The fourth album from the Finnish doomy melodeath band drops tomorrow, but with that genre description I just knew I had to check out the whole thing early and fully! I’m not familiar with the band in any way and am going into this completely blind, but am already pretty hyped for it. Let’s dive in and see what it’s like!
The album explodes right into a melodic riff to open ‘The Art of Grieving’. It immediately gives off huge melodeath vibes in the best way. The clean ‘oh’s in the back were a nice touch and added so much depth to the song. The screams come in for the verse, grounding it firmly in the metal camp, and fit it perfectly. THAT riff in the middle is TASTY, and the growl that brings it into a solid breakdown is incredible. Honestly, the vocals throughout the track are amazing, showing off a great range and always being exactly what the track needs. Between that and the amazing guitaring, it’s a great way to open the album, and an easy highlight, for sure!
The riffing to open ‘In a State of Agony’ is INCREDIBLE, harkening back to the heydays of BFMV or Killswitch, scratching that metalcore itch perfectly. However, then the screams come in and perfectly shift it towards the death side of camp. The awesome verse leads to an epic chorus and damn, this song is honestly the perfect melodeath track. Heck, we even get a clean section of the second verse, building up through a fantastic guitar solo and third verse into a truly epic final chorus and riff to take us home. The structure of both songs so far have been really interesting, showing the band’s attention to detail and innovation in their songwriting. Another incredible song!
‘Fragile Chapters’ brings more great riffing, melodic leads, and more brutal screams. It’s hard not to compare to the likes of In Flames or Children of Bodom, but honestly, I’d say Shadecrown are doing it just as good as the legends of the genre, at this point. The chorus is amazing, somehow being infectiously catchy from the vocal and guitar melodies. And we get yet another awesome clean section with some incredible soloing over the top, giving the track a lot of dynamics and making the heavy bits even heavier! The track all feels like it leads to that HUGE, brutal breakdown too, as it should, as it’s fucking incredible! Yet again, it’s another fantastic song and huge highlight!
‘Gone’ builds up through keys into an almost modern metal riff, though the epicness still keeps it separate to others in that genre. It’s a slower paced track but is no less heavy; like a melodeath ballad. The voicemail bit in the middle was a cool touch, and somehow fit the song perfectly, giving it even more emotional charge. It’s a simpler track but hits HARD, providing a slight reprive from the balls-to-the-wall pace so far while still feeling very Shadecrown.
‘Zero’ brings back the riffs immediately and perfectly, and is yet another phenomenal heavy melodeath song. Heck, so is half of the rest of the album! ‘Inadequate’ has maybe my favourite growls on the release. Then you have the stomping, heavy closer ‘Repentance’ that closes things out perfectly, drawing together elements of all that came before it while being crushing in its own way. All are awesome songs just as good as each other!
Then, we round out the album with two slower songs, ‘Under the Waves’ and single ‘Tear-Blind’. The former starts with a beautiful acoustic guitar intro, exploding into melancholic heaviness and an epic, sorrowful feeling throughout, changing the pace dramatically but perfectly. The harmonised clean vocals on it are amazing, and add so much depth. The heaviness is still very much present, but over a darker, bittersweet soundscape that still fits the album amazingly. Meanwhile, the latter is a truly epic track that boarders on power or atmospheric black metal in terms of its size and scope. The slow build of more and more parts through the intro and low-but-heavy verse into that huge choruses is amazing. It’s very clear why it was chosen as a single, and it was a very good choice! And those low screams towards the end… *chefs kiss*. It’s yet another amazing song and another highlight on an album packed full of them!
Overall: I LOVED this. I’d somehow never heard of the band before now but am immediately desperate to check out the rest of their back catalogue. I don’t feel like we get enough melodeath released these days, at least that makes it over to the UK, so to get some of such insanely high quality is amazing. If you are at all into the heavier side of metal, I can’t recommend this album enough, and it’s insane that they aren’t a massive name in the scene already. They have a huge new fan in me, and I’ll be spinning this a lot for the next few months, I’m sure!
A day after our trip to Download (not reviewing it, it feels weird to review one day of a three day festival) we headed up to Birmingham for a night of folky, dark metal goodness. Three awesome bands packing out a small, hot venue that’s been recently refurbished and reopened; it was set to be a good night! Let’s dive into all three and let y’all know just how awesome they were!
Kicking off the night were the gothic metallers Reliquia. They were the only band I hadn’t checked out beforehand, but they came away with a big new fan in me! They’re a sort of style I love; the epic, dark, gothy-doom sound, and reminded me a lot of bands like My Dying Bride. It had all the best elements of doom and black metal, but also sounded pretty unique. And for a venue as small as it was to get a sound as massive as the band produced was amazing, so big props to the sound guy as well as the band for producing a great show. The band are all hugely talented, playing perfectly along with their organ-and-bass backing track as well as writing some awesome songs. And they really grew into their performance, too. They seemed a touch nervous at first, but as the packed room got more into it so did the band, with Gregg in particular being a great frontman by the end. He also had some of the best live vocals I’ve heard in a while; from low singing to awesome screams they were all great. As I said, they won me round pretty quickly into a new fan, and I’d recommend checking them out if you haven’t already!
Next up were the reason we were there, the incredible LN. After seeing them at Winters End back in February and falling in love, we knew we had to see them again ASAP. To the shock of I’m sure no one, we once again were blow away by the band! They’re one of the most interesting bands in the UK underground scene today, as well as being one of the best live bands around. Their studio work is phenomenal and translates perfectly live, especially in such an intimate setting. There was no denying the crowd were there for them, and they played off it perfectly. Heck, they even got a pit going, which I was not expecting at all! LN is such an engaging and magnetic frontwoman, having the crowd in the palm of her hand throughout. Everyone else also put on a great show though, as well! From their popular older stuff to new preview songs and latest single ‘Hellfire’, it was a fantastic set, too. They band are clearly going to go far fast, and it’s so cool seeing them in these small venues before they blow up!
Headlining the night were Scotlands own Trowsholm. Right off the bat it was an interesting collection of people; a viking, a wizard, someone in a matching short, shirt and bucket-hat combo and a thrasher… seems like the start of a bad joke! However, it made for one hell of a party mood right from the offset, and the band kept said mood high through the whole set. They were potentially the heaviest band of the night, and at very least the highest energy and paced, and it made for an awesome headline set! It felt almost like a heavier Alestorm, so impossible not to love! They travelled far to be at the gig and made sure it was worth it as they put on a show from beginning to end. They were the least ‘my thing’ of the night but I still had a blast, as did the still-packed-out crowd around me! They were polished and professional while still feeling fun and more light-hearted, and I can’t recommend them enough!
Overall, it’s was an absolutely amazing night of live music! All three bands knocked it out of the park and fit so well on the same bill together. I cannot recommend seeing all three of them enough if they come close to where you are, and I already want to see all of them live again already! And plus, shoutout to the venue, which was awesome, and is helping keep rock and metal alive in one of the most important cities for it!
We had the chance to sit down for a chat with the amazing Tooth & Dagger the other day, talking about their latest single and tours and their sound in general. Check it out below!
How would you describe your sound?
Inadequately. People need to listen for themselves because there is a lot more than good old heavy riffs going on: we love blending genres and a lot of what we are writing now is peppered with electronic elements and an orchestral score – playing with a live orchestra would be a dream come true. We’ve had a lot of comparisons to Architects, especially with our new single ‘Drift’, and no doubt they’re one of the bands we all vibe with. Linkin Park has been another name mentioned. Our lead singer Dante is an incredibly diverse vocalist so people don’t quite know what to make of us as it’s hard to tie us in to any particular genre. Although we are under the metal umbrella, and looooove breakdowns, there’s a lot of groove and bounce in what we do, we try to have fun, and we try to keep people guessing as to what will happen next – three of us already sing and growl live, but there’s been a lot of talk about Phil Collins on this last tour…
You’ve just put out a new single, it seems to have gone down well?
We’re delighted with the response to ‘Drift’ so far. People who know our back catalogue might be surprised at what they are hearing: orchestral arrangements, acoustic guitars, synths… an attempt at dubstep!… That made us a wee bit apprehensive before we put it out, but the positive feedback has put that out of our mind. This is us, and we’re proud of it. We’ve put down a marker with ‘Drift’ as it was a big turning point for us as a band.
Would you say your writing has evolved on it compared to your work couple of years ago when you first started out?
Hugely. Like night and day. It’s pretty typical for bands to have very strong shared influences which naturally guide their sound in the beginning, but we didn’t have that at all! A friend of ours described our approach as like “driving with 5 hands on the wheel”, because we have such a diverse range of influences, styles and tastes. Imagine trying to get Fall Out Boy, Elton John, the Prodigy and Gojira to collaborate and you’re starting to get an idea of what we are up against! Knitting all that together has been…challenging, but worth it. We’ve developed a better understanding for each other so the writing feels more collaborative and unified even if, like ‘Drift’ did, it started out as one person’s brainchild.
Is this new single the start of an album or EP cycle? Or is the plan to stick to singles for now?
There is a lot of creativity bubbling away within the band at the moment just desperate to burst out. It’s time we harnessed that, so we are currently blasting through all the little ideas which we squirrel away in voice notes, half memories, rehearsal recordings, napkin lyrics etc and turning the best of those into our first full-length album. We’re already gigging some new unreleased material and it has been going down really well on this tour, so we’ve got a feeling another single or two will sneak out soon. It’s no secret we are excited about where our music is right now and what is coming next, because we truly feel a Tooth & Dagger ‘sound’ is emerging and we just want to ride that wave and see where it takes us.
What would you say the state of the underground music scene is in currently? Seems to be better than it has been in a while!
The sheer number of bands is astounding. We can’t keep up! Clearly there is an appetite for people to create music which has to be a good thing. We would all like to see more of those bands making it to the very top but there are encouraging signs for sure. South Arcade are smashing it right now; Acres are going out to the US too; Native James will be huuuuge this year; AltBlkEra have worked hard to build massive hype for their new album; our friends Nameless are on Alyx Holcombe’s radar… the list goes on. It’s tough for venues of course, but we saw excellent examples of how it can be done successfully on our recent tour with Away With the Seas.
Got a busy gigging year planned? You’re on tour with Away with the Seas, right?
Our busiest so far and we’re having a blast! The tour with AWTS was wicked. A big success. 4 cities we’d never played before, so many new friends, incredible crowds and some great memories. Friday in Chelmsford and Saturday in Cambridge were near enough full capacity and we feel honoured to have been a part of that, especially since many small venues are struggling to stay open at the moment. In both cases, the management and staff were top notch, with a clear goal to grow their local scene by being an entertainment hub. It’s only the beginning though; we are back out at the End of Feb in the midlands and hitting the South West in July. We’re also taking part in Birmingham’s metal 2 the masses so you never know…Bloodstock?
You’re pretty active on social media, do you have any advice on a band just starting out on how to use it to their advantage?
We’re glad that you think so haha. We are still learning how to best utilise the various platforms, but are enjoy connecting with our fan base which although small, is growing. Advice? It’s a cliche, but be yourself. People need real connections in life and that’s not going to happen if you’re not authentic, so try and showcase who you really are and what the band is about. Unless you’re a dick, in which case just be nice! Seriously.
Do you have a dream tour lineup you’d want to be a part of? Anyone you’d want to support or bring along with you?
It’s got to be Sleep Token. We all went to their Birmingham show with Bilmuri supporting…unbelievable. We’re all obsessed. Obviously Archtitects, BMTH, Bad Omens are at the top of their game. As a smaller band, the ideal is to play with bands whose fans have a good chance of enjoying our music too. Don Broco springs to mind, but of the more up and coming bands: Blackgold would be a lot of fun to see night after night, Conquer Divide have so many elements that we adore, Dreamstate have mad energy and Defences definitely have a strong sound. Over in the USA, it’s got to be Aurorawave, that would be an incredible tour!
The underground thrash legends Thrasherwolf are set to release their highly anticipated second album this coming Friday. I’ve been a fan of the band a few years now, and a huge fan of the genre since my youth, so I knew I just had to review this in full. Plus, the single we checked out already (more on that below) was amazing, so I can’t wait to hear the rest!
The album starts off with a bang with ‘Final Act of Aggression’. The lightening quick riffing brings me mentally to the 80s Bay Area scene in all the best ways. The vocals fit perfectly over the top, giving off more Kreator vibes than anything else. The chorus is also surprisingly catchy for the style of music, plenty of places for crowds to get involved and chant! Having said that, it’s rare that bands in the thrash scene feel dangerous these days, but Thrasherwolf certainly have that fantastic edge and aura to them (live too). It’s refreshing, and great to see. The quick bit around the middle mark with the vocal stabs being in time with the drum hits is incredible and so very well written. It only emphasises the speed and aggression going on in all the best ways. Honestly, this song is incredible, and such a good way to open the album. It easily makes our playlist!
We are already more than familiar with the awesomeness that was the album’s lead single. ‘G.B.H’ is a masterclass of old-school thrash, and a true demonstration of the entire band’s insane playing abilities. The tempo changes from drummer Zaq is honestly genius, while Dan’s vocals and guitaring are up there with any other thrash icon. And, on top of that, it’s another catchy track with some fun lyrics. If you want to check out me gushing over it even more, see the video below. I’ve barely stopped listening to it this week!
‘Hanging House’ of course keeps the speed and aggression turned up to 11. We’re only three tracks in and already my neck is starting to hurt from headbanging, this isn’t good… It’s another awesome Kreator/Slayer style thrash song though, the riffing being a massive highlight alongside the vocals and, of course, the blistering soloing. It’s just damn good thrash metal played to the very highest standard by the band, and another incredible song!
‘Scream Till Death’ has a bit of a slower, more stomping pace, and gives off way more Ride the Lightening era Metallica vibes than the other tracks so far. Even when it speeds up massively, there are still hints of the metal gods in there. It’s another amazingly fun thrash song, though, especially with the chorus harkening back the slower riffing. The bridge, while a touch cheesy, is also 80s thrash to a tee and is so good. Heck, we even get a drop-out to just bass, which was awesome and created such a great dynamic near the end of the track. I cannot get enough of this album, and clearly it shows in this review!
“They can all suck the massive dick that I have” is some Slipknot’s ‘Get Out’ levels of hilarious, crazy lyrics, and I’m all here for it. ‘Shameless Loser’ is yet another awesome thrash track. Most of the rest of the tracks are, tbh. Both ‘Consumed’ and ‘Inside the Sickened Mind’ are excellent examples of modern, heavy thrash metal with an old-school edge. The only reason I’m not talking about them separately is so I don’t gush over the same things over and over and make this a real repetitive, boring review to read. However, I’d recommend all three tracks as much as I possibly can! Shout-out to the latter track though, which is a whopping seven-plus minutes in length and makes full use of it. An amazing drop-out in the middle to a truly evil clean (then dirty) guitar melody, building up perfectly more and more on top. *chef’s kiss*
Before the epic title track, we get the only change/slowing of the pace of the album in ‘Haunted’. As blasphemous as it is for some thrash fans, I always like it when thrash bands slow down and do a darker almost-ballad. And this track is really no exception. The clean, simple, haunting (pun intended) guitar riff to open sets the track up perfectly, giving way to a rather epic distorted one. The dynamics of the track are perfect, with plenty of changes around each part. Daniel’s vocals fit just as perfectly over this as it does the angrier stuff; a true testament to his talents. And yet again, it’s another incredible, infectiously catchy chorus. And we still have time for a blistering, awesome guitar solo to boot, and I love it when it followed the main melody at times too. This song is AMAZING, and another massive highlight of the album.
Overall:Goddamn, what a sick album! I’m not sure how much of it is me feeling starved of old-school-feeling thrash, but fuck man, I can’t get enough of this album. Every track is amazing, and the whole thing will be making it onto my personal playlist when it’s out. I cannot recommend this enough not just to thrash fans, but just metal fans in general. The band have really come into their own with this release, showing why they should be the future of heavy music, at least in the UK, and their take-no-prisoners attitude will surely get them to that point. This is gonna be very high on our list of albums of the year come December, and I can’t give it any less…
It’s been a hot minute since we’ve done one of these, but we have three AWESOME EPs for us to check out today! Let’s dive right in!
Drenched: Grey
I immediately fell in love with this EP and this band; that’s how good this is. The early Tool meets early Nirvana/Alice in Chains sound is amazing, yet somehow brings the 90s sound into a modern day environment perfectly. There’s even a bit of Deftones throughout that I generally can’t get into, but this band somehow do it better than Deftones do. Everything from the incredible riffing to the amazing drumming to the excellently fitting vocals had me captivated throughout, and the band are insanely talented.
Every song is amazing, but it’s hard not to point to the opener and ‘(in)sane’ as being standouts, and both are present on our playlist! However, if anyone is into anything I’ve stated above, or post-grunge/nu metal on top of that, this is the perfect 20-odd minutes for you. The Brits have truly exploded out of the gate with their debut EP here, and I can see absolutely massive things for them in the very near future! I can’t give it any less than 10/10
Seige Perilous: Creation’s Call
This is traditional/power metal awesomeness. It gives off big Iron Maiden meets Hammerfall vibes, and I am all for it! Much like the previous EP, it had me hooked from the excellent opener, through the awesome ‘Creations Call’ and to the epic closer. Shockingly, as I don’t say this very often with EPs, it works perfectly as a shorter release. The band hit us with all-killer, no-filler for the full thing, and go balls-to-the-wall throughout. If this was longer, I’d have felt the need for a change of pace at some point, (which I’m sure the band could also pull off amazingly too) but this was short, sweet, to the point and gave us exactly what the band are all about. They’re talented as anything and show it off to perfection here. As a sophomore release too, it carries on the band’s sound and legacy perfectly! 8.5/10
Prisoner: House of Cards
The Canadian band set out to return to their heavy rock roots, and by the sound of things they have very much done just that. This thing is like Prong but with punk vocals over the top, like the really early days of thrash or crossover. The production fits perfectly with the old-school feel too, feeling like it’s ripped right out of the 80s. The vocals really grew on me throughout, him being able to hit some damn impressive high notes!
This thing honestly felt like it was too short, I’d love to have had more from them. Especially with the variety shown between the three tracks. Heck, the slower track, ‘On a Sunday’, is my favourite track on the EP, though the other two are close second and third. I somehow missed the band’s album back in January, but I’mma have to go back and check it out now, as I loved this! 8/10
The German metal legends Accept are back with their 17th studio album. If you remember, we lovedtheir last one, so have been rather impatiently waiting for this one to be released since it was announced. The singles so far have been excellent, so I can’t wait to hear the full thing!
‘Diving Into Sin’ surprisingly opens slower than I expected, a fantastic clean, Egyptian-style guitar riff being the main focus. Even when the drums, bass and distortion comes in, it maintains that similar Iron Maiden Powerslave-era feel, which I love. Mark Torillo’s iconic vocals soon come in over the top as the pace quickens to more of the expected thrash styling. It’s utterly insane that, now pushing 70, Mark’s vocals are so fantastic and effortlessly powerful, really showing how well he looks after them. It all builds into an awesome chorus, both catchy and heavy in equal measure. The call-and-response style battle between Mark and the backing vocals, over the top of the awesome riffing, was exactly what I was expecting and hoping for with this album. And of course, we get a face-melting guitar solo tucked in the middle of this. The technical skill on display was awesome, and the cutting out part was really interesting! This is one hell of a way to open an album, and easily makes it onto our playlist immediately!
The album’s title track is up next, keeping things heavy in the same way and style the band are known for. The lyrics for this one are a tad on the nose, but the music behind them, and their delivery too, are all so good that it more than makes up for it. It’s a straight-forward modern NWOBHM track filled with everything you’d expect from the band; awesome riffs, huge choruses and blistering solos. And it’s another awesome song!
The same can be said for the likes of ‘Frankenstein’, ‘The Reckoning’ and closer ‘Southside of Hell’. All are fantastic songs, don’t get me wrong, giving off heavy Painkiller vibes as well as their typical output since their 2009 reunion. Heck, I loved the former that much that it’s another track that easily makes it onto our playlist! All three tracks are just rather similar, and also similar to the opening two tracks, and I simply don’t want to repeat myself over and over and make this review rather boring! As I said, all are great tracks that if you’re a fan of traditional metal you will certainly love!
Meanwhile, songs like ‘Man Up’, ‘Nobody Gets Out Alive’, ‘Straight Up Jack’ and ‘Unbreakable’ are all lighter, sounding more like their old-school 80s sound, closer to AC/DC or early Priest, like ‘Balls to the Wall’. Yet again, all are fantastic, foot-stomping tracks closer to rock than metal. I feel like I’m going to have the chorus of ‘Nobody…’ stuck in my head for days to come!
‘Ravages of Time’ is one of two slower songs on the album. It has a distinctly European, power/heavy metal feel to it immediately that I love. The clean guitars and simple drums fit together with Mark’s vocals just as well as the heavier stuff. The lyrics are pretty fantastic too, a bittersweet tale woven perfectly. The dynamics of the track are phenomenal too, going from stripped-back to the more distorted, massive chorus perfectly. And all of the guitar work is of course impeccable. I love this song, and I hate that it hits me far harder than it should. It’s another song that easily creeps onto our playlist!
The final track on the album is just as fantastic as all the others. ‘Mind Games’ feels like a perfect mid-ground between the 80s and 90s heavy metal sounds that the band straddle for most of the album. The main riff running through it is galloping awesomeness, and Mark’s vocals are just as on point as ever. And the backing vocals through the pre and chorus make it all so massively catchy and arena-filling. It’s another highlight track, for sure!
Overall: The more I listened to this, the more I loved this. After their last album I came into this with pretty high hopes, and while I at first felt a tad underwhelmed, by the end I was certainly feeling it. There really isn’t a bad song on the album, and I’d easily put a couple of them up there with some of the bands very best. Too Mean to Die was up there in our top 10 albums of 2021, and honestly looking back 8/10 then seemed a little harsh. I have to say I didn’t quite enjoy this as much as that last album, though that may change with subsequent listens. It’s a very good, overall more-solid release than the last one, so I’ll happily give it another…
The Finnish Sludgy-doom metallers are set to release their brand new EP on Thursday. I’m not at all familiar with the band and they only appeared to burst onto the scene last year. However, I love the genre they play and am excited to hear this. And, at only three tracks long, I couldn’t not check it out!
The title track opens the EP perfecto with a sludgy, heavy wall of sound and an excellent riff. It speeds up heading into the verse, almost turning into a thrash/death metal track. The vocals very much reinforce that point too, it being a pretty gritty scream. It slows up into a pretty awesome, groovy bridge riff around the 1:30 mark, it almost having stoner metal vibes when it drops out to just guitar and bass a couple of times. We also get some cool little drum solo bits in the middle, everyone being given a chance to shine throughout. It continues to be heavy throughout, there being multiple awesome riffs in the last two plus minutes that honestly by the end of it my neck hurt from headbanging so much. And the screams in the breakdown at the end… *chefs kiss*. It’s a fantastic way to open the EP, and easily makes our playlist!
‘Sons of Heavy Rain’ opens on one hell of a doom riff or three, and I love it! The main riff through it kinda reminds me of Judas Priest from the 90s onwards too; that awesome technical style and a little lighter than the previous track. The solo over the top matches the feel and vibe perfectly, too. The heaviness of course comes back in with the harsh vocals, but it almost gives off Entombed-style death’n’roll more than anything else. Especially with all the guitar melody and soloing throughout. It has a pretty catchy chorus too with the backing vocals giving it a big hand in that direction. It all combined together perfectly to sound heavy, epic and catchy all at the same time. I honestly can’t get enough of this track, everything about it is awesome. From the vocals to the balls-to-the-wall drumming to the insane guitaring; riffs and pinch harmonics and soloing galor, it’s all amazing. So far the EP is two for two on playlisted tracks!
The final track on the far-too-short EP, ‘Swamp Hammer’ does the Batushka thing of having a slow, low, atmospherically distant riff go on for arguably too long. How very, very stoner-doom of them. As it picks up we get an AWESOME riff that keeps pretty stonery. Even with the harsh vocals giving it a death edge, it’s still undoubtedly sludgy and doomy. And again, multi-tracked vocals make for a pretty catchy chorus! Some of the low growls in the back at times too, damn. There’s a fantastic guitar solo tucked away in the middle, technically fantastic and fit the style of the song perfectly. And we even get an INSANE bass solo too, just as good as the guitar one. This song utterly blew me away and I don’t care, all three of these go on our playlist. Shit, that was awesome.
Overall: As you can probably tell, I loved this! It’s of course a rather niche genre, but I’m big into the style and these guys did all of it to perfection. All three tracks are as good as each other, and all are incredible. I HAVE to see ‘Swamp Hammer’ live, my god I hope they tour near me soon. It’s not going to be for everyone, but if you’re a fan of metal at all check it out, it may definitely surprise you. It’s not often I give this out for EPs, but it can’t be anything else…
A pretty stacked week as always this week, with everything from rock to country to metalcore. Let’s check it all out!
Blue Oyster Cult: Ghost Stories
The legendary rock band are back with their 16th studio album. The gap between the last two albums was a whopping 19 years, so it’s so nice to see the band clearly finding their passion for writing again, returning with another only four years later. And, what’s even better… it’s good! Is it as good as some of their best work? Not quite. But for a band that are going on six decades at this, they are doing a phenomenal job. Buck and Eric’s vocals still sound just as great together as they did in the 70s, and come up with some awesome, catchy vocal hooks and melodies. Tracks like ‘Cherry’, ‘Soul Jive’ and the jazzy ‘Shot in the Dark’ are personal highlights. Heck, we even get a great punk track with ‘Kick Out the Jams’. However, honestly, there isn’t a bad track on the album. It’s great, fun, chilled out soft-bluesy rock, and if you’re a fan of the band already you’ll love it, I’m sure! It probably won’t make our Best Albums of 2024 list, but it’s a damn good album and one the band should be damn proud of after all these years. 8/10
Tyler Hubbard: Stronger
We’ve already reviewed this album! Check it out here!
Mark Knopfler: One Deep River
I’ve been a fan of the Dire Straits frontman for years at this point. Not to age him drastically (heck, not that he’ll read this), but my Grandad is a big fan of the man and passed on that fandom to me in my early teens. And, being not only a soft rock fan, but a wannabe guitarist in a blues-rock inspired band, of course said fandom continues to this day. And the album was exactly what I was expecting; chilled-out rock music filled with incredible guitar work and some awesome vocal lines. I enjoyed it all, but standout tracks were definitely ‘Scavenger Yard’ and ‘Before my Train Comes’. Honestly, I don’t really have much else to say about the album. As I said, if you know Mar’s work, you’ll know exactly what to expect heading into it. It’s slower, lower-energy Dire Straits. If that’s your sort of thing, you’ll like this, just like I did. However, I know it certainly isn’t for everyone. Still, it’s an easy 7/10 from me!
Kris Barras Band: Halo Effect
The UK rock frontman (and former cage fighter, bet you didn’t know that?!) Kris Barras and his band are back with their fifth album. I’ve been a fan of his work for a while now, ever since ‘Hail Mary’ came out and hooked me in. So, know this comes from a place of love when I say… this is fine. Don’t get me wrong, there are certainly some good songs, and some that stand out the more I listen to them. The foot-stomping ‘With You’, anthemic ‘Reflections’ and the almost power metal single ‘Secrets’ are all clear favourites of mine. However, there is so much music out these days that sounds like this that it risks getting lost in the shuffle a little. The heavier NWOCR sound, Alter Bridge/Black Stone Cherry mixed with early 2000s dad/butt rock, is being done very well by so many bands at the minute. Whether it’s Those Damn Crows, Florence Black or Stone Broken, or so many other bands not in the UK, there is tonnes of this style that is great. And this is also great, don’t get me wrong, but does it stack up to some of the best? Potentially not.
It’s growing on me more with subsequent listens, don’t get me wrong, but I’m going to struggle to work out what score to give it. The riffs are awesome and go hard from start to finish, Kris’s vocals are as good as ever, and it does have some massive, catchy choruses. I hate to be THAT fan, but I did find myself enjoying their older, more blues-oriented sound. It set them apart from the pack a little more while this just sounds like everything else. Still, again, it’s not a bad album, and I’ll most likely be listening to a good few of the songs a fair bit moving forward. 7.5/10
Imminence: The Black
The metalcore Swedes are back with their first album in three years. I have to admit, I am very much in two minds with it. When it goes hard and gets heavy, I love it. Tracks like ‘Desolation’ and ‘?’ are amazing thanks to the heavy guitars and brutal screams. Even when the vocals get cleaner in parts of the tracks, it still has a heavy edge to it all. Heck, ‘Heaven Shall Burn’ is essentially a deathcore song. The strings in it were also an excellent touch. However, other tracks, such as the opener or ‘Death By a Thousand Cuts’, suffer the knock-on effect of Bad Omens’ Tik Tok popularity. Don’t get me wrong, variety isn’t an issue and is even encouraged. However, I’m not a fan of the kinda winey, radio-bait sound of these songs, Bad Omens and BMTH’s modern stuff. I’m sure I am in the minority with that opinion, given the popularity of the style, but give me heavy or give me nothing, please! Heck, even just a more interesting ballad would have been nice!
Still, there is certainly enough on here that I liked and to keep me entertained. There are a good number of songs that I’ll certainly have on a lot in the coming weeks and months. However, as an album as a whole, it isn’t for me. If you are into any of the bands I previously listed though or that lighter, more atmospheric/pop end of metalcore, this will certainly be for you! 7/10
Týr: Battle Ballads
I never feel like there’s enough Viking metal on this page, so damn am I excited to inject some more into it! The bands ninth studio album goes just has hard as their last few does. The first release after the critically acclaimed live album A Night at the Nordic House, it had to pull out all the stops, and that’s exactly what this does. Right from the intro it is epic, folky heavy metal music, and I loved it until the very last minute. Tracks like ‘Unwandered Ways’, ‘Hangman’ and the title track are all massive highlights. Also, big shoutout to the beautiful ballad sung in their native tongue, ‘Torkils Døtur’, it’s awesome.
Don’t go into this expecting Amon Amarth as it’s certainly lighter than that, more of a NWOBHM meets power metal vibe. However, it certainly channels a similar energy and epicness and passion. It’s a solid album from start to finish and one that I will most certainly be listening to again. Now I just need to hear all of these live with an orchestra behind them, too. I’m not asking for much! 8/10, this was great!
Gun: Hombres
The British hard rockers have certainly enjoyed one hell of a career resurgence in recent years, thanks in large part to being an adopted uncle/godfather to the ever-growing NWOCR scene. This album certainly continues their impressive run of momentum. It’s a great album that perfectly fuses the modern sound and style with that of the 80s sleazy hard rock that inspired them. The Axl Rose-inspiration is clear in the vocals, as is Slash’s in the guitaring, while it also has a touch of the likes of Motley Crue and Love/Hate, but all modernised to fit with the current sounds. Honestly, it sounds like a new version of UYI-I, or what Chinese Democracy should have sounded like.
Tracks like ‘Take me Back Home’, ‘Lucky Guy’ and the very British ballad, ‘You Are What I Need’ are all perfect examples of what I mean, and are all big highlights of the album. However, the more I listen to the album, the more I fall in love with every track. There is a lot to love on this album, and there really isn’t a bad track on it. Being a fan of the band for a while, I can confidently say that this is up there amongst my favourite albums from them. Any rock fans should check this out, they certainly won’t be disappointed! I’m gonna be cranking this a lot in the coming weeks and months. 9/10, great stuff!
Tom Killner: Borrowed Time
British blues guitarist/singer/legend Tom Killner is back with his third studio album, and first in over half a decade! It certainly doesn’t feel that long ago, but also feels like a long time coming. I’ve been waiting rather impatiently since it was announced last year, so can’t wait to finally be hearing it in full!
It’s an awesome, chilled out rock album, that has a hell of a lot more to offer than basic blues. Don’t get me wrong, there’s plenty of that too, on tracks like the opener and recent single ‘Light it Up’. However, tracks like ‘One Day at a Time’ have a more chilled-out, almost easy listening feel. Then ‘On the Other Side’ and ‘Borrowed Time’ have definite Lynyrd Synyrd/Blackberry Smoke country vibes combined with the blues, too. All the songs mentioned previously are certainly highlights. However, there isn’t a bad song on the album, and the whole thing is one big highlight, honestly. It’s clear a lot of love and dedication was put into this album, and I can’t fault it at all. I’m on my third listen through already this weekend which, given how much else I have to listen to, is a real testament to how great this release is. If you’re a rock, blues or country fan, or even if not, check this out, you won’t be disappointed! I have to. It’s an easy 10/10!
ERNEST: NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE
The country superstar is back with his third record, and first in two years. Settle in, ladies and gents, it’s another long country album! It’s 26 tracks, nearly an hour-and-a-half, and honestly a little bit of a mixed bag. I’m a big fan of Jelly Roll, but damn if the opening track that features him isn’t just straight cringe. And the variety in the sounds, while good and greatly appreciated in this long of a release, does come across more of a ‘I used to write songs for others and haven’t quite found my own sound yet’ case. The song he does with Morgan Wallen, ‘Hangin’ On’, for example, just sounds like another Morgan song. Then again, his duet with Lainey Wilson is beautiful, and he and HARDY do a really interesting cover of Radiohead’s ‘Creep’. And the more upbeat, quirky tracks on here, like ‘Why Dallas’ and ‘Smokin’ Gun’, are definite album highlights. However, there is a LOT to this album, and a fair number of the tracks towards the back end are covers. I’d have much preferred he cut some of them out, did an EP or something with them instead, then load everything he had in the studio into one long release. It’s not a bad album at all, and if you’re into the more radio-style of country music, you’ll find plenty to enjoy. I just don’t think it’s anywhere near as consistent as it could be. 7/10
A stacked week of New Music Mondays this week! Join us as we check out everything from country to punk to death metal to grime!
The Black Keys: Ohio Players
The Ohioan alt-rock duo returned with their 12th studio album. I haven’t listened to them now in probably a decade, at least since I was a teenager, and they’ve changed a fair bit since ‘Gold on the Ceiling’, that’s for sure! There’s a lot less of a focus on rock, or at least the higher tempo, more energetic end of it that they had on their early work. It’s a much more softer indie rock. However, that isn’t an issue at all. Bands evolve, and this certainly isn’t a bad album. It reminds me a lot of some of the slower stuff off RHCP’s Stadium Arcadium.
However, having said that, I’m finding it hard to pick out specific highlights. None of the tracks stand out to me massively over others. I don’t think I’d go out of my way to listen to individual songs again, but I’d happily stick the whole album on again and again if I wanted to chill out or was on a long car journey. It feels designed to be listened to as a whole, which is a nice change of pace in today’s musical climate. I still wouldn’t put it up there with El Camino or Attack & Release, but it’s a damn fun album and if you like a softer, indie rock sound, you’ll love this! 7.5/10
Alpha Wolf: Half Living Things
I was semi-curious about this release, having heard a couple of the singles before it’s release. “The one with Ice T” I loved from the start; it was right up my street. But then I heard “The slower, ambient, Bad Omens type one” and it dropped my hype all the way down. The two tracks are one after another towards the midpoint of the album, and while I appreciate the band slowing things down and changing things up, adding some dynamics and pacing to the album, it does kinda reflect the best and average of it.
However, as an album overall, it’s chaotic, heavy brilliance. It has the manicness of modern nu-metal, heavy Tallah vibes. However, it also has the heaviness and aggression of new-wave metalcore. It’s a fascinating, amazing combination, to say the least. Outside of the aforementioned slower track, actually titled ‘Whenever You’re Ready’, the whole album goes hard and produces MANY highlights. Songs like ‘Double-Edge Demise’, ‘Mangekyõ’ and ‘A Terrible Day For Rain’ are all personal highlights, alongside the Bodycount-esque ‘Sucks 2 Suck’. However, it’s a great album overall, and even the slower one is growing on me with more listens. If you like you metal with heaviness, chaos and attitude, this is certainly the album for you. It’ll be high in our list of best albums come December, I’m sure! 9.5/10
The Libertines: All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade
The indie/post-punk legends are back with their fourth album, and first in nearly a decade. With how big of a name they are, I really thought they’d have had a bigger output than this! However, the band clearly favour quality over quantity, and this release is no different! It’s an incredibly well put together, thought out, polished album. Every track is as good as the last, and if you’re into the band or the genre as a whole, you’ll love it! It’s not especially my thing overall, but it’s a good album to throw on in the background or chill out to. Highlights for me include the opener, ‘Man with the Melody’ and ‘Be Young’. For a band this deep into their career, it might be a touch predictable, but given that I haven’t listen to a lot of them before now aside their big songs, I enjoyed it! 7/10
Ingested: The Tide of Death and Fractured Dreams
We’ve already checked out this awesome album! Find our review of it here!
Blacktop Mojo: Pollen
The fifth album from the Texan hard rock band would fit them in perfectly with the newer crop of NWOCR bands. The opening two tracks give off big These Wicked Rivers, Bad Touch and The Answer vibes, southern rock-tinged goodness. Heck, ‘As the Light Fades’ is a straight up Blackberry Smoke style country rock song! However, at the same time, tracks like ‘I Can’t Tell’ and ‘Red Enough’ go back to their post-grunge roots, reminding me more of Seether, Hoobastank or even Those Damn Crows.
And, I loved every second of it all. Anyone who knows Overtone knows how much we love all of the bands and genres already mentioned above, and this album does all of it so well! Whether it’s ‘Weary I Roam’, ‘I Can’t Tell’, ‘Born to Lose’, ‘Something’s Changed’ or any of the tracks I’ve previously mentioned, all are massive highlights. Heck, there truly isn’t a bad song on the album! I love how varied it is, feeling constantly different and interesting while still somehow all sounding distinctively Blacktop Mojo. I am endlessly jealous of bands that can genre-hop like this across the same album, and it makes for one of the most entertaining listens I’ve had this year so far. I’mma be listening to this a LOT moving forward, and I’d recommend it to anyone! I can’t give it any less than 10/10. Wow.
Bob Vylan: Humble as the Sun
Long-time readers here will know my general feelings around Bob Vylan. For those who don’t want to help us out and click the link, essentially I don’t get why he’s been so feverishly taken in by the UK rock scene. It baffles me. It’s grime/hip-hop and doesn’t go as hard or heavy as other bands on the periphery of rock like Prodigy or even Die Antwoord. But the acceptance into the scene (they’re even headlining Primordial-fest this year) is the reason I’m leaving this review. I guess there’s a guitar a fair amount through it? Either way, it isn’t rock, just ‘punk-infused’ at times at a push.
Having said all of that, it isn’t even bad music. It’s not hugely my sort of thing, but I’d rather listen to this than most of the tripe on mainstream radio these days. And there are a good few decent tracks on the album. Heck, ‘Hunger Games’ even has a decent riff in it, and the lyrics are punk AF. There’s some meh on it too, don’t get me wrong, but I certainly enjoyed it more than his last release. And I’ve heard he’s supposed to be amazing live, which I can imagine given the style and attitude. Maybe that would win me round to being an actual fan. For now, it’s more passing, morbid curiosity and the odd enjoyment! 4/10
Chayce Beckham: Bad for Me
The debut album of the country star is a phenomenal release. While still following a familiar radio structure to so many of his peers recently, there is a certain not only traditional but also rock edge to his sound, which I LOVED. Whether it’s strings, electric guitar or acoustic drums, it all combines together perfectly to make a definite country-rock-pop sound. ‘Devil I’ve Been’ is the perfect opener for the album and showcases exactly what Chayce is all about in both style and tone. Then you have tracked like ‘Waylon in ’75’, ‘Drink you Off my Mind’ and ‘Something Worth Holding On To’ that are all fantastic tracks and more easy highlights.
He reminds me of a combination of Luke Combs, Shane Smith and, surprisingly, Keifer Sutherland. And, massive props to him for keeping this at only 13 tracks. There are far too many country albums that are far too long, so this is a wonderfully refreshing release. Every track is amazing, and all of them flow together perfectly; it’s really well arranged. I’mma certainly be listening to this a lot moving forward, and I’d recommend it to any country fan out there! 9/10
Hawkwind: Stories from Time and Space
I sadly knew I wouldn’t like this heading into it, and it certainly didn’t change my mind. While I do enjoy a lot of elements and styles of prog rock, ‘space rock’ is not one of them. How this band was how Lemmy started his career is beyond me. I completely get that this band has many, many fans that will likely love this, but I am not one of them. I got bored pretty quickly and really had to fight to listen to the whole album. The closest thing to good for me was most likely ‘The Starship’. An hour of this music was just too much for my tiny brain to bare. 3/10
Strung Out: Dead Rebellion
A band that I have been vaguely familiar with for a few years now since Spotify recommended me a couple of their songs to me. Sadly I haven’t had the chance to check out much more from them since, so I’m excited to check out the tenth album from the band.
Their style has mostly stayed the same in the two decades since they released the music I know. However, the combination of punk with hard/radio/dad/butt rock is great and somehow still feels fresh all these years later. The riffs are awesome and touch on metalcore at times, the drums keep a quick, punky pace and the vocals and lyrics are great throughout. The band clearly inspired the sound of bands like Rise Against and Billy Talent (alongside Bad Religion of course), while still being able to sound pretty unique. Songs like ‘New Gods’ and ‘Resistance’ are big personal highlights for me. Don’t get me wrong, it doesn’t reinvent the wheel or anything. But it’s a solid album and when I haven’t listened to one of theirs in full before, I found myself enjoying it! Fans of the band will have to let us know how it compares to their others! I’ll certainly be checking them out after this, too! For now, 8/10
Feeder: Black/Red
The alt-rock Brits returned with their 12th album last week. We checked out their last one (find it here) and, as you can see, really enjoyed it! Sadly, I didn’t come away with the same pumped, excited feeling after this release. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a bad album. But it kinda just feels there, as opposed to something that demands my attention. There are still some good riffs and a couple of catchy hooks, but nothing stood out to me as a whole, really. ‘Vultures’ is probably the closest to a song I’d listen to over and over.
It reminds me of Bush’s last album, like even down to the colour scheme, as well as feel and sound. However, it didn’t have the same impact on me or stand out nearly as much as The Art of Survival. I’m sure it will have fans, and I didn’t hate it; I wouldn’t turn it off if it came on. But I shan’t rush to listen to this again. 6/10, not bad.
Two weeks in a row now that we’re inundated in new country albums. Yet again, I’m not complaining! We still have some power metal, metalcore and good old-fashioned rock ‘n’ roll spread through, too! Let’s dive right in!
Sheryl Crow: Evolution
I’ve never been the biggest Cheryl Crow fan in the world. This album hasn’t changed my mind. Don’t get me wrong, she has an absolutely incredible voice and some great hits from back in the day. But man, her albums have always been a bit of a slog. And, 30 years after her breakout hits, she still sounds like a combination of Shania Twain, Lenny Kravitz and Alanis Morrisette. I do find it slightly ironic that the album is called Evolution yet sounds exactly the same as everything else she’s put out. It’s 2024, do we really need any more of this late 90s/early 2000s pop rock?
I honestly couldn’t pick this out of a lineup of any of her other songs. All of the tracks kinda blend together, and most of the lyrics were juvenile at best. The only real one I found that stood out and I enjoyed was the closer, ‘Waiting in the Wings’. And even then, it’s probably because it was the most country-leaning track. None of it was bad, per-say, but it just feels like a wholly unneeded album. Still, if anyone reading this is a fan of her other work or any of the other artists I named in a big way, you’ll probably enjoy it. It’s not a bad album, just a safe, boring one. 3.5/10
Sum 41: Heaven :x: Hell
The final album from the pop-punk legends is a bittersweet affair. Having grown up with the band, it’s horrible to hear their last hurah (for now, at least. This is the music industry, after all…). However, what a fantastic swan song. It’s a 20-track, double album that spans all of the styles and sounds the band have covered over their illustrious career, and I love it. Whether it’s heavier, Anti-Flag-style songs like ‘Future Primetive’ or the AMAZING single ‘Rise Up’ or more typical pop-punk stuff like ‘I Can’t Wait’ or ‘Dopemine’, it’s all awesome and packed full of highlights.
Don’t get me wrong, a couple of the songs are a little Ticket to My Downfall, which isn’t a good thing. It may be a little too long, controversially. However, it’s new, final Sum 41, so I still loved it. The band are going out on a high and at the top of their games, which doesn’t happen often these days, and I admire the crap out of them for that. If you are a fan of the band or pop punk in general, I cannot recommend this album enough! I’mma be listening to it a lot going forward. 9/10
While She Sleeps: SELF HELL
Considering I was a metalcore kid, I never quite ‘got’ WSS. I was hoping that would change with the inevitable yet slower-than-usual transition into more of a BMTH sound, especially given that they seem to have gotten stuck around Sempiternal, but that sadly hasn’t happened. I got pretty excited too because when I first stuck it on, I really loved the intro track and where it was headed. Then sadly, that destination was nowhere, building up to stop, and then the following track being anti-climactic, Linkin Park-esque nothingness.
Don’t get me wrong, there were tracks I enjoyed on here. ‘RAINBOWS’ and the heavier, Malevolence-featuring ‘DOWN’ are two songs I’ve listened to a lot over this last weekend. ‘ENEMY MENTALITY’ is a fun, almost modern BFMV, too. However, there is a lot of meh on this album, including multiple interludes that feel like they go nowhere. I know the band are getting quite big and have a lot of momentum currently, but this release doesn’t reflect that at all to me. Hopefully actual fans of the band enjoy it more than I do! 6/10
Rage: Afterlifelines
We’ve already checked out this awesome album! Read the full review of it here!
Aaron Lewis: The Hill
The Staind frontman is back with another helping of his country-based solo work. If you can get past the overly patriotic, questionably political and generally cringy lyrics, it’s a pretty decent album. His voice is just as well suited to country as it is radio/dad rock. Tracks like ‘Spinnin”, ‘Only In My Mind’ and the bouncier, rockier ‘Outlaw’ are all big highlights of the album. However, with just his vocals, guitars and strings, it does get a tad samey and drags a little by the end. None of it is bad, but I wish we’d have had a little more dynamics, or heck, even some drums, just to fill things out a little more or add to the dramatics. Still, I’ve seen a lot of people praising the album so far and rightfully so, it’s a good country release! 8/10
Asomvel: Born to Rock ‘n’ Roll
One of the fastest rising stars in the UK underground rock scene currently, Asomvel finally released their highly anticipated new album last Friday. And, surprising to I’m sure no one, it’s fucking awesome! It’s the perfect blend of Motorhead and Airborne, yet also feels like a modernised version of both. It’s dripping with attitude and has a real old-school feel to it while somehow still fitting in perfectly with today’s music and climate.
It’s a balls-to-the-wall, foot stomping album from start to finish, and is full of energy and adrenaline. Of course, there is something to be said of it all being similar, and I have certainly called out other releases for doing just that in the past. However, the 45-minutes went by in a flash and I loved every minute of it! There isn’t a bad song on the album, but tracks like the opener, ‘Cold Day in Hell’ and ‘Outside the Law’ are all massive personal highlights. If this is anything to go by, this hand are going to be MASSIVE in the very near future. Any rock fan out there will love this just as much as I did. I’d recommend it to anyone! 9.5/10, great stuff!
Ash Tustain: Piece of Me
We’ve also done this album in full too, aren’t you lucky? Check it out here!
Preacher Stone: V
The southern rockers are finally back with their first new album in eight years. The hype around it has been pretty massive, with three huge, awesome singles having been dropped already. I can’t wait to hear the rest!
It’s just as good as I was expecting it to be! ‘Hard Life PhD’ is the perfect opener, setting up the sound and feel of the album fantastically. Tracks like ‘Ain’t as Easy as it Looks’, the stomping, swaggering ‘Horse to Water’, and ‘Dance with the Devil’ are also personal highlights. However, there really isn’t a bad track on the album! It’s also put together really well, with every track flowing perfectly one after another. I didn’t get bored at all and listened to it all in one sitting like no time passed at all! If you’re into anything Southern or hard rocking or even country, check this out, you won’t be disappointed! 8/10
Dylan Scott: Livin’ My Best Life (Still)
I guess a sequel album of sorts, as ‘…Still’ clearly follows on from Dylan’s 2022 release in a major way. It continues the bro country/rock country sound and trend of his previous two albums, so if that’s your thing, you’ll surely love this! Honestly, I thought this was right up my alley going into it, but personally, the album was… fine? None of it was bad, don’t get me wrong. It’s always nice to have a darker, rockier, Brantley Gilbert-like sound in country, and Dylan and the musicians he’s used are all fantastic performers and writers. But it’s a slightly outdated country style these days, the lyrics being a touch on the cringy side at times. And there is a lot of music that sounds like this that I don’t think this album will quite cut through the white noise. Tracks like the opener and ‘Killin’ Some Time’ are personal highlights, but a lot of it sounds similar and blended together. I wouldn’t turn off the album if it came on. However, I don’t think I’d go out of my way to listen to it in full much again after this. Especially at 24 TRACKS. MY GOD COUNTRY, STOP THIS. 6.5/10
Beyoncé: COWBOY CARTER
I never thought I’d be writing about Beyoncé on this site. However, given that this is advertised and claims to be a country album, I thought I’d give it a crack.
Lol, this was shit. If you’re a Beyoncé fan you’ll probably enjoy it, but if you’re a country fan, keep a wide birth. To call it country is laughable and almost insulting to the genre. It’s an R&B album that claims to be country because it’s an acoustic guitar at its heart instead of a clean electric one or electronic samples. And the fact that it’s probably going to be the ‘biggest country album of the year’ makes me sick. I’ve heard the dreadful, nonsensical ‘TEXAS HOLD ‘EM’ so much on social media and, unlike most songs that go viral, I haven’t even been Stockholm Syndromed into liking it. That’s how bad it is. The covers were the best part and that’s because she was nowhere near the writing process for them. And heck, if you want to listen to ‘Joline’ or ‘Blackbird’, I highly recommend listening to the original instead.
This will certainly have the mainstream media in love with it, but as a country fan, this is terrible. Honestly, it may be the worst album I’ve ever reviewed, and I don’t say that lightly. 1/10
