Rival Sons or even ZZ Top, check this out, you won’t be disappointed! 7.5/10
BRELAND: Cross Country
Cross Country is the debut studio album of platinum single-selling artist BRELAND. He became big off of said single, ‘My Truck’, in 2020 after it hitting big on social media. This album features guest slots from the likes of Keith Urban, Ingred Andress and Thomas Rhett.
If all of that sounds insane for a 27-year-old musician… well I fucking agree.
The music itself combines R&B, rap and soul to the country sound. It’s basically what everyone wanted Lil Nas X to continue to sound like after ‘Old Town Road’. Now, I completely understand that this isn’t going to be every readers cup of tea. I get that I am in the small part of the Ven diagram that like both this and Bloodbath further up. However, I loved this. Tracks like ‘Praise the Lord’, ‘Natural’, ‘Don’t Look at Me’ and ‘For What it’s Worth’ are all fantastic tracks.
However, it’s not perfect. The album is pretty bloated at 14 tracks and there is a noticeable dip in energy (and arguably quality too) around the middle which it doesn’t really recover from. It verges more into his soul stuff which I’m sure a lot of his fans love, but it’s not as much for me. 6.5/10
Revocation: Netherheaven
Stray From the Path: Euthanasia
This was like Fever 333 on acid, and I loved every second of it. The bounce and swagger of the opening track had me hooked immediately, especially with the fantastic lyrics harshly rapped over the top.
The same energy continued throughout the album, too. It’s dark, heavy and dripping with attitude and anger. Tracks like ‘III’, ‘Bread and Roses’ and ‘The Salt in Your Spit’ are highlights of an album honestly filled with them. In an age where Rage Against the Machine feel corporate, having a younger, angrier, heavier band pick up the flag they dropped feels like a very good thing.
I feel bad for myself that this band have been going for a while now but this is the first I’ve really heard of them. I feel like the rest of my week is going to be checking out their older stuff, because that was fucking fantastic. 9/10
I AM: Eternal Steel
This band are very hard to find online. I don’t think they are the Fre3nch hip hop artist IAM, nor are they ZP (Dragonforce)’s side band I Am I. Therefore, all I can tell you is what I hear.
What I hear is heavy but damn good. ‘The Primal Wave’ opens things on a brutal, fantastic note, and it’s only up and up from there. Tracks like the title song and ‘Queen Incarnate’ are great and make me want to check out more of what the band I have to offer. Hopefully I can find more about them than just their discography and can see if they venture over here for live shows at all. This whole album would be fantastic live. Check it out if you’re into the heavy, almost medieval death metal stuff, you won’t regret it! 7.5/10
Kane Brown: Different Man
Kane Brown is going to become to Georgia what RHCP are to California if he keeps up like this. In all seriousness though, the man who did what BRELAND has just done but a few years earlier is back with his third studio album. After the HUGE sucess of the last one, I’m curious to see if he can keep his momentum going.
Right out of the gate ‘Bury Me in Georgia’ is a fantastic southern rock track. Next up is a dark, brooding roots track with Blake Shelton. But damn, it’s still good. ‘Like I Love Country Music’ channels the best kind of bro-country and adds some rock and fiddle to it. It’s a fantastic run of three tracks to open. It unfortunately again drops in energy a little again after that until ‘the excellent ‘Riot’. At least this one manages to claw back the fun and tempo, unlike BRELAND. The couple of tracks after it, ‘One Mississippi’ and ‘Drunk or Dreamin” are also great. ‘Pop’s Last Name’ is a beautiful, emotional ballad. ‘Devil Don’t Even Bother’ is True Blood style awesomeness.
However, my issue is the same as BRELAND (sorry to keep bringing him up). 17 tracks is simply too long. Is it an issue throughout country as a whole at the minute? Do none of them have producers? I can give four or five tracks that, while not bad by any stretch, I’d have cut to make this an easier, more concise listen. There are maybe 11 tracks on this that are phenomenal, and the rest seem too much as a result. 8.5/10, but it would have gotten a 9 if it was a little shorter.
Eat Your Heart Out: Can’t Stay Forever
Some more pop rock now, this time from Geordie Australia. I have to admit it was pretty enjoyable. I know it’s cliche at this point to compare any pop rock/pop punk with a female vocalist to Paramore, but screw you guys, I’mma do it anyway. They’re like a slightly heavier Paramore. They definitely feel like they are bridging the gap between rock and the weird ‘rock’ that is in pop these days. If you like this sort of music, check out tracks like ‘Down’, ‘Heavenly’ and ‘Sour’. 6.5/10
Until I Wake: Inside My Head
The creepy ‘The Sacrifice’ heading into the harsh vocals and huge riffing of ‘Forsaken’ may be one of my favourite album openings of recent times. For a debut album, too, that is one hell of an achievement. Heck, I would even good as far as to argue that ‘Forsaken’ is one of the best metalcore tracks released in the last nearly decade. That shit goes hard.
It is because of that track that I was surprised and a tad disappointed with the rest of the album. It’s still good, don’t get me wrong, but it feels like a different album to the opener entirely. It’s closer to Sempiternal/That’s the Spirit era Bring Me or even Linkin Park than the Norma Jean style metalcore I was expecting. We finally get some heavy stuff again towards the back end of the album like ‘Still Sinking’ and ‘Blue Beam’. Both are great tracks and I just wish more of the album had this sort of energy. Sprinkling a few in around radio-metal tracks is an odd choice and would definitely scare a casual listener checking them out after hearing their lighter stuff.
But still, the rest of the tracks are still good, just not what I was expecting after the opening. The band do both sides of metalcore very well so if you like the genre you’ll find something to enjoy! 7.5/10
Warforged: The Grove / Sundial
Aside for having some of the best album artwork I’ve ever seen, I actually found this the hardest album for me to review this week. While some of the music and riff are great, it’s the very definition of chaos. The vocals don’t help matters either, being very heavy death metal growls. It’s the least accessible album on this list, and that’s actually saying something this week, but I’m sure the band don’t care. There’s a couple of cool moments, like in ‘Hymn of Broken Teeth’, where multiple screams join together and sound awesome. I’d definitely recommend checking that track out out of any of them, it’s probably the best representation of them as a band. But it was even a little to heavy and chaotic for me. If you enjoy this then awesome, I’m sure its fucking fantastic if you like the genre. But it wasn’t for me, so gets a 4/10
Derek Hoke: Electric Mountain
While some of this was a tad too slow for me, tracks like ‘Let Go of my Heart’, ‘Hush Your Mouth’ and ‘Novocaine’ being particular standouts. It takes a very traditional approach to country music which I can definitely appreciate and would probably love a lot more after seeing it live. I don’t really have many more thoughts about this one, it’s a good, atmospheric album that I feel would make a fantastic soundtrack to a moody movie/tv series. It may take me another couple of listens to fully ‘get’ though. 6.5/10
And there we have it guys. We did it! What a crazy weekend, but there are some insanely good albums here. If you enjoyed the article, check out more from our Instagramhere.
Blackment, in case you couldn’t guess by the title, are a melodic heavy metal band from Finland. I hadn’t heard of the band before but we got sent the album a week or two ago for review. It comes out today so we thought we’d let you know what we thought!
‘Apparatus’ opens heavy with a great synth behind it, giving the death metal an 80s edge. It then opens up into a fantastic thrash riff, already a highlight. It stays thrashy as the harsh vocals come in for the verse, before it suddenly changes pace into some proggy, jazzy rock. The chorus after is really catchy too thanks to some cleaner power metal vocals ringing through. This really has a bit of everything so far. A ripping, technical guitar solo or three follows the second chorus. It makes me in no way jealous of their talent at all… However surprisingly, the song fades out after this. One the one hand, it’s always fun to not know what’s coming. On the other hand, I feel like another big chorus could have really helped cement this track as a top tier opener.
‘Remnants Astray’ opens on a prog as fuck riff and I’m all for it. The synths are behind it to give it such a huge sound, too. The power metal is back the powerful clean vocals come in over the top of a great, epic riff. It stays heavy and interesting though, two things that I find are my two downfalls when it comes to power metal so this is excellent. The kinda harsh vocals return for the bridge after the second chorus, but they are still rather clean, like a Matt Heafy kind of sound. There’s more absolutely incredible guitar soloing afterwards, so good it would probably make Steve Vai jealous. We then get a final epic chorus to close up. This was utterly fantastic, I loved it. It very easily made our playlist.
‘Clouds’ is a slightly slower but in no way less epic riff. The clean vocals sound even bigger and more powerful here given that the riff is bigger and it’s all backed by some great strings and even some operatic backing. Also, the backing vocals for the chorus make it even catchy and again we get the kind of half-scream on the back of it. It’s still a harsh vocal but most not familiar with scream would probably still be able to understand what is being said. The best of both worlds, so to speak. It feels almost redundant at this point to say there was a good guitar solo in the track, but you’ll never guess what… there was! Another song that I cannot praise enough, this was phenomenal. Playlisted!
If I didn’t feel like a vastly inferior musician before, ‘Composure’ definitely made it clear. This is awesome riff after awesome riff and I love it. The Trivium-style vocals are back in full force for this track too, which is another huge positive for me. It honestly feels like ‘Ascendency’, which for anyone who knows that album is very high praise. Again there is nothing but praise I can give for this track. The third in a row to make the playlist. This album better chill out or I’mma get in trouble for it all making it to our Spotify!
The most recent single, ‘Northern Lights’, starts folky as hell. To carry on the feeling, a modern day Maiden riff comes in over the top of it all, sounding great. This whole track in fact is like a heavier Iron Maiden song, it’s great! The same could be said for the following track, ‘Grasp of Hel’, too. Both are great songs that somehow sound like power metal, NOWBH while also sounding modern and following the bands sound. You definitely know it’s Blackment when hearing the tracks.
The title track brings the heaviness and progginess back with a huge but fantastically technical couple of riffs. Even when the guitars are doing stuff like this, the band add synths and strings and stuff to really pack out the sound. It makes it all sound huge. The pre and chorus are massively catchy too even as the vocal melody jumps all over the place. It’s so interesting and I couldn’t stop listening to it, skipping it back a couple of times at least. Some more awesome guitar soloing and even a jazzy as fuck bassline round out this AWESOME track. Playlisted, it’s amazing.
‘Desolation Fields’ brings back the blackened death metal for a slow intro that builds into a hugely heavy track. The heaviness continues through the final two tracks too, single ‘Maw of the Dread’ and album closer ‘The Ruins’. However, the band also blend it masterfully with their epic power metal side. All three tracks are fantastic and the latter is a great closer. In a time where most bands seem to follow the weird trend of putting the lightest track last, I’m glad this was still pretty heavy. Three great tracks that I’d just gush over the same points for if I didn’t clump them together. Great stuff!
Overall: this was MUCH better than I was expecting. Granted, I went into it with zero expectations, but they blew the roof off my mind. Everyone involved with this is a master of their craft, be it guitars, vocals, songwriting, even production, it’s all top notch. I’ve already listened to this a few times and I don’t think I’ll be stopping any time soon!
The Score: 9/10
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