Tag Archives: metal music

Baby Lasagna: ‘That’s like a songwriter’s disease!’

5th November 2026 Overtone Leave a comment

We had the pleasure of chatting to Mr Baby Lasagna himself, Marko Purišić, about their brand new album, their upcoming European tour, and his future plans! Check it all out below!

I think a lot of people will still probably be most familiar with you from Eurovision. How would you describe your current sound to people who are only really familiar with that one track?

Goofy-ass metal, I would say. I think we definitely got back to our roots, which is like metal and rock music definitely. And I think our attitude is maybe what can give us some kind of a window to maybe separate ourselves from other artists, and that is maybe our kind of lightheartedness or goofiness or whatever. I think that’s kind of the best way to describe what we’re doing. I think there’s moments of like seriousness in those kind of moments, but I think I’m way too biased to be the one judging that kind of thing, so maybe people other people should take a lesson and see what we’re all about!

What made you transition back to metal? Obviously you mentioned it’s where you started out!

Yeah, definitely, maybe like 15 years ago. I would say that Eurovision phase would mostly would be considered from myself a transition because everything kind of just happened and I didn’t have an album, I just had songs on my computer laying down. Those are the songs that I wrote for other artists and they just didn’t go through. So I was like, this is now hot, I gotta have an album. I’m not 100% satisfied with it, but you know you gotta put something out and I think it’s the right thing. But then now that we have time, we are going back, although we never left, to the things that we truly love, which is mostly metal and rock music with subgenres of like hard style techno and stuff like that.

I didn’t realize you were a songwriter as well. I feel like it’s a little rare these days in kind of rock and metal to find people who do still songwriter for the people.

Yeah, I think it’s also rare. So when I actually got the award for the best selling album in Germany, not for me but for the band that I wrote for, a Gothic metal band. So that was kind of weird. But I can understand and I appreciate when people even from rock music, they’re now older and they’re tired and they feel like they’ve already written all that they can write, so they’re looking for help. They’re still really involved in songwriting, it’s just that they need that kind of first idea, the first brick on which they will build their own kind of approach. It’s not the usual kind that you are used to, to maybe, I don’t know, Sabrina Carpenter or whatever. Like pop music where they just come to the studio, here’s your new song and go with it.

Speaking on the album, it seems to have gone down really well. I’ve read a few reviews outside of my own and everyone seems to be loving it!

Yeah, I was kind of surprised with it. Not that I didn’t expect it or… you never know when you release it. As I said again, I’m way too deep into it to know what it’s like objectively, like what’s the response going to be. I was hoping for it, but I think it’s good. The only objection I would make to myself is that I don’t have the moment in album, like everything is good, but nothing jumps up, jumps out. I think in the third one we’ll have that better maybe something. I don’t know, that’s what I feel like!

Yeah. I feel like maybe a couple of again, just because I wasn’t familiar with your stuff pre-Eurovision, I feel like a couple of the the screams and stuff like that stood out. But, yeah, I suppose if you’re more familiar with your stuff…

Yeah, I think it kind of lacks a good moment, like a good part in the song that really stands out. All of the songs are like, yeah, good, nice, but none of them is like, oh, this is the one. I feel like I’m sounding like the guys from NoFX right now. I remember them releasing an album and journalist asking them, well, tell us about your new album, and they were like “it’s okay, the last one was better, but this one will do”!

No, I know what you mean though. I suppose as well if you’ve been sitting on the songs for quite a while, and I’ve spoken to a few artists where they’re like, the amount they played it in the studio and then rehearsing for it for a live setting, you kind of just get a bit desensitized to it almost.

Yeah, man. And it was kind of a tense situation for us because, you know, now all of a sudden you have kind of expectations, you have people listening, which you didn’t have so far, that can bring some pressure. Although it’s pretty under the surface, I think we did a good job with what we had and I think we can stand behind that album!

Is there a theme or story running through it or is it more kind of, you know, separate tracks?

Yeah, as a songwriter, I never got used to writing an album as a whole, I was always writing song by song by song. But I can see now looking back on the album and listening to it, there’s a lot of stuff. So the first album was really commenting a lot on society and blah blah blah. The second one now is really self-involved more. I think it’s just because of Eurovision and everything that happened, our lives turned one day to the next, we’re totally different. Everything is now different and there’s a whole lot of attention hear in Croatia on us, and it kind of brings a lot of feelings, a lot of emotions, it changes you as a person. And I think the whole theme running throughout the album is kind of that; like wrestling with something new within yourself. The best thing I can hope a listener could get from that album is hope. And I know I was writing a lot of songs, for example, “Face On Your Phone” as a fuck you. So it gives them hope, give them strength to oppose everything that’s bothering them in life, so that’s that’s what I hope!

What’s the writing process like for you? Is it mainly you? Or do you guys all just kind of get together in a room and hash it out?

Yeah, we when we started writing this album, we rented a really nice villa and we were like, “now we’re going to write an album and it’s going to be so cool. That’s like what the big bands do!” We go we got there expecting to write, I don’t know, it would be great if we write five songs, six, seven, oh my god, maybe 10. We ended up writing one song, ‘End the Party’. And yeah, I got to tell you, I even told my boys that I kind of hate writing in a group. For 10 years I was writing alone and now it’s so weird. Crossing off each other’s energy… I need to learn that and I’m willing to learn that, but I just locked myself in the room and started to play with instruments as I usually do. The only thing that’s different is that guys themselves also write song without me and then we collaborate more later and so we did it like that. I literally have anxiety, like they would say hey, let’s have a writing session, I would be like, oh my god, it’s so stressful for me. I don’t know why, even though I’m best friends with those people, but it’s just weird. When you get used to it writing alone for 10 years, it’s weird just canceling it all of a sudden!

You’ve kind of touched on it already, but there’s more writing going on I assume, right?

Yeah, I mean there’s nothing else that I can imagine myself doing right now. And I want to do this for as long as I can. The life that we’re now living is basically what I dreamed of since I was nine years old. So, of course, I remember thinking about the third album and writing it in my diary, what I wanted it to be, on the day when we released this one. So everybody was excited and listening to the new songs and you’re so detached from what’s going on in the general reality of the fans, because with with my own head I’m already in the third one. And that’s like a songwriter’s disease, I would say, because I’m trying to write as many songs as I did before. I remember in 2021 I wrote 200 songs in one year, 240, something like that, so it eas a few songs a week. So, you know, my mind is already what’s next!

The tour starts soon, right?

Yeah, next week! By the end of next week we have a first date in Milan. I think it’s worth mentioning here that we’re coming to UK again, which is amazing, because we love UK and we still have some UK dates to announce. I think we’re coming 20th or 21st or 19th, I don’t know, to Manchester and London in November. Both shows are going really well, which I’m super excited about because having a good audience in UK feels like a privilege. UK is a big market so I’m really happy about that. And I can say if you liked our concert last year when we were last there on tour, I promise you’re going to absolutely love this one. We did everything differently, it’s going to be perfect!

Is there any kind of comparisons you can make between the scene out here compared to back home?

Oh, definitely. First of all, I love playing outside of Croatia just because of hear in Croatia… now it’s getting better and it’s going to get better with time, but the ‘Rim Tim Tagi Dim’ hype grew bigger than Baby Lasagna, than everything, it was just big of a song. And when you play here, people visiting your concert were not necessarily a fan of yours, they were fan of ‘Rim Tim Tagi Dim’ and they were just waiting for an hour to play that songs. As I said, it’s been now two years, so I think it’s it’s kind of getting in the right direction where we are doing solo gigs and people are are actually listening to our songs.

But yeah, playing in the UK is different. It’s where people know your songs, and last year or the year before that we played 2000 Trees festival, which was so perfect for us because a lot of people didn’t know us there and it ended up being packed. We were on some forest stage and by the end of it a few thousand people were singing to us, which was like the biggest honor because we are new here. They were singing like, “Oh, Baby Lasagna”. That’s cool. And that was one of my favorite moments ever in music that I’ve been to, and it brought tears to my eyes. So yeah, I would say we have a special bond with the UK, and last year London was sold out, I think this year Manchester will be and maybe London too, so we’re excited!

You seem pretty active and up on the whole social media game. Is there any advice you could give for a band or artist just starting out on that side of things?

Post and run! I’m talking to you right now on my main phone and I’ve got another phone that’s turned off where I have all my social media. And I just record a video, post and just close it and stay away. I can’t do it for me and it eats me alive. I can see myself like going down spiritually and emotionally at some point, just draining myself, so I’m definitely careful with it. I’m trying my best to stay active on it because I think it’s a cool way to, you know, work on your relationship with the fans, but at the same time it’s not good for you. I would be definitely careful with it.

I’m glad that you you said that I seem to be on it because I feel like, “Ah, you’re not doing enough, ah, you haven’t posted in three days” and oh my god, because I see people having teams, social media managers and blah blah on my level. Maybe it could work, but I don’t know. At the same time it’s just why would I hire somebody. But I don’t know, it’s all confusing a bit!

Reviews

Fatal Paradox: Hatebreed Return to the Top After Six Years!

4th November 2026 Overtone Leave a comment

The metallic hardcore legends return this coming Friday with their ninth studio album. Being a whopping six years since Weight of the False Self, and having put out some excellent singles from this so far, the hype for this release is at an all time high! We’re big fans of the band here at Overtone so have been waiting rather impatiently for the chance to sit down and do a deep dive. So, without further ado, let’s do just that!

The album very much starts as it means to go on with ‘Kill Count Increase’. It’s heavy and brimming with attitude and swagger from the jump. A massive intro riff complete with some incredible drumming soon gives way to a massive verse. Jamey’s vocals sound just as fantastic as ever, only adding to the aggression of the track. It all leads to a pretty catchy chorus; simple and at the same level as the rest of the song, but the backing vocals add another great level to things. And sitting at not even 2:30, it’s in and out perfectly. The intro riff gets reprieved for a crushing outro breakdown, and somehow gets even heavier half-timed by the end. It is a fantastic Hatebreed track, and is an excellent way to kick things off!

Single ‘The Carrion Choir’ continues right where the opener left off. One of my favourite riffs on the album kicks it off before another balls-to-the-wall verse speeds through and into a massive, chuggy, almost groove metal chorus. It still very much feels hardcore and sounds like Hatebreed, but I do like them mixing it up a little in their structures and formula. The closing breakdown is absolute FILTH too, having me crowdkilling around my own kitchen both times I span it while writing this up. It’s everything that the band do so well, and a huge highlight of the album. It was a fantastic choice as a single, and a track that easily makes our playlist!

The first non-single, ‘Decisions Become Destinies’ gives big early 2000s Hatebreed vibes, both in the lyrics and the composition. I love it! The bass-led intro and the guitars coming in after was a great touch, as is the space and gaps between the massive drums and guitar chords for the chorus. It’s the best dynamics of any track so far, the changes between each part keeping me constantly interested and blown away. Again, it still feels like Hatebreed but goes beyond the typical hardcore genre into something really only they do. Hell, we even get a great (albeit brief) guitar solo tucked away in the middle before it drops back down to that awesome bassline again. I honestly adore this track and can’t gush over it enough. If you check out any song from the release, make sure it’s this one. Another massive highlight!

Tracks like ‘Total Invincible’, single ‘Make the Demons Obey’ and ‘None Left to Save’ are all more balls-to-the-wall hardcore tracks. The latter is probably my favourite of the three; the chorus being awesome and pretty catchy and melodic in its own way. I also love that it has plenty of room to breathe at six plus minute, really giving that breakdown riff at towards the end plenty of space to build, getting truly epic by the end of it. And then for them to just come in and kick our ass with another, slower breakdown at the end after a bit of silence, and some almost black metal guitaring, was really great and an amazing touch. It’s a fantastic way to close out the main portion of the album, and is another firm highlight! Having said all that, the single was also a lot of fun; your typical Hatebreed stuff and a track I am DESPERATE to see live! That chorus riff and vocal is CHONKY.

Then you have the likes of the title track, ‘Still a Threat’ and ‘Truth is a Lion’. While all are still heavy and very much in fitting with the band and albums sound, they have a bit more of a melodic edge to them than your typical hardcore sound. The former is another excellent pre-release single, while the other two have some pretty great guitar work throughout, almost giving Slayer vibes at times. All are great tracks in their own right, but you do very much know what you’re getting into with the band, and they do blur together just a touch on a full album listen. However, when it’s a sound like this, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as I’d certainly recommend spinning it in full!

‘Sacrifice Season’ features the incredible John Tardy of Obituary fame, lending his voice perfectly to the chaos. It gives a new depth to the track, again giving slightly more Tom Araya vibes in his delivery and sound, it fitting perfectly over the heavy hardcore instrumentation. It feels weird calling it a duet, but the two’s vocals do fit rather excellently together! And the instrumentation behind them is, of course, more heavy awesomeness. It’s another great song, everything working so well together!

The final track on the release is their cover of Corrosion of Conformity’s ‘Poison Planet’. It’s 85 seconds of pure anarchy; a breakneck pace with everyone working their asses off throughout! Jamey’s delivery is incredible, but the rest of the band also kill it with the sheer insane pace of the song. It’s a great rendition of the track, doing justice to the original yet modernising it with its production. Honestly, early CoC doesn’t get enough love these days, so hopefully this shines a light on the bands heavier roots!

Overall: This is another stellar release from the band! They have not lost even a fraction of a step in the six years since their last album, delivering everything you’d want from them in spades. There isn’t a bad track throughout and, as I said, I’d honestly recommend giving the album a spin in full as it does have a great flow to it. If you are at all a fan of the band or the style, give this a listen ASAP. It’s crazy that over three decades into their careers, they are still just as good as they’ve ever been! I’m sure to be listening to this a hell of a lot moving forward!

The Score: 8.5/10

new music mondays

New Music Mondays: Nickelback, Queens of the Stone Age and More!

2nd November 2026 Overtone Leave a comment

An absolutely MASSIVE week of new releases for us to dive into today, with some of the biggest names in rock, metal and county dropping music. What are you waiting for? Join us in diving in!

Nickelback: Everything Under the Sun

I have impatiently waiting for this album for most of the year now. Four insanely good singles each as good as the last had me hyped up massively to hear the other eight songs. And, honestly, they live up to said hype! From ‘Chasin’ Famous’ to the guest-packed ‘Lift Somebody Up’ to their early post-grunge stylings on ‘Bottled Dreams’, there are some fantastic, upbeat “album tracks” on here. And even some of the slower ones like ‘Simple Song’ are fantastic. There is maybe one too many slower songs throughout, especially in the early run between ‘Bones for the Crows’ and ‘Chasin’ Famous’, but it’s a style that Nickelback are known for, and really play to perfection. While it’s not quite a perfect album, well over half of the release is highlight worthy, and I did enjoy it more than their still-great last release. It may not be up there alongside Right Reasons or Dark Horse or Silver Side, but it is not far behind them, and I do feel like it will still grow on me with even more listens! And regardless, the singles are still phenomenal! An easy 8.5/10 from us!

Queens of the Stone Age: Perfecth

QOTSA are an odd one for me. There are songs and even full albums that I love from them, but I feel like it has been a while since I have truly gotten into something from them. Their ninth album is an interesting one for me. All semblance of the hard/desert rock sound that had made them so big has finally been fully stripped away, replaced by this soft, jazz-adjacent rock that Homme has tried to squeeze into every album to this point. However, that’s all this album is. No big riffs, no heaviness, just a plodding pace, twiddly guitaring and some big, grandiose vocal layers.

Having said all of that, I actually didn’t hate it. It’s probably the most I’ve enjoyed one of their albums since …From Clockwork. From the perfect build of the opener to the acoustic, Latina-flavoured ‘From the Cliff’ to single ‘Easy Street’ there is some good, interesting stuff on here. It’s not exactly what I want from the band, but Homme is a masterful songwriter and certainly hasn’t produced a bad album here. I’m curious to see the general consensus on this, as well as if it will grow on me more with more listens. It’s a quirky departure from their previous sound, but it may very well pay off for the band, and it still somehow feels like them. 5.5/10

Kaitlin Butts: Hello Honky Tonk

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

Enslaved: Mið

Following up on 2023’s critically acclaimed Heimdal, the Norwegian extreme metallers once again return with a brutal, dark slab of music. It follows on from the rest of their discography, having a type melodic edge to the style that only Enslaved can do, while still maintaining the bleakness and heaviness of their black/extreme metal roots. The tribal and clean vocals are a fun, quirky touch, and the guests add some fun interesting dynamics and twists too. It is far more than just a straight-up heavy album, with ‘Mountain’ in particular feeling like latter career Opeth over any sort of black metal. However, it’s just as awesome as the balls-to-the-wall stuff like ‘Tales of Trees’, and is a true testament to the bands talent for writing. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not an album for everyone, but if you are a fan of the band or are at all interested, give it a spin! 6.5/10

RATTLESNAKES: Shadows in the Night

The debut album from one of the shining lights in the heavy metal revival in the UK scene finally dropped this Friday. It had a lot of hype surrounding it and, I’m not just saying this because I love the guys, but it deserves every bit of it. Each of these 10 tracks are as good as the last, and all flow together perfectly. It’s a phenomenal throwback 70s/80s release, but also feels modernised in the best ways, through both the writing and the production (shout-out the amazing Audiomage!). Because of that, I’d honestly recommend this to anyone, regardless of what genre they are into.

Speaking of the tracks themselves too, they are all incredible. It’s impossible to pick just a couple of highlights as honestly, they could all be massive radio and live hits in their own right. Everyone is working their asses off throughout, with it being packed full of amazing riffs, huge choruses and blistering solos from start to the end. And Rowena still remains one of the most criminally underrated vocalists around today, blowing me away on every track here. As great as their debut EP was last year, this takes that formula and turns it all up to 11, being somehow even more excellent! It’s easy to compare them to the titans and pioneers of the sound, but honestly they build on the old-school formula and create something unique to them. The scene is gaining some real momentum recently with the likes of Wailing Banshee and Absolva, and these guys are right up there with those leading the charge. I can’t give it any less than 9.5/10, do yourselves a favour and give this a listen ASAP!

Dustin Lynch: Clean Slate

Jade: If you are a lover of modern country, something a little cheesy and super catchy, then you’ll probably enjoy this album as much as I did! It’s up there with some of my favourite country artists such as Kane Brown, Brad Paisley and Blake Shelton. Which makes total sense considering these are all artists Dustin Lynch has toured with.

Dustin has very strong vocals packed full of that unmistakable country twang. All I will say is that with the ever growing condensed column of country artists now all with a very similar sound, it does necessarily not stand out all too much. However, make no mistake, this doesn’t mean I don’t like the album. I am an absolute sucker for this exact genre of country music, it probably makes up about ninety percent of my playlist at this point!
I will have to keep an eye out for a UK tour, as I need to know if he is as good live as he is on track!

A couple of my favourites were ‘Real Fine Reason’, ‘She Don’t Know’, ‘Built Us A Life’, and the one that reminded me most of Kane Brown… ‘One Tennessee’. However, I would recommend listening to every song on this album, it really is that good! 8.5/10

Against the Current: Till Death & Back

The first album in over five years from the pop rockers is a welcome, powerful return! It’s just over half an hour of catchy melodies, catchy, soaring vocals and just enough rock instrumentation to add some interesting intros and bridges. If it is your sort of genre, it is absolutely an album I’d recommend! Between ‘Dead Man Walking’, ‘Heavenly’ and ‘Stuck’, there is plenty to love, but there honestly isn’t a bad track throughout. It’s not 100% my thing, especially when a lot of it was pretty similar in terms of feel and pace. However, there is no denying the quality and the talent of everyone involved, and fans of the band will most likely love it! It’s a welcome return to the studio from a band who have always felt like they are on the cusp of being global megastars. Whether this is the release to take them to that level or not, I’m not sure, but it’s one I’ll happily revisit again, and it gets a solid 7.5/10 from us!

Ministry: Hate to Go – Takeout or Delivery

We’ve also reviewed to this in full, aren’t you lucky?! Check it out here.

Fuel: Pendulum

Another release after a half-decade drought, the US alt rockers pick up right where they left off with album seven. They’re a band that never really felt like they got their flowers in the UK, or really for their still-great later discography in general. But, with how excellent this is, I really hope they finally do from Pendulum! It’s a fantastic collection of heavy melodic hard rock, giving vibes of everything from Alter Bridge to to Finger Eleven to Shinedown, and feels like a real shot in the arm for the band. Having said that, it also still has an early 2000s vibe to it in the best way possible. ‘Want It’ opens things up excellently, while the likes of ‘Bad at Love’, ‘Enemy’ and ‘Everything’ are also amazing. However, there isn’t a bad song throughout, and there is plenty of variety throughout too! Piano ballad ‘Innocent’ is beautiful and gave me goosebumps, and even their cover of ‘Hotel California’ was good, even if I was a touch saddened by the solo. This is far better an album than I expected, and will be one I’ll certainly be spinning plenty in the weeks and months to come! It’s exactly the sort of style I like, and as you can probably tell, I loved it from start to finish! A very easy 9/10 from me!

Blind Channel: Painstream

The return album from the Finnish nu metallers after their 2024 hiatus, they have revived with one less member, vocalist Joel Hokka closing not to return to the fold. That in itself is a shame, as he was certainly a high point of their sound on their first five albums, as mixed feelings as I had for them. Sadly, whether it was Joel’s absence or other factors, this didn’t do much for me. It felt less attitude-filled nu metal and more like modern metalcore, a sound I’m not hugely into generally. It isn’t bad at all, and if you are into that style of music you’ll probably get a lot out of this, but I did prefer their more nu-leaning stuff. It just feels a little too much like it’s TRYING to be those other bands, if that makes sense? Having said that, tracks like ‘Youthanasia’ and ‘Me Versus Me’ were good and worth a listen, regardless. But, outside of that, it was just a touch bland. Niko’s cleans and screams are both great, but the instrumentation leaves a little to be desired at times, and it just lacked a fun element that their previous works had had. It may grow on me with more listens, but I am sadly not rushing to do that any time soon. 5/10, distinctly average.

Shogun Mojo: Self-Titled

The debut album from the new hard rock supergroup is a damn fun 37 minutes! The brain-child of Tommy Thayer and Dan Reed, it’s certainly better than anything we got from the former’s tenure in Kiss, and Dan Reed is one of the most underrated musicians around, period. You can hear both musicians style and writing throughout too, and they gel together excellently! The two singles are awesome, but tracks like ‘Nothing to See Here’ and ‘Fight for the Light’ are also amazing. However, the album is an incredibly easy listen, going by in a flash and it all flowing together perfectly. If you are a fan of DRN or just the softer side of 80s/90s rock, this is an album you need to check out immediately! As I said, it’s just a good fun release, and impossible not to love, like most of Dan Reeds stuff. A very easy 8/10 from us, and an album I’ll be spinning plenty moving forward!

Red Light Acid Test: FRAYED

The debut album from the British hard alt rockers finally arrived this last Friday, and is a damn fun 40-minutes of music! It’s packed full of chunky riffs, great melodic moments and massive choruses, and ties together their almost years worth of single output perfectly. The band manage to combine and straddle so many different genres across this release, from desert rock to punk, indie to stoner, but it somehow all still feels like them, a true testament to their writing abilities! Songs like ‘Patience’, ‘Senseless’ and ‘Relapse’ are personal highlights, but there really isn’t a bad song throughout. If you are at all interested or into the desert-punk side of rock, this is well worth giving a spin! The band definitely have a new fan in me, and I’m already curious to see where they go from here! Until that point though, I’ll certainly be giving this another listen or three? 7.5/10

Darkest Hour: Suffer Divine

Max: I’ll tell you what; this was quite a good album! Now sure, its not the most unique album or reinventing an aspect of the genre, but it was front-to-back a lot of fun. And it is really clear that whilst they have reached their eleventh album as a band (which is insane) they aren’t slowing down nor are they getting dull. If anything they are just showing their knowledge and expertise over their art, something that a lot of bands strive to do.

Personally I felt that there was little to do with pushing boundaries throughout this album. So, whilst every song if good, there was nothing that particularly stood out and made me want to come back for aside from the comfort and easy listening and generally great stuff the album provides. I think that in order to push my score higher to the 9s or 10s there needs to be something more, something that hooks people in, be that a unique sound or a boundary push. With all that said, this is a good album that didn’t have a dull song throughout in my opinion, making it very hard to give this anything lower than a 8/10!

Big Red: Big Sur

The debut album from the Joseph Scarisbrick-led power trio is a really interesting slower indie/blues release! I had no idea what to expect heading in, but came away a big new fan of the guy and band as a whole! The sheer emotion and vulnerability in Joseph’s lyrics and vocal delivery is incredible, giving me goosebumps plenty throughout. The arragements are simple, but fit the tone of the album phenomenally, ranging from simple and beautiful to chunky, heavy, grandiose soundscapes. It really combines so many different sounds, from indie to 2000s pop-rock, desert stuff and even a little Midwest Emo thrown in for good measure. I see why he wanted this to be a separate project instead of trying to fit it into his other bands!

Opener ‘Nightmare’ had me hooked right from the jump. Then you have songs like ‘The Creek’, ‘Not That Guy’ and the two-part title track that are just as excellent. However, as you can probably tell by now, the whole thing is really fantastic, and I could gush about it all day! It’s not a release for everyone, but if you are at all curious I would definitely recommend giving it a full spin; the album as a whole has a great flow to it! I’ll be listening to this plenty in the weeks and months to come, and I already can’t wait to see where the trio go from here. 9/10, amazing stuff!

White Rose Motor Oil: Spider

Now for a duo that I have been a little obsessed with since I first discovered them off their amazing last album. I have been impatiently waiting for this release since they announced it, and thankfully they didn’t even slightly disappoint! It’s 41-minutes of amazing country/Western/Americana music, and the band aren’t going to get nearly enough credit for this release, much like they didn’t with The Gift of Poison. And, while every song on here is awesome, the likes of single ‘HIT IN THE FACE!’, ‘A Happier Man’ and ‘Looking Good’ are personal highlights. It’s another album that is a lot of fun, and almost had a bit of an old-school punk feel and vibe to it at times, which also was a great addition. While not exactly an album full of radio-friendly songs, if any of the sounds I’ve described earlier are your sort of vibe, do yourselves a favour and check this out, you certainly won’t be disappointed! It fits in more somewhere between a Striking Matches, Bridge City Sinners, Sierra Ferrel and a touch of American Aquarium, so no wonder it’s great! It’s every bit as good as their previous full studio release, and gets another massive 9/10 from us.

Outlaw Orchestra: Ruff Round the Edges

Emerging from a bit of turbulent time from the band after 2/3rds of the band sadly took a step back earlier in the year, Dave has actually pulled out a fantastic release with this, barely two years after their awesome last album! I remember talking to the band last year and they mentioned about wanting to do a last album then, so I’m curious to know how much Pete and Ryan contributed to this, or if it’s a new band/session players backing. Regardless, I had a great time with this!

‘Hay Belly’ is up there among my favourite songs the band have produced, and is a fantastic opener. ‘Ghost Train’ is another fun boot stomper, ‘Vacation for the Mind’ is a fun soft/blues rock track, and ‘Ride Brother Ride’ rounds out the studio portion of the release excellently. Then you have live renditions of crowd favourites in ‘Too Much Willie Nelson’ and ‘Bag of Bones’ that are both also excellent, and a lot of fun. I’m not sure if this classes as a new album or more of a longer EP, but regardless it’s good! I’m glad the band are still releasing stuff, and hopefully it continues in the future, but for now I’ll happily be giving this a few more listens in the weeks to come. 8/10

Reviews

Hate to Go – Take Out Or Delivery: Ministry’s Final Album!

31st October 2026 Overtone Leave a comment

The industrial metal legends are back with a brand new album, their 17th and supposed final ever. They are a band I have loved for decades at this point, and have covered in varying capacity on this site in the past, so there was no way I wasn’t going to dive in to Al Jourgensen and co.’s final release head first. The singles so far have been pretty great, so I am very curious to see what the rest of the album holds!

The album opens perfectly with ‘Crickets’. A massive drumbeat soon has the guitar and bass explode in with an expectedly awesome industrial metal riff, Al’s vocals fitting excellently over the top with his signature grit and reverb and effects. It stays at a similar level for the chorus but honestly is still pretty catchy with its call-and-response vocals and melody. The spoken word bits and audio clips fit excellently with the tone of the song and the band too, and add another great dynamic to the song. It’s everything you’d expect from Ministry in the best possible way. It’s simple yet incredibly effective, bringing to the table great riffs, vocals and a suitably punk-esque level of attitude and message!

Similar vibes continue through ‘Voices of Hate’, that opening/main riff being incredible! It’s so heavy and the breakneck pace had me instantly hooked. The drums behind it go hard too, and Al’s harsh, almost screamed vocals fit into the mix perfectly. Again, the audio clip playing over the top is also great, and the sentiment is fantastic. I know there will be plenty that disagree with it and even get angered and offended by it, but as an outsider looking in it’s almost impossible not to see it this way, and it’s amazing to have bands still willing to stand up and fight against it. Especially when it’s an older band with nothing left to prove, like Ministry. Oh yeah, and straight after all that, we get an awesome guitar solo, just for good measure! It’s a really fantastic track, one that I’d arguably put up there alongside some of the bands best in recent decades, and it’s a song that easily makes our playlist!

More awesome riffing and drumming follows in ‘Clown Car’, the balls-to-the-wall drum pace being particularly excellent! Al’s vocals are a little higher in the mix this time which was nice, as as much as I loved the vibe of the last couple of tracks, his voice could get a little lost at times. They’re a little cleaner too, and the delivery reminds me of more like Ice T, which is certainly a good thing! To be honest, it’s essentially a crossover thrash song, and I’d absolutely LOVE to see this live. And that almost groove-metal breakdown riff after the solo… *chefs kiss*. It’s another massive album highlight on a release so far packed full of them!

The first single from the album, ‘We Hate’, is up next. The pace is slower, more of a boot stomper, but it doesn’t lose any of its heaviness or swagger. Al’s gritty vocals sound great over the top of it, again having the volume cranked on them. And once again, the lyrics here are fantastic, filled with passion, anger and truth. It’s got all the hallmarks of a Ministry track, from the riffing to the tones, writing to the message, so makes for a fantastic choice for a single! The guitar soloing in particular is another real high point alongside the lyrics/vocals. The only slight downside is the AI music video, but we just ignore that and listen to the song on its own, right? It’s a great song in its own right, even at the five plus minute runtime. The band are so far four for four on excellent tracks on this album!

‘Delete’ is a fun track about our social media consumption. The intro minute was fun with all the voiceover, the instrumentation fitting perfectly behind it. The rest of the track is very much typical Ministry, and is of course a lot of fun and damn good! It does feel ever so slightly “old man yells at clouds”, but it does still fit the theme of the album well. I just love industrial metal, and Ministry and some of the very best to do it, even nearly 50 years into their careers!

‘Grifter’, another great anti-Trump song, slows the pace down perfectly at the mid-point of the album. It’s a plodding track with a great driving bassline at its core and some simple, solid drums. The synth stuff was a nice addition, and the guitar still gets plenty of time to shine throughout. It gives much more focus on Al’s vocals too without so much going on too, and it’s maybe his best performance on the whole album. It’s completely different to the rest of the release, almost having an AIC-like grungeness to it all. It’s another massive highlight of the album for me, and a song I’d recommend to absolutely anyone!

The pace picks up a little for ‘The White Man Lied’, but still feels a little lighter than the early album stuff. It’s almost a blues vibe with the intermittent vibe and steady drums, but also reminds me a lot of later Rob Zombie. It still has the usual spoken word stuff in there, and the message is another fantastic one, but it does have an appreciatedly different vibe again. I am being kept far more interested in this album than I expected to be, and I love it! Another good song!

The final two singles follow suite next in ‘Singularity’ and ‘Burned Out’. The enemy crescendos again, a heavy, groove metal riff leading the former. It’s a little less chaotic than a lot of the rest of the album, still feeling like industrial metal and like Ministry, but a bit more radio friendly and a great choice for another single. It’s yet another fantastic song! The latter also had a similar vibe; a steady pace, a big focus on the great riffing and catchy vocals, and a real White Zombie feel. It’s a simple track that is a lot of fun and is good in its own right! And again, the lyrics are so very poignant, and it really is sad to think of the state of the world in 2026.

Album closer ‘We’re Still Here’ surprisingly ties together everything before it perfectly! It’s a little slower but still industrial, a heavy and dark feel to it. However, it is also uplifting, especially from the midpoint, and carries a message of hope despite everything that has been spoken about before. It’s a fantastic writing and producing choice to put a track like this at the end, closing things out on a high note after so much anger and sadness. And, as a song in general, it is so masterfully put together and composed. It really feels like a finale, even more incredible given this is their last album. It honestly gave me goosebumps, and is another song I’d recommend to anyone!

Overall: This is a really good album! I’d expect nothing less from the industrial metal legends, but it is my favourite they have put out in a while, honestly. There isn’t a bad song throughout, while there are a few I’d easily put up there alongside the top tracks from the band, period. I’ve harped on about the theming and message plenty, but it really is a rather refreshing thing to hear these days, and fits in perfectly with Ministry’s ethos. And, the instrumentation was incredible throughout, too! If this truly is their swan song, what a way to go out!

The Score: 8.5/10

Reviews

Space 1993: Wrath of Kor-Virliath: Gloryhammer’s Massive Fifth Album!

13th October 2026 Overtone 1 Comment

The modern power metal legends are back this Friday with their highly anticipated new album. Not only is it a follow-up to 2023’s Return to the Kingdom of Fife, but it seems to be a direct sequel to 2015’s much loved Space 1992. Now, long time readers here will know that I have a bit of an up-down relationship with the band, having loved them during Thomas Winkler’s run but struggling a little when they switched singers with their last album. Still, the singles I’ve heard from this so far are great, so I’m curiously excited to dive in and see what the album as a whole is like!

A grandiose, pretty long intro track sets the epic tone perfectly and expertly blends into the lead single from the album, ‘Ultimate Sacrifice’. The track itself explodes in with a huge, heavy riff and a fast pace set by drummer Ralathor (Ben Turk). The synths and keys from band leader Zargothrax (Chris Bowes) give the sound so much depth and size too, it feeling massive from the outset. Soon enough the powerful vocals come in from new-ish comer Sozos Michael, fitting over the top of the instrumentation perfectly and instantly having a catchy energy to them. The chorus is absolutely massive and even more catchy, the harmonies and gang vocals adding so much to it all. It’s immediately a hook that is going to be stuck in my head for days to come! The spoken word bit in the bridge continues the story of their band excellently, and we get a brief, awesome technical solo to follow it. It’s an awesome song in its own right, being exactly what Gloryhammer are all about, and was a great choice for a single as well as an opening track!

Album track ‘On a Quest for Aberdeen’ continues the same vibes as the opener perfectly. It’s another excellent modern power metal track, with all the trappings and glorious cheesiness. It’s a pretty similar formula to the previous track too, with a more simple verse and a huge, multi-vocalled, catchy as anything chorus. The vocals in the bridge were great, the harmonies working even harder as the notes push up to an impressive register, somehow feeling like it builds the track even more! And, we get another fantastic solo from Ser Proletius (Paul Templing), the harmonised second half being particularly excellent and memorable, though the whole part gets plenty of breathing room this time! It’s another awesome song, so massive and catchy!

Onto another single next with ‘Die with a Sword in My Hand’. And, what do you know, it’s another similar, grandiose power metal track! It certainly still works though, especially this early on the album! The chorus is fun too, more chanted than a big harmony-filled one, making it a sure-fire fan-favourite live. It also has maybe my favourite solo on the album, the tone on the guitar being so good. It’s another good song; exactly what you’d expect from the band and another good single choice!

By ‘Silver Talon’ I did start getting slightly tired of the same style, pace and lyrics for a fourth straight song. It’s a damn good song in its own right, and very enjoyable in isolation. Hell, it even fits perfectly with the rest of the album, in terms of both sound and theming. But my easily-distracted brain and ears could have done with something slightly different by the time this track rolled around, especially when we’re getting closer to the midpoint of the album.

I got a little bit of my wish with the following track, single ‘Starfighters of Leuchars’. While it still has some heavy guitars and drums, it does feel like a slower song overall. And, I really loved the Danny Elfman vibe to it with the synths and horns and backing vocals. It made the track a LOT of fun. Yet, it still fits in perfectly with the album and bands discography as a whole, the chorus being absolutely huge and another big earworm. It feels like it’s designed to be played to huge festival crowds around the world! I think Sozos gets the most chance to shine vocally on this track too, really showing off his phenomenal range. It’s another awesome song, and one that easily makes our playlist!

Single ‘Warriors of Auchtermuchty’ brings us back to the bands typical sound again, though certainly in a catchy way with another huge chorus and some call-and-response vocals in the verses. The same can be said for ‘Pax Galactica’, though it does have a touch of Elfman to it like ‘Starfighters’ did. Both are good songs in their own right, and once again fit the album well, but are certainly similar to others on the release. If you are big into their sound though, I’m sure you’ll love it!

The final three tracks are generally more of the same. ‘Demonic Devotion’ and ‘Hammer of Fate’ are your typical Gloryhammer album tracks. However, the closer (with a stupidly long title that I’m not going to type out), is proggy epicness, and a lot of fun! Don’t get me wrong, it has all the hallmarks of the bands sound, but it’s all dialled up to 11 and everything gets so much time to shine. The storytelling throughout is excellent, as is the playing and the vocals, while the composition is truly off the charts. Hell, we even get some screams tucked away in the middle here, which were a nice touch and broke everything up well! Don’t get me wrong, it’s still pretty cheesy, but you know exactly what to expect when heading into a Gloryhammer album, and this is very much all of that. I had a good time with it, and it sums up and closes out the release rather perfectly!

Overall: This is a good album! I know I have mentioned a bit of the negatives towards it I’ve felt, but that shouldn’t take away how great a release it is overall. It’s exactly what you’d expect and want from a Gloryhammer album: straight up epic modern power metal, and on that it absolutely delivers. If you are a fan of that style I’d absolutely recommend giving this a listen, ASAP! There are some tracks on here that are honestly career highlights, even if I wouldn’t necessarily spin the album as a whole every listen. It’s a dam solid addition to their growing discography, and I at least enjoyed it more than their previous one!

The Score: 7.5/10

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New Music Mondays: Greta Van Fleet, Chase & Status and More!

12th October 2026 Overtone Leave a comment

Another week, some more great music across the rock, metal and country world. Let’s check it out!

Greta Van Fleet: Palace for the People

Five albums deep into the not-so-young-anymore bands career and everyone should know exactly what to expect at this point. The perfect combination of Rush, Led Zeppelin and Jethro Tull, it’s old school, semi-prog rock at its best. And, while I did enjoy it more than ‘23’s Starcatcher, it’s still just… fine. Tracks like ‘Heart and the Beat’, single ‘Play Your Games’ and ‘Call my Own’ are personal highlights, and while none of the rest is especially bad, it’s not hugely my sort of thing. The band are all incredibly talented players, but Josh’s caterwauling grated on me a touch at times. I also found the choruses rather repetitive, and the album as a whole is rather strung out and long-winded at an hour long. Their current folkier edge is interesting, but it leads to a generally slow pace that gets boring by the mid-point. I didn’t think I’d be saying this, but I actually miss their early days when they just copied Led Zep. The epic vibe is cool, but gets old when it’s every track. They are clearly doing something right as they are an absolutely massive band, and this release will have plenty of fans. But outside of handful of tracks, I’m not one of them. I don’t think I could do the album as a whole again, honestly. It gets a rather generous 6/10 from us!

Chase & Status: Generic Everything

The heavy drum & basers returned with their seventh album this last Friday. It’s certainly not a release for everyone, and even I was a little up and down on it. I do find myself enjoying their heavier tracks while not being a fan overall, and it’s very much the same here. The opener was okay, the distorted guitars in the back and the dynamics being great. Songs like ‘Essa Ta Quente’ (feat. the legendary Skrillex) and ‘Gone Too Far’ (feat. Debbie) are also pretty good. However, a lot of the rest of it is not my sort of thing, and the aforementioned tracks were pushing it honestly. They’re certainly one of the weirder choices to be adopted into the heavier scene, and that’s about the only reason I thought I’d give it a spin. If you’re into this sort of style you’ll probably enjoy it, but I’d happily not listen to it again, honestly. It’s objectively pretty well crafted and put together, but from a personal standpoint I got bored, so can’t give it much more than 4.5/10. Sorry guys. Maybe a couple of heavier collabs would have reeled me in a lot more!

Twin Temple: Doomed Lovers

Jade: Straight off the bat, it feels like I’m listening to a haunting, gothic version of Grease The Musical. The whole album has a very theatrical feel to it which really draws you in. It at the very least made me curious. Lead vocalist Alexandra James has the most stunning voice, which really stands out from other artists with its vintage style. It’s not something you hear very often any more and it’s nice to go back to that more vintage style of rock and roll. Some of my favourites of this album are ‘Possessed’, ‘I Want Blood’ and ‘Someone In The Walls’. It’s a fun style and if anything a little on the too short side for my liking, I just want to hear more! Especially when it’s been a little while now since their last release! Still, it’s an album I’d recommend to anyone into a more vintage style of rock. 7/10

Left to Suffer: Unwelcome Guest

Max: This one is a little disappointing. It’s a fine album but that’s it. There isn’t anything standout or particularly notable throughout the entire album and all it really did was make me want something more on each track. Now I know what you are saying: making people want more is generally a good thing, but not when on every track people are wanting some kind of flavour or substance. To put it bluntly this album was a bit boring and a let down. 5/10

K-Man & the 45’s: Heed the Call

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; we don’t cover enough ska on this site. However, it does mean that on the odd occasion that I do get to cover some, I’m a little obsessed! And, of course, this is no exception. It’s 36 minutes of fun, catchy and creative reggae-rock, and I loved every minute! It’s packed full of fantastic tracks from front to back too, from ‘Clark St.’ to ‘Oh Yeah Attitude’, ‘Working in the Sun’ to ‘I Wanna Live’ and everything in between! I love that they cover quite the variety of sounds too, from all three generations of ska, making it a constantly interesting journey. This was somehow my introduction to the band, but they have a massive new fan in me, and I can’t wait to go back and check out their previous three albums! They’re all such incredibly talented musicians and songwriters, and we don’t have nearly enough of this sound around these days. I’d recommend this to anyone, and will certainly be spinning it plenty moving forward. A very solid 8.5/10 from us!

The Temperance Movement: New Promise Land Incorporated

The first new studio work from the UK blues rock supergroup in close to a decade finally dropped on Friday to much hype. It’s exactly what fans of the band would expect from them, and is a lot of fun! As a blues/southern rock fan, I had a great time listening to this. From ‘Eat You Alive’ to ‘Love Kicks’ to ‘Always Been Love’, there’s some great stuff on here, too! Honestly, there isn’t a bad song throughout, even if the noticeable dip in energy and tempo the later in the album it gets a bit much by the end. Still, the band are effortlessly talented and if you are a fan of their earlier stuff, or the softer side of blues/Southern rock, this is absolutely an album for you! I’ll certainly be spinning it again, and I do think it’s a grower, but for now it still gets a solid 7/10 from us!

Lucy Gallant: Forbidden Fruit

Following up 2023’s Flowers EP, the self-described bohemian folk-pop artist is back with another great five tracks! It’s chilled out, catchy, well written, and some of the notes she hits with her vocals are insane. It’s just a really easy 17 minute listen, and one that I’d honestly recommend to anyone. ‘F YOU’ is probably my personal favourite, an infectiously catchy anthem, but there truly isn’t a bad song throughout. The Bond-like ‘Venom’ is also incredible. She feels wholly unique, something rather hard to do in 2026. I’ve spun this a good few times this weekend alone, and I will most likely keep doing so plenty in the weeks and months to come. She has a big new fan in me; there is something about her writing and vocals that is just entrancing. I can’t give this any less than 9/10, it’s fantastic!

Werewolves: You’re Weak and you Know You’re Weak

Max: This album was quite good. It’s as punchy and aggressive as ever from Werewolves with barely a breath taken between the pummlings you receive as the listener. I think this one might be a little hard to listen to for some as it really is just pure extreme metal, but if you are in to that, I think you are really going to enjoy it. It isn’t exactly reinventing the wheel when it comes to what metal is and what Werewolves do, but that doesn’t make it bad and considering the Aussie outfit are planning on going 10 for 10 when it comes to albums per year. I think this is a really good stance for being on year 7 of that, however I do have a fear that the fatigue might set in soon which would be a real disappointment.

So yeah, if you want some kick-ass metal that isn’t pulling any punches then here you go, just don’t expect anything revolutionary. 7.5/10

GASSED: MENTAL

This is 11 minutes of pure aggression, heaviness and carnage. A balls-to-the-wall punk release that doesn’t let up for a second across all eight of its tracks. And, honestly, I love it! And, at its compact length, it’s an incredibly easy listen, and it’s so easy to get lost in the sound and the emotion of it all. I may have been throwing hands around my living room… having said that, the one-two-punch of ‘THE HAND’ and ‘’RECLAIMED’ is awesome, and certainly highlights despite the whole release being truly excellent. This is the sort of hardcore that I need more of in my life, and this band deserve so much more love than they have had currently. They have really exploded on the scene the last couple of years, and I can see this album(?) pushing them up a couple of levels as it is truly excellent! I am going to have to see this live, and I cannot recommend it enough for anyone even vaguely curious or into the genre. 9/10, pump this into my veins!

Celtic Cross: Meet Me in the Kitchen

The return release from the New-York-based Irish folk-rock band comes a whopping 12 years after their last album. In that time, they have very clearly not lost a step, however! This is a beautiful 20 minutes of heartfelt folk-based music, though it has elements of everything from country to rock, Americana to even vague bluegrass vibes too, and of course some pop elements too. From the opener to ‘Slán Go Fóill’ to the rockier ‘Toss it Back’, there’s some is some great stuff on here. However, the other half of the tracks are just as good, it all being plenty varied and constantly interesting. It really has something for everyone! And, honestly, it’s awesome, the band deserving a lot more attention and praise than they’ll get from it! It’s an EP I’d recommend to anyone, and is yet another artist that have a firm new fan in me! Another very solid 8/10 from us.

Sickmind: Babel Tower

Jade: This one has been a bit of an odd experience for me. I’ve been left wanting more…not more to listen too, I just expected more from this album with the clear talent all of the members have. The drums follow the guitar riffs and it sounds absolutely insane. It almost over shadows the vocals a bit. I’m drawn more into the instrumental side of the band, I feel like the vocals get a bit lost. I really want to enjoy them; for all intents and purposes it’s exactly the type of vocals I enjoy with death metal. I don’t know if it’s the way the album has been mixed but it’s just not quite there. I’m not getting the aggression that I feel is there. It’s such a shame because the drummer is so incredibly talented and is doing some insane stuff in these tracks. Same goes for the guitar riffs and heavy bass. Everything is working so well until those vocals come in. For me at least it weakens the overall presence that I feel like you usually have with death metal.

With that in mind, it makes the album feel too long, and all a bit too similar to be able to sit and enjoy the full 44 minutes. There are most definitely still highlights that stood out, those being ‘The Chaos Beneath Our Feet’, ‘Humanness’ and the title track. These particular songs all just stood out the most to me, and really showed me the potential of the band. I know this is the first release since the band rebranded themselves, and I do still look forward to seeing what they do next! It’s certainly not bad, but I struggled to get into it as a whole. 6/10

Idolvein: This Place I Leave Behind

The follow-up EP to 2025’s fantastic Where We Became Spirits, the alt metallers once again knock it out of the park here! A collection of their singles from the year, alongside two more awesome tracks for good measure, it’s half an hour of great, heavy, melodic music. From the more pop-inspired opener to the post-hardcore new one ‘My Last War’ to the ballad-like ‘The Ways We Remain’, the release kicks off incredibly strongly. The rest of the EP follows their lead excellently, and makes for a great, varied listen throughout! The mathy, Dance Gavin Dance-like ‘In the Hands of Thieves’ is also a massive highlight. It’s easily up there alongside their last release, if not even slightly better once I’ve sat with it a little longer. It’s also a release I’d recommend to anyone even slightly into modern metalcore/alt metal. The band keeps going from strength to strength, and it’s another easy 8.5/10 from us!

The Pineapple Thief: Far and Wide

Just two and a half year removed from their last massive release, we got another great album from the British prog rockers. As a big ol’ fan of Tool, and these being like a lighter version of them, I loved this! The band are of course incredibly talented musicians, but are such good songwriters together too. The likes of ‘Hold the Ashes’, ‘This Empty Space’ and ‘Who Wants It?’ are all personal highlights, but the whole album is great and has a really fantastic flow. 47 minutes goes by in a flash, and is a surprisingly easy listen for a prog album. This certainly won’t be the only time I spin this album soon, and I can feel it growing on me even more each time. And, even still, I can’t give this any less than a massive 8.5/10. Great stuff!

Sagittarius: Abomination of Mind

The debut album from the heavy metal revivalists is a great 34 minutes of music! Having some great thrashy riffs and drums, but combined with some powerful, catchy vocals, it feels very much the perfect combination of 90s Priest and early Metallica. And, from ‘Disaster Dawn’ to the dark, epic ‘Dead Inside’ to the closer, there is plenty to love throughout. Hell, my only issue would be that honestly, it may have been a little short! Still, if you are into your old-school metal this is well worth checking out, and I’m excited to see where they go from here. 7.5/10

Sueco: PARTY’S OVER

Album four from the emo-rapper/pop-punker is interesting if nothing else. I was familiar with the name from him featuring on others’ tracks, but this is the first real deep-dive I’ve managed to have with the man himself. Honestly, I found myself enjoying it a lot more than I expected to. It’s an incredibly modern sound, reminding me a lot of the likes of Stand Atlantic, most of his album guests, or even MGK a little. However, it feels a lot less disingenuous a sound than the latter artists modern work. ‘ARE YOU ENTERTAINTED?’ is a big early highlight, while the likes of ‘TRUST MYSELF’ and Scream 7’s ‘REARRANGING SCARS’ are also good. Don’t get me wrong, there is a bit of a lull in both energy and quality in the middle, and some of the lyrics do hit a bit cringy at times. However, it isn’t inherently a bad album, and those more into this style or Sueco as an artist will probably get more mileage out of it than I do. I probably wouldn’t throw it on often, but also wouldn’t turn it off if it came on again. 6.5/10

Joshua Slone: Long Life Living for a Lover Boy

Following up his debut album from this time last year, the rising country star put out a collection of another five great, emotion-filled tracks this last Friday. It’s slower and rather stripped-back, continuing on the vibes from his album excellently. ‘Morehead State’ was a personal favourite track of mine, but there really isn’t a bad song throughout. It’s a little slow for me typically, but is a good release to sit and relax to, and is the pretty perfect length for a sound like this. He’s got a great voice and is clearly a very talented songwriter. 7/10, good stuff!

Hollow Bone: Onar

The sophomore album from the experimental post-metal Italians comes over six years after their debut, but builds on the sound expertly. It’s dark and heavy and technical and proggy, and begs a full listen in a dark room with headphones on. It’s certainly not for everyone, but I had a good time here! The band are all insanely talented, and have crafted a truly massive soundscape with this release. And, while I very much recommend listening in full, I do think ‘Meltdown’ and the Tool-like ‘Presence of Eagles’ are personal highlights. If you like slower, grandiose instrumental metal, this is certainly a release I’d recommend! Another solid 7/10 from us!

Mad Painter: Island Poetry

Another sophomore album this week, this time from the Boston blues collective. Now, I do have to say that at pushing an hour in length, it is a little long, especially when it’s largely at the same steady pace. Still, in isolation, tracks like ‘Empty Bottles’, ‘Nektarized’ and ‘Stand Your Ground’ are a lot of fun and very much personal highlights. It’s a real old-school, Quo-like sound, and it’s impossible not to have a good time listening, regardless of what you’re into. The band are all clearly talented, and all get their own chance to shine plenty throughout with some great vocals, drums, bass, riffs and solos. If you are even slightly interested, I’d give this one a spin, despite the daunting length! It may be a grower for me, but even then it gets an easy 7.5/10 from us for now!

Matthew Goodnough: Your Loss, My Misery

The debut album of one of the hardest working people in the country scene the last few years dropped this last Friday, to much hype and fan-fair. Having listened to it, it deserves every bit of that hype, too! ‘Nothing Left to Say’ opens the release in perfect, rocky fashion, while ‘Finding Bones’ follows it up excellently. Then you have the likes of the title track, ‘Dirty Myrtle’ and ‘Cradle Rocker’ that are just as great! It reminds me a lot of Koe Wetzel or Treaty Oak Revival, but somehow has both a bit more rock and radio-country to it, dialling back the more indie vibe they both have to fantastic results, at least for this writer! My only thing is that it is maybe a little similar throughout, though having said that 45 minutes went by in a flash for my first time, I had a blast. His vocals, writing and delivery are all awesome, and his band are working their asses off throughout. He has an INCREDIBLY bright future ahead of him, and a huge new fan in me. An incredibly easy 9/10 from me!

Fail the Enemy: Sandcastles

The first EP from the alt rock/metallers since their 2018 self-titled debut, the trio demonstrate that they haven’t lost a single step in that time! This is 21 minutes spread across five excellent tracks honestly each just as good as the last! They feel pretty unique, at least in terms of the UK scene, and between their songwriting/composition and the production it all sounds really awesome. Having said that, the trio themselves are also fantastic, playing their parts perfectly. The whole EP has a grandiose, epic vibe to it, and I’d recommend anyone interested listen to it in full, you certainly won’t be disappointed! Hopefully we don’t have to wait so long for their next release, as I can’t wait to hear where they go from here. However, until that point, I will gladly continue to spin this! 8/10

new music mondays

New Music Mondays: Amon Amarth, Miranda Lambert and More!

5th October 2026 Overtone Leave a comment

A typically stacked edition of New Music Mondays this week, with everything from rock to metal to country for us to check out! Let’s dive right in!

Amon Amarth: The Allfather Awakens

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

Miranda Lambert: Crisco

Following on from 2024’s Postcards from Texas, the modern country legend is back with her 10th solo album. Right off the bat, I didn’t enjoy it as much as her previous release. ‘Snakeskin Boots’ is a pretty bad opener, and wastes a feature of the biggest star in the genre at the minute in Ella Langley. Things don’t get much better with the title track or ‘Cowgirl Curtsy’. I very much get the appeal; it’s like Barbie’s country music, or Kaitlin Butts’ latest stuff without the fun or Oklahoma theming. It’s certainly a far cry from the rocky and attitude-filled Four the Record, or even her last album. It’s just all a bit… slow, and while it is well written and performed, it was a bit on the boring side for me. Maybe it was the production on it compared to the last, but something about it just wasn’t for me.

As I said though, it isn’t a bad album. The more up-tempo ‘Cuttin’ Onions’ is fun, as is the preceeding ballad ‘Two Things Can be True’. ‘Whiskey Business’ is also good, and Chris Stapleton’s voice is so perfect it makes ‘A Song to Sing’ also great, as they duet together excellently. However, the album as a whole I could take or leave personally, and it’s not one I’d revisit very often. If you are a fan of her you will still probably get a lot out of this so I would recommend, or if you’re a fan of slower country girly-pop. However, I sadly can’t give it any more than 5.5/10

Kyle Gordon: Kyle Gordon is Everywhere

The album title is most certainly correct; Kyle Gordon is indeed everywhere. We’ve been a fan of him for a while here at Overtone, but the lead up to this release has seen him all over my social media, and even appearing alongside the likes of Daniel Radcliffe and (suddenly controversially) Edd Sheeran. It has built a hype up for this release even more so than his last two stellar releases. And, if the singles so far are anything to go by, we’re certainly in for another wild, fun and great album!

Speaking of the singles, they front-load the album. They’re broken up perfectly by narrator of the release Mr Radcliffe, following a similar formula from the last two albums of introducing and giving background to each track and the fictional band that wrote it. However, the album tracks are just as awesome, too! Downshift’s ‘Hero of Fallujah’ is a great dark-folk-rock banger, ‘We Are the Zorg’ is industrial awesomeness, and the funky ‘Congratulations’ rounds things out perfectly. However, every song is fantastic in its own right, and so creatively written.

Three albums deep and the formula has not at all gotten stale. The album still flows excellently, and him changing up the genre and style with each track shows Kyle’s phenomenal levels of talent. It’s silly and over the top and certainly not for everyone, but if you have even a vague curiosity this is well worth spinning in full! While I don’t think it’s collectively quite as strong as his other two works, it’s also hard not to view them all as one big project, and regardless it’s a lot of fun. A very easy 8.5/10 from us!

P.S. congratulations on Kyle on his doctorate!

Escape the Fate: The Last Goodbye

Max: This album doesn’t feel nearly as good as Imminence. It’s fine, it’s not horrendous, but it is nothing to write home about. I think the most noteworthy song on the album was ‘Paranoia’ which is a solid metalcore track. But, there isn’t anything particularly special about it which is a disappointment. Genuinely I think, hell I know that this band is capable of making better music but so much of this album was just bland and to be honest the lyrics were by far the worst part. So much so that I found myself cringing at some parts and that isn’t exactly what you would want. 5/10

These Wicked Rivers: Fire and Folklore

Derby’s greatest musical export are back with their highly anticipated new album. If you didn’t know already, we are huge fans of this band here at Overtone, and once again the Southern rockers don’t disappoint! Lead single/opener ‘Ain’t no Smoke’ has been routinely stuck in my head since we reacted to it when it dropped, while other singles, ‘Horse to Water’ and the Kezia Gill-featuring ‘Sing Another Song’ are also awesome and great representations of the album. However, the album tracks are just as excellent! ‘Better Man’ is a beautiful, emotional ballad, while ‘Brother oh Brother’ is a fantastic, epic Western track and ‘Love to Love’ and ‘Woodland Queen’ give more of a classic Rivers energy.

I like the slower, more country-like approach they’ve taken on this release, like a darker Blackberry Smoke, and it fits the bands style and John’s vocals fantastically. However, there’s still plenty of energy to it too, especially later in the album. They have not forgotten their roots or steered too far from their last album, but have evolved and grown, pushing the boundaries of their sound. It’s every bit as good as Force of Nature, and is an album I’d recommend to absolutely anyone. I love it already, while I also think the album will grow on me even more too with more listens. The lads have done it again, and it’s another incredble 9.5/10 from us!

The Paradox: Proceed with Caution

Jade: I came across this band last year and instantly fell in love. It took me straight back to my teen years, when I started to discover pop punk from watching all the teen comedies and chick flicks from the 90s and early 2000s. This band is so old school but also somehow feels really present.

This EP continues to show how fun and upbeat these guys are, as with their past releases. It just makes you let loose and it’s just such a vibe. There is just such a crazy amount of talent between the four of them. I’m completely hooked on ‘That’s Not Fair’; it’s the song that feels like I’ve been put in a time machine. I could just have it on repeat it’s so good. Another favourite is ‘Stoner Mentality’. It’s just so catchy, and is almost pop punk anthem worthy. I honestly just love every single song on this EP, I have nothing bad to say at all other than I wish there was more! I also feel like I need to just comment on how impressive it is that Eric Dangerfield, the main vocalist, plays a primary role in writing lyrics as well as composing. When someone has this much talent at such a young age you just know they are going to be absolutely massive. It makes me even more envious of the fact they had to drop out of the All Time Low UK tour earlier this year. It kind of devastated me back then, and now I want to see them even more. Honestly I just can’t wait to see what they do next! 10/10

Gavin Adcock: The Day I Hang it Up

Album three from the modern country rising star in as many years is every bit as good as his last releases. We somehow missed a review of last year’s Own Worst Enemy (though it’s good), but had a great time with ‘24’s Actin’ Up Again, and this gives very similar vibes to that. It reminds me of Koe Wetzel a lot, that brand of chilled-out, rock-infused country, and is a style I’ve really gotten back into the last year or so. The title track opens things up perfectly, while songs like ‘Get a Grip’, ‘Thing For You’, ‘Anymore’ and ‘Wannabe’ are all excellent too! Heck, there are other good songs throughout this, but the ones I’ve named so far are just 20% of the album…

Yes, this thing is 25 SONGS LONG and an insane 75 minutes. It’s not prog, it doesn’t need to be this long. Especially when a lot of it is a similar pace and energy. The guy has put out nearly three and a half hours of music across three albums in the last three years; talk about overkill. I know I must sound like a broken record at this point with this point as it isn’t my first time complaining about it, but it is such a massive issue across country music these days. There is an absolutely killer 9 or 10/10 album somewhere in here, but it is bogged down by so much unnecessary filler. Heck, it could have been two albums; save half of it for next year’s outing. He’s an insanely talented artist. His songwriting, vocals and the delivery/instrumentation throughout is amazing. But I find it hard giving it any more than 7.5/10 because it is just too damn long. I’ll most likely be spinning it again, hopefully it grows on me more, as like I said, it’s certainly good!

Butcher Babies: NIGHTBLOOM

The first album from the LA metalcore band to not feature Carla Harvey on vocals, it feels like the band have a lot to prove because of it. Especially with Carla herself now killing it with both The Violent Hour and Lords of Acid. I was never the biggest fan of the band to begin with, and sadly this release did little to change that. It’s a very modern alternative to/metalcore sound, reminding me a lot of Bad Omens and that kind of ilk, which just doesn’t do much for me. It feels safe, without much if anything standing out or being memorable after the listen. It just feels a little bland and emotionless, so very corporate and overproduced. Even the screams and breakdowns do little for me, and are few and far between. The band was very much built on the interplay in vocals between Heidi and Carla, and without that it’s just another alt metal band in 2026. The closest thing to a “favourite track” is ‘Fever in my Neck’, and even then it’s not something I’d revisit all too often. If you’re a fan of the band or their current genre/sound, it’s probably worth a try, but it’s sadly not for me. It’s not bad, but I can’t give it any more than a 5/10. Distinctly average.

Doctor Nez: Nothing Short of Silver

The follow-up to their 2024 debut album, this EP is self-described as “the first instalment in a dark fantasy journey of an individual in the throes of a curse”. And, honestly, I kinda get that vibe! It’s dark and epic, and the story thread throughout certainly had me hooked. Musically it’s interesting too, slotting somewhere between Alice in Chains-esque heavy grunge, horror punk and just a touch of sleaze rock too. Heck, there’s even a doom-like edge to ‘Find Familiar’. It feels fresh and was a lot of fun! And, at 22 minutes spread across five songs and an intro track, it’s almost impossible to pick highlights, as it all flowed excellently! The band have a new fan in me, and I’ll be checking out their old stuff while also waiting patiently for whatever they have planned for a second instalment to this. A very solid 7.5/10 from us!

ASOMVEL: Set Your World on Fire

Album five from the UK heavy metal/rock’n’rollers picks up right where 2024’s amazing Born to Rock ‘n’ Roll left off. It’s 37-minutes of balls-to-the-wall riffing and drumming, and some fantastic and catchy vocal lines from Ralph Robinson. ‘King of the World’ opens things up perfectly, while the likes of the title track, ‘Eye of the Storm’ and ‘If It’s Too Loud, You’re Too Old’ are all other huge highlights. However, it’s all fantastic, from start to finish! Even when they push the boat out with the ballad ‘World at War’, it was awesome and worked surprisingly well, slotting perfectly in a bit later into the album. Outside of that track you know exactly what to expect from the band, and they once again deliver in spades! It’s easy to hear why they have gathered so much momentum in recent years, and they deserve every massive opportunity they have gotten. The comparisons to Motörhead are still obviously there, but it is in no way a bad thing, and we very much lack bands like them of this quality these days. If you are at all a more old-school rock and metal fan, this is absolutely the album for you. It’s every bit as good as their last release, and gets an easy 9/10!

Gareth: Halfway Home

We’ve also checked this out early, aren’t you lucky? Read our full review here!

Frozen Crown: The Legend of the Six Kings

Following on from 2024’s excellent War Hearts, the Italian power metallers once again give us an awesome collection of tracks with album six. It’s a balls-to-the-wall start with the excellent ‘Lightning in the Sky’, while the likes of ‘Who Wants to Burn in Heaven’, ‘The One’ and ‘Through the Fire’ are also bangers. Their Goo Goo Dolls cover was a little odd, but certainly grew on me with more listens. There really isn’t a bad song throughout though, and the 36 minutes goes by in a flash. It could have maybe done with a ballad, but honestly the album was so concise I didn’t miss it until a second listen. It’s exactly what you’d expect from a modern power metal album, especially if you are familiar with the band already. It perfectly combines the style with an old-school heavy metal vibe, and everyone involved is so damn talented. While I wouldn’t say it’s quite as good as their last album, it’s still a damn solid album! 8/10

Imminance: Axis Mundi

Max: Honestly, I think this is one of the best albums that I have heard this year. The Swedish band Imminence are back with their 6th full length album and damn its good! Starting off with an explosion of energy, the album seems like it will be one of their heaviest efforts yet. However, about halfway through the album you have a change to a shoegaze post rock track ‘If Not Now, When’ and this was really pretty. To be honest, it feels like the band is stretching their legs and exploring and I don’t think anyone can complain at a combination of Loathe and Imminence in one track. The next song, ‘Didn’t Think About You (Lately)’, is an interesting one; its very electronic and is definitely explorative in nature and at first I was unsure. It’s just so disconnected from what you would expect. That being said, listen to it a few times and I think you will come round to it. I would be surprised if it is your favourite track on the album but it is really good.

Towards the end of the album, you have a still somewhat slower and softer song in ‘Shed Your Skin’ before falling right in to the aggression and energy of ‘Power Divine’ which is just a front to back brilliant Imminence track. As for the final track ‘Exodus’, I personally find it to be a brilliant ending to the album. The solo alone at the end of the ‘metal’ part of the track is fantastic, but I actually have a huge soft spot for the beauty of the orchestral and atmospheric ending and I don’t think that there is a better way to end an Imminence album than with a string instrument. 9.5/10

Egokills: Brainbanger

One of my favourite albums of 2023, I somehow almost missed this dropping, but am damn glad I didn’t! This is another incredibly fun 37 minutes of banging riffs, catchy melodies and overall great stoner metal vibes. From the opener/title track to ‘Swan’, ‘Transition’ to ‘Dead Flowers’, it’s all so good! At only 10 tracks too, it feels like everything gets time to breathe, and everyone gets their time to shine. It’s another album that I think isn’t quite as good as their previous, but that’s damn hard as I adore their self-titled release and still spin it to this day. Still, it is an awesome album that I’d recommend to anyone with even a passing interest in rock music, or any musician at all. It will most likely grow on me more with more listens, like I think the last did, and it gets a very solid 8/10 from us!

Sorcery: The Immaculate Sin

The first album from the Swedish death metallers since 2019, the quintet show that they haven’t lost even a single step in that seven years. It’s 45 minutes of brutality spread across 10 awesome tracks, with the band working their asses off from start to finish. ‘Set the World Ablaze’, ‘Terminate’ and ‘Flood’ are personal favourites, but every song is pretty awesome! It’s all maybe a little too similar, especially given the length of it, but if you’re a fan of the style you’ll get a lot out of it, and I honestly don’t think I’d be able to cut any to shorten it! The band are all insanely talented, with some great riffs and melodic moments throughout. If you are into a more 2000s death metal sound this is well worth checking out, and I’ll certainly be spinning at very least my favourite tracks again! A pretty easy 7.5/10 from us!

GHØSTKID: FOLLOW THE WHITE RABBIT

Album three from the alt metaller is a really interesting listen. After recruiting a whole new band for this project, Sushi seems rather rejuvenated and focused, releasing maybe this best album yet. From single ‘IVORY’ to the title track to the modern nu-metal ‘UNCONDITIONALLY’, there are some really excellent tracks throughout. However, there really isn’t a bad song throughout, as even the more Bad Omens-like poppier tracks fit excellently with the album and I had fun with them. It’s such a fascinating blend of styles, from metalcore to gothic, industrial to post-hardcore, and feels wholly unique to GHØSTKID. His vocals are amazing too, his cleans reminding me of Nico Sallach while his screams are excellent. It’s easy to hear why they’re becoming a big name in recent years, and this will surly push them to even greater heights! If you are at all interested I’d recommend checking this out, and it gets a very easy 8.5/10 from us!

Inherited: ALL4ONE

Jade: This is the first time I’ve come across Inherited. They place themselves as a combination of Groove Metal, Thrash Metal and Hardcore Punk. And you know what, I am getting all of that and for someone who wouldn’t class themselves as a fan of Thrash, I’m kinda vibing with this. The drummer Neill Ray does not hold back in the slightest, he absolutely beasts the hell out of that drum kit. Everything about this EP is chucky and the vocals are everything I love in any metal music. Super aggressive and absolutely filthy in the breakdowns. A band I could see going down very well at festivals like BloodStock. If you check out one track off this EP, my favourite is ‘WASTED SPACE’. Purely for the absolute chaos, insane drums and absolutely filthy breakdown, followed by the most whimsical outro. Now I’m not 100% sold, and feel like I need to experience the band live to get my final opinion. But based off this first listen, they are a band I’ll keep a lookout for. 8/10

Lee Brice: Sunriser

While another pretty long country release, this is a really great album! The opener/title track sets the tone excellently, while everything from ‘Killed the Man’ to the dark, rocky ‘Devil’s at it Again’, the bro-country ‘What You Know About That’ to the guest-featuring ‘Drinkin’ Buddies’, there is a hell of a lot to love on this thing. Don’t get me wrong, there’s maybe a track or two too many, but the good far outweighs the bad, and nearly an hour goes by surprisingly quickly. His voice is phenomenal, fitting both the upbeat party vibes and the more sombre, emotional beats perfectly. It’s certainly an album I’ll be revisiting plenty moving forward, and is one I’d recommend to any country fan out there! It was well worth the six year wait between releases, and it’s another incredibly easy 8.5/10 from us!

Ruled by Raptors: A Shadow that Never Moves

Self described as a mini-album, this is nearly half an hour of brutal, excellent riffs and proggy, mathy arrangements. And, on top of that, there are some great melodic moments and some catchy vocal parts, too! ‘Fiends’, ‘Rescissory’ and ‘Static Collapse’ are personal highlights, but all of it is pretty excellent! I love the blend of styles, having elements of everything from punk to post-hardcore to metalcore to math rock, blending together into a really interesting melting pot. It’s a really great release that I would recommend to anyone into the quirkier side of rock and metal, and I already can’t wait to hear where they go from here! Until then though, I’ll certainly be spinning this again plenty. The closest thing I could find myself comparing it to is Tealdeer, but even then it’s a loose comparison. Either way, check this out! 8/10

Dexter and the Moonrocks: Friends that I Don’t Like

Firstly, I did not realise how crazy big this band has gotten. For a band of their weirdness to have 10M monthly listeners for their debut album is INSANE. It’s a real testament to how fantastic they are as songwriters and musicans, though. It’s crazy that it somehow feels like both a throwback to the 90s while simultaneously feels modern and unique in its own way. They’ve somehow described it perfectly themselves as “Western Space Grunge”. And, the album itself is awesome! ‘Mull it Over’, ‘Why Don’t you Say So’ and the Treaty Oak Revival-featuring ’12 Steps’ are all personal highlights, but there certainly isn’t a bad song throughout. It’s another album that’s maybe slightly long for the range of styles it encompasses, but is done in such a confident and excellent manor that it’s hard not to enjoy and admire it, still! If you are at all curious this is well worth a spin, and they are only going to continue to get bigger and bigger in the coming months and years. I feel like it’s another album that’ll grow on me, and I’ll certainly be listening again. For now though, it gets a solid 7/10!

Reviews

The Allfather Awakens: Amon Amarth Return with a Blistering New Album!

30th September 2026 Overtone 1 Comment

The viking metal legends return this coming Friday with album number 13. The band’s last release, 2022’s Great Heathen Army, was a good entry into their discography, but did feel like it played it a little safe with the sound. However, with the singles we have heard from this release so far, it feels like not only have they started experimenting more than ever, but they are firing on all cylinders too! So, when this came across our emails, there was no way we weren’t diving right into it! Without further ado, let’s do this.

The album opens perfectly, with ‘Gjallarhorn’ setting the tone excellently. The catchy chanting with the guitar following the melody is insanely memorable, and will go over a storm live. The faster riff comes in behind, and soon it all launches into the expected powerful melodeath the band are known for. Jocke Wallgren kills it on the drums from the get-go, and Johan’s unmistakable vocals are fantastic the moment the verse hits. And, despite the harsh vocals, there is an element of catchiness throughout, one that I will surely try (and fail) to scream along to on subsequent listens. It feels and sounds massive, from the production to writing, their folk and power metal elements adding so much to the base sound. The track is balls-to-the-wall throughout, and is a really great showcase for the rest of the album! Great stuff!

Single ‘Eight Legs of Thunder’ continues the vibe excellently from the opener. The riffing is awesome, the verse is chuggy, heavy greatness, and the lower growls from Johan are amazing! A great harmonised, melodic guitar lick leads to a massive, infectiously catchy chorus, one that is sure to be stuck in my head for days to come! The guitar solo in the middle is phenomenal too, technical and packed full of emotion, as well as having some truly amazing harmonies throughout. It has plenty of time to breathe too, being a decent chunk of the tracks runtime. It’s classic Amon Amarth in all the best ways, and is up there alongside their big heavy hitting tracks, in this writers humble opinion. It’s an amazing song, and one that easily makes our playlist!

The first album track from the release, ‘Kvasir’s Blood’, continues the heaviness, but is a little more plodding in its pace. I like it dropping down for the verse, it giving the heavy vocals even more weight. I also love the call-and-response in the second part of it, adding more depth and catchiness to it all. It all builds into another massive, power-death chorus, fitting the tone of the song excellently while still being very Amon Amarth. The dynamics of the track are great throughout if I’m honest, with bits dropping out and exploding back in at the perfect moments. And we even get some timing changes with bridge too, it also being another killer riff. The whole thing is another really great song, and memorable despite it being packed in by singles.

Speaking of singles, the last two from the release are up next. The lead single from the album, ‘We Rule the Waves’, dropped way back in July of last year, and is very much another typical Amon Amarth track! The lyrics are a little Wind Rose-like, especially in the chorus, but it will still go down a storm live as it’s insanely catchy. And instrumentally, it’s your typical epic death-infused metal. If you know anything about the band, this is exactly what you’d expect, and that certainly isn’t a bad thing! Then, however, ‘Upphaf’ changed things up rather dramatically. The band don’t do enough acoustic tracks, and this really highlights their range perfectly. Johan cleans up his vocals a bit, still growling but more spoken-word, almost singing. And it fits the stripped-back instrumentation perfectly. It’s the folkiest track on the album, and is such an excellent change of pace at the halfway point of the album. It’s another huge highlight of the album and a track I’d recommend to anyone, even if they aren’t typically into the band! It’s certainly a style they need to explore more!

Tracks like ‘Die with a War Cry’, ‘Raven God’ and ‘Oden’s Hunt’ are more standard tracks from the band. None of them are bad by any stretch, and fit the album excellently, but when they’re pretty similar I don’t want to keep repeating myself over and over in this review! They definitely have their place on the album, and I’d happily listen to them again not just as part of it but also on their own. I’m a big AA fan and these are sick, but you certainly know what to expect heading into them!

The title track, while also having a similar vibe, is another track that honestly has single written all over it! From the opening, ‘The Pursuit of Vikings’ style riff and pace to the the guitar melody following the already catchy verse vocals to the awesome chorus, it’s all so damn good. It’s perfect Amon Amarth, and another huge high point of the album! I really hope this becomes a fixture of their live sets, as I’d absolutely love to see it in person. It’s a track that I will be revisiting plenty in the weeks and months to come!

Check out a live review of them too here!

Then, we reach the epic closer, ‘Ascending Like an Eagle’. At almost seven minutes in length, everything gets plenty of time to breathe, and the whole band get a chance to shine. It’s heavy and fast, but also incredibly catchy and melodic, and goes by in a flash! It feels like it draws together almost everything before it on the release, and finishes things off perfectly! It’s yet another firm highlight of the album, as if the release isn’t already packed full of them!

Overall: This is a really awesome album! It’s exactly what you’d expect from the band, with a few twists and turns thrown in for good measure. Every song on it is excellent, and as I said there are a few that I would put up there alongside their very best! All of them work their asses off throughout and show why they are so beloved and respected in the scene, all being masters of their craft. If you are a fan of the band or their general style/genre, I would absolutely recommend giving it a listen ASAP! It’s my favourite they’ve put out since at least at least Berserker, and I’m going to HAVE to see this live soon!

The Score: 8.5/10

Interviews & Features

Fireflame: ‘We can’t wait to push our sound even further!’

29th September 2026 Overtone Leave a comment

We chatted to the rising stars of Japanese heavy metal, Fireflame, about their debut full-length and future plans. Check it all out below!

How would you describe your sound?

We define our sound as Modern Heavy Metal, which strives for a seamless fusion of classic 80s heavy metal and modern metalcore. We dislike being boxed into a single specific subgenre. Rather than simply mimicking the past or sounding overly modern, we pursue a style where both worlds are perfectly balanced and blended.

The album’s been out a couple of months now, it seems to have gone down really well! Is there a particular theme or story behind the album, or is it more that each track is its own story?

The album is actually built as a cohesive concept! Excluding the bonus tracks, all 12 main songs are interconnected, telling one continuous story from start to finish. Central to this narrative is the overarching theme of “the persistent inner fire within those who continue to fight for something they cannot give up.” Through this story, we wanted to convey a powerful message about facing adversity and refusing to bend, no matter what obstacles stand in your way!

What is your songwriting process like?

The main process usually begins with Connie Flames (Ba) and myself (FireRay, Gt) putting together rough demos. Once we have those initial demos, we bring them straight into the rehearsal studio.

We jam and play through the songs together as a full band, shaping and refining the arrangements and details on the spot. It’s through this hands-on studio session work that everyone’s ideas and energy come together to give the final song its full form.

Is there more writing going on already?

Yes, absolutely! We’ve actually already completed 3 brand new tracks, and we have several more demos in the works!

Even though our 1st album Force Against The End was just released, we’re already focused on and excited about the next album. We can’t wait to push our sound even further!

Do you have a busy rest of the year and start of 207 planned with live stuff?

Now that our debut album is finally out, we’re currently planning a tour and getting ready to hit the road. It’s definitely going to be a very busy and exciting time for us!

What is the heavy metal scene like in Japan? I feel like I’m starting to see more and more bands from the country!

Compared to its peak, heavy metal definitely isn’t in the mainstream spotlight here anymore, and honestly, our hometown scene in Osaka has declined quite a bit.

However, we have amazing bandmates of our generation who share the same passion, as well as inspiring seniors who support us. Because of that, I truly believe we can rebuild and reignite the scene from here and we want to be the band leading that charge!

You’re quite active on social media, do you have any advice you could give bands just starting out, in that regard?

Honestly, we don’t really have advice to give because we’re still just a starting-out band ourselves! Haha.

But if there’s one thing, it’s simply to keep doing it over and over again. Just put content out there constantly, stay active, and keep pushing without overthinking it!

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

Supporting heavy metal legends like Loudness, Judas Priest, or Bullet For My Valentine would be an absolute dream come true and it’s something we are determined to make happen!

As for who we’d bring with us, we want to bring everyone who has supported us on this journey. It sounds like a big dream, but we’re going to make it reality!

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

That’s a tough one! But the first song that came to my mind is “Painkiller” by Judas Priest. To me, it’s the ultimate heavy metal anthem from the legendary drum intro to the relentless riffs and twin guitars, it completely defines what heavy metal is.

new music mondays

New Music Mondays: Kenny Chesney, Tom Morello and More!

28th September 2026 Overtone Leave a comment

Yet another MASSIVE week for new releases, from country to rock to metal. Let’s check it all out together!

Kenny Chesney: Silver Sands Marina

The country legend is back with album 21, following 2024’s Born surprisingly closely. Firstly, he clearly read my last review back then, as this is almost half the length of that release, and much better for it. Secondly, this is an awesome collection of classic Chesney music, and I love it! While the opener kicked things off a little low energy and awkwardly, lead single ‘Carry On’ follows it up excellently and is a certified banger. Tracks like single ‘Goldfish’, ‘Shot a Car Into Space’ and the Colbie Caillat-featuring ‘What We Got Going On’ are also big highlights, but there really isn’t a bad song throughout! Sure, it’s a touch on the slower side again, but when it’s a shorter album it’s a hell of a lot less of an issue. That and the guy is pushing 60, so it’s rather expected. It’s so very late 90s, early 2000s country, and I loved every second of it! It’s crazy that at this point in his career he’s still putting out such high quality material, and it gets another solid 8/10 from us!

Tom Morello: Everyone Gets Everything They Want

The first solo album from the guitar legend in nearly five years is an interesting one. It feels like a tail of two halves, yet both halves don’t necessarily run as the first six tracks and then the last six. The instrumental opening into the title track had me pumped, and both are awesome tracks! Then it got a little weird for a bit. I genuinely had to watch the video for ‘Adjourn It’ to be able to hear that it was actually Serj, and a couple of the tracks after it didn’t do much for me. The song with KNEECAP was surprisingly pretty good, as was the Worldwide Rebel Songs-like ‘The Last Rung of the Ladder’ and the Audioslave ish ‘Pretend You Remember Me’. However, as an album as a whole, I don’t think I’d revisit it a whole lot, just the songs I like. Tom is still a phenomenal guitarist, and has clearly passed that gene down to his son who gets plenty of time to shine on the tracks he’s on, and I still surprisingly like his folky vocals. But his songwriting is in a strange place at the minute, tugged between his earlier solo stuff and a more modern metal sound, and it leads to slightly mixed results. I’d still prefer an all-out RATM track or two, but this is still good, and I’d recommend it to anyone even slightly interested! 7/10

Europe: Come This Madness

The rock legends are back with their first new studio album in nearly a decade. And, honestly, it is far better than I feel most expected it to be! ‘One on One’ is the perfect opener, setting the darker, heavier AOR tone of the album up excellently. From there, we get a solid 10 other tracks, all slotting together amazingly and leading to a very easy 41 minutes of listening! This sort of sound fits Joey’s vocals these days perfectly, and the band all work their asses off throughout, all getting plenty of time to shine, whether it’s big riffs, awesome solos and drum fills. Tracks like ‘Come This Madness’, the epic ‘Scandinavian Eyes’ and ‘The Devil’s Back’ are all personal favourites, but there really isn’t a bad song throughout! If you are at all an old-school rock fan, this album is an absolute must, and a showcase of just how amazing the band are still, nearly fifty years into their careers. 8.5/10, awesome stuff!

Warren Zeiders: No Breaks

Jade: I’ve not come across Warren Zeiders before, but straight off the bat I really like his voice. It’s really easy to listen to, super smooth with a little bit of a twang to it. He’s got that sound that fits quite nicely into what you would class as stadium country, but has a slightly more stripped back feel to it. You really get that feeling with the title track. It’s quite soft and builds up to more of an epic chorus. And the vocals in the chorus are pretty damn dreamy. I get my fix of country cringe with ‘overrated’ featuring Bellah Mae. More upbeat than the previous tracks, catchy and their voices blend like butter. What more could you ask for from a country love duet!

I do enjoy more of the upbeat side of country, and although a lot of the tracks on this album are more on the slower side, they are all so different which just pulls you into it more. It has the potential to be the most incredible experience at a more intimate gig, but could easily fill a much bigger venue and give massive energy. Especially with the more stripped-back verses that go into the catchy, punchy choruses. ‘Drinking Game’ is the perfect example of this. I really enjoy how much range Warren has in terms of style. He has switched between stadium country, to bro country and then even hitting us with a slightly more rocky vibe. The way he uses his voice in ‘Looks Good On You’ and ‘Souvenirs’ is giving a more country Nickelback vibe, and I’m here for it.

Honestly I could absolutely gush over every single one of these tracks, which has me presently surprised. It’s almost like there is a song for everyone on this album which is pretty refreshing for country artists these days. Regardless if it was a slower track or not, each track does its own thing, I wouldn’t really say any are one in the same. I have very much come away a fan and will be going back to check out some of Warren’s earlier stuff. 9/10

Lacrimas Profundere: Lay Me Down O Silent Fear

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

Volucrine: Chapter V: Renewal

Max: I don’t have the longest review out there on this one but here are my thoughts. The album is a pretty hard hitting and enjoyable ride front to back coming in at a somewhat longer 52 minutes, spread across 13 tracks. I’d say that there is a relatively standard formula of chunking riffs, some decent clean vocals, and then a breakdown or screamed chorus which I initially thought was this bands strongest point. However the clean vocals and more melodic points started to become more and more enjoyable. And then you get to my favourite track in the album hands down, ‘Drift’. I get that’s its the cliché emotional song in the later half of a metal album but damn is really good. Just everything about it is gorgeous and I wish for more like that. However it does also expose the album to its biggest issue in my opinion, Pacing. whilst it is mostly fine with no disjointed or jarring moments, the flow between ‘Swans’ -> ‘Drift’ and ‘Drift’ -> ‘The Future That Never Was’ is quite abrupted and feels a little out of rhythm with the rest of the album.

That being said, that is a rather weak criticism that is only used when you need to say when an album isn’t perfect. So ignoring that, the album is really quite good and one that I would recommend. Hopefully I can catch this group on tour at some point. 8/10

Wheeler Walker Jr.: Pullin’ Out

The apparent final album from the crass, comedic country genius is an expectly damn fun half-hour. If you are familiar with him already, you know exactly what to expect. If you aren’t, you may be in for a shock! It is certainly a lot if you’re a bit more conservative on the sex and drugs side of the world, but it’s hard not to have a good time with it regardless. It’s cleverly written, and the music is always surprisingly excellent and well produced behind the silly vocals. Tracks like the bluesy ‘Whiskey Dickin’’, ‘Old Piece of Shit’ and ‘Why Aren’t Suckin’ my Dick?’ are all personal favourites, but the whole album is pretty great! It’s a hard one because while I do think the joke may have run it’s course a little, it’s hard to not still love his music and his creativity, and it will be sad to see him go. If you like silly country music, this is absolutely the album for you! 8/10, I’ll certainly be listening to this plenty moving forward!

Nothing but Thieves: Stray Dogs

Following up 2023’s excellent Dead Club City, the English alt rockers have gone a bit heavier with Stray Dogs, and certainly in a good way! The title track sets the tone perfectly, while songs like ‘Testosterone’ and ‘AI.Jesus’ follow its lead. It’s a little bit Royal Blood or Deftones, you know, if Deftones were good. Then you have more expected-sounding tracks like ‘Evolution’ and ‘Baby Kool’. The album does sadly lull a bit too long in energy around the middle, but even those slower songs are still good. While I wouldn’t say it’s quite as monumental or memorable as their last release, it’s still a damn good album in its own right! The band are all so damn talented and, while they are a massive name, they deserve to be even bigger with their stellar recent output! There is plenty of greatness to sink your teeth into, and it goes by in a flash despite its length. A very solid 8/10 from us, and another album I will happily be revisting soon!

AJJ: Dirty Old Power

Album nine from the folk-punkers is an absolutely fantastic half-hour of music! While I remember somewhat enjoying 2023’s Disposable Everything, but it is also an album that I’ve revisited a lot since, and has grown on me a lot. This album, however, hit me immediately and I had a blast throughout! Honestly it’s hard to pick highlight tracks too, as I enjoyed every one in its own quirky way. Every song is different as well, making the album so interesting throughout. It’s chilled-out (aside for ‘Phlamethrower’), fun but also so very well written and put together, with some of the lyrics being really damn good. The band are true masters of their craft at this point, and have crafted something truly special together with this release. If you like the quirkier side of rock and folk music, I’d definitely recommend you check this out ASAP. I’ll certainly be spinning this again plenty moving forward, and it gets a very easy 8.5/10 from us!

Metalite: Discovery

Another band that I LOVED the last album of, and another band that once again knock it out of the park with their new album! It’s yet another amazing collection of fantastic modern power metal like really only Metalite can do. The release opens fantastically with the one-two punch of ‘Our Time has Come’ and ‘In Case of Emergency’, while ‘The Metal Elite’ and ‘Wings of Fire’ continue the excellence throughout. What’s more is there isn’t really a ballad on here either, it’s balls-to-the-wall for a full 46 minutes. Usually I’d feel like it would be an odd choice, but it absolutely works here! Every song is amazing, and it is a damn good follow-up to Expedition One. They are one of the most underrated bands in the modern power metal scene, and feel like true frontrunners alongside Dominum when it comes to quality output. I loved this, and it’s an incredibly easy 8.5/10 from us!

Max McNown: Leave on a Light

We’ve also checked this out in full, aren’t you lucky?! Read it here.

Coldrain: OPTIMISE = OPTDEMISE

Jade: I have very much enjoyed the odd coldrain track here and there over the past couple of years. However I will admit I’ve never taken the time to actually listen to an album in full. So what better time than now with this never release?

Coldrain is a band that gives me everything I love, from screams you’d expect in metalcore alongside melodic vocals, which combine in the best way. The opening track ‘OPTIMISE’ did not disappoint, and god did it remind me why I like this band so much. Masato’s vocals are just so impressive going between such cleans to those nasty, aggressive screams. Sais cleans really shine in the next track ‘CHASING SHADOWS’. I will say I have absolutely no idea what I’m taking about when it comes to any sort of instruments, but I can appreciate how hard the rest of the band slaps. Katsuma beats the hell out that drum kit throughout, and there is crazy impressive guitar from Sugi and Y.K.C. Of course we can’t forget how chunky the bass line is in these tracks thanks to RxYxO.

If you want a song that shows all of that then ‘INCOMPLETE’ is the one for you.
And holy moly, I was not ready for “FREE FALL”. God damn I had to take a second for how heavy that was. Those screams are so filthy. Then to bit hit with a dirty breakdown midway too. That one is straight on my playlist! ‘EX-HUMANITY’ give a bit of a different vibe, still very good, but definitely more of a track with the intent of getting a message across to listeners. Which don’t get me wrong is the running theme throughout the album, touching on how people have changed and what humanity is anymore. This particular track just feels a little more direct to that sentiment. I wasn’t expecting a ballad on this Album, but ‘SING’ is exactly that, and it’s bloody beautiful and an amazing showcase for Masato’s vocals yet again. The album finishes on ‘SAVIOR’ which is way more walking the line of hardcore than the rest of the album. Kenta Koie features in this track, who I’m not personally familiar with, but god damn is he impressive! Those screams really are something else, and it fits so well alongside Masato’s vocals and the rest of the band. It couldn’t be a more perfect collab.

Overall, this has been a really great album, some tracks definitely outshined others but the stronger ones were spaced nicely through the album which gave it a good pacing. This is one I would definitely recommend checking out! 8/10

Pyre of Descent: Albedo

The first release from the German gothy, proggy metallers since the pandemic times is an epic 50 minutes of darkness and chaos. Let’s get the obvious out of the way, it’s certainly not going to be for everyone. It’s only six tracks, with the closer being over 13 minutes in length. However, I had a good time with it! Everyone involved is super talented, playing their asses off, and I love that the tracks flow into one another! It’s a heavier version of old-school goth music that I never knew I needed in my life until now! ‘Die for Us’ and the epic, plodding ‘At Sea’ are personal highlights, but the album as a whole is well worth a listen if you’re interested. The band very much have a new fan in me, and it’s a very easy 7.5/10 from us!

Scorpion Milk: Flesh Masks for Skulls

Following up on last year’s debut album, the band very much continues on its journey of cult post-punk/gothic-metal music. It’s dark but high energy and surprisingly catchy throughout. Opener ‘Dreaming Skulls’ is a lot of fun, and sets the tone for the EP excellently. However, every track on here is just as good as the last, and makes for an incredibly easy, fun listen. If you are at all into this sort of style, this is absolutely something you need to be checking out! The band have a new fan in me, and I already can’t wait to hear more from them. Mat McNerney is an incredible talent and mind in the music business, and doesn’t get nearly the flowers he deserves! 8/10

Godflesh: Decay

Less than two years removed from their last massive album, the doom masters are back with another crushing 40+ minutes of music. It is very much an acquired taste and not at all for everyone, including myself to be honest. It’s a lot of the same riff over and over, and the mix is very odd, the vocals being so low in it. ‘Living/Ending’ is probably my favourite on here, and none of it is bad at all, just not my thing. If you are into grandiose, traditional doom/stoner stuff, give it a spin, but I shan’t be trying it again, sadly. 4.5/10

Stryper: Throne of Thorns

Barely two years removed from their last album, the glam/heavy metal legends are back with their 15th studio effort. If you are familiar with the band it’s exactly what you’d expect, and that isn’t at all a bad thing! It’s packed full of awesome riffing, solid drumming and some catchy-ass choruses. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a tiny bit on the religious side for me, but it doesn’t take away much at all from the awesome writing and musicianship. Tracks like ‘Here in Your Heart’, ‘Carry the Flame’ and ‘Alone Again’ are all personal highlights. The whole album has their typical brand of grandiose, epic metal, especially when it comes to those more soft-rock choruses, and while it does get a very slight touch repetitive by the end, it’s impossible to think of any songs that I’d change or cut to change that. The band have added yet another great release to their solid, growing discography, and this is a must for any fans of the band. 7/10

Dylan Gossett: Ramblin’

As if last year’s Westward wasn’t good enough, barely a year later the modern country superstar somehow knocks it even further out of the park with his sophomore release! Right from the opener I was hooked, and wasn’t let go for the full 44 minutes. His blend of country, folk and Americana is phenomenal, and his lyrics and the delivery of them throughout is captivating. ‘Love and Such’, ‘Honeysuckle’ and ‘Head in the Clouds’ are all massive high points for me, but honestly the whole album is spectacular. Even with the ending quarter being generally o the slow side, it still went by in a flash, and I loved every minute of it. I honestly cannot rave about this album enough, and it’s just as good as his first, if not somehow even better. This is an album for anyone even slightly a fan of any of the genres I mentioned above, and I can’t give it any less than a 9/10. Amazing stuff!

Red Code: Traces of unease and discomfort, Pt. 1

The debut EP from the alt/prog metallers is a fantastic 23-minutes journey through each members’ experiences. Each of the five tracks are not only great, but so interesting and fantastically written, and all represents and sounds like a different sound and angle of the band. Because of that, it’s honestly so hard to pick individual highlight tracks, as this really feels like an EP worth listening to in full at least once! I already can’t wait to hear where the band go from there, and they deserve so much love already because of how good this is! It’s heavy and melodic in all of the best ways, and everyone involved is so very talented. An easy 8/10 from us, and I can’t wait for part 2!

Mikey Ball & The Company: Keep the Fire Burning

The sophomore album from the hard rockers is a short, sweet, awesome affair! It’s got not just an old-school rock feel to it, but almost a punk edge too. It gives off vibes of everything from Ricky Warwick’s solo stuff to Social Distortion to American Aquarium. And, at under half an hour, it’s an incredibly easy listen! ‘Pressure’, ‘No Time to Lose’ and the closer are all personal highlights, but the other four songs are also awesome! The band are all very talented players and songwriters, and work so well together. It’s a name that I’d seen around a lot recently but hadn’t had the pleasure of really checking out much until recently. However, the band have a big new fan in me, that’s for sure! I’ll be spinning this plenty in the week and months to come, I’m sure, and it gets an easy 8/10 from us!

Lawrence Rothman: Here Lies Love/Sawdust to Stardust

Another country release for us this week, this one a bit more slower and steadier. It’s a beautiful, stripped-back release, and if you’re into that sort of style you’ll love it! I had a lot of fun with it, even if it did get slightly long-in-the-tooth by the end. ‘A Word’s a Weapon’ and ‘Worn Out Woman’ are personal favourites of mine, but all are equally as great in quality as they are in sound. Lawence has gained a real cult following over his previous four albums, and it’s easy to see why. I’ll certainly be going back and checking them out, as despite it not fully being my thing, I did have a good time listening to it! It’s the perfect album to throw on and relax to, though some of the lyrics are really deep and emotion-filled at the same time. A solid 7/10 from us!